Later that night, Monica went across the hall and knocked on Joey's door, still wearing just her slinky robe. "Hi, Joey," she smiled seductively.

"Hi!" he leered, before he remembered that it was wrong for him to stare. "Monica!" he coughed and covered his eyes, "Wh-what are you doing?"

She giggled and pulled the hand from over his eyes. "You'll see."

"Huh?" he stared at her bewilderedly.

"Chandler and I have a surprise for you. Come here." She pulled him into their apartment, and locked the door.

Monica had cleaned up the overturned table, and filled the apartment with candles. Plus, the drapes were also closed over the big window, to make sure that Ross wouldn't see anything from his apartment.

Still looking somewhat distressed and worried, Chandler sat in his robe on the couch. What if Joey didn't want him? Could he take the rejection? Could he take the suspicion if Joey noticed how much Chandler ached for the kiss?

"Chandler?" Joey felt like he was intruding on an obviously romantic scene. "What's going on? --Oh, did you take a test? Are you pregnant?"

"No, not yet," Monica smiled, pulling him further into the apartment. She sat him down on the couch next to Chandler before taking a seat on the end for herself.

Chandler was deeply aware of how close Joey sat to him. His mere presence created a sort of electricity in Chandler's own skin. The thoughts and sensations that had lain dormant in him for years were quickly coming back to life with painful intensity, and he wasn't sure he could handle it.

"Chandler, are you cold?" Joey saw him shivering. He reached for a blanket from the couch and wrapped him in it.

Monica saw Chandler's look and put her hand on Joey's knee to distract him.

"Mon!" Joey turned and frowned at her, shocked by her behavior.

She just shrugged. "You know that surprise I told you about, Joey?"

"Yeah?" Joey gave her a stern look as he pushed her hand off his thigh.

Monica smiled. "Well, you see, Chandler and I were, um, just discussing how much our lives are gonna change when the baby comes. Being up all night with the crying, never having time for sex--"

Joey interrupted, "Oh, I'll babysit for you, so you can have time together. I know what I'm doing because I babysat all my nieces and nephews--"

"Joey, Joey!" she patted his arm patiently. "That's very nice, but I wasn't finished yet."

"Oh. Sorry."

"It's okay. So, anyway, we got to thinking, and we, um, we decided to ask you something very special..."

"Oh!" Joey's eyes lit up. "Are you asking me to be the godfather? Yes!" He hugged both Monica and Chandler in his excitement.

Chandler tensed at the embrace, becoming breathless and flushed.

Monica noticed and pulled Joey off her husband. "Joey, Joey! That's not the favor I meant."

"It isn't?" he looked disappointed. "You're not asking Ross, are you? Oh, man!"

"No, no! We're not even thinking about that. It's something else, really! Joey--" When he kept pouting, she gave up and went along. "Fine, yes, we want you to be the godfather. Of course we do, Joey."

"Yay!" Joey cheered up and hugged them both again. "I love you guys!"

Chandler bit his lip against saying something, especially when Joey kissed his cheek and happily remarked, "Hey, you know, this means we're gonna be like brothers!"

"Oh, Joey!" Monica searched for something to say to mend the disaster.

Chandler just slipped out of Joey's arms and got up, walking away to the locked closet at the end of the hall, where he put his head against the door. He wished he could lock himself inside. If only getting back into the metaphorical closet was that easy; at least when he lied to himself, he could be near Joey without being aware of this painful heartache.

"Chandler?" Joey looked puzzled and started to get up. "What's wrong?"

Monica got up and pushed Joey back down. "Nothing, nothing! Don't worry about it. Just wait here." She hurried and joined Chandler at the closet. "It's okay," she whispered.

He shook his head. "I told you, he doesn't want me. He never--"

"Chandler, stop it!" she rubbed his back comfortingly. "Remember the pillow? Remember Chloe? Trust me, you don't talk about having a threesome with your brother."

"Exactly! I--"

"Shh! Let me just ask him, okay?"

She didn't even let Chandler respond, dragging him by the arm back into the living room.

Joey stood up and stared at Chandler with concern. "What is it?"

Monica dismissed it with a wave of her hand. "Oh, nothing. We were just arguing about who gets to ask you the next thing."

"Next thing?"

"Yeah," she hurried to keep from being interrupted, "we want a threesome."

Joey stammered, "A, a what?"

"A threesome," she repeated coolly, and motioned Joey to sit.

Chandler tried to protest, but Monica firmly seated him on the couch and cleared her throat warningly.

