Carter

Third Times the Charm

"It's Summertime, Summertime! Sum-Sum-Summertime! Summertime, Summertime, Sum-Sum Summertime!"

"Turn it up!" Winston was having a grand time. The shock of the Bogeyman Incident a week before was finally starting to wear off. It had been the last bust of Spring and now.…

"IT'S SUMMERTIIIIIME!!"

Egon faked left but Winston wasn't fooled. Luckily, Egon was able to scoop up little Kenny and use him as a giggling human shield and Winston was foiled! Kenny's older sister, Meghan, made an impressive standing leap and wrapped her arms around Ray's neck in a strangle-hold that would have done Gorgeous George proud. Making appropriate Ack! Gak! noises Ray began to spin her around. Not too fast, he didn't want her to hurl. Meghan held on for dear life.

Yes, Dr. Peter Venkman's first 'Surviving the Bogeyman' group therapy session had deteriorated. The Survivors, five-year-old Kenny Carter, seven-year-old Meghan Carter and thirty-six-year-old Egon Spengler had been drawn into a wrestling match by the Supportive Friends Of The Survivors of the Bogeyman, Ray Stantz and Winston Zeddemore. 

"Put the kid DOWN, you coward!"

"Yeah, you coward!" Kenny's wide grin could be seen from the moon.

"I think NOT!" Egon backed a good distance away and almost imperceptibly bobbed Kenny in a tossing motion. Winston nodded. With a shout he charged.

FLING went Kenny through the air. He had a thrilling and long moment of hang time before landing solidly in Winston's arms. He didn't even have time to shout! That was some almighty fun. "THROW ME AGAIN!"

Egon took off for the stairs. "He will. We gotta catch him first." The pursuit was on.

Meanwhile, Ray was turning blue. "Janiiine! Get her offa me!"

"I got my own problems, Ray." Janine Melnitz, the Disappointingly Platonic Pal of the Supportive Friends of the Survivors of the Bogeyman, was keeping her desk between herself and Group Leader Venkman. Suddenly he bumped her with the desk itself and down she went.

"OH, LORD HELP!!" Winston, doing his best Eddie Murphy, and Kenny were back in a controlled 'fall' down the stairs. "OH, LORD JESUS CHRIST HELP ME PLEASE I'M FALLIN' DOWN THE STEPS! OH, JESUS CHRIST LORD HELP!! My shoe! LORD HELP!!" Boom! They hit the ground.

A flash of light illuminated the firehouse and everyone, startled, looked towards the door. June Carter laughed and took another picture. Oh, her poor kids, their hair was snarled and their eyes were wild. Unused to wrestling with anyone stronger than she was they looked like they'd been playing with thunderbolts.

"Mama!" Kenny staggered up and ran over. "We were running and then Egon had hold of me and Winston came after us both so he threw me across the firehouse and Winston caught me and then we chased him upstairs and we tripped and fell downstairs and it was GREAT!"

"Wow!" She turned to her suddenly prim daughter waiting at the base of the steps for Egon, every hair in place, to reach them. "What did you do?"

"Nothing." June could almost see the halo.

"NOTHING! Ray was outraged. "'Megon' over there tried to kill me!"

"Oh, I did not!"

"Did too!"

"Did not!"

She sprang into the air and battle would have been joined again but Peter interrupted. "Kids! We, uh, had a very fruitful first session. Run upstairs and grab your things while I give your mom the bill." Meghan and Kenny would have hesitated and complained loudly but Ray, knowing he'd be filled in later, turned and headed immediately for the stairs. Not wanting to miss a thing, they followed as if magnetized. Children would follow Ray Stantz into Hell.

Peter sat on the edge of Janine's desk and motioned everyone closer. Janine turned the radio down a notch. "We did have a great first session." Peter reassured June. "The kids know they can trust us and that makes communication easy. We also tired them out so they'll dream less."

"We tired them out?" Winston groused good-naturedly, fanning himself. June, smiling, looked at him. Then she looked again. She jerked her attention back to Peter.

"How are they sleeping?" he asked. June was surprised. She thought she would be dealing with Peter exclusively but, obviously, there was no room for Doctor/Patient confidentiality in the firehouse. "Not very well." She admitted to the small crowd. "It's been only a week since that...that thing...has been gone and they're still sleeping with me with the light on. I don't think they'll ever go back to their own room." She remembered how lovely, and how futile, Egon's gesture of tucking them into bed that first night had been. He remembered it too and smiled ruefully down at her.

"Don't push them to go back..."

"I'm not!!!" June bit her lip. She couldn't help herself, "It's James. My husband just won't cut them any SLACK! Ever since he's stopped traveling so much it's been one long pain in the...I'm sorry, you were saying?"

Wow, thought Winston. You're beautiful when you're angry. He quickly looked away before anyone caught him staring.

Peter sympathized with June's frustration. He reached out and grasped her shoulder. "I was saying what a great job you're doing. The kids are healthy, eating well and getting plenty of exercise. The nightmares will fade. They're going to be just fine."

"Remember," Egon added in his deep, soothing voice. "The Bogeyman had access to them, to their fear, for less than a week before they came to us for help. His...hold...on them was never strong. They will be fine."

June was about to lose it, Janine noticed. "They were so cuuuuute!" she cooed. "Coming into the firehouse wearing their jammies and carrying their little blue piggybank! Wanting to speak to the Head Ghostbuster."

June swallowed hard and smiled at the redhead's strong Brooklyn accent. "Hey, we haven't officially met, have we?"

"No, actually. Janine Melnitz! I run this place." She held out her hand.

"June Daye Carter. Good to meet you!" They shook.

"It occurs to me that you haven't 'officially' met any of us. Beyond throwing us out of the house the first time and jumping over us to get to your kids the second time..."

"Peter, please don't remind me..."

Egon to the rescue. "Third time's the charm. I'm Dr. Egon Spengler." June gave Egon an extra warm smile as they shook hands. He was the only one that believed her children when they said they had a monster in the closet.

"Venkman. Doctor Peter Venkman!" Heavy on the vanity.

June played along, "Ooh! Not the Dr. Venkman!!" She drew a hand across her fevered brow.

Winston stood just so much taller. To his shock he realized his palms were sweating. "Winston." He held out his hand.

"June." She took it.

"Aaaaaah!" The radio moaned. "Now I don't hardly know her..."

They shook hands. They smiled.

"...but I think I could love her..."

And that, simply, was that.

"KIDS!" June shouted, scaring everyone. She let go of Winston and almost backed over Janine's garbage can. "TIME TO GO!!"

