THE EYES HAVE HER

By Ghostdiva


Supplement to GBI Case File GBNY-1990-8/601
1990
Some time after the events of "Closet Case" (Now's RGB#26)
Ghostbusters Omnibus Timeline Year Eight
In the depths of the Ghostbusters containment unit, many beings conversed. Some plotted escape, some plotted to rule over the others, some plotted dinner, and others... others sat around feeling sorry for themselves.

The Unit's newest resident was doing the latter. Arguably one of the Ghostbusters' most hated foes, the being entered the containment unit screaming of her failure, and of her hatred of Egon Spengler. She then happened to draw upon the interest of another long hated resident, the Boogieman.

They now both sat together ready to plot revenge, but first the Makeoverous Lotsabucks felt it necessary to tell the Boogieman, and anyone else who would listen, about her unsuccessful attempt to trick, torture, and change Janine Melnitz into a creature such as herself.

"I have to get out of here, there must be a way to fix this; nothing like this has ever happened before. If that man hadn't interfered I would have had her, the transformation would have been done by now. It should have been so simple to have her; she seemed so easy to sway at first."

The Lotsabucks sat down in front of the Boogieman then and he wondered idly just how long he would have to listen to her before he could determine if she knew a way of escaping.

"It all started five years ago. I was giving one of my usual lectures to the girls and I felt the urge to go on the hunt..."

1985
"Just remember, it is all in the eyes. Since the beginning of time we Lotsabucks and humans have coexisted; what we do not only feeds and recruits, it also removes the more dominant women from society and protects the fine balance that is the beauty of civilized culture. You were all destined to be here, to become creatures of the water, and among those who hold more power than any human being could ever possess."

The Lotsabucks paused then, making sure that her many converts were giving her the respect she deserved. Once she saw they were appeasing her, she continued.

"Remember ladies, all the promises of perfection I made to you have been fulfilled. As a Lotsabucks, your true power and strength can be seen in its purest form, and in the presence of your prey you are perfection. It is up to us to offer our help to women who are in need; you simply must find out what they want, whether it is fame, money, or bodily perfection and present yourself to them.

Just remember, before you can offer assistance to them you must first entrance them. The only way to accomplish this is through the eyes; they must look you in the eyes before their defenses can be lowered, otherwise you will fail. It is also important for the purpose of transference; while they are in a trance, you can block their thoughts long enough to get them to do your bidding. The absolute key to your success will be that no one but the woman notices the changes occurring to her, you should already know how to prevent that."

The Lotsabucks paused again to make sure her converts remembered the issues discussed in her previous lecture.

"Humans, as you all know, suffer a wide range of emotions. If another human can convey upon your prey the desires of their heart, the transformation cannot be continued. There are rumors that one of the women we have been watching has come close to her breaking point; we will watch her and wait. But I will handle her myself."

She then left her realm to investigate the issue of a possible convert.

Janine Melnitz was angry. She had just arrived home from work, and after unceremoniously dumping her purse, a box, and her coat onto her couch, she snatched up the phone and dialed the only person who might be able to console her. "Mom? Hi Mom, no everything is NOT alright; are you busy? You're on the phone with WHO? Peter said WHAT? That rat. No, I don't care what he said to you, I quit and that's just the end of it-- I can't believe you're taking their side-No, this doesn't have anything to do with Egon! Well I don't care! Just... just never mind. Bye."

"UUUGGGHHHHH!" Janine grabbed a throw pillow from her couch and flung it across the room. Then she sat back down on the couch and began to sob.

"I just don't get it, I try and try and try and I just can't seem to get his attention. I just don't understand why he doesn't like me; I loved him when he was Slimer for cryin' out loud! I just couldn't take it anymore. He doesn't respond to anything! I even went around in a bikini and he didn't notice! Maybe leaving was the best thing, and this is just the way it has to be."

She wasn't talking to anyone but herself, but she was nonetheless being heard. A pair of glowing eyes appeared undetected by Janine, and they were hanging on her every word.

Janine heaved a deep and frustrated sigh and switched quickly away from her depressed state; instead favoring self-deformation, with just the right amount of Melnitz anger to go around.

"Well, that's it I guess. I am just going to have to make some changes and try harder next time. I mean the problem HAS to be me, right? Egon's perfect, he couldn't be wrong even if he wanted to. Yeah, I can see why he wouldn't want me... I mean, short, fat, and disproportioned sure paints my picture. That should be obvious to a blind man let alone Egon Spengler, the smartest and possibly most observant man on earth. No, the problem must be me. I guess all of those kids in school were right. They constantly teased me about my pointy ears and my pointy chin, and my small head. They would steal my glasses just to make fun of my 'squinty little eyes.'" Janine cringed at the memory. She then let out a sound of defeat and caught a glance at her chest in the mirror. "And let's face it; I never did fill out quite as much as every other girl in my class seemed to. No, I certainly never was meant to be beautiful or rich or married or happy, I suppose. Why does everyone have to be so damned right all of the time? I am so sick of being the last person alive to ever get what they want."

By this time, Janine had made her way into the bathroom and was meticulously analyzing every feature of her face. "My nose is too rounded, forehead too big, lips too thin, eyes too close together, and they're not really a color that can be described. Sometimes they look green, other times they look blue." She felt tears come to her eyes and sighed. "It's official; I'm a freak."

As Janine came to this revelation, she felt the urge to quickly revert back to the crying jag she had begun earlier. The glowing eyes decided that this would be the perfect opportunity to make itself known.

With a gentle breeze and a wisp of light, the eyes transformed themselves into a beautiful creature resembling a supermodel in a flowing white dress and wings. She knelt down beside the crying heap of human flesh that was the distraught Janine Melnitz and placed a sympathetic, reassuring and clammy hand on her shoulder.