"Yes!" she insisted as Joey slowly sank to the couch again. "That's I actually what I meant to ask you first. You see, before we have a baby, we want to do one last wild, crazy thing... you."

"Me?" Joey stared at her blankly.

Chandler wanted to say that it was a joke, or that Monica was hopped up on fertility drugs, but she saw it coming.

"Chandler!" she cut him off impatiently. "I know that I already got to ask him to be godfather, but I didn't mean to. It was an accident, okay? Don't pout!"

Joey suddenly smiled. "He wanted to ask me?"

Monica nodded, and Chandler blinked in surprise, actually having hope as he looked into Joey's eyes now. "You--you want to?"

"Yeah!" Joey answered with a laugh. "I said yes, remember?"

Chandler realized that Joey was talking about being godfather.

Joey hugged him again. "I shouldn't have interrupted so much. It would've been great coming from you instead of Monica. And you know, if I ever have my own kid, I'd ask you."

Chandler nodded and kept his sad face turned away. He wanted to retreat into his bedroom and forget about the whole threesome idea.

Before Chandler could pull away, Monica joined the hug, sandwiching her husband in the middle. "Doesn't this feel nice?" she laughed, and then prompted, "What about our other question, Joey? You know, the threesome?"

Joey had forgotten that. "Oh," he sat up and started to pull away too, but Monica held on tight.

"Come on!" she coaxed, making eyes at him and rubbing his arm fondly. "Don't act so innocent. We all know you've had threesomes before, Joey."

"Well yeah, but that's different." He wanted to sit back and get a look at Chandler, but Monica's grip, as always, was freakishly strong.

"Please, Joey!" she implored. "It's just for one night, and it would make us so happy if you were a part of this." She tried to kiss his cheek.

Joey dodged as best as he could. "But--but you're married."

"I know! That's what makes it so naughty, and so exciting!" She giggled flirtatiously. "Come on, like you haven't still hit on me, Joey! You're shameless even when Chandler's around."

Joey shrugged and looked sheepish. "I can't help it. It's who I am."

She nodded and ran her fingers through Joey's hair. "And that's exactly why you're the one we want to do this with."

Joey frowned, struggling with his conscience. "I mean, I never seriously thought you'd say yes or anything. If you ever wanted to cheat on Chandler, I'd tell him first thing, you know!"

"Of course! But this isn't cheating. He's right here."

Still unable to directly look at Chandler, Joey squeezed his shoulder and asked in his ear, "You've always been mad when I hit on her."

Chandler sighed at his touch and his low voice. He ached desperately for more. Maybe Monica did have a chance of talking Joey into this. Could he bear giving up the chance for a kiss? "Joey," he said quietly, "remember, um, remember Chloe? From the Xerox place?"

"With the belly button r--Oh." Joey realized what he meant. "Oh, when she asked us...? Oh." Now he saw that this threesome idea didn't just come out of nowhere.

Monica hugged them all closer. "Chandler told me he's always regretted that you guys didn't ever do that threesome."

"He talked you into it?" Joey asked, surprised that Chandler would have been that bold.

She nodded and laughed again. "It didn't take that much persuasion! Remember when you first moved in, and you and I almost slept together? Remember in London, I came to sleep with you, but Chandler was there instead? You even stood in for Chandler in our engagement picture. I mean, if you think about it, the three of us were sort of *meant* to be together, you know?"

Joey though about that, starting to be swayed. "Just one night?"

"Uh-huh. One amazing night." She kissed his cheek, then finally withdrew from the hug. "Here," she took off her wedding ring. "This will show you we're serious." She reached for Chandler's hand too.

Stunned, Joey watched her remove Chandler's ring too, without the slightest objection from him, and then set both rings down on the table.

"See?" She noticed that the guys still hugged, even though she had let go of them.

Joey stared at the rings, then at Chandler. "You, um," he met Chandler's eyes, "you really want to?"

Chandler nodded shyly and tried to keep his voice level. "If you, if you want to..."

Joey nodded back, and half smiled. He even seemed on the verge of kissing Chandler, before he quickly broke their gaze and turned to Monica. "I, um..." he cleared his throat. "I'll do it."

"Good." Monica took Joey's hand and pulled him to his feet, motioning for Joey to take Chandler's hand too.

Joey did, and they all headed tensely into the master bedroom. Monica worried about Joey turning away from the kiss. She hoped it wasn't a bad sign for Chandler.