Author's Notes: Hi, readers. Here's chapter nine of "Don't Play With Fire." The fandoms finally meet. It has been a while in coming, but it was well worth it. Willy may appear in the next chapter or so. Stay tuned for chapter ten.

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Chapter 9: Arrival at the Cabin/Nice Meeting

A bobcat wandered into the driveway of the Wilkins cabin twenty minutes later. The large cabin contained three bedrooms and two bathrooms. It happened to be set on top of a hill that went down to a pebbly beach. A dock poked out from the bottom. A motorboat was tied to a hook near the edge of it. Trees stood close to the lake's edge on all sides. They happened to be behind the cabin as well.

The bobcat stopped with a soft mew. It lowered its head and sniffed at the gravel. Its ears swiveled twice. It caught a scent and started to paw at it. It became eager to get at whatever might be there. A roaring engine scared it off into the forest. Peter brought the van into the driveway. He stopped it with a sharp exhale. He turned off the engine. He and Dana looked at Oscar, Ray, Winston, and Egon.

"We are here," Peter announced happily.

"Great!" Oscar responded excitedly. He tried to stifle a snicker, but he couldn't help himself. "I feel my legs are about to fall off."

"Nice joke, Oscar," Ray said, ruffling the boy's hair.

"If you touch my hair again, you will lose fingers," Oscar threatened playfully while pointing his finger in the shape of a gun at him.

"Don't shoot!" Ray said, holding up his hands. "I surrender."

"Good," Oscar said, taking his hand away. He rubbed his eye before emitting a soft snort. "If only fingers could shoot bullets."

"That would be pretty cool," Ray said while crossing his arms. "The downside would be the finger going off accidentally."

"Many people are irresponsible with their guns. It is no wonder we have so many accidental shootings," Winston said, shaking his head in disbelief.

"Many victims are kids. Kids who have not been taught about gun safety are more likely to fool around with guns," Egon said, rolling his eyes. "Is it so hard to teach kids not to touch them?"

"Some parents believe keeping kids ignorant of certain issues will protect them," Winston responded, huffing irritatingly. "That makes them more likely to get in trouble. The more you try to keep kids away from things, the more they want to experience them."

"That can develop into an unhealthy addiction," Ray whispered with a heavy sigh. "Everyone has something they are hooked on to one degree or another. It's human nature."

"Some addictions are worse than others," Egon commented honestly. "Gambling is one of them. Addicts almost always end up in serious debt. They will resort to stealing in order to keep going."

"Enough talking, guys," Dana said. "Let's get inside the cabin."

Peter and Dana unbuckled their seatbelts, as did Ray, Oscar, Egon, and Winston with theirs. They got out of the van. They stretched their legs for a minute before heading for the back door. Dana searched for the correct key, finding it. She unlocked the door and opened it. Its hinges squeaked in a loud manner. She ventured inside, followed by her fiancé, their son, and their friends. She flipped the switch. This flooded the medium-sized kitchen with light. She walked forward while looking around it. It had a bar with four stools and a rectangular-shaped pine table with six matching chairs. A portable TV sat near the sink. A painting of a tiger walking through the rainforest hung above the table. Ray, Egon, and Winston appeared to be very impressed. Peter went to her side.

"I like the kitchen," Ray said and chuckled to himself.

"Me too," Winston said, crossing his arms.

"Me three," Egon agreed.

Peter smiled. "Great."

Dana waved her hand toward herself. "We'll show you the living room."

The entire group went into the living room. The room happened to be large. It contained a fireplace, a couch, two hardwood end tables, and a glass coffee table. Animal skins and heads hung from the walls. A TV with a VCR sitting on top of it sat on a wooden stand near the fireplace. A bear head hung above the mantle, as did a set of deer antlers.

Everyone stopped next to the coffee table. Ray walked forward, his hand touching the mantle. He picked up an eagle sculpture. The eagle appeared to be taking flight. It beak was wide open as if it were ready to grab something. He placed it back on the mantle as Winston came to his side. They and Egon looked at the skins and heads before turning to Peter and Dana.

"The living room is beautiful. I never thought I'd see so many animal heads and skins on walls," Ray whispered in awe.

"Neither did the rest of us," Winston agreed.

"Earl loves to hunt in the woods behind the cabin. He never misses an opportunity during hunting season," Dana explained.

Egon chuckled to himself. "Imagine using a proton pack to hunt animals."

