He was not afraid.
He should be. He knew very well that he should be. He couldn't even remember the last time when he hadn't been at least a little worried about something. And this was more than worrying about saying or doing the wrong thing. He didn't know what was going on, he didn't know what exactly what he was supposed to do, and he didn't know if he was going to do any good or not. Maybe those were the sort of reasons no one had come to help him. He wasn't mad at them. He understood. It was frightening on the other side of the glass, and it was safest to stay behind it, where the strange things didn't have to be your problem to handle. But he didn't belong there. Wearing this uniform was about more than the fame and recognition, it was a responsibility. It meant that he was one of the people that others were counting on, that night more than ever. And if he backed down, it would be like turning his face away, showing that they weren't worth the risk of sticking his neck out. That was not going to be him.
Over the high-pitched whir of the proton stream, he could make out the crowd around him, still singing to ring in the New Year. It was a reminder that the past was the past, and time was still going. That meant things could be different this time. Whether or not it helped, he was doing something, and that thought alone was enough to make everything start to feel right. There were a lot of old feelings he'd tried very hard to push aside and bury. Now he let himself think about them, and found that the more he did, the more he realized it didn't hurt. What had once been an old ache chipped apart into little pieces drifting away. And at the same time, so did the wall in front of him.
For a few moments of silent awe, he could hardly manage to believe it. He'd almost expected everything to get a thousand times worse, if only because he was the one on the end of the proton pack. But this time, it seemed like just maybe he'd done something right.
"I did it… I did it!"
What finally made it real was when the people started to press in around him, swarming to clasp his shoulder, or to offer cheers of praise, or even to catch his eye long enough to share in the sense of relief and excitement sweeping over everyone. He was in the middle of a crowd, and he wasn't invisible. Even in his wildest dreams, it had never felt this wonderful. He was happy. Maybe there was some more poetic way he could have thought of to describe the feeling, but he was too busy enjoying it to care. He was so, so happy.
"I'm a Ghostbuster!"
Even from the feeling of the air around him, he could tell that everything was alright. More than alright. Things were really starting to get a whole lot better.
But even so, he figured he had better go into the museum, just to see why it was taking the guys and Dana so long to come out. The room was a disheveled mess, and he had to step carefully to avoid the candles covering a good deal of the floor. It was easy to see that something big had been going on, but it looked as if everything had been sorted out by then. The guys and Dana didn't seem to notice him at first, and he found them all gathered around to stare at a painting. A very strange, rather hard to explain painting. He decided to follow the example he'd picked up from Janine, and didn't ask.
"Hey guys, I got rid of the slime outside. Everything okay in here?"
They looked over and seemed rather surprised to see him standing there, especially in one of their uniforms. But Dr. Zeddemore focused on the more practical matter at hand, and went over to look out the nearest window.
"He's right, it's all gone."
"Yeah, I just…" He reached for the nozzle of the pack and mimed using the hose. "A few seconds of the proton stream and it all disappeared."
He was trying to appear nonchalant, but he was pretty sure he looked more than a little excited about the whole thing. He was still reeling with the fact that he'd actually been a part of the sort of amazing stuff he'd been dreaming about for years.
"Well technically speaking, the dispersal of the shell was most likely caused by-"
Dr. Venkman grabbed Dr. Spengler by the shoulder and muttered something under his breath. It sounded a little like, "Let him have this." Louis didn't really notice, as he was too busy starting to wonder why Dr. Stantz and some guy who looked a little like the thing that had shown up at Dana's window were covered in goo. At least they seemed to be alright. They were definitely in a good mood, in any case.
A part of him was a little worried for awhile, because he could still remember what had happened after the last time something like this occurred. It hadn't been all bad, he supposed. He had gotten a free sandwich from the hospital out of the whole thing. But he had to admit that it was nothing compared to getting to go out there with the rest of the guys, being one of the people the crowd was cheering for. And this time, there was no one telling him that he couldn't go with them in the car. There wasn't enough room for all of them, but Dana insisted that she would feel safer bringing Oscar home in a taxi, and Dr. Venkman had gone with her. He didn't quite know what they were thinking, because he knew that he wouldn't ever miss this for the world.
But even with a few less people, all the equipment meant that it was rather squished in there, and sort of a little stressful at times. He would describe Janine's driving style as being too impatient to follow most of the rules. With Dr. Stantz, he wasn't quite sure if he even knew what those rules were. He was very knowledgeable about cars themselves, that was certain. He didn't seem quite as aware of when it would be a reasonable time to use the brakes. It might have been because he didn't seem to be in an entirely right state of mind, but no one else seemed concerned, so Louis got the sense that driving usually went like this even when mood-altering slime wasn't involved. He made a mental note to take a look at their auto insurance policy later, but at the moment he was still too busy enjoying the fact that he was actually riding in the Ecto 1-A to let logic entirely put a damper on the experience.
