After Janine and Egon put Casey down for his nap, Egon found himself sitting at the kitchen table once more while Janine was once again leaning against the counter. There were no more lessons for now, just awkward silence. Egon was never good with small talk, either giving it or responding to it. He had to tap his knee and wait for Janine to say something.

Luckily, that didn't take too long.

"I almost forgot," she said. She gestured toward a potted aloe plant on the windowsill that Egon didn't bother to notice the entire time he was there. "This is Kiefer. He keeps to himself. He was here first and, believe me, he never lets you forget it."

Egon wasn't sure how Janine was able to tell the emotions and intentions of a plant. Wasn't that difficult enough when humans were involved? But he didn't question it. He didn't need to know that answer now.

"That's a healthy plant you got there," said Egon. "I've heard so much about him and yet this is the first time we've met." Egon didn't actually anthropomorphize the plant like Janine did. He merely did this to humor her.

"Did you want lunch?" asked Janine, "Casey may have eaten but you need to be fed as well. I can reheat some leftover quiche and make up a salad."

"Sure." Egon was getting to know his son by feeding him and Janine was doing the same with him. In what other situation did you get to know someone better with food? Well, romantic dinners and business lunches came to mind. This was sort of a business lunch since Janine was a fellow employee. As for a romantic dinner, the 'dinner' part didn't apply but 'romantic?' He wasn't so sure.

As they ate the colorful meal of leftover quiche and fresh salad, Egon felt a question itching to get out.

"Did you make this quiche yourself?" he asked.

"I did," said Janine, "Is it acceptable?"

"More than acceptable. I may just have another slice." Egon took a few more bites before continuing. "It's just that, during our argument the other day, you called yourself 'Janine the Okay Baker.'"

"Well, that's kind of what I am. Okay. I'll never get as good as… say… Julia Child. What I can at least aim for is edible."

"You may never be as good as her but you can at least try to become better than you were before. It takes practice."

"You really believe in me, Egon?"

"Of course. Unless you want to dedicate your talents somewhere else. That's always an option."

"I mean, I guess I've been getting better at baking. Being kooked up at home with a baby has given me time to perfect that skill."

Egon chuckled. "Hmm. To think that you were worried that motherhood would cause you to lose yourself…"

"I may have been able to juggle the title of 'Okay Baker' with motherhood but I'm not sure about the others."

"You also mentioned that you were 'Janine, the Lover of Puzzles."

"Yeah, so?"

"The entire time we've known you, you never once mentioned that."

"Well, ya know… it didn't have anything to do with my job and… it's one of those things that I'm not really open about. I've loved doing them since childhood and the other kids thought I was weird for liking such a thing. It's a love that's never really gone away. Believe me, if this apartment were bigger, I would have a lot more boxes in my closet that say 'Ravensburger' on the side."

"What is it about jigsaw puzzles that you like?"

"They're relaxing and they give me the thrill of figuring something out. The completed picture on the box is a challenge to me, like it's saying "Betcha can't do this.'"

"You know, I also enjoy the thrill of figuring things out. I am a scientist, after all."

"Gee, ya don't say?!"

Egon wasn't always good with sarcasm but he hardly ever heard that phrase in a non-sarcastic context. "What do you say we do a puzzle together?"

Janine positively lit up as she put her fork down. "Nobody besides my dad has ever asked me that."

"Well? What do you say?"

"I say yes!" She got up and headed to her closet, where she kept boxes of puzzles that were piled under junk and blankets. She was just as excited about this as she was about the first time she tried being a ghostbuster.

After some rummaging (not too loud since the baby was sleeping), she came back with the puzzle she wanted. It was a five-hundred-piece puzzle of a painting depicting a battle in the Civil War. Egon was up for a challenge, especially a quiet one.

"Okay, puzzle," said Janine, "I've tackled you before and now I've brought along a friend to help me. Let's see what you've got." She took off the top of the box and dumped the contents onto the table. Egon and Janine were presented with tiny bits of shaped cardboard, colored chaos that was waiting to become order.

Little by little, they inspected each piece and tested them with other pieces. It was bound to become tricky and deceptive. One piece could look like it lined up but really, it didn't fit and the picture didn't match up anyway. But when a piece did match up, it brought with it the satisfaction that, from there, the rest of the puzzle would become progressively easier to solve. Whenever one of them completed a part of the puzzle depicting a soldier being killed on the battlefield, Janine would say, "Sucks to be him." It was quite tasteless but at the same time, it was uniquely Janine. It had been a long while since Egon had done a jigsaw puzzle. He forgot how fun and intellectually stimulating they were.

