Ever since he was a little boy, Henry Venkman's entire life has revolved around the paranormal. His fascination with the afterlife and those that lived within it began when he was eight-years-old and when his grandfather, Arthur Venkman, used to sit him down on his knee and tell him stories about what his father, Dr. Peter Venkman, used to do back in the day; fight ghosts and protect the town from poltergeists alongside his rag-tag group of genius misfits infamously known as the Ghostbusters. They were pretty popular, at least according to Henry's grandfather. But no matter how times they saved Hawkins from a ghost attack, the town never believed them. Everyone claimed the Ghostbusters belonged in an asylum because they believed that ghosts and an afterlife exist. But Henry shared no one else's thoughts or opinions. He believed every word his grandfather told him. And his belief grew tenfold when he was eleven and he saw his first ghost.

It was storming out, so neither Henry nor his little sister Leigh could go outside to play. Their grandmother Anne had taken them both to the library so they could pick out a new book to read while she worked. As he walked through the aisles, fingers skimming over the spines and trying to find a book to read, Henry saw it. A puppy, small and cute with floppy ears with his tongue sticking out on one side of his mouth. Henry bent down to pet the puppy, but it changed into an enormous dog the moment he went to pat it's head. It grew so tall that its head dented the ceiling in and it made him scream. And he had never been more scared in his entire life. His grandmother found him on the floor, and even though he told her what had happened, she claimed that there was no giant puppy in the library and that he must've imagined it with all the silly stories his grandfather tells him. But Henry knew what he saw wasn't his imagination and that he had just had his first of what would be many encounters with a ghost.

After his encounter at the library, Henry devoted his entire life to studying the paranormal. He knew it was his calling, just like his idol and great grandfather, Peter Venkman. By high school, people were making fun of him. They called him a Kook and said that he belonged in a nuthouse with the rest of his family, but Henry never gave them the time of day. He learned to throw every insult over his shoulder and move on, because one day, however long it may take, he was going to prove them wrong. He was going to prove that the paranormal existed, even if that meant losing contact with his family over the years.

His parents never believed the stories that his grandfather used to tell both him and his sister. In fact, after a while, their parents told their grandfather to either stop feeding them stories about ghosts because he was poisoning their young minds and manipulating them into believing such things existed, or to stay away from them for good. Of course, Arthur Venkman wanted to have his grandchildren in his life, so agreed that he wouldn't talk about the Ghostbusters ever again.

After Henry graduated college, both himself and his best friend, Reed Stantz ─ whose great grandfather was also an infamous Ghostbuster back in the day ─ published a book together. The book was about both their families and the stories that they were told as children as well, as their first encounters with the paranormal and the first time they went ghost hunting at an old haunted house in Hawkins. And when the books hit the shelves, that is when Henry Venkman lost his family.

His mother, Shelley Venkman, was more than disappointed. She had hoped that her son wouldn't waste his life studying something that didn't exist. When the woman went to the store and saw his book sitting their on the shelf, the book that she warned him not to write, Shelley disowned him then and there. A part of her would always care though. He was her first born, her only son, and she would always love him. But she couldn't deal with his antics any longer, so the very next time that she saw her son, Shelley screamed at him, told him to stay away for good, and left him standing on the front lawn on his childhood home with a broken heart and tears in his eyes.

Though his parents had disowned him, Henry still got to see his sister from time to time, even if it did piss his mother off. But Leigh was an adult now and could do as she pleased, even if she still lived under their parent's roof.

"You know," Leigh said as she pulled the straw of her milkshake from her mouth. "Mom's gonna be pretty pissed when she finds out that I had lunch with you today. It's kind of what we do together, her and I."

"Yeah, well, what else is new," Henry replied. "You should think about getting your own place, Leigh, then mom won't give you a lecture about spending time with me."

"Hey, not all of us can be famous authors and scientists, okay? I'm still in school and need all the help I can get. If not paying rent means having to deal with all of mom's bullshit, then I'll invest in earbuds."

Henry chuckled as he pressed down on the gas pedal, turning left down Sunbury Avenue and making his way toward their childhood home to drop Leigh off. "I doubt that'll help. Mom's got some serious pipes."

Leigh shrugged and took another sip of her milkshake.

