Hi guys! I wrote you a present! It's a group thing, though. You have to share it. Anyway, for those of you on Tumblr, this is the prequel to the original Cookies. Some things might not be exactly correct logically and timeline-ally, but that's what I get for writing down a random drabble then trying to come up with a backstory. Randomly.

Enjoy~

"So, what are we making?"

Jackson gave his brother an annoyed look. "Cake, remember? I told you before."

Chaz leaned against the kitchen counter. "Do you even know how to make cake?" He asked, watching Jackson go through the cabinets.

"Of course...not. That's why I'm looking for the recipe! Duh." Jackson replied, not even bothering to look at him. "It should be around here somewhere...found it!" He exclaimed happily. "See?" He waved the giant cookbook in Chaz's face.

Chaz frowned and pushed it away. "Yeah. I can see that. What kind of cake is it?"

"The kind you eat," Jackson replied, rolling his eyes. "We'll figure something out. This book thing has a bunch of different types."

Chaz tried to remember what kind Dad liked. It was, after all, Fathers Day. Otherwise neither of them would be anywhere near the kitchen...well, except maybe to get to the 'fridge. "Look for something with chocolate in it," he suggested. "Everyone likes chocolate."

Jackson flipped through the cookbook. "Here...found a good one. Do we have everything it needs?" He moved over so Chaz could see.

Chaz scanned the list of ingredients. "Yes...I think so. Wait, no, we don't have that oil or cottage cheese."

Jackson frowned. He flipped through some more. "Most of these need oil..." He muttered, half to himself. "Let's just do this one." He propped up the book, checked the ingredients, and went over to the 'fridge.

Chaz checked the recipe. He had to reread it several times before he finally understood. "Jackson, this isn't cake." He called. "It's cookies."

Jackson glanced over his shoulder with an armful of eggs and milk. "So?"

"So..." Chaz said slowly. "You were supposed to find a cake recipe."

"They all needed oil."

"All of them?"

"Yeah...except this one ice cream cake. But we don't have any ice cream. I checked yesterday. And this morning. And a few hours ago."

"I-...a few hours ago?"

"Hey, you never know."

Chaz shook his head. "Fine. But you'd better finish before Dad gets home."

Jackson closed the 'fridge and dumped the ingredients on the counter, then went and got a large bowl. "We have plenty of time. You might as well make some yourself."

Chaz didn't answer, but he got out another bowl. Then, sneaking up behind Jackson, he stole the egg from his brothers hand and three more out of the carton, shoving him out of the way for good measure.

"Hey!" Jackson said, startled. "What was that for?"

"What was what for?" Chaz asked innocently. "I just wanted an egg." He took his prize and started hitting it against the rim of the bowl.

They worked in tense silence for several minutes. Chaz took less time, so he put his batch in first. Jackson kept working. It had almost been half an hour when he finally spoke. "Hey, dude, can you come crack this egg for me? It got a little busted up and I don't want to make a mess."

Chaz hesitated. It might be a bad idea, but what if Jackson really did make a mess? Dad wouldn't be too happy, especially if it didn't get cleaned up in time. Thinking this over, Chaz consented. He had barely gotten his thumbs inside the crack when something cold, wet, and slimy hit the back of his head and slithered down his shirt. Chaz yelped and flung the egg he was holding into the air. It hit the ceiling, leaving a sticky glob of egg stuck above their heads. Part of it dripped down into Chaz's eyes. Furious, he whipped around and glared at Jackson.

Jackson quickly hid the rest of the eggs behind his back. "What?" He asked, trying not to smile. "You said you wanted eggs."

This made Chaz even angrier. He took a step toward Jackson, fully intending to throttle him.

"You might want to check on the cookies," Jackson said very seriously. He held out an egg, trying to keep Chaz at bay. "It smells like you might be burning something."

And it did. Chaz hadn't noticed it before, but he was slowly becoming aware of the thick smell of burnt food. "Crap!" He hurried over to the oven and opened it up. Inside were a dozen perfect little lumps of chocolate-chip charcoal. "Nooooo..." Chaz moaned. "They're ruined..."

Jackson shrugged. "Well, at least mine'll be better."

This last smug comment pushed Chaz over the edge. He glared at the unfinished bowl of cookie dough. Making sure Jackson wasn't looking, he grabbed a bag of salt and switched it with the sugar that was out on the counter. Thankfully, the bags were both brown and unmarked. It was impossible to tell the difference.

~'~*~*~'~

"They're done!" Jackson said proudly. He took the cookies out-accidentally dropping one on the ground-and put them on the counter, then selected one from the middle. Chaz watched expectantly as Jackson took a huge bite. "Bleeecch!" He choked and spat it out, then looked at it with disgust.

At first Chaz couldn't help feeling a little guilty, but the feeling passed. Curious, he grabbed a cookie and took a tentative bite. It was the worst thing he had ever tasted, right next to the cockroach he had eaten on a dare. Chaz gagged and tried to spit it out, but it was stuck to the back of his throat. "W-what did you put in that?!" He gasped after giving up and swallowing it.

Jackson took both of their cookies and threw them away. "I followed the recipe!" He insisted, looking panicked and more than a little upset. "I didn't put anything else in there!"

Chaz swallowed again, trying to get rid of the taste. "How much sa...um, sugar, did you put in it?"

"Six TBS spoons," Jackson replied. "But I didn't scrape the top off, so it might have been seven altogether."

Chaz felt sick to his stomach. "Did it say 'TBS' spoons in the book?" He asked, already knowing the answer.

Jackson shook his head. "No," he admitted. "It said 'Teaspoons'. That's the same thing, right?"

"I'm never eating French Fries again," Chaz groaned. Just thinking of all that salt made him want to barf. "No, that's not the same thing. TBS is Tablespoon. You used way too much...sugar." He decided not to tell Jackson about the sugar 'n' salt switch.

Jackson looked thoughtful. "It wasn't too sweet or anything. In fact, it tasted kinda salty..." He stared suspiciously at Chaz and opened his mouth, but he never got to say anything. He was interrupted by Butch.

Butch was on the floor, retching and throwing up. A half eaten cookie was beside him.

Chaz stood there, not really sure what to do. He was about ready to just grab the dog and throw him outside, but before he could move, the front door slammed shut.

"I'm home!" Dad called. "Boys?"

The brothers looked at the dripping egg on the ceiling, the salty cookies, the puking dog, a puddle of milk, the excess batter on everything, the general mess, and each other. Then, in a split-second decision, Jackson grabbed the cookie tray, shoved it into Chaz's hands, and ran away as fast as he could.

For those of you who have make cake on a regular basis(or at least more than once), yes, I know they could have used butter instead of oil. Turns out, cake generally has more or less the same recipe as cookies. I did not know this, but now I do.

As with everything else, if there was anything wrong with this, I didn't do it. It was my evil twin.(P.S.: Her name is the Mustard. Long story.)

LoL,

~Riverstone