Business wasn't quite so hectic after all the dust settled from the Vigo incident. It definitely showed no signs of stopping completely, but they weren't quite as crazy busy anymore. But even so, things managed to be pretty crazy around the firehouse all on their own. He'd never quite pictured having a job where he'd end up making friends with some sort of giant green creature. He still couldn't really understand it, but he'd gotten pretty good at figuring out what were the 'feed me' noises, which was more than enough to keep them getting along.
And plenty of other things managed to keep the place pretty chaotic as well. Seeing the guys working on the car was nothing new, but it seemed as if they'd met their match with the latest problem they were trying to face.
"I'm just saying, if three people with a PhD can't manage to figure this out, there's obviously a very serious design flaw." Dr. Venkman complained.
"Are you sure we haven't gotten it right yet?" Dr. Stantz asked. "It looks fine to me."
Dr. Spengler was still doing his best to keep track of several very large sheets of instructions, all of which seemed designed to make the steps flow in the least rational way possible. He looked up and informed them, "It says we'll hear a click when it latches into place. We haven't heard a click yet."
"Well maybe we missed it because Venkman wouldn't stop swearing."
"It's not my fault if this thing nearly pinched my fingers off."
From across the room, Janine sent them a stern glare that went largely unnoticed. "Do you people mind? I'm on the phone."
Louis glanced over at her and smiled. Since they were currently working on the same project, Janine had suggested he pull his chair around to sit behind her desk as well. Looking through several brochures and comparing prices was already something he enjoyed, and even more so when he was close to her. Her on the phone and him looking at paperwork had become a comfortable, familiar pattern, and he didn't think he'd ever stop being grateful that joining this place had brought him so much more than he'd ever dreamed of.
He had to admit that he'd been nervous about the call she was on. It was taking a bit of a big step, and he was very anxiously hoping for it to go well. But Janine seemed more confident, and she'd told him that she could be very psychic, so he figured she knew what she was doing. And as far as he could tell, everything had been going perfectly well. Hearing the one side of what seemed to be a friendly, easy conversation had come as a huge relief. And then Janine started on the topic they'd been planning to bring up the whole time.
"So anyway, Louis and I have been looking into some plans for our vacation time, and we were wondering what you'd think about us stopping by if we come down to visit Florida?"
Louis looked over again, and saw Janine's expression grow confused as she listened to the response.
"What do you mean 'Why would I want to do that?' Because I'm his girlfriend and I'd like to meet some of his family."
Louis fidgeted in his chair as it became clear the conversation wasn't going quite as expected.
"Yes, he does have a girlfriend. Why did you think he was calling to introduce us?"
There was a sharp "OW!" just before the swearing started up again, and Janine sent another stern glare before turning back to the phone.
"I'm sorry, but Louis said he told you about the two of us." A few more moments of listening, and then, "Well why would you assume he was making it up?"
Louis's eyes widened, and he very frantically motioned for her to hand him the phone. It hardly took him more than one motion to pull it to his ear, quickly blurt out, "Sorry Mom, awful busy here, gottagobye," and then clumsily slam the receiver down.
He looked back over at Janine, who seemed a little like she was trying not to laugh.
"She means well." He said sheepishly.
Still trying to bite back an amused grin, her only response was to reach over and take his hand.
"Maybe we should start off with my cousins." He suggested. He felt like it was a feeble attempt at salvaging the situation, but she looked receptive to the idea.
"Throw in a stop at Niagara and I'm in."
As he began looking through some information focused on north of the border, it was Janine's turn to watch him and smile.
She wouldn't say that he had changed, exactly. He was still very much the awkward dork of an accountant she'd fallen for. But it seemed as if everything he'd been through on New Year's Eve had helped to bring out the best in him. There was a sense of self-assurance that hadn't always been there before. She knew that he still wasn't nearly as close with the rest of the guys as they were with each other. Years and years of friendship weren't something that could be replicated in a few short months. But even so, he didn't give off quite the same vibe of a nerdy freshman trying desperately to impress the cool kids. And as he carried himself with a little more confidence, he didn't get brushed aside so much anymore. At times, he managed to fall naturally into being a part of the group without having to try so hard to insert himself. After many days of watching him try not to let his face fall when he realized he was being left out again, she liked seeing him having an easier time around here.
A few minutes later, Dr. Zeddemore came down the stairs, already wearing his coat and gloves. He saw that no one else was wearing the same, and nervously looked down at his watch. "Why isn't anyone ready to go yet? We've gotta be at Liberty Island in time for the afternoon news."
"This car seat is evil, that's why." Dr. Venkman responded as he glared at the contraption in question.
"I really think we got it already." Dr. Stantz said. "We followed all the steps, didn't we?"
