Patty gave a raucous laugh and slapped her palm against the table, "Wait, for real?"

Abby shrugged her shoulders innocently enough, but the sly smile on her lips told the truth.

"Damn, girl, all right," Patty said with an impressed nod of her head. "My turn. Holtzy what was the name of your favourite stuffed animal as a kid?"

Abby threw up her arms in protest, "What?! I get asked about the weirdest sex position I've ever done and Holtzmann gets some PG-rated fluff question? How's that fair?"

Patty put up her hand, "When it's your turn you can ask whatever question you want. Right now though, I really wanna know the name of Holtzy's favourite stuffed animal."

"Fine," Abby conceded with a roll of her eyes. "But when it gets to my turn…"

"Yeah, yeah," Patty laughed and gave Holtzmann a playful nudge in the ribs. "Don't worry, I got you."

Holtzmann gave a wink, "Thanks Patty. And to answer your question, it was Mr. Bear."

Patty exchanged a look with Erin and Abby and then turned bodily towards Holtzmann, "Wait, seriously? All that weird shit up in there," she said gesturing to her head, "and your teddy bear was named Mr. Bear?"

"What can I say?" Holtzmann replied and leaned back in her chair. "I didn't get this freaky 'til I discovered Science."

Abby laughed and nodded in understanding, offering her pint across the table for a quick cheers.

"All right, so it's my turn…" Holtzmann looked thoughtfully around the table and settled her sights on Erin. "Erin."

She blanched and muttered an uncertain, "Yes?"

A mischievous grin stretched across Holtzmann's face from ear to ear, "Sweet, sweet, Erin."

The ginger haired Ghostbuster took a hasty sip of her beer in preparation for whatever probing or highly embarrassing question was going to land in her lap courtesy of one Jillian Holtzmann.

"When's the last time you were kissed?"

"Uh…" Erin took another sip of her beer to buy some time to think. Who was the last? David? Jerry? It hadn't been that long, had it? She racked her mind for the memory of her last, less than impressive kiss. It was Donald, definitely Donald. After the Columbia staff holiday party. She'd had a few too many and found herself flirting with the divorced, 45 year-old, sweater vest wearing, historian outside the restaurant. One thing led to another and…

Erin lifted her eyes towards in the ceiling in silent prayer, discretely cleared her throat, and muttered, "882 days."

Holtzmann and Patty leaned forward across the table and Abby turned towards her with her brows screwed up.

"882 days?!" she decried and Holtzmann's eyes went wide. "Erin, oh my god! That's an eternity!"

"Girl, you need to go on a date, like a real date, and soon!" Patty determined. "I've got some nice friends I could set you up with. You just let me know!"

Erin felt her cheeks grow hot and fiddled with the pint glass between her hands, "I was so focused on trying to get tenure that everything else just sort of got pushed to the side. I guess I didn't realize it'd been that long."

"Well no wonder you were like a cat in heat around Kevin," Abby observed with a sage nod of her head. "That explains so much!"

"This is really embarrassing, can we move on to the next question please?" Erin pleaded with a pitiful glance around the table.

"It's your question," Abby reminded her.

"Right…" Erin glanced around at her fellow Ghostbusters and searched the realms of her mind for a question. Something that would take the focus off the ridiculous amount of time it'd been since someone had last seen fit to kiss her.

"Uh… Abby. Tell us your worst ever sex story."

Abby rolled her eyes, "Come on! How come it's always me that gets these questions?"

"You've got the best stories," Patty informed her with a shameless grin.

Holtzmann propped her cheek on her fist and stared at Abby expectantly.

Abby heaved a groan, "You guys are the worst!"

Two hours and countless pints later, the group had extracted a treasure trove of dirty secrets and hilariously embarrassing stories from one another. Abby had been saddled with a disproportionate number of requests to recount her sexual history in all its gory and hilarious detail. Holtzmann had shamelessly flirted with all of them while skirting around any real answers. Patty had told them about the tantric sex retreat she went on for two weeks in Hawaii that one time. And Erin had been reminded time and again how sad her sex life was compared to that of her friends.

Had it really been that long? Time had gone by so fast she hadn't really even stopped to think about it, but now she couldn't seem to stop. 882 days since her last kiss. Even longer since the last time she actually did the deed with anyone. Your 20s were supposed to be those crazy college years where you lived wild and slept with whoever because who cares? But she'd spent her 20s with her nose buried in a book desperately trying to earn scholarships to pay her way through school.

