Hey everyone! Sorry I've been kinda MIA for the past little bit, but I've taken a bit of a break and enjoyed a brief trip at the beach where I was able to get some more of my story typed up. I think I've broken through my writer's block for now, so hopefully it'll pick up for the next little while and I'll be able to get some good content out to you guys. :) Please let me know how you're liking/not liking how this story is going, I can take criticism! I'm always eager for some helpful ideas too, though I've got a vague outline planned out for how I want this roundabout story to go. Thanks for reading! :D
And yes, for those who are able to pick out my little Easter-egg, I did purposely name the bar as a little nod to Dan Aykroyd's line of Crystal Head vodka. I've never actually tried it myself, but I was able to procure a skull-shaped bottle still in the box from an antique store a few years ago. The bottle was empty of course, but it's still a cool thing to have! XD
"Okay…am I missing anything?" Nikki asked as the group climbed out of the Ecto-1 where they had parked it on the curb outside a locally hyped nightclub. She gestured to Shawn, Ray and Peter who all wore brightly colored Hawaiian shirts in what seemed to be some unanimous fashion statement. Winston rounded the car from the driver's door and tugged on the collar of his peach colored floral button up. "I've gotta admit, part of me is actually a little jealous and even hurt that you guys didn't get me one."
"Well, figuring as you're a female and conservative about your looks…" Shawn shot a sarcastically accusing look at Janine who rounded the car dressed in her usual secretarial garb, which in itself was a fashion statement. Nikki had always marveled at the red haired woman's unique style and choice of bright color schemes matched up cartoonishly. Janine rolled her eyes and pursed her lips challengingly as she hooked an arm through Egon's upon his emergence from the cab driving off around the Ecto-1.
"Birthday girl doesn't want to be tacky, there's nothing wrong with that." She said, waving Shawn's teasing remark away. She turned her gaze to Nikki who smoothed down her magenta knee-length dress self-consciously. "Besides, I think she looks very cute."
"Cute! That's the word I was thinking of – definitely!" Peter shouted, clapping a hand on Nikki's shoulders. The girl jumped, startled and then cut her eyes snidely at the over-excited Ghostbuster. "Little Stantz, let's get going! The crowd's gonna get thicker here soon, don't want all the good stuff to get gone before we even set foot in the place!"
"Venkman…" Ray berated his colleague sharply. Nikki caught her father's wary look as he sized up the bar Peter had talked the team into bringing his daughter to for her first legal alcoholic drink. She followed his gaze to the neon sign pulsing over the door.
"The Crystal Skull?" Nikki read off, raising her eyebrows in disbelief. She looked back down at Ray where he shrugged and straightened the Hawaiian shirt he had pulled on after being forced to change out of his Ghostbusters' uniform and into plain clothes. He now wore a pair of faded blue jeans and his floral shirt was red with black details. Nodding back up at the name of the bar she snorted. "Sounds tacky. It goes right with the theme."
"Tacky Twenty-First!" Winston chimed in jokingly. Nikki flashed him an amused grin as Peter ushered her forward and Shawn held open the door for the group to enter.
Never having been in a bar herself, Nikki was surprised at just how loud the music really was. There was a smattering of voices belonging to the crowd of people mingling in small groups all around the large interior of the place, but the bass really drowned everything out. Nikki felt her heart trill a little at the familiar musical selection, belonging to one of her favorite bands, INXS. The chorus to 'Elegantly Wasted' was thrumming almost overwhelmingly all around and Nikki found herself dancing as she followed after Peter and her father through the array of straggling people talking and drinking on the edge of the dancefloor. She heard a chuckle from behind her and turned to see Shawn's teasing smirk as he followed her. Knowing it would be near impossible for him to hear a chastising remark, she purposely stuck her heel in front of his foot as he trailed behind her and he stumbled into her with a surprised cry. As he righted himself, it was Nikki's turn to laugh and she grabbed his hand to keep him tethered to her as they wove through the crowd gathered around the bar.
"You already a little tipsy tonight, Shawn?" Winston called after the couple somewhere behind them. Nikki laughed again and Shawn clenched his jaw in embarrassment. As they finally reached the bar, Peter was already giving orders to the young lady on the other side of the bar. Ray had his arms crossed over his chest defiantly and as Nikki led Shawn over to his side, he let his arms fall to his sides and offered up a wearily excited smile at his daughter.
"What do you feel like trying first, Nikki? We're counting this as a business outing since you're such an important asset to the Ghostbusters." Ray said, gesturing to the arrangement of bottles and labels covering the back wall of the bar. A freshly opened beer bottle slid across the bar to him and Ray turned to retrieve it with a thankful nod to the bartender.
"Try something fruity Nikki – beer is not the best first drink…" Janine's high pitched voice shouted over the drumming music. Nikki turned to see that she and Egon had made it to the bar and she was already clutching a red iced drink in her hand, an orange slice decorating the rim of her glass. She raised her drink in Nikki's direction in a sort of salute and once Egon received his drink –a classic beer similar to Ray's – they were lost in the crowd, most likely heading to find the group a table somewhere.
"Apricot bourbon," Peter said loudly, rounding Ray with 2 wobbling curvy glasses held out in the palm of his hand, offering them to the young couple. Nikki hesitantly accepted one and Shawn took the other while Peter downed one himself.
Nikki glanced down at the dark liquid in the glass and in the split second she hesitated, Shawn tilted his head back and downed his. He exhaled sharply and then his face lit up with his familiar smirk.
"Man…it's been a while." He said after seeing that Nikki was waiting for a reaction. She frowned at him questioningly and he shrugged, setting the empty glass on the edge of the bar. "I used to sneak some from my parents stash back when I was growing up. Teenagers back then were the same as they are now. A few decades don't bring about too much in the evolutionary spectrum."