"That would be a crazy thing to do," Ray admitted.

"Indeed, it would," Winston added while rubbing his nose. "We will probably accidentally knick an animal or two with them."

Peter shook his head. "Enough about the proton packs. I want to show you three something."

Peter led everyone upstairs. They entered the first room on the left. The room was large and had a king-sized bed, an oak dresser, and two oak nightstands. A TV and a VCR were set on top of the dresser. A desk and a computer with a cable modem attached to the wall happened to be next to the door that led out to the balcony.

Peter took Dana, Oscar, Ray, Egon, and Winston out onto the balcony that had a swing on it. Ray, Egon, and Winston gasped in amazement at the sight before them. They could see the ocean from here. Mountains stood tall in the distance. They were dotted with many trees that had spots between them. The trio felt their hearts skip a few beats.

"The view is unbelievable from here," Ray said, a smile crossing his lips.

"We are so lucky to be on this part of San Juan Island," Egon commented, touching the railing with both hands. "Many cabins are in the middle of forested areas."

"We may get a glimpse of whales, dolphins, and porpoises swimming through the area," Winston added. "Orcas could be among them, especially J-Pod."

"That would be nice to see," Peter said, smiling lightly. "People have actually been surprised by humpback whales surfacing next to porches of cabins sitting near the water."

"The chances of that happening to anyone is slim to none," Egon pointed out matter-of-factly.

"Thanks for the scientific fact, Egon," Ray hissed in mock annoyance.

"Here is another scientific fact, Ray," Egon said, looking at him. "More than half of all cheetah cubs born die before they are a year old. Eighty percent of that group die within the first six months."

"Maybe I should write all that down and stuff it in your mouth, so I can say I made you eat your words!" Ray threatened in a playful manner.

"Do it. I dare you," Egon responded with a smirk.

"Okay, okay," Dana said, waving her hands in the air. "That's enough. Someone needs to call Jesse and let him know we are here."

"I'll go do that," Peter said, raising his hand.

"Thanks, honey," Dana replied and kissed his cheek.

"Could I go with you, Dad?" Oscar asked hopefully. "I want to say hi to Jesse."

"Sure," Peter said, nodding. "Come on."

Peter and Oscar went inside. Dana, Egon, Ray, and Winston watched until they were out of sight. They looked at each other, their eyebrows raising. Winston cupped his chin in his hand.

"Jesse will be happy to hear his cousin's voice," Winston said honestly.

"What cousin wouldn't be after months of being away?" Ray wondered with a laugh.

"Jesse is lucky to have a cousin. My parents did not have any siblings," Egon grumbled annoyingly.

"That sucks," Dana murmured and licked her lips. She and her friends watched a bald eagle fly overhead.

00000

Peter, Dana, and Ray laughed at Oscar's quacking like a duck in the living room thirty minutes later. The adults sat on the couch. He was in the first armchair. He folded his arms under his armpits and flapped them as if they were wings. He got up to walk around the coffee table. He acted as if he were pecking at the floor. He returned to the first armchair to sit down. He unfolded his arms. He placed his hands in his lap.

"What a great duck you make, honey," Dana said in a very sweet voice.

"Thank you, Mom," Oscar replied as he sat up tall and proud.

"I hope you do not grow too long of a neck. You will end up being a giraffe," Ray quipped and snickered under his breath.

"Very funny," Oscar responded and gave him a mock-annoyed look. "I better find a magic lamp and make a wish to turn you into a giraffe."

"Do it. I dare you," Ray taunted in a playful way.

"Okay. I will," Oscar said, pretending to get up and leave. "Nah. I like you the way you are."

"Good answer," Ray said and chuckled to himself.

"The most amazing thing about the giraffe is it has the same number of neck vertebrae as a human does," a male voice said.

The quartet spotted Egon standing in the doorway with two coffee-filled mugs in his hands. One was filled with sugar while the other had sweet cream in it. Winston stood behind him.

"Gee. What a nice scientific fact you just gave there, Egon," Ray said sarcastically.

"Don't I always?" Egon asked, making his way to Peter and Dana to give them the mugs. "Here you go."

"Thanks, Egon," Dana responded and sipped her coffee. So did Peter with his. She nodded approvingly, as did he. "It is perfect."

Peter chuckled. "Oh, yeah. Who would've thought a guy who is well-known for scientific jargon could make the perfect cup of coffee?"