Her early 30s had been a dedicated, almost obsessive, and ultimately fruitless pursuit of a tenured position at Columbia. It hadn't left much time for anything else, really. If she wasn't teaching or working on her research papers, or planning her next lessons, she was networking and ass kissing and volunteering for committees she had no interest in being a part of all in the hopes that it would someday amount to something. But it hadn't.

So here she was, creeping ever closer to 35, and staring down the dark hallway of a long life alone. Because who starts dating at that age? No one, that's who. Well, maybe it wasn't so bad. She'd gone this long without and hadn't really noticed or missed it, so what were a few more decades? She felt her insides wither at the thought and let out a soft groan of defeat.

"Heya partner!" Holtzmann wound her arm through hers and pulled her a little more quickly along the sidewalk. "I couldn't help noticing you were walking home alone."

"Alone… Yup, that's me!" Erin agreed with a self-deprecating laugh.

"Come on, don't let that stuff bother you."

"Easy for you to say."

"It happens when it happens," Holtzmann assured her and gave her arm a little squeeze. "I didn't have my first kiss until I was 19. That's like an eternity in teen years!"

Erin looked over in surprise, her self-pity slowly ebbing away, "Wow, really? I didn't know that about you, Holtz."

"Point is," she continued with a quirk of her brow, "You can't let it get you down." Her arm swept wide, gesturing to the empty street ahead of them, "There's a whole wide world out there."

Erin gave a feeble shrug, "I guess I just need to look harder. I haven't really been looking to meet someone. The past few months have just been so crazy with the start of the Ghostbusters and Rowan trying to destroy New York City…"

"It's been crazy cakes," Holtzmann agreed with a nod of her blonde head. "We've had some cool times though."

"Yeah," Erin replied and a smile crossed her lips. "We have. I don't know where I'd be without you guys."

Holtzmann looked over and gave an encouraging smile.

"Oh, this is me," Erin said suddenly, realizing they were standing in front of her apartment. Holtzmann gazed up at the sky high condo building and adjusted her glasses on her nose.

"What floor are you on?"

"The tenth, why?"

Holtzmann gave a little nod, "Oh good. Above the 16th your chances of surviving a heart attack are less than 1%."

Erin tilted her head back and squinted up at her 10th floor balcony, "That's…unsettling."

Holtzmann gave a casual shrug and slid her hands into the pockets of her leather jacket.

Shaking off her sudden fear of imminent death by heart attack, Erin fished her keys out of her purse and searched for the one that would open the door to her lobby.

"Thanks for walking me home. It was really nice of you."

Holtzmann gave a casual wink and a smile, "Hey, anytime."

Finding the correct key, Erin headed for the lobby door and then paused. Turning back she asked impulsively, "You wanna come up for a drink?"

Her offer seemed to take Holtzmann by surprise. She gave a hesitant nod followed by an easy smile, "For sure!"

Erin wasn't sure why, but her stomach gave a sudden nervous flutter. Brushing it off, she turned her key in the lock and pushed open the door.

Her apartment was meticulously clean, with everything in its right place. Erin removed her shoes at the door and set them neatly against the wall before sliding open the closet door to hang up her jacket. Holtzmann shrugged out of her leather jacket and Erin slid it onto a hanger as the engineer followed the hallway into her apartment.

She found Holtzmann taking a casual stroll about her living room with her hands tucked loosely into the pockets of her slacks.

"It's very…clean," she observed when she heard Erin coming up behind her. "Lots of white."

Erin felt her cheeks flush and gave a self-conscious look about her living space, "I like clean lines. I thought that whole white on white motif was trendy now?"

Holtzmann turned just enough to show a self-deprecating smile, "I wouldn't know. My apartment's a mess."

"I'll bet," Erin laughed. "What would you like to drink? I've got some wine, a bottle of tequila, some whiskey…?"

Holtzmann gave a nod and circled back to the kitchen, "Whiskey's good."

"You're welcome to the bottle. I can't stand the stuff," Erin explained and made a face as her body shuddered at the memory of her first taste of a Manhattan.

Holtzmann sidled up to her eat-in kitchen counter and rested her arms atop it, "What're you having?"

"Tequila."

Holtzmann's features contorted into a look of shock and disgust, "How can you drink that stuff?"

"I dunno," Erin replied and took down two glasses from her cupboard. "I've always kind of liked the taste. It goes with anything. Did you have a bad night on it or something?"

The engineer uttered a quiet groan, "Yeah, you could say that. My stomach hurts just thinking about it."