The action startled Janine and she jumped and whirled around to face the being. Janine's initial thought was to loudly demand an explanation as to what this person was doing in her apartment; a typical fight or flight reaction which almost always led to a fight for her. But when Janine peered into the creature's eyes, it was as though she had become enchanted, her entire demeanor changing. She was hooked.

"Who are you?" This was the question that reached the lips of Janine Melnitz; timid and seemingly out of place in the current situation.

"I'm your fairy godmother."

"My--what?" Janine was confused but outwardly calm and something seemed forced about her speech. "I don't get it."

"I'm your fairy godmother, dear; I came to you to help you make your fondest dreams come true. I have powers. I can help you become what you desire. I can help you achieve your goals, your HEART'S desires." The being smiled as she watched the young woman's facial expression change as she realized what the 'fairy godmother' was implying. This one's going to be easier to win over than Princess Anne, the being reminisced as Janine pondered the possibilities.

"So what is it that you can do? I mean, what kind of 'help' do you offer?"

"I'm glad you asked Janine, you see, I've been watching you. I feel your pain, your anguish.

Spirits like me exist to help people like you; those out there with great dreams and ambitions who were born with...less than perfect bodily features. I can change your exterior and your etiquette. In short, I can give you the all of those things a perfect woman...a perfect wife...requires."

Perfect. I can make you perfect. This is all that Janine seemed to be able to focus on. The Lotsabucks had gotten her to peer into her eyes, and that was all it took. With all other thoughts temporarily blurred, Janine only had one question to ask of her newly found godmother. "Can you also change voices?"

Yes, this one is easily swayed. "Why of course, darling, I can give you the voice of the nightingales. Why, what is a refined woman if not a pleasant voice?"

Janine was happy with the response and left the bathroom heading for the full-length mirror that hung on her closet door. The Lotsabucks' spell had so enthralled her that she forgot she had other options besides accepting the Lotsabucks' help. Besides, Janine thought, if I could really become beautiful, then Egon would be sure to notice me, and I could go back to work tomorrow.

"Okay, so first things first; change my voice."

"Well. For a woman with no positive physical attributes you certainly are demanding and presumptuous. I'll give you what you want, but you have to make a promise to me in return. You must promise me that you will tell no one about me and you are to never ask anyone if they notice the changes or like them. A perfect woman will keep these things silent and just between us. If you don't, I will be forced to refuse help to you, understood?"

The Lotsabucks knew that Janine had been entranced since looking into her eyes and that Janine would be helpless to defend herself until the influence was cleared from her mind. This is what the Lotsabucks enjoyed most about the process. To her, perfection meant being able to have complete control over someone, and take them over.

"Yes, godmother, I promise not to mention the changes."

"Great, then let's get started."

Throughout the transformation, the being had degraded Janine with wickedness only capable of an unearthly being, but Janine never reacted. Janine lost consciousness shortly after her fairy godmother dispersed. Even though the Lotsabucks had only changed Janine's voice, the initial hold the being had on Janine was strong. Her body went into shock as power flowed through her and overwhelmed her senses, and her body submitted to sleep. The Lotsabucks had complete control over her and grinned evilly as she watched Janine collapse onto the floor.

Janine awoke in time to get ready for work in the morning. She had almost forgotten the work fiasco of the day before; anxious to find out how everyone would react to her new and improved voice. She wasn't reminded that she had quit until she walked by her phone and saw the answering machine blinking.

"Janine, this is Mom. I just wanted to say sorry that you felt like things weren't working out at work and to let you know that Peter seemed open to reconciliation if you wanted to give it another chance... not that you would want to, or have to. Call me later, okay? Love you." Beep

"Janine, this is Peter. I'm really sorry you felt like you had to quit. I don't really know what happened, but you seemed upset yesterday and I should have--"

Janine didn't wait to hear what else Peter had to say. "None of that matters now, I can be perfect now, so everything else can be fixed."

With those thoughts, Janine grabbed her things and headed for work.

"I should have taken more from her then, to speed up the process, but I didn't think she was so strong willed. Once she started to grow wise to the fact that others didn't notice the changes, that's when I should have ended it. The women I choose are not usually so smart, perhaps the influence of those Ghostbusters had taught her to notice what others wouldn't. When she was less under my influence she became fearful of me. She questioned me and I was forced to make sure she was immediately entranced when I appeared to her. She was beginning to wear thin on my nerves and I have to admit that I became less than professional at that point."

The Lotsabucks paused to make sure the Boogieman was still listening to her, looked at her almost transparent hand, sighed, and continued.

"As she began to grow wary of me, I was forced to make sure she felt too intimidated by me to seek help. I told her anything I could think of to keep her in my grasp. I could have simply kept her entranced all of the time so that she never thought for herself, but she was too far away from my source of power. I simply couldn't draw enough power. I should have followed the rules and left her alone once she became suspicious, but I was too conceited to give up on her. After all, I was the ruler of all that was perfection."

