Author's Note: I know I wrote that I wouldn't drag this fic out and in keeping with that promise the next chapter should be the last. Thanks for the reviews. It's nice to get them since I know this is a) an unpopular ship and b) from a show that ended almost ten years ago.

The coldness surrounding Rachel remained with her as the afternoon progressed into evening. Even after she stepped outside into the warm summer air on her way to pick Emma up from Ross's apartment, the chill in her body held on. She did her best to try and ignore it, although that ended up being a difficult job considering her brain linked the cold to Joey's absence and the thought of him brought about complex emotions she didn't want to deal with. Thankfully, by the time she gathered Emma, apologized once again to her nanny for Ross passing out in his bedroom - an unfortunate result of his day drinking, and then came back home, she thought the cold had weakened. Being with Emma certainly made her feel better and Rachel attributed the warm-up to her little girl's presence. She just had that effect on others.

But, despite the chill being lifted, there was still some negativity to deal with delivered in the form of Gladys's scolding voice coming out of the answering machine. Rachel heard the beep of the phone after she opened her apartment door. There had been missed a call and after pushing the button to reveal the caller's message, Rachel groaned. Gladys didn't exactly have any nice things to say and Rachel had to force her hands over Emma's ears a few times when Joey's makeup artist's word choice became too colorful. With a sigh, she erased the message. Rachel didn't think Joey would have put Gladys up to criticizing her. That wasn't like him and she didn't think it would help their situation any bit if he heard what had been said.

Rachel had to admit that hearing the mean words hurt, but at the same time she couldn't blame Joey for telling his make-up lady what had happened that afternoon. If he needed to talk about their breakup with someone then Rachel was just glad that person wasn't a member of their group. She and Joey didn't need a glaringly bright billboard hanging over them proclaiming their romantic relationship had come to an end. Everyone would find out soon enough and hopefully no one would make a big deal out of it. Rachel promised herself she wouldn't drag anyone else into it like she had with Ross. That was why she'd broken up with Joey early on, as a way to avoid all that drama. No one would be hurt this time … well, no one other than her and Joey, but that wouldn't last long. Her actions in the present had dodged a much larger crisis in the future for all of them.

Rachel may have made a promise to herself not to talk about the breakup with anyone, but she wasn't able to follow through with that for very long. After an evening where she and Joey acted civilly, but awkwardly before heading off to their separate beds, Rachel found herself at Central Perk the next afternoon. She was on her lunch break and knew a latte was needed to help keep the persistent cold inside at bay. Phoebe was there already when Rachel arrived and the two of them sat on the couch together in a comfortable silence. Rachel was flipping through the latest issue of Vogue while her blonde friend knitted something. She wasn't sure when Phoebe had picked up her new hobby, but anything was better than guitar playing.

After a while of this quiet companionship, Phoebe suddenly turned to her and asked, "What's wrong? You seem unstable." She then placed her knitting down and began moving her hands around Rachel like she was tracing a much larger version of her.

"Unstable … like mentally?" she asked, her voice not exactly coming off like she was taking Phoebe seriously.

Phoebe shook her head, while continuing to make the tracing motions around Rachel's body. This eventually caused the other to smack her hands away. "Will you quit?"

"I'm just testing your aura. It seems unstable," Phoebe defended herself. "And your emotions are off too. You're being kind of bitchy." Phoebe rubbed the fingers of the hand Rachel had swatted.

"Well, you were too close." Rachel shrugged.

"Ahhh a fear of intimacy," Phoebe replied like it was some big revelation. She then proceeded to write this information down in an imaginary notebook with her imaginary pen.

"What … what are you doing? You're not writing anything." Rachel was annoyed.

"That's what you think," Phoebe replied.

Rachel made an action like she was stealing the other's pretend notebook and then threw it on the ground. Phoebe's made a noise of protest, but Rachel ignored her. "Well, now you can't write anything. Besides you're wrong. It has nothing to do with a fear of intimacy and everything to do with your weird hand movements over me … that's all."

Phoebe pursed her lips and went to retrieve the discarded notebook to put in her purse. Then she crossed her arms across her chest. "Well, something is going on that you're not telling me. Thankfully your aura is willing to talk and she says she's not happy."

