This part refers extensively to the episode TOW The Boobies, where Joey's father stays overnight at the guys' apartment, along with his mistress. It also mentions Chandler's breakup with Janice, in TOW The Giant Poking Device.
Part 2: The Sleep Over
Chandler finally turned off the TV and nudged Joey awake.
Joey blinked and mumbled, "Hmm?"
"Time to go to bed, Joey."
Joey made a pitiful face. "Don't make me go back to that empty apartment!"
"Of course you can stay the night, Joe. Just let me clean up first, and you can have the guest room."
"Thanks." He gratefully helped Chandler clean up the mess and then followed him to the spare bedroom.
Upon opening the door and seeing inside, Chandler smacked his head. "I'm sorry, I forgot. Monica's redecorating this room to make it into a nursery. She took away the guest bed already."
"Oh, that's okay. I can crash on the couch."
"You sure?" Then he got an idea. "Hey wait, you wanna--you wanna bunk with me?"
Joey raised his eyebrows. "In your bed? Yours and Monica's? Wouldn't she mind?"
"Come on, you and me are practically brothers!" he smiled. "Anyway, I don't sleep that well without Monica anymore, and you can keep her half of the bed warm." When he and Monica fought, Chandler often wound up sleeping on the guest bed, the couch, or even his old bed in Joey's apartment, if the fight was particularly bad. Wherever Chandler slept alone, he was always restless.
Joey still found the idea of sleeping together odd, but he shrugged and went along with it. After all, he and Chandler had once shared a sofa bed when they were roommates, and Joey had even napped with Ross quite comfortably.
Chandler led the way into the bedroom that he normally shared with his wife. "But no sleeping naked!" he warned, as he remembered Joey's sleeping habits. "I've got some pyjamas you can borrow, if you need them."
Joey declined the offer, but promised to keep his boxers on.
After undressing, they climbed into the bed on opposite sides, then said goodnight to each other and turned out the lights.
Joey pensively lay awake in the darkness, thinking about the other time that they had shared a bed, and why. He finally spoke up sadly. "What's wrong with me, Chandler? Is it, is it 'cause I'm like my dad?"
Chandler opened one eye, surprised and a little annoyed. He thought he'd sleep peacefully for once. "What do you mean?"
"You know, me never settling down. My dad having a mistress..."
Chandler opened both eyes in utter disbelief. "He's still seeing her?!"
Joey nodded. "It's crazy. Ma and Pop and Ronnie just go on like there's nothing wrong, no matter what me or my sisters say. They tell us it's none of our business; they're happy."
Chandler scoffed and felt sorry for the poor, screwed-up Tribbiani grandchildren. "How many years has it been?"
"*Fifteen*! Nine that I've known about it."
"How can he do that? How can your mom *let* him?"
"I don't know! My dad just keeps telling me that he loves both of them, he can't help it, and if Ma doesn't mind, why should anybody else?"
"What kind of garbage--!" he shook his head and sighed. "I don't know what to tell you, Joe. I thought he would've come to his senses by now."
Joey appreciated the sympathy, but something else troubled him about his father's affair. He asked hesitantly, "Do you... do you think it's really possible, Chandler?"
"What?"
"Loving two different women at the same time? I don't mean just screwing around, because I know all about that. I mean the emotion, the love. You know, commitment, and soul mates, and lobsters, and all of that stuff."
Chandler shook his head patiently. "It doesn't work that way, Joey."
"What about when Janice was in love with you and her ex-husband at the same time? You believed her."
"Yeah, but then we broke up and she went back to Gary. You have to commit to one or the other, Joey. This is why they outlawed bigamy."
"I guess so."
Chandler couldn't understand Joey's reaction. "Come on, you already know all this. You told me yourself that I should step aside and not break up their family."
Joey nodded, but then he confessed quietly, "It's just that sometimes... sometimes I find myself believing my dad anyway. I don't know how, but he seems sincere to me, not just trying to make me forgive him or something. Do you think me believing him--me being like him--is why I want some kind of group pact?"
Chandler was shocked. "You were serious? You--you want...?" After an awkward silence, Chandler rolled back over and firmly repeated his goodnight, pulling the covers over his head.
Joey exhaled and realized that he better shut up about this group pact idea, no matter how much it stuck on his mind. Chandler was his best friend, but he clearly couldn't discuss or condone such a weird relationship; his own parents' divorce had been traumatic enough, and he just wanted things to be normal.