The eyes were following her again. She felt her fairy godmother watching her every move, and it felt nice... or maybe not. She couldn't tell why, but for some reason the spirit was beginning to make her uncomfortable. It had been more than a year since she had started her transformation and the eyes had been on her almost continuously, the only exception was when she was at work. Janine assumed it was because the fairy was afraid the Ghostbusters may find out she was there and bust her. Now Janine was on the subway and she knew the fairy was there. While it was great to feel so loved and watched over, she was frustrated that no one had noticed the changes taking place. She knew she was not supposed to ask anyone if they noticed, but Janine's patience was wearing thin and she decided to confront her godmother with the issue when she arrived home...
"Janine, look at yourself: you are beautiful, everything about you has been improved, your demeanor is even becoming perfect. People are ignorant and unwilling to accept change; that is why you must never tell anyone about me, Janine. They will not understand how lucky you are and how much you want to be perfect, they'll try to take you away from me, away from your only chance at perfection." The Lotsabucks had come up to Janine while speaking and cupped Janine's chin in her hand, forcing Janine to peer into her eyes. Her eyes flashed red and she released Janine, still talking. "You'll just have to give them a chance to get used to your new self and then you will have everything you ever wanted. A perfect woman will practice patience. And if my constant watch unnerves you I will be happy to leave until I am needed; all you need do is call for me from now on."

As Janine was listening to the Lotsabucks, all of her concerns against the being dissolved. The being's eyes were trusting, nurturing and enchanting and Janine couldn't help but forget all of the anxieties she had been feeling.

Once Janine looked into her eyes, the Lotsabucks could tell that her own powers had been boosted, and that Janine's trance was in full affect. She moved forward into her next suggestions for changes. At this rate Janine will be fully converted as planned. She is good at confrontations, but as soon as she confronts me I get her to look into my eyes and regain full control. Power is marvelous. The being smiled sweetly at Janine and reached out to hug her.

"It's all right, Janine, you only need to trust me. As soon as you reach perfection you'll be noticed, just give it time. Okay?"

"Yes. Yes, fairy godmother, I'm sorry I doubted you."

"Ahhh. You, my dear, are forgiven. Now why don't we get started on your next changes?"

The Boogieman had been tolerantly in listening to the Lotsabucks for what seemed like forever and took this time to interrupt. He knew that if he wanted her help in escape then he would have to stay on her good side. "Forgive me ,Milady, but did you say you are the ruler over perfection?" He wanted to know if those she ruled over would help aid in her escape.

"No. I said I was...WAS the ruler, now I am stuck here after disregarding even the simplest of rules and allowing the worst of scenarios to happen. Now I am nothing to the other Lotsabucks, those who I worked so hard to train. Even if I were still their ruler, we are too far inland for them to reach us. Their energy would fade as mine are now, though mine fade slower than expected. It seems this containing field has sustained me somewhat." She paused to look at her hand again, it was more opaque than she would like, but less so than expected. "Now like I was saying..."

1986
For Janine, time was a measure of transformations. Changes came and no one noticed: she changed her voice, her appearance, her personality, and nothing happened. For Janine this was unacceptable, it had now been more than two years since the fairy godmother had come to rescue her and she now seemed to be no further ahead. This would not stand.

"Fairy godmother!!!, Come and speak with me please!!"

"Yes, my dear, how may I help you?"

The Lotsabucks knew Janine was not fully entranced at the moment, Janine always seemed to become more suspicious when she was not completely under her watch. During the Christmas holidays Janine had gone to visit with her sister and the spirit felt no threat and didn't follow.

Now she would have to put Janine back in her place. Janine called for her and she appeared. Janine started speaking without bothering to turn around and face her godmother.

"I just wanted to know what the point in this is if it isn't working? I've been doing everything you say for more than a year and Egon seems to be more oblivious than ever. No one notices any of the changes, and I just don't know if this is worth it anymore. You told me Paul Smart noticed but then it turned out he wasn't interested in me at all! He just wanted to use me to steal information from the company. This isn't working. I would like you to change me back."

Pure rage flowed through the Lotsabucks at Janine's ungrateful and defiant attitude, she didn't bother to have Janine look her in the eyes, and she didn't care if was entranced or not. She only knew that she couldn't kill her because she had spent too much time preparing her. "How dare you defy me after all I have done for you! It is not my fault you are so disgusting that it takes all of my energy and time to try and help you, you ingrate!"

The Lotsabucks then picked Janine up with a fraction of the energy she possessed and threw Janine against her living room wall. Janine lost consciousness and the Lotsabucks left her in a heap on the floor.

"That was when I knew I needed to take control. I realized it would take drastic measures to keep Janine from abandoning the process so far in. I hadn't meant be so forceful, it went against my purpose, but I then realized that Janine was going to be one of my more difficult conquests. I couldn't control what Janine remembered, and knew she would feel hurt over what happened, even after she was fully entranced again. I decided that I needed to watch her more closely, but too much of my energy had been wasted on her at that point. Of course I had to alienate her from the Ghostbusters; she cared too much about what they thought. Every time I talked with her she had to let me know that those men hadn't noticed her again, especially Egon, the one she had begun the process to impress in the first place."

She paused at this point as if to reminisce, but only sighed and continued.

"I had her believing me as much for fear as for the enchantment. It really isn't policy to break our women down so much; after all we want them to be strong beings once they change.

However, her will was so strong that I really had no choice but to bring her self esteem down to a workable level. It was too far into the process to stop; I had wasted too much energy, and I knew I couldn't get it back until she was changed into a Lotsabucks."

She paused again and sighed a second time. "I suppose this is what I get for not following protocol."

The Boogieman could almost sympathize with her, but since he was the Boogieman, almost wasn't nearly enough to sway him from his purpose.

"Yes, it seems that Janine is strong-willed, and I can understand that Spengler was your downfall, he was mine as well. He destroyed my realm and incarcerated me in here. However, if we are to escape we must start planning--"

"You know, it's very rude to interrupt a lady when she is confiding in you. Really, to be as old as you are and not know that is disgraceful. Anyway, like I was saying, Janine was a hard woman to convince and I soon found myself having to remind her daily that those men were to be hated. Fortunately, I didn't have to worry about that long because the team disbanded and Janine found herself in need of new employment. Unfortunately, she chose to continue following that stupid man around."

