Authors note: This story timeline is based around 1991. I'm trying to keep things used in this story based on that timeline, but after 20+ years it's hard to remember what was and wasn't around at that time; so bear with me. I don't own any of the characters, I'm just borrowing them...
The Airport
"Here we go," said Ray pulling the Ecto 1 to a stop. "Terminal 3."
"Housewares, camping equipment and ladies lingerie," Peter commented looking non-challantly out of the window from behind Ray's seat.
Egon and Janine climbed out of the back of Ecto 1. Ray jumped out from behind the wheel and helped them take their luggage out.
"Two weeks, man I sure am gonna miss you guys!" Ray exclaimed as he handed Janine her carry-on. Janine placed it on the ground and hugged Ray. "I'll miss you too, Ray." She quickly realeased him and picked up her carry-on.
Winston climbed out of the passenger side of the car. "Hey Janine, you take care of yourself in Hawaii, try not to get into too much trouble."
"Hey, what happens in Hawaii, stays in Hawaii, Winston." Janine said with a laugh. "I hope you enjoy D.C. I should have thought of that. I've always wanted to go the Smithsonian. Oh well, too late now; Waikiki awaits."
Winston gave her a quick hug and whispered in her ear, "call if you need anything." She nodded and pulled away quickly, ducking her head so he couldn't see tears beginning to form. She and Egon started to head towards the doors leading into the terminal when Peter lunged across the backseat to the rear passenger door.
Hey quickly rolled the window down and yelled, "hey Melnitz!" She turned to look back at him. "Don't worry about getting eaten by sharks, they'll spit ya right back out."
Her look darkened and she whirled around stomping off into the building. Egon frowned, "seriously Peter? THAT'S how you say good-bye?" He said, turning around fully to face his friend.
"Oh come on it was a JOKE! It's not my fault she can't take it."
Egon shook his head and took off after the retreating red head. When he caught up to her at the ticket counter she was already checking her bag. He quickly stepped up to the next open space and started checking in himself. By the time he was finished Janine was already heading towards the security checkpoint. He hurried to catch up with her. As he stood behind her in line he leaned forward slightly to speak quietly into her ear.
"I want to apologize for Peter."
"Why?" she asked, turning around to face him. "Why should YOU apologize? That's part of the whole problem Egon! He says shit like that to me and it's always you or Ray or Winston apologizing! He needs to man up and say it HIMSELF!" She looked into Egon's blue eyes and sighed as she turned back to move foward in line. "Sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you Egon. To be honest I was actually thinking about cancelling this trip, but now I can't WAIT to get to Hawaii! I can't wait to get out of New York! At this point I'd ride for 10 hours straight on the back of a DONKEY just to get the hell away from here!"
"Heading west for 10 hours on the back of a donkey wouldn't get you out of New York, given the land speed of a don...key..." his voice faded out due to the withering look from the red head. He cleared his throat as she turned around and moved forward again. "Er...Right...you were being facetious, ofcourse."
"That was a terrible thing to say to Janine, Peter! What if her plane crashed on the way to Hawaii? The last thing you would have said to her was an insult!" Ray exclaimed as he drove the remaining Ghostbusters towards terminal 5.
"What is it with you and planes, Ray? Her plane isn't going to crash! Stop worrying, I'll have plenty of other opportunities to insult her." Peter said waving his hand in the air to dismiss Ray's admonision.
"Ya see...that's HALF the reason why we're all splitting up for two weeks! Man, aren't you EVER gonna take responsibity for your mouth?" Winston grumbled as the car pulled to a stop at the terminal. He and Ray climbed out and headed to the back of Ecto 1.
"Hey, if that's the case then my MOUTH just got me two weeks in Cancun and her HAND got her two weeks in Hawaii. Win, win all around!" He claimed, climbing out of the rear passenger door pulling his carry-on out behind him.
"Two weeks and all your taking is that one bag?" Ray asked seeing that the only luggage left inside the vehicle was his own.