"Peter, maybe she'd like a lighter drink first. Maybe a daiquiri or a wine cooler or something." Winston suggested, leaning his elbows on the bar and surveying the scene in tired amusement.
"Raspberry daiquiri please," Nikki heard Ray call to the bartender.
"Ray…why on earth would you order such a girly drink?" Peter asked, fixing his colleague with a disbelieving stare. Ray shrugged and took a swig of his beer as he waited for the drink to be made. Nikki swished around the glass of bourbon Peter had brought her and then took a deep breath before downing it quickly just like she'd seen Shawn and Peter do.
A rush of heat mixed with the fruity-like aftertaste met her throat and Nikki found herself uncontrollably coughing the second she swallowed the drink. Peter, Shawn and Winston erupted into laughter around her and she found her sputtering coughs evolving into embarrassed chuckling. As she hurriedly handed the empty glass to Shawn who replaced it on the bar, Nikki found familiarity in the warmth spreading through her chest. She blinked rapidly and swallowed again, trying to force the lump in her throat down. An icy feeling spread through her as she found herself briefly remembering the vision from the elemental spirit the day before.
Shawn seemed to notice Nikki's distant expression and she forced herself back into the present when he wrapped his arm around her waist reassuringly. Ray and Peter were arguing on the other side of him and Winston was chatting comfortably with a couple engrossed in hearing the local gossip about the Ghostbusters and their entertaining busts.
"…old conductors were pretty strict, maybe that's why this guy was so hard to deal with. I don't know, Ray and Egon have theories on deaths and how that can be the reason certain ghosts are so violent." Winston was explaining casually.
"That does tend to be true," Nikki piped in, intrigued with the conversation topic. Winston turned to glance at her over his shoulder in surprise and the couple he had been speaking to regarded the young girl skeptically.
"What makes you say that?" The blonde-haired woman asked, her speech slurring noticeably as she fixed Nikki with a raised eyebrow. Nikki shrugged and was about to respond with her first-hand accounts of dealing with the aforementioned violent ghosts they had encountered over the past few years. Before she could say anything, Shawn forced a comically overlarge cocktail glass filled with a slushy pink drink into her hands and ushered her away from the bar.
"Come on Nikki, lets head on over to the table. Egon and Janine are waving us over."
Nikki snapped her mouth shut sheepishly and Winston grinned at her in knowing amusement, nodding after the young couple as he turned back to the fans he had been recounting stories to. The music had shifted to a popular song from Aerosmith and Nikki sipped hurriedly at her drink to keep it from spilling as she and Shawn made their way across the room to the booth where Janine was brandishing a large store-bought birthday cake on the table.
"No…" Nikki said in disbelief, feeling the tightness return to her throat, this time out of overwhelming emotion rather than the effects of alcohol. Shawn grinned to himself as she turned and tried to hide her face in his chest when Janine and Egon began loudly singing Happy Birthday to her. Ray and Peter had followed the couple over to the booth and they joined in heartily until it felt like the whole room was singing to Nikki.
"Aren't you gonna make a wish?!" Winston's voice drew her out of her blushing embarrassment as he'd joined the group. Nikki's face was hot as she finally leaned over the table and blew out the twenty-one candles flickering on the cake. Cheers went up all around her in support and as the onlookers spread back out to their own clusters, Nikki slid into the booth next to Janine while Shawn began plucking the candles out of the tie-dyed swirls on top of the cake.
"You didn't really think we'd let Janine forget a cake, did ya?" Peter joked, flopping into the booth across from Nikki, Janine and Egon, a fresh beer in his hand. Nikki rolled her eyes lightheartedly and accepted a large corner piece when Ray plated the cake as Shawn cut it. Egon slid a small gift box in front of Nikki before she could dig in to her cake. She flashed him a questioning look and Janine waggled her bright pink fingers at the box eagerly.
"It's just a little something I picked out for you while you were gone last week. It's nothing." She said dismissively, while she watched Nikki set her drink down on the table to tear through the bright green paper. As she opened the little box, her eyes watered with emotion.
Inside the soft velvety interior of the box rested a silvery necklace. As Nikki carefully lifted the shining chain out, a beautiful butterfly pendant dangled in front of her. The butterfly itself was small, barely much bigger than her fingernail, but it sparkled in the neon flashing lights of the club with a blue sheen that looked purple at some angles. She turned to lean into Janine as the smaller woman threw her arms up to embrace the emotional birthday girl.
"Happy Birthday, sweetie." Janine murmured cheerfully. Nikki sniffled and straightened back up in the booth to study the pendant fondly. Shawn offered her his hand and she gently dropped the butterfly into it and she scooted closer to Janine to allow him to sit on the edge of the bench beside her. She turned away from him and swept up her long dark hair which she had worn down for the first time in a long while. Shawn carefully hooked the chain around her neck and Nikki touched the pendant with a smile at Janine who nodded her approval with a wink. "I knew that looked like you."
"Open mine next!" Ray exclaimed eagerly, shoving a slightly larger gift in front of the girl before she could even reach for her half-melted daiquiri or her cake. Nikki laughed and tore into his gift while Peter scooped his portion of cake into his mouth in less than three bites.
"Hurry up, karaoke starts in ten minutes." He said through a mouthful of sugary cake. Nikki grinned at him, thinking he was kidding. When he took another slug of his beer and scraped the bits of leftover icing from the corners of his mouth, he fixed her with a very serious expression. Her smile twitched and she looked around at the group surrounding her as she tore the last of the birthday paper printed with multicolored balloons from Ray's present.
