Okay, here it is, the final chapter. Sorry it took me so long, but I hope you all enjoy it. I might write another story, don't know when or what about yet, but it's a possibility. Thanks again for all your support.

The setting sun dips behind the tree-line, just as the Ghostbusters arrive at the Crane Estate. It was a long car ride with Holtzmann alternating between singing and humming "Can't Take My Eyes Off of You" on loop. When the vehicle comes to a stop on the cobblestone driveway, there is an immediate effort to escape its confines. But confusion quickly sets in, looking around them, they found no other cars, but their own.

"Were we suppose to park somewhere else?" Erin looks down the empty road, no other vehicles in sight.

Abby doesn't answer. Instead, she walks slowly towards the front porch, where the door appears to be slightly ajar. She leans forward, sticking her head between the crack, peering inside. The lights are on, but she doesn't hear any sounds coming from within, no footsteps, no voices.

Hello?" She calls out. Pushing the door open further. "Mr. Crane?"

Holtzmann leans over her shoulder, getting a look for herself. She strains her neck to see down the hallway towards the dining room, but its double doors are tightly closed. Abby crosses the threshold, the others following closely behind. They listen for the sounds of possible caterers or wait staff, but are met with nothing. Holtzmann motions towards the shut dining room doors, she picks up on the shadows of feet reflecting from under the doors. Firmly grabbing hold of the antique glass door knobs, she pulls the two dividers apart, revealing an empty room. She looks about her… baffled, no people, no place settings, no food, only a gold candelabra in the center of the table.

"I guess this means no crab puffs," Patty mumbles, stepping into the room. "Not even a bowl of trail mix."

They move around the table, heading of the door on the opposite side of the room, the one that leads to the kitchen. But just like the dining room, they find it empty as well. Someone's stomach growls and it is not easy to determine which one of them it was, since they are all feeling the hunger pains. Holtzmann moves away from them, opening and closing cabinets until she finds something of interest.

"Ha!" She pulls a container of Pringles from the pantry. Popping the cap off, she immediately dives in.

"You know this isn't your home, right?" Patty sarcastically asks.

In response, Holtzmann takes a stack of seven chips and stuffs them in her mouth, chewing loudly. Crumbs cascade from her mouth to the floor below. Patty shakes her head, like she often does when it comes to Holtzmann, turning her attention back to the others in their group.

"Should we check upstairs?" Abby offers.

Erin reaches down, tugging uncomfortable at the hem of her dress. "No, let's just get out of here. Hit some fast food on the way back to the city. It's apparent that Crane is still pissed that you almost strangled him and trying to make us all look like fools." She looks around her. "Wouldn't be surprised if there are hidden camera all over this place and he is just sitting back laughing."

"Don't be so dramatic." Abby counters. "Come on." She signals for them to follow her out of the kitchen and back into the foyer.

"I'm going to call his office and see what's up. Maybe we got the day wrong." Abby pulls out her cellphone, unlocking the home screen. "Damn it, I forgot there is no service here."

She looks around her, spotting the landline phone, located near the stairs. She moves across the room towards it. The bronze rotary phone looking more like an art piece than a household device. With a delicate touch, because it looks so fragile, she lifts the receiver to her ear. The line is silent, no dial-tone present. She becomes less gently, spinning the rotary, slamming the receiver down repeatedly, but still the line remains dead.

She sighs. "Yeah, okay. Let's just get out of here." Abby returns the receiver to its cradle one final time.

They head for the door, one behind the other. Erin reaches for the door handle, she tries to turn the knob, but it doesn't budge.

"Patty… you were the last one inside, did you lock the door?"

"I didn't lock it. I'm not even sure I closed it."

Erin jiggles the handle again. "It's definitely locked.

Patty moves Erin out of the way. "You need to try the dead bolt."

But before she can even get her hand on the lock, there is a sudden break in the silence within the house. The creaking of a floorboard permeates from the second floor, causing all four of them to turn back around.

"And we were so close." Patty stills her hand on the dead bolt.

They move back towards the staircase, their eyes straining upward. They listen for more movement, but instead are rewarded with several seconds of nothing.

"Mr. Crane?" Abby shouts up the steep staircase. "Is that you?"

There is another moment of silence, before music starts to flood through the house, big band music to be exact. The sound of trombones, trumpets, and saxophones met their ears with a distinct scratchy kind of quality, which can only be produced from the needle of a phonograph.

"The party must be in the library," Holtzmann tells them. "He should have put up a sign or something telling us that."

Abby places her hand on the wood railing. "Shall we?"

Not waiting for a reply, she climbs the stairs, making careful steps in her uncomfortable new shoes. Erin follows closely behind her, still pulling at the hem of her dress. Holtzmann is next, but Patty grabs her arm, pulling her away.

"I'm not going to be in the back." Patty climbs ahead of Holtzmann. "The person in the back is always the one to disappear first in horror films."

"So, it should be me?" Holtzmann protests to Patty's back.

The music gets louder and louder as they climb the wooden staircase. Abby hits the top step, turning down the hall to head for the library. The door is open and the music from the phonograph is certainly coming from within, but the lights are off and there is no immediate indication of life from inside. She peers into the room, the others gathering around her in the doorway. It looks much different from the last time they saw it, with scorched walls, dismantled furniture, and broken glass. The window has been fixed, the walls repainted, and the furniture now upright, as if there had never been a supernatural disaster in this room at all. The only thing that appears to be missing is the grandfather clock that sat on the other side of the room, no doubt it was beyond repair.

