Derek was about to reply to Winston’s comment when Dave’s remark sank in. “…Okay.” He took a deep breath and turned back to the two combatants on the floor. “Hey!”

Egon’s body stopped its attempt to grab at Peter’s throat when it heard Derek’s voice. “The boy…” With a strength that belied his form, the scientist cast Peter aside like a dishrag, rising to his feet as fluidly as he did before.

“You want me?” Derek asked, a bit of a shake in his tone as he spoke up. He cleared his throat and drew himself up proudly. “You think I’m gonna be as easy to take over again, huh?”

“All humans are weak, boy.” Egon replied with a sly smile. “You’re just weaker than most.”

“That’s where you’re wrong.” Derek shook his head firmly. “I’m not gonna be taken over again. Not by you, and not by your little friends here.” He jabbed a thumb at the traps on the ground. “No more.”

“That’s what YOU think!” Egon roared, his eyes suddenly rolling back as a putrid green mist flowed out of the man’s chest and upper body, roiling into a billowing cloud that advanced on Derek. Derek gritted his teeth, but to his credit, he stood his ground. When he saw the dark red eyes he had seen in his nightmares about to close on him, the boy squeezed his eyes tight.

The sharp crackle of a proton stream at full power had Derek’s eyes shooting wide open as the demon was immobilized inches from his face. Backpedaling wildly, the ghost could now see his last remaining tormentor screeching out its fury as it was held in place. There was a fan of light from the trap Derek has vacated, and the last entity went howling into the darkness.

Derek took in a shaky breath and released it slowly.

Winston smiled, but it soon faded when he saw Egon’s leg start to shake dangerously. Peter turned to Egon, his gaze narrowing as he took the helmet off of his head. “Spengs? You okay?”

“Quite all right,” Egon replied, running a shaky hand through his hair. His eyes were a light green. “Though in need of some assistance.”

Peter rushed to his side, wrapping an arm around the slender waist. “Egon?”

“In a moment,” Egon smiled. “Your friend is still recovering.”

“Maxwell?” Peter asked tentatively.

“Yes,” Egon’s lips replied. “That last ghost took a lot out of your friend.” Peter nodded.

“Max, you doing okay?” Dave joined Egon’s side, looking up at the taller man, but not deterred by the familiar pair of eyes.

“Pretty good. Egon needs some help recovering, so I may as well help him while I’m here.” Maxwell smiled through Egon’s lips.

Dave rolled his eyes. “You’re irritating. You know that, right?”

“But, you still love me.” Maxwell returned confidently.

“I guess so, you dip.”

“God, wow. What a rush.” Angie shook her head. Looking around self-consciously for a moment or so, the realization that all of the malignant ghosts were now captured finally seeped into her mind, and she smiled. “We better be heading out, guys.” Angela told the two boys, dusting off her jacket. “Don’t wanna keep Mom waiting.”

“Mom?” Egon raised an eyebrow at her.

“Yeah, remember?” When it was obvious he didn’t, she harrumphed. “She died last year from breast cancer? Duh?”

“That reminds me.” Dave turned a exasperated look at her. “Just *when* were you going to tell us we were already dead?”

“I thought you already knew.” Angela shrugged. “Took me a while to figure it out myself.”

“Don’t blame her, Dave,” Egon shook his head, wrapping an arm around Dave’s shoulders. “I should’ve known when we went through that door, but it takes a while to believe things that you don’t want to.”

Dave sighed and rested his head on the possessed scientist’s chest. For a long moment, there was silence, but the ghost sighed. “Do you think that we’ll be able to-y’know…?”

“If God didn’t approve, do you think we’d have found each other in the first place?” Maxwell asked gently, running a hand through Dave’s blond hair, ignoring the transparent ectoplasm that stuck to his skin. “Or that we’d still be together even after death?”

Dave sighed again, lifting his head to kiss Egon on the cheek. “You’ve got a point.”