"Who's singing?" She asked conversationally as she looked back down at the object in her hands, finding that it was a hardcover book. She turned it around to see the front cover and grinned excitedly at her new addition to her supernatural history collection. This book in particular had the New York skyline on its cover and proclaimed it to contain an assortment of hauntings and disappearances in the city itself. She could see just by running her fingers over the book's exterior that it had been used and abused under Ray's probable information gleaning during his early days of Ghost-busting. Pages were ear-marked and sticky notes were wedged and protruding from three sides of the book. She smiled gratefully up at her father and flipped through the first few pages, hesitating when she found that he had handwritten a note to her inside the front cover.
To my ghost-loving daughter, who cares way too much;
For spirits bent to maim and kill, and those she thinks to trust.
May your heart always be quick to care for those who are now gone,
And know your father will be there even in the great beyond.
Nikki's throat tightened and she felt her eyes began to well up with tears as she finished reading Ray's note. Emotion mirrored in his eyes as well and Nikki reached across the table to take his hand and squeeze it thankfully.
"I didn't know you could write poetry, Dad." She said jokingly with a sniff, forcing back her sensitivity. Shawn rubbed a hand down her back supportively, clearly sensing her emotional overload. Ray shrugged nonchalantly and scratched at his already frizzy hair.
"Corny I know, but I tried. Too bad it was in ink because once I started I had to keep going."
"I love it," Nikki said gratefully. "I can't wait to get into it."
"Well, this is hardly the time or place," Peter interrupted the tender moment gruffly. He cleared his throat obnoxiously and slid a small gift bag in front of her. "This one's from me and Dana…she picked this out, and I'm delivering it to ya."
Nikki held her dad's gaze levelly as they shared a mutual knowing smirk at Peter's roundabout impatience. She set her book to the side and took another sip of her daiquiri before sticking her hand through the tissue paper to pull out a small bottle of perfume. She spritzed a bit on one wrist and rubbed it together with her other, her eyebrows raised as she inhaled the light, but potent floral scent. She smiled up at Peter who was only half paying attention as he watched what she understood to be the karaoke setup in the corner of the large space.
"Tell Dana I said thank you." She shouted over the mike check. Peter lifted one corner of his mouth and nodded, winking at her lazily.
"I'm buying another round of drinks!" Winston offered, tapping at the table by Nikki's now half-empty glass. "What you wanting, Nikki?"
"Oh really, I'm okay –" She tried to decline politely. Winston fixed her with a condescending look and she finally relented. "Fine! I guess I'll try um…a margarita?"
"That's a pretty vague choice, but okay. Plain old margarita, coming right up." Winston said lightly. He turned to Janine beside her and she smiled.
"I'll have the same thing." She replied easily. She nudged Nikki with her shoulder in acknowledgement of her decision. "That's not a bad choice, they're actually one of my favorites."
"Rest of you guys want another round of beers?" Winston assumed as he swept his gaze to the other Ghostbusters crowded around the booth. A unanimous chorus of agreements followed and Winston nodded, disappearing across the room to relay their orders at the bar.
Nikki finally had a chance to dig into her birthday cake and she sighed contentedly as the first few bites of sugary goodness melted in her mouth. She downed it with a little more of her fruity daiquiri and when she'd finished her slice of cake she felt a warm buzz of excitement finally starting to kick in.
"So who's up first for karaoke?!" Peter asked, downing the rest of his beer. "I've reserved the first few spots for us. We need to get some order going."
"You know Egon and I will be happy just to watch." Janine said in light refusal as she hooked her arm through Egon's and leaned her head on his shoulder. The bespectacled Ghostbuster nodded in thankful agreement and leaned his head against hers.
"Yuck," Peter commented, making a show of blanching visibly at their displays of affection. He turned to Nikki and Shawn, pointing an accusatory finger at the pair. "Don't you two lovebirds ever end up like them. They're a horrible example."
"Oh, I don't know about that," Nikki said, batting her eyes innocently. She leaned back against the booth and lifted a hand to fidget with one of Shawn's dark curls teasingly. Shawn relaxed into her touch for a moment and then scooped his last bite of birthday cake onto his fork and daintily fed it to Nikki who giggled playfully at the absurdity of the gesture.
"That's disgusting," Peter grumbled, crossing his arms defiantly. Ray, enjoying the taunting of his fellow Ghostbuster turned and punched him lightly in the shoulder.
"Don't think we haven't seen you around Dana. Just because you don't bring her around as often as you used to, doesn't mean we don't know how strung out you are over her." Ray teased.
"Yeah, what's the status on Oscar getting a little brother or sister?" Winston remarked upon his return to the booth.
"It's classified." Peter pouted, though no one at the table missed the way a light blush crept up his neck. He cleared his throat dismissively and looked once again over towards the corner of the bar where a small stage was nearly ready. The worker, a big burly guy with a nerdish look to his appearance, tapped testily against the microphone. Much to everyone's annoyance, a shrill reverb cut through the current Journey song that had been playing followed by the man's announcement that karaoke was about to begin. When he finished speaking, there was another deafening scream from the microphone, followed by a few obscenities from the crowd, and then the big guy brushed a hand apologetically to smooth down his comb-over and adjusted his glasses as he replaced the microphone back on its stand.
"I'll go up there with you, Uncle Pete." Nikki offered, feeling adventurous. Peter's expression lit up with surprise at her suggestion.
"Yeah?"
"Sure, what're we singing?" She asked, taking another deep sip from her daiquiri. Peter clapped his hands and rubbed them together eagerly.