Abby looks over towards the window, the same window that she almost went sailing out of when she had the ghost in her grasps, several nights back. A shiver runs down her spine at the thought of it. But she quickly reminds herself that they got him, he is a threat no more. She flinches, suddenly caught off guard when she notices the silhouette of a man sitting beside the window. How did she not notice him there?

"Mr. Crane?" Her voice cracks.

She moves into the room, moving closer towards him, the others follow. The orange glow from the setting sun flattens across his cheek, but the rest of him remains in the shadows. He lifts a glass filled with dark liquor and ice to his mouth. On the desk in front of him is the giant crystal from his office. She stops several feet away from him.

"Light is such a wondrous thing." Mr. Crane places his glass back down. "How it passes through a physical boundary and changes form." His hand moves to the crystal, running his fingers over its edges. "From air to crystal back to air again, it bends and distorts until it splinters out into the many facets of its once singular form."

The team glances over their shoulders at the sparkling, shimmering reflections across the opposite wall of the room.

"Is it the liquor talking, you suppose?" Patty asks lowly to no one in particular.

Turning her attention back to Mr. Crane, Abby takes a step closer. "Where is everyone? Are we early?"

His reflective moment ends, he picks up the glass again. Jingling the ice, he lifts it to his lips. "You're right on time."

The phonograph needle screeches across the record, bringing the saxophone solo to an abrupt stop. It's a piercing sound, scratching at their eardrums. The room then falls silent, except for the tinging clink of the ice in Mr. Crane's glass. Abby squints her eyes, but she still can't see the details of his face, due to the shadows. So, she stares straight into the black, where she assumes his eyes should be located.

"What's going on here?"

A response comes in the form of the library door slamming shut behind them. They all swiftly turn around, but see no one by the door and no shadows of feet from the other side. But what they do see, leaves them with their mouth agape. A key twists slowly in the dead bolt, all on its own accord. After the lock is clicked into place, the key falls from the dead bolt, hitting the floor with a thud, before quickly sliding beneath the door crack.

Patty moves hesitantly towards the door, reaching out a hand to take the door knob. But before she can take a hold of it, an ethereal figure beginnings to materialize through the solid wood door. She jumps back in surprise, almost tripping over her own feet as she steps backwards, not stopping until she rejoins her friends in the middle of the room.

"I thought we already caught him?" Patty mumbles.

Erin places her hand on Patty's arm, her heart rapidly pounding against her rib cage. "We did."

The ghost tips his bowler hat at them, smirking.

Twisting her head slightly towards Erin at her side, Patty asks without looking away from the figure in front of her. "Then what is he doing out of the containment unit?"

Holtzmann shakes her head. "This can't be."

There is a ramble from the floorboards beneath them. They shift their attention to their feet, grabbing onto each other for support. The first fleeting thought is it's an earthquake, but Abby knows better. She experienced this same sensation before at the Crane Hotel. There is another ghost and it is about to come straight up through the floor. She grabs onto the back of Holtzmann's jacket and Patty's dress, pulling them back. Erin who is still holding onto Patty's arm, gets pulled back as well.

A second later, another entity materializes in the room, right where they were just standing. This ghost is a carbon copy of the one standing by the door. Their mouths fall open wider as they shift their attention between the two identical entities. But before a word can be spoken, two more walk through the opposite wall and into the room. Each tipping his hat at the ladies, their fingers flinching back and forth erratically.

Erin's hand tightens on Patty's arm, to a painful extent, her nails digging into the flesh. "This isn't possible… this isn't possible."

Patty pries her fingers away, rubbing at the agitated skin. "How can this be?"

Mr. Crane slams his glass down on the table, making everyone jump. The dark liquor sloshes over the side, dripping onto the wood tabletop. "I just told you!" He shouts. "Were you not listening?" He rises from the shadows, his face finally coming into view. His eyes are dark and his forehead sporting several ceases due to irritation. He takes a breath, before pointing towards the couch. "Sit down, It looks as if I am going to need to start from the beginning."

The Ghostbusters don't move, they stay huddled close together. Mr. Crane takes a step forwards, his facial hair shining like copper in what is left of the sunlight. "Are you going to sit down or am I going to have to ask them to assist in the matter?" He gestures towards the four looming ghosts.

This got them moving, cautiously they seat themselves on the couch. Their eyes still moving between all five of the threatening figures within this one room. Mr. Crane walks over to the winged back chair across the coffee table from them. He looks a bit more relaxed now, maybe it just seems that way since they can actually see his eyes now. He smiles at them, but it is taken as being condescending. He begins to drum his fingers against the armrests.

"Should I begin?"

/

"God help you Charlie, if you're in on this!" Dani clenches the phone tighter against her ear.

She stares out the window into the dark, the tree-line zipping by as the car moves down the country road. She tries to understand it all, understand how she couldn't see what was really going on from the very beginning. She presses her fingertips to her temple as she listens to Charlie explain, wishing she could somehow ring his neck through the phone if she discovers he knew about all this.

"No, I had no idea! I swear it!" He stresses. "I just found out and I called you immediately." He's frantic and that's not hard to discern, but she believes him. Believes what he is telling her.

"Where are you right now?"

