The One With The Christmas Wish That Comes True

By: Jana~

Chapter Two

It had been an exhausting day, as was obvious by the way he stumbled through the door.

Chandler acknowledged his friend and roommate, Joey, before dragging himself to the recliner chair that had been designated as his and dropping into it.

"Bad day?" Joey asked, and Chandler scoffed in response.

"Long day, more than anything. The scripts coming in are all the same basic plot!" he exclaimed.

"Typecast," Joey muttered simply, and Chandler scoffed again.

"I don't mind romantic comedies, don't get me wrong, but is it that far a stretch to believe I could do something else?"

Joey shrugged. "At least you're not stuck in soap opera land," he said, then held up the script he had been studying. "I get to deliver twins next week, but only one of them is mine."

"So, you got the girl pregnant, and then someone else did as well?" Chandler asked, suppressing a laugh. "Is that even possible?"

"No clue," Joey replied with a roll of his eyes. He tossed his script aside, then headed for the kitchen in search of a new beer. "At least you get movie offers," he called out as he disappeared. "At least the show launched your career," he added, then reentered the room with two beers in hand. He handed one over to Chandler before retaking his seat.

There was nothing Chandler could say to that, so he didn't. He just accepted the bottle with an upnod, twisted off the cap, then took a healthy swig. They had been co-stars, neither one of them above the other, but, for whatever reason, offers poured in for Chandler while Joey's offers remained sparse. There was never any jealousy about that from Joey, but Chandler often felt guilty because of it.

He decided to stop bitching about his day and start a new subject. His love life, or lack thereof, was ripe for discussion.

"Kathy dumped me."

Sputtering into his beer, Joey choked down his last gulp before asking, "When? Why?!"

"This morning, before my meeting," Chandler answered, shrugging it off as he took another drink. Alcohol was what was needed in that moment. "The why," he added, "was as lame as the when."

"You don't sound too upset about it," Joey mused, assuming this based on the casual tone Chandler was using.

"It was time," Chandler said, shrugging again. "After that 'rock hard man nipples Nick' fiasco, I don't think we ever really got the trust back."

"Your love life sucks, and my professional life sucks," Joey laughed. "We make a hell of a team, eh?"

Chandler laughed, too, then muttered, "I'd trade places with'ya, man, I really would."

"What you need is a girl not in the business," Joey suggested. "Though you have to watch out for crazy stalker fan girls," he added.

"I've been pretty lucky in that department," Chandler said as he placed his unfinished bottle on the table beside him, then he kicked his chair back to recline. "You're the one who has crazy stalker fans. Erica?" he reminded him with a smirk he directed towards the ceiling. "Sending you her eyelashes?"

Shuddering noticeably, Joey mumbled, "Don't remind me," then he gulped down the rest of his beer in three long drinks.

"Sorry," Chandler laughed, but then he fell silent as he drifted into thought.

The fame he had achieved wasn't unwanted, but it was completely unexpected. He was just barely a teenager when the business had been thrust upon him, and it was fun and thrilling at the time, even though initially he had only been cast in bit parts. But after the show hit number one in the ratings, the novelty of it had worn off. Tabloids and paparazzi hounded his every move, and his social life was affected because everywhere he went, he was approached and bothered.

But it wasn't the fans that were the problem. He loved his fans, at least all the ones he had met. It more had to do with those who mocked him. They would follow him around, call him by his character's name, and ask him to do catch phrases he was famous for, though admittedly, some were just doing this because they were excited to meet him. That didn't bother him. That was actually a bit flattering.

Then there were those who got angry with him because he couldn't stop to sign autographs and pose for pictures. He always tried to make the time, but sometimes, when running late, time just didn't allow for it. Through the years, he found that leaving an hour early for any public errand, whenever possible, allowed him the time a fan might want of him. In doing so, he was usually able to avoid the hurt that typically caused the anger.

Then there were some who actually had the audacity to ask for money, stating that because he was rich, he could afford to be generous. But he was generous. Just because he didn't give his money to random strangers didn't mean he wasn't. He was very active in giving to various charities, and even before he had earned his fortune, had helped carry Joey for years.

Being in the limelight had its disadvantages, and only others who were where he was, who were not many, understood that. That's why he and Joey had continued on as roommates. They could easily afford their own places, but chose to remain together, though they did buy a new house when the show hit its third season. People often speculated that they were gay because of that, but Joey soon after put those rumors to rest. He was a lady's man, pure and simple.