"Oh, I've got some ideas. Just because it's your birthday, that doesn't mean you get to avoid embarrassment. At some point tonight, we're making good on our attire and doing a Beach Boys tribute." Peter made a show of tugging up the collar of his Hawaiian shirt so that it stuck up pointedly on either side of his chin like a mysterious detective.
At that moment, a waitress swung by and dropped off their second round of drinks. Nikki took her martini from the tray as it made its way around the table and suddenly wished she'd kept her mouth shut about the karaoke offer. Peter's devilish expression as he leaned between Winston and Ray across the table conversing over song choices caused Nikki to share a worried look with Shawn and then tip her glass up to down the whole thing in preparation of what was to come.
Minutes later, Nikki found herself standing on the small stage in front of several tables of spectators looking for Friday night entertainment. Peter, still sporting his brightly colored Hawaiian shirt and flashing it obnoxiously, seemed to be bouncing on his feet, unable to contain his excitement. She had tried to bargain with him and get Shawn to join them both in singing their song, but Peter had insisted it was a duet and had to be performed by a couple who knew the song well enough. Shawn, having been a ghost for the past few decades, had missed out on the 70's and its culture for the most part, so by Peter's logic, it wouldn't be a fitting choice.
"I still say he could've done this…I was born in'78…" Nikki grumbled in one last plea. Peter clapped a hand on her shoulder and grinned.
"This'll be fun. Gotta break the ice for your dad. He doesn't know he's next yet, but he is."
"Alright – everybody, if you'll please direct your attention to the corner, we've got a special treat to kick off this Friday Night Karaoke. One of the city's very own Ghostbusters is here with us tonight, celebrating his niece's twenty-first birthday! Let's give it up for Nikki Stantz and Peter Venkman!"
"I'm not really your niece, you know that right?" Nikki uttered, feeling funny that they'd been introduced as such. Peter clutched at his chest dramatically, his eyes bugging for even further effect.
"Ahh…that really hurt, Little Stantz." He got a funny twinkle in his eye and he lifted the microphone closer to his mouth. "That just…breaks my heart!"
The music started up just then, and Nikki rolled her eyes at the irony in his words as 'Don't Go Breaking My Heart' by Elton John began to ring out from the speakers just behind them. A few cheers and catcalls erupted from the crowd before them, the loudest of all emanating from the table just down in front where their Ghostbusters' group had moved for a better view.
"You got this, Nikki!" Shawn shouted supportively, though the twinge of laughter in his voice made her doubtful. She grinned and straightened her posture as she composed herself when Peter humorously sang out the first verse.
"Don't go breaking my heart…"
"I couldn't if I tried…"
"Oh honey, if I get restless…"
"Baby you're not that kind…"
Nikki found herself really getting into the song and was encouraged by the crowd's eagerness, hearing a chorus of claps to the beat of the music. She tried her best to match Peter's obnoxious acting as he sang slightly off key, and she swayed from side to side as they reached the first chorus.
"Woo hoo…nobody knows it…"
"When I was down…"
"I was your clown…"
"Woo hoo…"
Nikki spun around, her magenta dress swirling around her as she held the microphone over her head to avoid the long cord that twirled along with her. She heard excited shouts coming from the front table and her smile widened as she heard Shawn's shrill whistle in response. As Peter started in on the second verse, Nikki felt an odd pressure in her temples and the music began to fade out, sounding like it was gurgling as if underwater. She tried to play it off and knew the song enough to sing along for a few more seconds until the chorus, but then her head grew swimmy even through her halfhearted efforts.
"Woo hoo…nobody knows it…"
Nikki finally put a hand to her head and lowered the microphone as she briefly closed her eyes to still the vertigo washing over her. She felt a hand on her shoulder and Peter's continued singing, though what little she could hear of his voice sounded lightly concerned. A chill suddenly ran through her chest and Nikki's eyes shot open in surprise. What she witnessed caused the chill to spread all down her body.
The room was suddenly cast in a sickly green glow and the shadows overtook every corner. The room previously full of friendly, excited spectators was replaced with a vast array of stoic figures seated unmoving at the tables. She couldn't make out their faces, but the green glow made their silhouettes eerily familiar. Nikki was frozen where she stood, peering out at the crowd in confused terror. As one, the crowd stood up soundlessly from their seats and Nikki nearly jumped out of her skin as the voice that had haunted her memories over the past few years spoke up suddenly right beside her where Peter had stood only a moment prior.
"Have you missed us, dear Nikki?"
She sucked in a deep breath and was about to let out an earsplitting scream before the sound morphed into the reverb from the microphone as she dropped it. The frigid air suddenly rushing back into its suffocating warmth under the bright stagelights and bar full of mingling people. Peter stooped to retrieve the microphone she had dropped and Nikki blinked rapidly, trying to still her out of control heartbeat as she was gently pushed to the side of the stage by Shawn who had opted to take her place.
"Right from the start…"
"I gave you my heart…"
"Oh-oh…I gave you my heart…"
Nikki stood on the sidelines, just out of the way while Shawn picked up her part of the song, matching Peter's energy equally. She caught his worried glance as they kept pushing through the song, and once Nikki's shaking knees would allow it, she stepped down from the stage and headed along the outside of the crowd of tables to the bar, avoiding the few stares she could almost physically feel on her as she did so. She gripped the leather of the barstool along an empty section of the bar and stood that way for a moment before the bartender wandered over to check on her.
"You alright, hun?" The man asked, genuinely concerned. Nikki bit her lip and shook back her long dark hair over her shoulders to free up her face where she could feel a cold sweat had formed. She breathed out a heavy sigh and finally nodded sheepishly to the man, flashing him a brief, grateful smile.
