"Changes"

By GirlX2

Chapter Three

Thanks to my reviewers DuranDuranFan4Life, & Ellowyn. Feedback is Luved:)

-

"You're telling me your going to spend the rest of your life in the body of a six year old child?"

"Peter, its still the body of a middle-aged man, I just look like a child. Its much like plastic surgery."

"Oh, thank you very much Spengs, for clearing that up." Peter snapped sarcastically.

"Peter." Ray said quietly. "Give him a break."

"Yeah man, we'll figure this out." Winston placed a hand on his shoulder.

Peter shook his head. "Egon, we need to get you back to normal. You can't spend the rest of your life like that!"

"You think I want to stay like this? What am I supposed to tell Janine?" Egon glared at the doctor.

"Maybe there's something in Tobin's about ageing. There may be a ritual, or a rite..." Ray trailed off.

"I doubt it. There's been very few cases in history where someone has wanted to make themselves look older and restored to magic." Egon said doubtfully.

"Well, maybe I can find something like this. A situation where someone got to much youth and needed to change back." Ray continued.

"For the last time, it's not true youth, I just look young. My physical age is still forty two. My lifespan will only last another thirty five years or so. I will just look like this for that span of time."

"Like hell you will." Peter growled. "We're going to find a way to reverse this."

"Peter-"

"What about sun tanning, or smoking? Those both cause per-mature aging." Peter grasped at straws.

"My health would just deteriorate." Egon said flatly.

"Then there's got to be some kind of anti-mutogen we can use...?"

Egon stopped cold. "An anti-mutogen."

"Could that work?" Winston asked.

"It's possible...but I'd need more ectoplasm. Fresh ectoplasm." Egon's eyes lit up. "But that shouldn't be a problem."

"We could just tie Peter to a stake and let the ghosts come to us." Winston grinned.

"Not funny Zedd." Peter said in a warning tone.

"We could combine new ectoplasm with anti-mutogenic partials. It's just like the Johannesburg experiment of 1942! Of course, Johannesburg used snails, but the principal is sound. It'll take some time..." Ray went into science-babble.

"It could be done." Egon said. "In theory, it could work."

Peter sighed with relief. "In that case, lets call it a night. We've all had a big day, and I think that mutated body of yours could use some sleep."

"I'm not tired." Egon stifled a yawn.

"Uh-huh." Peter raised an eyebrow. "You need to be fully rested. The last thing we need is a miscalculation, and you end up de-volving into a monkey."

Egon opened his mouth to argue about how inaccurate that statement was, but all that came out was another yawn.

"Besides." Peter led him towards the bedroom. "You need to think up a good apology for Janine, and that's gonna require mucho brainpower."

"Fine." Egon flopped into bed, to exhausted to argue. "That last one I agree with."

-

Egon sat quietly as his parents explained to him-yet again-that the existence of the Boogyman was a logical anomaly.

"We wouldn't lie to you about this sweetheart. You're scaring yourself over nothing." His mother chided gently.

"So we can expect you to stop this foolishness Egon?"


"Yes father." Six year old Egon Spengler answered dutifully.

"Good boy." His father nodded stiffly and left the room.

His mother winked at him as she flicked on his nightlight.

"Our little secret."

"Thank you Mother."

She smiled and shut the door.

Egon's eyes flicked to the closet door. It was firmly shut and locked.

'It can't get out. There's nothing in there to come out.'

The doorknob swiveled.

"Its my imagination." Egon whispered desperately, "It's just my-"

"Eeeeegon..." A voice called from the closet. "Unlock the door Egon."

Egon whimpered and pulled the covers over his head.

"If you don't let me out it will make me angry Egon. Do you want me to be angry?"

"You're just a figment of my imagination." Egon said from beneath the blanket.

"Is that so?"

The lock clicked. Hinges creaked.

"Lets find out."

Slow footsteps started toward the bed.

"Egon." THUD. "You should have let me out." THUD.

Egon whimpered, tears streaming across his face. He began to shake.

THUD. "You tried to capture me twice now Egon." THUD. "It's time you paid."

'Capture?' Egon's mind raced, his memories speeding back. 'I'm not supposed to be here. This is wrong. Its a dream.'

The blankets were pulled off. The Boogyman stood over him, grinning toothily.

"This is all a dream." Egon said haughtily.

"Is that so?"

"Yes. You're safely stowed in the containment unit."

The Boogyman grabbed the shrunken Ghostbuster by his PJ collar and lifted him into the air.

"Still so sure? Time to choke on your smugness, you little bastard." The creature shook him vigorously.

"No!" Egon wailed. "Let me go! Help!"

-

"Egon, wake up!" Peter gently shook the Ghostbusters's shoulders.

"Help!" Egon moaned, unable to come out of the nightmare.

Peter glanced around & spotted a glass of water on the nightstand. He grabbed it and poured the contents onto Egon's face. His eyes sprung open as he sputtered.

"P-Peter? Where is he?"

"Who?"