Meghan, Kenny and Ray came hurtling down the steps, carefully carrying a selection of Ray's comics. Kenny put his stack on the desk and detoured towards the bathroom.

"Soooo..." Peter said, eyeing Winston. The man looked struck. "What've you and the miserable little monsters got planned for tonight?"

Scraping her composure together June dug through her large purse.  Peter had recommended lots of personal attention for the kids and she'd followed through with a vengeance. "Storybooks for Kenny..."  She pulled forth a ziplock bag bulging with clear, faceted beads. They refracted the sunlight shining into the firehouse with a rainbow's brilliance and Meghan oohed. "...and I thought tonight I'd do Megon's...Meghan's  hair." The little girl brightened with anticipation.

June grabbed her by the hand. "Got your stuff? OK, say goodbye to everybody..."

"G'bye!"

"Nice meeting everyone! Officially!" She did not look at Winston. She didn't look at any of them. Just back away slowly, June.

"Bring them back day after tomorrow."

"OK."

"Bye, June!"

"Bye!"

"See you!"

With a final wave June escaped into the bright summer afternoon. Dazzled by the sudden brilliant green of the trees, the flashy storefronts, even the cars passing by - June floated along...Winston.

"Mama?"

...even the air seemed mint new, as if she were breathing it on a tropical island instead of Manhattan Island. Her arm was still tingling...good god...Winston Zeddemore.

"MAMA!"

"WHAT, baby?"

"What about Kenny?"

June gasped and stopped. She covered her burning face with her hands. "Honey, go back to the firehouse and get your brother."

"Aren't you coming?"

"NO! No, it's just half a block...you can do it...I'll be right here."

"OK!" Meghan handed her comic books to her mother and skipped back towards the firehouse, the No Ghosts sign shining like a beacon.

June leaned on, actually she hid behind, a tree, and fought back the laughing hysterics. She almost succeeded. Winston. Winston Zeddemore.

 

Amazing Grace

"Goin' on up to the Spirit in the Skyyyyy...WaHOO!"

The Lord's United Church was celebrating its re-opening under the clear falling sunshine of a Sunday morning. The light filtered down through the deeply colored panes of painted glass. Gorgeous beams of bright reds, cheery oranges and dramatic indigo blues highlighted the revelers milling around the main floor pews. The religious icons depicted were decidedly ethnic. Mary, Jesus, Moses and all the others looked rather Egyptian. The choir's back-up band was playing more enthusiastically than professionally but no one complained. Everyone felt too good to be back at United, now that the repairs and renovations were finally over, to cause too much trouble. Most everyone.

In the thick of things, in the area of the seventh row pew, were the Ghostbusters, Winston's father, Big Ed Zeddemore, and Janine. Eating cookies and drinking the prerequisite 7-Up and pineapple juice (with floating strawberries!) punch, even the less, or outright anti-religious among them were having a good time socializing. Big Ed's wife, Winston's Mama, Nellie, stopped by for a moment and Janine enviously admired her clothes. The bright summer hues of the church ladies' dresses and elaborate hats contrasted so wonderfully with their brown skin. Janine wanted to mope. She couldn't wear a hat if her life depended on it. She was small and thin and even the most conservative hats made her look like a push-pin. Oh, well. She smiled at the wild packs of children that were running about, sending up a joyous racket. Best they get all the energy out of their systems before the service started.

"ED! WINSTON! GUYS!" Everyone looked around and up, WAY up, at the Reverend 'Chewbacca' Charles. He was practically bouncing in place. "I've been looking forward to today! We're finally back at United! Oh, it does me good...I'm so glad you could come!"

"This place looks fantastic! We were just talking about what a great job Big Ed did." Janine batted her eyes at the elder Zeddemore and he buffed his nails on his lapel. "I can't believe you got the proton burns out of the woodwork." She continued.

Big Ed ran his hands proudly over the oak pews. "Lots and lots of sandpaper. Right Winston?" Winston cringed and held his arms as if they pained him, still. "The wood damage was easy to fix." Big Ed went on. "The hardest thing was replacing the lead and the glass." He waved at the brilliant windows.

Janine turned to the illuminated scene of the Assumption of Mary. "Was that the one you fell through, Ray?"

"No, I fell through Jonah and the Whale. I was thrown through Mary."

"I thought you were pitched through the Christians and the Lions?" Peter asked.

"That was Egon. You should know, you were there!" Ray exclaimed.

"I was a little distracted, Ray..." Peter replied, rubbing at the palms of his hands.

Ray's face fell at the memory. "Oh, yeah, sorry..."

"BRRR!!!" The Reverend interjected loudly, purposely making everyone jump and breaking the sudden somber mood. "I HATE demons. Nasty things!!" He received no disagreement.

"Speakin' of demons..." A wizened voice behind them interrupted. A very ancient little woman dressed in her best ivy green dress stepped up. She peered humorously close at Egon, Ray and Peter. "They don't look like Rampaging Pagans, Winston."

Avoiding his teammates sudden mock-offended scrutiny Winston jumped up and made hasty introductions while Janine and Big Ed laughed at him. "Miss Evelyn Lorraine, guys, our oldest parishioner. But she's not going to get another day older..."

Miss Evelyn swatted at him. Mischieviously pleased with herself, she sat in his seat and made everyone's acquaintance. Egon, especially, interested her. "Look at you! Look at that hair! How nice!" She mussed Egon's curly platinum blond hair. "And look over here! Two redheads!" Ray and Janine received the treatment, too. No one was offended, Miss Evelyn was old and a charming person.

Peter made a great show of leaping out of her reach. He shook his dark hair teasingly. "How about some punch Miss Evelyn?"

"Anything you want to bring me, sweetie!"

Peter tipped a lecherous, green-eyed wink at her and headed off for the goodies table. Miss Evelyn watched him go. "That boy's got the devil in him, doesn't he?"

"We've tried exorcism..."

"EEEEEGON!!!!" It was Meghan and Kenny Carter heading their way at top speed. June was behind them hissing "Slow! Slow! Slow!" Meghan managed to stop in time but Kenny plowed right into Winston.

"OOF!"

"OW!"

"Oh, lord." June reached everybody. "Winston, are you okay?"

Winston picked Kenny up and dusted him off. "Oh, I'm fine, y'know, I...I whip gods and demons for a living so Kenny can't do me too much damage."

