A few days passed and Nikki still had yet to see Janine pop up again. They'd closed up the firehouse for the rest of the weekend but when Monday morning came, Nikki found herself following Shawn into work. She'd already explained things to Rachel at the occult bookshop, and the owner was more than gracious to give Nikki whatever time she needed to help the guys sort out Janine's affairs. As soon as she'd entered the firehouse and caught a glimpse of the secretary's desk, cluttered and piled with magazines and paperwork like any other usual workday, Nikki couldn't help the tears falling. Shawn headed down to the basement where he knew Egon would be, and Nikki sat down behind Janine's desk to begin sifting through the schedule for the week, preparing for a long day of calling for reschedules. She'd taken one look at the answering machine light blinking with numerous missed messages, but she mentally declined them in favor of trying to make sure the Ghostbusters had some semblance of peace in which to mourn.

They'd planned a short funeral for Janine that Wednesday, which was attended by the few family members Peter, as her employer, had been able to contact. Egon, Peter, Winston and Ray performed the honorary roles of being Janine's pallbearers and on the way to the cemetery, New York's finest blocked every street corner out of respect for the Ecto-1 as it paved the way for the long black hearse trailing quietly behind it.

Nikki hadn't spoken a word to anyone, not even to Shawn about seeing Janine in the split second after her death. She silently hoped that the reason the fiery receptionist had been MIA, was because she'd found her own peace and moved on of her own accord. Nikki's heart broke every time she caught a glimpse of Egon's ghostly pale face, seemingly stuck in eternal concentration as he tried to keep his mind off of dwelling on Janine's accidental death.

Thursday morning, Nikki had finally chanced going back to work at the bookshop. She'd given Shawn explicit instructions to call her in if they needed anything, and he promised to do so, saying that he, Egon, and Ray were going to investigate a mild disturbance at the post office mailroom just a few blocks away from the firehouse. It wasn't going to be a big job by any means, he reassured her. They just needed something small and do-able to get Egon out of the building for a bit.

"That box almost full yet?" Rachel's soft voice startled Nikki from where she was packing up some of the occult objects from her father's storage in the back room of the shop. Nikki glanced up at the older girl and nodded sheepishly, picking up the roll of packing tape as she folded the flaps of the box closed.

"Yeah, I think this is probably all I can manage for the cab ride back. I'll come and get more another day. You sure you don't wanna keep any of this stuff?" Nikki asked lightly. Rachel threw a pointed look at the array of dusty and musty objects spread out on the floor around the box. Among the pieces left out of the box was a stack of books with pages unevenly sticking out from under the cracked and brittle covers, the paper almost thin enough to see through. An array of jewelry sat in a tangled pile that no one had the patience to untangle in several years, next to a few jars of unknown clumpy purplish looking nougats that sat by Nikki's knee. Nikki had a gross feeling that they were probably some underhandedly-procured mummified body parts, but she didn't question their previous whereabouts as she hurriedly stuffed one of the jars into a spare crevice in the already-crammed box. She regarded the little silver trinket box Ray had mentioned the week before and she held it up for Rachel to see one last time with a slightly teasing twinkle in her eye. "You're not gonna turn down real, genuine vampire blood are you?"

"Uh…yeah…I just don't think that'll fit with my new decorum I'm planning on bringing in. Some of it is supposed to be here by early next week, so I kinda need the space out there in the shop. Thanks for the offer though!" Rachel smirked back at Nikki, returning her slightly teasing expression and then watched as Nikki gently replaced the trinket box in the Tetris-like organization of stacked items, and then taped the cardboard box closed. When the younger girl leaned back against a spare storage desk to stretch out her aching back, Rachel sat down in her desk chair and rolled all the way through the curtain that separated the front of the shop from the storage room.

"Lots of priceless collectibles you're giving up here, Rach." Nikki said absently as she moved to her knees and began sifting through the anciently-old books, jars and jewelry. She gathered them all into a smaller box and moved to stuff it under the desk for safekeeping until after her next shift. Rachel scoffed lightly and crossed her arms.