"I will be. Just got a little stage-fright." She admitted softly. She made a show of glancing back over her shoulder to where Shawn and Peter were finishing the song, each with an arm around the other's shoulder fondly. An eruption of cheers went up and then Peter was waving at the first table where Ray was being forced to stand up by Winston and Egon to sing the next song. Nikki could feel the bartender's concerned gaze still resting on her, so she turned back around and looked briefly at the drink specials on the wall behind him. "Um…could I maybe have another berry daiquiri please?"
"Sure thing," He responded lightly, turning around to begin hastily fixing her drink. As he worked, Nikki turned back over her shoulder, scooting up onto the stool to better stabilize herself and watched as her father was finally ushered onstage. Winston must have agreed to go with him though, and he was in the process of telling the announcer what song they were going to do as Ray looked out into the crowd, his brow creased with worry as he scanned the room for his daughter. As the music started up – some blues tune she hadn't heard of – she found herself scanning the room also, trying to differentiate whether the murmur of conversations and random bursts of laughter belonged to more than just the living.
Her vision up onstage was brief, but never before had she been hit by one when she'd been fully conscious. Her visions or premonitions usually came in the form of dreams, like she'd been discussing with Shawn the day before. Her gaze caught on Shawn who was seated back at the table down front, and he seemed to catch her eye at the same time. He was sitting up as tall as he could, one of the only people at the tables looking in the opposite direction of the pair of Ghostbusters drawling along to the song. He lifted his chin to her in a non-verbal question and she shrugged in response, flashing him what she hoped was a disarming smile. The bartender slid her drink along the bar by her right arm and she turned the rest of the way around to thank him.
"Ghostbusters' tab, right?" He asked. She nodded and lifted the glass to her lips, the sweet liquid melting on her tongue. She turned back to Shawn and lifted the glass with a teasing smirk on her face and he grinned back at her before spinning back around to catch Peter pointing and muttering something that sent the pair of them into laughter over Winston and Ray's singing attempts. Nikki surveyed her father, enjoying how immersed he was in the song. She silently chastised Peter and Shawn for making fun of Ray and Winston and she choked out a quiet laugh when Janine pulled herself off of Egon's shoulder long enough to thump Peter in the back of the head for just that reason.
"Stage-fright, huh?" A young woman's voice spoke up, interrupting her thoughts. Nikki glanced over at the sudden attention and noticed the speaker was a tall, skinny woman probably a few years older than herself. Her curly, reddish hair was short, but full and bounced around her ears as she hopped onto a barstool just a few down from Nikki's. She smiled genuinely at Nikki's surprised expression and then waved her hand to the bartender who somehow knew what she wanted and turned around to make it up. "You seemed pretty confident starting out, that Elton John and Kiki Dee had a fun, upbeat song there. Hard to mess that up."
"Yeah well I managed that though, didn't I?" Nikki uncomfortably quipped. The young woman shook her head and raised both eyebrows, her gaze darting to the stage and back in a millisecond.
"You did not, trust me. I've seen people do worse." She said supportively. Nikki scoffed and took another long sip from her drink. When she lowered her glass back to the bar, the other girl had her own drink plus an extra. A miniature shotglass of clear liquid, presumably vodka, sat beside her larger glass. Nikki watched as she delicately picked up the small glass and dumped it with one fluid motion into the larger drink which looked to be an unappealing murky mud color until the addition of the vodka. After the new liquid had been introduced, the older girl took her swirly straw and slowly stirred the drink until, before Nikki's eyes it changed to a bright almost glowing green.
"W-what's that?" Nikki asked, the familiar green color causing her heartrate to increase unconsciously. She tried to hide her fear by her piqued interest and the curly headed woman smiled as she took a long draw from her black swirly straw.
"It's a special at this bar, I come here exclusively for them. It's called a 'Poison Apple.' You know, like from the fairytale?"
Nikki watched as the ice cubes in the other girl's drink slowed in their rotation after being mixed and raised her own eyebrows.
"Interesting." She said for lack of anything else intelligent. She blinked rapidly a few times and then glanced back at the stage where Ray and Winston were finishing up their song to a hearty applause. She clapped along, smiling as Ray looked her way after Shawn pointed her whereabouts out to him upon descending back to their table. He waved at her and when she returned his wave, she noticed he bent to collect some empty bottles and drink glasses from the table, intending to head to the bar.
"So it's your birthday today, yeah? The big 21?" The other girl spoke up, for some reason wanting to keep the friendly conversation moving. Nikki turned back to her and nodded with a smile, lifting her daiquiri with indication.
"Sure is!" She said ironically. "Trying to get my party mood going. Apparently I haven't had enough yet, hence that fiasco onstage a while ago. Get a few more in me and maybe they'll convince me to try again."
"What you're drinking is too light, that's the problem." The other girl said, taking another long sip from her 'Poison Apple.' She swallowed and pointed down at her half-empty glass. "Here, I'll order you a fresh one and you can try it for yourself. If it's not up to your taste buds, at least the color change thing is cool to watch!"
She tapped the bar to get the bartender's attention once more, and made a delicate flourish with her hand, ending with a point to her glass that she'd like to order another one. Nikki quickly shook her head, declining the obviously stronger drink.
"Oh no no no…I'm – I'm good. Thank you. I'm honestly not feeling that adventurous tonight. Maybe another time."
The other girl regarded her quizzically, concern flittering across her porcelain made-up face. In the neon bar lights, Nikki noticed that the older girl's eyes were glazed from the consumption of a healthy amount of alcohol already, hence her rapid impulse decisions. She straightened on her barstool, Nikki's hurried response surprising her. The bartender obviously didn't hear Nikki's refusal on the drink because he set one down in front of her, the shot of vodka sloshing almost over the brim of the tiny glass when he clicked it onto the bar.