When they arrived at 3120 Sunbury Avenue, Henry pulled to a stop and sighed. Their mother's station wagon was in the driveway. He turned his head and gave his sister a look.

"Don't look at me like that. I didn't know that she was going to be home. Mom told me she had to go into work today." Leigh leaned across the console and kissed her brother's cheek. "Thanks for taking me out for lunch today, and for getting me a milkshake. Let's have dinner sometime this week, okay?"

Henry smiled, "Sounds like a plan."

Leigh flashed him a smile before stepping out of the car and closing the door. He watched her to make sure his sister got inside okay, and just as she reached the front door, it swung open to reveal their mother, who flashed her daughter a small smile before making her way towards Henry's car, causing him to sigh.

"Here we go," he mumbled while rolling down the window.

His mother came to a stop at his window. With her arms crossed, she leaned down be at eye level with him. "Henry," she greeted.

"Shelley."

"Would you come inside, please?" his mother requested, causing him to furrow his eyebrows. She rolled her eyes. "Not to talk, Henry. I've been cleaning out the attic and found some boxes that I would rather not have under my roof. And I can't move them on my own, not with my back."

Henry scoffed. "And why should I help you with anything?"

Her jaw clenched. "Fine. If you don't want any of your grandfather's belongings, then I'll just throw the boxes away." She turned and walked away, heading back toward the house.

At the mention of his grandfather, Henry's eyes widened, and he whipped his head around to look at her. He knew he couldn't just let his mother throw all of his grandfather's stuff away, which meant he had no other choice but to help the woman who had disowned him.

With a sigh, Henry turned his car off and stepped out. "Wait," he called, his voice stopping his mother at the porch. She turned around to look at him with her arms crossed over her chest. "Fine, I'll help. I'll take the boxes off your hands."

His mother nodded and walked inside.

Henry followed her inside, much to Leigh's surprise. His sister gave him a look with raised eyes to which he shook his head at and mouthed the words just don't to her. Leigh left the room, and he could the television turn on as their mother lead him toward the attic. His mother pulled the string, causing the ladder to drop, and they both climbed up. He was shuffling around in the dark for a moment before his mother found flipped the light switch.

The room was cluttered with boxes and totes that were full of memories, holiday decorations and junk. Along with the dust and cobwebs, Henry noticed that there were mouse traps scattered around on the floor, meaning his mother and Leigh have been dealing with rodents on top of the pipeline problem they dealt with a few weeks ago.

"Well, here they all are," Shelley said, stopping near a stack of boxes in the room's corner. He approached his mother and raised his eyebrows at the size of the boxes. Now he understood why she needed his help. "These seven boxes here all belonged to your grandfather. Do with them as you please."

"I can't take them all today," Henry replied. "I don't have enough room in my car. Can I come back tomorrow?"

Shelley sighed and turned to leave, "Fine. I will be out-of-town tomorrow for some business, but Ashleigh can let you inside. Be sure to arrive after four o'clock though, I don't want you to interfere with her studies."

Henry rolled his eyes as he stepped forward to examine the boxes. Before he moved any of them down to his car, he wanted to make sure that there wasn't anything that could break. He opened one up and peered inside, finding some old clothing. But as he looked closer and moved the clothes around, Henry realized it wasn't just any old clothing. He pulled out the tan jumpsuit and the eight-year-old boy inside of him that always got excited at anything related to the Ghostbusters, grinned at the sight of his great grandfather's ghost busting suit. He couldn't believe that he was holding the very suit his grandfather told him got covered in ectoplasm before.

A few moments passed before Henry snapped out of it. He placed the jumpsuit back inside the box and closed it up before leaving. Henry repeated this process several times; opening a box, looking inside and then taking it down to his car. He found so many things that he couldn't stop smiling, nor could he wait to show his sister when they had dinner later this week. He knew she would scream the moment she saw the Ghostbusters old tech and jumpsuits that were now in his possession.

When his car was full, Henry gave his little sister a hug and told her he would be back tomorrow for the rest of the boxes before he left to get back to work, now that his lunch break was far from over. And the entire way back to the lab, Henry couldn't stop thinking about what both he and Reed could do with the jumpsuits and old tech. If they were to make improvements on them, they could do it. They could bring the Ghostbusters back, capture a ghost, and prove to the entire world that the paranormal exists. But, of course, that meant talking with his best friend.

