Jennifer

I stared at myself in my hand mirror. Seeing that photo of me and my old coworkers the other day had reminded me that I was no spring chicken. I had cut my blonde hair chin-length years ago to appear more professional. It was getting harder and harder to hide the grey hairs, and I just couldn't ignore those little lines around my eyes and mouth, or the fact that I was having to buy larger-sized clothing for myself. Groan.

"Face it, Jennifer," I muttered to my reflection. "You're middle-aged."

I sighed and put my mirror back in my purse. This was not a time to be worrying about my looks. I had bigger problems. Like the CIA taking me away from my daughter and locking me away in a prison for the rest of my life.

The night before, I'd received a call. The caller: none other than Dr. Raymond Stantz. "Jennifer," he'd said. "We've got something important to tell you. We're meeting up at Zedd's place out in Greenwich Village tomorrow. Could you be there?"

At first, I couldn't even speak. I mean, you try talking to a old friend you haven't spoken to in fifteen years and wasn't supposed to be speaking to, then add the fact that the call had been completely spontaneous. "Ray," I'd said slowly. "Not that I'm not glad to hear your voice...but why are you calling me? I mean, Peck said that we'd be in big trouble if we ever had contact." I paused. "And who is we?"

"Me and Spengler," he replied.

"You and Spengler are speaking? And you didn't get arrested?" I asked incredulously.

"Look, can you make it or not?"

I thought about the five appointments I'd had booked back to back the next day. "Yeah, I can make it."

I could never say no to Ray.

Even I was scared of what might happen if we all met up, I couldn't help but feel a little thrill. The thought of seeing Ray, Peter, Winston, and Egon again made me feel as if I was coming home from a long, long journey.

My heart had broken at the closing of Ghostbusters. I think it was starting to mend.

I must be out of my mind, I thought as I rang the doorbell.

A tall black man opened the door. He'd regrown his mustache since 1991, and like my own, his hair was tinged with grey and he'd put on a few pounds. But it was undeniably Winston Zeddemore.

"Hi, Jennifer," he said, breaking into a grin.

I smiled back. "Winston. How've you been?"

"Not bad," he answered. "Got myself a handsome son and a beautiful little girl. Heard you got a daughter of your own now."

"Yes, I do. Can I come in?"

"Of course." Winston stepped back to let me in. "Girl, you haven't changed a bit. Still as pretty as ever."

I shook my head. "You always were the charmer, Winston. How's Laura?"

"Laura's fine, just fine." He started walking towards another room. "They're in here."

I gulped. It was time. I followed Winston into the kitchen.

Ray was sitting at the small table in the center of the room. He'd grown his hair out sort of shaggy, maybe to compensate for the balding on top. Surprisingly, he seemed to be grey-free. As he looked up, I couldn't help but notice that his left eye had a milky scar etched into the retina.

I could tell that Amber leaving him had hurt him deeply. I knew that slut would run off. I should've told him. Despite the aging and the sorrow, he still looked jovial and full of youth-just the way I remembered.

Then I turned my eyes to the other man leaning against the counter off to the side. His dark brown (though now it had just a touch of grey to the sides) hair was still stood straight up in that mad scientist way it always had. He'd grown a beard over the years which really gave him that wise professor look. But like Ray and Winston, Egon definitely had not changed.

I smiled warmly at the two of them. "Hey."

Ray grinned and stood up carefully. I noticed that his knee jarred a little as he did. He pulled me into a bear hug. "Hi, Jenny."

"It's so good to see you," I couldn't stop myself from saying. Just being in the same room with my old friends made me feel as if I'd just found a long lost puzzle piece or was sitting in front of a warm fire after trudging through a blizzard. It felt like home.

I turned to Egon, who'd had been staying quiet. "Spengler? Do I get a hug?" I asked, sort of teasingly.

Through the whiskers, a small smile played on Egon's lips as he wrapped his arms around me. That was one more thing that was the same-I still felt tiny compared to Egon's lankiness.

We pulled apart and I looked at Ray. "I assume we're waiting for Venkman?"

Ray looked pained. "He's...not coming."

My eyes widened. "What? Why?"

"I don't know." Ray rubbed the bridge of his nose. "All he said was, and I quote, 'No one wants to see fat old men chasing ghosts.'"

I gasped. "But why?"

"I wish I knew." Ray sounded despondent and I couldn't blame him. I missed Peter and his wiseass cracks. It almost like a link in the chain was gone.

