Author's Notes: Hi, readers. Here's chapter seven of "Don't Play With Fire." This chapter has a little bit of Peter/Dana. It features special appearances from J-Pod orcas. Willy and his immediate family return as well. The fandoms will meet in the chapter after the next one. Stay tuned for chapter eight.

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Chapter 7: Setting Sail

The ferry's horn blew loudly as it went toward San Juan Island at a slow yet steady speed in the midafternoon. People did various activities at different points on the passenger deck. Ray, Egon, and Winston chatted amongst themselves on starboard. They shared a laugh. Three gulls flew nearby without them noticing.

Peter, Dana, and Oscar observed the mountains going by on port. Oscar glanced down at the water. He saw the bow waves go by. He appeared to be very fascinated with them. He folded his arms and laid them on the railing. His parents shifted their attention to him. They tried to stop themselves from chuckling, but they couldn't help themselves.

"Talk about Oscar having a real water show," Peter said in a very prideful voice.

"You said it, Peter," Dana agreed.

"I give him credit for not biting the railing," Peter said and clicked his tongue twice.

"Some kids will put their mouths on anything. Their parents let them. They think it's so cute, but it's not. It's disgusting," Dana grumbled and hissed in disgust.

"Let's not forget that can actually be dangerous," Peter whispered in a serious voice. He took hold of the railing with both hands. "Some things contain lead. Everyone knows lead can kill kids."

Dana grimaced as she remembered reading about lead on the internet. "Paint is a very notorious source of lead. Children are often fascinated by peeling paint chips in old houses. They will actually eat them." She cringed badly.

"Consumption of paint chips has killed many children. Their parents have sued their landlords for negligence," Peter commented with a heavy sigh. He rubbed his face with both hands. "I can understand being angry with the landlord for not keeping the house in tiptop shape. However, the parents should have kept a closer eye on their children."

"People will sue anyone for anything these days. I have a feeling someone will try to sue a laundry mat's owners for millions of dollars because they lost his pants," Peter suggested.

"That's ridiculous, Peter. What pants are worth that much money?" Dana asked with a loud scoff.

"The answer is none," Peter answered in a blunt voice. He would love to find the person whenever they filed such a lawsuit and slap him or her silly. At the same time, he was aware Dana would never agree with it. "I guarantee you a judge would throw such a lawsuit out. He would think it was absolutely stupid."

Dana nodded in agreement. "You are right, Peter."

Peter and Dana returned their attention to the mountains. Oscar continued watching the water. He emitted a surprised yelp when someone hit him upside his head. He spotted a girl running off. He heard her laughing. His parents watched him pass.

"Pardon me," Peter said and held up his hand. He chased after the girl, catching up to her. He grabbed her by the arm. She looked at him and tried to pull away to no avail. "What do you think you're doing hitting my son in his head?"

"I was just playing around. Can you let me go?" the girl whined.

"Not a chance," Peter responded with a shake of his head. "Besides, you shouldn't be running around on a boat. It's very dangerous." He let out a heavy sigh. He really didn't want to be dealing with her, but he felt he didn't have a choice. "You can slip and fall. You can even end up in the water."

The girl tried to pull away again without success. "Just let me go! Please, please!"

Peter huffed. "No. I'm going to try to find your parents."

A clearing throat came out of nowhere. The duo looked up to see the girl's mother coming toward them. She stopped before them.

"Thanks for finding my daughter," the mother said. Peter gave her the girl. She took her daughter by the arm. "I turned my back for a few minutes. She was gone when I turned around." She glared down at her, making her cower.

"She's lucky she didn't slip and fall. I believe she won't do what she did again," Peter commented.

The mother let out an angry huff. "You're right she won't. In fact, we won't be going on our fishing trip at all tomorrow. We'll remain at the campground."

The girl's mother began pulling her along. She heard her begging not to cancel their fishing trip, but she paid her no mind. Peter watched them until they were out of sight. He went back to his fiancée and son. Dana formed a proud smile on her face.

"Great job, Peter. You showed that girl who was boss," Dana commented while ruffling her fiancé's hair.

"The bright side is her mother was looking for her. Some parents couldn't care less and let their children do whatever they want," Peter grumbled with a scoff. He put his arm around her and hugged her.

"We are not those buttheads. We don't let our son pull that crap," Dana said and swallowed hard. She hoped Oscar didn't hear her. She wrapped her hand around his, squeezing it gently. She patted his lightly. "Nope, nope, nope."

"We'd punish him if he did that," Peter added truthfully and gave her another hug. He kissed her forehead.

"You got that right, Peter," Dana agreed and hugged him back.

"Don't worry, Mom. I'll never do what that girl did," Oscar said as he looked at his parents.

"It was dumb of her to hit you in the head, Oscar, but at least she got punished," Dana added.

"She deserved it," Oscar said, giving a sharp nod

Peter and Dana tried not to smile, but they couldn't help themselves. They felt so proud of their son. They wished he could stay younger forever. However, they knew that wasn't possible. They had no doubt he would grow into a fine man. The family turned their attention toward the water.

