Author's Notes: Hi, readers. Here's chapter six of "Don't Play With Fire." This chapter has a little bit of Peter/Dana. The fandoms will meet in the next chapter or so. Stay tuned for chapter seven.

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Chapter 6: Fly Away

Ray looked out the window of his and his friends' plane in the late morning three days later. He observed three sandhill cranes flying side by side. They moved into a straight line. They flapped their wings in almost perfect unison. The first crane cawed, followed by the second and third. They moved their heads up, their beaks opening a tiny bit.

Ray turned to Egon, who was looking through pictures of the Southern Resident orcas. He looked over the seat to see Oscar playing with his Michelangelo and Raphael. He listened to Peter and Dana chatting. He looked ahead, seeing Winston speak with a flight attendant in the seat across from Dana. He returned his attention to Egon. Egon narrowed his eyes at Tahoma and Everett surfacing together. He tilted his head slightly.

"That is a close mother-son pair," Egon whispered, a soft chuckle leaving his mouth.

"I heard mother orcas spoil their sons to no end," Ray responded as his friend handed him the picture.

"Mother orcas work hard to ensure their sons' genes are passed to the next generation. They spend more time raising them than they do their daughters," Egon explained softly. "Sometimes, the daughters break off to form their own little matrilines."

"Tahoma was estimated to have been born in 1962 to Neah. Everett was born in 1977. That means she was fifteen when she had him," Ray explained.

"That is the age most female orcas become mothers for the first time," Egon commented and put the picture behind the others. "If a mother orca dies, her sons are five times more likely to die within a few years."

"Dylan died this year. That was four years after Misky died. She left behind Mystery. He was just three years old at the time. He is being taken care of by Olympia," Ray added.

"Olympia is likely Misky's sister. It is no wonder she took Mystery under her flipper. She is also raising her own son. Onyx was born a year after Mystery was," Egon commented.

"It can be quite challenging for a mother orca to raise two youngsters, especially if one of them is not her own," Ray said, crossing his arms.

"That is true," Egon agreed. "It is not just illegal whaling that has decimated the Southern Resident orca population. Food shortage, habitat loss, boat traffic, and pollution are also responsible. A pollutant called PCB is prevalent in their tissues. It was once used in the manufacturing of copy paper and as heat transfer fluid. It was banned in 1978. When food is low, the orcas live off their blubber. That releases the PCBs throughout their bodies. It can interfere with their immune and reproductive systems."

"That sucks," Ray whispered and huffed to himself. "If ghosts are making the orcas aggressive, what do you think could be responsible for their possession of them?"

"Until we get the full story from Jesse, I can't really make a theory on that," Egon admitted.

"Fair enough," Ray agreed. "Fair enough."

Egon and Ray heard laughter. They glanced toward the aisle to see a boy running past them. They saw his father chase after him and catch him three seats down. He grabbed his son's arm. He dragged him toward their seats while scolding him. The boy cried in a loud way. Egon and Ray looked at each other, smirks forming on their faces.

"Now, that is a real parent," Ray said, pointing his finger at the aisle and blinking three times.

"It sucks many parents believe discipline stifles imagination and creativity," Egon said. "It is okay for children to be imaginative. It shouldn't blur the line between fantasy and reality."

Ray swallowed hard. "When that happens, a kid can find himself in big trouble."

Egon nodded in agreement. "Exactly."

Ray suppressed a yawn. He tried with one more, but he couldn't help himself. Egon put his arms behind his head while digging the heel of his black tennis shoe into the floor.

"Miss Minchin attempted to stifle Sarah's creativity and sense of self-worth in A Little Princess," Ray murmured sadly. "You, Winston, Peter, Dana, Oscar, and I went to see it back in 1995."

"I could tell she was jealous of her when the latter spoke French better than the former did," Egon said, frowning a bit. He whispered inaudible words. "She didn't even let her keep her locket that contained pictures of her parents after she made her a servant."