Erin put the finishing touches on her drink and then cracked the cap on the whiskey bottle, "Neat? On the rocks?"

"Just a splash of water is fine."

Erin poured a couple fingers of whiskey into the tumbler and added the tiniest amount of water from the tap, "That good?"

Holtzmann grinned and held her hand out, "It's perfect."

Erin gave a pleased smile and took up her own glass to sample her tequila lime spritzer creation. It was perfection!

"You know, we should do this more," she said, setting down her glass.

Holtzmann lifted a brow, "What? Drink?"

"No, hang out. We don't really hang out outside of the lab."

"Maybe 'cause we're always there or out busting ghosts," Holtzmann replied with a laugh.

"Yeah, that's true," she conceded. "I'm sure you'd probably get sick of me after a while. I'd be all like 'Hey! Let's hang out!' and you'd be like 'Ugh! Not date night with ghost girl again…"

A slow smile spread across Holtzmann's lips, "I like the sounds of that."

Erin gave a laugh, "Of what? Shooting me down for a hang out?"

Holtzmann shook her head, "No. Date night with ghost girl. I could get behind that."

Erin gave a playful roll of her eyes, "Sure, sure. Well if I ever need a movie date you're the first person I'm calling."

Holtzmann playfully slapped her palm against the counter-top, "I'm there!"

"What sort of movies do you like anyway?"

"Comedies. Documentaries. Bill Nye the Science Guy..."

Erin leaned forward, her eyes brightening with excitement, "They made that show into a movie?"

Holtzmann gave a shrug, "It's probably on Netflix."

"What isn't on Netflix these days? Pretty soon someone will make a movie about us and put it on there."

"Can't imagine who they'd get to play me," Holtzmann laughed.

"You're an enigma," Erin agreed with a grin. "An enigma wrapped in a…what was the rest of that saying?"

"I think it's a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma."

Erin tipped her glass in Holtzmann's direction, "Of course. You're right." She paused briefly and then let out a sudden pained groan, "God, I can't believe it's been 882 days since I kissed someone!"

She folded her hands atop the counter and beat her forehead against them a few times for good measure.

"You're still on about that?" Holtzmann probed and took a sip of her whiskey.

"Yes! You would be too if you realized it'd been years – literally years! – since anyone thought you were worth kissing. Do you have any idea what that does to a person's self esteem?"

"Tequila makes you whiny," Holtzmann observed and ducked out of the way when Erin tossed a dish cloth at her head.

"It does not," she protested feebly.

The eccentric engineer finished the whiskey in her glass and slid it across the counter, "I think I have a solution to your problem."

Erin straightened up, "You do?"

"Yeah," Holtzmann continued and leaned forward across the counter. "It's pretty simple."

Erin eagerly leaned in close, "What is it?"

She didn't realize what was happening at first when Holtzmann suddenly closed the space between them. She thought maybe she was going to whisper the idea into her ear; but then the engineer's lips were on hers, their touch soft and inviting. It was just a simple kiss, a coy touch, but it sent a pleasant shiver jetting down her spine. Far too soon Holtzmann pulled back, her smile widening into a confident grin.

"There," she said, sounding pleased, "problem solved."

Erin discretely licked her lips and marveled at how they tingled in the aftershock. She couldn't be certain if it was the newness of it, the alcohol, or the 882 days of abstinence, but in that moment all she could think was that she wanted more.

"Did you kiss me just so I'd shut up about not being kissed?" she prodded with a hesitant look at the blonde haired engineer smiling victoriously at her from the other side of the counter.

"Maybe."

"Would you kiss me again if I wanted you to?"

Holtzmann folded her arms atop the counter and rested her chin on them.

"Do you?" she asked with a tilt of her head.

"Would you mind if I did?"

Holtzmann's brow furrowed a little, "Why would I mind?"

"I don't know," Erin floundered and huffed an impatient sigh. "I just thought maybe you were playing around or something."

Holtzmann sat up and reached for Erin's half-finished drink. She took a hasty sip and quickly made a face.

"Yup. Still disgusting," she confirmed. Setting the drink down she met Erin's gaze across the counter-top, "Do you want to kiss me?"

A look of panic crossed Erin's features and she hastily took up her drink, gulping down a few healthy sips before setting it down, "And if I do?"

Holtzmann sat back and casually crossed her arms, "Then you'll have to grow some lady balls and do it."

"Those aren't a thing," Erin insisted. "Lady balls aren't a thing."

Holtzmann gave her a look and she nodded, "Right. Metaphor. Sorry."

