The History of Egon and Janine from Ghostbusters (1984) Part 1

by juststeph11

When sassy Janine Melnitz is hired as a secretary at the new Ghostbusters business, the brilliant but emotionally cold Dr. Egon Spengler's life becomes unhinged. What will a man dedicated to scientific thought and inquiry do when he unwillingly falls in love for the first time? Will he be able to embrace his feelings and the lack of control that Janine brings to his life?

9. Chapter 9 Just Cant Get enough

Chapter 9 "Just Can't Get Enough" (End of July 1983)

"When I'm with you, baby.

I go out of my head

And I just can't get enough.

And I just can't get enough.

All the things you do for me

And everything you said

I just can't get enough.

I just can't get enough."

Depeche Mode, "Just Can't Get Enough."

The Day After

Janine Melnitz

Egon's words that I was too intelligent for this job echoed in my ears, and I decided that I would finish one more class this fall, another one in Spring, and then finish the last one next fall (1984). I would be able to graduate in December, the first one in my immediate family with a bachelor's degree. The idea made me feel proud of myself. Quickly, I wrote down a note on a post-it to call my advisor later today to register for the upcoming semester.

Joyfully, I recalled my discussion with Egon yesterday when he consoled me when I broke down weeping after one of my Mom's lectures. When he unanticipatedly put his long arms around my waist and held me near him, my heart melted despite my tears, and I felt very treasured by him. I cherished that feeling from him and his sweet words that consoled me. Egon didn't seem to like that I was upset, but I never expected him to behave in such a caring way. He wiped a tear off my face and later even caressed my cheek tenderly while we gazed at each other. The moment was extremely romantic. Even though I was quite morose at the time, I hope that we had another tender moment like that soon. My heart thumped noisily in my chest while he consoled me, and I felt like swooning while I was in his arms. On top of everything, his body pressed against mine caused a flush of heat to run through my body several times as we embraced and I felt aroused by his closeness. Egon's soft touch on my cheek, face, and shoulders ignited a fiery desire in me for him to caress more private areas of my body, and I wish I had just grabbed and kissed him. I had coveted to kiss those sexy lips of his for so long, and yesterday, it felt just out of reach.

Egon Spengler

When I needed to think, I often went into my office and closed the door. Today was no exception, and I lay down on the sofa I had in there with my eyes closed and my hands on my temples. I tried to focus on the problem, Janine.

Unfortunately, she persistently seemed to be on my mind, and it was a huge task to refocus. My mind had been replaying holding Janine in my arms and caressing her face when she needed comforting recently. The problem was that my feelings for her seemed to be fortifying quickly despite my attempts to remove her from my mind.

I realized all of this meant that my feelings were deeper with Janine than I had originally thought. Drifting away, I fell asleep for a while on my sofa, thinking about how Janine would feel if she was lying in my arms right now.

When I opened my eyes again much later, I saw a box of twinkies, a six-pack of cokes, and a note on my desk that I hadn't noticed earlier.

As I read the note, a giant toothless grin came to my face. The note read-

Egon,

Thank you for listening and encouraging me to complete my degree yesterday. I really appreciate it.

Janine (she kissed the paper)

My heart palpitated quickly in my chest, and I, yearningly, traced the outline of her name on the paper with my index finger.

Sighing loudly, I closed my eyes and stated, " I am in control of my actions and emotions at all times," repetitively until I felt that statement was true. It took thirty minutes.

Three weeks later

One morning on a bust, my proton pack stopped working, leaving me helpless to assist the others in trapping a particularly annoying ghost. Regrettably, I had to take a taxi back because there was another case right after that one. I entered the empty firehouse noticing that Janine was gone, which was for the best after I decided to avoid her as much as possible by staying in the lab. Also, I avoided any unnecessary conversations with her. Finally, I fortified my mind by repeating mantras about my career goals and the way to meet them to clear my brain of her or any emotions that had seemed to surface in the past three months.