"Uh, put that one on my tab Greg, not the Ghostbusters'. My treat for my new friend." The girl cleared her throat softly and smiled up at Nikki apologetically.
"Sure thing, Ally." He murmured. He turned back around and headed down the bar to help some other customers ordering drinks. Nikki glanced down at the murky drink in front of her studiously before reaching timidly for the shotglass of vodka beside it.
"Ally," Nikki repeated, noticing the other girl's friendly stare as she watched Nikki stir the vodka into her own drink, mimicking Ally's demonstration. She set the now empty shotglass back down on the bar and smiled, holding up her new drink. "Thanks!"
"You may want to hold off on thanking me, birthday girl. You might not like it." Ally replied lightly after taking another long draw of her almost-empty glass. Nikki felt her face warm slightly as she looked down at her bright green drink. A chill ran through her and she turned her face away from Ally's expectant gaze, a flash of the vision she'd had onstage resurfacing. Knowing she was very probably about to embarrass herself in front of a stranger, Nikki opened her eyes again and cleared her throat, leaning over the large glass for her swirly straw.
"Nikki, you alright?" Ray's voice sounded from behind her, startling her just as she swallowed her first swig of her 'Poison Apple.' She tried to stifle her cough caused by the burning liquid, and turned to greet her father as he set his armload of empty glasses and bottles on the bar to her right.
"Yeah, it's kinda strong." Ally's quiet laugh commented once Nikki had recovered from her coughing spell. Nikki flashed her a timid wince and raised her eyebrows, finally sensing the apple-like aftertaste that supposedly made the drink so popular.
"I'm fine, Dad. Just had to get away from the crowd for a minute." She admitted with a shrug. "Ally here was just talking me down."
"Nice to meet you," Ray said, leaning over to peer past Nikki to the other girl on the other side of her. Ally smiled politely and raised her glass in his direction. In the next instant, Ray put his hand on Nikki's arm where she had it resting on the bar by her drink, lowering his voice as he focused his full attention back on her. "Are you sure you're okay? You just froze up there…like you'd seen a ghost."
Nikki couldn't help but roll her eyes at his go-to witticism, knowing how she felt about ghost jokes. She looked back down at her bright green drink, twirling the stem of the glass absently.
"I'd rather not talk about it here." She admitted after a moment, finally raising her gaze back to Ray. He regarded her worriedly before he blinked it back and nodded curtly.
"Alright honey. But come back and join us, won't you? A few other people have reserved the next couple of karaoke spots, but Peter wants to try and get some of us up there again towards the end for that Beach Boys thing he mentioned. I think he'll even try and convince Egon to go up there. If he can peel Janine off of him, that is." Ray winked at his daughter lightheartedly and tapped the bar. Once he'd stood back up, he leaned back over and flashed one of his charming smiles over at Ally once more. "You're welcome to join us too, if you'd like!"
"Thanks Dr. Stantz," She said lightly. "But I'm about to head out. My fiancé is waiting for me."
"Then I want to thank you for keeping Nikki company while I was occupied after her song." He said, walking around Nikki's barstool to offer up his hand for the younger girl to shake. He nodded over his shoulder and Nikki slumped into her upraised hand on the bar with embarrassment. "We Ghostbusters are a pretty wild bunch and it can tend to be a little much for her sometimes."
Ally shook his hand and watched amusedly as Ray accepted another beer from the bartender before he wandered back to the table in front of the stage where a middle-aged man was trying his hand at singing along to 'Livin' La Vida Loca'.
"Wow, so you grew up part of the Ghostbusters, huh? That must've been fun." Ally remarked lightly as she finished off her drink.
"Yeah, I guess you could say it's been a spectral part of my life." Nikki laughed at her own corny joke and then felt her face flush again as she ducked her face down to take a deep swig from her straw, this time forcing herself to take it easy so she wouldn't choke. Ally's laughter picked up where Nikki's halfhearted chuckling ended and Nikki glanced over at her worriedly when Ally hiccupped to an end after several seconds of forced laughter.
"I see you get your sense of humor from them for sure!" Ally said. "I enjoy watching news reports when the Ghostbusters are involved because that Dr. Venkman is hilarious!"
"Well, I've picked up a thing or two." Nikki said fondly. "But honestly, I haven't been with them but for a few years. I lived with my mom for most of my life. I just figured it was time for a change, and gosh was it…"
"Aww, clingy mom issues?" Ally sympathized as she removed her swirly straw and tilted her glass up so that she could get to the last few drops of her drink. Nikki smirked to herself ironically and nodded as she swirled her own straw in her drink, watching as the luminescent green liquid spiraled in the round glass. She once more stifled a reminder of the time she had been thrown into a swimming pool of supernaturally churning green liquid, eerily similar to this drink she was sipping at. She shook her head and before her silence could get awkward, she forced herself to reply to Ally's heartfelt question.
"Yes, totally."
"I've got 'em myself." Ally added, pursing her lips as she picked at her hot pink nails absently. "And just between us…it didn't stop after she died."
Nikki regarded the other girl worriedly, waiting for her to elaborate. Ally sighed and shifted on the barstool and Nikki could tell she was considering the menu on the wall before her like she was debating on whether or not to order another drink. Silently, Nikki hoped for the girl's safety that she would cut herself off.
"I'm sorry…" Nikki finally murmured, for lack of anything else to say to the friendly girl who was still a stranger to her. Ally scoffed softly and finally continued.
"Yeah…there's a reason I come here every Friday night to get drunk. Sometimes I just can't deal with her nagging."
"Oh…" Nikki said, her face screwed in cautionary thought. Ally raised her gaze to Nikki and to Nikki's chagrin, she smiled almost tauntingly. Ally slid her empty glass away from herself and propped her elbow on the bar lazily.