Dr. Spengler came over to examine it himself, and quickly frowned. "It can still wobble all over the place. The instructions say it's supposed to be secure."
Dr. Stantz took a step back, in the vain hope that a different viewpoint would reveal some solution. "I don't understand it. We did everything we were supposed to."
"Well we were supposed to be on our way to pick up Dana and Oscar fifteen minutes ago, and clearly 'secure' isn't in this thing's vocabulary. I'm open to ideas here." Dr. Venkman replied.
Dr. Stantz considered hard for a few seconds, and then uncertainly suggested, "I don't know, glue?"
"Alright, that's enough." Janine interrupted as she finally came over, pulled the instructions away, and used them to shoo the rest of the guys away from the car. "Louis and I can set this thing up, you people just get your coats."
"You did call a cab, didn't you? Because there's no way we can fit everyone in the one car."
"Yes, I called a cab. And it's probably waiting outside by now, so get a move on."
Before long, Louis and Janine were alone in the room, and somehow Janine seemed to be making sense of the whole thing a lot easier than anyone else in the building.
"I still can't believe they're really getting a key to the city." Louis eagerly started to make conversation while the two of them were working. "Do you think they're gonna say anything about me? I hope so, 'cause I'm planning to tape it and send the whole thing to my family. A lot of them still don't believe I work here."
"I'm sure they'll mention you." She assured him. A moment later, there was a satisfying click, and the car was finally ready to transport a baby.
Not long after, the guys were rushing back downstairs, with Dr. Venkman herding the group to make sure no one wasted any more time. "Alright people, let's hit the road. Everybody's supposed to be onstage getting honored in t-minus one hour."
The car was soon starting its usual screeching journey out of the garage, but stopped at the last minute for Dr. Venkman to lean his head out the window again.
"What are you two waiting for? The cab out there isn't gonna wait forever."
Janine looked a little surprised, and Louis was shocked for a moment before a broad grin broke out.
"We're coming too?"
"I said 'everybody,' didn't I?" He replied impatiently. "They said they wanted the whole team, that includes you guys."
This was quite possibly the best day of his entire life.
When Louis followed everyone else onto the stage, the first thing he felt was relieved that the crowd was responding happily and enthusiastically to the sight of them. Things could have gone a lot worse after the way they'd been messing with a national monument, and he really didn't think he could handle going back to that courtroom.
He was definitely in the center of a lot more attention than he'd ever received before. Plenty of cameras were filling the air with bright flashes, news crews were rolling tripods around as they did their best to get footage from every angle of the stage, and in the corner of his eye boom mics hovered above them to soak up every word anyone said. It was a lot to take in, and almost overwhelming, but he decided that it was overwhelming in the best possible way.
When Janine noticed a camera pointed vaguely in her direction, she took a step closer and looped her arm through his. If it had been anyone else, Louis might have thought she was nervous, but he knew Janine better than that. 'Shy' was definitely not a trait he would ever use to describe her. He looked over and saw her lift her chin as she stared straight into the camera, and then he realized. She wanted people to see that they were together. She was proud of it. His smile grew wider, and he reached over to place his free hand on her arm.
Before long, the Mayor came out, proudly displaying the large key, and the roar of the crowd grew louder. He and Janine had to separate again to join in with the applause, but she never moved away far.
Dr. Venkman was the one to accept the key, but he soon began passing it around so the reporters could get a shot of everyone having their turn holding it. When Louis's turn came, the flurry of cameras maybe wasn't quite as enthusiastic as it was for the more well known members of the team, but he seemed too happy to notice.
It did attract a little more attention when Janine had pulled him in for a celebratory hug that lasted long enough to interrupt the flow of the ceremony. He could hear a few light laughs, and the mayor cleared his throat impatiently, but he didn't care. Janine was doing her best to pull him close through their thick coats, and that closeness would always be better than the attention of a million reporters.
Finally, the mayor's impatience got noticeable enough that Dr. Zeddemore reached over to nudge them and give a half-joking reminder of, "Alright, take it easy you two."
The rest of the ceremony largely passed by in a blur, and it was hard to make out much of any speeches over the crowds and reporters and the ever-present roar of the wind that, as a rule, never liked to cooperate with outdoor ceremonies. Not too long ago, he would have dreaded the end of the whole thing, feeling like it might be his one moment to cling to the feeling of being recognized.
But now, he felt okay. He'd become more and more used to having reasons to feel happy, to the point that it was starting to seem as if that happiness was just… life. It was his life, and it was a good one. He was part of a team now, and that meant people who weren't going to go away. That was all he'd ever really wanted.
And as he looked over the people up on stage with him, he was certain that this was the best team in the world. And he was really here. He was one of them, right where he was meant to be. He was a Ghostbuster.
The End.
Thanks to everyone who's been reading this! I've really enjoyed writing it, and I hope people enjoy reading it as well.