A/N: Snow day! Woot! I might get out another chapter before tomorrow.

Oh, and there's now a link to my fanfiction blog on my profile!! Please check it out!

Thanks for the reviews!

Act I

Jack lounged on his sofa and stuffed another handful of potato chips in his mouth. It was Saturday, his only day off, and he was resting up before his date that night. After a few weeks of flirting with a girl at the coffee house, she agreed to go on an official date. He couldn't wait. Between moving and working, he hadn't had much time for romance.

Yes, it was nice to have some time to relax.

As if on cue, the apartment door banged open. Emma stormed in. Her eyes were red and her breath was short as she plunked herself down on the couch at Jack's feet.

Jack pushed himself up on his elbows and stared at her. "Hey, Em. What's up?"

"Nothing," Emma snapped through a fresh wave of tears.

His head tilted to the side in disbelief. "Like I'll believe that for a second. Something is always up with our resident drama queen."

"Just shut up, okay?" Emma sobbed. "I only came here 'cause I need you to make me macaroni and cheese. We ran out of instant and Erica's not home."

Jack shrugged, got off the couch and headed for the kitchen. "Sure, I'm accustomed to people using me for my cooking skills. Can I at least ask why I'm being used?"

"It was horrible!" Emma cried while she turned around on the couch to face him. "I've been dating this guy for a little over a week."

A large pasta pot and a box of elbow macaroni in each of his hand, Jack absentmindedly nodded. He didn't really pay attention to anyone around him once he started cooking. "Right. The guy you made that…delicious meal for the other day, I'm assuming?"

"Yeah. I just called him a little while ago to ask him about going out tonight, since he didn't call me since he rudely cancelled after I made him that whole dinner," Emma continued, her voice dramatic while she told her sad tale. "And then, when he finally picks up his cell phone after I call him like a dozen times in a row, he tells me he doesn't want to date anymore! What a jerk!"

A dozen times in a row, huh? Jack thought. He had a good idea why the guy didn't ask Emma out again. But instead of saying anything, Jack distracted himself by filling the pot with water. "Yup, some guys are like that, Em."

Emma seemed to be calming down somewhat as she replied, "Yeah. I'm not saying I liked him that much, but at the very least he could've called to tell me he wasn't going to ask me out so that I could've made other plans for tonight. Now I'm going to be stuck home alone."

"No one else is around tonight?" Jack asked. He was also getting a good idea of why she was here in the first place. Firstly, mac and cheese was Emma's number one comfort food after a breakup. And secondly, she couldn't stand to be alone for any length of time. "I'd hang out, but…I've sort of have plans already. Sorry."

At that, Emma jumped up and sat at the counter island that bordered the kitchen. "I'm not stupid. You have a date! So, who's the poor, unsuspecting girl tonight?"

Jack laughed. She was referring to his womanizing lifestyle - he was much like his Uncle Joey that way. "Some girl from the coffee house. I made some headway when I covered her blueberry muffin, but she couldn't resist my advice on the best milk-sugar ratio," he explained.

"Right. No girl is immune to the magic combination of half-and-half and just a pinch of sugar," Emma laughed. Her momentary heartbreak forgotten, she glanced around the apartment. "So, is Mikey free?"

"Nope, he has a gig at the student center. He's down there checking it all out now," Jack explained.

Emma sighed. "And Ben probably has some romantic night planned with Sarah. I need more friends."

"What about the museum?" Jack suggested. "If you're really desperate for something to do, I'm sure they have some hours they can spare."

"I don't know if I'm that desperate. But there is a guy there I've been flirting with. I'll call him up when I get home," Emma resolved.

Jack scoffed and grinned at her. "Do you really want to go out with a guy who's going to be free last minute on Saturday night?"

"Ha ha," Emma retorted. She then raised an eyebrow when he poured six ounces of evaporated milk into a bowl and cracked two eggs. "I thought you were making macaroni and cheese."

"I am," he replied as he whisked the eggs and milk together.

Curious, Emma went over to his side. "Then why do you need eggs and milk? Don't you just dump the cheese in when the macaroni is done?" She then pointed to empty evaporated milk can. "And what kind of milk comes in a can? Can't you just use the regular kind in a container?"

Amazed by the questions, which seemed obvious to him, Jack simply stared at Emma, who stared back in confusion. Jack sighed as he poured the macaroni in the then-boiling water. "Oh, Emma, my naïve cousin. You have so much to learn."