"Miss Minchin was cruel to do that. Despite her mean nature, she did show some glimpses of humanity. She didn't want to tell Sarah that her father was dead. She let her keep her doll and book. She cried when Sarah asked her if her father called her his princess. She was horrified when Sarah tried to walk across a narrow plank to the house next door," Ray explained.

"As payback for her mistreatment, Miss Minchin lost her title as headmistress of her school and was made a chimney sweep. She worked for the boy she mistreated previously. He treated her better than she ever did," Egon said, chuckling softly. "If all kids could be like Sarah, the world would be a much better place."

"It sure would," Ray agreed and scratched his nose. He did the same to his chin and elbow. He smacked his lips twice. "Unfortunately, that isn't the case for many kids, especially teens."

"It sucks, but it is what it is," Egon said bluntly.

"Yeah," Ray whispered and licked his lips.

Egon formed a small smile on his face. "People shouldn't let bratty kids discourage them from having some. All it takes is a little common sense to keep them in line."

"So true," Ray said and chuckled softly.

"If anything, parents should make their kids wear magnets. That would keep them together," Egon joked.

Ray made a funny noise. "Good one, Egon."

Egon grabbed another picture. This one was of Slick and Mike surfacing together. Ewok and Rhapsody were spyhopping in the background. He couldn't help but smile.

"Talk about two amazing mother-calf pairs," Egon whispered in awe.

"You said it," Ray agreed. "You remember when Peter told us that Ewok had disappeared and left Rhapsody an orphan?"

"I do. None of us could believe it due to how rare orcas dying in their late teens is," Egon commented. "I agree with Janine's suggestion Ewok had a miscarriage and developed an infection that killed her."

"So do the rest of us," Ray murmured and touched the back of his neck with both hands. "At least Rhapsody still has her uncle, aunt, and grandmother. They will take good care of her."

"She has a cousin to play with as well," Egon added and clapped three times. "His name is DoubleStuf. He was named to continue the theme of his mother's name. It is Oreo."

"That is very interesting," Ray responded. He started talking about the time he and Winston nearly lost a ghost that had been hiding in Central Park.

00000

Oscar walked Raphael along the lower windowsill twenty minutes later. He acted as if he were making him jump off it. He landed him on his foldable table while imitating an explosion. He had Michelangelo punch him in the face. He pretended to have them get into a scuffle. He lost his grip on Michelangelo and watched him fall on the floor. Dana reached down and picked him up.

"Here," Dana said, handing the action figure to her son.

"Thanks, Mom," Oscar replied and put both figures on the table. "I didn't mean to do that."

"Everyone drops things. It's nothing to be ashamed of," Dana said while rubbing the top of his head.

"Glass is probably the worst thing to drop. It shatters into many pieces when it hits a hard surface. You have to be careful not to step on it because it can cut your feet," Peter explained.

Oscar crossed his arms. "That's why we should always wear house shoes or outside shoes around shattered glass. They reduce the risk of getting cut."

"I remember watching a segment of Rescue 911 where a boy got cut up badly when he was accidentally pushed through a glass door while playing with his siblings. His arms were wrapped up in towels to stem the bleeding. His mother was distraught. When the paramedics arrived, they unwrapped the towels. The cuts looked horrible. He went into surgery to repair the damage. He had some scarring, but he recovered well," Peter explained.

"It is important to keep an eye on your surroundings at all times, Oscar. You never know what might happen," Dana said.

"I know," Oscar grumbled with a roll of his eyes. "You told me this a million times."

Peter clicked his tongue. "It is always good to have a reminder."

"That it is, Peter," a male voice said.

Peter, Dana, and Oscar looked over at Winston, who formed a big smile on his face. Winston propped up his head with his elbow on the arm of his seat. He placed his other hand on it and tapped his fingers on it. He dug the heel of his white tennis shoe into the floor.

"You always have to chime in, don't you, Winston?" Peter teased.

