"Do you, Joseph Francis Tribbiani, take Phoebe Jaime Buffay to be your lawful wedded wife? To have and to hold, through sickness and health until death do you part?"
"I do."
"And do you, Phoebe Jaime Buffay, take Joseph Francis Tribbiani to be your lawful wedded husband? To have and to hold, through sickness and health until death do you part?"
"I do."
"Then by the power invested in my, by the state of New York, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now ki-"
"You may now-"
"You may-"
"You-"
"Until death do you part?" I paused the tape as I stared at the TV. Until death do us part. Yeah. Right. He's gone now and there's nothing I can do. They're all gone. I'm the last one left. I stared blankly at the TV as I hit play on the tape and watched Joey and I walk down the aisle, all of our friends behind us. That was nearly 5O years ago. Last Christmas was our last one all together. Slowly, throughout the year, they had all died.
One by one.
Ross was the first to go. He just slowly faded away, from old age in mid-January.
Chandler was next. Two years ago, he had been diagnosed with lung cancer from his days of smoking. He had been suffering for half a year before his lungs collapsed in March.
Monica's death was sudden, in the last week of March. The doctors said that she had heart failure. We all knew she had really died of a broken heart from losing her brother and love so soon.
We were all doing fine until June. Joey and I just moved back to our old New York apartment a few years earlier and were sitting in our bedroom watching TV. The phone than rang, and I hurried to pick it up. It was Rachel just calling to check in. We talked for a few minutes, until I became tired and hung up with her. Just after hanging up, I walked back into our bedroom and saw Joey sitting in the same spot he had been when I left. But something was different about him. His eyes were glassy, and his chest wasn't moving up and down like it should have been. I remember screaming his name over and over again and shaking him, but it was too late. He just quit breathing.
Slowly, the warm June turned into a hot summer, and that turned into a cool autumn. In October, I was at home, sitting there when I got a phone call. It was the hospital saying that Rachel was in there, slowly dying, and she wanted to see me. She had suffered a massive heart attack and we sat there for two hours until her heart stopped beating.
Now, two months later, it was December 24th and I had no idea what I was going to do for Christmas. I had just received a phone call from Faith saying that her and her kids were going to Vermont for Christmas and they were leaving in a few hours. This would be the first Christmas I would be alone. Every year, nothing kept us from arriving on Monica and Chandler's stoop at exactly 8:OO in the morning. Now this year, I'd be spending it alone. I stared at the clock next to me until it clicked to 12:OO am.
"Merry Christmas." I whispered to myself. I wandered into the bedroom, then into the kitchen and back into the living room. I didn't know where I was going...or came from for that matter. Suddenly, I knew what I wanted. I walked over to the CD player and picked out a CD. U2's The Joshua Tree.
"See the stone set in your eyes. See the thorn twist in your side. I wait for you. Sleight of hand and twist of fate. On a bed of nails she makes me wait. And I wait....without you. With or without you.
With or without you. Through the storm we reach the shore. You give it all but I want more. And I'm waiting for you. With or without you. With or without you. I can't live. With or without you..."
I sat there for hours just listening to music that reminded me of Joey, and Monica, Ross, Chandler, Rachel...all of them...wishing I could see them all on Christmas.
Finally, at 7:3Oam, I wandered into my room, feeling tired for the first time all night. But, I couldn't bring myself to fall asleep yet. I picked up a photo album and began looking through pictures of the six of us until 7:58am, when my eyes began to shut slowly. I hugged the photo album and breathed deeply. As I shut my eyes, I let the breath out...
...And opened my eyes again. I wasn't in my house though. I was in this all white place that didn't look familiar at all and in front of me was a golden door. Suddenly, a hand reached out and grabbed mine. I turned my head and saw a face I hadn't seen in years. Joey's. Young again. I looked down at my hand and watched the veins and age spot smooth out and my hands become young again. I looked at Joey, fresh with all the love a 3O year-old could give.
"Joey..."
"Come on, Pheebs, we'll be late." He tugged my hand and we walked together to the door. The door swung open as Joey's watched beeped to 8:OO. Standing behind the open door was Monica and Chandler and Ross and Rachel, all holding hands and young again.
"Well, you guys made it exactly on time." Monica said smiling.
"Where am I?"
"Look around, Pheebs." Ross instructed and I did so. The sounds of harps filled my ears and all around was white. Ross, Joey, and Chandler were in white suits and Rachel and Monica were wearing intricate white dresses. I looked down and saw that I was wearing one as well.
"Are we...?"
"Yeah," Chandler said, nodding happily. "The big guy would never let us be apart on Christmas Day."
"He knew he would never hear the end of it from Monica." Rachel added. We all laughed.
"Oh, God...I've missed you all so much." I said and we all hugged each other. Joey and I were the last two to hug. "Joey..." I breathed again as I began crying.
"Shh..." He said holding me close and kissing the top of my head.
"I couldn't do it. I couldn't live without you." I sobbed into his shoulder. "I love you."
"I love you too." He said and we kissed.