Climbing the stairs, the pack felt heavy, and my lower back was throbbing a little unused to the weight. I went into the lab quickly so I could give it some relief. After turning the radio on, I took the pack off and put it on the lab table. I sang along with the radio as I worked-

"Just like a rainbow

You know you set me free.

And I just can't get enough.

And I just can't get enough.

You're like an angel, and you give me your love.

And I just can't seem to get enough of"

Later on, I heard an alien noise come from the landing.

"That is harder than it looks, "Janine retorted sarcastically, watching the TV. She was sitting on the red sofa and rubbing one of her feet with a cynical expression on her face.

"Am I interrupting, Janine?"

The petite auburn-haired lady almost leaped from the sofa ten feet high when she heard me, and it caused me to involuntarily give her a half-grin.

"Damn," I thought to myself, examining her as she recovered from her scare, " she's breathtaking."

Janine wore a short brown skirt with matching heels and a cream-colored sleeveless blouse with a bow at the front.

" Oh, Egon, I didn't know you were here," she exclaimed, startled, her right hand, unconsciously, playing with the locket that she always wore around her neck.

When I observed that the source of the unfamiliar sounds were two people making love in a bathtub on the TV, her cheeks changed to a deep crimson color. Raising my left eyebrow bemusedly, I glanced at Janine with a devious grin that I couldn't prevent myself from giving.

"Catching up on my soaps," she admitted, chagrined with a shrug. Janine stood up rapidly, changed the station to the afternoon news, and walked to the kitchen. She started to remove the items from one of the brown bags full of groceries to put away, and I joined her in the kitchen to retrieve a coke and make a sandwich. The small kitchen made it unachievable to be close to Janine, and I felt a force pull me towards her.

"Where are the others," Janine questioned nonchalantly as I made myself a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

"My proton pack malfunctioned earlier during the first bust, and I took a cab back to fix it. I guess you were running errands when I came back. I have to test it out later to see if it is working correctly," I answered, scooping peanut butter o with a knife out of the Jif jar in a large amount and spreading it on two slices of wheat bread. To my surprise, Janine handed me a paper plate to put my sandwich on, and I thanked her before looking for chips. She gave me a pretty smile in return.

Next, I sat down at the kitchen table after adding chips to my plate and began to eat, trying to avoid taking any further. Although I hadn't planned on speaking with her, I involuntarily placed myself in a perfect seat to view her in the kitchen. From my chair, I felt helpless from watching her put items in the fridge while singing to herself softly and then reach on the top of her toes to open a cabinet. I watched her remove a glass from the bottom shelf, close the cabinet door, and turned the faucet on to fill the glass with tap water. She then sat down across from me at the kitchen table and placed her glass down.

"Oh, Ewwww," she moaned, removing her feet from her heels and closing her eyes.

Distractedly, I couldn't prevent myself from glancing at her when she groaned.

Absentmindedly, Janine began to rub her feet while closing her eyes, lost in her thoughts, allowing me to observe her loveliness in private. Her blouse revealed her cleavage when she bent down. She had small but perky breasts, I observed, swallowing hard, and I wondered how they would feel in my hands.

She was currently bending over to knead her sore feet, and I peeked down her shirt, viewing them. Janine didn't notice as she was rubbing her right foot with her hand still with her eyes closed, and I took full advantage of my view. My cock became erect as I observed her, and overall, I felt quite aroused. I felt my temperature rise as I watched her and thought how I badly wanted to touch her body all over, first with my hands and then again with my lips. By no means did I think Janine was doing all of this to gain my attention. However, she was incredibly sexy. I inhaled deeply, tried to calm my senses, and took a bite of my sandwich. Then I made the conscious decision to look at the TV.

As a result, I started thinking about Sir Isaac Newton's second law of physics. I repeated it to myself as I took another bite of my sandwich to calm down, " The acceleration of an object as produced by a net force is directly proportional to the magnitude of the net force, in the same direction as the net force, and inversely proportional to the mass of the object."

