Joey lay in his bed with Chandler, staring at him in the darkness and stroking his naked body. Loving Chandler again was easy; Joey had been talked into it several times already. The hard part was forgetting the fact that he'd been repeatedly used and set aside, while Chandler pursued and married Monica. Joey was first in his bed, but always second in his heart.
"I--I want to trust you," Joey said.
"And I want to earn your trust," Chandler answered, nuzzling against him. "I'll do whatever it takes."
Joey pulled back and looked away. "But I don't know what you can do."
"Joe, I--" he caught himself. "If you don't want me to say I love you, what should I say?"
Joey shrugged and didn't know. He frowned miserably, "You were even talking about her on our first morning together."
Chandler nodded and was filled with lonely remorse. "Do you, do you want me to still live here, or should I go somewhere else? I could find a hotel or something."
"No!" Joey said. "No, you just got here! You *just* came home!"
Chandler hugged him close. "And I want to stay. I want to be here and make you happy. I never want to hurt you anymore."
Joey returned the embrace, but said nothing.
Chandler kissed his cheek and murmured sadly, "I know that we can't just pretend that the last few years never happened. But I'll make it up to you, if you'll let me. Oh Joe, I'll be as good to you as you always were to me."
Joey sighed, and then noticed the time. "Everybody's coming over," he spoke dejectedly. Chandler and Monica had arranged to explain the divorce to the gang tonight, at Monica's place.
Chandler caressed Joey's face and said, "I'll go tell Monica we're not coming. We have to work this out." He kissed Joey and shrugged. "I don't care what she tells them about us." He got dressed and hurried across the hall.
***
"Monica?" he put his head in the door. "Joey and I can't be here."
"What?!" she looked up from putting out coffee mugs.
"I'm sorry, something's come up. We--"
"If you're just going to have sex with him, you can do it on your own time!"
"No, that's not it!" he insisted. "Monica, I know it sounds like I'm being a jerk, but that's not what I'm doing. Even if you don't believe me, just think about how sorry Joey was when you caught us together. He even offered to move away for your sake! Would *he* blow off this meeting?"
Monica thought about it, but before she could reply, Chandler repeated, "I'm sorry, I've got to go. We'll explain it to you later. Bye!"
"Chandler!" she fumed with rage.
In the hallway, Ross, Phoebe, and Rachel were coming upstairs when they saw Chandler running out.
He looked embarrassed and said, "Um, hi. Look, Monica will tell you the long version, but the short version is this: I'm a bastard. The end. Bye." He went back into Joey's apartment and locked the door.
The gang stared after him blankly, and Ross wondered aloud, "Are we in the Twilight Zone?"
In her doorway, Monica sighed and beckoned them all to come in.
***
"And then, just when I think he's acting like a decent human being again, he comes over at the last minute and blows off this meeting," Monica concluded. "God, why did I ever love him?!"
"Oh, Monica!" Phoebe hushed her and let Monica cry on her shoulder.
Ross and Rachel came over and made it a group hug, before sitting back on their respective chairs. Phoebe still held onto Monica.
Rachel scowled at Ross. "Men!"
"Hey!" he defended himself. "I never did anything like this. Carol did stuff like this to me, only not as bad. I'm on my sister's side."
Rachel grudgingly apologized, "You're right, I'm sorry. It's just, I feel like yelling at somebody, *who apparently was too chicken to show up!*" She loudly directed that last part toward the apartment across the hall.
Ross shook his head with guilt. "I can't believe I misjudged the guy like this. I mean, he was my college roommate, and I even gave him that 'big brother' speech about never hurting my sister."
"It was my fault!" Phoebe said furiously. "I should have caught him before, in Vegas! Ooh, if I had known, I'd have kicked his ass!"
Rachel and Ross were surprised, and somewhat frightened, by her vehemence. Clearly there was still a lot of street Phoebe in their friend even now.
"And God, Joey!" Rachel shook her head. "Can you believe he'd do that?"
"I know!" Ross answered. "Joey's not exactly a gentleman when it comes to his dates, but I thought he treated his friends better than this."
Monica spoke up through her tears, "No, he was sorry." She remembered his remorse and guilt from this morning. "Joey was really sorry. I think Chandler talked him into everything with some 'we're not serious, so we're not really hurting her' line."
"But still--" Ross thought Joey ought to have some of the blame.
Monica shook her head sadly.
So they moved on to other topics, such as how Monica could possibly keep living across the hall from her soon-to-be ex-husband.
Monica raised her head from Phoebe's shoulder. "Pheebs, I was gonna ask you--can I, can I move in with you? At least for a while?"
"Yes, honey, of course!" Phoebe hugged her close again. "You stay as long as you need."
"Thank you," Monica clung to her. "And I promise I'll try not to drive you crazy with my compulsive cleaning."
"Oh honey, if it makes you feel better, you can clean everything except for my grandmother's ashes."
Ross and Rachel smiled and said "Aw" at this, but they privately wondered just how long Phoebe would be able to stand living with Monica. She had moved out from this very apartment because of Monica's freakish neatness. Still, this was the time for friends to make sacrifices for each other.
***
Chandler lay in Joey's bed again, just holding onto him and saying nothing in the darkness.
Joey sighed and stared at the wall, "What are they saying over there?"
"I don't know." Chandler shrugged and stroked the hair back from Joey's eyes. "If they knew anything, they'd say 'Chandler was a tremendous idiot to ever leave Joey in the first place. He better realize how lucky he is to get such a great guy back, and he better not lose him now, for anything.'"
With a half smile, Joey lay his head on Chandler's shoulder and closed his eyes.