"I'm in his office. I just came in to grab some papers before I left for the day, but then I saw this journal just sitting there. I didn't even know he kept a journal. I know I shouldn't have looked but I just couldn't help myself. He is such an enigma, I had to know what was inside."

There is a long pause that gets Dani tapping her fingers against her leg. "Well?"

"It's all in there Dani, all of it." He takes a quick breath. "Everything he has already done and everything he is planning on doing. It was him, he was behind it all and he's not done yet. I can't believe I had no idea… I sat outside his door eight hours a day for a full year completely oblivious to what was really going on."

She understands what he is feeling, blaming himself for not seeing the signs earlier. Dani was just doing the same thing. But this is not the time to criticize themselves for what they should have done. It's time to figure out what they are up against and how to stop him. "How did he do it? How did make a ghost clone?"

"Well first I should tell you he was not the one that originally came up with this plan of resurrecting the dead to build an army."

Dani cuts her eyes to the rearview mirror. Her driver remains silent, but it is certain that he is intently listening in on her conversation. His eyes meet hers in the mirror, before he flicks them back to the road ahead. "You're telling me there are more people in on this?"

"Not exactly." Charlie lets out a breath into the phone. "The journal originally belonged to his ancestor Tobias Crane. He came up with the idea after witnessing a Native American ritual performed by a shaman."

Dani is reminded of the day she was in Mr. Crane's office planting the mini PKE meter. In her mind, she can clearly see the photos of Tobias Crane and the shaman on his wall.

"The Shaman created a window into the afterlife, as a tool of communication. Tobias was fascinated and also convinced he could do the same himself. But a window was not enough for him. He figured if he could somehow harness enough energy, he could create an actually door."

The little hairs on the back of Dani's neck stand up. She doesn't interrupt Charlie, just simply leans her head against the chilled car window as she continues to listen.

"He wrote down all of his experiments in great detail, but they proved to be futile. Well, that was until Warren T. Crane picked up where Tobias left off."

"What changed? Why was he successful and Tobias not?" Dani asks.

"He found a strong enough energy source." There is another pause, but this time Dani can hear shuffling on the other side of the line. She listens closely, it sounds like he is flipping through the pages of the journal. "I'm trying to find what it was again. It had a specific name."

"Ley Lines," Dani answers for him.

"Yeah that was it. He learned about them after seeing an interview with the Ghostbusters when they saved the city."

Dani shakes her head in frustration. They have seriously got to stop helping the bad guys. First it was Rowan now its Crane. "Okay, go on. He opened the portal in Central Park and used a gold watch once owned by the ghost to bring him forth, but that still doesn't explain the multiples."

"I was getting there," Charlie tells her. "The portal… it isn't permanent. It only stays open for a few hours a night and then it closes again. For two nights straight he stood there with that watch waiting, but the ghost never appeared. He got impatient and on the third night he tried something else…"

/

"It was pure accident really." Mr. Crane slowly lifts an eyebrow and smirks at the Ghostbusters, their bodies squished together on the couch in front of him. "I sat in my office contemplating what I was going to do after my first two failed attempts."

Abby and Erin listen closely to what Mr. Crane is telling them. The scientists in them wanting to understand how this is possible and also the problem solvers inside them wanting to figure where this is going to lead. Holtzmann and Patty on the other hand are more focused on formulating an escape plan, cutting their eyes around the room, looking for any sort of weapon nearby. There is no way this is going to end good for them if they don't act first.

"And then it hits me." Mr. Crane slams his hand down on the arm of his chair. Making them all flinch in surprise. "That son of a bitch right there." He points back across the room, where the giant crystal sits on the desk. "If the ancient Egyptians could use it to guide the dead into the afterlife, why couldn't I use it to guide them back to the land of the living. Am I right?"

They don't answer, they just stay perfectly still.

His face contorts into a scowl, unpleased with their non-response. "Well I was," his voice has a sharpness to it. He looks up at the ghost standing just to his left, motioning with his hand to the glass he left on the table by the window. "Get me my drink."

Like the obedient servant he is, the ghost floats across the room following his master's order. No emotion, no words, just unshakable loyalty. The glass drifts through the air in his translucent hand, in his other, he carries the liquor bottle. Another sign of a good servant, anticipating his master's needs before being asked. He hands Mr. Crane the glass, placing the bottle on the side table within reach. Holtzmann notes the key laying inside his transparent coat pocket.

"Have you caught on yet? Do you understand?"

Abby glances over at the crystal, her eyes running over its edges and curves. "The ghost's energy." She looks back at Mr. Crane, he is smirking at her again. "Just like the light… when he passed through the crystal coming out of the portal, his energy… it… it splintered. What was once just one became many.

Mr. Crane's smirk turns into a full-blown smile. "Amazing, isn't it?"

Abby adjusts her eye glasses. "It really is." She mulls over it a little more in her head, fascinated by it really. To the point of forgetting she is being held captive at the moment.

Patty holds up her hands in front of her. "What is the point?"

Turning her head to the side, looking over Erin, Abby focuses her attention on Patty. "The point is discovery."

Erin places her hand on Abby's knee. "That's not what she is referring to."

"Thank you." Patty stares down Mr. Crane as he takes a sip from his glass of liquor. "You just wanted to terrorize people? Send us on a wild goose chase all over New York City and Connecticut… for your amusement."