Then I put my sandwich down again and repeated the second law of physics silently in my mind.

"Oh, when will I learn not to run errands in these shoes," Janine asked rhetorically, opening her pretty blue eyes after a few seconds, slipping her feet back into them like when Cinderella put hers in the glass slippers in the fairytale.

Meanwhile, I wrestled with my daydream that I was in the middle of imagining. I envisioned coming behind her, putting my arms around her small waist and whispering how beautiful she was in her ear, my lips teasing her as I spoke. Then I would place kisses on Janine's graceful neck, causing her to moan in gratification and to call out my name in a breathy voice. That would be sufficient encouragement to persist in my actions until I touched every inch of her neck on both sides with my lips, leaving me to friskily brush my lips against her ears and nose. Next, I would touch every area of her face before her mouth, increasing hers and my own anticipation. With a fierce urgency, I would give her a kiss to show her how I felt about her. Blushing at the mere notion of my fantasy, I wished I had the courage to act so brazenly and glanced at her for a second to discover her drinking from her glass.

"Would Janine lose her composure and slap me if I went behind her and kissed her," I inquired to myself as I took another bite of my sandwich.

"You must have a date after work," I deduced quietly after a few minutes of silence.

"How do you figure that?"

"Well, your cosmetics are slightly brighter than usual, and your blouse is...ahem...slightly revealing," I admitted, clearing my throat. My face felt like I had a sunburn and transformed into a crimson color. Our eyes met for a few seconds, and she beamed joyfulness with one of those illuminating 1000 watt smiles that felt like I had come out of the darkroom of a photo lab then directly into sunlight. Her happiness made me feel euphoric.

" Why Dr. Spengler, I assume you are too industrious to notice me," Janine playfully remarked, drawing my name out as she uttered it tantalizingly with her lucrative mouth. She gave me a dazzling smile, which mesmerized me, and I still felt very piqued by her. Her smile and teasing pulled at my heartstrings, and my heart pounded in my chest wildly. As a response, I attempted to repeat Newton's first law to quiet myself down and moved my eye line from her to my sandwich. I started to eat it again.

"An object will remain at rest or in a uniform state of motion unless that state is changed by an external force."

It didn't work, though, because I was enchanted and aroused by this sensuous woman. The hunger for that sandwich had left my stomach, and a new hunger had taken over me, one for the resplendent Janine Melnitz.

"I will take that as a compliment," she responded huskily. Nodding, I gulped uneasily and gave her a small half-grin. I enjoyed her "bedroom" voice as it were and felt my erection grow harder when she spoke in that manner. Everything about Janine was turning me on now.

"Geez," I thought in my head, "did I travel back to when I was sixteen, and everything about a woman aroused me?"

"Force is equal to the change in momentum (mass times velocity) over time. In other words, the rate of change is directly proportional to the amount of force applied", I thought to myself, looking at the TV set but not focusing on it.

Before I knew it, I elucidated myself further by saying, "as a scientist, I always observe things and people, but ...I... always hear... and see you, Janine. You are extraordinarily lovely."

The intriguing woman let out a quick, soft giggle as her cheeks turned a bright red that made her more adorable in my eyes. Next, Janine sipped water from her glass to cover it from me, but I wasn't sure why. My heart skipped a beat again when she simpered, and I gave her a half-grin while my cheeks turned red. Just by sitting across from her, my body felt a wave of tingling sensations wash over it, and I realized that I liked complimenting her. Surprised, Janine grinned at me and anxiously glanced downwards. I noticed that her cheeks were still Scarlett and that she was quiet, which was unusual. Our eyes met, and hers were two beautiful pools of blue that twinkled in the light. We were silent, and it was pleasantly tense for a moment.

"Thank you for the sweet praise," Janine purred slowly, fluttering her eyelashes at me. After a while, I twisted my body to see the TV better and scolded myself for talking so much to her.