Egon was reluctant to intrude on the boys’ moment, but when he felt a rush of sadness emanating from Maxwell’s presence, he gently asked, /Maxwell?/

--I’m okay.- Maxwell answered him softly. -Do you think you can stand on your own?-

/Peter is here to catch me if necessary./

Egon turned his head slowly to Peter. “I’m going to release Egon.”

Peter’s arm tightened around the blond’s waist, “Ready when you are.”

Egon could feel Maxwell loosening his grip gently, separating himself and pushing off. There was a second where Egon couldn’t breathe as he saw the tall, young man peel away from his body and finally take a step forward to release him completely. Egon’s legs started to shake, but he remained standing.

“Sorry about that, sir,” Maxwell turned an apologetic gaze to Egon.

“There’s no need to apologize, Maxwell,” Egon shook his head. “Thank you.”

Angie looked at the trap in Egon’s hand. “That Derek?”

Egon nodded. “Yes. As there is no further threat from the other ghosts, I can release him.”

“You want to release the guy that shot us?” Dave gave Egon a raised eyebrow. Maxwell dug a none-too-gentle elbow into his ribs in a silent rebuke.

“Hey, Derek wasn’t that bad.” Angela folded her arms across her chest defiantly as she defended the absent party. “It can be just as easily said that the demons were the ones who shot us, and were just using Derek to do it.”

“I also made a promise to help him,” Egon added. “I don’t make promises lightly.”

“Okay, okay.” Dave rolled his eyes and raised his hands in surrender. “I know when I’m outnumbered. Go right ahead.”

The girl frowned at the shorter boy for a second before shrugging. “Fire away.” She winced, looking embarrassed. “Ummm, well…yeah-you know what I mean!”

“It’s okay, Angie.” Maxwell smiled. “We know what you meant.”

Egon set the trap on the ground, and as everyone stepped back, he stepped on the trigger again. The doors of the trap opened with a hiss, the usual fan of white light barely hiding a hazy, grayish cloud issued from the trap and hovered in the air before settling on the floor near Angie’s feet, shifting and condensing into Derek’s human form, which sat on the floor with his arms wrapped around his legs and his chin resting on his knees.

The ghost blinked a few times, looking up before standing and looking around anxiously. “What happened?”

“You were being held in one of our ghost traps,” Ray explained, picking up one of the traps from the floor and holding it up.

Derek shuddered. “Right. Whatever you say, man.” He turned to the other ghosts. “Angie, guys… How’s it goin’?”

“Uhhh, Derek?” Angela asked hesitantly. “Do you remember anything? Anything at all ‘bout what just happened?”

Derek looked away for a moment, one of his hands straying upwards to scratch the back of his head self-consciously. “…Yeah.”

The three ghosts exchanged a look before Angie spoke again. “You know you’re dead, doncha?”

The kid nodded slowly. “Guys, I…”

Maxwell shook his head. “You don’t need to apologize. You were possessed by demons, and we don’t blame you for what happened.”

Derek turned a skeptical eye to the taller boy. “You sure ‘bout that?”

“Yeah, we’re sure.” Angie answered promptly. “All of us are. Right, Dave?” She aimed a pointed look at the blond boy.

Dave nodded. “Yeah. That wasn’t your fault.”

Derek flicked a worried glance to the statue of the Virgin. “Do you think…He does?”

“God isn’t an SOB,” Angie shook her head, gesturing to Maxwell and Dave. “These two knuckleheads are still together, and with any luck, we’ll be able to find the pearly gates.”

“Which reminds me,” Dave asked pointedly, “shouldn’t we be heading out?”

Angie shrugged. “I’ve been ready to leave when the last demon was toast. I’m just waiting for you guys.”

Ray watched the exchange with a smile, glancing at his partners to see similar looks of satisfaction on their faces. They had been able to help four ghosts to disperse peacefully, and make sure that seven ghosts wouldn’t hurt anyone again. As the four ghosts turned to the statue of the Virgin Mary, he suddenly remembered something. “Angie, wait! Your locket!”

