Author's Note: This is my very first Friends fanfiction. I hope you enjoy it.
It must have been around one in the morning when Joey stumbled across the hall into apartment 20, anticipating his midnight snack which he'd take from Monica and Chandler's fridge. Monica didn't know it, but he took food from her place in the middle of the night around once a week.
Monica had always known that Joey took her food. He came over for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks. She just didn't know he came in the middle of the night. He was careful not to wake her, so he figured it wasn't harming anyone. He had never felt bad about it, but tonight there was a foreboding feeling creeping over him.
Joey supposed it must have just been his groggy mind. He never thought straight immediately after waking up, especially in the middle of the night.
He fumbled with the door handle. As usual, the apartment was unlocked, so he carefully pushed it open and slipped inside.
A small sigh escaped him when he saw the boxes. He had forgotten that his best friends were moving away. That would mean the end of his snack runs; he'd have to buy his own cereal all the time now.
Joey opened the fridge, which was painfully empty. There was a half-gallon of milk, a jar of green olives, and a small container of ham. He grabbed the milk and a box of Cocoa Puffs from the counter and sat down at the table.
At least, he tried.
Joey landed with a painful thump on the ground. He sat up and rubbed his head, confused. He had missed the chair by about two feet. How had that happened? Joey Tribbiani thought he knew the Bing's apartment inside out. He knew he could navigate through it, with ease, with his eyes shut.
He shook his head. He was tired, and there wasn't much light, but that'd never mattered before. Ah, well. Anyone can make a careless mistake! Joey decided. Gathering his food, he hauled himself onto the chair.
As Joey poured the milk, he surveyed his surroundings. The once-familiar apartment now seemed so foreign. The silhouettes of boxes and large furniture filled the room, colorless in the dark. Outside he could see the balcony where Pat the dog used to reside, and a full moon riding high in the sky. Chandler and Monica weren't even gone yet, but things already felt strange with their stuff packed and the walls bare of decorations.
The Italian actor took a spoonful of cereal as he pondered what life would be like in just a few days. Monica and Chandler would be gone. That was the biggest change, he supposed. Rachel and Ross getting back together had been a bit of a shock, but in the back of his mind Joey had often suspected this. It was good that their relationship could work again; they had Emma, and he really hoped that the three of them could all be one big, happy family.
He then moved on to pondering his own life. What about him? Would he ever get a family like the rest of his friends? Phoebe was married, and she and Mike clearly wanted a child of their own someday. Ross and Rachel already had Emma, and Ross had Ben as well. Monica and Chandler were married, and in just a few days they'd have a baby of their own…
Joey scratched his head. Didn't he have a dream about that? That's right… it was foggy now, but he recalled dreaming that Erica had had twins. He wondered how Monica and Chandler would feel if that really happened. He'd have to tell them about his interesting dream—it may have only been his imagination, but it stuck in his mind like a real memory.
A fascinating thought crossed Joey's mind. Maybe I'm one of those people who has prophetic dreams! Maybe they really will have twins! That would be so cool.
Joey was just lifting the spoon to his mouth for his final bite when a woman's scream pierced the room. Alarmed, Joey sprang to his feet and dropped the spoon, yelling in surprise. He dashed for the light switch and flipped it on, only to see a strange woman standing at the door to Monica and Chandler's room, screaming her head off.
"Who are you?" Joey asked in surprise.
"Who am I?" The woman scoffed, still trembling in fear. "Who are you? How did you get in here?"
"The door was unlocked! How did you get in?"
"I live here!" The woman snapped.
Joey widened his eyes. Suddenly memories came rushing back to him; it all made sense now. He missed the table because it was in the wrong place. He didn't dream about Monica and Chandler having twins; that actually happened!
"Oh my gosh," Joey murmured. "I am so sorry… Look, my name is Joey Tribbiani. I live across the hall." He strode across the room and held out his hand for her to shake.
"I'm Brenna," she said cautiously, taking his hand. "You still haven't explained why you're here."
Joey laughed nervously. "It's uh… it's a funny story, really. See, my best friends used to live here. I'd come over all the time, and stuff. I just totally forgot they'd moved… I mean, Monica's lived here longer than I have, and I've been here over ten years, and all six of us used to hang out here, so…" He trailed off, seeing that Brenna was a little lost. "Sorry, I just forgot. I'll leave now."
He hurriedly made his way toward the door (but not before rapidly gulping down the rest of the cereal-milk).
"You should probably lock the door in case I forget again, huh?" Joey chuckled awkwardly as he grabbed the knob. He was about to leave when Brenna stopped him.
"You live across the hall?"
"Yep." Joey confirmed. "Apartment 19." He paused. He knew it was a long shot, but hey: he'd already embarrassed himself badly tonight. What'd he have to lose?
"So uh… if you ever need to know anything about the building, the apartment, the neighborhood in general... we could always grab a cup of coffee down at Central Perk. You should go there sometime; they make great muffins."
Brenna gave him a small smile. "Alright. Could we say tomorrow at noon?"
Joey grinned. "'Course. See you then."
As he shut the door behind him, Joey Tribbiani couldn't help feeling he was shutting the door to his old life with his friends. It was clear to him that even the four of them who were left wouldn't see each other much anymore, no matter how close they lived.
Ross, Rachel, Phoebe, Chandler, and Monica all had lives of their own to attend to. It was time for Joey to choose a path for himself.