Well guys...I've come to the end of this story! Thanks for keeping up with me and I hope you'll let me know what you think now that it's completed! :D
Keep a look out over the next week or so for my next story, I'm going to be working on it full throttle now that this is done!
Ray Stantz walked into the New York Public Library, a cup of coffee in hand. He headed up to the front desk, noticing that none of the other regulars at the library seemed to glance at him like they'd used to. He smiled as Cindy Drummond turned around in her desk chair to face him.
"Hello, Ray." She said sweetly. "Everything going well for you today?"
"Yeah, seems to be. Winston and Peter are off on the other side of town looking for a couple of poltergeists haunting an abandoned warehouse but other than that, it seems to be pretty quiet today." Ray said casually. Cindy smiled.
"And they didn't invite you?" She asked. Ray smirked.
"Oh, I was invited. I just knew it wasn't going to be a very big job, so I let them go without me. Even Egon agreed, deciding to stay back and hold down the fort while the rest of us were out." Ray said. Cindy pursed her lips knowingly and crossed her arms on top of her desk as she studied Ray's roaming gaze at the large reading room around him.
"Keira's down in her little reading alcove again taking her morning break. Want me to go and fetch her for you?" She offered, knowing that he would decline. Ray shook his head.
"No, I'll go and find her. I wanted to surprise her anyway." He said as he smiled in thanks at the librarian. She gave him a little wave as he headed towards the back of the library and the stairs that led down to the lower level.
As he quietly descended the stairs, he was aware of the silent, warm feeling that the lower wing of the building had. He turned down a row of bookshelves and when he reached the end of it, he spotted Keira sitting in a large reading chair, book in hand. Her knees were pulled up underneath her and she had her left arm leaning casually against the armrest as she held the book in her lap with her right. Afraid of startling her, he quietly cleared his throat as he rounded the corner of the bookshelf.
Keira quickly raised her head, alert, and her blue eyes were instantly bright and twinkling with recognition. Her face broke into a smile as she flipped her book over onto the armrest and leapt up, wrapping him in an excited embrace.
"Ray! I didn't know you were coming today." She said excitedly. He smiled as she released him and he held the cup of coffee out to her.
"I bring a peace offering for interrupting your reading." He said. She giggled as she took the plastic cup from him.
"You didn't have to do that…you know I'll always forgive you. You're one of the only exceptions, though." She said softly. He smiled.
"How are you doing?" He asked as Keira sat back in the large reading chair and scooted over to make room for him. He leaned against the armrest next to her.
"It's been less than twelve hours since you last called to ask me that, do you really need to keep tabs on me like this?" She asked, a teasing gleam in her eye. "Yes, as I've told you for the past few weeks, I'm fine."
"I just…worry about you." He said gently. She smiled and leaned against his shoulder, taking his hand.
"I know you do." She whispered. She glanced down at the coffee in her left hand, her eyes landing on the nearly healed cut on her wrist. "I don't think I'll ever be able to pass by a mirror without my heart giving a little start. I still see her when I look at myself."
Ray brushed her dark colored hair over her shoulder and planted a quick, reassuring kiss on her cheek. He smirked as he noticed the overturned book next to her.
"You're reading 'Tobin's Spirit Guide?'" He asked, lightheartedly trying to change the subject. Keira bit her lip and nodded, embarrassed.
"I just figured…that if anything like this should happen again, I would want to know more about it. A lot of this is really pretty interesting, actually." She said. Ray laughed.
"I guess not everything that came from this possession was all bad, then." He said, running his thumb over the top of her hand. Keira flashed him a curious look, her head still laying on his shoulder. "You've become more open to the world of ghosts, for one thing."
"And for another…it allowed me to meet you." She added quietly. Ray looked down at her and she met his gaze fondly.
"You seemed thrilled about that to begin with." He said jokingly. She smirked and playfully slapped his knee.
"I'm making up for that now." She said as she tilted her head up and kissed him.
Ray touched her face lovingly and after a moment, pulled away smiling. Blushing, she glanced down at the book lying on the armrest.
"I should probably get back to work." She said a little dejectedly as she moved to stand up. Ray grabbed her arm, forcing her to turn back to him with a questioning glance.
"Not until you promise to meet me for lunch later." He said, a serious look on his face. Keira grinned.
"Followed by dinner at my place later tonight? I want to try my hand at cooking." She offered. Ray smiled and kissed her again.
"I don't see why not." He said as he followed her back through the maze of bookshelves and back to the upstairs floor of the library.