Egon's mouth opened, then shut abruptly. His eyes leapt to the closet door, which was closed.

"Egon, you were having a nightmare." Peter told him. "You're safe."

"Not a nightmare. A memory." Tears were trickling down his already wet face.

Peter wordlessly wrapped him in a hug. "It's alright Spengs."

Breaths hitched in the boy's chest. "I'm s-sorry P-Peter. I didn't mean to wake you..."

"Hey, no, its okay." Peter told him. "You've had a traumatic experience, its only natural you'd have nightmares. Believe me, I know."

Egon managed a small smile.

"You gonna be okay Spengs?"

Egon wiped his eyes with his sleeve. "I think so."

"Alrighty then. You'd better change your shirt, I soaked you pretty good."

Egon nodded and slipped from the bed to retrieve a dry shirt.

"He's locked in the containment unit Egon. He can't get you."

"I know." Egon said as he slipped a new shirt over his head.

"I'm not going to let anything happen to you." Peter said firmly.

Egon climbed back into bed.

"Tomorrow we'll get the new Ectoplasm, and then this will all be over."

"In theory." Egon said quietly.

"We're going to fix this, damnit."

Egon sighed. "Lets just get some sleep."

-

It took some fancy verbal footwork to stave Janine off for anther day, but Peter assured Egon that he'd done it.

"You just get everything ready for when we get back with the ectoplasm."

"It won't be difficult, I just need to combine a few chemicals." Egon said. "I can't do to much until I have the ectoplasm."

"Then just veg out for a while." Winston advised him. "It'll do you good."

Egon nodded. "Don't you guys have work to do?"

"We sure do, and we're going to be late. C'mon." Ray slid down the pole.

"Bye Spengs. Be good." Peter winked.

"Ha ha." Egon said without a trace of humor.

Egon flicked aimlessly through Tobin's. His meager preparations had been finished two hours ago, and the guys weren't due back for hours more. And he was getting hungry.

'Perhaps if I hurry Janine won't notice anything...' He began probability calculations in his head.

Finially, hunger outweighed reason, & Egon left the lab. He approached the fridge.

Egon rolled the sleeves of his gigantic lab coat back & opened the door. Day old pizza and tang confronted him. He shrugged and grabbed both.

"Egon, is that you?"

He froze as the familiar voice reached him.

"Uh..." He stuttered.

The brisk click of Janine's heels began up the stairs. Egon dropped the food and fled to the lab.

"Egon-" Janine caught a flash of white as Egon vanished into the room. "Egon, I wanna talk."

"Uh-huh." Egon coughed desperately, trying to deepen his voice.

"We've had a lot of fights lately, and well, its getting out of hand. I mean, you blew off our anniversary for experiments!"

Egon groaned slightly. He was already going through hell, and guilt added to it was not going to help. He silently cursed the fact that she was right. If he's just gone with her, none of this would have happened.

"I'm not sure if this relationship is good for either one of us anymore."

"What!" Egon yelped before he could stop himself. He slapped a hand to his mouth, eyes widening in horror.

"I guess what I'm saying is, we should break it off. And I'm giving you my two weeks notice."

"No, Janine-" Egon began, no longer caring about disguising his voice.

"Goodbye Egon. I wish you only the best." Her voice said coldly. The click-click went down the hall.

Egon stared hard at the door. He'd never before admitted it even to himself, but he cared deeply for Janine. For the first time in many years, emotion won out over logic.

"The hell with it." He flung the door open and raced into the hall. The click of Janine's heels had moved down the stairs. "Janine, wait!"

He raced after, trying not to stumble over his clothes. He caught sight of her in the main room. She stopped.

"Yes." She didn't turn around.

"Janine, look at me."

"I don't want to Egon."

"Please. You'll understand why I've been avoiding you."

Janine spun on her heels.

"I don't know what you're-" She stopped cold.

A little blond boy stood before her. He was wearing Egon's glasses & lab coat which were far to big for him, along with a non-descript white shirt, jean shorts & cheap sandals. He stared up at her, almost apologetically.

"I didn't want to scare you."

"Oh my God!" Janine's eyes widened in shock.

Egon shrank from the scream. "I can explain-"

"You bet you're going to explain! You're going to explain who you are and what you've done with Egon."

The little boy blinked owlishly behind Egon's glasses.

"Janine, its me."

"Where's Egon? Who sent you? Poso? Those goons from the alternative universe?" Janine demanded.

"I'm Egon!" Egon nearly wailed. "If you'd just listen-"

"The only person who's gonna listen is you when Dr. V gets here." Janine moved towards him.

"Janine, what are you doing?" Egon took a nervous step back.

"Just stand still, you little bugger." Janine growled.

Egon backed away, towards the front doors. "You're not being rational. If you'd think about this for a moment, you'll see that I'm me."

"Stop talking like him. God, you're probably not even human." Janine said coldly.

Egon glanced outside.

"Don't you dare-"

He fled.

-

END OFCHAPTER THREE