And Reed hasn't been the same since he broke up Naomi Zeddemore.

Things were so good between them that Henry thought they were going to be the type of high school sweethearts that got married and had a bunch of kids together. But when they started co-writing their book together, Naomi broke things off, saying that Reed shouldn't waste his life on something as silly as ghost hunting like their great grandfathers did. Since then, Reed hasn't really mentioned the name Ghostbusters. Not that Henry could blame him. After all, a Zeddemore did rip his heart out. But Henry hoped that with the finding of the teams old jumpsuits and tech that it would change his best friend's mind.

　
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". . . countless eye-witness reports have said they believe it's the work of high school students. Others, however, believe that it's the work of ghosts." The reporter laughed, appearing amused. "Yes, that's right, folks. Right here in our believed Hawkins, ghosts seem to wreak havoc. If you ask me, it seems that one too many people have been reading up on a certain book written and published by two of our very town residents, Dr. Henry Venkman and Dr. Reed Stantz. Rest assured, this is not the work of Casper and his Friendly Ghost Squad. Let's not forget that it's almost Halloween, and this time of year always brings out the crazies. Sheriff Voss has even made a statement this past Monday, saying there have been several high school students already being charged with property damage. When asked what the students will do to right their wrongs, Sheriff Voss said that they have been assigned volunteer hours to make up for the damage they've done down at City Hall. This is Howard Reynolds signing off. Stay safe out there, Hawkins." Howard Reynolds, with his broad shoulders and neat, wrinkle free suit, flashed his signature charming smile and winked toward the camera, before the screen changed to a commercial.

"God, I hate that guy," Reed grumbled with a shake of his head. He pulled his eyes from the television, swiveling around in his chair to resume his work.

Henry nodded in agreement, "Can you believe that? Blaming peoples beliefs on our book? What a load of bull─"

"Just ignore him." Reed typed on his laptop, the clicking of each key loud in the silence of their lab. "Howard Reynolds is an ass. He always has been and always will be. Don't you remember when he flushed your essay down the toilet in senior year? You had worked almost a week on that and were really proud of it."

Henry frowned at the memory. Of course he remembered. That essay had been his baby. He worked on it day and night for an entire week, hardly getting any sleep and showing up at school with bags under his eyes. It had been for finals, and because he had to rewrite it, he earned a disappointing B- while being a straight-A student. That was something Henry would never forget, and maybe that's why he was more cautious with documents now, always making a copy and putting it on a USB drive.

He sighed through his nostrils, "You're right. I shouldn't let him get under my skin anymore." With a shake of his head, Henry grabbed the remote and mutered the television. "What do you think is happening?"

"What, like, around town?"

Henry nodded.

Reed knew what he was asking. His best friend wanted to know if he believed that what was happening in town lately was the work of paranormal activity, or if he thought it was the work of the town crazies that wanted to making this halloween a time to remember with their crazed pranks and strange behavior. Of course, being the co-author of their book, Reed was a true believer.

He scoffed, "I'd be an idiot to think that it was just some high school punks playing pranks."

Henry grinned. Then, the same idea that sparked earlier that day came to mind, and his grin slowly faded and he nervously gnawed on his bottom lip. He stared at the back of his best friend's head for a moment. "I was thinking that we should do something about it. About the ghosts, I mean. We've been getting these strange spikes on the radar, and it doesn't exactly add up with the phenomenas we've captured before. Something is happening, something we haven't documented before, and we should get to the bottom of it. What do you say . . . should we get the team back together?"

His best friend swiveled in his chair, cocking a brow in his direction. "Team?" Reed repeated the word, lifting a brow as his suspension arose. "You mean . . . ?"

Henry nodded.

"You want to bring back the Ghostbusters? Are you for real right now, or am I just hearing things?"

"I've never been more serious in my life."

Reed sighed. "Look, I─I don't know. I mean, why? Why now? We've just republished our book and now you want to reestablish the name our great grandfather's came up with? We've already been labeled the town crazies, isn't that enough for you?"