Peter missed it, Egon thought with no small amount of shock. Winston is bragging and Peter missed it! Big Ed stared at his son in surprise. Reverend Charles pantomimed beating his chest and the entire group choked back smirks and giggles. Neither Winston nor June noticed. June was practically digging her toe into the carpet like a schoolgirl.

"You fight GODS with those proton pack things?" She asked.

"With his TEETH!"

"RAY!"

Embarrassed, Winston wanted to crawl under a rock and die. Could he BE any more obvious? What kind of a person acts like that? She's married! "Uh, since when do the Carter's go to United?"

"Today is our first day." A voice replied. 'He' had arrived. He looked around himself as if trying to locate that TERRIBLE smell and finally addressed Reverend Charles alone. "I am James Carter. These are my wife and children."

"Do they have names?" the reverend asked pointedly.

"Whatever their names are, anything's gotta be better than Jimmy Carter!" Miss Evelyn proclaimed with a smile.

Carter glared down at her. "My name is JAMES!"

"JIMMY!!" Peter had returned with Miss Evelyn's punch and if she thought he was devilish before..."How the hell you been, Jimmy?!"

Carter flinched. "I'm...fine."

"Sure you are. Hey, June! Hi guys! Are you new here? Okay, this is the Reverend Chewbacca..." Meghan and Kenny coughed, "...this lovely lady is Miss Evelyn and this is June, Kenneth and Meghan." Carter turned on his heel and left the area. His family did not follow either physically or mentally. Out of sight, out of mind, huh? Big Ed thought. That's cold. But what a pompous ass.

Winston was glaring at the stocky man's retreating back and Big Ed was suddenly worried. He turned his attention to June and studied her very, very carefully, trying to disguise his stare by scratching his nose. She was talking to the Reverend, "...we've been in New York for less than a month. I have family here and they recommended United. It is a beautiful, beautiful building!"

"And such a fantastic history..." Waving goodbye, Charles led June away to show her around. Personally, Charles hoped to god June could sing. United had a weak choir ever since two of his best sopranos moved out of the neighborhood. Her husband, though, might be a problematical addition to...anywhere. They were quickly surrounded by the choir director and three members of the Welcome Committee and disappeared. Winston watched her go and sighed as quietly as he could. Meghan and Kenny elected to stay behind and sat contentedly on each side of Egon. Meghan was preening her beaded hair.

"What is that damn whitebread DOING in a black church? Who do they think they are? They're white!"

I did not just hear that. Winston turned slowly around. I did NOT just hear that. Astonished churchgoers were craning their necks in Carter's direction. He had buttonholed a suddenly completely uncomfortable gentleman and was holding forth. Winston started for him and was suddenly yanked back by his father. "Winston, don't. I'll take care of it."

"Dad! After all we've done for him! For his KIDS!" Winston jerked away from his dad, furious, his face suddenly beaded with sweat.

"Winston, sit down." Egon and Peter both had him now. "Don't make it any worse. Calm down."

"Calm down?!" People were staring, almost afraid to approach the Ghostbusters. After all they'd done for United, to be treated like THIS by some idiot OUTSIDER! Winston didn't notice them. "Calm down?!"

"Winston!" Egon looked pointedly down at the children. They were sitting very, very still, eyes huge. Winston was deflated immediately. Big Ed went to have a little chat with Carter, who was suddenly standing abandoned by the refreshments.

"Too much excitement for me!" Miss Evelyn stood. "Winston, let's go see the garden."

"A garden?" Janine asked, a little too thrilled. "I'll come too!"

"Come on, then!" The two women steered Winston away. He kept his head down and quite a few interested eyes watched them go.

"Wait for me!" Ray followed.

Peter hoped word of this didn't get around to June too quickly; she'd just gotten here. What a disastrous first day. He looked down at the kids worriedly. Meghan was trying very hard not to cry. "No harm done, Meghan. We've been called much worse, believe me."

"But...but you HELPED us! It's not fair! And you're not white anyway!"

What? Egon and Peter looked at each other. "We're not?" Egon asked, examining his hand in some confusion.

"No! Whites are...whites are...they're..."

Peter bailed her out. She was just a little girl and both men hated to see her struggle with concepts too big for her. "White is an attitude, Egon."

"Ah."

Meghan began to cry. She wanted to declare that both men were great and she loved them but she was suddenly afraid of saying something wrong. Again. Crying was all she could do. Egon put a comforting arm around her and drew her in. She hid her face on his shoulder and Kenny, none too dry-eyed himself, clumsily patted her back as if she were choking. Peter noticed a couple of women gravitating closer, ready to jump in if either man dropped the ball. Peter smiled at them reassuringly.

Since big girls don't cry, Meghan quickly forced herself to stop. "Are you mad?"

"Of course I am." Egon reassured her. "I'm a Mad Scientist, remember? I'm mad, you're mad, we're all mad around here." Egon's lips quirked up into a gentle smile, which was as close to a Cheshire Cat grin as he could manage. "Am I angry? No. Not terribly."

"Dad doesn't want us to go to the firehouse anymore but Mama won't listen to him. They yell a lot." Kenny volunteered.

Big Ed Zeddemore came back, stone faced. He walked a few steps beyond them and Peter soon joined him.

"Well, he's gone home." the older man growled. "I don't think he's coming back. He took the car. I told June but it's already all over the church and she knew already. She's embarrassed but she's staying. My wife is with her. I think the Reverend Charles is going to ask her to sing, despite everything."

"She'll sing, too. Right on stage, in front of everybody. That's the kind of woman she is. Her kids'll love it. We'll take them home in Ecto, they're just a few doors down from us."

"You don't treat people that way. Especially not your family..."

Peter looked back at Egon and his fellow survivors. The circling women had landed and were raving over Meghan's hair. "It took FOUR hours!" Peter heard her say. Ray, Janine, Winston and Miss Evelyn reappeared and were edging through the crowd towards them. Winston looked subdued but relaxed.

The pews were filling rapidly and the band stopped playing. Big Ed and Peter sat down again quickly before they lost their seats. The choir filed in, looking splendid in their bright green robes with silver trimming. June was among them, conspicuous in her lavender dress. Nellie Zeddemore was right there beside her. June waved at her children and bit her fingernails in exaggerated panic. Meghan and Kenny, Big Ed, Janine and the Ghostbusters frantically waved back and cheered.

June swallowed and stepped forward, facing them all. The Reverend Charles led the band in a soft intro...

"Amaaaziiing Grace..."

The audience gasped and Meghan and Kenny squirmed with pride.

"...how sweet the sound. That saved a wretch like me...!"