1987
"Janine, my dear, I really must protest that you're continuing to follow that man around. It isn't in the path to perfection to waste your precious time with someone who doesn't love you. I don't mean to be discouraging but there are other men out there. I've been with you for over two years and I worry that his rejection is slowing down our progress. I know Paul didn't meet our expectations, but someone will, Janine. The changes I make go unnoticed by that man, you know that, and yet you continue to spend your time with him. Going out for what you want is one thing, but look at yourself. You are possibly the most perfect creature Egon has ever laid eyes upon, yet he does not notice. A perfect woman will not be recognized as perfect if her actions do not--"

"--reflect perfection; yes, fairy godmother I know, but I want to be with Egon. I'm doing this to prove that I can be just as pretty and poised and normal as everyone else I know. If

I can't get everyone I know to see me as better than I was, then all of this will have been for nothing. If I stay away from them, then...I don't know. I just can't give up, not on everything I've ever wanted, not when I'm so close. You keep telling me that he won't notice me until I'm perfect, yet you only let me change a handful of things once every two or three months. If you really want to help me then finish this and make me perfect like you promised."

The Lotsabucks was floating slightly behind Janine as Janine peered at herself through the mirror in her bedroom as she had done every time the fairy visited. On the surface Janine was angry, but tears welled up in Janine's eyes as she saw anger flash across the eyes of the being. Janine flinched, but relaxed when she realized that no punishment for her outburst would be forthcoming. The fairy godmother simply placed a clammy hand on Janine's shoulder, and replied to Janine's comment with a restrained, "I understand, Janine, and I will help you in any way I can, but we are too far from my source of strength to do this faster. Perhaps if you moved closer to the water, things could change."

The Lotsabucks was pleased that Janine had become so adamant towards being perfect. It was the first sign in a while that the trances were working. She could tell that Janine's own thoughts were slowly being replaced by her own, then all she had to do was take Janine to the water a force her to admit wanting to be just like her. As these thoughts crossed her mind the Lotsabucks faded away, lingering only a moment to again look into Janine's eyes with her own, and then she was gone.

Janine knew that she was afraid of her fairy godmother. In the back of her mind she felt the need to get help, to tell someone who could help what had been going on. She wanted desperately to tell Egon, but then she thought of what the fairy godmother had told her and promptly removed the idea from her mind. More than she feared the godmother's threats and attacks, she feared Egon's rejection. If the fairy was right then telling Egon everything that has happened would only ruin her chances to be with him forever. He would never be able to accept that her desperation had driven her to seek help from an inhuman creature, and true to the fairy's words he would never forgive her. She thought these thoughts but knew something about them seemed false. She knew, but couldn't pinpoint why she felt that way, her mind always seemed more foggy right after being changed by the Lotsabucks.

The morning after the Lotsabucks' visit, Janine could only think of getting to work to see if Egon had noticed her changes. All of her fear and anxieties of the night before had been cleared from her mind, not to be thought of again. At that moment there was only a longing to be noticed and a persistent nagging in the back of her mind telling her that she should get an apartment closer to the ocean.

"At that point in time I thought my Ghostbuster problems had been solved. My silent biddings were even beginning to get through to her then and I was renewed with the hope of success when she moved closer to the ocean. Little did I know that in less than a year's time, Vigo the Carpathian would give them reason to reopen with that little trick he pulled with the evil slime. Quite marvelous actually, but not towards my purpose. But I used this news to my advantage, being the crafty being that I am, and I silently bid her to become angry with Egon. I told her to be jealous that he suddenly had his old ghostbusters friends back in his life. Of course, I still had to protect myself from their equipment, so that's when I devised to have my dogs help to keep her in line."

At hearing their master speak of them, the spirit dogs approached, lying in the space between the Lotsabucks and the Boogieman.

The Boogieman, desperate for some kind of diversion, reached a clawed talon out to stroke one of the three spirits.

1988
Janine entered her apartment after a day of shopping with her friend, Monica, to discover three vicious looking ghost dogs sitting in her doorway. Before she could reach the phone to call the guys for help, the dogs leapt towards her and her fairy godmother appeared. "Enough! Sit!" The dogs followed orders and retreated to the godmother's side. She placed a cool hand on the head of one of the dogs and stroked it. "Janine, I'm sorry to startle you with my dogs, but some interesting things have come to light and I would like to keep my dogs with you for your protection."

"My protection? I don't understand, those things were about to attack me when you came in; and what exactly do I need protection from? I am able to take care of myself; if I need help I'll call on you or my friend--" Janine didn't have a chance to finish her thought; a wave of energy backhanded her across the face with enough force to knock her backwards. It startled her, but not because of the violence, but instead because Janine had no idea what it was she had done to provoke it.

"A perfect woman will not question the decisions made in her best interest, Janine. You must learn these things. And as for your friends, those Ghostbusters are precisely the people I wish to protect you from. As I've told you before, they are not your friends. I am the only one who cares for you, I alone understand what is in your heart, they don't give a damn about you, Janine. In fact, I heard them talking today and I believe that they wish to turn against you for the worse. They complain that you hover around them too much and they wonder why you never leave them alone. Do those sound like the words of friends to you Janine? They want you to leave them alone, and because I care about you Janine, so do I."

Janine was sitting on the floor, listening to what her godmother said and staring into her eyes in disbelief. Do they really feel that way about me? They must or my fairy godmother wouldn't have gone to so much trouble to protect me. "Alright, if you think it is for the best to have these guard dogs protect me, then that's what we'll do, I want to do whatever it takes."