Rolling her eyes, Rachel felt compelled to stand up and walk out. Her friend was being strange and making a perfectly normal situation, uncomfortable. However after deliberating this option for a few seconds, Rachel decided against it. Instead she gazed away from Phoebe's accusatory look, and focused out through the windows of Central Perk and onto the streets of New York, wondering if maybe she should tell Phoebe that all her weird hocus pocus hullabaloo was actually accurate. Something wasn't right in Rachel. She wasn't happy. In fact, she was miserable and cold on top of it. She wanted to talk with someone about it, but also didn't want to pull anyone into the breakup. The feel of Phoebe's eyes on her face, eventually brought Rachel's gaze back inside the building and on her friend. "I broke up with Joey," she finally admitted. "There are you happy? That's why my aura or whatever you called it is unhappy."

"What?!" Phoebe shook her head dramatically like the revelation was blowing her mind. "Why would you do that? Obviously not to make yourself happy, because your aura says you're miserable."

Rachel tossed her magazine aside in a little huff of anger, not sure if she was upset at Phoebe for her overblown reaction or at herself for breaking up with Joey in the first place. "Well, I did it to avoid a situation like this down the line, where everyone would get involved in our breakup instead of just one nosy friend with a pretend notebook. I'm sure the longer I stayed with Joey the more likely a break up would involve Chandler, Monica and Ross too and somebody would be crying, I'm sure."

"Probably Chandler," Phoebe snickered, but then put on her serious face again. "Do you realize how dumb you sound? Breaking up with someone you are probably meant for, because you think it might not work out."

"What? I thought you'd be relieved. You always told me I was meant for Ross. What was that whole lobster business about and how they mate for life? You said Ross was my lobster, but now I'm meant for Joey? Is he my lobster now?" Rachel had never taken Phoebe seriously when she had referred to her and Ross as lobsters, but it irritated her now that her friend had changed her tune and Rachel hadn't been informed.

Taking a hold of Rachel's shoulders Phoebe gave her a good shake. "Get yourself together, girl. Do you ever listen to me? I said you guys were lobsters. Who says that?"

Blowing her hair out of her face as it had become disheveled during Phoebe's violent actions against her shoulders, Rachel replied. "Um, you"

"Exactly!" Phoebe nodded her head. "I said he was your lobster before I really knew how you two interacted as a couple. Now I know better. Ross needs someone he's not insecure around, otherwise he will try to control them for fear of losing them. You were always out of his league and he could never forget that. But you and Joey, you're equals. I've seen you two together for years now and it just makes sense. He's exactly what you need and you are exactly what he needs. Joey wouldn't try and keep you from what was best for you, because he wants to keep you close. Tell me, when you broke up with him did he go all crazy freak out style like Ross?"

"No," Rachel said, recognizing for the first time the parallel between Joey's reactions when she originally told him she didn't return his feelings and yesterday after she broke up with him. In both instances he hadn't tried to change her mind. He had just wanted what was best for her.

"Yeah," Phoebe continued. "That's because even though he might come across as a little simple, Joey is probably the most mature when it comes to handling you and you know why, because he cares more about your needs than he does his wants. Now tell me with a straight face that he's not meant for you. He's your swan."

Rachel groaned. "Oh, please … not with the animal comparisons again."

"Okay, but you should probably know that I will assign you guys as swans in my head and also in my notebook," Phoebe replied.

Rachel ignored her and stood up. "I have to get back to work."

"Will you at least think about what I said?" Phoebe wasn't about to give up.

"Yes," she replied. "You've given me a lot to think about." Rachel hoped her tone didn't come across as sarcastic as it sounded in her head. She really did take her friend's word to heart … well, not the swan part, but everything else.

"You promise?" Phoebe urged.

"Yes." Now Rachel's voice was annoyed.

She didn't give Phoebe a chance to say anything else and bolted towards the door. Only in her hurry to escape she ran into Gunther carrying a tray full of coffees. "I'm sorry," she told him, reaching down to help pick up the fallen cups.

"No, I'm s-sorry, Rachel," he stuttered. "Your shirt is ruined."

She glanced down and noticed a dark brown stain mixing with the white of the blouse she was wearing. "Damn it," Rachel grumbled and then looked at her watch to see if she had enough time to head home and change.

It would be cutting it close, but there was a small window of opportunity for her to grab something else. Quickly, she left Gunther to the mess and moved towards the door once more. Before leaving, Rachel glanced over at Phoebe to wave goodbye, but saw that her friend was making motions with her hands to resemble ducks … or probably more likely, swans.

"Honk, honk." She heard her say to which Rachel responded with an eye roll and then left the coffee house.