Leaving her drink behind, she slowly made her way around the counter. The engineer turned as she approached, her back and elbows resting against the counter-top for support.

"Have you ever done this before?" she asked when Erin came into view. She shook her head and swallowed down the sizable lump in the back of her throat. Her stomach was already nervously churning, twisting and fluttering about like a caged bird.

"Relax," she instructed and Erin obediently exhaled the breath she'd been holding.

"This is all you," Holtzmann assured her with a patient smile. "No pressure."

"I know," Erin replied even as her hands continued to twist and fidget nervously in front of her. "Are you sure you're okay with this? It won't make things weird?"

"I'm already weird," Holtzmann reminded her with a grin. "But if you're asking if I'll keep it to myself during our next game of Truth, my lips are sealed. I don't kiss and tell."

Erin gave a tentative nod and stepped in closer. Her breaths were coming quickly now, her heart racing at what felt like a thousand beats a minute. Holtzmann remained perched against the counter-top un-moving, patiently watching her inch closer.

"Why am I so nervous?" she whispered with a soft whine.

"Because you're scared of the unknown," Holtzmann suggested softly.

"You're not?"

Holtzmann's eyes searched hers and a warm smile crossed her lips, "Not at the moment."

Erin felt her confidence surge. She could do this. She could break through that door to the unknown and see what awaited her on the other side. Maybe it would be amazing. Maybe it wouldn't. But wasn't that the gamble of life? You couldn't have any rewards if you didn't at least put yourself out there and try.

Her hand went to Holtzmann's patterned thrift store tie and gave it a little tug. The engineer's brow responded with an inquisitive lift.

"This tie doesn't match your shirt," Erin commented and inched closer.

Holtzmann's shoulders gave a little shrug, "I like to live dangerously."

Erin shifted closer, enough that she could smell the sweet scent that'd clung to Holtz's jacket. She inhaled and ran her fingers the length of her tie, "How's that working out for you?"

"I've got no complaints," she replied, her voice softening. "You?"

Erin shook her head and nibbled nervously at her bottom lip. Could she do this? Did she have the lady balls to lift her head, look into those grey eyes and…

"Erin."

Her heart was in her throat but she looked up at the soft command in Holtzmann's tone. The engineer's eyes panned across her features before glancing down to the spot where her fingers were still wrapped around her tie.

"Live dangerously."

Erin took a deep breath and let it out slowly. What if she was totally out of practice? What if she was actually a terrible kisser? How hard could it be? Two lips pressed together…right? She reasoned it was probably like riding a bicycle. You never really forgot how to do it after the first time. Her fingers tightened their hold on the tie and pulled.

Her lips found Holtzmann's a half second later and the moment they touched a thousand nervous thoughts and worries flooded her mind. She struggled to push them down and block out the questions of whether she was doing it right, or if Holtzmann thought she was being ridiculous. She pushed and pushed until they were so deep she could no longer hear them and focused on being in the moment.

Her eyes drifted closed and Holtzmann's lips pulled at hers, urging her to keep going. She angled her body closer, her hand going to the engineer's hip as her teeth gave a playful nip. Holtz made a sound she'd never heard before, a cross between a moan and a gasp. She enjoyed knowing she could extract those sorts of sounds from the ever flirtatious inventor. Especially when hearing them sent a rush of liquid heat surging through her veins to pool in the pit of her stomach.

Holtz's hand pressed into the small of her back, urging her closer.. She went willingly, her fingers abandoning the tie in favour of grasping at the loose material of her thrift store shirt. She tugged, gently at first, and then with more force, pulling her away from the counter towards the couch. With both hands free, the engineer wasted no time letting her other start to roam. It started by skimming the length of Erin's arm, then softly down her side, bypassing her ticklish ribs and soft obliques until it settled on her left cheek and gave it a firm squeeze.

A shot of white hot heat tore through her and Erin stumbled, falling back onto the couch and pulling Holtz on top of her. She was all heavy breaths and fumbling fingers as she slid her hands under the engineer's shirt. Holtz's skin was so incredibly soft and warm and she greedily pushed her fingertips into the firm muscles of her back, eager to have her closer even if it was only by the smallest fraction of an inch.

Holtzmann's mouth moved to the column of her throat, kissing a path to the small patch of skin visible at the opening of her shirt. Erin gave an encouraging moan and her hands went boldly to the engineer's behind and gripped it tight. Holtz's body reacted instinctively, grinding against her as a desperate sounding groan came from her lips. The sound of it sent a rush of heat straight to her core and her hips rose to meet the next thrust.

