Come to me, Janine. I need you here.
Janine sat up in her bed, her body still aching from the pain the night before. "Christopher?" she called out. The room was silent. Outside, the sun was just rising.
Groaning, she slid out of bed and padded into the bathroom. There was no going back to sleep now, and she had to get ready for work.
Why?
She stopped brushing her teeth, staring at herself in the mirror.
Why?
"Because I have a job to do." she told herself.
Aggie could do it. Why should you go back to a place noone appreciates you. You could go back.
Janine shook her head, and continued brushing her teeth.
"There's no going back. This is my home."
You'd rather stay here with a man who doesn't love you, in a job you've forgotten to do, instead of being with him?
"I don't hate my job, and why am I talking to myself?"
Christopher said you have the power to complete any incantation. What if you could find one that could send you back. You'd still be a slave, but you'd be with Christopher. Janine stood there, thinking over the argument her inner voice was giving her. It was true that she'd hadn't felt any more comfortable here than when she first returned, she'd just gotten better at hiding it. You may have only been there fourteen months, but you were more suited to it.
"It's been almost a week here," she told herself. "That's almost seven months there. What if he's found someone else?"
What if he hasn't? Would you really rather stay here? Seeing Egon ever day? Knowing he'll never love you the way Christopher did.
Janine grabbed her coat and purse. If only to prove her inner voice wrong, she was going to the nearest occult shop and prove to herself it couldn't be done.
"Ghostbusters. Please hold," Aggie pushed the hold button, as Ray walked down the stairs.
"Morning."
Ray smiled back at her. "Morning. How was dinner last night?"
"Horrible as usual. Did you guys give Janine the day off? And what happened in the lab last night?"
"We finally caught that nasty little bugger that's been giving us problems. Janine's not here yet?"
Aggie shook her head, hitting the button on the phone again. "How may I help you?"
Winston was in the kitchen fixing breakfast, when Ray walked in. "Janine's not here," he said. Winston looked over at him.
"What?"
"Janine isn't here yet," Ray repeated.
"Call her house. Maybe she overslept."
Rya shook his head. "Can't. Her mom said she ripped the phone out of the wall her first day back home. They haven't repaired it yet."
"She did what?"
"I heard Egon tell Peter that. After last night, I'm really worried about her."
Winston nodded. "I think we'd better tell the other two about what's been going on."
Suddenly, the alarm sounded. Ray looked at Winston. "After the bust."Janine sat in her living room staring at the open book in front of her. After three shops, she finally found the book. There was only one problem. The incantation called for blood...heart's blood. But if it worked, the wound would heal instantly when she reached the other side. If she was strong enough, she could go back.
The preparation would take a while, and if there was one thing she did learn, preparation was the most important. She stood up, gathering the other things she'd bought. If she was going to do this, she'd better get started before she lost her nerve.The first bust melted into an entire day of running across the city taking out little class five and other varieties of slimers. It was nearing twilight when the guys returned back to the firehouse.
"What is going on?" Peter asked. "Quiet all week, then poof, in one day all the little gooper decide to come out and play."
"This sort of thing usually happens when some strange anomaly happens," Ray stated. "But nothing's coming up as far as I know."
Winston, who'd been trying to peel off his jumpsuit stopped suddenly. "Aggie," he called out, but the young temp had already gone for the day. He walked over to the desk, where a note lay for them.
"Ray, I think we may have a problem." Winston said. The three men looked up. Winston shook the note.
"What?" Peter asked.
"Janine never showed up today. Her mother called here looking for her."
The same sinking feeling Egon had when Janine first disappeared came back again.
"So?" Peter said. "After last night, I'd take the day off also, if I..."
"Did Janine talk to either of you?" Egon asked, interrupting Peter complaining. Winston and Ray looked at each other.
"Yes," Winston admitted. "She said she felt more comfortable talking to us than to you two."
Peter looked insulted. "Well, I'm hurt," he griped. "I'm the psychologist here and..."
"You were also Lord Michael for a year and a half," Winston interrupted. "And I don't think he and Janine had a very nice relationship."
"Well, what about Egon?" he asked, miffed at being interrupted twice in a row. "Why couldn't she talk to him?"
Winston just gave Peter a look. "When did Janine ever just talk to Egon?"
The sinking feeling intensified. He knew where this was going. "This has to do with Christopher, doesn't it?" Egon asked.
Ray nodded, blushing slightly. "She belonged to him."
"Define belonged," Peter said.
"She was his slave," Ray added, still blushing. "And I think there may have been more to their relationship."
Egon groaned. How could he have been so stupid as to ignore that?
"I think we'd better get over to her apartment." he said.Everything was set. It was dark outside, and the preparations had taken longer than she'd expected, but it didn't matter now. All she saw was the chalk outline on her wall. If everything went right, that would be where the door to the other place would open. She lit the candles and began the incantation in the open book in front of her.