I shook my head. "Okay. So...what's the emergency?"

Ray looked over at Egon. "You tell it. You're the one who brought this whole thing up."

Egon nodded. "Winston, Jennifer, three days ago, I picked up portentously high PKE levels coming from Central Park. The levels were over 1300."

I froze. "But...but that's impossible."

"What?" asked Winston. "I know that's high, but it's nothing to worry about, right?"

"Oh, believe me, it is," I groaned. "Go on, Egon."

"At first I thought my equipment had to be errant," Egon continued. "But Ray and I took valences in the park and we made a frightening discovery."

"Let me guess," I said flatly. "A cross rip."

"Exactly." Egon nodded. "It's very premature, but it's expanding at a rapidly accelerating rate. It's vital that we close it immediately."

"Wait, I don't get it," Winston cut in. "What the hell is a cross rip?"

"A cross rip," I explained, "is a accidental opening between dimensions. It's kind of like a wormhole for ghosts and even Class Seven demons to get into world."

Winston whistled. "Yeah, that's not good."

"So we were thinking that we'd just close it fast, before anybody could notice," Ray concluded.

I shook my head. "Look, Ray. I miss Ghostbusters as much as you do. But we just can't do this. You know that Peck would jump at the chance to lock us away again. We'd be putting ourselves at risk, jeopardizing our kids."

"They're not really kids. They're sixteen," Egon pointed out.

"Egon, you don't have a family. You wouldn't understand," I said without thinking.

The room became quiet.

"Yeah," muttered Egon. "I guess I don't."

Then I realized what I had said. "Oh my God! Egon, I'm so sorry; I didn't mean that-"

"No, it's...it's fine." Egon crossed his arms over his chest again as if nothing had happened. But he also kept his gaze to the floor, not looking me in the eye.

Great job, Jennifer. Put your foot in your mouth, why don't you?

This wasn't the way it was supposed to be. The five had once been as close as people could be. We had been family. But now, Venkman was missing and the remaining four could barely make conversation? Did Walter Peck really have that kind of power over us?

"Listen," said Ray, thankfully breaking the silence. "Obviously, the city's in danger. We're the only ones who can stop it. Is everybody in?"

Egon nodded.

"I'm ready," said Winston firmly.

Ray looked at me. "Jenny?"

I sighed, knowing I was going to regret this. "Well, if you guys are going to save the world, I guess you're going to need me to stop you from screwing it up... so count me in."

A small determined smile spread across Ray's face. "Alright!"

"Don't get excited," I said quickly. "It's just for this one time."

"I know, I know." Ray looked over at Egon. "So, what do we need to do before we close the rip?"

Egon thought for a moment. "Well, we definitely need to check the proton packs. There may be some technical problems just have transpired over the last few years, and we wouldn't want to be in possession of a faulty nuclear accelerator."

"That could have repercussions," I agreed.

"So I've got the packs locked in my office at the university. I'll probably be needing some help checking them over though," Egon continued. "Ray, could you come down to the school tomorrow?"

"Ah, sorry, Spengler," Ray said. "I'm busy tomorrow. Does the day after sound good?"

"That could work."

"I'm free tomorrow. Why don't I come by tomorrow and help you run some preliminary tests?" I suggested, eager for the chance to make amends about what I'd said.

Egon nodded.

"So...we're really doing this," Winston said.

"Yeah, Zedd," said Ray. "I guess we are."

I sighed. "Once a Ghostbuster, always a Ghostbuster."

Graham

I had just been about to walk into the kitchen, when I heard voices. I looked around the corner silently.

Four people were standing around our kitchen, three men and a woman. One of the men was my dad, but the other two men and the woman I didn't know.

"So...we're really doing this," my dad was saying.

One of the men, the chubbier one with the blind eye, spoke up. "Yeah, Zedd. I guess we are."

"Once a Ghostbuster, always a Ghostbuster," groaned the blonde woman.

The chubby one shook his head. "I still can't believe Venkman won't help us. It just be the same without him."

Venkman? And what the hell is a Ghostbuster?

"We'll succeed without him; we've done it before," said the tall guy with glasses.

I backed up and thought to myself, I gotta tell Jeremy about this.

So as you can see, I took a lot of ideas from the developments of Ghostbusters III (i.e., Ray's blindness, Peter's absence). I was gonna put Egon in a wheelchair but I changed my mind. And yes, Ray's lover Amber was pretty much a skank. Poor Ray, he falls too easily. Next chapter, it's back to the kids!