The food court inside the Manhattan Mall was packed that day. At one particular table, Maureen, Joanne and Emily were taking a break from window shopping, enjoying a quick lunch from one of the many fast food stands that resided in the area.

"Maureen, I think you need to remember the meaning of the term 'window shopping'," Joanne pointed out, trying to hide the fact that she really was amused, as Maureen showed off a hot fuchsia tube top she'd just bought from one of the stores.

"Oh, come on, I know what it means," Maureen insisted. "But I just had to buy this. It just looked so good in the dressing room, I couldn't return it to the rack. What do you think, Emily?" Instead on answering, Emily continued to stare aimlessly at her lunch, which she kept picking at with her plastic fork without eating anything. It wasn't until Maureen lost her patience and chucked a French fry at her that Emily finally snapped out of it.

"What? Oh. Yeah, Maureen, it's very nice," Emily spoke automatically.

"Emily, is something wrong?" Joanne asked in concern. "You haven't been yourself all day."

"It's nothing, Joanne. Well, not really. I'm just…."

"Just what?" Maureen urged.

"Well…. I keep feeling guilty for leaving Mark alone today. I found out this morning he wanted to have a family day, but Penny and the children all had plans, and then I had to tell him about our 'girls day out'. I know he said it was okay, and insisted I go out and have fun, but I know Mark well enough to know when he's just being, well, Mark. And…I just keep feeling guilty.

"I miss Roger, Collins and Mimi just as much as he does, and I know you two are the same. But the main difference is, the three of us still can have 'girl time'. Mark, on the other hand; he's the only guy left from the old gang. So, while I'm out here spending time with you, he's still at home, without any of his 'guy time buddies' around to fall back on while we're having 'girl time'. And that just makes me feel guilty, almost like I'm rubbing it in his face."

"Emily, Mark knows you'd never do that," Joanne reasoned.

"Yeah, but that doesn't change how bad I feel about it."

"Hey, here's an idea," Maureen chimed in. "Maybe we should try calling Robbie up, and see if he could arrange some time off to come up to the city for a visit." Amused smiles instantly formed on Joanne and Emily's faces. About five years ago, Robbie had moved to Colorado with Rupert and Jerry, hoping to take his musical talents from Roger's old band and bring them to the next level. But he'd ended up meeting a female pharmacist and had started seeing her socially. Apart from the occasional friendly phone call, they hadn't heard much from him since. But when they did, he always made sure that his pharmacist 'friend' was usually a major topic of the conversations, which always gave the Bohemians the impression that things were pretty serious between the two.

"That might not be a good idea, Maureen," Joanne kindly rejected the suggestion. "Don't forget, Robbie was more of Roger's friend then anyone else. I can't recall him hanging around with Mark that much."

"Oh, yeah," Maureen frowned in remembrance of that hitch. "Well, maybe we could try contacting his friends from Brown….oh. No, that wouldn't work, either. Roger and Benny were the ones he hung around with the most. Wow, this is hard."

"Thanks for trying, guys," Emily shook her head, feeling appreciation toward them for at least making the attempt to come up with a solution.

"Hey, don't give up so easily," Joanne scolded, not unkindly. "I know we can come up with something."

For the rest of the afternoon, the three friends spent their time focusing on their new task of trying to come up with a list of some people that Mark wouldn't mind spending 'guy time' with.

In Redefining Pictures' studio, Mark entered the office of his boss, Patrick Green. As he stepped in, the filmmaker was met with a warm greeting.

"Thank you for coming in so fast, Mark," Patrick smiled.

"No problem," Mark nodded, taking a seat across from Patrick's desk. "You said on the phone that you wanted to ask me something?"

"Yes, of course. You see, Mark, we've just been contacted by Peter Rabe. I don't suppose you've heard of him, have you?"

"Sorry, no."

"That's quite all right. After all, he's only became a big name a few months ago, so not many people have heard of him just yet. But the important thing is, Peter Rabe is a prominent investor in film studios like ours. Just recently, he's taken notice of Redefining Pictures, and is considering investing into our company.

"Now we both know we've never placed much importance into monetary gain, but with someone as influential as Peter Rabe backing us, we might be able to afford producing some of our more costly film projects that had to be placed on hiatus due to lack of funding. I believe you've made a few project proposals that we couldn't afford to finance, Mark."

"Yeah," Mark confirmed. "So I take it we need to keep this guy happy, don't we?"

"Yes, that would be the rub. The main problem is, I've called around the city, and all the major hotels are completely booked. That's tourist season for you. Now, you know I don't wish to put any pressure on you, Mark, but when you called up asking if we needed you for anything today, I just had to call you in to ask you personally. Would you mind allowing Peter Rabe to stay at your place for a week or so?"

"At my place?" Mark blinked in surprise.

"I'm sorry for the short notification. I really am. If you really can't do it, I completely understand. Just promise me you'll think about it. I just need to let you know beforehand, if you decide the answer is 'yes.' It wouldn't just be Peter Rabe who'd be staying with you. He has a young daughter who would be traveling with him. Her name's Zoey, and I believe she's about the same age as your son and nephew, one of the reasons why I thought of you for this job right off the back.

"Remember, I'm not forcing this on you, Mark. It's your decision to make. If you decide it's too much trouble, I can always ask someone else if they'd be willing to offer room and board for Peter Rabe and Zoey."

For a time, Mark was quiet, considering things.

"I'll have to get back on you, Mr. Green," he replied finally. "This is something I need to discuss with Emily first."

"I understand," Patrick nodded. "Just be sure to call me back as soon as you reach a decision."

AN: I promise the plot will pick up really soon. Until then, I hope you're enjoying the story so far. Please read and review.