"You Ghostbusters got any free time these days? I've honestly been thinking of calling on you all to come take care of my poor, deceased mom. She's been haunting my apartment for the past three years and it makes it really difficult to relax, ya know?"
"Um…well, I'm sure we could fit you in, though I'm not really the one to ask." Nikki frowned to herself and then tried to steel herself as her own curiosity got the better of her. "…Can you see her?"
"Oh yeah. I've thought about moving too, but she threatens to follow me until she gets some help. She's miserable so she has to make me miserable." Ally's tired voice continued. Nikki scanned her features for any sign that the girl was putting her on, but Ally's expression remained one of genuine weariness. After a moment, Nikki felt herself internally cave.
"I might be able to help you." Nikki started, already picturing the argument she would most likely face later on from Shawn and the rest of the Ghostbusters for going around their backs on a call. She reached for a napkin. "Have you got a pen? I'm going to give you my number."
"Really? You'll come out to bust her?" Ally asked, almost warily. She reached for her clutch purse on the stool beside her and found a small ink pen which she handed over to Nikki.
"No…not exactly. I've got my own methods." Nikki relented to admit as she took the pen and quickly scrawled out her phone number on the napkin. When she was finished, she handed the napkin and the pen back to the other girl with a weary smile. "It's a little more humane than what they do."
"Oh…? Well that's a relief. Mitchell and I live in a small apartment, that's kind of why I've been afraid to call you guys for this. The damage risks and all." Ally said with relief. "Mama is always saying I can't keep the space neat…she's always straightening up and moving things and re-cleaning after I've already tidied up the place. It's annoying, really…"
Nikki felt a cautionary shiver run down her spine and she took a gamble as she spoke the next question that was on her mind.
"You speak about her in present tense…can you…can you talk to her?"
"As plain as I am with you right now." Ally nodded abruptly. Nikki snapped her mouth closed and her brows pinched together wonderingly. The other girl noticed her reaction and her glazed-over eyes widened with intensity. "Why, is that wrong? Should I be ignoring her? Cuz that only makes her worse…"
"No, no, it's okay. It's just…until recently I thought I was the only one able to see and speak to ghosts. And here in the span of just a few days, I've met you and one other guy. This is just…odd." Nikki admitted, her fuzzy alcohol-clouded head beginning to ache as she tried to process the information. Seeing Ally's expression grow more frantic, Nikki put a hand over on the top of her hand reassuringly. "Good odd. We'll definitely have to talk more. How about I try and come see about your mother tomorrow? Shawn could come with me."
"Sure! The sooner my dear old mom is taken care of, the better. I loved her to death, but after…" Ally broke off into an awkward chuckle and Nikki felt a little tug mentally as her unease and torn judgement filled her and caused her stomach to twist. She glanced over her shoulder to see Shawn staring back at her with concern flickering over his features through the crowd cheering on the current karaoke singer. Ally caught Nikki's distracted expression and gently removed her hand out from under Nikki's with an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bring up business while you're here celebrating. We'll talk later."
"Thank you," Nikki said with a soft nod and grateful smile. "Again, I'm sorry about your mom. I hope I can help her to move on, for her sake and yours."
"Oh you can, I have faith in you." Ally said confidently. "You work closely with the Ghostbusters. I'm sure you've had plenty of experience, good and scary."
Nikki's smile faltered and she found herself almost wincing as she recounted the flash of vision she'd had up on the stage. The cult ghosts that had haunted her since that fateful first trip to New York crept up dangerously in her memory once again and before she could push the feelings back down again, she found herself staring at the green glow of her Poison Apple drink.
"Yeah…"
"Well, I'm here for ya if you ever wanna talk." Ally said understandingly, reaching over the two barstools to place her hand on Nikki's arm. Though she spoke like she was nearing the blackout drunk stage of her night, Nikki could see a sense of clarity breaking through the older girl's eyes. She patted Nikki's arm genuinely and stood up from her barstool, folding up the napkin Nikki had given to her with a sympathetic smile. "Take it from someone who knows…ghosts are dumb. Don't let them scare you too much."
With that, Ally turned and disappeared through the crowd of intermingling people. Nikki stared after her with confusion, her words seeming to linger with some deeper meaning than Nikki first heard. She chewed her lip thoughtfully, and then abandoned her partially finished 'Poison Apple' in favor of her already-melted daiquiri as she made her way back to her Ghostbusters family.
"You did much better that time – no freak-outs or nothing! I knew you had it in you." Shawn shouted encouragingly once he and Nikki had sat back down after Peter had coaxed the young couple into a karaoke duet of the title song from Dirty Dancing. Shawn knew already that Nikki would be humming and singing 'I've Had the Time of My Life' for the whole rest of the night, if not for the whole weekend. Her funny little quirks made his heart swell, and when she was happy she would sing all the more. Grinning, she slid into the seat right beside him, leaning heavily against his shoulder fondly as she watched the next group go up, this time a trio of girls who proceeded to giggle and push each other shyly as they waited for their song to start up.
"Where's the birthday cake? I'm ready for another piece, I think." Peter commented as he finished beer #5 (or 6) and stood up from the table to make a run for the booth they had reserved for Nikki's birthday. "Anybody want anything? One more round of drinks?"
"I'm good," Ray said, holding up a can of ginger ale, of which he'd ordered after only 3 beers. "I'm too old to drink like this anymore."