Winston fought down the desire to go up the aisle on his knees, Hallelujah. Charles was trying to hide his sudden attack of happy feet. A voice! Thank you, God, she can sing!

"...I once was lost but now I'm found..." June was beautiful in the crystalline light, like an angel. Winston tried to look everywhere but directly at her. She was married. Married. Married. He studied the floor, the ceiling, his fingernails, the ornate glass...impossible. Guiltily he gazed at June again.

"...was blind but now..." She turned to her children.

"Oh! I see...!"

 

The re-opening celebration was over. Ecto-1 was loaded down with treats shoved upon the departing as a welcome to June and a discreet apology to the Ghostbusters. Even Janine's VW Bug was crammed with cakes, cookies and even a gallon of punch by little old ladies who obviously felt that Janine could stand to gain a few pounds. She honked her horn in goodbye and headed off for Brooklyn while Winston honked back and pealed out of United's parking lot. He hit the siren with a decisive slap. Not to be outdone, June leaned over and cranked the radio up full blast. Between them Meghan and Kenny absolutely quivered at the noise. They were in Ecto-1!! The Ghostmobile!! Cars, trucks, pedestrians, the entire CITY dove out of their way.

"Winston!" Peter shouted, doing his part for the noise pollution, "You're going to kill us!!"

Ray mimicked June's earlier expression and bit his fingernails with exaggerated fear. "We're too young to die! Think of the children!"

"Quiet, THE MAN is driving!" June ordered and the peons in the back screamed. "Don't make me come back there! We'll put you right out on the highway!" Her kids laughed, Meghan had almost forgotten how funny her Mama could be.

Winston was, in fact, obeying the speed limit but Ecto was such a huge and obnoxious vehicle that the Carters had the impression they were on a dangerous roller coaster.

"...all my doctorates WASTED!!"

"One more peep from back there and I'll beat you to death with a well rope! I mean it." Winston looked mighty fierce.

"PEEP!!"

Winston snarled.

"Mr. Ghostbuster! You missed the turn!" Kenny gleefully pointed out. Meghan whacked him on the leg.

"Hush!"

"Did I miss the turn? Oh, well...hey! There's a Gelato place down here, who wants ice cream?"

Eventually, all good things must end.

Winston had managed to make a five-minute drive stretch into an hour but he eventually forced himself to take the Carter's home. June had become angry again at the mere sight of her apartment building and she thanked the four men with a locked-jaw smile for the ride and the ice-cream. She had ushered her children onto the sidewalk and they waited for her, wretched and disappointed. Thanks for the time, Warden, Winston thought. Back into the lock-up you go. This isn't fair.

Meghan leaned against the back door to say goodbye to Egon. He, Ray and Peter had stayed quiet for the most part, fading into the background to allow the folks up front their fun. Meghan sadly twiddled with her new braids. She wanted to jump back into the car and ride off into the sunset so badly.

Egon, in complete understanding, smiled at her. Face warped with the effort not to cry, again, she gave her braids a sudden, brutal, yank. Reaching through the back seat window she seized Egon's wrist and dropped three prismatic beads onto his palm. Then she dashed for the front door, pulling a surprised Kenny after her. June gave Winston a final wave and slowly followed.

"Pete, you want to drive?"

"Sure." Peter was kindly silent.

Winston scooted over. The front seat was still warm with June's body heat. As the huge car began the two-minute trek to the firehouse Winston leaned his head back and forced himself not to scream. An hour just wasn't enough time. An entire day would be inadequate, too. A year would be nothing. As they finally pulled into the garage Winston was thinking in terms of a lifetime.

 

In Smoky Places 

Winston flicked on the lights in the dim, cool basement and set to work. On anything. Proton packs, ghost traps, lint traps, rat traps; any sort of maintenance problem to take his mind off the past three weeks. Winston had a newfound respect for Dr. Venkman's psychology. Most of what he had seen before revolved around Peter convincing stubborn ghosts to give up their earthly existence and stop pestering everybody. Winston was somewhat ashamed of his preconception that that was the limit of Peter's abilities but the work he had done with Meghan and Kenny had been phenomenal. The nightmares had lost their hold and they could sleep with the lights out in their own room. There'd be no need for them to continue therapy, soon. No need for June to visit. Damn Peter and his competence anyway.

Winston picked up the remote control to the basement's radio. Maybe some music would help.

"Me and...MRS. JONES! Mrs. Jones, Mrs. Jones! We got a thiiiiing goin' onnnnnnn...!"

Ah, shit. Winston hit 'scan' to find a better station. Something ice-cold and wet touched the back of his neck and he spun around with a "YAAH!"

"I'm sorry." It was Egon, looking not at all sorry and bearing a frosty bottled beer for Winston and an iced tea for himself. He was dressed in shorts and a white t-shirt with the sleeves and neck cut off.

Winston gratefully accepted the beer and Egon rested himself on a nearby workbench, pulling up the bottom of his t-shirt to wipe the sweat out of his eyes. "How's the great tanning experiment on the roof going?" Winston asked and turned back to his make-work.

"It's a failure. Janine and I encouraged skin cancer for as long as we could stand it, which wasn't long; Janine is already burned. Ray and Peter are browning up nicely and barbequeing dinner. We got a call."

"A call?! In the dead of summer?"

"It was a telemarketer." Winston snorted with amusement.

Percy Sledge's croon drifted sadly from the radio "At the dark end of the street...that's where we always meet...hiding in shadows where we don't belong! We're living in darkness to hide our wrong..."

"When will you be joining us?" Egon nudged.

"Oh...well...when I'm finished with this..."

"IT'S A SIN and we know it's wrong...but our love keeps comin' on strong..." Percy declared.

Winston grabbed the remote and hit 'scan' again. The dial landed on a gospel station and Elvis Presley had the floor, "...one of these days, mark my words, you'll think that brother has gone to work. You'll sneak up and knock on her door and THAT'S ALL, buddy, you'll knock no more!!"

Winston rubbed his tired eyes. The King continued, "Lemme tell ya, God Almighty's gonna CUT YOU DOWN!"

A furious 'scan.' A country station.

"Winston, come up to the roof and have a cheeseburger." Egon finished off his tea and impulsively reached for Winston's beer. Taking a swallow he pulled a face at the bitter taste. At least it was cold and wet. Meanwhile, Hank Williams had grabbed the mike. "...you'll toss and turn and call my name! But sleep won't come, the whole night through, your cheatin' heart, will tell on you...!"

