The guys were returning home, tired and frustrated. The nasty little bugger had managed to escape them again, even with Egon's new invention this time.
"Man, I'm wiped," Peter commented. "I'm going home and straight to bed."
"Who stayed late tonight, anyway?" Winston asked. "I believe it was Janine," Ray said, from the back seat. "Aggie had to meet her parent's for dinner. I wanted to talk to Janine anyway."
Eogn, looked back at Ray. "You've been talking to Janine extensively lately." he said.
Peter elbowed him. "Yeah, anything we should know about?"
That got him a dirty look from both Ray and Egon. "Nothing that would interest you Peter," Ray stated.
The two way crackled, and Egon picked it up. Peter groaned. "Tell her we aren't doing any more busts tonight."
"There's something here," Janine's frightened voice said over the two way.
Egon's heart lept into his throat, as he thumbed the send button.
"Janine?" he asked.
There was a soft voice in the background of the two way, like his own voice echoing, then Janine screamed, and there was the sound of the two way being dropped.
Winston hit the siren and floored Ecto. Everyone was awake now. Egon kept trying to raise Janine.
A block from the firehouse, her voice came over the two way again.
"He's coming," she gasped out.
"Hold on Janine," Egon yelled into the two-way still now sure if she could hear him. "We're in sight now."
Winston searched around the corner and stopped in front of the firehouse. The four men got out and raced into the firehouse, carrying their packs. Janine was on the floor, in front of her desk, clutching her stomach, tears streaming down her face.
She looked up as they raced in.
"Upstairs," she gasped. Ray stopped to help her as the other three raced up the stairs.
"Are you okay?" he asked.
She nodded, using him to help herself up. "I'll be fine. Let me catch my breath. Go."
He nodded, then raced up the stairs. Janine leaned up against the desk, trying to catch her breath, and listening to the sounds of the battle waged upstairs. She thought when she returned, the pain would leave. Why was it still with her? And why now?
Then, like a bolt, the answer came to her.
Janine was standing in the circle with Christopher right behind her. A book was opened in front of her.
"You can do this," he whispered into her ear.
"Tell me again why we're doing this?" she asked. "If Lord Michael found out..."
"We're doing this so if anything happens to me, you'll be able to finish the incantation. and quit fretting over Lord Michael. I can deal with him."
"Like you did, the night before?" she asked.
"Hush Janine, and concentrate on the incantation."
Concentrate? With him so close to her? "Christopher, I can't do this."
"You can." he told her. "You have enough power to work any spell in this book. Try it."
She had managed to screw up something and bring forth some creature, that Christopher had sent back. Then he made her try it again, until she got it right.
But what if the creature hadn't been sent back?
Grimacing at the lingering ache from the pain, she made her way upstairs.
"Why won't this sucker go away?" Peter yelled.
"I can't lure him this way!" Winston called.
"Try," Egon called back. "We have to aim him towards the trap."
The lab was in shambles, and the creature that had been harassing them for the past week or so had the nerve to actually enter Ghostbuster's headquarters and start ripping it up. Then they couldn't seem to trap him, or even catch him.
Ray sighed frustrated. "This isn't working. We need a miracle."
The creature roared one more time, aiming for Egon, then suddenly it stopped, looking past all four Ghostbusters. Curious, the four men followed the creature's gaze.
Janine was standing at the lab door, her eyes wide, face pale.
"Janine," Peter yelled. "Get out if here!"
The creature raised itself up, roaring angrily. Janine stepped into the room, not listening to Peter, her eyes trained on the creature. She raised her hands in a symbol of protection, and started chanting in Latin.
The creature roared, but hit didn't move. Janine kept walking towards it, still chanting.
"What the...?" Peter asked.
"Figure it out later, fire now!" Ray yelled, shooting his gun. The beam hit the creature and it roared again, but it couldn't move or protect itself. Janine chanted, her eyes not leaving the creature even when the four beams met around the creature, containing it.
"Throw the trap," Egon yelled at Ray. Ray tossed the trap, and stomped down on the lever. The trap opened, and Egon grabbed Janine, sheltering her face so she couldn't look into the trap as it captured the creature.
Ray peeked around. "We got him."
Peter dropped his pack, sliding down to the floor. "Well, that's one less annoyance in my life."
Ray picked up the trap. "I'll take this downstairs. Is Janine okay?"
Egon pulled away slightly, looking down at her. "How did you know that would work, and when did you learn Latin?"
Janine wasn't looking at him, but towards the desk at the open book. She pulled away from him, walking towards the book. Peter frowned, when he realized what she was looking at.
"Egon..." he warned.
But it was to late. She'd seen the picture of Michael. Putting a trembling hand out to touch the picture, she'd remembered why she'd called the Ghostbusters in the first place.
It was Christopher's voice she'd heard in the firehouse earlier that evening. Christopher who reached out from wherever he was to call out to her.
She looked up at the four men still standing in the now distroyed lab. The four men who'd each meant something different to her in her other life. She looked at Egon, the man she'd loved once, in a time that seemed ages ago.
"I was taught," she told him, answering his question. She looked around the room at each of the others, as if to remember their face one last time. Winston, who'd become her confidant both here and in her other life, Ray, whom she thought of fondly in both lives, and Peter, the harsh Lord she grown to admire when he wasn't being a total jerk, and the uncontested head of the Ghostbusters that she admired...when he wasn't being a total jerk.
"It's late. I need to get home," she said, moving towards the door.
"Let me take you home," Egon said. She shook her head, smiling at him.
"I think I'd prefer to walk. I'll see you tomorrow."
Peter and Egon looked at each other, the statement the same in their eyes.
"I'll walk down with you," Ray said. "I have to drop this off in the basement anyway."
One by one, they trickled out of the lab, until only Peter and Egon were left.
"I'm talking to her tomorrow when she comes to work," Peter said. Egon nodded.
"I think that would be a good idea."
"I think you should talk to her also."
Egon looked up at him. "Why me?"
"Egon, I can only do so much. There's the fact that I look like some guy we have no idea how she feels about. I think she'd be more responsive to you, than I." He headed towards the door, and looked back at Egon.
"Besides, I'm not the one who loves her."
Egon watched Peter leave without comment.
She'll never know either, the annoying voice popped up again. She's gone.
"Shut up," he muttered, and started picking up the lab.