"How am I going to do this?" Erica wondered aloud to Mikey, who sat next to her on the couch in her apartment. It was Sunday, and he'd wanted someone to brag to about how well his gig went the night before. However, his bragging was cut short when he saw that Erica was having a nervous breakdown.

Mikey picked up one of the bills on the coffee table and grimaced. "It's not…that bad."

"Liar," Erica accused. Her temp job had been good enough when living in the SUNY (State University of New York) Purchase dorms in Westchester a few months ago. But she was going through her graduation money faster than she expected, and her little office temp job barely covered the basics. Thank God for Emma's contribution to the rent, or else she'd be living with her parents again. "I need another job. Pretending that the next thing I write is going to make me millions isn't working anymore."

"You could get one on my campus. They're hiring at the bookstore," Mikey offered.

Erica frowned. "Thanks, but don't they only hire students?"

"Oh yeah…" Mikey remembered, then shook his head. "That's okay though. I know this guy on campus who sells fake ID cards, and…"

"No, that's alright," Erica said with a laugh. Mikey always managed to cheer her up, if inadvertently.

"If you're sure, then," Mikey replied. "But for future reference, the guy also knows how to break into the student center after hours if you're dying to play the old video games in there, and he'll give you pointers on Dance Dance Revolution." He paused and cleared his throat. "Uh, so I've heard, I mean."

Erica laughed again, then sniffed the air. It was day two of Emma's cooking lesson, and Jack had come over earlier to teach her another favorite - chocolate chip cookies. The apartment smelled heavenly as the cookies cooled on a baking sheet. And the apartment was currently empty since Jack and Emma had run out to get supplies for dinner that night, homemade fried chicken.

But what was most important was that the cookies were unguarded. And Erica could really use chocolate chip cookies right then. Like Emma, she gorged on comfort food when she was upset.

"Hey Mikey. Any particular reason why we're over here, and the freshly baked chocolate chip cookies are over there?" Erica asked as she stared at the cookies with longing.

Mikey laughed and shook his head. "Jack said they had to cool for fifteen minutes."

"Since when do I ever listen to my brother? Come on!" Erica ordered. She jumped up from the couch and ran to the kitchen, Mikey right behind her.

As Erica took out a spatula and was about to slide one of the cookies off, Mikey held out a hand to stop her. "Whoa, hold on. We're forgetting that Emma did help him make these. Maybe you should use some caution and…"

"It's a risk I'm willing to take," Erica said, then popped the first cookie in her mouth. She moaned with pleasure when she tasted the melted chocolate. "Yum…"

On her cue, Mikey risked burning his fingers and fit five of the cookies in his hand. "Jack must have been watching Em like a hawk if these came out okay."

"They're definitely more than okay," Erica replied, still reveling in the sweet cookie taste. She was brought back down to earth when she swallowed the mouthful and realized she could use a drink. "Hey, want to go get some coffee? We're out of milk," she suggested after checking that she had some money and her keys in her pocket.

"Good idea," Mikey said as they headed out the door. "And we won't be here when they get back and see half the cookies missing."

"That's the plan," Erica agreed, then grabbed six more cookies before she ran out after him and closed the door behind her. She and Mikey stopped short when they ran into one of their neighbors, a guy about their age. Erica remembered that his name was Robert because she'd flirted with him shamelessly when she first moved in. "Hey, Robert," she greeted, a goofy smile already on her face. Mikey groaned and bit into another cookie as he saw their trip to Central Perk would be delayed for a while.

Robert stopped and gave her a charming smile. "Hey, Erica," he said, then nodded to the cookies in her hand. "Eating on the go?"

"Oh, my brother made these. I was just running down to Central Perk to get some coffee to go with them," she answered. She internally cursed herself for being caught with a fistful of cookies. She must look like a pig.

But Robert didn't seem to mind too much. "Oh yeah. You said once that your brother was a chef."

"Yeah, he's really good. You can have one if you don't believe me," Erica offered as she held out a cookie. Off to the side, Mikey rolled his eyes at the display.

"Thanks!" Robert replied. He tried the one she gave him and his eyes widened. "Wow, this is really good. You got any more? I'm about to go meet my girlfriend, and she'd love these."

At that, Erica's flirty attitude vanished and she suddenly felt like shoving the cookies down the guy's pants. "No…"

"Well, you see, Jack doesn't really make them often," Mikey interjected. "There's no possible way we could be persuaded…"

Robert pulled some money out of his pocket. "I'll give you twenty bucks for whatever else you have."

"Done," Erica replied, a smile once again on her face. "I'll be right back." Mikey winked at her as she headed into the apartment to gather up the rest of the cookies.