"Earl was smart to keep coffee and sugar containers on the kitchen counter and cream in the refrigerator," Egon pointed out.

"Now, we just have to get other stuff for the place," Winston added.

Dana touched the back of her neck. "Of course, we have to get the full story of the orca attacks from Jesse first."

"Believe me, Dana. No one has forgotten about that," Peter said, putting his coffee on the end table.

"We have to wonder what it could be," Dana pointed out.

Winston blinked twice. "If anything—"

Everyone jumped in fright when knocking sounded. Peter, Dana, Ray, and Oscar looked toward the front door. Egon and Winston followed suit. They bit their lips.

"I'll get it," Peter announced while rising to his feet. He went over to the door and unlocked it. He opened it in which it revealed Jesse, Nadine, and Randolph. He could see a newspaper in his nephew's hand. "Hey there, Jesse."

"Hey, Uncle Peter," Jesse greeted as Peter stepped aside to allow him to come in. "What are you and the others doing?"

Peter chuckled to himself. "We're just relaxing. How about a handshake?"

Jesse offered his hand. "Sure."

Peter took the boy's hand. He yelled surprisingly at a buzzing sound. He pulled his away. Jesse held it up, revealing a hand buzzer. He broke into a fit of laughter.

"You fell for the old hand buzzer!" Jesse yelled delightfully.

"What a sly dog you are," Peter teased and slapped him on the back. "Come on. I am sure your friend and girlfriend want to come in too."

Jesse went into the living room as Dana, Oscar, and Ray stood up. Peter greeted Randolph and Nadine as he guided them inside. He closed the door and locked it. Dana came over to Jesse, who gave her a big hug. She responded by giving him a bigger one. They pulled apart with soft sighs. She touched both of his cheeks. She patted them gently.

"Oh, Jesse. It is so good to see you!" Dana said, happiness radiating from her face.

"It's good to see you too, Aunt Dana," Jesse responded sweetly.

Dana formed a big smirk on her face. "You pulled a good one with your uncle there."

Jesse emitted a soft chuckle. "We know who taught me that."

Jesse looked toward Oscar as he came up to him. He held up his hand while moving his eyebrows up and down. Oscar gave him a high-five. They hugged each other. They broke apart after ten seconds.

"It's good to see you, Jess," Oscar said warmly.

"Back at you, Oscar," Jesse responded with a wink. "You've gotten a little bigger since the last time I saw you."

Oscar looked up at him. "You've gotten a little taller. You can blame Mom and Dad for my growth. They feed me too many cupcakes."

"I could say the same about my parents and Randolph," Jesse joked and cleared his throat.

"I don't blame you," Oscar replied and snickered under his breath.

Jesse blinked. "Yeah."

Randolph and Nadine headed over to Dana and Oscar. They slipped their hands inside their pockets before digging the heels of their tennis shoes into the floor. They smiled at them.

"It is good to see you and Oscar, Dana," Randolph greeted in a warm voice.

"It is good to see you and Nadine too, Randolph," Dana said and suppressed a yawn.

"We hope the flight and the ferry ride weren't too bad for you," Nadine said, her heart skipping a beat.

"Neither one was bad at all," Dana admitted. "We—"

Egon cleared his throat, causing Dana to glance at him. Ray went to Winston's side, his hands slipping into his pockets. She chuckled nervously and looked at the trio. She waved her hand toward herself and mouthed 'Come on.' They complied without hesitation.

"Randolph, Nadine, I would like you to meet Egon Spengler, Winston Zeddemore, and Ray Stantz. Egon, Winston, Ray, this is Randolph Johnson and Nadine Clausen," Dana introduced.

"It is nice to finally meet you," Winston said, holding out his hand. He eyed Egon and Ray, whom mimicked him with theirs. "Jesse has told us so much about you."

"The pleasure is all ours," Randolph said, shaking each of the men's hands. He observed Nadine doing the same. "Jesse has told us a lot about you."

"It must be fun busting ghosts," Nadine suggested.

"It can be a lot of fun, Nadine, especially when it comes to ghosts that keep playing pranks on people!" Winston admitted with a chuckle.

"It can also be dangerous," Egon added. "We need to get down to business. What is the story behind the orca attacks?"

"It is in this newspaper," Jesse said, holding up the newspaper. "Let's discuss it in the kitchen."

The entire group made their way toward the kitchen. No one noticed an American robin flying in and landing on the windowsill.