"I think Janine's had enough, too." Egon said, nodding down to where his red-headed secretary girlfriend was curled up and almost snoring against his shoulder. Shawn smirked when Peter's gaze swept over him and Nikki for their response and he limited himself to only a slight shake of his head as a dull ache seemed to pulse in his temples from his and Nikki's combined alcohol intake. He'd have to remind himself to take it easy the next time they went out drinking, because their psychic link caused him to share in both of their growing hangovers.
"I think we've all reached our quota for tonight, Pete. Thanks anyway for picking up the rest of the tab though!" Winston said jokingly as he rolled his empty beer bottle back and forth lazily on the table in front of him. Peter made a comical pout and huffed as he retreated to procure his desired birthday cake.
"You guys aren't any fun. It's not even 10:30 yet!"
Shawn caught Ray's tired gaze as Nikki snuggled closer into his shoulder. The pocket of his Hawaiian shirt weighed heavily tonight with the tiny ring box stored in there safely. He'd almost been afraid she had seen it when they had tried to reenact 'The Lift' at the end of their karaoke song.
"You've watched that movie one too many times, haven't you Nikki?" Ray commented casually with an amused smirk on his face. Shawn had to admit, he'd been impressed with her spur-of-the-moment choreography too. He'd been completely unable to keep up with her energetic twirls and salsa-like dances. Nikki shrugged against Shawn's shoulder and scoffed.
"Well of course! That's the only reason Peter was able to nag me into doing that song! You can't not dance when you sing it!" She nudged Shawn fondly and he stared down into her dark brown hazy eyes. "Good job not dropping me up there. That almost would've been more embarrassing than my freeze-up earlier."
"About that…" Shawn started to say, causing Nikki to tense against his shoulder. He paused, debating on whether to continue or not and then decided to keep going. "Are you sure you're okay? You're still feeling a little flustered about it…"
"And you only know that because we're connected…I'm sorry it's bothering you, I just…"
"It's not bothering me…I can't help but feel it when your mood shifts like this…"
"I know Shawn…" Nikki ran a hand down her face, with a weary sigh and a smidge of embarrassment flowed through Shawn mirroring her own feelings as she glanced around at the other Ghostbusters lazing around the table. "But yes, I'll be fine. It's just had me on edge a little bit. Nothing I can't handle."
"Will you tell me about it later?" Shawn asked, keeping his voice light and almost teasing so as to not rile her up or make her defensive. Her gaze swept up to him once more and lingered there solemnly before she finally nodded.
"Yes, I will later. I promise," She answered truthfully. Shawn moved his shoulder and draped his arm around her protectively and squeezed her to him for a brief moment. About that time, Peter returned with the last corner of Nikki's birthday cake and blue frosting smeared along both corners of his mouth.
"This karaoke is getting a little much for me. What do ya say we call it a night and split? Any more gifts to be given tonight or is the birthday festivities over and done with?" Peter's cocky stare shot straight to Shawn. The younger boy stiffened in his lounging with Nikki curled into his side and he felt Peter's almost painfully obvious hint at the ring box in his shirt pocket. Shawn's gaze darted from one Ghostbuster to another all around the table, finally landing on Ray. Nikki's father stared at Peter for a moment before catching his solid stare and following it to Shawn curiously. Shawn was afraid to move under the pressure of the whole group, and he cleared his throat uncomfortably.
"I think it's probably time to call it quits," Janine's quiet, life-saving voice piped in. Shawn almost breathed a sigh of relief, disguising his slight cough as a gentle stretch against the back of his chair. Janine lifted her head up from where she had been leaning against Egon's shoulder dozing, and she nodded over to Nikki. "I think the Birthday Girl is dozing off. Too much excitement and all will do that to ya."
Shawn glanced down and smiled tenderly at the exhausted girl. He mentally made a promise to himself that he would save his proposal for another time, though he had originally intended to do it for her birthday. He'd just chickened out during the time for gift-giving earlier – the timing just hadn't felt quite right. And then there was that fiasco with her vision on the stage during karaoke…Shawn's eyebrows pinched together worriedly as he recounted that feeling of icy horror that had transferred from her to him in that brief few seconds midway through the song. He'd had to mentally peel himself out of that frigid terror so that he could run up and cover for her and finish out the song with Peter. He'd also wanted to attach himself to her side right after he finished, but she'd disappeared for a bit after running off the stage and he had sensed her emotions steadily ease back into contentment so his worry had subsided until he was able to locate her conversing with another girl at the bar. Shawn felt his throat tighten at that mental image as well…it was so hard for Nikki to make friends, though she obviously felt comfortable with this young woman because she talked with her for a lengthy twenty minutes or so before she finally wandered back to their table. She'd even briefly spoken about possibly taking care of a ghost for this new friend of hers in the next few days, provided that he go with her.
"Alright kids, let's head out. You want us to call you a cab or do you want us to drop you back at the apartment on the way back to the firehouse? Egon's gonna see Janine home in another cab, so we'll have room if you want…" Winston asked, stirring Shawn out of his thoughts. Winston too, nodded at the pocket of Shawn's Hawaiian shirt as if silently asking if Shawn really intended to skip out on the birthday proposal. Shawn almost regretted opening up to the two of them on their bust that afternoon, but he gently straightened up in his seat, startling Nikki into regaining consciousness.
"Sure, we can ride back with you guys. If you don't mind it," Shawn said, ruffling Nikki's frizzy hair in the effort to get her moving. She slid off of him and flashed him a sleepy smirk and then rubbed at her temples where he knew her dull headache was pulsing.
"Thank you guys for this outing. It was really nice," Nikki murmured drowsily, looking around at each of the other members of their group thankfully. Peter scoffed good humoredly, followed by a few lighthearted 'Happy Birthdays' as Shawn helped Nikki to her feet and they headed to the booth to retrieve her birthday gifts.