When Seconds Feel Like Forever
Egon woke up. He found that he was in his pajamas. He didn't remember putting them on, but he shrugged it off. Opening his eyes wider, he put on his glasses. He spotted his watch on the nightstand by his bed.
"Well, good morning sleepyhead." A female voice said, by his bedside.
Egon turned to see Janine sitting there.
He immediately screamed, causing Janine to scream and he ended up falling out of the bed. Peter, Ray and Winston also woke up.
"What's the matter, you guys?" Peter asked, yawning.
"She's here! I can't believe it!" Are you a ghost?" Egon rambled.
"Egon, you're scaring me…" Janine said, uncomfortably, "Are you alright? Maybe you shouldn't go to your presentation today…" "I don't know…I mean, I think I'm fine, I mean, y-you're here, and totally solid!" he exclaimed.
"Okay, I'm going to tell you everything I'm going to do, so I don't frighten you. I'm standing up…walking over to you….hugging you…" Janine said, going to embrace him slowly.
Egon put his arms around her, and clutched her tightly.
"Oh J-Janine! I-I'm so glad you're here." He said, putting his head into her shoulder.
"Egon, you must be nervous. I'm sure of it, you're just really nervous about the presentation. You'll do fine. You worked really hard on it." She said, assuring.
"Yeah Spengs, Chill out! IF anyone, you deserve that job." Peter said, "Now let us get a little more sleep, please. It's way too early." Egon smiled,
"W-what's today's date?" he asked, trying to regain his logical dignity.
"It's the thirteenth, and your presentation. It's also the day of my concert. You didn't forget, did you?" Janine said.
"Concert, what concert?" Egon joked.
Janine gave him an obviously upset look, but Egon just smiled.
"I'm kidding! I wouldn't miss it for the world!" Egon said happily.
Janine's face filled with relief.
"Is that the Spenglish sense of humor, I've heard so much about?" she asked. "Yeah, I guess." He replied, kissing her.
"Oh Egon! Whatever happened to you, I like you this way!" she said.
"I hoped you would." He said, "Now, what shall we do next?" "Egon, Janine, could you get intimate somewhere else, there are children present…" Peter said, pointing to Ray.
'Hey, I'm not that young!" Ray protested.
"Whatever, Ray." Peter answered, smiling at the younger Ghostbuster. "Well, I think that we should get some breakfast." Egon suggested.
"Alright," Janine said, "I'll go downstairs, and make pancakes, while you get dressed and ready for your presentation." Egon nodded, and proceeded to the bathroom to change into his suit, that he thought he'd set out the night before, but still wasn't entirely sure.
Heading down the stairs, Janine was making pancakes. She reached for the coffee pot, and Egon panicked.
"Janine, Watch it! It's hot!" he said, frantically.
"I know, don't worry." She said, using a towel to pour him some coffee.
Egon sighed with a desperate relief.
"I thought you were going to burn yourself." He said.
"Well, thank-you for your concern. " She said, "But relax, really. I've got it"
Egon sat down, trying to organize his thoughts.
Janine set his plate on the table.
"There you go." She said.
Slimer then came flying through the wall.
"Pancakes!" he exclaimed, in his usual high-pitched tone.
"Slimer, go away! Those are for Egon!" she said, going to grab a frying pan. She then burned her hand.
"Ow! Look what you made me do!" she yelled, grasping her burnt hand.
Egon looked at her, utterly startled.
"Y-you burned your hand!" he said, somewhat speechless.
"Thank-you, Egon, for telling me something I already know…" Janine said.
Egon grabbed an ice cube from the freezer, and put it on the burnt area of her hand.
"I knew you were going to do that." He said, "I had a vision or a dream or some kind of premonition of the clairvoyant nature"
"Look Egon, everyone's had Déjà vu. It's only natural, nothing to freak out about." Janine said, trying to calm him down.
"This wasn't déjà vu, it was ESP or something." Egon explained.
"So, what happened next?" she asked.
"Well, I go to the college and I almost get hit by a taxi…" he explained.
"Well, I'll go to the college with you, and if you almost get hit by a taxi, we'll know something's going on, and do something about it." She said.
Egon nodded, as he finished off his pancakes, trying to not get syrup on his clean suit.
When he finished, he put this dish in the sink, and grabbed his things.
"You're ready?" he asked.
She nodded, and they headed off, leaving Slimer to devour the rest of the pancakes.
The pair walked to the college, their trip went smoothly.
"I told you, Eon. Everything was fine." Janine said, "Now, take it easy, relax, and good luck. Not that you'll need it, because you'll do fine." She kissed him, and headed back to the firehouse.
Egon then heard the hum of an electric scooter. He ran over, panicking for Janine's safety. He clung to her, afraid that she'd get hit.