"Yes, I do have a date, and I am going to the Museum of Modern Art tonight. They have a special exhibit on Impressionism that I want to see that ends tonight," Janine commented, breaking the silence a little later.

"Force is equal to the change in momentum (mass times velocity) over time. In other words, the rate of change is directly proportional to the amount of force applied", I thought to myself, looking at the TV set and not her.

"Do you like Impressionism?"

"Oh shit," I chided myself after I spoke, still trying to calm down from my arousal, but I liked that she admired art.

"Yes, I do. I am very pumped about going. One thing I love about impressionists is their use of color. Monet, Manet, Renoir, Degas, and Cezzane. I'd love to go to Paris and go to the Musee de Orsay," she answered, interested in the topic," do you admire art?"

"Mental note- Janine likes the Impressionist artist and would like to go to Paris to go to the Musee d'Orsay," I thought to myself, involuntarily, committing it to memory for future use.

"Yes, some. Particularly, the Classical and the Baroque periods," I remarked then asked, quietly, "are you going with Tony, the guy that you introduced to all of us last week?"

"Why am I keeping that information in my head," I wondered inwardly, but I answered myself quickly, "you remember everything Janine tells you because you care about her."

This question startled both Janine and me when I uttered it, yet my face still flushed with blazing heat. At least, her face matched mine in color, I observed.

"Yes, it's with Tony. I didn't think that you were paying attention when I introduced him to you all as you were preoccupied with your research," she remarked, appalled yet clearly gratified that I paid attention.

"Do you remember what I told you just a second ago?"

Blushing, Janine glanced up at me through her eyelashes, looking very provocative, then nodded slightly.

"You are really flattering me today, , and I love it," she simpered first and then murmured loudly enough so I could hear her. and There was an awkward silence for a time as I ate my sandwich.

"You can do better than him, by the way. We didn't like him because he seemed like an arrogant jerk," I revealed, my palms sweating as I spoke.

"It was true that we all agreed that he seemed like a jerk," I thought to myself, but I added the arrogant part, "where is my boldness to say what I think coming from today?"

"Tony is a friend of my best friend, Bree, and I already knew he had those tendencies. If he's a blockhead tonight, I won't be going on a third date. I promised her that I would give Tony a two-date trial. Tonight, I picked the date, so at least it won't be a total waste since I want to see this exhibit," she divulged in a babbling sort of way and stood up to put her now empty glass into the sink. Janine began to fill a watering container with tap water to give our potted plants a drink later, and she brought it to the kitchen table.

Grumpily, I thought about how Janine had to compromise to go to the exhibit and felt a frown form on my face. I didn't like Tony and wondered if she noticed my expression.

"It's too bad that you have to go on a date with someone you don't like to attend the exhibit," I remarked, standing up, realizing that I had to leave the kitchen area as I became increasingly irritated with the thought of her on a date with someone else. Janine and I gazed into each other's eyes for a couple of seconds before she replied, sassily,

"I guess so, but I don't have anyone else to go with. I believe art is to be enjoyed best with someone."

Quickly, I spun around and moved to the lab wordlessly, attempting to hide my displeasure. I entered my sanctuary with my pulse racing, and my thoughts jumbled, then closed the door sharply. Next, I took some deep breaths to return my breathing to its' normal rate as I tried to eliminate my memory of Janine bending over in front of me, revealing her titillating breasts, and that proved to be exceedingly arduous, if not impossible. The wall that I had built around me the past three weeks crumbled as if it was made of cards within seconds of talking to her. Not only did I have to worry about calming my arousal, my mind filled with thoughts about her going on a date with Tony and becoming affectionate with him.

Jealous. I was jealous.

"You are not jealous, Egon Spengler. You are in control of your thoughts," I repeated angrily, walking around the room with my hands on my head, over and over.

As I heard my business partners talking downstairs, I decided that I needed to do some meditation to chill out on the roof because I didn't want them to see how hot and bothered I was over Janine still. Furthermore, I knew they would pester me about it and wanted to avoid that at all costs. I reluctantly had to pass the landing to get to the stairs and heard her talking to her plants, lovingly, as she watered them. Despite my attempts to ignore her, I felt myself melt when I heard her doing so as I wished for her to speak to me in that type of doting voice.