“Huh?” Angie turned to him, thoroughly puzzled as the redhead patted his pockets, trying to find the ghost’s locket before she left.

“I’ve got it, Ray,” Winston pulled out the two halves of the golden locket, holding them out to the girl. Her eyes widened in surprise, and she quickly took the piece of jewelry from his hand.

“My locket!” Angie grinned. She flashed a glance at Winston. “Where’d you find it? I *knew* there was something missing!”

“It was hanging from the statue’s hand when we arrived,” Egon replied.

Angie turned to the tall scientist with a confused look. “Why would it be there?”

Peter shrugged. “Maybe the Big Guy Upstairs is into flashy décor?”

“Ha, ha.” Angie rolled her eyes with a smile before turning back to Winston, absently putting the jewelry in her pocket. “Thanks for finding it.” Winston was caught a little off-guard as Angie suddenly threw her arms around his neck and squeezed, leaving a large patch of ectoplasm where her form had touched him.

“Ummm, oops.” She grinned apologetically when she saw the damage done. “Sorry.”

“This jumpsuit’s been slimed more times than I can remember.” Winston smiled. “You take care of yourself, okay?”

Angie nodded. “I will.” She turned to the others, giving each of them an ectoplasm-filled hug. Even Peter didn’t mind being slimed as he tried to give her a parting noogie.

“Are you done yet, Angie, or should we wait for Hell to freeze over?” Dave asked good-naturedly, though his impatience was beginning to show.

“All right, all right! I’m coming!” Angie rolled her eyes. “Sheesh.”

One by one, the kids gently touched the Virgin’s skirts reverently, each becoming a brilliant white point of light, which flew up towards the ceiling and then flew out of the double doors. Angie had gone first, followed closely by Derek, leaving the two boys.

“You sure about all that BS you told me about God being okay with us?” Dave asked a bit nervously, his hand hesitating an inch away from the Lady’s skirts.

“You sure that you love me?” Maxwell answered with a smile before leaning forward and giving Dave a deep, slow kiss. As they separated, they turned to wave at the Ghostbusters before sharing another kiss. The must have touched the base of the statue, because during their second kiss, they both turned into the brilliant white lights that Angie and Derek had, weaving playfully around each other and dancing over the Ghostbusters’ heads before darting out of the door, one in pursuit of the other.

“Man, we need a vacation.” Peter picked up one of the traps.

“You said it, homeboy.” Winston nodded, gathering up the three traps he used and slinging them over one shoulder.

“Maybe we can go to Myrtle Beach.” Ray grinned, picking up the last trap from the ground. “I heard it’s great this time of year.”

“I’d rather return home and recuperate from this excursion for a little while.” Egon remarked. “It is a shame that we couldn’t speak to the children more.”

“And ask them what?” Peter asked him. “We gave Angie back her locket. If the ghosts were able to find rest, then I say the job’s done and we did good.”

“I just wished we could’ve talked to Brother Raymond about the mouse.” Ray frowned. “Speaking of which, I wonder where the little guy went….”

“The mouse is well,” A new voice caused the four to wheel around. Near the altar was a young man with light auburn hair and pale blue eyes, wearing the simple robes of a priest. “He’s sleeping comfortably in his nest at the moment.”

“Brother Raymond, I presume?” Egon lifted an eyebrow at the young man.

Brother Raymond nodded. “I apologize for having to possess you, Dr. Stantz, but I wasn’t sure if you would think to retrieve the locket and begin the… repeater, was it?”

Ray Stantz nodded. “Yeah, we call it a repeater, but I’m really surprised we were able to get involved like we did. Normally, repeaters can’t touch or hurt us, and it’s just a matter of busting them or helping them to disperse.”