"Hey, it's two weeks in Mexico on the beach Ray! How much clothing do I need?" He said with a laugh and a wave as he headed towards the doors of the terminal. "See ya Ray, enjoy cold, snowy Morrisville! I'll send ya a postcard of me and some beautiful chick in a skimpy bikini on the beach."
Winston and Ray looked at each other and shook their heads. Winston held out his hand to his friend and as Ray took it he said, "take it easy my man; and say hello to Elaine for me. Two weeks cuddled up next to her by a fire. Seems to me YOU'RE the one that's gonna be living it up on this vacation."
The blush started about mid chest but quickly rose up his neck and cheeks reaching his hairline in record time. "Oh...well...uh...yeah, I guess so."
Winston realeased Ray's hand and chuckled as he turned away. "Like I told Janine, Call if you need anything." Ray nodded and watched as his friend disappeared into the building. Then he sighed softly and got back into the car and drove off towards Morrisville.
"Et tu, Winston?" Peter asked while standing waiting for his turn to place his bag on the xray belt.
"Et tu what, Pete?"
"You haven't spoken a word to me since we checked in. Don't tell me you're pissed at me too?"
Winston shook his head and stepped forward into the xray machine. He passed through without seeting it off and stood as the TSA officer passed the wand over him, checking for concealed weapons or contraband. The TSA screener waved him forward to pick up his items that had been xrayed and he grabbed everything and waited as Peter took his turn.
When Peter turned to collect his bag from the xray machine he asked, "So?"
Winston sighed. "I'm not pissed Pete. I'm just...why?"
"Why?" Peter stopped shoving the coat he had just removed into his bag to look up at his fellow Ghostbuster. "Why, what?"
"Why have you been on such a tear lately, Pete? Something going on with your dad? You getting Ghostbusting burn-out? I mean..." Winston stood up and picked up his knapsack from the ground as Peter finished tying his shoes and joined him in walking towards the gates. "You've been making everyone miserable lately. You're constantly insulting Janine, you're barely talking to Egon, you avoid hanging around with Ray and me...you haven't even been on any dates for the past two weeks. What's going on with you?"
"Mid-life crisis," Peter said as he headed off towards the nearest concession stand to grab himself a snack.
"You're 33."
"I was always an early bloomer."
Winston finally gave into his exasperation with his comrade. "Fine Pete, whatever; but you'd better get your head clear in the next two weeks and get over...well...whatever your problem is because if you don't," Winston looked at the monitors to find out which gate his plane was departing from. Finding it he looked back over his shoulder to see Pete watching him with a raised eyebrow, waiting for Winston to finish his thought. "If you don't get yourself straight Pete, there may not BE a Ghostbusters to come back to!" With that thought Winston stalked off to his gate, now in a decidedly BAD mood.
"So," Janine said as Egon placed the tray with their breakfast on the table. "You going to Disney World?" She draped her coat over the back of her chair and sat down. She reached for her yogurt and a spoon as he glanced up at her.
"Actually I'm going to the Everglades first to study the local spores that have been causing an epidemic of rashes and sore throats and then I was going to Lake Okeechobee to look at some rare fungi specimines."
"Right." She replied as she stuck her spoon in her yogurt and placed it back on the table. She placed both arms on the table top and leaned forward. "Egon, this is supposed to be a vacation. Aren't you going to do something...fun...during your two weeks?"
He glanced up from his breakfast into her green eyes and noticed how close she was leaning towards him. He cleared his throat and quickly looked down at his food. "I AM doing something fun on my vacation, Janine."
She sighed and leaned back in her chair, picking up her yogurt again. "Right. I forgot."
"Why did you ask if I was going to Disney?"
She gave a small giggle around her spoon and swallowed quickly. "I thought if you were going to Disney I'd ask you to bring me back a pair of mouse ears with my name on the back." She spooned up another mouthful of yogurt. "Ah well, I guess I'll just have to wait and get them myself...someday."
He glanced up again and after he speared a piece of waffle with his fork. "What do you have planned for Hawaii."