"Maybe we should stop," Holtzmann muttered into the space between her shoulder and her neck.

The warmth of her breath sent shivers shuddering through her and Erin held tighter, not ready to let go just yet. But somewhere in the back of her mind a shred of clear thought pushed through and she opened her eyes long enough to ask, "Do you want to stop?"

The engineer gave a breathless laugh and rested her head against her shoulder, "Fuck no."

Erin smiled and her hands moved across Holtz's naked back, her fingers tracing small patterns against her skin, "Me neither."

Holtzmann lifted her head from her shoulder to shoot her a look of utter relief, "Oh, thank God."

Erin couldn't help the silent giggle that shook her shoulders at the sight of Holtz's mussed up hair, flushed cheeks, and wide grin. She struggled to remember what she'd been so nervous about before. This felt natural, easy, like floating down one of those lazy rivers. She looked down to find Holtzmann's oddly patterned tie in her hands once more.

Holtz followed her gaze, "Do you want me to take it off?"

Erin shook her head and gave an experimental tug. She was rewarded with a playful smirk and the engineer's mouth on that ever so sensitive spot on the side of her neck.

"I think we'll keep it," she replied, barely managing to get the words out as Holtz's tongue made quick work of turning all of her thoughts to mush.

Erin woke slowly from a deep, dreamless sleep. Her apartment was quiet and her body felt like liquid wax, malleable and completely soft. She pulled in a deep breath and opened her eyes to the sight of her living room ceiling. Her brow furrowed as she struggled to remember how it was she'd ended up sleeping on the living room floor. And then she felt the warmth of a hand on her stomach, a thumb lightly stroking her skin, and it all came back in a flash. Holtzmann. Their kiss. Their even steamier make out session on the couch, and then…

She turned her head, only then realizing it was resting atop Holtzmann's arm. The engineer was on her side with her eyes closed and her curled hair hanging loose about her face. Erin realized she'd never seen Holtzmann's hair loose before and reached out to wrap a curl around her finger.

"Morning."

She started and abruptly pulled her hand back, "You're awake?"

Holtzmann gave a tired sounding "Mmm-hmm."

"Why are your eyes closed?"

"I thought it might freak you out if you woke up to find me staring at you."

Erin's features lifted in a thoughtful expression as she considered the fact that she probably would have been a little weirded out. It seemed Holtzmann knew her better than she realized.

"Good call," she said. "How's your arm?"

"I haven't felt it in a couple of hours, but I'm sure it's fine."

Erin shot up, "What?! Oh my god! Holtzmann!"

The engineer rolled onto her back and gave a lazy chuckle, "I'm just messing with you. It's fine. See?" She lifted her hand and wiggled all of her fingers as proof. Still unconvinced, Erin snagged a throw pillow from the couch and set it on the floor before lying back down.

"So last night was fun…" she hazarded, watching carefully for Holtzmann's reaction.

A smile crossed the engineer's lips and she gave a nod, "Yeah it was."

"Do you think…we could…maybe…do it again sometime?"

The engineer's grey eyes slowly opened and she stared up at the ceiling while Erin held her breath.

"My jaw hurts after that workout," she replied and gingerly moved it back and forth. "But give me a couple of hours to sleep it off and I'll be back in business."

Erin felt her cheeks flush and hurriedly looked away, "I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry. You had fun, right?"

Erin nodded.

"And I definitely had fun, so that's all there is to it."

"You mean that? It was good for you too?"

Holtzmann rolled onto her stomach and pressed a light kiss against her shoulder. "It was awesome," she assured her and her lips delivered a row of feather-light kisses along her clavicle.

Erin exhaled a heavy sigh of relief and leaned in to steal a more sensuous lip lock from the eccentric engineer. She sat up afterwards and Holtzmann expelled a soft groan of defeat.

"Are you hungry? Or, if you prefer, we could take a tour of my bedroom?"

The engineer rolled onto her side and propped her head against her hand, "Yes to both."

"Which do you want first?"

Holtzmann held her gaze, answering with a firm, "You."

Erin's cheeks flushed hot and a playful smile flashed across her lips, "Bedroom it is then. Race you there!"

"What about sleep?" Holtz called after her.

Erin laughed and peeked her head around the corner of the wall, "Plenty of time for that when you're dead. Come on!"

"At this rate that won't be long," she muttered under her breath but there was no mistaking the unshakable grin that lit her features as she grabbed up their pile of discarded clothes from the previous night and followed Erin to the bedroom.