He bottoms the last remnants of alcohol in his glass, before refilling it with the liquor bottle from the table. Scratching at his facial hair, he rearranges his sitting position, resting his right ankle against his left knee. His pose is very casual… comfortable even, in great contrast to the women sitting on the opposite side of the coffee table. Their backs are straight as a board and their hearts pounding wildly, as four hostile apparitions and their drunk puppeteer hold them hostage in a locked room.

"No, that's just a happy byproduct." He lets out a deep laugh that turns into a cough. His clears his throat, giving his chest a quick pound with his fist. "It started out as a simple tool to run guests out of neighboring hotels and into mine." He points a finger at them. "But you four sort of ruined that." He smiles again. "But that's alright, because look at what I accomplished." He spreads his arms out, pointing out the ghosts around him. "There really is no end to what I can do. I am going to make Tobias proud, I am going to finish what he started."

"Why are we here? Why are you telling us all this?" Erin bites down on her bottom lip, frightened of his answer.

He sets his partially filled glass on top of his armrest. Balancing it there, his hand hovers over it momentarily, making sure it is stable. "I'll admit, it has not been easy keeping this all a secret." He leans forward, his right leg moving back to the floor, as he rests his elbows on his knee caps. "I have been dying to tell someone and I figured the four of you would be the most appreciative audience. Since this is your area of expertise and all."

The room grows darker, the sun light has completely faded into the horizon by this point and the only light source filters in from the hallway. They all seem to notice this at the same time, even Mr. Crane. He motions to the ghost flanking the other side of his chair. "Do something… I can't see a goddamn thing."

The ghost floats over to the fireplace. Grabbing a newspaper off the side table, he twists the sheets into knots, stuffing them under the logs and kindling. He then produces a long match from a cast iron pot sitting on the hearth. Swiftly striking it against one of the bricks in the inner structure of the fireplace. Pressing the flame against the newspaper, it catches quickly, a flickering blaze of orange light nips at the kindling and logs. It would have been more practical to have just turned the overhead light on, but with him being a ghost from the mid-1800s, it is understandable that it would not have been his first thought.

"I saw you girls in the park that night. I watched you from a far." Mr. Crane pauses taking a large gulp of burning liquor, resting it now on the table next to him. "I thought you were going to ruin it all, right then and there." He smiles at them. "But to my surprise, you just simply left. Just like that." He snaps his fingers.

He looks over at his creations, pride present on his face. "It wasn't easy rounding them up. Especially, when I wasn't expecting so many. I lost track of the one, as you know, the one that attacked that man and lead you to me." He grimaces. "Well anyways, he found his way back to me, all six of my wonderful creations reunited."

"Six?" Holtzmann's eyes dart to Mr. Crane, his face aglow as harsh shadows dance on the wall behind him. "There are four here and one in our containment unit. Where is the other one?"

He gives a deep chuckle, ending it with a long sigh. "I didn't want to have to do it. I really didn't. I wanted things to work out between Danielle and I."

Holtzmann's already rapidly beating heart increases at the mention of her girlfriend's name. Her fists clutch at her sides, her jaw stiffens. There is a heat crawling up her neck, it could be from the fire, but it is more likely a product of her anxiety and anger.

"Well anyways, it is probably all over by now." He glances down at his wrist watch. There is no telling if he could actually read it in the dim light. "He should be heading back soon… with his brother in tow. Oh, how we have all missed him."

There's a snarl from the four ghosts, presumably an attempt at confirming their master's statement. But it is all just background noise to Holtzmann. Even the voices of her friends, beside her, as they shout across the coffee table at Mr. Crane, become incoherent. Her vision starts to blur. Images of Dani being slung around like a rag doll by one of these vile entities takes over her cognizance. It already happened once, happened right here in this very room and now it has happened again. This time she wasn't there to stop it.

"If you've hurt her…" There is no need to finish that sentence, actions speak louder than words. She launches herself forward like a wild animal, all teeth and claws. Her feet never hit the ground, springing off the seat cushion, she sails over the coffee table. It's almost like déjà vu for the others watching Holtzmann propel herself at Mr. Crane, just like Abby had done prior. But this time the result was not the same. Holtzmann is not able to get her hands on Warren T. Crane. The ghost to his left prevents her from doing so. Blocking her path and sending her hurling in the other direction. Her back slams against the wall hard, leaving behind a crack in the plaster. She slides down to the floor with a hiss.

"Seems as if I wasn't the only one taken with her," Mr. Crane mocks.

The others quickly stand, in hopes of attending to their injured friend, but three entities stand between them and a hurt Holtzmann. One shell of a once living human being for each of them. He planned this out perfectly.

"You okay there, Holtzy?" Patty shouts over her shoulder.

Holtzmann pulls herself to her feet, her stare burns straight through the ghost standing in front of her, meeting the glare of Mr. Crane, who is still relaxing in his leather chair. Her lip twitches as she rushes forward. Once again, the ghost knocks her back to the ground, giving her a kick to the stomach. Holtzmann wails in pain, but still attempts to stand again. The ghost presses himself upon her, restraining her arms and legs. But she doesn't give up, fighting against his extraordinarily strong hold.

The other three ghosts follow suit, wrapping themselves around Abby, Erin, and Patty, holding them in place.

"Get your hands off of me," Abby howls, as she struggles against her captor.