"Between you and me, Nikki…I'm not really into all this "ghost' stuff. The more haunted things you take outta here, the better." Rachel tapped her feet lazily on the floor, causing her chair to spin slowly in a circle. "I really just like this place for the ambience. Ghosts really give me the chills."

Nikki paused after shoving the box under the desk and leaned wearily against it, resting her head against the dusty wood of the storage desk. She gave Rachel a bewildered look.

"I always thought you hated ghosts because of the Ghostbusters and my father's claim of celebrity at previously owning this place. You always got so irritated at people coming in looking for Dad and then not buying anything when they were told he no longer worked here." Nikki relayed blandly. Rachel pursed her lips and Nikki caught her slight eye twitch that meant that Nikki's assumptions were mainly correct.

"Well yeah, that too." Rachel admitted. Her face turned serene though, and she uncrossed her arms and placed her hands on her knees to lean closer toward Nikki still on the floor. "I just hate it for you. Seeing ghosts and having to talk to them all the time like you do…that's gotta get spooky sometimes. I mean…you told me before that your boyfriend, Shawn was a ghost and you didn't even know it until later! That's a little freaky, Nikki, if you don't mind me saying."

"It does get freaky," Nikki repeated softly. She rubbed at a sore spot on her knee and grimaced at the aches in her joints from working on packing up some of the oddities from the back storage of the bookshop most of the day. She crossed her legs and fixed a weary smile on the shop owner's sympathetic face. "But I just figure most of the poor ghosts hanging around here are just stuck with their unfinished business. Some don't even realize they're dead…and there's not many people who are able to tell them that…I'm still figuring out how to help them, but treating them like they're still real people seems to work okay so far. Because, at one time, they were, ya know?"

"I guess so," Rachel said softly, nodding along at the girl's genuine testimony. "There's so much I'll never understand about you, Nikki Stantz. You're just so cool and calm about these pesky ghosts. What about the ones your dad and his friends are called for? The ones who haunt places and tear things up like in 'Poltergeist?' That's the ones that freak me out."

"Those, more often or not are just what I'm saying…they're just scared and confused. Some can be reasoned with, but others…" Nikki blinked sadly and shook her head, miming shooting a proton thrower at a large worn and moldy stone bust standing in the corner of the room. Rachel set her jaw and raised her eyebrows in astonishment.

"Tragic," Rachel murmured tranquilly. She leaned out the curtain to look pointedly at the old grandfather clock standing out in the shop and turned back to Nikki. "I won't make you stay any longer, Nikki. You've worked hard today, I just hate you felt the need to come in. With everything going on…don't feel like you have to put yourself out. Take care of your dad and the others. Janine seemed like she was a cool lady."

"She was," Nikki breathed, lowering her gaze to the cardboard box in front of her. She heaved a shaky sigh and then placed a hand on the box's top to help push herself up to her feet, her knees crackling and popping from their stiffness at being on the floor for so long. "But I needed to get back into a routine. Thanks for the distraction today, Rach."

"Anytime, Hun."

Nikki hefted the box into her arms, thankful they'd found one with handholds in the sides so she could carry it easier. The weight of the intricately packed items surprised her, and Rachel hurriedly jumped out of her swivel chair to rush over and try to help her. Nikki clenched the box tighter, her independence surpassing her tiredness.

"I've got it," She insisted. "If you'll just flag down a cab for me, I'd really appreciate it."

Rachel put her hands on her hips and Nikki heard her huff of playful annoyance as Nikki pushed past her and through the curtain to the front of the shop.

"Oh to be young and able to shoulder that much at one time!" Rachel lamented comically. Nikki smirked and followed her out to the curb where surprisingly, they didn't have to wait long for a cabbie to stop by.

"See you tomorrow?" Nikki asked after sliding the cardboard box across the seat before getting in after it. Rachel smiled down at the younger girl and nodded.