That kind of life, however, just wasn't what Chandler wanted. He had spent a great deal of his life being commitment phobic, but around the time he had turned thirty, that changed. Settling down and raising a family seemed like an achievable goal, but had remained elusive. Every woman he would date seemed to be after one of three things: his money, his fame, or a way to get to Joey. It seemed a normal life would never happen for him, and he often spent nights lying awake because it did.

"Dude, you okay?" Joey asked, startling Chandler out of his reverie. "You got quiet."

"Just thinking," Chandler answered.

"Wanna talk about it?" Joey asked, "Or maybe you wanna play some foosball?"

"Raincheck on that, k?" Chandler said, then he kicked the footrest on his recliner down and moved to stand. "I think I'll just go take a long hot shower and hit the hay."

Joey laughed at the turn of phrase. "That period piece you did sure got you talking funny! Do you sleep in a barn now?"

Chandler smirked, though just barely, since the exhaustion he was feeling was catching up to him fast. "Yeah, well, at least that was different! Cross your fingers and toes for me that I get that drug dealer role, eh?"

"You got it, man! 'Night!"

X

The phone call was not a good one, and even Joey, with as dense as he could be sometimes, seemed to realize that.

The foosball game had been put on hold, but that was the least of his problems. He'd lost another freaking role to Brad Pitt, and the news instantly soured his stomach. It wasn't about the money – he never had to work again if he chose not to – it was about the roles themselves.

The amount of money all the actors received during the final season of the show meant they could afford most any luxury for the rest of their lives. Add to that the never ending flow of royalty checks, and as long as one didn't spend recklessly, one could manage comfortably for decades to come. It allowed him the ability to hand select scripts of interest. Chandler didn't work because he had to, he worked because he wanted to. He worked for the love of the craft.

That love, much like his love life, was taking a bruising as of late. It was irritating, which was apparent by the way he slammed the phone down on its base after disconnecting the call, though he had forced a pleasant enough 'goodbye' to his agent before he did.

"Let me guess," Joey said as Chandler neared him, as he remained standing at the foosball table, "you didn't get the drug dealer role."

"Brad Pitt," Chandler sighed as he retook his place at the game. "I swear, I'm in a loop! I can't get serious roles until I do serious roles, but I can't do them because I've never done them!"

"Maybe you oughta try the Indie film circuit," Joey suggested. "I bet they would love to have a big name in their credits."

Chandler nodded as he pulled the ball out of the pocket on his side of the table and tossed it back into play. "I need to do something, man. I mean, I love doing romcoms and all, but I'm really itchin' to do something edgier, ya'know?"

Joey scored the next goal easily, since Chandler was distracted, but he smiled sheepishly as a form of apology because he had. "You wanna pick this up later?" he asked, referring to the game.

"Yeah, thanks," Chandler sighed, spinning his little men hard before stepping away from the table. "My head's just not in it. Sorry."

"S'ok," Joey said with a shrug of indifference, as he followed Chandler over to the recliners. The moment they were both seated, he asked rhetorically, "You know what you need? A vacation! Just hop on a plane and get out of here. Clear your head."

"Funny you should say that, 'cause I'm kinda taking one," Chandler replied. "I'm off to New York on the twenty second."

"Cool," Joey said, then immediately asked, "Why?"

"Autism Awareness charity function."

To be continued

Author's note:

Fun little chapter, eh? Yeah, this fic will be short and sweet. The next (and last) chapter should be a bit longer, though. Or at least I imagine it will be. These first two were just the setup. Next chapter will actually be the dream I had that inspired this fic.

Thanks to those who reviewed!

To BluEyes: Thanks for the positive words about my upcoming novel! I got enough feedback when it was a fanfic, telling me it should be an original novel, and to be honest, I always imagined it would be, so I took the leap and made it happen! My proof copy should be here on the 29th (of December, 2009), and as soon as I approve it, it will be up for sale!

I just love the cover! The cover art was done by my daughter's friend! Gratis! And she's already agreed to draw the cover art for 'The Registry's Secrets'!

There will most likely be a third book in the series, but I'm trying not to think about that right now. My focus is on completing 'Registry'. And, of course, this fanfic (smile).

Speaking of which… could y'all drop me a quick little review? I would be most appreciative!

MTLBYAKY