By the time Egon finished a corner and Janine finished her own chunk, they got to a part of their conversation where Janine talked about her interesting life before being hired by The Ghostbusters, particularly the part where she would go to rock concerts. The framed posters in the living room and her CBGB metaphor were what prompted Egon to ask her about this. Not only was Egon learning more about his son, he was also learning more about the child's mother.

"Going to those concerts is one thing but I've been backstage before."

"Really?" asked Egon, "Which bands? How did you get backstage?"

"I've met Def Leppard, Van Halen, Aerosmith… I think that's it. I had a friend of a friend who was a roadie. He managed to convince security that we were with catering." She laughed. "I got autographed photos and t-shirts. And I've managed to see every one of Joe Perry's tattoos. And I mean EVERY. ONE."

Egon found another piece that fit in perfectly with the one he was focused on. Another one down.

"You don't have to elaborate on that," he said.

"Good, 'cuz I don't feel like it."

Suddenly, Casey hollered from the other room.

"And now it's time for our next lesson," said Janine.

"And what lesson is that?" asked Egon.

Egon found himself back in Casey's room. He was standing at the end of the changing table with a notebook under his arm and a pencil in his other hand. Janine was standing at the side of the changing table while Casey lay on the table with the top of his head facing Egon.

"Okay…" started Janine, "Changing a diaper… It's a bit like opening a birthday present from somebody who hates you. But mark my words, after you do it a few times, you'll become an expert at it."

"I guess I'll take your word," said Egon.

Egon watched as Janine went through each step of this delicate process. By now, she had done this so many times that she had committed it to muscle memory, just like she did with her fast typing. Egon jotted down the steps in a neat list. What mattered was that he could read his hurried handwriting. By now, Egon had been exposed to enough unpleasant sights, smells and textures from his job that he was largely unbothered by this aspect of childcare.

It was only when Janine put a fresh diaper under the clean baby that she noticed what Egon was doing.

"Were you taking notes the entire time?" she asked.

"Of course," said Egon, "If school taught me anything, it's that notetaking is key, even if you never look at them in the future."

"For God's sake, Egon. We're changing a diaper, not dissecting a frog… although I suppose you will be tested on this since you'll be changing the next diaper."

"See? It is good to take notes."

As soon as Janine put on Casey's clothes, she started playing with his feet while singing a nonsense song made up of "doot-doot-doos."

Egon jotted down another note: "Play with feet and sing a song consisting of 'doot-doot-doos.'"

"You don't need to make a note on this part," said Janine.

"You can never be too thorough," said Egon.

Later on, Egon changed the next diaper. It was a good thing he took notes because he pretty much aced it. Unfortunately, Janine did not give out any gold star stickers, so she gave Egon an applause instead. Sometimes, handclaps were enough when it came to validation of one's skills.

Other than childcare lessons, Egon, Janine and Casey did things as a family – watching television, doing puzzles and eating dinner. Janine's apartment didn't feel quite like a second home yet but it was getting there.

Then came the final lesson of the day: Bedtime. Egon and Janine were back in Casey's room, this time picking out a book from the stack that was on hand. Some of them were new while others were bought second-hand. At least three were from Janine's childhood. Egon was holding Casey, who was still awake but calmer and quieter than he was earlier in the day.

"Okay, so nothing gets the eyes closed like a good bedtime story," said Janine, "We've got all sorts of books to choose from, like 'The Very Hungry Caterpillar' or 'Goodnight Moon' or…"

"I actually brought one of my favorite books with me," said Egon. He took a book out from under his left arm and showed it to Janine. It was the National Audubon Society's Field Guide to Mushrooms, dog-eared in quite a few places and read enough times that Egon could name the order of the chapters from memory.

"Really?" asked Janine, "Are you sure?"

"You can never start them too early. By learning about fungus, we can learn a bit about ourselves."

"Okay… As long as you're boring him to sleep and not to tears, I don't mind. You two enjoy yourselves."

When Janine left, Egon sat down in the rocking chair that was next to Casey's crib. Egon held Casey with his left arm while he had the book in his right hand.

"You ready to learn about molds and fungus, Casey?" asked Egon, "We share almost fifty percent of our DNA with them, so I guess we can call them family."

Casey looked at Egon and smiled while putting both his hands up to his mouth.

Egon opened the book, making sure to skip the acknowledgements, table of contents and anything else that came at the beginning.