Her godmother smiled dotingly at her. "I knew you'd see it my way, dear. The dogs will make sure that you are back here in this apartment no later than eight at night. If you are late, they will punish you, it's to help you remember to come home and not linger in the presence of those who loathe you. I give you the extra hours to accommodate any chores you need to take care of after work. They won't watch you on days you won't be seeing them, this is not to keep you from socializing, only to keep you from being put away by those boorish men. Understood?"

Janine was once again completely enthralled by her godmother. She was fixated on the godmother's every word, and simply nodded her head in answer to the question.

"Good, I'll see you in the morning then; goodnight, Janine."

"Janine. Janine, get up."

Janine was awakened by her godmother early in the morning; as the godmother had grown accustomed to doing since the reopening of Ghostbusters a few weeks ago. Janine greeted her godmother and got up to make her way to the bathroom. As she did, the Lotsabucks swiftly placed herself in Janine's way.

"Janine, I'm not here for changes this morning, I need to talk to you. Now, I want you to listen and I want you to listen well. You told me last night that you were willing to do whatever it takes to become perfect. Do you still feel that way?"

Janine nodded in agreement to the Lotsabucks question and the being continued.

"Good. Such a wise decision tells me that you are ready to seek love from someone who appreciates your perfection and is more worthy of you than Egon. So I want you to turn your attention towards the new man in your office, Louis Tully."

"Louis Tully? Are you sure?" Janine was skeptical of the godmother's decision, remembering the disastrous results of her last choice in Paul Smart.

"I know you question this, but I have it on good authority that Louis is very attracted to you, he appreciates your beauty. He regards you as the perfection that you are. Isn't that what you wanted? Someone who will realize your perfection? This is the man you should set your heart on. Will you do it?" The being looked into Janine's eyes as she asked her that question, insuring that the answer would meet her approval.

"Of course, fairy godmother, I will do whatever you say. I said I want to be seen as perfect and if this is who I need to be with to succeed in that, than so be it."

Janine didn't know what else to say. Something in the back of her mind told her that she didn't really want to go out with Louis, but she was afraid to stand up to her fairy godmother, especially since the appearance of the dogs. She decided to ignore her conscience and follow the godmother's advice. The thought occurred to her that it was almost as though the fairy had become her new exterior conscience, but she immediately squelched that thought just like she had the last time.

Janine didn't know what kind of damage ghost dogs could do to a person, but she was very sure she didn't want to find out.

"Of course, Egon Spengler was surprised by her new suitor, and had no idea what to do about it at first. But moving her attention to someone other than that horrid man for a change enabled me to get a better hold on her."

The Boogiemen cringed when she spoke the name of Spengler. He was truly worthy of detest. No matter what being he came across, the Boogieman heard similar stories of how they had come so close to conquest, only to be entrapped by that man. The thing that truly disgusted the Boogieman was, that had he destroyed Spengler in the first place, he wouldn't have to sit here and listen to this shrew's never-ending story. No matter, I'll break out of here and I will get my revenge. I must simply figure out how. The Boogieman came out of his thoughts and nodded as the Lotsabucks continued.

"Unfortunately, she soon found a way to ignore my heeding for her to stay with the one I chose. My hold on her was temporarily broken when Egon confronted her about her new relationship. She somehow knew I would not punish her in the presence of others. Once she reclaimed her feelings for Egon, she decided to stay at their headquarters with those Crime Patrol men that were helping Ghostbusters fight dinosaur entities on earth while they were at the earth's core helping the Spike defeat Nurtog. All that time she spent pretending to be a Ghostbuster, and fantasizing about Egon, went straight to her head. By the time they returned and she went back home, I had almost lost complete control of her. It was the beginning of my undoing."

1989
Janine had walked into her apartment feeling better than she had in years. Egon had finally expressed some feeling over her, and even though he had turned down a kiss, she had renewed confidence that all of the work she and her godmother had been doing was worth it. To be honest, she hadn't thought of her fairy godmother in three days, she had been too busy fighting the Nurtog.

But almost as soon as she arrived, her fairy godmother appeared, angry at Janine but calm for the situation. She approached Janine and confronted her disobedience. "Janine, how dare you defy me as you have! Look into my eyes and tell me that this one man is more important to you than correcting a lifetime of ugliness and cruelty you've gone through."

Janine looked at the fairy as she spoke and immediately all the feelings of confidence she had moments ago vanished. She was now scared. She already knew that her decision to end her relationship with Louis and not coming home in several days were in defiance of her fairy godmother's wishes. Now she would pay for it.

The Lotsabucks' three dogs appeared facing Janine, and before Janine could open her mouth to utter a response to the question, the three dogs converged on her. The speed of the attack caught Janine off guard and she was knocked backwards, her glasses flying in another direction. She felt a sensation of cold run up her leg and she could tell without looking that the dog had sank its metaphysical teeth into her. She felt the same sensation elsewhere as the dogs continuously bit her and the cold overcame her as she lost consciousness.

When she woke up, her fairy godmother was nowhere to be found. She was covered in slime and shaking as she stood and made her way over to the mirror. There were bruises all over her body and she was sure her arm was broken. A large cut from her glasses went across her cheek and a sharp pain came from her chest every time she drew a breath.

The Lotsabucks appeared then and brought Janine's attention to her long enough to ensure Janine would look into her eyes and be entranced again. "You have greatly disappointed me, Janine. I should leave you like this as punishment."

Janine looked up at her fairy godmother and a flash of pain ran through her neck, she was angry but the feeling vanished when she looked into her godmother's eyes. Janine moved painfully in the direction of her fairy godmother's voice, too weak and too far under the Lotsabucks' spell to react. Janine knew there was nothing that she could say, nothing she could do to change to fairy's mind, but then again, she didn't feel as though she should.