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Peter and Dana chatted with each other twenty minutes later. They laughed to themselves. Oscar observed two gulls skimming their beaks along the water in front of him. They flew upward with squawks. They were holding fish in them. They flapped their wings, gaining altitude. They vanished beyond the horizon, caws coming from them.

Ray and Winston wiped tears from their eyes as they tried to contain their laughter. Egon had been telling them about the time Peter put a whoopie cushion in Oscar's chair while he and Janine were having dinner with them in which they couldn't come due to being at home with very bad colds. He made the sound of the cushion deflating. He slapped his hand on the railing.

"Oscar looked so embarrassed when he heard the whoopie cushion deflate. He really thought he had farted," Egon said.

"If I had seen that, I would've laughed my head off," Winston responded.

"I would have too. Unfortunately, those colds kept us home," Ray added with a roll of his eyes.

"They were no different from the cold that Oscar had back at Christmas. He had to spend his first week of Christmas Break feeling miserable," Winston said, shaking his head in disbelief.

"A person has two to four colds per year on average. Kids get more colds than adults do due to their developing immune systems," Egon explained.

"As we recall, you had a little bit of one yourself three weeks ago, Egon," Winston pointed out.

"I knocked it out quickly with NyQuil. It is very powerful stuff," Egon commented.

"That it is," Winston agreed.

Ray looked toward the sky. He could see three bald eagles flying overhead. They flapped their wings in almost perfect unison. He shifted his attention back to his friends.

"I love Peter's ability to play pranks on people," Ray said with a smile.

"He's not the only one who plays pranks on people in our circle of friends," Egon replied while raising his eyebrows. "You and Winston do that too."

"I remember one prank Ray played on me. He put his hand on my shoulder and told me not to look. I did that. I saw a big spider there. It appeared to be so realistic that I went nuts!" Winston blurted out.

Ray let out a loud chuckle. "It sure did, buddy. The bright side was it happened to be rubber." He made a boing sound.

"Yeah. The legs of rubber spiders can stretch out to a certain point without breaking," Egon commented.

"I remember this old saying, 'I am rubber. You are glue. What bounces off me sticks to you,'" Winston said with pride.

"Let's be each other's glue," Ray suggested and smirked widely.

Egon shook his head. "No, thanks. I could never handle glue's stickiness."

Winston waved Egon off, as did Ray. Egon rolled his eyes and shook his head in disbelief. He mumbled inaudible words. Winston narrowed his eyes at him. He held up a finger.

"You better not be saying mean things about us, Egon," Winston warned.

"Don't worry. I am not. Besides, mumbling under your breath can be a good thing sometimes. Would you want me to say curse out loud in front of kids?" Egon asked, jerking his thumb toward three boys standing at the railing nearby.

Winston noticed the trio. "Good point."

"I read studies that mumbling and laughing can relieve a great deal of stress," Egon commented. "Both can help you live longer."

"That's very interesting. Maybe we could find a way to make mood slime laugh," Ray joked with a snicker.

"Anything is possible," Winston said, nodding.

Egon rolled his eyes. "Did you have to quote Tommy from Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie?"

"There is nothing wrong with saying that quote, Egon. You know anything is possible when you put your mind to it," Winston pointed out while tapping his temple with his finger.

"You know that better than anyone," Ray added.

"Perhaps. That does not mean I should be expected to make the impossible possible," Egon said seriously.

Ray nodded in agreement. "No, you shouldn't be."

Winston ran his hand over face three times. He grabbed the railing with it and the other one. He inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly. He blinked three times before clearing his throat.

"I have to say the very first feature film based on Power Rangers was really good," Winston admitted.

"It sure was. Oscar was so excited about seeing it. His favorite Power Ranger is Tommy," Egon said, chuckling softly.

"Tommy had an unusual start as a Power Ranger. Rita kidnapped him and turned him into her evil Green Ranger. He did terrible things to the Power Rangers. He broke free of her spell and joined the team. She drained his powers with the Green Candle. He gave his Power Coin to Jason to protect what remained. He returned when Jason, Zack, Trini, Kim, and Billy were tricked into handing their Power Coins over to Goldar. He got them back. He fought until his powers were completely drained sometime after Lord Zedd arrived. Then he became the White Ranger," Ray explained.

"He is said to be the best Power Ranger ever due to his experience, intelligence, strength, courage, and integrity. That's not to say he didn't make mistakes," Ray commented.

"The biggest difference between a ghost and a monster is the latter can have a physical form while the former cannot have that," Egon pointed out truthfully.

"I would not want to encounter a monster," Ray said, shuddering badly.

"Who would?" Winston asked with a raised eyebrow. He proceeded to talk about believing anything Janine said if it brought a steady paycheck.

