#gris-gris

Egon just finished checking the Containment Unit. And as expected, the voice-activated trap Ray installed in the lab worked like a charm. All of the Viking ghosts that tormented Janine were all caught and contained. Egon made a mental note to thank Ray for that.

Satisfied with the Containment Unit’s performance, Egon slowly climbed up the stairs from the basement to his lab. As he did so, he contemplated getting himself tested to see if he received any adverse effects from his travel through Janine's mental plane. Egon never experienced being inside a human mind through astral projection before, and it could happen again. So gathering more data could prove beneficial for future reference.

He was thinking of getting Janine tested as well to see if their intrusion into her mind caused any alterations to her psyche. Having two human consciousnesses and a handful of vengeful ghosts inside her head could be very overwhelming. But it is possible for more than one spiritual being to infest a body. Throughout history, instances of spiritual infestation, be it pure or malevolent spirits, were recorded. There was an instance recorded in the Bible where a man suffered infestation by a legion of demons. Fortunately, Jesus Christ exorcised the man, and his normal mental state returned. But not all of the exorcised people had mentally recovered. They either become stark raving mad or worse, the evil qualities of the spirits would impart on the host. And the thought troubled Egon. He suddenly felt the need to get Janine examined as soon as possible. He sprinted up the stairs to get to his lab immediately.

However, his excitement was cut short and stopped on the first floor when he realized that Janine and that incompetent Professor Roger Baugh had already left the Firehouse. With a sigh, Egon resumed claiming up the stairs slowly to the third floor. He’ll just have to ask Janine when she comes back to work.

Egon got to his lab. He was about to conduct some tests on himself, but he decided to take a break first. He opened a drawer from his desk and took out a packet of Twinkies. He tore it open and started munching on the cream-filled cake. He wanted a change of scenery, so he sauntered towards one of the windows that faced the morning sun. He watched the golden orb rise from behind the New York skyline, changing the color of the seemingly cloudless sky from orange to blue.

Egon sighed again. It was the second time he did that today, he noticed. He felt a bit exhausted and, perhaps, melancholic, and he wasn’t sure why. He thought their experience the night before took a toll on him. Maybe he should get some sleep first before beginning the test.

“Would you like some coffee, Egon?”

Egon jumped a bit, almost choked on the twinkie he was eating, and spun around. To his surprise, right in front of him was Janine, clad in his blue lab coat, and holding two mugs of coffee in each hand. Due to her small frame, the fringes of the coat almost touched the floor. The sleeves were too long for her short arms so she had to fold them up to her elbows so she can use her hands. She also wore a utility belt wrapped around her waist to close the front of the coat like a rob. And finally, she wore Ray's bunny slippers which she found under his work desk in the lab.

“I, ah, had to wear your lab coat. It’s getting a bit chilly here. I hope you don't mind.”, Janine explained.

Egon remembered she was only wearing her nighties when he and Roger brought her to the Firehouse.

He cleared his throat and nodded, “It's alright, you may use it.” Egon noticed something else and quickly looked around, “Where is the professor?"

Janine sighed as she gave the other mug to Egon, “He needed to leave. He's very freaked out with what just happened.”

Egon’s eyebrows shot up and gave Janine a puzzled look, “He - he just left you here? He didn't even think of taking you back to your apartment?”

"Well, as I said, Roger got really freaked out." Janine said sadly, "And unlike us, he's not used to dealing with this sort of weirdness. He needs some time to process things.”

Egon took a sip of coffee Janine made for him. Black with three sugars and a dash of milk, just the way he liked it. While sipping his coffee and realizing what Roger did, a hint of anger brewed inside him. He couldn't believe that coward left Janine by herself, in her nighties, after all that just happened to her. Egon agreed the experience was a lot to take in for a normal individual, but at least Roger could have pulled himself together and get Janine home or even called her a cab. Egon knew Janine was a strong-willed and independent woman, but still, his chivalry dictated that the Professor disregarded her wellbeing. Which infuriated Egon as he started clenching his jaw. If he ever sees Roger again . . .