"I don't deserve to be changed. You should leave me like this, I'm not worth it." Janine's voice sounded more like a recording from the Lotsabucks than Janine's feelings, but at this point Janine didn't care. She was too far under the Lotsabucks' power to notice the difference.

"How very noble of you, dear. No, I won't give up on you just yet. I just don't understand why you insist on defying me for that man, he is only getting in the way of your reaching perfection. Don't you see, you stupid girl, that he won't love you until you're absolutely perfect, if then! He is selfish and jealous and you deserve better. Trust me on this, I am your only friend and you need to change several more things in your life if you wish to reach perfection. I had everything worked out for you: I found you a suitor: I made you look exactly as you wished, changed you at your whim, and this is how you run your life. Well, I can't fault you on being persistent."

The Lotsabucks approached Janine and formed a crown of energy over Janine's head. The wind blew, the curtain's fluttered and before Janine knew it, the pain was gone and she looked as she had before. Janine was always amazed by the being's power. Partly because of the hold the Lotsabucks had on her and partly because she saw her perfection come about so easily. She breathed a sigh of relief and turned to hug the Lotsabucks. "Oh, thank you fairy godmother. I'm so sorry that my actions made you angry and I will try to do better. Thank you."

"It is no problem, Janine. I will try to be more understanding of your love for Egon, but please remember that there is little to no chance that he will ever love you. I have to go now, dear, but if you need me just call"

"I wish I could have destroyed Egon Spengler then, but he was too far away from my source of power. I decided, in any case, that I should go ahead and act fast to finish her transformation. She was getting more and more frustrated that her family, friends and Egon, of course, had not noticed her, so giving her more leeway appeased the both of us. I should have prepared for anything but I had no idea Egon had any real feelings for her."

The Boogieman could see that the Lotsabucks was becoming more and more agitated as her story continued. Her hate is almost as powerful as my own, perhaps we can be great allies. That is, if she will ever stop talking.

1990
"Janine. Janine, get up. There's something that I need to discuss with you, dear." The Lotsabucks floated down to foot of Janine's bed awaiting a response.

Janine obediently sat up, looking her godmother straight in the eye. "Yes, fairy godmother, what is it?"

The Lotsabucks smiled at Janine's eagerness. "Janine, I have decided that you have been outstandingly loyal to me the past few weeks since 'the incident' and you deserve a reward. So I have decided to help you in your quest to win over Egon. I will do as many changes as you want for as long as it takes for you to succeed. No more waiting months at a time between changes. You deserve to be perfect and to be perfect in his eyes. So whenever you have any new ideas for change you just call me and I will change it as you wish."

The Lotsabucks knew that Janine did not have much longer before her transformation would be complete. She also knew that Janine would be overjoyed by her fairy godmother's approval to pursue Egon, and as a result, overuse her privilege, unknowingly to the Lotsabucks advantage.

Janine went to work that morning with a new look and renewed hope. She came home that night in another mood entirely.

"Fairy godmother, I need to speak to you now, please."

The Lotsabucks appeared almost immediately with a familiar wisp of air and light, ready and willing to help Janine in any way.

"Fairy godmother, this look just didn't work at all, I was talking to him today and he didn't even look at me. I need to change and try again."

The Lotsabucks grinned evilly as Janine made her way over to her mirror, which had now been moved to her living room. She knew Janine was serious and that it would only speed up the conversion.

"Why of course, Janine. I'll change anything you want. Just say the word."

Much to the delight of the Makeoverous Lotsabucks, Janine spent hours changing and rechanging almost every aspect of her appearance until she was finally satisfied that the makeover would grab Egon's attention. "Alright, now if we could just make my fingers thinner, then I will be ready to try again tomorrow."

"As you wish, Janine."

The Lotsabucks fulfilled the request then watched as Janine admired her hands, then passed out cold where she stood.

"Stupid, selfish girl, I guess I simply forgot to warn you that too many changes at once could make you sick." The being spoke aloud, knowing Janine would never hear it. The being left Janine unconscious on the floor, completely satisfied that at the current rate Janine would herself be a Makeoverous Lotsabucks by the end of the week.

When Janine awoke the next morning, she felt like she had been drugged. She almost considered not going into work, but one look in the mirror and she decided she couldn't afford not to.

After a shower and a cup of coffee, she almost felt better and went to work, but her mood gradually deteriorated over the day and she came home feeling the need for change. She called upon her fairy godmother, frustrated and desperate. "Fairy godmother! Come here, please!"

The fairy appeared just as she had the night before and asked what it was Janine wanted, though she already knew the answer.

"I need to do more changes. Help me make myself perfect. Just tell me what should be fixed. Is it my legs? Am I still not tall enough? Should I change my eye color? What do I do?"

"Janine, my dear, there is no need to panic, it's not in the path of perfection, and besides, you know I can fix all of those things. I assume that he didn't notice you today, either?"

"No, no, he didn't notice at all. I just have to make him notice. Please fix me."

"I will, I will. You'll just have to take into consideration that you've never taken so many changes so close together, it may make you sick."

"It doesn't matter, I only know that I have to change the way I look if I want to win everyone's approval."

"As you wish, Janine. You're almost perfect now. It won't be long before you are as beautiful as me. Soon you will be perfect, right?"

The Lotsabucks had her clammy hand on the Janine's chin as she asked the question, forcing Janine to look into her eyes, and once again entrapping her into the spell that altered Janine's responses.

"Yes, fairy godmother, I have wanted to be perfect from the very beginning; perfect in every way."

"Of course you do, darling. Anyone in your position would. Now, how about we do those changes..."