"Why is she going out with that moron," I mumbled angrily, "I'd take her to the exhibit if I had known she wanted to go."

That last statement was duplicated in my mind several times as it dawned on me that I wished to take Janine on a date to this exhibit.

"Oh shit," I murmured, having a sinking feeling in my stomach, "that's why I am jealous. I want to go with her."

Incandescent, I turned the doorknob open to the roof with extra force, causing a deafening bang, and slammed it shut. Speedily, I climbed the stairs taking two at a time, and opened the door outwards to the roof. All control I had over my feelings for Janine before speaking to her had slipped away, and the tighter that I attempted to control my life, the further it pulled away. I despised being out of control and had to solve this puzzle.

Dr. Peter Venkman

"What's wrong," I questioned Egon as we were returning from a bust that afternoon at the time we were driving past the Museum of Modern Art.

"Janine," he grumbled from the back, with a scowl on his face.

"Did you say my little sister is the problem," Ray asked, pretending to be hard of hearing.

"Nevermind," our theoretical physicist answered in a huff as he gazed out of the window.

"Come on, we are all friends here," I offered, lighting up a cigarette, "would you like to talk about it?"

"Would it be possible to do it without all of the usual jokings and teasing for one day," he asked, pouting solemnly.

Shrugging, Ray and I glanced at each other, then Stantz said, "Sure, Spengler."

"Sounds serious," I thought to myself but didn't utter it.

"Janine's going out with Tony again tonight to the Impressionism exhibit," Egon relayed, shocking both of us by speaking up about his concerns.

"'How do you know," Ray inquired.

"When I came back earlier from the bust, we were talking, and I made a deduction that she had a date tonight by the way she is dressed," he replied, sourly.

"I didn't think you were speaking to her right now because you have been avoiding her since whatever happened between you two last," I stated," I mean, you normally run away from interacting with her after the two of you kiss or make out or whatever you do together alone."

"Is that really what you think is going on," he asked incredulously.

"No, I don't think Janine would be able to hide her excitement if that was the case. Even you wouldn't be able to conceal that if it was happening with the way you have been acting lately," I commented, flicking the ash from my cigarette into the car's cigarette tray.

"I don't understand her taste in men sometimes; that guy is a dick," Ray stated, "Why do nice ladies go for assholes? Janine's dated nicer guys than that one. My sister, Lucy, almost married a complete dickhead before she woke up."

"Tony's her best friend's friend, so I guess she feels some obligation. They are going to the Impressionism exhibit tonight, and she's really thrilled about it. Not so much about him from her reaction when I asked her about it. It seems like a bad compromise because she promised her friend she would give this guy a 'two date trial' as she said," he expressed from the backseat, the anguish clear in his voice.

"Ok, why are you bummed out about it," Ray questioned innocently.

"I don't like the idea of her going out with Tony again when he's a jerk, and she doesn't enjoy spending time with him," Egon replied gloomily.

"Yes, but why," I questioned, digging further.

"I care about her," he commented agitatedly.

"We already knew that Spengs, but I didn't think you did, or did you?"

"As you reported earlier, I have been attempting to avoid Janine, so yes, I would say I knew that but didn't want to admit it. Before you state it, Venkman, I have circumvented my feelings for a while, but in my defense, I didn't even realize how I felt until somewhat recently," he divulged, honestly.

"I'm proud of you for admitting it, Iggy. I know it is burdensome for you," I turned around to look at him with a grin from the passenger seat and complimented him. However, Spengler rolled his eyes at me.

"What's so bad about caring for Janine," Ray inquired, "I think she's a pretty cool woman and attractive, too."

"I guess she's an obstruction in my life. What are you, my therapist," he questioned, showing signs of indignation, and I realized that Egon may be shutting down soon.