Mr. Crane stands from his chair, he buttons his suit jacket and straightens his tie. Holtzmann hears his footsteps rattle against the floorboards from her position on the hard ground, as he makes his way over to her. His freshly shined shoes come to a stop beside her head. She looks up into his face, which is tilted down towards her. Her own face red, seething in anger, her lungs fill with air and release it in short controlled puffs. Mr. Crane reaches inside the ghost's pocket, his eyes still on Holtzmann, he pulls out the key to the door.

"As much as I would like to stay and watch my children annihilate the four of you. I have work to do."

He bends down, resting a knee on the ground next to Holtzmann's body. Reaching forward, he gently strokes Holtzmann's untamed hair. She flinches at his touch. His face comes close to hers, she can smell the liquor on his breath. "My family is about to get a lot bigger. And when I have my army… well, let's just say the world is going to look a lot different."

She thinks about spitting in his face, but by the time she sets her mind to it, he has already pulled away. His hand leaves her hair and his attention is drawn elsewhere. Crossing back to the other side of the couch, he stops in front of Abby.

"This one deserves the same respect she showed me." His hand reaches up touching his own neck, the bruised skin long healed. "Strangle her."

He simply walks away like he didn't just order someone's demise, complete lack of empathy. Retrieving the giant crystal from the table by the window, he secures it under his left arm. Walking towards the library door, his mouth curls up into a satisfied smirk.

"You can't do this!" Erin shouts at Crane's back, as he twists the key in the lock.

Turning the door knob and opening the door wide enough for him and the crystal to fit through, he looks over his shoulder. "It appears that I can." He exits the room, closing the door behind him, locking them once again inside.

Left alone in a locked room with four ghosts hell-bent on killing them, leaves the Ghostbusters in a whirlwind of panic. Erin kicks at her captor with her black heels to no avail. One pump sailing straight through the ghost, hitting Patty square in the back, while the other bounces off a sofa cushion. The ghost holding Abby, does precisely as he was instructed. Wrapping his cold fingers around Abby's neck, squeezing and releasing over and over, to draw out the horrifying experience. Her face starts to turn white, she pulls and beats her hands against his arms. The one holding down Holtzmann unpins her from the floor, wanting the opportunity to smack her around some more. He throws her against the wall repeatedly, but her fight never waivers. She continues to pull herself up off the floor, asking for more.

Patty gets dragged by the arms towards the fireplace, she violently thrushes against his grip, the fire's heat beating against her skin as they get closer and closer. She ends up knocking over a small table near the hearth, sending its contents crashing to the area rug below, a Dickens book, a picture frame and an unlit oil lamp. The ghost takes one of the cast iron pokers from its holder and lays its tip against a log, flames engulfing it instantly. It is becoming apparent that death is not the only goal here, but torture too.

"Oh, hell no… oh shit!" Patty screams, using her feet, she kicks at the poker, trying to remove it from the fire. The ghost pushes her to the ground, but not before she sends ash and sparks flying onto the area rug, that is now soaked with the oil from the fallen lamp. The antique rug ignites at once, flames shooting up right beside Patty's head. A surge of adrenaline courses through her at the sight, flipping herself over, she slings the ghost on top her into to the growing blaze.

She pulls herself up, getting to her feet, the flames flourish, spreading to the hand-woven tapestry on the wall. It won't be long before this fire is completely out of control, the smoke already starting to suffocate the room. She coughs, moving towards Abby, who is slowly having the life suffocated out of her. But out of the corner of her eye, she sees the ghost she just tossed in the flames, emerge unscathed.

She retrieves the poker from the fire, waving it around like a sword at the ghost, as she walks backwards to Abby. She turns the poker on the ghost with his hands around Abby's neck, she looks like she is about to lose consciousness.

"Hey! Over here!" She swipes at him with the hot poker.

He lets out a growl, releasing Abby from his strong grip, turning his attention on Patty. His fingers flex back and forth by his sides, as his lip twitches into a smile. Abby hits the ground, air rushing into her lungs, she coughs uncontrollably.

"Just stay on the ground, Abby. I've got this." Patty jabs the poker at the ghost, while trying to walk backwards in the direction of the library door. But the ghost that originally tried to burn her joins Abby's torturer in their advancement on her. They move in sync with each other, floating just above the floor, eyes trained on Patty. She extends her arm further, still waving the poker. One of the ghost rams himself right into the poker, mocking Patty and her attempt to fend them off. A deep chuckle comes from both of them.

"Man, this is not a fair fight… you know that right?" Patty chokes, the smoke burning her lungs.

The fire has spread significantly at this point: chairs, cushions, and books completely encompassed. They are all coughing now, they're eyes burning, it seems as if it won't be the ghosts that do them in, but this fire. Erin is the closest one to the window. She manages to get an arm free from her captor. Reaching for the table clock on the desk, she throws it at the window. The glass shatters and the thick bellowing smoke begins to surge into the night's air. Though it provides some relief, it is nowhere near enough. The room continues to fill with the dark poisonous cloud as the fire advances across the enclosed space. Erin catches sight of Abby lying motionless on the floor. Her face and hands a pale white. She fights against the ghost's hold, but it is hopeless, there is no way for her to get to her friend.

Holtzmann slumps against the wall, coughing harshly into the contaminated air. Her nose is bleeding and she is convinced that one of her ribs must be cracked. The pain in her chest is excruciating. But she still won't give up. This may be the place she dies, but she will not go down without a fight. She at least owes Dani that. She slowly lifts herself back to her feet, arm clutching at her torso.

"Again," she coughs.

The ghost grants her request by plunging into her, slamming her back into the wall.