Janine looked at him curiously.
"Care to explain?" she asked.
"I thought it was just a bit speedy, that's all." He said, "I can't seem to shake off that nightmare." "What happened that shocked you so bad?" she asked, "Anyway, let's be logical about this and nothing went wrong, so just calm down"
"Alright. Thanks, Janine, I'll see you later." Egon said, kissing her again.
He went to the meeting, and started explaining his studies and hard work.
He would continually glance backwards to see if Janine would burst through the doors. When one of the hotel staff walked into the doors, Egon jumped.
"I knew you were going to be here!" he exclaimed hysterically.
The man just gave Egon a curious look, along with the rest of the people there.
After the meeting, he took a taxi. The driver was the same, and Egon felt frightened.
"You're that driver from yesterday!" he said.
"Anything's possible." The driver answered casually.
"You knew certain things about me…" Egon said.
"About your love life?" the driver replied.
"Well, yes, exactly!" Egon said.
"Well, we cab drivers are good at not only driving, but problems of the heart." The driver said.
"You said that same thing, yesterday!" Egon said, excitedly, "If this is the same, then everything else is going to be the same! There has to be something I can do to stop it! What if I take her out of town? What if she doesn't get in the cab? I have to save her!" "Just love her." The driver answered.
"Let me out, I have to find her!" Egon said.
"Sure." The driver said, opening the cab locks.
Egon went to grab his wallet.
"Don't bother, you paid me yesterday." He said.
"Thanks." Egon said.
He then bolted out of the cab, and headed back to the firehouse.
"Oh, Janine! I'm so glad I found you!" he said, clutching to her, "We have to get out of here." "Egon, what's the matter with you today?" she asked.
"I'm sorry, but you have to trust me!" he said.
Janine quickly wrote a note to Peter, Ray and Winston, and she followed Egon to the place where her car was parked.
They took her car to the train station, where they headed out of New York City.
Egon sighed.
"If you hadn't wanted to go back to your hometown, you never should've told me that I could take you where ever I wanted." Janine said, "I want to learn more about the human side of you, Egon." Egon ran a hand through his blonde hair, as their train started to come to a stop.
"I don't know how you knew where I lived before…" he said.
"Peter told me." She said, grinning at him.
The pair got off the train, and came to a small town; the largest building was Spengler Labs.
"It sure does bring back memories." Egon said.
Egon took her to a small cabin by his old house.
"This is where I did all my thinking and early fungal research." He said.
Janine sighed,
"You and your mushrooms…" she teased.
"It's fungus…" he said, a blush forming over his face.
"Very interesting…" she said, as Egon opened the cabin.
He lit a small fire in the fireplace, and his watch cracked against the rough granite, as he tried to light a match.
Egon was stunned.
"This can't be happening. Not now…" he thought.
A question then popped into his mind.
"Janine?" "Yes?" "If you had only a day to live, what would you do?" he asked.
"That's an odd question." She said, pondering the thought.
"I'm just curious." Egon said, wiping some stray tears from his eyes.
"Well, I'd defiantly go shopping, and eat tons of ice cream, and I'd love to see Paris, and the Statue of Liberty. Just to go to the top, and look at all the cars from below!" she said.
Egon chuckled slightly.
"That's an easy one, Egon; I'd spend it with you! You should know that!" she said, flinging herself upon him.
Egon smiled sadly, and kissed her passionately.
He then walked over to the window, as it started to rain.
"There's one more place I want to take you." Egon said.
"It's raining, you do know that?" Janine said, glancing outside.
"Yeah, but some heavy precipitation never hurt anyone, and there are no large bodies of water anywhere, except for the fact that we're on Long Island." Egon said.
"Great Egon…that makes me feel so much better…" Janine said, sarcastically.
"Oh, come on!" he said, playfully, as he ran out the door.
"You're acting weird again, Egon." She said, following him.
She screamed as the rain hit her.
"Egon, where are you going?" she asked.
"I'm heading to the town!" he said.
"Egon, we have to get back to New York!" Janine said.
"Let's stay for longer. It can wait!" Egon pleaded.
"Egon, it's been wonderful, but I've been studying voice at this school for three years. Please, I have to graduate." She begged.
"Alright." He said reluctantly.
They took the train home, and headed back to the firehouse.
Peter, Ray, Winston and Slimer were all on the couch watching the news.
"Well, hello you guys." Peter said, "Had a good date?" Egon blushed.
"Yes, it was wonderful, the perfect day!" Janine exclaimed, "I'll think of it, forever, and I'll miss you even more, when I leave for my sister's wedding tonight"
"Yes, I'll miss you too." He replied.
"Well, I have to get ready for my concert. You too, Egon." She said, "I'll be back. I'm just going to run to my apartment"
"Hold on, Janine. I'll come with you." He said.
