EPILOGUE – VERSION 1

A.N. – I wrote two different endings. This one is my original ending. I can't say any more without spoiling it, so I'll see you at the end (ends) of the story. Pick whichever ending you prefer. Disclaimer: I still don't own "Ghostbusters"

When the light faded, and the now-familiar head rush had passed, Holtzmann was back at her work table in the firehouse.

She opened her eyes warily, afraid to see dust and destruction, which would mean the Cintamani had failed to return her to her own universe. But, no, she was surrounded by her shelves of tools, gadgets, and half-complete experiments. The containment unit hummed, the radio cranked out cheerful Christmas music, and the gear hung pristine in the Ghostbusters individual storage cubbies. Kevin's lighted palm tree and his various decorations still glowed brightly.

Home. She was home. Holtzmann glanced around in shock.

She hadn't wished herself home when she'd had the Cintamani, afraid to leave until she was certain her family was safe from the S.D.A. She'd wished the medallion into the heart of the sun, as her father requested. How the hell was she back in her timeline?

Christmas miracle? Holtzmann tried to process it. She'd carried the Cintamani into the parallel universe, that much she knew. That was the stone that she'd destroyed.

Holtzmann looked down at her worktable.

The Cintamani stone medallion lay there as if nothing had happened.

What the hell?

Was this not her timeline? Holtzmann stood up, running to the staircase, shouting: "Mom?! Mom!"

Her cell phone beeped. Patty's number popped onto the display. Distracted, Holtzmann answered: "Yeah, what?"

Patty's voice was concerned. "Holtz? You two okay?"

What, was she psychic? "I'm-I'm at the firehouse." Yeah, Holtzmann thought, that probably sounded extremely weird to Patty.

"I know that. Holtz, I told you, you got to open a window when you glue. You don't need those fumes making you loopier…" Patty lectured.

"Patty…it's good to talk to you, but I gotta check on something…" Patty would get a bear hug that was sure to baffle her next time Holtzmann saw her, but for now Jillian had to make sure the Cintamani hadn't changed anything.

Holtzmann barreled up the stairs and swept Janine up in a hug. She felt her mom's smile and petite arms wrapped around her, returning the embrace. "You okay, sweetie?" Janine asked.

"I'm just so damn happy you're here," Holtzmann croaked around the sudden lump in her throat.

"Oh." Janine was indeed smiling when she pulled away. "I'm happy you'll let me be here. But, you're acting weird again. What happened? Not another ghost-?"

"No…" Holtzmann was still trying to sort the barrage of images from two different timelines that filled her memory now. As if her grasp on reality wasn't already tenuous on a good day. "I think I got sucked into an alternate timeline by that ghost medallion, so I'm having a George Bailey moment."

Janine didn't so much as blink. "How sad is it that this kind of thing could happen in our lives and we aren't even surprised?"

They were interrupted by a knock on the firehouse door before it squealed open and Ray Stantz poked his head in the door, calling a greeting.

"You can tell me the whole story after I say hello to your Uncle Ray." Janine patted Holtz's arm before heading down the staircase.

Holtzmann watched them. Ray hugged Janine hello, then glanced around until he spied the younger woman standing on the staircase. "Jillian! Merry Christmas!" He crossed the room to embrace his goddaughter. "Good to see you, kid. Heard it's been a busy week. Little advice: You might want to check and make sure none of the big ghosts and demigods are planning something with that kind of surge in spectral activity—"

Janine swatted him lightly on the back of the head. "No talking shop on Christmas," she scolded them.

"I still want to hear the story," Ray sulked. "Jillian can tell me on the way to Winston's, right? Oh, and I want to hear about the test of the neutrino net-"

Janine threw up her hands. "I'll get my coat."

As she stomped up the stairs, Ray offered Holtzmann a wink. "Excuse me, kiddo. I'm going to go bribe my way out of the doghouse." He pulled a small, neatly wrapped box from his pocket and followed Janine up the stairs.

Grateful for the diversion, Holtzmann hurried back to her worktable and snatched up the Cintamani stone. She had to do this quickly. If Ray or Erin or Abby found out, they'd want to study the medallion. Uncle Peter would want to use it to win the lottery. Uncle Winston would want to return it to whatever government thought its nation was the rightful owner. God only knew what the Homeland Security bozos would do with it.

She could easily think up a dozen explanations for why the medallion was back: Her disappearance from the timeline meant that the Ghostbusters never found the stone and it ended up in someone else's hands, someone who had inadvertently corrected the timeline. That was a possibility. Maybe it hadn't been her medallion in the parallel universe, maybe their Jagannath—the nice Jagannath-had found the stone just the same as the naughty Jagannath had found it in this universe. Two medallions, so the one in this universe hadn't been lost at all…

Blah blah, woof woof, it didn't matter why the stone was here. Holtzmann had promised her dad to get rid of it. She stared at the priceless artifact for one last moment. She wished only to remember everything that had happened, to remember her father most of all, because the memories had already started to fade.

Then she wished it into the burning heart of the blazing sun for fiery oblivion. The stone vanished from her hand.

Ray and Janine reappeared. His bribe obviously worked. Holtzmann noted both the new pearl earrings that Janine was now sporting and the smile she offered him as they laughed about whatever the hell Ray had just said. Holtzmann also noted Ray was holding Janine's hand.

She arched an eyebrow. She was going to have to have a talk with her godfather about his intentions towards her mother.

They waited for her at the door. "Jillian? You coming or what?" Ray called.

"Yep."

Holtzmann paused just long enough to touch two fingers to her lips and then pressed them to the photo of her father on the worktable.

FIN