Winston wound up and threw the remote across the room shattering it against the brick wall. He followed it over and yanked the radio down. Raising it over his head he savagely spiked it onto the concrete floor. SMASH! Hank was still bravely singing so Winston lifted a foot and stomped him out of his cheatin' misery.

Silence.

Ragged breathing.

Egon looked at the beer label and put the bottle far away from himself. "We have hot dogs, too."

Winston hated to see a grown man cry. He especially hated being that grown man and he was dangerously close. Then he realized something. "Oh, shit, that was Ray's new radio wasn't it?"

"It WAS, yes."

"I...can't believe I..why...I mean...oh, hell." He sat down beside the oasis of calm that was his friend and picked up his beer. "I'm sorry. I'll replace it. I'll do it today. Don't tell Ray."

"I won't." Egon picked a cube of ice out of his tea glass and crunched it in his mouth, waiting.

Winston struggled for the words, feeling Egon was owed an explanation but realizing that his friend already knew what the problem was. But he HAD to get this out. Finally Winston asked a question, "Do you have any...ANY idea what it feels like to...WANT...want to BE with someone so bad and you just can't? It would be...it would be..."

"Unacceptable."

"Yes!"

"Unacceptable to your family, your friends, unacceptable to everyone but most unacceptable to yourself. Futile, painful and hopeless." Egon found the floor to be suddenly very interesting.

"Right. That's exactly it. This has happened to you, too."

"No." Egon snaked out a long arm and popped Winston on the shoulder. "But I do sympathize." Winston rolled his eyes and jerked away.

"I'm serious! It's like I don't even KNOW myself anymore! I just want to get over it, but I CAN'T! I've got it bad..."

"And that ain't good."

"Egon!" Despite himself Winston gave a snort of amusement. Just getting his problem out into the open made him feel...not so alone.  "I've GOT to get over it. It's just wrong. So wrong."

Remarkably, Egon began to sing, "If lovin' you is wrong, I don't wanna be right..."

"Egon! Damn! Remember what I did to the radio!" He laughed. His friends uncharacteristic behavior was exactly, EXACTLY what he needed.

"I'm sorry, Winston. I've been rather facetious ever since we took down the Bogeyman. I'll stop. I've exhausted my repertoire of popular music, anyway."

"Popular? That one's older than Miss Evelyn!"

"Nothing's that old." Egon denied. He took back and finished Winston's beer.

Winston truly felt better. Mindless violence and a good friend can work miracles. He got up and picked a well-worn broom from behind the washing machine and began to sweep up, ashamed of the mess. Ashamed of himself. Thank God for Egon. Anyone else would have overreacted from shock or quit the basement entirely.

Egon stood. "You are coming to the roof."

"Yeah. Yeah I am. I'm doing no good down here, for sure. Be right up."

Consulting his bare wrist Egon said, "I'm timing you," and left the basement.

Climbing the steps he heard Winston shout, "Don't tell Ray!"

"I won't! I promise!"

"Don't tell me what?" Ray was sitting at Janine's desk, searching for her tube of Aloe Extract skin moisturizer.

Egon didn't hesitate at all. Winston couldn't hear them. "He killed your radio."

Ray looked up, startled. "On purpose?" He found the skin cream and the two men headed back to the roof. Egon nodded. Ray gave a small, surprised whistle. "Poor guy. He's really upset."

"Yes, it...it tears him up." Stop doing that, Egon reprimanded himself.

They reached the roof and stepped out into the bright sunlight.

 

Don't Come Around Here No More 

Egon and Ray stepped out onto the roof, blinking in the hot July afternoon sun. Peter was manning a grill, flipping hamburgers, hot dogs and barbequed spare ribs. Theirs was not the only grill operating on the various rooftops of this New York neighborhood. Janine was cowering under an enormous aquamarine beach umbrella set up over the picnic table. Five minutes. She'd been in the sun for exactly five minutes, tending to the great tubs of leafy green plants and trees that she liked to keep on the firehouse roof, and her skin had burned a hot, painful scarlet. Oh, the joys of being a fair-skinned redhead. Ray handed over her aloe skin cream.

"Thank you, Ray! Thank you, thank you!" She began to smooth the moisturizer onto her arms.

Peter, swatting at an annoying fly, set a platter of mouth watering grilled food in the middle of the bags of potato and corn chips and fished a Classic Coke out of a cooler for himself. "Why don't you just break the stems of your aloe plants and use that? It would cost less."

She glared at him. "Break them? You're crazy!" Janine's aloes were huge, well-proportioned and a healthy green. She was proud of them. NO breakage allowed. Peter shrugged and settled the ice-cold and dripping Coke can between her stinging shoulder blades. Janine gasped. Her first impulse was to scream but the cold felt...suddenly wonderful. "Ah...ooh...thanks, Doctor V."

"Sure." Janine put her head down on her arms and Peter rolled the can back and forth along her neck and shoulders. "Where's Winston?"

"He said he'd be up eventually..." Egon began.

"You were supposed to kidnap him! I don't like it when Winston isolates himself..."

"I thought it best not to push it. Winston is very...ah..."

"Volatile, right now." Ray finished for him, digging into the spare ribs. Peter sighed and popped open his Coke. Janine reached for a hot dog and Egon began to load a cheeseburger with the works. Not a healthy dinner but delicious.

"Winston was so funny last Sunday, driving June and the kids home from United. Oh, man..." Ray smiled. "We even stopped for ice cream. I can't believe Winston gave little kids melting ice-cream to eat in his beloved car. Speaking of being kidnapped I didn't think he'd ever let them go." Ray was suddenly serious. "I don't think they wanted to be let go..."

"They didn't. Did you see the way June was looking at him? At his hands?" Peter wiggled his fingers. "Rowr! Rowr!"

"Winston does have nice hands." Janine confirmed. Ray held his own hands out towards her. "Not as nice as yours, Ray." she teased. Satisfied, he bit into a potato chip with a flourish. Then he sobered again, glancing at Egon. "He's getting worse, y'know. He just rang down the curtain on my radio for playing the wrong song."

"WINSTON? Christ, you're joking!" Peter was appalled.

"It is fortunate," Egon mused, "that we are in the midst of the Summer Doldrums. If Winston were this distracted on a bust it could prove dangerous. Even fatal."

"THANK YOU, Sweet Mary Sunshine!" Peter was worried.

Egon angrily pushed his food away. Peter braced himself.

"I am absolutely serious. Winston is MISERABLE. My kids...!" Egon caught himself, "The kids are MISERABLE!" Annoyed at so clearly revealing his possessive streak, Egon stopped talking.