"Alright." She answered.
He gripped her by the hand, and he drove her to her apartment, just a few blocks away. "It's a nice place." He said.
"Thanks." She said.
She quickly rushed into the bathroom, and changed into her outfit.
"What do you think?" she asked, modeling it for him.
"It looks lovely on you, Janine." He said.
"Thanks, you're so sweet." She said, giving him a peck on the cheek.
"Well, hurry up. I wanted to take you somewhere." Egon said, "Somewhere that you've always wanted to see." "Alright, Dr. Spengler, I'm hurrying." She said, grabbing her purse.
They headed to the Statue of Liberty, and took the elevator up.
Egon could see that she was getting nervous.
"I thought you always wanted to see the top of the Statue of Liberty." He said.
"I didn't, but I'm totally afraid of heights. That's why I never went." She said.
"Just close your eyes, and hold on to me." He said.
"Alright." She said, gripping onto his jacket.
They looked down, from her crown, when they reached the top.
"Gosh, it's beautiful." Janine said.
"You're not scared anymore." He said.
"Oh, I guess not." She said, "Thanks, for the perfect day." Egon felt totally in love with her at that moment.
"Well, we better get going. I have to run an errand. I'll drop by the firehouse, and fill out some papers. I'll meet you at the school." He said.
Janine gave him a disappointed look.
"Alright, just don't be late." She said.
"I won't." he promised.
He ran to the firehouse, and spotted a lone paper on her desk. He picked it up, and found that is was a song that she had been writing. He grabbed it, and headed out, his wallet in hand.
He then headed to the copy store, and ordered twenty copies of the song, and bought her a charm bracelet, with some roses.
He then took the taxi and went to the school. He could barely hold in his excitement.
Egon then went to the conductor of the band.
"Could you play this, please? It's a special day, and"
"Don't say another word. I'll hand out the music." The conductor said, giving Egon a smile, "Miss Melnitz is defiantly talented." "Yes, she defiantly is." Egon answered.
"He then asked one of the stage hands, to give her the roses that he bought for her.
Egon then took his seat, and waited for the concert to start.
When the last song was finished, he walked onto the stage. Janine was shocked to find her music on the stand in front of her, and she spotted Egon.
"We hope that you enjoyed the presentation tonight. That was supposed to be the last selection, but our own Janine Melnitz wanted to grace us with a composition of her own." Egon announced, walking over to her.
"Egon is this some kind of sick joke?" she asked, in a harsh whisper.
He shook his head,
"You don't want to disappoint your future fans." He said.
"You are in big trouble." She said, moving to the front and center stage.
Egon handed her the microphone, and went to watch her performance from the side.
"The music started to play, and for a while Janine just stood there, trying to shake off her nerves. She then calmed enough so she could get the words out.
"When I'm held in your embrace, When I caress your face It is an amazing feeling, When seconds feel like forever.
We're in love, ever since we met,
And it seems that our fate is set,
I don't want it to end,
When seconds feel like forever.
The curves of your face, when you have your arms around me,
I can't help but feel that I belong in this world.
And when we die, our love will like on and on.
Just as it should be.
I want to remain like this forever,
Our love; that bond, no one could ever sever,
I promised to keep you safe, When seconds feel like forever." All was silent for a while, but then the audience went wild. Janine smiled, and glanced at Egon, who applauded and walked over to her. She then ran and hugged him. They kissed, as the audience continued to applaud. Soon, everything died down, and they cleared. "Let's get something to eat." Egon said.
"I concur." Janine replied, grinning at him, "So, where do you want to go"
"Wherever you choose." Egon said, nonchalant.
"Oooh, someone isn't picky." Janine said, "Well, you'll probably ate me for it later, but there's a little place I know. It's really nice." "Alright. You want to go there, then let's go." He replied, "But you'll have to lead the way, since I've never been there before." "Okay, just don't get lost." She said, giggling.
They took Janine's pink car down the street, for just a few blocks, towards a small restaurant.
After receiving their table, they sat down.
Egon examined his surroundings. It was very different, but pleasant, he decided.
"I've never felt this way before." He thought, "It's great"
"Egon, are you alright?" Janine asked, reaching for his hand, "If you don't like it here, we can still leave." "No, it's perfectly my style." He said.
"Really? It's cozy, intimate…something I wouldn't expect you to like." She said.
"Maybe before tonight, I might not have, but I think I have a new appreciation for these kinds of places." Egon said.
"Well, that's good, I guess." Janine said.
There was silence for a few seconds, and in an attempt to make conversation, Egon spoke up.
"So, you wanted to know more about my past?" he asked.
Janine leaned forward "Well, if you don't mind." She said.
