Janine watched as Ecto-1 rolled into the firehouse after ten o'clock. She
let out small sigh of relief and stood up as the guys got out of the car.
Each of them were covered in some kind of slime or what she at least hoped
was slime and looked like they were about to drop.
"You guys look horrible," Janine told them. Egon looked at the red-head and narrowed his eyes in confusion.
"It's late, Janine. I thought you'd be at home," Egon said as he walked over to the secretary's desk.
"I would have, but Dani kept on calling in. She was the one who sent you guys on the last couple of jobs," the secretary replied. She walked around the desk. "You look tense, Egon. Let me massage your shoulders." Janine turned him around and began to rub his shoulders and he didn't bother to tell her not to.
"Wait," Ray said. "She's not here?"
"She hasn't been since about an hour after she called you all on the radio," Janine responded. "I asked her if she wanted to talk about it and she just said she was going for a walk."
"Long walk," Winston commented. "At least something explains all those looks we got when we arrived before the ghosts started to bother anyone."
"Either way the job was done and we got paid," Dr. Venkman said. "I'm going to bed." He went up the stairs.
"What's with him?" Janine inquired.
"He's been like that all day," Dr. Spengler answered. He slipped away from Janine's hands and touched his neck. Janine finally noticed the small red welts resembling fingerprints on the sides of his neck. "We all have."
"You guys want me to stay?" Janine asked.
"No, Janine," Ray told her. "You go on home. You can even come in late tomorrow." Janine gave him a small smile.
"I appreciate it, Ray, but I'll be here bright and early as usual," Janine replied. She pecked Egon on the cheek and he watched her leave the firehouse. Winston started up the stairs, but looked back at his two other friends who were both now sitting on the edge of Janine's desk staring at the front door.
"You guys going to bed?"
"Not now," Dr. Spengler said.
"Me neither," Ray added.
"Guys, don't do this," Winston told his friends. "She's going to come home and still not want to talk to you just because you're sitting there." Ray got up and headed to her bedroom. "That's not advisable either. She'll kick your ass."
"What do you suggest, Winston?" Egon inquired.
"I suggest you two take a shower and get some sleep. Or just head right to bed," Winston told them. "You'll know when she comes in."
"How?" Ray asked with a curious look. Winston shrugged.
"Call it intuition," the black man answered. "Go to bed." Egon and Ray followed their friend up the stairs.
**** (Later that night)
Ray sat up in bed when he heard a crash coming from the kitchen. He quickly tossed aside his covers and went over to Egon's bed. The blonde scientist was putting on his glasses.
"You think that was Dani?" Ray whispered.
"Possibly also Slimer," Egon whispered back. "Or something else entirely. Let's go see before waking Peter and Winston." The two men quietly walked out of the bedroom and towards the kitchen where the light was on.
"Sixty-three bottles of beer on the wall," Dani sang from the kitchen. "Sixty-three bottles of beer. Take one down pass it around. Sixty-two bottles of beer on the wall." Dr. Spengler and Dr. Stantz went into the kitchen to find the young woman sitting on one of the counters eating from a box of cereal.
"Dani, are you drunk?" Ray asked.
"If drunk means wanting to do it with you on the kitchen floor right now not caring that Egon is watching than yes," Dani answered than bobbed her head. She grabbed her head. "Whoa, dizzy now." Egon sighed.
"Why?" Dr. Spengler inquired.
"Because it made me forget," Dani told him as she hopped off the counter and stumbled toward him. She tripped over the air and he grabbed her by the arms before she hit the floor. "Thank you."
"Let's go sit down," Dr. Stantz suggested. Egon helped Dani to the table outside the kitchen and she sat in one of the chairs. Egon sat next to her and Ray sat down across from her.
"Dani, what you did was very irreresponsible," Egon told his cousin. "You could have hurt yourself."
"I didn't," Dani replied slightly slurring her words. "I just needed to forget."
"Drinking your problems away only makes the problem bigger," Egon continued. "You should have just come back here."
"I didn't want to," she responded. "I didn't want to see any of you. I almost couldn't come back. All those images in Peter's head scared me." She looked at Ray. "I wanted to make it all go away. How can you go through it every day?"
"Those aren't natural occurrences," Ray said. "Our job is dangerous and sometimes those things happen."
"Dani, you've got to understand we do take every precaution we possibly can, but the unpredictable occurs and one can not prepare for those," Egon added. She just put her head on the table. "Are you okay?"
"I feel funny," she answered. "I've never drank alcohol before." Egon and Ray exchanged a look.
"How much did you have to drink?" Dr. Spengler asked.
"I had two beers."
"Two beers?" Ray repeated. "You must be really sensitive to alcohol." She waved a hand at him.
"Perhaps you should go to bed," Egon suggested. "We'll talk about this some more in the morning." He stood up and the young woman did as well, but leaned against the table as she wobbled on her feet. Ray quickly grabbed her by the waist.
"I'll carry you," Ray told her. She smiled as he picked her up. Egon gave his friend a look. "What?" Egon just shook his head.