"Tell me you can forgive me someday," Chandler whispered. "If not now, then someday."
Joey nodded. "Someday."
"I--I want to trust you," Joey said.
"And I want to earn your trust," Chandler answered, nuzzling against him. "I'll do whatever it takes."
Joey pulled back and looked away. "But I don't know what you can do."
"Joe, I--" he caught himself. "If you don't want me to say I love you, what should I say?"
Joey shrugged and didn't know. He frowned miserably, "You were even talking about her on our first morning together."
Chandler nodded and was filled with lonely remorse. "Do you, do you want me to still live here, or should I go somewhere else? I could find a hotel or something."
"No!" Joey said. "No, you just got here! You *just* came home!"
Chandler hugged him close. "And I want to stay. I want to be here and make you happy. I never want to hurt you anymore."
Joey returned the embrace, but said nothing.
Chandler kissed his cheek and murmured sadly, "I know that we can't just pretend that the last few years never happened. But I'll make it up to you, if you'll let me. Oh Joe, I'll be as good to you as you always were to me."
Joey sighed, and then noticed the time. "Everybody's coming over," he spoke dejectedly. Chandler and Monica had arranged to explain the divorce to the gang tonight, at Monica's place.
Chandler caressed Joey's face and said, "I'll go tell Monica we're not coming. We have to work this out." He kissed Joey and shrugged. "I don't care what she tells them about us." He got dressed and hurried across the hall.
***
"Monica?" he put his head in the door. "Joey and I can't be here."
"What?!" she looked up from putting out coffee mugs.
"I'm sorry, something's come up. We--"
"If you're just going to have sex with him, you can do it on your own time!"
"No, that's not it!" he insisted. "Monica, I know it sounds like I'm being a jerk, but that's not what I'm doing. Even if you don't believe me, just think about how sorry Joey was when you caught us together. He even offered to move away for your sake! Would *he* blow off this meeting?"
Monica thought about it, but before she could reply, Chandler repeated, "I'm sorry, I've got to go. We'll explain it to you later. Bye!"
"Chandler!" she fumed with rage.
In the hallway, Ross, Phoebe, and Rachel were coming upstairs when they saw Chandler running out.
He looked embarrassed and said, "Um, hi. Look, Monica will tell you the long version, but the short version is this: I'm a bastard. The end. Bye." He went back into Joey's apartment and locked the door.
The gang stared after him blankly, and Ross wondered aloud, "Are we in the Twilight Zone?"
In her doorway, Monica sighed and beckoned them all to come in.
***
"And then, just when I think he's acting like a decent human being again, he comes over at the last minute and blows off this meeting," Monica concluded. "God, why did I ever love him?!"
"Oh, Monica!" Phoebe hushed her and let Monica cry on her shoulder.
Ross and Rachel came over and made it a group hug, before sitting back on their respective chairs. Phoebe still held onto Monica.
Rachel scowled at Ross. "Men!"
"Hey!" he defended himself. "I never did anything like this. Carol did stuff like this to me, only not as bad. I'm on my sister's side."
Rachel grudgingly apologized, "You're right, I'm sorry. It's just, I feel like yelling at somebody, *who apparently was too chicken to show up!*" She loudly directed that last part toward the apartment across the hall.
Ross shook his head with guilt. "I can't believe I misjudged the guy like this. I mean, he was my college roommate, and I even gave him that 'big brother' speech about never hurting my sister."
"It was my fault!" Phoebe said furiously. "I should have caught him before, in Vegas! Ooh, if I had known, I'd have kicked his ass!"
Rachel and Ross were surprised, and somewhat frightened, by her vehemence. Clearly there was still a lot of street Phoebe in their friend even now.
"And God, Joey!" Rachel shook her head. "Can you believe he'd do that?"
"I know!" Ross answered. "Joey's not exactly a gentleman when it comes to his dates, but I thought he treated his friends better than this."
Monica spoke up through her tears, "No, he was sorry." She remembered his remorse and guilt from this morning. "Joey was really sorry. I think Chandler talked him into everything with some 'we're not serious, so we're not really hurting her' line."
"But still--" Ross thought Joey ought to have some of the blame.
Monica shook her head sadly.
So they moved on to other topics, such as how Monica could possibly keep living across the hall from her soon-to-be ex-husband.
Monica raised her head from Phoebe's shoulder. "Pheebs, I was gonna ask you--can I, can I move in with you? At least for a while?"
"Yes, honey, of course!" Phoebe hugged her close again. "You stay as long as you need."
"Thank you," Monica clung to her. "And I promise I'll try not to drive you crazy with my compulsive cleaning."
"Oh honey, if it makes you feel better, you can clean everything except for my grandmother's ashes."
Ross and Rachel smiled and said "Aw" at this, but they privately wondered just how long Phoebe would be able to stand living with Monica. She had moved out from this very apartment because of Monica's freakish neatness. Still, this was the time for friends to make sacrifices for each other.
***
Chandler lay in Joey's bed again, just holding onto him and saying nothing in the darkness.
Joey sighed and stared at the wall, "What are they saying over there?"
"I don't know." Chandler shrugged and stroked the hair back from Joey's eyes. "If they knew anything, they'd say 'Chandler was a tremendous idiot to ever leave Joey in the first place. He better realize how lucky he is to get such a great guy back, and he better not lose him now, for anything.'"
With a half smile, Joey lay his head on Chandler's shoulder and closed his eyes.
"Tell me you can forgive me someday," Chandler whispered. "If not now, then someday."
Joey nodded. "Someday."
