Ghostbusters In Love

5. Dogs and Cats Living Together

Author's Note: this is a 13 chapter novella, best started from the beginning. Rated Mature for sex, horror, mature themes, drug and alcohol use.

* Autumn 1984, Columbia University, NYC, as the events of the 1984 movie begin *

They got fired from the University.Because of course they did.

If only Venkman could have resisted trying to get into every pair of panties on campus. If only they'd gotten proof of The Grey Woman sighting. If only the library haunting had happened a few weeks earlier and they'd had time to analyze the ectoplasm samples and go over the video tape. If only there was a way to trap a ghost and bring it into the Dean's office to show him.

Ray grinned a little, picturing the pompous professor terrified by a poltergeist unboxed in his stuffy office. It was a small relief from the disgrace of loosing his position.

The trio had gotten away with unsanctioned research and collaboration for a little while. Where they'd messed up was underestimating how popular their classes would become with the students. Everyone wanted to take Scary Stantz and Spooky Spengler's science classes and sign up for Venkman's psychic power testing. They'd forgotten how attracted young people are to the supernatural. Their popularity with the kids drove the other faculty wild with jealousy, which Venkman loved and was a little too smug about.

Resentment and skepticism steadily built among the other professors. Soon even their own departments and former friends started looking for reasons to push them out of the Ivory Tower.

Venkman gave them plenty of reasons. They didn't have to look that hard.

When their indulgent old Dean retired, the freshly promoted new Dean came for their jobs and funding. Of course, Venkman had seen it coming, and for the last few weeks, had been quietly relocating one piece of equipment at a time from the lab to his apartment.

After they were cast out of University, Stantz and Venkman's enthusiasm to continue their paranormal research and field work, swept up Egon in their wake. He wasn't about to take a pentagon or NASA contract and miss out on the fun. Spengler let himself be carried along to the firehouse and into this scheme they now call Ghostbusters.
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Leaving academia, moving into the firehouse, living together, means that Ray and Egon are finally free to collaborate for the entirety of every work day. They are free of academic restraints and assignments, free of department head demands, classes, and school year schedules. Egon is free to plunge himself into every passion project he'd been dreaming of while under contract to the University.

In no time at all, they devise several promising prototype ghost traps. All they need is a ghost to test it on. Venkman is sure they'll get one soon.

Peter scrounges up some funding, gets them a logo from who knows where, and charms Janine into coming on board. Ray takes apart and rebuilds the Ecto 1 in the firetruck bay. Then, Egon figures out how to make the proton tech small enough to carry on their backs. Finally, there was nothing left to do but open for business.

They are Ghostbusters now. Officially.

They put out newspaper ads. They begin to get calls. Mostly crackpots at first. Crazies and lonely people who want someone to talk to about a long dead loved one. Because Janine used to teach middle school in the Bronx, she is immune to nonsense on the phone and can tell a legit inquiry from a prank call within seconds. She is a sassy little dragon guarding the mouth of their cave.

This just might work out.
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Egon doesn't enjoy eye contact. He is puzzled by facial expressions. Other people's eyes often contain more emotional information than Egon can interpret. Feelings are confusing distractions from his work.