****
(It's going to get interesting real soon. I promise. I just had to start this out. Set up the scene and stuff. Alright, later.)
"You guys look horrible," Janine told them. Egon looked at the red-head and narrowed his eyes in confusion.
"It's late, Janine. I thought you'd be at home," Egon said as he walked over to the secretary's desk.
"I would have, but Dani kept on calling in. She was the one who sent you guys on the last couple of jobs," the secretary replied. She walked around the desk. "You look tense, Egon. Let me massage your shoulders." Janine turned him around and began to rub his shoulders and he didn't bother to tell her not to.
"Wait," Ray said. "She's not here?"
"She hasn't been since about an hour after she called you all on the radio," Janine responded. "I asked her if she wanted to talk about it and she just said she was going for a walk."
"Long walk," Winston commented. "At least something explains all those looks we got when we arrived before the ghosts started to bother anyone."
"Either way the job was done and we got paid," Dr. Venkman said. "I'm going to bed." He went up the stairs.
"What's with him?" Janine inquired.
"He's been like that all day," Dr. Spengler answered. He slipped away from Janine's hands and touched his neck. Janine finally noticed the small red welts resembling fingerprints on the sides of his neck. "We all have."
"You guys want me to stay?" Janine asked.
"No, Janine," Ray told her. "You go on home. You can even come in late tomorrow." Janine gave him a small smile.
"I appreciate it, Ray, but I'll be here bright and early as usual," Janine replied. She pecked Egon on the cheek and he watched her leave the firehouse. Winston started up the stairs, but looked back at his two other friends who were both now sitting on the edge of Janine's desk staring at the front door.
"You guys going to bed?"
"Not now," Dr. Spengler said.
"Me neither," Ray added.
"Guys, don't do this," Winston told his friends. "She's going to come home and still not want to talk to you just because you're sitting there." Ray got up and headed to her bedroom. "That's not advisable either. She'll kick your ass."
"What do you suggest, Winston?" Egon inquired.
"I suggest you two take a shower and get some sleep. Or just head right to bed," Winston told them. "You'll know when she comes in."
"How?" Ray asked with a curious look. Winston shrugged.
"Call it intuition," the black man answered. "Go to bed." Egon and Ray followed their friend up the stairs.
**** (Later that night)
Ray sat up in bed when he heard a crash coming from the kitchen. He quickly tossed aside his covers and went over to Egon's bed. The blonde scientist was putting on his glasses.
"You think that was Dani?" Ray whispered.
"Possibly also Slimer," Egon whispered back. "Or something else entirely. Let's go see before waking Peter and Winston." The two men quietly walked out of the bedroom and towards the kitchen where the light was on.
"Sixty-three bottles of beer on the wall," Dani sang from the kitchen. "Sixty-three bottles of beer. Take one down pass it around. Sixty-two bottles of beer on the wall." Dr. Spengler and Dr. Stantz went into the kitchen to find the young woman sitting on one of the counters eating from a box of cereal.
"Dani, are you drunk?" Ray asked.
"If drunk means wanting to do it with you on the kitchen floor right now not caring that Egon is watching than yes," Dani answered than bobbed her head. She grabbed her head. "Whoa, dizzy now." Egon sighed.
"Why?" Dr. Spengler inquired.
"Because it made me forget," Dani told him as she hopped off the counter and stumbled toward him. She tripped over the air and he grabbed her by the arms before she hit the floor. "Thank you."
"Let's go sit down," Dr. Stantz suggested. Egon helped Dani to the table outside the kitchen and she sat in one of the chairs. Egon sat next to her and Ray sat down across from her.
"Dani, what you did was very irreresponsible," Egon told his cousin. "You could have hurt yourself."
"I didn't," Dani replied slightly slurring her words. "I just needed to forget."
"Drinking your problems away only makes the problem bigger," Egon continued. "You should have just come back here."
"I didn't want to," she responded. "I didn't want to see any of you. I almost couldn't come back. All those images in Peter's head scared me." She looked at Ray. "I wanted to make it all go away. How can you go through it every day?"
"Those aren't natural occurrences," Ray said. "Our job is dangerous and sometimes those things happen."
"Dani, you've got to understand we do take every precaution we possibly can, but the unpredictable occurs and one can not prepare for those," Egon added. She just put her head on the table. "Are you okay?"
"I feel funny," she answered. "I've never drank alcohol before." Egon and Ray exchanged a look.
"How much did you have to drink?" Dr. Spengler asked.
"I had two beers."
"Two beers?" Ray repeated. "You must be really sensitive to alcohol." She waved a hand at him.
"Perhaps you should go to bed," Egon suggested. "We'll talk about this some more in the morning." He stood up and the young woman did as well, but leaned against the table as she wobbled on her feet. Ray quickly grabbed her by the waist.
"I'll carry you," Ray told her. She smiled as he picked her up. Egon gave his friend a look. "What?" Egon just shook his head.
****
(It's going to get interesting real soon. I promise. I just had to start this out. Set up the scene and stuff. Alright, later.)