"An obstruction from what," I inquired, cynically," from working all of the time? From spores, mold, and fungus?"

"My pursuit of a Nobel," Egon stated exasperatedly.

"What does your therapist say," Ray probed, " have you told him about Janine?"

Spengler overlooked Ray's question, and the grave expression returned to his long face. Stantz and I glanced at each other as we felt the car's atmosphere became tenser and realized that our friend was done talking.

"Why don't you ask her to go with you to the exhibit instead and see what she says," Ray questioned helpfully.

"Tonight's the last night of the exhibit," he uttered through gritted teeth as we pulled onto the street where the firehouse was located.

"Wait, Spengs, I don't think you should do that because she might say no due to her obligation. Then you would just feel disappointed and discouraged in asking her out again in the future," I advised, suddenly.

"It doesn't matter either way. I won't be asking her out whether it is tonight or another night," he answered, solemnly without an expression on his face, "I don't have time for anything else other than my pursuit of the Nobel."

Ray parked the car in the firehouse, effectively ending all conversation, and Iggy exited the car very rapidly to put the ghost traps in the containment unit downstairs. He walked right by Janine, who appeared forlorn when he did so because her bright smile turned into a sad frown.

"You know the only thing worse than being in love with Egon Spengler," I asked Ray before we left the car. I put my cigarette out in the ashtray first and grabbed the paperwork that Janine would need for the accounting.

"What?"

"Being Egon Spengler himself," I answered," his internal struggle is real, and he doesn't know how to let himself be happy."

"That may be true, but I worry about Janine. She's truly smitten over him, and let's say Egon gives it a chance for a while. Then he breaks her heart because he decides science is more important to him. Janine would be devastated," Ray mentioned, worried.

"I don't think it's going to matter, Raymond. Egon's not going to make a move on Janine. I can almost guarantee it. Yes, she will be hurt by it for a while until she moves on either due to frustration or under being tired of waiting for him to make a move," I countered, sadly, " I think Spengler would have made a move. Already."

"He said it took him a long time to realize his feelings," Ray pointed out.

"Egon doesn't want any change in his life and possibly can't handle it if he did. He's getting set in his ways like his Uncle did, who is solo and miserable. When Floyd was in his mid-forties, he fell in love with a woman, but he didn't want to commit to anything that wasn't related to his career when it became serious. Now he would admit that she was the love of his life, but he wouldn't bend. Eventually, the lady fell in love with someone else and married happily, while Floyd is alone and lonely. I don't want that for Egon, but it seems like he may repeat his Uncle's pattern. I'm not saying Janine is the love of his life because there's no way to know that, but she certainly acquired his attention," I responded, and we left the car silently.

Janine Melnitz

After my date with Tony that night, I drank my lavender tea in my favorite purple mug while writing in my diary on my bed listening to my Depeche Mode record, singing along loudly,

"And when it rains

You're shining down for me.

And I just can't get enough.

And I just can't get enough.

Just like a rainbow

You know you set me free.

And I just can't get enough.

And I just can't get enough".

Dear Diary,

After almost three weeks of steering clear of all (even work-related, when possible) discussion, Egon and I had an interesting exchange as he admitted that he always "saw" and "heard" me, and he called me "extraordinarily lovely." I could barely contain my excitement when he revealed that bit of information, and I felt jubilant. Afterward, he gave me the sweetest smile, and I melted. I enjoyed the fact that I could speak to him privately for a little while even though he walked in when I was watching my soaps, and Laura and Michael were making love in the tub. Like that's realistic, but I'd still love to try it with my darling Egon.

The whole conversation began with his deduction that I had a date tonight because he admitted that I wore a revealing blouse and that my makeup differed. Egon didn't seem displeased when I flirted low key with him and even turned red in the face when I called him on it. He asked me about my date going to the Museum of Modern Art to the Impressionism exhibit that ends today (and particularly who I was going with), Tony. He admitted that he and the other Ghostbusters did not like him because he was a "jerk." I'll admit that he seemed a little perturbed that I was going out with him, and that shocked me. (But of course, that makes me happy) He also commented that it was a shame that I had to compromise by going out with Tony to see this art exhibit. Well, Egon Spengler, how come you didn't ask me to go with you? I'd cancel him in a second if you did. Sigh.