Janine took up the slack. "You should have seen Winston when Carter came by to apologize the next day."

"Some apology." Peter sneered. "He ignores you and me to go up to Winston and says, 'I guess I owe you an apology.' which doesn't come and then he leaves. Just like when he realized that the monster in his kids' closet was real and we'd saved them. 'I guess I owe you all an apology.' Then he says nothing more! Bastard."

"Yeah, but Winston had such class. He kept his cool the entire time. He...he's just so much BIGGER than Carter is. Not physically, Carter's a horse, I mean..." Janine shook her head.

"Winston has a stature that Carter can't even conceive of, much less aspire to."

"YES, Egon, that's exactly it. Winston's the best. Even if he does want to beat us with a well rope..." The group fell silent.

Peter struck at the fly and missed. Damn it, he thought. Everyone's pissed. Everyone's unhappy. Suddenly, devious mental wheels began to turn. No! Peter berated himself. Don't go there. Don't do that. Don't. Ah, shit...give it up.

"We're very lucky to have a friend as good and decent as Winston and I say," Peter over-dramatically thumped his fist down on the table, "that Winston is very lucky to have friends as evil and deceitful as we are. I say we do something."

"Short of breaking up the Carter's marriage, there's nothing much we can do." Ray replied reasonably.

"Sounds like a plan to me."

"PETER!" Janine was shocked. "Be serious!"

"I hate to admit it but I am serious." His voice was cold steel. "That marriage is doomed, anyway. I know it. The only reason its lasted this long is because Carter used to travel for a living. Even if we do nothing I still give it just one year before June kicks Jimmy the Hutt out."

"Look..." Janine turned to Egon and Ray to gauge their reactions. They looked back at her with some apprehension but not nearly as much as she expected. "Look! Carter is a cowardly jerk and a gas-bag but he's not abusive."

Ray immediately interrupted, "Janine, he may not beat them with a red-hot poker but he IS making life unbearable. Meghan and Kenny hate to go home. That's a terrible feeling, having no rest at home. As long as June and Jimmy keep fighting, and as long as Carter treats them like inconveniences, then they don't have a real home at all."

Egon backed Ray up. "They're picking up bad beliefs, too. Meghan practically told us that we were 'good whites.' She certainly didn't get that notion from June."

"And it MOST certainly isn't true!" Janine shot back. "Breaking up a marriage is wrong. If June wants to get out then it's her responsibility to break herself out. It's none of our business!"

"Janine, why drag out the inevitable? An entire year of escalating strife and bullshit is going to be very hard on everybody. Winston's already breaking things. What difference does it make if it ends sooner rather than later?" Peter argued. "Admit to us that this marriage hasn't a chance in hell of surviving. Admit it!"

Janine gouged her fingernails into the wood of the picnic table. The three men were staring at her, waiting. They're all for it, she realized. But they won't do anything if I'm against it. We've got to be together on this. 'Winston's already breaking things.' What if he broke Carter's head? He'd beat himself up over it for days. He's already doing that for pining after a married woman. And the kids, Janine doted on the kids, they were so cuuuuute.

"I admit it. I think giving them just a year is being generous." Janine pointed at Peter, "Now, I want you to admit that it's still wrong. Admit to that and I'll fall in with whatever you guys want to do."

"Anything, my leetle love cockroach?"

"Peter!"

"Okay! Okay, I admit it. It's wicked, evil, sly, underhanded, devious and wrong! I can't wait!" He twirled the end of an invisible Snidely Whiplash moustache.

Janine turned to Egon. "I can't wait either." His blue eyes were almost predatory. "Ray?"

"Technically, it's wrong, yeah."

"And we're TECHNICALLY going to get our butts kicked for doing it, you wait and see." They nodded, commited to their purpose. "Okay. How are we going to get rid of Carter?" Good God, Janine thought with a dreadful and exciting feeling in her gut. We're plotting. We're actually plotting. Peter's first suggestion was delivered in a terrible Italian accent.

"I say we send Big Gino 'ere to WHACK the dirty bastid!" He pointed at Ray.

"Duhh, you got it, Boss!" Ray played along.

"That's a little TOO drastic, even for us." Egon disapproved.

"Ooh, you doity rat...GINO!"

"Duuhh, yeah, Boss?"

"Blondie's arguin' wit' me! Off him, too!!"

"Duhh, Okay!"

Egon looked down his nose at both of them. "It would be very unwise to 'off' the brains of this operation. I have an idea." They all leaned in. "All I have to do is...have a little chat with Carter."

"What? 'Get out of town or I'll neutronize your kneecaps?' that kind of talk?"

"Nothing so violent but just as effective."

The door to the roof opened and Winston finally joined them, dressed in shorts and shades. The conspirators jerked back from each other and smiled their most innocent smiles. Winston stopped dead where he was.

"WHAT are you people up to?"

"Nothing!" they chorused. He was not reassured.

The fly landed and Peter killed it with a single blow.

 

He is Green With Evil 

"DIRTY DEEEEEDS!" The car's stereo pounded as it sped down the street, the words punctuated by harsh breathing. "Dirty Deeds and they're done DIRT CHEAP! Dirty Deeds and they're done DIRT CHEAP! AAAAIGGGHH!!!"

How appropriate, thought Egon, as he followed calmly and very quietly behind James Carter down the sidewalk. Egon felt rather like a criminal. Certainly what he was about to do was justified? For the good of everyone? Can two wrongs make a right? What if Winston or June ever found out? He decided to deal with that when and if it ever came up. For now, as he had won the coin toss, he had to concentrate.

Carter reached his apartment building and headed up the stoop. Slightly winded from his long climb up ten steps to the front door he began to search his pockets for his keys. Some kid had left a toy soldier on the welcome mat. Carter recognized it as his son's and impatiently kicked it out of his way.

"Mr. Carter."

Carter whirled, "Damn!" and recognized the long, cool figure of Dr. Egon Spengler ascending the stairs. He was carrying a clipboard and...and seemed to be sizing him up. Carter didn't like the sudden ominous feeling in his gut. He didn't like it at all.

"Do you ALWAYS creep up on people like that?!" Egon reached him and Carter had to crane his neck to look up at the tall man.

"Most people don't notice." Egon reassured him. "Until its too late."

Carter found his keys and jerked them with what he hoped was a threatening jingle out of his pocket. Was this about that stupid church? He'd apologized to that Winston fool already..."Spengler, I've got to be heading in..."