And whether we were 5O years older or not, it still had the same effect on me...
Magic.
Pure magic.
The End
"I do."
"And do you, Phoebe Jaime Buffay, take Joseph Francis Tribbiani to be your lawful wedded husband? To have and to hold, through sickness and health until death do you part?"
"I do."
"Then by the power invested in my, by the state of New York, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now ki-"
"You may now-"
"You may-"
"You-"
"Until death do you part?" I paused the tape as I stared at the TV. Until death do us part. Yeah. Right. He's gone now and there's nothing I can do. They're all gone. I'm the last one left. I stared blankly at the TV as I hit play on the tape and watched Joey and I walk down the aisle, all of our friends behind us. That was nearly 5O years ago. Last Christmas was our last one all together. Slowly, throughout the year, they had all died.
One by one.
Ross was the first to go. He just slowly faded away, from old age in mid-January.
Chandler was next. Two years ago, he had been diagnosed with lung cancer from his days of smoking. He had been suffering for half a year before his lungs collapsed in March.
Monica's death was sudden, in the last week of March. The doctors said that she had heart failure. We all knew she had really died of a broken heart from losing her brother and love so soon.
We were all doing fine until June. Joey and I just moved back to our old New York apartment a few years earlier and were sitting in our bedroom watching TV. The phone than rang, and I hurried to pick it up. It was Rachel just calling to check in. We talked for a few minutes, until I became tired and hung up with her. Just after hanging up, I walked back into our bedroom and saw Joey sitting in the same spot he had been when I left. But something was different about him. His eyes were glassy, and his chest wasn't moving up and down like it should have been. I remember screaming his name over and over again and shaking him, but it was too late. He just quit breathing.
Slowly, the warm June turned into a hot summer, and that turned into a cool autumn. In October, I was at home, sitting there when I got a phone call. It was the hospital saying that Rachel was in there, slowly dying, and she wanted to see me. She had suffered a massive heart attack and we sat there for two hours until her heart stopped beating.
Now, two months later, it was December 24th and I had no idea what I was going to do for Christmas. I had just received a phone call from Faith saying that her and her kids were going to Vermont for Christmas and they were leaving in a few hours. This would be the first Christmas I would be alone. Every year, nothing kept us from arriving on Monica and Chandler's stoop at exactly 8:OO in the morning. Now this year, I'd be spending it alone. I stared at the clock next to me until it clicked to 12:OO am.
"Merry Christmas." I whispered to myself. I wandered into the bedroom, then into the kitchen and back into the living room. I didn't know where I was going...or came from for that matter. Suddenly, I knew what I wanted. I walked over to the CD player and picked out a CD. U2's The Joshua Tree.
"See the stone set in your eyes. See the thorn twist in your side. I wait for you. Sleight of hand and twist of fate. On a bed of nails she makes me wait. And I wait....without you. With or without you.
With or without you. Through the storm we reach the shore. You give it all but I want more. And I'm waiting for you. With or without you. With or without you. I can't live. With or without you..."
I sat there for hours just listening to music that reminded me of Joey, and Monica, Ross, Chandler, Rachel...all of them...wishing I could see them all on Christmas.
Finally, at 7:3Oam, I wandered into my room, feeling tired for the first time all night. But, I couldn't bring myself to fall asleep yet. I picked up a photo album and began looking through pictures of the six of us until 7:58am, when my eyes began to shut slowly. I hugged the photo album and breathed deeply. As I shut my eyes, I let the breath out...
...And opened my eyes again. I wasn't in my house though. I was in this all white place that didn't look familiar at all and in front of me was a golden door. Suddenly, a hand reached out and grabbed mine. I turned my head and saw a face I hadn't seen in years. Joey's. Young again. I looked down at my hand and watched the veins and age spot smooth out and my hands become young again. I looked at Joey, fresh with all the love a 3O year-old could give.
"Joey..."
"Come on, Pheebs, we'll be late." He tugged my hand and we walked together to the door. The door swung open as Joey's watched beeped to 8:OO. Standing behind the open door was Monica and Chandler and Ross and Rachel, all holding hands and young again.
"Well, you guys made it exactly on time." Monica said smiling.
"Where am I?"
"Look around, Pheebs." Ross instructed and I did so. The sounds of harps filled my ears and all around was white. Ross, Joey, and Chandler were in white suits and Rachel and Monica were wearing intricate white dresses. I looked down and saw that I was wearing one as well.
"Are we...?"
"Yeah," Chandler said, nodding happily. "The big guy would never let us be apart on Christmas Day."
"He knew he would never hear the end of it from Monica." Rachel added. We all laughed.
"Oh, God...I've missed you all so much." I said and we all hugged each other. Joey and I were the last two to hug. "Joey..." I breathed again as I began crying.
"Shh..." He said holding me close and kissing the top of my head.
"I couldn't do it. I couldn't live without you." I sobbed into his shoulder. "I love you."
"I love you too." He said and we kissed.
And whether we were 5O years older or not, it still had the same effect on me...
Magic.
Pure magic.
The End