Janine seemed to notice his reaction, “Egon, are you okay?”, her concerned voice snapped him out of his thoughts.

Egon looked at Janine with stony eyes, “Hmm? Ah yes, I'm perfectly fine.”

Janine gave him a slight side glance. In her observation, Egon seemed angry at Roger for leaving her. She felt flattered to know that Egon was genuinely concerned for her. However, she didn't want to keep her heart hoping for it. Knowing Egon, this could be just another fleeting moment of emotion for him, and he’ll be back to his old stoic self.

“It’s okay, Egon. I can take care of myself.” she assured him, “I’ve already called a cab to pick me up any time now.”

Egon just nodded, still internally fuming.

“And besides,” Janine continued, “Sulking about it won’t do me any good. I really should be getting home before the guys come in for work. They might, you know, get the wrong idea about my wardrobe," she said while pointing at the lab coat wrapped around her almost naked form.

Egon blushed and cleared his throat, “Oh. Ah . . . yes, of course! We definitely shouldn’t give them the wrong impression.” He said, awkwardly looking away while sipping his coffee. He was sure Peter's going to have a field day teasing him if Peter saw Janine in her current state.

Before the awkwardness gets too much, Egon spoke, “And Janine, when you come back, I would like to give you an examination to make sure the infestation didn't have any adverse effects on you. If that’s alright.”

Janine smiled, “Sure Egon. Let's do that when I get back. Oh, and by the way, before I forget,” she reached inside the pocket of the lab coat and took out a small red pouch with a heart-shaped charm. “I don't know what it is. I just found this on the floor and picked it up.”

"Ah yes, a voodoo charm. An old voodoo priestess gave it to me in New Orleans during our trips across the US years ago. I used it to see if it would get a reaction to whatever was taking hold of you." Egon wasn't sure why he was telling Janine about the gris-gris since he kept it a secret from the other guys.

"So did it work?", she asked.

His face winced while remembering how the big Viking ghost manhandled him, "One of the ghosts did react to it, yes."

"Well, I think you better keep it in case something like this ever happens again," Janine said as she was handing the gris-gris to Egon.

As Egon reached out to take the gris-gris from Janine, their hands touched. And Egon felt a jolt, like being stunned by a proton stream. Egon dumbfoundedly looked at Janine, and her eyes met his. Somehow, Egon felt an urge to act, but he was rooted in place. Eventually, Janine moved first. While their hands were still touching and enveloping the gris-gris in between their palms, Janine slowly came closer to him and tiptoed herself up to his face. He didn't know why he automatically reacted, but Egon slowly was leaning down so his face would reach hers.

As this was happening, there was a moment when their hands disconnected. Egon and Janine stopped edging closer, their faces inches away from each other. They looked at each other with wide eyes, realizing what was happening. But then, Janine smiled sweetly, sweet as the coffee she made for him. She drew herself closer and kissed Egon on his cheek.

“Thanks for saving me, Egon.”, She whispered in his ear.

As she pulled back, Egon straightened up, and their hands disconnected. The gris-gris resting on his palm. His eyes were still on her face as if he was in a trance and anticipating something more. But he quickly shook himself and let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. He instead gave Janine a slight smile, “You're welcome.”

The sudden sound of a taxi's horn caught their attention.

“That must be my cab, I gotta go. I'll be seeing you later, Dr. Spengler.”

Egon nodded, “See you later, Ms. Melnitz.”

Janine rushed down the stairs leaving Egon holding the gris-gris. He turned the poach in his hand until the heart-shaped charm is in view. Looking at it for a moment, he wondered if this little thing had influenced their behavior. But it could be anything else. Sighing, he tucked the gris-gris inside his trouser pocket. He once again faced the window to admire the sunrise while munching the rest of his twinkie and sipping the sweet coffee Janine made for him.

After feeling such a rollercoaster of emotions, Egon figured he definitely needs to get himself tested.