"That was the last peaceful day in all of this. Of course she went unconscious after the transformation, as she had the night before. It did not matter to me because I knew she only had one more transformation to undergo before she would be ready to become one of us. So, I went back to my lair in the ocean to prepare for the new arrival. How I bragged to my comrades. Had I only known what would happen. Had I only been watching those Ghostbusters more carefully, I would have realized they were about to find me out before that wretched slimy being they call a mascot started spying on her."

"The thing's name is Slimer. How I loathe that spirit! He gives ghosts a bad name. No matter. When I escape, I'll be sure to take care of him, too. I'm guessing from your story that the woman did not allow you to finish things the next day. I wonder what happened, being that she was so... eager?"

"My dogs told me that the Ghostbusters let her off work early because they had nothing for her to do. I thought she would come home upset and ready to finish, seeing that they still did not wish to associate with her, but her blood relation left her a phone message, asking her to meet for dinner. By the time she came home, I suppose she was too tired to fathom changing. It wasn't until the next day that she called me to help her."

"Nope, not good enough. I even wore my best outfit today and he never even noticed me. My face is still too sharp, my eyes are too close together." She saw flaws and decided to fix them. After all, she did have a fairy godmother. "Oh fairy godmother, it's an emergency!!!"

"Yes, Janine, you summoned me." The Lotsabucks was lying in wait for Janine to call on her. She was very proud of herself for being so close to success.

"It's just not right yet, can't you make me any prettier?"

"Janine, dear, it's the third time this week. Are you sure you want to continue?"

"Absolutely! I want to be half an inch taller, a few pounds thinner...and how about green eyes instead of blue?"

"As you wish, Janine." The Lotsabucks performed the final change that would precede Janine's transformation into a Lotsabucks and smiled. The woman would make a fine Lotsabucks. "Better?"

"Much better, thanks."

Much to the delight of the Lotsabucks, Janine did not suffer any ill effects for this transformation. To her it was a sign that Janine was becoming used to things enough to survive the final changes.

The two hugged, each appreciating the other for different reasons.

From the corner of her eye, the Lotsabucks spotted Slimer spying on her. She knew she must return the favor. "Janine, I have to go now. If you need anything else you know how to call."

Janine would have been confused by this if she had been thinking clearly; the Lotsabucks

wasn't usually in the habit if leaving so fast. However, that realization never came to her, but from the back of her mind came the familiar feeling that something wasn't right. Her consciousness somehow knew that none of this was right and that she had lost control of the situation.

Janine squelched the feeling in favor of the hold that pulled her toward perfection. Outwardly, she felt as though she had to change, that she had no other choice. The calling was so loud that it was easier to listen to the fairy than to herself. Thoughts of running for help came to her, but as soon as they did come, they disappeared, long before she had time process them. It was almost as if something was erasing them from her consciousness.

Once the changes were complete, Janine decided to call her friend, Monica, and take her new look out to the Italian restaurant downtown. While she was gone, her phone rang.

"Hey Janine, this is Ray. I'm sorry about what happened this morning. We didn't mean to bother you so much when we were hanging around your desk. We promise to try and respecting your privacy from now on. Look, we were all wondering if you would like to come eat dinner with all of us as an apology. No giant coach roach legs this time, I promise. We'll come get you if you want. Well, call okay? Bye." The Lotsabucks heard Ray leave the message as she was watching the Ghostbusters from inside their headquarters. Knowing that this sort of message would be detrimental to her success, the fairy appeared at Janine's apartment long enough to erase it before it reached its intended subject.

"At this point I knew I had to think fast. Their slimy little snitch followed her and I had no choice but to let my dogs teach him a lesson. Then those Ghostbusters captured my perfectly beastly dogs, and to make matters worse they were on to me. I watched the Ghosbusters myself. When I realized they knew what I was, I made Janine follow me to the docks, to finish things before they could intervene."

The Boogieman understood what it was like to be so close and then be caught by the Ghostbusters. It was something the Lotsabucks had in common with every being in the containment unit. "Of course they would intervene, that's what they do. If only I could have destroyed Spengler, but he was too smart, he has learned to swallow his fear enough that it is useless to me. Tell me what it is he did to become your undoing."

"Janine. Janine."

"Who is it? Who's there?" Janine looked up and saw her fairy godmother. She didn't know why her godmother had come to wake her so early. She knew it wasn't morning and the somewhat frantic tone of the Lotsabucks' voice unnerved her.

"It's me; you have to get out of here Janine. Quickly." The Lotsabucks knew that the Ghostbusters knew who she was, even if they knew little else. She heard them discussing it when she was spying on them, and she knew that they were going to come looking for her. She had to finish with Janine tonight if she was going to win.

"But why?" It was a natural question for a person to ask, but the Lotsabucks had no time for appeasing Janine at the moment. She told Janine what she knew would get her to follow.

"Your friends have turned against you. They think you're not good enough, not pretty enough."

"Even...even Egon?" Hurt and confusion flashed across Janine's face. She didn't understand why her fairy godmother had awakened her to tell her this.

The Lotsabucks was angered that she still had enough independent thought to question her. The mind blocks should be working better than this. There's no time for reluctance. "Especially Egon! He's leading them here now. You must get out, quickly!"

Janine was panicked at hearing this, not sure what to do. She threw on her coat and shoes to follow her fairy godmother into the night.

The Lotsabucks had dragged Janine out of bed and they were running around Brooklyn in the dark. After a while, Janine had no idea where she was or where they were going. The fairy's message had her too scared to think. She didn't know why the guys had turned against her. They were going to come after her and destroy her perfection and separate her from her godmother like the fairy had always threatened. Janine wondered how they had discovered her secret. She wondered if they had finally noticed her changes and why she was not yet perfect enough to please them. She knew that if she wanted to stay free from their ridicule she should follow her fairy godmother, but something in her mind was screaming that this wasn't right. Her mind was telling her that those men were her friends and wouldn't turn against her like that, but it simultaneously told her that her godmother was right, and that she should do what she is told.