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Ray, Egon, and Winston continued to chat amongst themselves seven minutes later. Peter, Dana, and Oscar stood not far from them. They were watching the water very closely. They had gotten bored with being on the other side and had decided to come over. Their friends didn't mind in the least bit. Oscar narrowed his eyes at the bow waves.

Without warning, people began to shout, 'Look! Whales! Whales!' Ray, Egon, and Winston turned toward the water, seeing three J-Pod orcas break the surface in the distance. The orcas disappeared beneath the surface quickly. Two more came up as a crowd formed. Cameras clicked away. Those orcas disappeared just as fast as their podmates had.

"Wow! Look at that!" Ray blurted out in delight.

"This is amazing," Winston added, laughing.

"The orcas are beautiful in pictures, but they are more beautiful in person!" Oscar shouted.

Dana pointed her finger as she became awed. "Peter, is that—"

Peter nodded. "Yes, that's Ruffles, Dana. There's Granny too."

Ruffles (J1) and Granny (J2) surfaced together. The former's dorsal that gave him his name waved from side to side a tiny bit. The latter's half-moon knick in hers was clearly visible. They headed underwater and slapped their tails on the surface. They dove deep and went upward. They let out playful squeaks. They jumped clear of the water. They returned to it just as fast. The Ghostbusters, Dana, and Oscar cheered wildly.

"That was amazing," Winston yelled happily.

Oscar grabbed the railing as he yelled excitedly. "There's Princess Angeline and Tahlequah!"

Princess Angeline and Tahlequah came up one after the other. The former's hook at the top of her dorsal could be clearly seen. The latter still had orange on her white areas. They charged underwater, swinging their tails upward. They went deep as bubbles left their blowholes. They turned toward the surface. They did a double spyhop. They squealed very joyfully before going back underwater.

"I can't believe those two performed a double spyhop!" Egon yelled, his eyes becoming as wide as saucers.

"Talk about incredible," Dana shouted, grabbing her hair with both hands.

"You got that right, Mom," Oscar agreed with a joyful laugh.

"I feel so fortunate to have seen all of this," Peter said while wiping a tear from his eye. He looked down at Dana. "The best part is I am seeing this with you and Oscar."

"I agree," Dana said as she leaned against him. Just then, Willy, Nikki, Jack, Luna, Littlespot, and Catspaw surfaced not far from the ferry. "There is Willy and some of his immediate family."

"Look at Luna's baby bump," Egon muttered shockingly. "Jesse said she was big around her stomach, but she looks much bigger in person. That indicates she is very close to giving birth."

"Who knows when that will be?" Ray wondered thoughtfully.

"It could be anytime now," Winston said while putting his hands together and setting them on the railing.

Willy, Nikki, Jack, and Luna went underwater. Catspaw and Littlespot followed suit. They dove deep before turning upward. Willy and Nikki spyhopped with joyful squeaks. Jack and Luna came right after them. Catspaw and Littlespot appeared followed suit. All six orcas sank beneath the surface. They surfaced together next. They sank beneath the surface, returning to it. They rolled on their sides. They slapped their flippers against the water. They performed four rolls before going back underwater. Peter and Dana couldn't stop themselves from laughing.

"That was so cool," Dana commented delightfully.

Peter put his hand over his eyes. "I think I can see Polaris and Blackberry down there."

Polaris (J28) surfaced, as did Blackberry (J27). The former's closed left saddle patch could be seen. The latter's open left saddle patch was very visible. They went back underwater just as quickly. They returned to the surface, slipping their heads downward. They slapped their tails against it four times. They came back up in which they should their heads. Just then, Max appeared next to her with a playful squeal. He nibbled on her side very gently.

Polaris turned and nudged Max carefully. Without warning, Blackberry surfaced and spit water. It ended up hitting them. Polaris and Max rolled on their sides. They swung their tails, splashing him. Blackberry darted away from them. Polaris and Max chased after him. All three orcas squealed in playfulness. Max caught up to Blackberry. He raked him in a very gentle manner. Blackberry pushed him away. He proceeded to spit water on him. He clicked in an amusing way. Everyone had such big smiles on his or her faces that it seemed they would stay on them.

"Those are really playful orcas," Winston said and folded his hands.

"Yep," Oscar agreed.

"It is obvious Willy taught his podmates to spit water on each other. It shows how smart he is. It also shows how much he remembers his year in captivity. It is speculated orcas are the most emotional beings next to humans," Egon explained.

Ray rubbed the back of his neck with both hands. "I hope we can solve the mystery of the orca attacks quickly. Willy has to be confused at what has been going on."

"I think we should conduct a medical examination on him to make sure nothing is off about him," Egon suggested.

"I am sure Jesse and Randolph will agree to it. I recall Peter telling us they conduct medical examinations on him occasionally," Winston pointed out.

Peter exhaled. "That is true. Of course, it is possible Willy won't cooperate since you guys are strangers. I could be wrong, though."

Ray gave a shrug and chuckled to himself. He and his friends shifted their attention back to the water. J-Pod continued swimming and playing around.