"If you wanna come in for a few hours, maybe pick up another box or two of this stuff, I won't turn ya down. Especially since you're not going to be on the payroll for much longer."

Nikki's mouth twitched into an apologetic half-smile, half wince at the hard decision she'd made. Seeing how lost the guys were without Janine's expertise keeping them straight made Nikki worry that the whole Ghostbusters organization would suffer and fall in on itself without someone to fill her position soon. Dana Barrett had offered, but Nikki knew she had her hands full with young Oscar and Peter with his childlike persona too, at times. Rachel had taken Nikki's note as soon as she'd come in that morning and she hadn't even bothered to read it, knowing exactly what it was. The slightly older woman had talked with Nikki as an older sister would have, not berating her choice to leave the bookshop at all, but encouraging her to help her family and loved ones as she knew Nikki was so fond of doing anyways. They'd both shared a cry over their shared lunch of sub sandwiches from the deli down the street, but thankfully as the day went on, the dismal mood lifted and they were able to pick and tease at each other like normal while Nikki packed and sorted through Ray's old possessions.

"Thanks Rachel," Nikki said, trying not to get too choked up. Rachel smiled down at the younger girl and shut the door of the cab, offering up a light wave as the cab pulled back onto the street and trailed lazily towards the firehouse. Nikki scooted closer to the box, unconsciously placing her arm over it to prevent it from sliding forward or backward with the driver's hasty driving through the building afternoon traffic.

"Sorry ma'am," The driver muttered with clear irritation after laying on the horn after they'd been driving for several minutes. Another cab had cut them off at an intersection just a few blocks from the firehouse and they were now stuck at a light behind almost a dozen other cars. It would clearly take another few lights before they'd even get through the next intersection. Nikki glanced out her rear passenger window and figured it might be quicker to walk. There was an alley down the block that would lead her straight to the firehouse. She considered this for a moment, staring once more at the line of cars and cabs waiting impatiently at the red light as another hoard of cars crawled through the intersection across the waiting line of traffic.

"Hey, is it alright if I just get out here? I kinda need to be there before dark." She meant the last part as a light, ironic joke but the cabbie scoffed and flipped his meter off with a grimace.

"Whatever, lady." He grumbled crossly. Nikki hesitated, biting her lip at the cab driver's sour mood and she reached into her shoulder bag to hand him a few bills, more than enough to cover the small fare and a good tip that would hopefully ease the man's hotheaded reaction. He mumbled a thank you and then Nikki climbed out of the cab, retrieving the box with a quiet groan as she took on the box's heavy weight. She nudged the door closed and there was a loud honk as the car behind the cab urged him forward the few inches traffic had moved. Nikki shook her head and straightened, quickly making her way to the curb and down the sidewalk past a handful of pedestrians who eyed her warily. Some people clearly were impressed she wasn't struggling more with the box, though in the past few years working with the Ghostbusters, she had built up a little bit of muscle carrying proton packs and running around with the guys chasing ghosts so she was silently thankful for that little perk.

She finally reached the alley and rounded the corner, pausing as she braced the box on her knee for a moment for a brief break before she continued. As she hefted the box back into her arms again, she winced as she heard the jars and other trinkets rattling around in there and she looked longingly toward the end of the alley, wishing the open road was closer.

As she passed a doorway, she heard a low grumble and she edged away from it, expecting the person to which the sound belonged to open the door out into the alleyway. She quickened her steps, trying to stay out of the person's way as much as she could but when the sound of a door opening never came, Nikki paused and turned over her shoulder questioningly.

A woman's silhouette came into view as she slowly stood up from where she had been crouching on the ground in the doorway. She was backlit by the afternoon sun gleaming off the cars still waiting in the road where Nikki had just come from. The woman's hair was in a messy bun, strands sticking up every which way as she robotically turned her head in Nikki's direction. Warning bells started to go off in Nikki's mind and she slowly began to turn around and continue on her way through the alley. The woman made another raspy grumble and before Nikki could react, she heard an odd swooshing noise. The woman was suddenly standing in front of her with her large, bloodshot eyes fixed on Nikki with intense scrutiny.