By the way, Egon likes the Classical and Baroque periods of art.

Dr. Peter Venkman A day later

Before Janine left for the day, I ran down the stairs to speak to her about Egon. Sadly, the sunset two hours ago, but it was still extremely humid out.

" May I walk with you for a while?" I asked her, catching up with her. Half-heartedly, Janine nodded but gave me a suspicious sideways glance.

"I have to catch the C train in twelve minutes, " She said, looking at her watch. As a result, I opened the door to the outside world and let her walk through it first. It was a pleasant night with many twinkling stars in the sky.

"I'll walk you to the station," I offered, walking alongside her as it was ten at night.

"Thank you," Janine replied, cautiously. Silence ensued for a minute.

" Look, I don't know how to say this so I am going to just do it. I know that you find a certain theoretical physicist attractive," I started, and Janine glanced at me, slightly chagrined. We walked around a family as they stopped in the middle of the walkway, and I continued, conveying sincerity in my eyes I hoped, saying "Egon is interested in you, you know."

Our secretary gave me a dubious glance then stated, firmly, "Yes, I find Egon attractive and interesting, but he hasn't given me any indication of the same feelings towards me."

"Spengler is different, and obviously, you know that by now. He's not going to do the same things that other men would do if they were attracted to you. Haven't you noticed Egon leaves things on your desk?"

"Yeah, but his office is right behind my desk. Egon's too busy to leave things purposely in the wrong place," Janine argued, her blue eyes narrowing while she analyzed my face to see if I was joking with her.

"Brooklyn, I know you think I am playing around with you, but I promise I am not. Spengler's one of my closest friends, and I know him pretty well. I know he shows interest in you just by how he acts around you, but you are going to have to be patient. He's timid on top of having limited people skills, but around you, I have noticed that he opens up more."

"Peter, I appreciate that you are trying to help although I haven't asked for any. Yes, I have a crush on him, but as I said, he hasn't made any indication of the same feeling. I have never hidden the fact that I find him interesting," Janine's nasally voice trailed off then she waved her left hand dismissively.

"Janine, stop, please and peer into my face," I requested of her and halted my movements until she did then spoke, " I am serious about Egon's interest in you. The day of the interview when you challenged him with your knowledge of BASIC that seized his attention. However, he is Egon Spengler, a genius who doesn't have many friends and struggles with his emotions and with his interactions with people. His head is too much in the clouds, so to speak. Both Ray and I think you, and he would get along swimmingly based on our observations of the two of you together and his actions regarding you when you aren't around. Just don't give up, OK?"

Nodding, her nice blue eyes seemed to sparkle with this information although her facial expression indicated that she was still doubtful. We started to walk side by side on the crowded streets, and she pondered the information that I gave her. Finally, we arrived at the station and stopped in front of the stairs that went down to the subway. People were walking around us every which way as was the style in the City, and Janine retrieved her ticket from her purse.

"Janine, I know you have to catch your train. Stantz and I have been working on getting Egon to ask you out on a date for a while. When you walked into the lab that day in April, we had teased him relentlessly about it, causing him to make those rude remarks. Haven't you noticed that he seems to speak to you more now that you aren't flirting with him in an evident manner?"

Speechless, Janine gave me another skeptical glare as she fingered her ticket in her hand for a second.

"I don't know," she finally answered, and turned away from me to descend the stairs. I yelled goodbye as she made it to the bottom floor and waved at her, and noticed that her face had lit up like a thousand candles on fire in a dark room. Her enthusiasm was unmistakable, but I only hoped that she would be patient with Spengs. Janine grinned and waved goodbye at me then entered the station.