What did Joey really want anyway? Was he just scared of ending up alone? Was he using his group of friends as a crutch? Which of his friends, if any, was he really in love with?
***
Joey fell into a fitful sleep that night. As he dreamed, he unconsciously shifted to Chandler's side of the bed and wrapped his arms close around him.
Chandler half awakened with Joey's embrace and turned to kiss Joey warmly, murmuring "Monica" as he did so. Then he frowned, realizing that he was kissing someone else. He opened his eyes and started violently.
"Whoa! What--what are you doing?" Chandler panicked.
"What? Huh?" Joey rubbed his eyes and yawned. "Sorry, I must have rolled over here in my sleep." He rolled back over.
"That's not all you did! You kissed me!"
"I what?"
"Well, I--" Chandler reluctantly admitted the truth. "You had your arms around me, and I thought you were Monica. I kissed you."
"You did?" He tried to remember the last thing from his dream, but couldn't.
"But--but only because I thought you were Monica. I would never--!" Chandler swallowed and his eyes widened. "Oh my God, what would have happened if I hadn't woken up?"
Joey tried to calm him. "Nothing, nothing! Then I would've woken up instead. Nothing could just happen without one of us knowing it. I mean, there's sleepwalking, but there's no such thing as sleepkissing, or sleep... you know."
Chandler did not feel any better. "You--you can't sleep here anymore. Get out."
Joey quickly obeyed and retrieved his pile of clothes. "Okay, I'll go to the couch. Um, can I get a blanket?"
Chandler threw him the comforter from the bed. "Get out!"
So Joey returned to the living room and made up the couch to sleep on. He hoped that he had not freaked out Chandler too much. What with the kiss, and their weird talk last night, Chandler might think that Joey was coming onto him on purpose, and they would have to straighten out this mess in the morning, surely.
Joey lay down on the couch with a sigh. As he pulled the comforter around him, he realized that he could smell Chandler's scent on it, and he was lying now where they had been sitting together. Strange that he noticed such details. Why exactly had he put his arms around Chandler in his sleep? Joey never cuddled with his one-night stands. He wasn't really coming onto Chandler, was he? Was he?
Part 2: The Sleep Over
Chandler finally turned off the TV and nudged Joey awake.
Joey blinked and mumbled, "Hmm?"
"Time to go to bed, Joey."
Joey made a pitiful face. "Don't make me go back to that empty apartment!"
"Of course you can stay the night, Joe. Just let me clean up first, and you can have the guest room."
"Thanks." He gratefully helped Chandler clean up the mess and then followed him to the spare bedroom.
Upon opening the door and seeing inside, Chandler smacked his head. "I'm sorry, I forgot. Monica's redecorating this room to make it into a nursery. She took away the guest bed already."
"Oh, that's okay. I can crash on the couch."
"You sure?" Then he got an idea. "Hey wait, you wanna--you wanna bunk with me?"
Joey raised his eyebrows. "In your bed? Yours and Monica's? Wouldn't she mind?"
"Come on, you and me are practically brothers!" he smiled. "Anyway, I don't sleep that well without Monica anymore, and you can keep her half of the bed warm." When he and Monica fought, Chandler often wound up sleeping on the guest bed, the couch, or even his old bed in Joey's apartment, if the fight was particularly bad. Wherever Chandler slept alone, he was always restless.
Joey still found the idea of sleeping together odd, but he shrugged and went along with it. After all, he and Chandler had once shared a sofa bed when they were roommates, and Joey had even napped with Ross quite comfortably.
Chandler led the way into the bedroom that he normally shared with his wife. "But no sleeping naked!" he warned, as he remembered Joey's sleeping habits. "I've got some pyjamas you can borrow, if you need them."
Joey declined the offer, but promised to keep his boxers on.
After undressing, they climbed into the bed on opposite sides, then said goodnight to each other and turned out the lights.
Joey pensively lay awake in the darkness, thinking about the other time that they had shared a bed, and why. He finally spoke up sadly. "What's wrong with me, Chandler? Is it, is it 'cause I'm like my dad?"
Chandler opened one eye, surprised and a little annoyed. He thought he'd sleep peacefully for once. "What do you mean?"