Across the room, Patty starts to feel sick and her visibility through the smoke is declining by the second. In her effort to make it to the door, she trips over the leg of the winged-back chair Mr. Crane had recently occupied. Her back hits the floor and she can't stop her body's rapid ascension into a coughing fit. She watches with hazy eyes as the two ghosts hover over her body, inching closer and closer. She drops the poker, it clings against the wood planks. She is only two feet from the door, she could crawl there, but she can't seem to get her body to move. Her eyes drift closed.

There's a bang against the door or at least Patty thinks she hears one. But her mind is so clouded right now she can't be sure. It sounds again. She forces her eyes open, tilting her head back towards the doorway. Her line of sight being the two-inch crack under the door, she can see the movement of feet on the other side. There's another bang, this one harder than the first two. She tries to keep her eyes open, it becomes increasingly harder to. Her skin is covered in sweat, but she can feel the cold hands of the ghosts gripping onto her legs.

The feet move away from the door, to the point where she can no longer see them. She wishes she could shout to the person on the other side, beg them not to leave, not to give up on them. She opens her mouth, but nothing comes out, only a series of choked coughs. The little hope that she had of them being saved is dashed. She feels her body being pulled back further into the room. She keeps her head tilted back as she continues to be dragged, eyes still lingering on the crack under the door. She feels a jolt in her system when she sees the feet return, speedily moving towards the door again.

This time the hit is a success. The wood supporting the door-frame breaks apart, the library door forcefully swings open, hitting the wall behind it. Through thick smoke, Patty sees the figure of a person dressed in the Ghostbuster jumpsuit and pack standing in the threshold.

Holtzmann's head lifts, her eyes fall on their savior. When she sees the face, she feels a tug at her heart and there would be tears in her eyes if that was possible at this moment. "Dani," she breathes out, just above a whisper.

The two ghosts let go of Patty's legs, turning their attention now on the newcomer. Dani unzips the metallic equipment bag, sliding it into the room, its momentum stopping close to where Patty is currently laying. The ghost waste no time heading for Dani in the doorway. They're fingers flinching in unison and their throats letting out a growl. Dani doesn't panic, her pack already clicked on, she blasts at the ghost on the left, wrapping the proton stream tightly around him. Not forgetting about the other one, she pulls the Proton Grenade Launcher from her leg harness. Giving the ghost a hard hit to the chest. He propels backwards into the bookshelf on fire. The shelf crumbles, falling to the floor in a pile of flames.

Dani has to drop the Proton Grenade Launcher to get a better hold of the particle thrower. The entity on the other end begins to violently thrash around. The ghost holding Erin releases her, charging at Dani after seeing what just happened to his brothers. Patty, finding energy, reaches into the equipment bag, pulling out the Proton glove, throwing it over to Erin. Quickly, but carefully she attaches the Proton Glove to her hand. Giving it a punch she blasts a proton beam at the back of the ghost going after Dani. He falters, but still keeps coming moving towards Dani in the doorway. Erin staggers forward, the smoke blocking her view. She catches sight of him again, with another pump of her fist, she strikes him again. His body disintegrates into a cloud of ecto plasm.

The last remaining ghost moves away from Holtzmann's hunched over form. He grits his teeth howling loudly, he races forward. But instead of coming after Dani, he stops at his retrained brother. Wrapping his arms around him, he tries to pull him free. Dani locks her knees, holding on tight. The two ghosts together are too powerful for just one person and one pack. It is only a matter of time before they break-free.

Erin tries to pump the Proton Glove again, aiming it at the ghosts. A small electric shock emanates from the nozzle, but it dies out quickly, followed by a string of smoke. Erin pulls it from her hand, throwing it to the floor after she feels the shock in her fingers. In response, Patty pulls herself to her knees, reaching back inside the bag, she pulls out the Ghost Chipper. Pointing it at the two ghosts, she lets it rip. A burst of proton discharge sucks the two brothers into the device's chomping teeth. Dani turns off her pack, letting the stream die out, as the ghosts enter one side of the Ghost Chipper and come out the other side a mess of green goo.

There is a momentarily feeling of relief that washes over Dani, Erin, and Patty. But the reality that they are not save yet, returns instantly. Thirty percent of the library is now taken over by flames, the smoke still threatening their health, not to mention the temperature. Erin rushes to Abby's side, while Patty crawls over to help her. Together they lift her into a sitting position, repeatedly calling her name, but there is no sign of recognition. They get to their feet, slinging Abby's arms over their shoulders as they drag her limp body from the room.

Dani scans the room looking for Holtzmann. She has to get down on her knees, the smoke causing her head to hurt. Through the blaze consuming the sofa, she spots her girlfriend's limp body against the back wall. She glances around her, trying to find a safe route to get to her, but the fire has trapped Holtzmann where she is. The sweat runs off Dani's face, from the heat and also from the pure panic she is feeling. She crawls across the room to the window, yanking down on the thick, heavy curtain, she pulls it from its rod, the fabric falling into her lap.

Finding the weakest section in the fire she beats the drapery against the flames, creating a clear path between herself and Holtzmann. She crawls on her hands and knees, until she reaches her side. She lifts her chin to make sure she is still conscious, dark eyes meet icy blues ones.

"I thought you were gone," Holtzmann weakly spouts out.

Dani reaches under Holtzmann's armpits, pulling her up. "You're going to have to try a lot harder to get rid of me."

