Twenty years. Joey reviews the events thus far thoughtfully. Emma has graduated and headed off to get her license as a fashion designer three years ago. She will be finishing her degree in a matter of years and she is doing well. She is twenty-one, and he is fifty-three. She is of legal drinking age, and she is just recently married.

Monica and Chandler's two kids are on the brink of graduating themselves, and so is Phoebe's child, whom he hasn't seen since Phoebe died. He got a picture of her high school photos though, and she is as gorgeous as he thought she would be.

He spends most of his nights alone now, perhaps drinking a beer, perhaps watching Cujo and dwelling on old memories, maybe even reading a book. He alternates between his room and Rachel's, and even occasionally falls asleep on the lounge chair and the couch. He keeps the pictures of her sparkling clean, and places the one of he and Rachel on her 30th birthday on top of his TV.

The night he comes home from his daughter's wedding he makes sure to tell her all about it and how nice the lucky man is, and of his approval. Says that he even asked him for a blessing during the speeches, which he gracefully gave. It puts a smile on his face to see how happy his daughter is. She has changed quickly from little crying baby, moody teenager, to mature adult. He knows she will go far in life.

Chandler visits every morning but most of the time Joey goes to their house. He spends time with Monica and Chandler and even plays some games with their kids, entertains them. Monica is always happy to see him, too, but he can still see sympathy in her eyes, like she knows how much it still hurts. He knows it still pains her too, but he still doesn't want her sympathy.

Emma calls him every night for advice and sometimes help with some of her homework, but she has excelled in math since she was a little girl and doesn't need him to give her Chandler's phone number (again) so she can ask him about it. She visits on holidays and offers to play chess with him, but she knows how to play it the right way instead of the way he played it with Phoebe, so it confuses him. She smiles and laughs, plays it his way.

Monica is the only one still in contact with Ross really. His kids are growing up, too, and it seems to be that the marriage is lasting. He'd like to be happy for the man, but instead it still brings a bitter taste into his mouth, so he turns his head and looks the other way whenever Ross calls when he is visiting Monica. He doesn't think what he feels is ever going to go away.

He rubs his eyes as he sits in the lounge chair. Maybe it's time to go to bed. He's thinking too much again. He curls up in his bed, pulling the covers over him. He doesn't know where Hugsy went, he thinks the penguin is resting in Rachel's room in Emma's old crib. Somewhere along the line, Emma put him there. A perfect final stop.

He closes his eyes, breathing out a sigh, and sleeps, dreaming of the time Rachel sang him the same lullaby she sang Emma when he couldn't sleep one night. He feels himself slipping away, slowly, quietly, and he finds that something warm is filling the gaping loneliness he's felt for twenty years, but something wakes him. It's Chandler. Joey's eyes focus on the worried look on his face.

"Joey? Joey. We should get you to a doctor, can you hear me? Come on.."

He has no idea what's going on, but his heartbeat feels slow. It's calming. Chandler begins to turn to get the phone, but Joey reaches out and grabs his wrist. And smiles. Chandler's face turns to that of surprise, shock. He's guessing he's looked happier than he has in a very long time. He feels tears coming to his eyes, not because of a burning sadness this time.

Words bubble on his lips. "Let me go, Chandler." His voice is quiet, soft, and he smiles through his tears again. "Please."

Chandler's lower lip begins to wobble, and he can tell he's about to cry. "I'll be happier now." he offers reassuringly. "I don't want to live in misery like this anymore. I've done my job, Emma can cope, please, Chandler, please..."

"Okay." That's the only thing his friend says. The man that was like a brother to him. Joey smiles again and takes a deep breath, closing his eyes. Every time he breathes the smell of vanilla is getting stronger and he squeezes Chandler's hand reassuringly, before free-falling into darkness.

-

A blinding light wakes him. He gasps and sits up, taking in big gulps of air, rubbing his eyes, feeling groggy, but well-rested for the first time in a long time. He stands up slowly, looking around. Something's..not right. It is his apartment, but no one is there in his room. No Chandler. He looks over at the mirror, shocked to find no gray hairs, no extreme dark circles, looking thirty-three like before. Was it..all a horrible, horrible dream? He hears someone moving around just beyond his door and rubs his eyes again, opening it slowly.

"Chandler, what are you do.." He doesn't finish as he slowly moves his hands away from his eyes.

Rachel.

Standing in the kitchen, looking at one of the pictures of her and Joey and wiping the frame clean thoughtfully, tears in her eyes, in her pajamas. The breath is stolen from him. Partially from shock, partially from how drop-dead-beautiful she looks. He is shaking, wondering if this is all some dumb hallucination. She is too busy looking at the picture to notice a thing. So he gathers the courage to declare his presence. She still looks thirty-two.

What he wants to be a yell of happiness turns into a tight squeak. "Rachel?"

She puts the picture down and looks up. She smiles radiantly at him, the smile he remembers. The smile he loves. He is frozen to where he stands awkwardly by his lounge chair, mouth crookedly open. "Rachel," he repeats softly.

She smiles again and shakes her head. "Joey." Her voice. God, the voice he missed. It's soft and understanding and full of joy. She rushes forward before he can reply, and he opens his arms and welcomes her into them, holding her close in a tight embrace. Yes. She's real. He feels her heartbeat against his, steady. Feels the rise and fall of her sides.

He smells the vanilla fragrance, and closes his eyes, pressing a kiss to her forehead, gripping her tighter. Her arms snake around his waist and grip his back reassuringly. "Rach..," He has to say her name again. "Rach."

"I'm here."

"Rachel..."

"I promise."

He drops the bombshell he hasn't said in a long time to her face. The one that's been tearing through him all these years. "I love you."

"I love you, too."

He looks down, wanting nothing but to look at her. He is surprised to find, on her left hand, are the rings he bought. The engagement ring and the wedding band. The same ones. "Are these.."

"Yes. I accepted, didn't I?"

"So..it's not..just a horrible dream? Everything..happened? I'm.." He pauses, frowning. "..I'm dead?" He feels a little guilty for leaving Chandler like that, but hopes he will understand. He still has Monica to get him through it, but Chandler has had such a rough time. Rachel, his daughter, Phoebe, now him.

"Sorry to break it to you, sweetheart, but that's right."

He says nothing for a few minutes. He tilts her chin up to look at him, finds himself smiling. He holds her tighter, fearing if he lets her go, she will fade away, and she gives him an angelic, reassuring smile.

"Hey."

"Hi." she replies, smile widening. His does the same. He brushes her bangs out of her eyes, ecstatic to be looking into the blue pools again.

He leans in and places his lips on hers, chuckling a little, and a happiness he has felt only few times before fills him when she returns the kiss.

"Welcome home," she whispers.