The Lotsabucks was pleased that Janine was being so obedient. Any person with a clear mind would have questioned the inconsistency of the things she told Janine, but the years of conditioning and force had created the appropriate blocks in Janine's mind and seemed to be working to keep Janine from noticing.

With all of the excitement, Janine didn't look where she was going and she fell. Her fairy godmother was not sympathetic, but Janine no longer had time to process the lack of concern.

"Which way?"

"This way. Follow my voice."

Janine's thoughts were blurred and inconsistent. Every noise made her heart jump into her throat. She knew the guys were close. A trash can rattled behind her and startled her to awareness. "What was that?" This isn't right.

The Lotsabucks knew that she had Janine scared the men were going to send her away, and

used it to her advantage. "They're closing in. Hurry. You have to hurry."

For a glimpse of time Janine's natural thoughts dominated the others, and she was finally able to voice her question out loud. "I--I don't understand. I feel so confused. They're my friends they--"

The Lotsabucks longed to entrance Janine, to remove those kinds of thoughts from her mind. But she knew that Janine needed a clear mind to make the decision to join the Locksabucks. She would simply have to scare her and confuse her long enough to get her to the docks. "No! They're not your friends. They're all against you. They're jealous of you. I'm your only friend. Trust me."

The Lotsabucks manifested long enough to grab Janine by the hair and force her to look into her eyes. I must test her loyalty, now. There won't be time later. "Don't let them stop you. You know what to do if they try don't you?"

"Yes, I think so, but I--"

"No. There's no time for that. Come."

Janine didn't know what to believe anymore. She just ran, following her master like the dogs had done. Her mind was so full of conflicting thoughts that she didn't even know which thoughts to think about. All she was sure of was that she didn't want to take the chance of being sent away, and that she absolutely had to become perfect. Someone had to love her, after all.

Before long, Janine and the Lotasbucks arrived on the docks of Jamaica Bay, much to Janine's confusion. "Why did you come here?"

"This is where I came from. People often look in the water to see how good they look. When they're looking down, I'm looking up. But that can wait. Now we must finish with you, Janine. What do you want?"

"I want-- I want... I want to be with my friends."

Still defiant? This will not stand. The Lotsabucks pushed her to the ground, making sure the next answer would be the right one. "No that's not it! Not down in your heart. What do you want Janine, more than anything else in the world?" She looked into Janine's eyes, wanting to inflict fear, but careful not to entrance her. She needed Janine to concentrate on perfection.

"To be pretty."

Yes "You think you're homely don't you?"

"Yes." Tears spilled from Janine's eyes as the Lotsabucks brought forth Janine's real pain that stemmed from years of torture from various people in her life, who had not bothered to look past her physical appearance.

"Never good enough, not pretty enough. But you want to be perfect don't you, Janine?"

"Yes"

Good. Very good. She approached Janine, sure that she had won. She turned the woman to face her, again carefully looking into her eyes. "Just like me right?"

Whatever Janine had been feeling, she couldn't remember. One look into the Lotsabucks' eyes and she was too overpowered by fear and sadness to remember anything at all. "Yes, just like you."

"Then say it."

"I want--"

"No! Leave her alone!"

The voice momentarily startled Janine to reality. She knew that voice, and something in the back of her mind screamed out to her that he could help her. "Egon!"

I knew he'd show up, but where are his friends? No matter. She's too far gone now and he will not have her. A little persuasion is all she needs.

"Get away from her, Janine. Quickly."

The Lotsabucks could see that Janine had been shocked by his appearance. She would try to use this to her advantage too. "There, you see? He's against you. He wants to stop you from being all you can be. He's your enemy."

"No!" Janine screamed in defiance. The Lotsabucks knew that she was once again losing her hold on Janine, but that Janine would do what was necessary if she was given the power to do it. One final look was all that she needed.

Janine was crying as she defied her godmother, every fiber of her being knew that what the Lotsabucks told her was wrong at the moment she screamed no. But the being looked into her eyes and she felt a surge of power she did not recognize, as the Lotsabucks forced a great deal of energy into her body.

"Yes." The word pierced Janine's soul when the fairy looked into her eyes.

"Yes" Janine's eyes blazed with energy as Janine uttered the word the Lotsabucks wanted to hear.

The Lotsabucks smiled. Janine was ready, and Egon Spengler would not win.

"Now show him."

Suddenly, the Lotsabucks became very silent.

The Boogieman didn't know what happened but the Lotsabucks simply sat there for a few moments, and the anger that had fueled her tale died. She then continued in a very quiet voice and with a dead and empty look in her eyes.

"I thought I would have her and that she would destroy him. But she didn't. He told her he loved her. The only way to get her back and he did it. He just said, 'I love you' and that was all there was. 'I love you, I love you... I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you.'" Whatever else the Lotsabucks had to say the Boogieman would never know. She just repeated the same thing over and over again.

She had been doing that for several minutes and most likely would have for all of eternity had it not been for one very hungry and annoyed demon. He walked up behind the Lotsabucks and inhaled her. Then she was no more.

The Boogieman, not surprised, just shrugged, "Oh well, I guess I'll never know if she had a plan to get out of here."

Once the demon had made a meal of the Lotsabucks, the Boogieman was about to leave when he turned to the demon and asked, "So, do you have any ideas on how to get out of here?"

The Boogieman would never know the answer to that question either. The demon just belched and walked away.

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Based on "Janine, You've Changed" written by J. Micheal Straczynski
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