Holtzmann smiles, but it fades quickly. The pain in her ribs intensifies with Dani's effort to move her. She winces in agony, but allows herself to be pulled into a standing position. The open path that Dani was able to create is already starting to close in, she tightens her hold on Holtzmann, dragging her out of danger.

/

Outside, Erin and Patty carefully lay Abby face-up on the driveway near the car. They both suck in deep breathes, trying to cleanse their lungs with the fresh country air. Abby continues to lay motionless, her pale complexion taking on a bluish hue. Patty places the side of her head against Abby's chest, listening for any sign of breathing. Unsatisfied, she firmly presses the heel of her hands just above Abby's sternum, starting the chest compression. Erin watches in horror, her hands over her mouth, repeating a silent prayer in head.

Patty moves on from the chest compression, starting the mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. Erin looks up into the night sky, a blanket of stars twinkle above her and a cool breeze ruffles her hair. In normal circumstances this would be a beautiful night, one that could bring a person peace and relaxation, but unfortunately this is no normal circumstance. Under this dreamscape of a view, their friend lays unresponsive, toddling on the brink of life and death. As Patty switches back to chest compression, Erin settles herself down beside Abby's body, gently resting a hand against her arm. Hoping that she can somehow channel a thread of life from inside herself into Abby. They have a connection, they always have since the first time they met. She wants to believe its strong enough to reach in and latch onto the life that is still within her.

Patty presses her mouth against Abby's again, giving her a puff of air. Underneath Erin's fingertips she feels a twitch, which is then followed by a gasp. Patty lifts her head, Abby's eyes open wide as she continues to rapidly suck in air. Erin rises up, leaning over Abby, she brushes the hair out of her face. Pulling herself into a sitting position with the help of Patty and Erin, Abby's color begins to return to normal.

"Abby, are you alright?"

Vigorously nodding her head, she looks from Erin to Patty, squinting her eyes. "Where are my glasses?"

Patty rests her hand on Abby's shoulder. "Probably melted by now."

She grunts in reply, before looking around her. "Where's Holtz?"

All three of them look up towards the front door, Dani with a staggering Holtzmann attached to her side, make their way out into the night. Dropping to the ground beside the other three. Holtzmann clinches her torso again, head resting against Dani's knee.

Abby looks upon Dani for the first time, since she was already unconscious by the time her cousin arrived. She lets out a sigh, reaching her hand out to her. "You're alive."

Dani squeezes her hand, a smile breaking out on her smoke-stained face. "We all are." She then turns her attention to the graver issue at hand. "Where are the keys to the car? We need to get you all to a hospital. I saw one in the next town over on my way here."

Patty reaches into her pocket pulling out the set keys, tossing them to Dani's awaiting hands.

But Abby shakes her head. "No, we have to get back to the city. He is going to do it again if we don't stop him." She tries to raise herself to her knees, quickly discovering she is still wobbly.

"Charlie is on it."

Erin looks over a Dani. "Charlie?"

"Yeah, he's helping. I had him contact the Mayor and the Police Chief. They'll be at the park waiting for him when he shows up."

Abby slumps back down to the ground. "Oh, thank the heavens." Relief finally washing over her body.

They remain where they are for a few extra moments, breathing in the night's air. When they do move, Erin, Patty, and Dani help Abby and Holtzmann into the car. Dani takes the driver's seat, pointing them in the direction of the hospital. It's a silent drive, exhaustion riddles their bodies. Dani keeps an eye on everyone through the rearview mirror, breathing a sigh of relief that she was able to get to them in time.

/

It's cool out tonight, the fall season just around the corner. Dani snuggles into Holtzmann's side, burrowing her nose against her shoulder, as her girlfriend wraps a protective arm around her waist. Her body relaxes as the gently stream of classical music flows from Holtzmann's phone. The others, Patty, Erin, and Abby sit close by, but still giving the new couple their space. All eyes trained on the ghostly waltzing couple on the Gothic Bridge. This isn't the first time they've watched them, but it will surely be the last. So, they savor it, etch to memory the swirling colors of light moving entrancingly across the bridge.

It's been several days since Mr. Warren T. Crane was arrested in Central Park on a whole range of charges including five counts of attempted murder. The Ghostbusters wished they could have been there to see the look on his face when the police officers surrounded him right in this very spot, while he waited for the portal to open. But alas, they were in a Connecticut hospital being treated for smoke inhalation. At least they were awarded the opportunity of seeing Mr. Crane in handcuffs being hauled away on the television later that night, it even made the national news cycle. The nightmare of this assignment was finally… really over this time and they could get back to normal. Back to the mundane hauntings that they all longed for, weeping walls and passive spirits.

The light show comes to an end, the male dancer bows to the female dancer who gives a curtsy in response. He takes her by the hand, guiding her back into the spirit world, completely unaware that this will be their last waltz in the human one. Holtzmann stands, picking up the portal reverser that she finally finished. The others follow as she walks slowly onto the bridge, standing a few feet behind her. She pushes several buttons; a high-pitched beep sounds before she throws the device into the opening of the portal. There is a flash of light, the opening implodes on itself and dissipates into a dusting of electric energy that sparks as it falls to the floor of the bridge.

Dani takes Holtzmann's hand, kissing her cheek, showing her support. They turn back to the others, who are silent and forlorn looking. Though it is sad to put an end to a truly beautiful phenomenon, it had to be done. There is no way they could allow the portal to remain open. It will only be a matter of time before someone else comes along and uses it for their evil intentions.