"Oh," Nikki gasped in surprise, holding the box closer to herself. She clenched her jaw shut and offered the woman a sheepish smile. In her mind, she made a mental check that this woman obviously wasn't one of New York's average unfortunate addicts scouring the alleys in the shadows like she'd originally thought. She may have been at one point, but now she was another sad death statistic.

The woman's beady eyes flicked from the large box up to Nikki's face and back again rapidly. Licking her lips, the lady unclenched her arms from where they'd been stuffed deep into the folds of her baggy pants and Nikki noticed the claw-like position her hands appeared to be permanently stuck in as she made to reach for the box in Nikki's grasp.

"Oh, I don't have anything you'd like in here. It's just old antiques from the bookshop…" Nikki explained, trying to keep her cool. She tried to look past the woman in the direction she'd been heading, seeing the road that would take her to the last block or so to the Ghostbusters' firehouse. The woman read her intent and jerked forward as if trying to instill fear in the girl. Nikki held herself firmly and prepared to set her box down to free up her hands in case she needed to use them. She tried to keep her voice steady as she confronted the woman. "Can you talk? Want to tell me what's going on?"

The woman shook her head and growled out another unintelligible response and Nikki regarded her with a fearful look of pity as she gently set her box down. When she took another jerking step towards Nikki, the girl straightened up and held her hands outward as if to ward her off. The familiar warmth of her psychic power began to grow in the ghost woman's close proximity.

"You don't have to hang around out here anymore, you know that don't you?" Nikki tried to reason with the woman. Another growling contradiction caused Nikki's heart to beat even faster and she edged towards the wall, prepared to run back towards the blocked traffic.

"Give…" The woman rasped out. Nikki's eyebrows raised and she reached down for her shoulder purse self-consciously.

"You don't need money anymore…" Nikki tried again.

The woman's head jerked to the side, her baggy clothes causing another swishing noise as she teleported behind Nikki to meet her face to face when she tried to turn and run. In her surprise, Nikki backed away and tripped over the box of oddities she'd set down. As she collided with the ground, the ghostly addict let out an ungodly roar and extended her claw-like hands overhead. Nikki scrambled backward, trying desperately to reach her feet again but the ghost took advantage of Nikki's fumbling to use her ghostly energy to blow the heavy box into Nikki just as she was turning to flee. The girl was thrown to the ground once more, her elbows catching the brunt of her fall as the box hit its target and rebounded on the concrete ground past Nikki. The sound of breaking glass and upended items caused Nikki to cringe as she thought of the priceless contents that had probably just been destroyed. Her worry was short-lived though as the hunched-over woman jerked forward with another growl erupting from her scratchy throat.

"Hey -!" Nikki choked out as she rolled into the wall a few feet away to avoid the woman lunging for her. Nikki lifted herself up to one knee and zeroed in on the ghostly addict when she spun around angrily, having missed her target. Nikki leapt up the rest of the way and broke into a sprint in the direction of the end of the alley, making a run for the firehouse where somebody could help her fight the ghost off. A whoosh of smoky air brushed past her and the woman blinked into existence once again, blocking Nikki's path of escape. Nikki held up her arm to ward off the ghost's blow as her claw-like hands sliced down towards her.

"Have pity…" The ghost woman rasped out longingly. Nikki spun around and crouched as the woman dove over her head once again. When she stood back up to face the ghost's rageful cry, Nikki gave her an ironic shrug.

"I tried that already," She quipped, holding her hands up into fists. "You don't seem to be very deserving of it."