“I’m afraid that was partly my fault,” the priest admitted apologetically. “I wanted for the repeater to end once and for all, and I got a little too carried away when I was trying to open the locket.”

“Do you know why the locket was required to begin the repeater?” Egon asked curiously. “It seems an odd focus for a repeater.”

“When Angie first died, she was holding her locket in one hand, and the chain snapped off when she hit the floor. I assume that the Lord wanted to see the wrong righted to allow her and the boys to rest.”

“Hey, Raymond,” Peter spoke up. “When we were heading to the backroom, you were telling me to stay in there. You knew Angie was gonna marry Dave and Max?”

Raymond nodded. “While I wouldn’t have married them myself, as their union would’ve been considered a mockery of the church, I do believe that love shouldn’t be punished, no matter what the form it comes in. I am sure that Dave and Maxwell are together and resting comfortably in the arms of the Lord. Angie did as she felt was right, and if I had been present, I most probably wouldn’t have allowed her to finish the ceremony.”

“Well, that doesn’t really matter now, does it?” Winston spoke up. “How come you’re still here?”

The priest looked the dark-skinned man. “Mainly, I wanted to thank you for capturing the ghosts that were tormenting the boy and allowing us to finally rest.”

“It was all in a day’s work,” Peter smirked. “Hey, we won’t even bill you for the job.”

“It would extremely difficult if we were to do so, seeing as Brother Raymond is a Class Three entity.” Egon commented dryly.

“I also wished to tell you that my best wishes and hopes are with you all.” Brother Raymond smiled at the pair before turning his attention back to Winston.

“There were a great many things that happened here, my son.” The ghost told him gently, laying a hand on the man’s shoulder. “Much like your venture overseas. There have been many times when the danger was terrifying beyond words, but you were able to withstand it, as you did today. I am very proud of you, Winston Zeddemore, and I will watch the rest of your career with great interest.”

With an enigmatic smile, Brother Raymond waved to the other three and faded away.

“Oh, wow!” Ray breathed, an excited grin blooming on his face. “Did you see that? Winston--”

Egon rested a hand on the engineer’s shoulder and nodded slowly. “Yes….”

Winston only smiled.

“Well, we’ve got our ghosts,” Peter spoke up with a grin to his teammates as he swung the traps in his hand lazily. “Let’s head for home.”

The four assembled their gear together and filed out of the church, though Winston strayed behind them. As Egon and Ray finished putting the proton packs in the back of Ecto-1, Peter turned to look at Winston from the passenger seat, “Hey, Zed, whatcha doin’? Thought you wanted to head back.”

“I’ll be with you in a minute, homeboy.” Winston glanced at the two at the back putting in the full traps. “There’s something I wanna do first.”

Peter shrugged. “Okay by me. Don’t take too long, though. I wanna get back in time for Newhart.”

Winston nodded and headed back into the church. Any signs of chaos and carnage had been neatly erased, leaving the church as the silent temple it had been at the beginning of the bust. His combat boots echoed loudly against the cleaned wooden floor, any traces of blood wiped clean from the planks. As he looked up at the Virgin Mary, he bowed his head and crossed himself before closing his eyes.

*Lord, I know I haven’t asked for much, but would you keep an eye on Brother Raymond and the kids for me? They didn’t need to die like they did, but if it was part of your divine plan, I guess I can’t really argue too much.* He paused before adding, *And please protect Egon, Ray, and Pete. They mean too much for me to let them go anytime soon. Amen.*

He stood and walked down the aisle, but as he looked over his shoulder one last time at the marble statue, he could the play of colors on the cool surface reveal the chiseled smile. Winston nodded once to the statue and closed the door behind him as he left the church.

A small head poked out from near one of the pews, taking a few sniffs of the air as it heard the boom of the door close behind the giant. The giants were gone… Maybe now he could get some peace and quiet around here… The rodent turned its small head to the enormous statue and run a paw over its face before scurrying back to the darkness it had come from.

THE END