/

"What do you mean you're leaving?" Erin places her hands on her hips, stare focused on Dani.

Dani takes her bottom lip between her teeth. "I got a job as an accountant at the non-profit a few blocks over. I'll still be close enough to drop by on my lunch breaks sometimes."

Erin and Patty just frown at her, not taking the news very well. Abby and Holtzmann stand by in support, already fully aware of Dani's upcoming departure. It's not that she didn't enjoy her time here, because she surely did, but this was never going to be forever. She had always planned to move onto something more suited for her, something safer, like numbers. Numbers she knows, numbers she understands, the supernatural world is better suited for these four, not her.

"It's not like we are not going to see each other," she adds. "We have the weekends."

Erin and Patty reluctantly nod their heads in understanding before pulling Dani into a group hug. Abby and Holtzmann join in, not wanting to be left out of this moment. Dani wiggles her way out, claiming her oxygen supply was being cut off. A few tears run down Patty's cheek, Dani gives her hand a sympathetic squeeze. Shen then move back over to Holtzmann taking her hand and opening her mouth to address the group again.

"I have another announcement… well we have an announcement." Dani looks sideways at her girlfriend.

Abby eyebrows curl in confusion, she knew about Dani's new job, but whatever this is, she wasn't told about in advance.

"Holtzmann and I are moving in together. Well, I'm moving into her place."

"Our place," Holtzmann corrects her.

"Yes, our place."

Abby scratches at the side of her neck. "Wow, are you two sure you're ready for that?" She puts up her hands in defense. "I'm happy for you both, truly, but it's a big step."

Holtzmann looks over at Dani, her eyes are soft and her smile contagious. She tucks a stray hair tress behind Dani's ear. "When you know, you know."

Leaning further into her, Dani gives Holtzmann a nod.

She smiles, watching the two women in front of her, Abby registers the obvious comfortable intimacy in their touches. They both deserve this happiness they found together and she hopes the best for them in the future. The smile begins to fade as another thought crosses her mind. "You were in Dani's room last night, weren't you?"

Holtzmann snaps her head up at her friend. Dani bites her lip, turning away, not able to look her cousin in the eye.

"So, what I was hearing last night was you two?" I just thought you had the television volume up."

Patty leans into Erin's shoulder, whispering into her ear. "And what? Thought she was just watching a porno."

Erin swats at Patty's arm, but can't hold in her snicker.

"And you…" Abby points at Holtzmann. "I thought you had a broken rib?"

Holtzmann and Dani stand rather uncomfortably in front of what feels like a firing squad. Their faces beet red and their eyes not wanting to meet Abby's. They are busted. They knew they should have went back to Holtzmann's after their date last night, but Abby's apartment was so much closer and the heat between them was on a steady rise. Abby was already in bed by the time they got there, so they tiptoed down the hall to Dani's room.

Holtzmann lets out a chuckle, trying to relieve some of the tension that her and Dani are feeling in this moment. She grabs onto Dani's hips pulling her against herself, to Dani's surprise. "Actually, it is a bruised rib," She points out, resting her forehead against Dani's. "And we are very careful."

Dani's blush intensifies, Erin and Patty make childish whistling noises, as Abby covers her ears. Still not ready to accept the fact that her baby cousin has a sex life and now that sex life includes one of Abby's best friends is not an image she wants in her head. "Okay, please can we change the subject."

Dani perks up, finally pulling out of her embarrassment. "Yes, I almost forgot. I have one more surprise."

Putting her hand to her heart, Abby braces herself for the next announcement. What could it be? They're getting married? Adopting a puppy? A baby? This is getting to be too much for one day.

"I know that my leaving puts you guys in a bit of a spot with having to find someone to take over for me." Dani smiles ear-to-ear, looking each of them in the eye. "So, I took it upon myself to find my replacement." She looks past them to the doorway, gesturing with her hand. "You can come in now."

They all turn around eyes focused on the dark silhouette in the doorway. Who could Dani have possible found to take her position without involving them in the process? The person steps into the light, a lean male figure with strawberry blonde hair come into view. He smiles as he walks towards them, giving a soft chuckle. "Good Morning, Angels."

"Good Morning, Charlie," they shout back at him in unison.

This is a welcomed surprise for the Ghostbusters crew. Abby is shocked that she wasn't the one to think of hiring Charlie, when Dani informed her of her upcoming departure. He is obviously out of a job with his former boss being in prison for trying to murder them. But also, he helped bring Mr. Crane to justice. He is a trustworthy soul and Dani could not have picked a better replacement.

"I think I speak for us all when I say we are glad to have you on board," Patty utters to the young man. "But just so we are clear, Pop culture references…well that's my thing."

He nods his head. "Duly noted."

She then breaks out into a smile, ruffling his perfectly styled hair in an affectionate manner.

Erin leans against the table beside her, tilting her head slightly to the side. "Hey Charlie."

While fixing his hair from Patty's tousling, he gives Erin a flirtatious smile. "Erin." Reaching into the bag over his shoulder, he pulls out a bottle of champagne. "I know it is only ten in the morning, but I thought we should celebrate."

There is no protest from the group, instead they scrounge around looking for anything they can use for cups to make a toast. A toast to new relationships, stronger friendships, and saving humanity once again.