"I don't think you need me to read aloud the introduction since the wonders of mushrooms pretty much speak for themselves. Let's get to the basic anatomy of a mushroom, shall we?" He turned to a page featuring a diagram of a mushroom along with lines that pointed to and explained specific parts. "Let's start with the cap, the most noticeable part of a mushroom. This mushroom's cap is flat but other mushrooms have conical or spherical caps…"

Egon read the first few pages of the manual (with yawns every few sentences) before he blacked out.

He was eventually stirred from his sleep by the sound of a click. He then woke up fully when he felt Janine push against his arm. When he opened his eyes, he was surprised to see that he had fallen asleep sitting in an upright position. He couldn't recall the last time he did that.

"Wake up, Sleepy Head," whispered Janine. She had a camera with a strap around her neck. That must have been where the clicking came from.

When Egon looked down, he saw the book turned over and resting on his knee. It also surprised him that he could hold a sleeping baby while being sound asleep himself. He looked at his watch. Forty-five minutes had passed between when he started reading to Casey and when he woke up.

"Oh my god, Egon," said Janine, "You should have seen yourself. You looked so cute. Actually, you can see yourself once this film is developed."

Egon wanted to shrink down in shame when he heard that.

"Don't you dare show that photo to any of the guys," he said with seriousness in his voice.

"No promises." Janine took Casey and tucked him into his crib, all without waking him up. Egon stood up and took one last look at Casey before finally leaving him to his slumber. The baby was on his back with his head tilted to the side. Enjoy him now, Egon told himself. Casey was probably going to be up in a few hours.

Janine and Egon exited the room while closing the door behind them.

"I'm getting pretty tired myself," said Egon, "I suppose I should set up some blankets and a pillow on the couch since there's only one bed."

"Egon, you don't have to do that," said Janine in a cutesy manner, "You can sleep in my bed with me."

"Well, I certainly wouldn't mind doing that."

"In fact, maybe we can put off sleep for a little bit and do some… I don't know… nighttime activities? Hmm?" Janine smiled and fiddled with one of Egon's suspender straps.

"Did you mean watching TV? Or completing another puzzle?"

Janine sighed. "No, I mean a certain other activity. One that we've done in various places at the firehouse but most people do in bed."

Finally, it became clear. Egon knew exactly what Janine was talking about.

"Oooh," he said in a sultry voice, "I know what you're talking about." He felt his heart beat faster once he put his hands on Janine's waist.

"I can assure you that my birth control pills are in a Slimer-proof safe, so no worries there," said Janine.

And so, Janine and Egon went to have fun just like old times.

Back at the firehouse, the boys and Gabby were getting ready for bed. All sets of teeth were brushed and all pairs of pajamas were on their respective bodies. Gabby figured that, since Egon wasn't there, she would call dibs on his bed.

"Gabby," said Peter.

Gabby stopped climbing into bed to hear what Peter had to say.

"Yes?" she asked.

"Can you please step out of the room for a second?"

"Okay."

Gabby stepped out of the room and closed the door behind her. She still listened in to what was being said.

"We can't have her sleep in here," said Peter.

"Why not?" asked Ray.

"Isn't it obvious? She's a girl!"

Oh, how she hated being called a girl. She didn't help trap a demon dragon and complete a crash course in ghostbusting just to be dismissed as a mere girl.

"Are you afraid you're going to catch cooties?" asked Winston.

"That was so funny I forgot to laugh," said Peter, "You don't let guys sleep in the same room as girls. It's just common sense."

"Well, where should she sleep?" asked Ray.

Before she knew it, Gabby found herself sleeping on the ratty, old couch on the main floor of the firehouse. She got as comfortable as possible but could still feel unsettling lumps in the cushions and slights smells of mildew.

"You have no right to complain, Gabby," she said to herself, "This is what you wanted. You just have to suck it up. You're sleeping right next to the Ecto-1, so you'll be the first to respond if there's a late-night call."

Suddenly, she heard some skittering in the darkness along with squeaks.

"Great. At least the rats will keep me company." Gabby snuggled her blanket and closed her eyes. She would get used to this in time.

Meanwhile, after some fun "nighttime activities," Egon and Janine slept in Janine's queen-sized bed. Janine was curled up on her side and Egon was flat on his back. Their clothes were sprawled on the covers and the floor. Egon had pleasant dreams, mainly because he had a better idea of what this elusive concept of love was. It must have had something to do with having someone fall asleep in your arms. Or it had something to do with getting to know the woman who had been giving you "stress relief" for all these years. Many math equations can lead to the same number. Many types of interactions can lead to love. It made sense.