"Well, my parents raised my and my brother Elon in that small village. My father and grandfather built Spengler labs. I was sent to private school, and skipped several grades, not to brag or anything. I went to college, and met Ray, and Peter. Before graduation, I received a call that my father had gotten into a train accident, and was dying. He lost all bodily functions except for sight and hearing. I hate to admit it, but I had never been so worried, and upset. It really hurt to see my father in such weakness. I could see his struggle, in his eyes. "Egon said, tears starting to sting at his eyes, and fall down his face.
"You should've told someone about this." Janine said, wiping the tears, "We could help you get through the pain.
"I guess I didn't want to experience it anymore. It really pained me to see my father's soul dissipating before my eyes." he said, "And I was helpless to do anything." He said.
"Oh Egon, it wasn't your fault. You were young, and not even the professionals could do anything." Janine said.
"Yes, but I'm determined not to let it happen to me. " he said, " Even though it may not be under my control. If I ever get into an accident like that, I would rather die, than suffer such a fate." "Oh, Egon, don't speak like that. You're going to live a long life with me." Janine said.
Egon then reached into his pocket,
"I almost forgot!" he said, "I got you a present"
He put the bracelet on her wrist, and she gasped.
"Egon, it's beautiful!" she exclaimed.
"I picked out all the charms for a reason. This one is a microphone, a music note, a frying pan, because you make the best pancakes, the Eiffel tower that you want to go visit one day, and a heart. My heart…it's yours now." He said.
Janine was speechless, and delighted.
Their dinners arrived, and they finished slowly, savoring the dinner.
They finished, paid, and headed outside to catch a cab.
Egon was hit by shock.
"It's the same place…" he said to himself.
"Egon, did you say something?" Janine asked.
"I have to tell you something…" he said, "I love you." "I love you too, Egon, but right now, I'm getting really wet. I should've dressed warmer." She said.
"Hold on, there's more. You are the most important person in my life, besides the guys. You taught me how to love, and to be loved. I fell in love with you, ever since I saw you walk in the doors of the firehouse, but I didn't want to believe it, until tonight. Tonight has been the best day of my life, because I spent it with you, and we were together." He said.
"Oh, I don't know what to say." She said.
The taxi arrived, and pulled over to the sidewalk.
"Let's go home." she said, getting into its brown interior.
Egon noticed that it was the same driver that he talked to before.
"Are you coming, my friend?" the driver asked.
"Of course." He said, getting in next to her.
He felt nervous and looked to Janine for comfort, as the cab came to the red light.
He kissed her, and looked out his window to see the car speeding in.
"Janine, watch out!" he yelled shielding her.
Everything seemed to go slower, and to Egon, it felt as if years had passed.
She screamed, as everything then went black for both of them.
Janine woke up in a hospital bed, a nurse by her side.
"How are you feeling?" the nurse asked.
"I'm fine, but where's Egon?" Janine asked, frantically.
The nurse shifted uncomfortably.
"Where's Egon?" Janine asked, her tone becoming much firmer.
"Dr. Spengler…didn't make it. It was because he shielded you, that you survived." The nurse explained sadly, "He saved your life." Janine was too shocked and distressed to cry. Only one thought came to her mind.
"Do the others know?" she asked.
"Yes, they were contacted shortly after your arrival. They're in the waiting room, wanting to see you. DO you feel well enough to see them?" the nurse asked.
Janine nodded,
"Please, I would want to see them." She said.
The three men walked in, their eyes much redder than usual, and it was obvious that they had been crying.
"Janine, we're sorry." Winston said.
"I can't believe he's gone. I mean, why am I here, when he isn't" she asked.
"Some things are out of our control." Ray said.
"He told me, that he had a premonition, or something before, and I didn't believe him." She said, her voice overcome by sobs, "He told me…before we got into the cab…how I taught him to love. He wanted to say everything!" They hugged her, as all of them mourned for the death of their dearest friend.
The next few days were hard on Janine. She tried to absorb herself in her work, and it had worked for a while, but not for long. The day of the funeral was difficult for all of them. Even Egon's Uncle Cyrus came to mourn his nephew.
On their way home, the ride was solemn, and silent.
They all learned to accept it, and go on with their lives, even though Ghost busting would never be the same.
Janine, as the first to speak when they got back to the firehouse.
"Do you remember how many times he saved me?" she asked, to no one in particular.
The three men looked at her,
"Yes, we do." Ray said, "And how many times we had to save him." "Yeah, like when he turned into that were chicken?" Peter said.
"Or the time he became a ghost by that destabilizer of his." Winston said.
"I always did consider him to be a mad scientist." Peter joked, "He fit the part perfectly, especially since he always managed to lose touch with reality"
"Yeah…we're all going to miss him." Ray said. Everyone knows that."
They all nodded, and headed to bed early, and solemnly.