As he motioned around the room at the technology they've built together over the years, all made for capturing and documenting the paranormal, Henry said, "Look around us, Reed. This ─ the paranormal ─ it's our life. Ever since we were kids, it's all that we could talk about. All that we wanted to do. We've written a book, have been interviewed ─ and yeah, we've even been labeled as the town crazies and we never see our families anymore because we believe in ghosts, but so what? I don't care. What have our families ever done to support us, huh? Exactly. Nothing. But what if we could show them the truth? What if we could show the entire world the truth? People would talk to us . . . no one will whisper and laugh when we walk by . . . we'll have dates with beautiful women again . . ."

After what seemed like forever, but was no longer than five minutes, Reed let out a small sigh that morphed in to a smile. "It would be nice to get back in the dating game again . . ."

Henry grinned, reaching over to clap him on the arm. "Yes! See, I knew there was a reason you're my best friend."

"Yes, yes, I'm amazing, I know," Reed agreed. "Now, if we're going to do this, we're going to do it right. So, what's your plan?"

Henry hesitated, taking a moment to think about what their first step in reestatblishing the Ghostbusters should be. Plopping down in his chair once more, Henry ran a hand through his dark hair. "Well, we can't work here, so we must find a new workspace. I'm sure there's a place we could rent around town that's affordable. Also, we gotta pay a vist to the other guys."

Reed barked out a laugh. "Ha! Yeah, right."

"You said it yourself: If we're going to do this, we're going to do this right. And that means recruiting a team. And what better of a team than them?"

"No. Absolutely not. No, no, no, no, no, and did I mention, no?"

Henry rolled his eyes. He had a feeling this would be a problem, and maybe he shouldn't have brought it up, but if they were going to do this right, they would need a Zeddemore and a Spengler. "I knew I'd get this reaction. Come on, Reed, you can't ignore her forever."

"Yes, I can, and I will."

"Reed─"

Reed slammed his laptop shut, rose to his feet, and moved across the room toward the coffeemaker. While pouring himself a fresh cup, he kept his back toward his friend. "She broke up with me, okay? She doesn't want to see me, and she sure as hell doesn't love me anymore." He turned around, using a straw to stir the cream and sugar in his coffee as he met Henry's gaze. "Trust me, we'll be better off without her."

Henry could see the truth behind his eyes. Even if the break-up had been at the worst time of his best friend's life, if Naomi walked through the door right now, begging to pick up where they left off, Reed wouldn't even hesitate. That's how much he still loved her. And while his friend continued to deny how much he needed Naomi in his life, Henry could always see through the lies. He could always see the pain in his friend's eyes every time his thoughts drifted to her. After all, they shared an apartment, and the walls were thin enough to hear his tears fall.

"When are you ever going to admit it?"

"Admit what?"

"How much you need her in your life." Henry's voice was soft, caring.

"I don't─"

"While a genius I am, it doesn't take a genius to see it, you know. You love her still. More than you'll let yourself admit. But you continue to deny yourself even the slightest glimpse of her. You don't see what it does to yourself like I do, Reed. And I know you probably hate me for saying this, and go ahead, have at it, but I only say this because I care: stop being a brainless idiot and win her back."

Reed's eyes glistened and his cheeks burned scarlet. "I will not ask her to work with us because I already know what her answer will be. Please . . . just drop it, Henry. I mean it." He sat down at his desk, opening his laptop and resuming his work.

Henry frowned. Guilt ate at his heart and the silence that had fallen between them was like a sharp knife to the chest, but he knew that couldn't his tongue anymore. His friend has been in pain for years all because of a broken heart, and he couldn't bear to see him suffer anymore. So, if Reed wasn't going to ask Naomi to work with them, then he would. He just hoped that he was making the right choice.

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a/n: Okay, wow! This first chapter took me FOREVER to publish, I'm sorry about that starkvader. But don't worry, regular updates are coming soon because now that my entire Marvel series is planned out, a lot of prewriting as been done. Anyways, I hope that everyone enjoyed this first chapter and you are ready to finally meet Henry and the other characters!

Also, Henry and Reed have to reestablish the Ghostbusters before he can meet Darcy and Jane, therefore it'll be about five chapters (give or take) before they come into the picture. And as always, thank you for reading and supporting this story, it means the world to me!