"This will only take a moment." Egon indicated the papers on his clipboard. "I have here the results of our preliminary observation of Meghan and Kenny's recovery following the Bogeyman's attack. The short and long term effects..."

"Look, June handles all that, I'll send her down to talk to you..."

"June is not home."

Carter did a nervous double-take. "How do you know? You just got here!"

"Janine has taken June and the kids to the Zoo. They should be back this evening. So, WE will have no interference." He flipped through his papers. "Will we?"

Carter would have sold his soul for any interruption. "Could you come back later? I just got off work and I'm tired..." He jammed his keys into the lock and turned. The door did not open. Looking through the window he could see that no one was in the lobby so kicking and screaming to be let in was not an option. Oh, Hell.

"Now, as I was saying, the short and long term effects of an attack by a Class Seven corporeal entity are, at least, rather disturbing."

Carter reluctantly turned back to the scientist. "Disturbing?"

"Yes. It seems Meghan and Kenny possess some slight genetic 'differences' that have proven to be psychic attractors to supernatural creatures. This may be what brought them to the attention of the Bogeyman."

"WHAT did you just say?"

"Your children are Weird Magnets." Egon clarified. "Ghosts and other beings that go 'bump' in the night may, and probably will, seek them out."

Carter stared up at Egon, jaw practically unhinged. "Monsters? MORE monsters are going to be coming into my home?"

"It appears so, yes. The Bogeyman was simply the first. Hopefully, if you all survive the various incursions, Meghan and Kenny should be able to adapt. If they live to adulthood they could become mediums or even powerful witches. Are there any witches in your family that could help them?"

"WITCHES?!! Not on MY side of the family...and...and there's no such thing as witches!"

"You said the same thing about the Bogeyman a month ago. But I understand your disbelief. Since my own family is crawling with witches I can give you a small demonstration...."

With great deliberation, Egon folded one of his sheets of paper into a square and threw it into the air. "Carpe Nocturne!" It suddenly blazed into a bright, wicked green flame that illuminated Carter's horrified face before disappearing. The flame left bright images on Carter's retinas and he blinked rapidly. He failed to remember that he had seen magicians on TV perform the same, simple trick dozens of times but at this moment, and under Egon's eerie influence, it seemed vitally real and dangerous. True Sorcery.

Egon exulted. Ray, an amateur magician, had worked with him for half the night to perfect the sleight-of-hand and it had worked! Yes! Ray had wanted to teach him some real magic but Egon decided to keep things simple. "You shouldn't be so alarmed. Meghan and Kenny may adjust easily. They're young, after all. Besides, all of the Ghostbusters are Weird Magnets and mystically enhanced as I've just proven and we've managed to reach a healthy and normal adulthood. We've even made a business out of it..."

"You're healthy and normal?!"

"Don't you think so?" Egon pinned a sputtering Carter with a hypnotically blue stare.

"Uh, yeah, yeah, yeah, sure."

"Thank you. Now for the short term effects," Egon consulted his clipboard again, "this is Dr. Venkman's psychological profile of the children. His diagnosis should not be seen as set in stone, you're welcome to a second opinion, however, Venkman is a gifted psychologist and a notable leader in the field of Parapsychology and a second opinion may well prove futile and expensive."

"There's more?!"

"Yes, your children are in need of further therapy. They've had a very traumatic experience and extra sessions are necessary to help them move past it. We could also cover how to deal with upcoming visitations. And, I hate to mention this, but, as leading experts, our time is very valuable."  It was true. Much valuable time was taken up this morning watching Janine cut dead fronds off her ferns.

"You're going to start charging me?!!"

"Should cost be a factor in considering your children's delicate mental health?" Egon scratched his ear.

Clop! Clop! Clop! A horse and rider cantered into view. The horse was midnight black and the man on his back matched his somber appearance. Black, black, blacker than death, as bleak as despair they rode down the street. With a swirl and snap of his long cloak the two morbid beings turned the corner and disappeared.

The rider had no head.

"Hmph. We should be getting a call about that one pretty soon." Egon mused aloud.

That was entirely more strangeness than Carter was capable of handling at the moment. Even on his best day he would not have withstood THAT. He hit the door again and began to frantically jerk at the knob. "Delicate?! Delicate!"

"Mr. Carter, this is important. Your children aren't that dangerous yet but, if left untreated," Egon scratched his ear again and the door flew open. Sweating, Carter fell through, got up and slammed the door in Egon's face.

Wounded to the quick, Egon left the stoop and turned up the street towards home. He could still smell Carter's fear. Passing the tall hedge bordering the apartment complex he was suddenly seized and dragged off the street into the bushes. The papers on his clipboard flew loose and scattered all over the sidewalk and street. He was laughing too hard to fight back, even when his attackers sat on him.

"Did you see him?" Ray gasped. "Did you see his face?"

"I can't breathe, OFF! Get off!" He kicked at them, uselessly.

Peter leaned in close, "GINO! Dat was Beeyooteeful!!"

"Thank you, Boss. And Ray handled the hologram projector perfectly." Egon closed his eyes, suddenly apprehensive.

"You're not having second thoughts, Egon?"

"If I were, its entirely too late now. I only hope Winston and June don't find out." Wrapping long arms around Peter's waist he was able to twist and throw the shorter man off.

"Peter told them exactly what you told Carter. Y'know," Ray grinned. "Her kids are gifted and we don't mind babysitting. If Carter takes that the wrong way and runs like hell then.…" He threw his hands up in a helpless gesture.

"I feel sorry for June." Peter put in. "This is all going to land right on her head."

"She has money. Money and property in New York. She'll hold up. We'll help. This is all for the best." Egon gave a decided nod and that ended that argument.

"I don't know what you boys are doing in the bushes but I'm sure it's a sin and illegal." An amused old voice floated through the leaves. Egon flinched.

"MISS EVELYN!!" Scattering leaves and paper everywhere Peter dove for her feet. If she had a cane she would have pounded him with it. As she was unarmed all she could do was call for the police. Softly.

 

At Last, My Love Has Come Along 

Winston punched in a selection and the vintage jukebox flared into life. "Hit the road, Jack! And don't you come back no more, no more, no more, NO MORE!!!" It was five standing feet of gleaming chrome, glass and flashing lights and filled with a selection of R&B, Soul and Dr. Demento. Winston had replaced Ray's radio with a vengeance. "WHAT YOU SAY?!! Hit the ROAD, Jack! And don't you come back no mooooore!" The sound reverberated off the walls and the red and yellow lights lit up even the farthest corners of the basement. Ray was going to just...shit.

He felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned around...and froze. "JUNE!"

"Janine sent me down!" She shouted over the music. Winston scrambled for the volume control and cut Ray Charles down a peg. He wanted to call someone, anyone, for backup since June was probably here to deliver a progress report on her kids and she really should be speaking to a parapsychologist or psychologist or...anyone but him. That impulse was suddenly overridden by the simple desire to have her all to himself, if only for a moment. He pulled up a bench and they both sat down. June seemed drained. Tired. But pleased, somehow.

"So!" Winston gamely began, feeling like an idiot. God, she was pretty, even when she was upset. "What can I do for you?" He tried to give off the persona of good 'ol solid, reliable Winston and hoped she couldn't see through it to the manic man underneath.

June smiled. Winston was trying to be so casual; it was very flattering. "I need you...and the guys...and Janine...to help me move."

Winston's throat dried. "Move? Sure! Anything! Where?"

"I inherited an old purple Victorian at 221B Baker Street at Pell...."

"I know that place! I love that house! They used to have the Sherlock Holmes fan club meet there until they sold it about five years ago...and its just a few doors down." his relief showed plainly.

"They sold it to my Grandmama and she passed it on to me."

"That's so great! I'd love to live there! I bet it could use some work?" he asked hopefully.

"Mostly cosmetic work. It's a good, sound house. Me and Kenny and Meghan should have a lot of fun fixing it up nice. It's split in two halves, we could rent out 221A if we can find the right people."

Me and Kenny and Meghan? "James too busy at work to help?" Too critical. Cool it down.

"What James does is his own business. It's me and the kids from now on." June sat up very straight. She looked directly, defiantly into his eyes.

Oh...God.… "You left James?" Winston asked quietly.

"James left me. I came home last night...do you want to hear this? I'm not making you uncomfortable?"

"NO! No, go on." Damn, his palms were sweating again.

"I came home last night and found a note. We had grown apart, it said, and he needed space and time to think...blah de blah...I wanted to sing. But then he came back."

"He came BACK?!"

"Yeah, either his Mama wouldn't take him in or he got hungry...I don't know. I don't care. I wouldn't open the door. I mean you can only try and try for however long to make something work but this thing with the Bogeyman was the last straw. I've had it."

Handel's 'Hallelujah Chorus' filled the basement. They both looked up, startled. Oh, the jukebox. Winston got up and went over to it, fiddling with the volume again. He wanted to dance. He wanted to cry. He wanted to crawl over to June on his hands and knees. He decided to be more discreet, instead.

"How are the kids doing?" he asked, sitting down again.

Pleased that he had thought of them, June patted him on the hand.What nice, strong, kind, fine hands. "They're fine. It's just the three of us again, like it was when James was traveling so much. We're all going to be...we are fine. Just like you all said we would be." She beamed at him. "Are you going to help us move?"

"YES! Hell, yes. Anything you want me...us to do, anytime, anyplace!"

"Thank you, Winston. I..." June simply didn't have the words. "Thank you." She took his hand in both of hers and they sat there, overcome.

Together at last.

What a beautiful feeling.

Spying through a crack in the basement door Peter held his palm up and his co-conspirators pressed their own palms to his in a silent high-five of victory.

They did it. What's more, they'd gotten away with it! Who said crime doesn't pay?

 

Crime Doesn't Pay 

Peter hefted the last heavy box of books into the Victorian's living room and dropped it with an echoing THOOM! He sat down on it in disgust. Ray and Egon were setting up a bookshelf. Ray looked to be near tears and Egon was actively sulking but trying to hide it.

"WELL, boys!" Peter slapped his thighs. "What goes around comes around, huh? No good deed, or in our case, bad deed goes unpunished. We are reaping what we have sown..."

"I have no regrets." Egon interrupted stubbornly. "We did what we did for the best of reasons and we succeeded. Winston is happy. The kids are happy. June is practically...glowing."

"Yeah, but we didn't expect THIS!" Ray grabbed up a nail and almost stabbed himself in the thumb. "Don't you think it's a little early for THIS!"

"Why should they have waited? What June and Winston have, they have for life. LIFE! I feel it in my gut."

"But they've only been together a few months...!"

A cold breeze swept the room as Janine walked in bearing a goldfish bowl in her gloved hands. "Winston!" she called. "Where does Bruce go?!" Bruce the goldfish darted excitedly back and forth in his bowl.

"On the bedside table in mine and June's room!" Winston shouted back from the kitchen.

"Figures." Egon heard Janine mutter and she stomped away, cursing the blissfully unaware fish. Winston is still a Ghostbuster, Egon reminded himself. They would see him every day, if a call came through he'd be ready when they came by in Ecto to retrieve him. Luckily the Victorian was only two minutes drive to the firehouse. He hadn't moved away from them, just the firehouse. Egon pounded his finger with the hammer and Ray and Peter were entertained by several select and exotic curses.

Winston continued to lay low in the kitchen, assembling a baking hutch as slowly as he possibly could. His going away party had been a bitter affair even though his friends tried mightily to conceal it. Too much laughter, too loud. Winston was perversely gratified that his friends felt terribly about his leaving. They were great friends, great people. They'd forgive him. And he hoped they'd be as happy as he was now, someday. As for now, he continued to hide.

Janine returned and joined Peter on his box just as June arrived home from picking Meghan and Kenny up from school. The mood lightened immediately. "EEEEGONNN!!!" Egon got up and began to help them out of their coats. This involved picking Kenny up and shaking him by the feet while Meghan filled him in on the latest vagaries of one Levy Joe Malcolm, a second grader that was driving her crazy! Egon happily sympathized.

June had quickly joined Winston in the kitchen. "Oh, Gomez!" Peter teasingly called after her. "It's been entire MINUTES since we've been apart!" He could hear her giggling. Amazing how that woman had come alive the past few months. Damn her.

Peter leaned in close to Janine, "Look at it this way..." Unsurprisingly, Ray abandoned the bookshelf and also moved closer. "...it's fate no matter how unhappy it makes us. What are we going to do? Break them up to get Winston back?" His friends sadly shook their heads. They'd done enough evil and, like Janine had predicted, they were getting their butts kicked for it. "There's just no beating destiny." Peter continued, "Even if it's NOT AT ALL what you want or expect." Ray looked thoughtfully at Janine. She looked annoyed.

"I hope you're still so accepting when it's your turn!" She groused.

Smugly secure, wrongly so, Peter just laughed.

Email the Author  |  Home  |  Back to Index

Back to Singe