The ghostly addict glared down the few yards of alleyway at Nikki, seeming to almost vibrate with her anger. Nikki could feel her palms radiating in preparation, but her hammering heart caused her to second guess her capability at effectively crossing over a ghost this hostile. She was too unpredictable and had seemed to be hanging around long enough to realize her ghostly abilities of speed and teleportation. When the ghost twitched in the next second, Nikki found herself high-tailing it in the opposite direction in retreat.

"Nikki, look out!"

Nikki skirted to a stop at the sudden familiar voice calling out her name. Her adrenaline-fueled heartbeat skipped and she stupidly paused to look around for who had called to her. Taking advantage of her daze the ghost slammed into Nikki, causing them both to tumble several feet on the ground from the ghost's momentum.

"Hey! That wasn't very fair, was it?!"

Nikki groaned as she rolled over and braced herself against the concrete ground. The ghost woman, who she knew had been right beside her in their tussle, was now hovering upright just in front of Nikki. She was turned away from the living girl, staring at the newcomer with her head tilted to the side in confusion. Nikki glanced around the ghost's twitching form and caught a flash of purple as Janine Melnitz stood tall in her confrontational pose. Before Nikki could form an endearing thought of relief at seeing the recently deceased secretary, the addict ghost rasped out another scream and lifted her arms toward Janine. The upended box of collectibles hoisted itself into the air once more and shot directly at Janine who blinked in terrified surprise, pulled her hands to her chest and disappeared. The box struck the wall just behind where she'd been with yet another wrenching crash as the contents inside rattled and broke against each other.

"Janine?!" Nikki cried out, both out of worry and disbelief. Janine didn't reappear and when the furious addict ghost came to the same conclusion, she whirled back around to glare at the living girl accusingly. Nikki lifted her hand against the ghost, the burning warmth radiating protectively at the woman's approach. She steeled herself for the energy-zapping sensation that crossing over a ghost caused her but when the woman slapped her hand away angrily, Nikki let out a pained cry as the ghost's claw-like nails struck her wrist in her dissuading slap.

"Stop!"

A man's voice shouted, his voice echoing down the alleyway. The ghost appeared to ignore the second interruption and she lunged down at Nikki again. The girl's breath was knocked out of her when the ghost's power blew Nikki flat into the ground, releasing a pained cry that echoed down the alley. Another rasping growl that sounded more like a laugh sounded from above her, and Nikki tried to pull herself away before the ghost could wind up for another blow. A swoosh of air blew past her again and Nikki couldn't stop the scream from leaving her throat as she was met with the woman's scuffed up looking boots in her face. In the same motion, Nikki jerked upward in an effort to avoid the woman's kick just as her right boot came up for Nikki's jaw. Nikki found herself crab-walking backward and scrambling weakly for an escape. The ghostly addict's huge eyes blazed angrily down at Nikki, her thin face twisted into a sneer. In the blink of an eye, a figure moved in front of Nikki to block the ghost from view and Nikki froze in surprise. Before she could look up to see the back of her savior, the ghost let out a furious guttural scream before diving down at the man in her way, claws extended.

"Look out!" Nikki cried, curling herself into a ball on the ground where she lay behind the man's protective stance.

The ghost's howling scream was cut short and Nikki expected the young man to be blown off his feet over her, but when she looked up in disbelieving surprise, she saw that he stood firm where he'd positioned himself, his hand raised toward the attacking woman. An odd glow emanated from his upraised palm and the ghost seemed frozen in place, her wild eyes darting every which way in confusion. The light from the man's hand dimmed out of existence and as it did, the woman seemed to break apart as if her very molecules were splitting. The shadows of the alleyway seemed to swirl and Nikki ducked her head, squeezing her eyes shut against the overwhelming vertigo. When the feeling subsided, Nikki lifted her gaze back up to the scene before her and found the ghost had completely disappeared. The man was left standing with his back still to Nikki, his shoulders heaving with his labored breathing. He lowered his hand back to his side, clenching his fist and wiggling his fingers as if shaking off a cramp in his palm. When he turned slowly around to face Nikki, her heart skipped a beat in surprise.

"…Mark?"