So basically since "Joey" the spin-off sorta bombed, I'm continuing on after. I only saw like half of the first season of Joey before I decided I liked "Friends" better, as did many people. But I researched the spin-off generally and I'm going to put together the pieces as well as I can without using too much of information from the series. That's why this is a "Friends" fanfic.
On the whole flight, all Joey could think about was seeing his friends. It had been three long years, and not a single visit. Hearing Chandler's jokes over the phone just weren't as funny (as if they ever had been) as they were in person. He could only imagine Ross's facial expressions when he told those boring stories about dinosaurs and such. He missed Phoebe's ditzy moments, because he couldn't get those over e-mail. Rachel and Emma would call him every once in a while but he hadn't seen Emma for so long, except for pictures, and it would be strange seeing how much she's grown. But most of all, he missed Monica's cooking. She had told him that she actually hadn't been cooking so much, since the twins were so time-consuming, but he could still imagine smelling her turkey when he was 3,000 miles away.
His stomach was in knots. It was so hard making the decision to come back. L.A. just wasn't for him, he guessed. Of course he still wanted to be an actor, but with so many opportunities in L.A. dangling in his face and then being suddenly stripped away, he had decided to move back to New York and pursue his modeling career for a little while. Besides, many people had told him he was all looks and no brains anyways. Psh, he would prove them wrong. As soon as he was famous as a model, (and not a model for STD's, an actual model like Calvin Klein or Sak's Fifth Avenue) he would emerge as an actor.
He jumped as a flight attendant's voice shattered the silence of the airplane, "We'll be landing in JFK in about ten minutes. Please fasten your seatbelts and turn off all electronic devices. Place your trays in the upright position and remain seated." With a slight beep, she was gone. The crowded flight contained many different characters: the bald man snoring in the aisle seat across from Joey who reminded him of his father, many many beautiful girls, and this loud woman seated in the front of the plane that kept asking the flight attendant when the plane landed. This woman had provoked the flight attendant to give status reports every twenty minutes on their location.
Joey began to shove all his personal belongings in his backpack. Magazines, a few copies of his resume, some business cards a few women had given him, his sunglasses, and a few letters he had taken the time to write on the six-hour flight non-stop from L.A. to NYC. The letters were to his sister, his nephew, and Alex. It was hard leaving them, but he definitely needed to be with his five friends more. He pulled out a folder of pictures that he had kept over the three years. They were Christmas cards, school pictures of Ben and one of Emma, family photos of vacations to Canada, and most importantly one of the five of his friends all together.
He felt the descent of the plane, he knew because his bladder suddenly shifted. Landing always made him nervous. It has to be more likely to get in a plane accident while landing than in mid-air. Visions of the plane erupting in flames as the nose collided with the runway flooded Joey's head and he shook them.
The next fifteen minutes drug on so slowly. He sat near the back of the plane so he had to wait (impatiently, though) while the slowpokes in front of him took their sweet time removing their luggage from the overhead bins and trodding down the aisle towards the exit.
But when that was all over, he appeared out of the long tunnel and into the crowded New York airport. He half expected Monica to have pushed her way through security to meet him at the gate. She had kids now, and Rachel said she wasn't so obsessive-compulsive anymore, but still he had the feeling Monica would be waiting at the gate for him. When he didn't see her, his mind raced. So much had changed. Maybe he was just overreacting, I mean airport security isn't that easy to get through. Not even Monica Geller could push her way through. But still, what else had changed? Was Chandler "Mr. Responsibility" now that he had kids? Was Rachel successful and emotionally stable? Maybe Phoebe and Mike are even starting to settle down. Is Ross the life of the party? He laughed at the last thought. Never.
When his panic ceased, he continued to follow the directions to Baggage Claim. His heart jumped a little. Chandler was there with that big goofy smile on his face. Ross was standing next to him with an even goofier face. Phoebe… what?
"Joey!" the three friends exclaimed.
"Hey guys!" Joey smiled but he couldn't stop staring at Phoebe.
"Hey guess what?" Phoebe joked. "I'm pregnant!"