She gave a small smirk to her food, but didn't meet his eyes. "Besides the usual touristy stuff?" She replied with a small laugh. "I suppose I shouldn't lay into you for having a 'working vacation'. Actually," she put her yogurt down and leaned forward again; dropping her voice into a conspiratorial tone. "I have plans to go over to Big Island for a few days. I was checking out the rents in Hawaii. I could never afford to live on Oahu, but Big Island is pretty reasonable. I was going to take a few days and look around..." she turned to watch a couple stroll past arm in arm. "See if it's something I can picture for myself, you know..." she turned back to stared into Egon's blue eyes, "living there."
Egon's stomach did a flip and he almost choked on the waffle he was trying to swallow. He took a big gulp of his coffee to wash it down and stared wide eyed at Janine. "You're thinking of moving to Hawaii?"
"Well, it IS a thought." She replied non-committaly. "I mean who WOULDN'T want to live in paradise? Well, maybe not YOU," she said looking at the raised eyebrow he was now giving her. "But as for me..." she stopped and leaned back in her chair again, looking up at the ceiling. "yeah, I could picture myself getting on that plane and just...not coming back."
"Janine, I..."
"Attention passengers. Delta flight 1415 non-stop service to Salt Lake City is now boarding at gate 6. All passengers for flight 1415 to Salt Lake City please proceed to gate 6 for boarding."
Janine stood up and grabbed her coat from the back of her chair. "That's me!" She said as she tossed her yougurt cup away. She turned back to the table and almost crashed into Egon who had gotten up and was holding out her carry-on for her. "Oh!" she said taking a step back and taking the bag from Egon's hand before slinging the strap over her shoulder. "Well...this is it I guess."
"Oh...ah...yes. I guess so." Egon rubbed his suddenly sweaty palms down the sides of his pants. Before he could process another thought, Janine's arms were around him giving him a hug. He quickly brought his arms up to squeeze her back. He felt suddenly queezy and was at a loss to explain why.
In his mind her words came back to him. "I could picture myself getting on that plane and just...not coming back." He swallowed thickly. Don't let her do it! A voice inside him urged. She HAS to come back! Say something, say ANYTHING!
"Egon."
"Yes?"
"I gotta go."
"OH! Right." He dropped his arms, realeasing her and stepping back.
She smiled and reached out her hand and laid it gently on his arm. "Have fun in Florida, Egon." She turned and started walking towards her gate.
"Hey Janine?"
She turned, she was about 20 feet away now. "yeah?"
"Uh...um...have...have a safe flight."
She laughed and replied, "Well, I'll do my best, but from where they have me seated, it's not really in my control."
He gave her a weak grin at her joke, and she gave a small wave as she turned away again and continued walking. Don't let her keep walking away, SAY something! This may be the last time you ever see her! His thoughts were racing and he started to break out in a cold sweat. If she decides not to come back...
"Uh...Janine..." he called after her.
She spun around again, only now she was about 150 ft. away now and he'd have to raise his voice for her to hear him. He was staring at her with his right hand on the back of his neck and his left hand was rubbing up and down on the side of his pants. His jaw opened to say something but then closed again quickly; and he had a look of confusion on his face.
"Egon?" Janine pointed her thumb over her shoulder in the direction of her gate and then gestured with both her arms as if to say "what".
"Uh, I...I wanted to say...uh"
She shook her head and gestured again.
"Have fun and uh...bring me back a souvenier."
She frowned at him and saw that he had that blush up on his cheeks. He had that whole nervous air about him and she knew something was wrong. She was about to head back to him when the PA system sounded again.
Attention passengers. this is the final boarding call for flight 1415 non-stop to Salt Lake City. All passengers aboard this flight please proceed to gate 6 for final boarding.
Janine turned to look towards the direction of the gate and then turned back to look at Egon. He was still standing there with one hand on his neck and the other rubbing his pants. If she missed this plane she'd miss her connection and then she'd be stuck overnight in Utah. She made a quick decision. She flashed him a smile and a thumbs up sign and then turned quickly and ran towards her gate.
Egon stood there watching her run off. His hand slowly dropped from his neck and he stood and watched until she turned a corner and was gone. He sat back down at the table and sunk his head into his hands. Good job Egon! He thought, mentally kicking himself. You may have just watched her walk out of your life for good!