"You know, me never settling down. My dad having a mistress..."
Chandler opened both eyes in utter disbelief. "He's still seeing her?!"
Joey nodded. "It's crazy. Ma and Pop and Ronnie just go on like there's nothing wrong, no matter what me or my sisters say. They tell us it's none of our business; they're happy."
Chandler scoffed and felt sorry for the poor, screwed-up Tribbiani grandchildren. "How many years has it been?"
"*Fifteen*! Nine that I've known about it."
"How can he do that? How can your mom *let* him?"
"I don't know! My dad just keeps telling me that he loves both of them, he can't help it, and if Ma doesn't mind, why should anybody else?"
"What kind of garbage--!" he shook his head and sighed. "I don't know what to tell you, Joe. I thought he would've come to his senses by now."
Joey appreciated the sympathy, but something else troubled him about his father's affair. He asked hesitantly, "Do you... do you think it's really possible, Chandler?"
"What?"
"Loving two different women at the same time? I don't mean just screwing around, because I know all about that. I mean the emotion, the love. You know, commitment, and soul mates, and lobsters, and all of that stuff."
Chandler shook his head patiently. "It doesn't work that way, Joey."
"What about when Janice was in love with you and her ex-husband at the same time? You believed her."
"Yeah, but then we broke up and she went back to Gary. You have to commit to one or the other, Joey. This is why they outlawed bigamy."
"I guess so."
Chandler couldn't understand Joey's reaction. "Come on, you already know all this. You told me yourself that I should step aside and not break up their family."
Joey nodded, but then he confessed quietly, "It's just that sometimes... sometimes I find myself believing my dad anyway. I don't know how, but he seems sincere to me, not just trying to make me forgive him or something. Do you think me believing him--me being like him--is why I want some kind of group pact?"
Chandler was shocked. "You were serious? You--you want...?" After an awkward silence, Chandler rolled back over and firmly repeated his goodnight, pulling the covers over his head.
Joey exhaled and realized that he better shut up about this group pact idea, no matter how much it stuck on his mind. Chandler was his best friend, but he clearly couldn't discuss or condone such a weird relationship; his own parents' divorce had been traumatic enough, and he just wanted things to be normal.
What did Joey really want anyway? Was he just scared of ending up alone? Was he using his group of friends as a crutch? Which of his friends, if any, was he really in love with?
***
Joey fell into a fitful sleep that night. As he dreamed, he unconsciously shifted to Chandler's side of the bed and wrapped his arms close around him.
Chandler half awakened with Joey's embrace and turned to kiss Joey warmly, murmuring "Monica" as he did so. Then he frowned, realizing that he was kissing someone else. He opened his eyes and started violently.
"Whoa! What--what are you doing?" Chandler panicked.
"What? Huh?" Joey rubbed his eyes and yawned. "Sorry, I must have rolled over here in my sleep." He rolled back over.
"That's not all you did! You kissed me!"
"I what?"
"Well, I--" Chandler reluctantly admitted the truth. "You had your arms around me, and I thought you were Monica. I kissed you."
"You did?" He tried to remember the last thing from his dream, but couldn't.
"But--but only because I thought you were Monica. I would never--!" Chandler swallowed and his eyes widened. "Oh my God, what would have happened if I hadn't woken up?"
Joey tried to calm him. "Nothing, nothing! Then I would've woken up instead. Nothing could just happen without one of us knowing it. I mean, there's sleepwalking, but there's no such thing as sleepkissing, or sleep... you know."
Chandler did not feel any better. "You--you can't sleep here anymore. Get out."
Joey quickly obeyed and retrieved his pile of clothes. "Okay, I'll go to the couch. Um, can I get a blanket?"
Chandler threw him the comforter from the bed. "Get out!"
So Joey returned to the living room and made up the couch to sleep on. He hoped that he had not freaked out Chandler too much. What with the kiss, and their weird talk last night, Chandler might think that Joey was coming onto him on purpose, and they would have to straighten out this mess in the morning, surely.
Joey lay down on the couch with a sigh. As he pulled the comforter around him, he realized that he could smell Chandler's scent on it, and he was lying now where they had been sitting together. Strange that he noticed such details. Why exactly had he put his arms around Chandler in his sleep? Joey never cuddled with his one-night stands. He wasn't really coming onto Chandler, was he? Was he?