"When you talk loudly, people tend to overhear," Winston pointed out.

"He's got a point, Peter," Dana agreed.

Peter looked at her. "Oh, be quiet."

Dana shook her head rapidly. "No, you be quiet."

Peter tweaked Dana's nose while imitating the sound of a screwdriver. He laughed at her imitating him both ways with his. They shared a laugh before rubbing noses. Winston cleared his throat, causing them to look at him.

"Just remember. There is a kid beside you," Winston commented while pointing his finger at Oscar.

"We won't do anything naughty in front of him, Winston," Peter answered and drew a halo above his head with his finger.

"Besides, we can't really do anything like that on a plane," Dana added and rubbed her nose.

"That is true," Winston said with a nod. "Anyway, I hope we see some orcas during the ferry ride to San Juan Island."

"It stinks we have to ride by car all the way to Anacortes in order to board the ferry," Oscar grumbled annoyingly.

"That is the place where it is stationed," Peter said, eyeing him. He pressed his lips together. "Besides, we are renting a van. There will be more than enough room for all of us to ride."

"Our luggage and ghost-catching equipment will take up a bit of room in the very back," Winston added. "That is not a big deal. No one spends time in that area unless it is to load or unload it."

"Yeah," Oscar agreed. "Back to the orcas, I do think we will see some during the ferry ride. Maybe we will see Willy, Nikki, and Max."

"I have no doubt Max has lost the orange in his white areas and has grown a bit since we saw him last," Dana commented.

"This will be my first time meeting these orcas. It's a dream come true," Winston said excitedly.

"You are not the only one. Ray and Egon are excited to meet them too," Peter added and smirked widely. He shook his finger at him. "I hope they spit water on you three."

"They will spit water on you three before they get us," Winston said, sitting up tall and proud.

"If you sit any taller, you hit the ceiling," Peter joked with a snicker.

"Maybe we will see you dancing on the wings of the plane. Then you can fly like a bird," Oscar added, laughing softly.

"Sure, you will," Winston said sarcastically. "Sure, you will."

Oscar blew a raspberry at Winston. He snickered at getting one from him in return. He put his hand flat in midair. He wiggled his fingers while making funny noises. He laid it on the table. He tapped his fingers on it, his tongue clicking twice.

"I wonder when Luna will have her calf. She looked about ready to pop when we got those pictures of her breaching from Jesse by email," Peter said, his voice showing much curiosity.

"Do you think the birth will be caught on video like before?" Oscar asked.

"To be honest, I have no idea," Peter admitted. "A female orca does not have a calf swimming with her one day. Then she is spotted with one the next day." He rubbed his throat. "Many people don't even know where the orcas go to have their calves."

"Willy and Nikki found a secluded cove for their son to be born. They were accompanied by Jesse, Randolph, Drew, and Max. Jesse and Randolph observed the birth underwater. Drew and Max watched from the boat. Jesse managed to get his revenge on Drew by putting black paint on the eyepiece of her video camera," Dana said, trying to stifle a giggle.

"That picture of Jesse with the black eyes was pretty funny. Drew might have been sarcastic at times, but she had a great sense of humor. It sucks she is no longer working with Randolph," Peter muttered with a frown.

"She decided to go her own way," Dana commented. "Sometimes, it is best we do that. It makes things easier for us."

"We decided to tackle paranormal cases in other states. They are not common, but the change of scenery is nice. This is especially true when it is in a rural area," Winston said, a smile forming on his face.

"Like San Juan Island," Oscar whispered and bit his lip.

"Exactly," Winston replied, snapping his fingers and pointing one at him. "The biggest city on this island is Friday Harbor. There are all kinds of shops and cafés to visit."

"Some of the cafés are right by the water. You can watch gulls catch fish from the outside areas," Dana said, eagerness showing in her voice.

"Yep," Peter said and flicked her nose twice. He proceeded to talk about his family's meeting Willy for the first time.