Chapter 33
Disclaimer: I don't own anything to do with friends.
A/N: Ok folks, the next chapter is the last. Well, im pretty sure it is :o) Ill tie up the whole Rachel/Ross thing, more Monica and Chandler, and of course Pheebs and Joey. Ill maybe write an epilogue if you guys want one? Let me know :o) ~*~
"JOEY FRANCIS TRIBBIANI! GET YOUR ASS DOWN HERE THIS MINUTE!"
"Oh man, im in for it now." Joey prised himself off the bed he had once slept in as a child and walked cautiously downstairs into the kitchen where his Father was sitting at the table looking rather guilty, while his Mom paced the floor in despair.
"Yeah?" Joey screwed his face up, knowing what was coming.
"Your dad has just told me everything! What have I raised? Huh? You were brought up such a good boy Joey," Gloria's face softened, then contorted again as she slapped him on the side of the head.
"NOW LOOK AT YOU! Did you not take in anything we taught you? You get a girl pregnant you support her. You don't run off to your parents to escape. We're not going to bail you out!"
Joey's dad tried to speak but got interrupted by his wife continuing her tirade.
"How exactly did this happen? In fact don't tell me, I don't think my heart could take it!" She sat down on a stool, looking worse for wear.
"Mom, this isn't what you think. It wasn't just some one-night stand. Well it was. But there were feelings! We love each other. Well, I love her. This is such a mess," He threw his head into his hands in anguish.
"You're telling me! Its not exactly a bed of roses Joe!" Gloria stood up again, but let her son finish what he was saying.
"It's too long a story, and Im not in any mood to relive it all again, Especially when dads probably told you it all anyway. All you need to know is im going to be staying here again for a while. But once I'm-sorted ill get my own place." Without saying another word he turned on his heel and walked back to his room, leaving his Mom and Dad speechless in the kitchen. His Mom shook her head. "We need to do something,"
"Like what?" Joseph was just as slow as his son.
Gloria smirked. "Leave it to me,"
~*~
"There! All done!" Chandler stepped down from the small stepladder and glanced up proudly at the pink and lilac "Welcome home" banner that he had hung from the ceiling.
He felt Monica's arms slide around his waist and he couldn't help but let his smile grow.
"Thank you for helping me," Monica wrapped herself tighter into his back and snuggled into his neck.
"It was my pleasure." He loved the feeling of her being so close to him. He had always imaged it would be this way, but now that it was actually happening between them both he couldn't have been happier. He loved every little thing about her, and intended to for the rest of his life. He wasn't ever going to let her go.
"Hey, we better be getting back to the hospital. Phoebe will be wondering where we are." Monica quickly looked at her watch and broke her embrace with Chandler.
They left the apartment, both taking once last look at the room to make sure it was just perfect, which it was.
Welcome home banners hung from the ceiling, streamers drooped in every corner, presents lay in colourful wrappers around the room, the kitchen sink was laden with well wrapped food on dishes and a travel crib replaced one of the barcalounger.
Phoebe was going to have a ball, for a while at least.
~*~
Phoebe looked at the wall clock in her now bare room. It read 9:20m. Had they forgotten about her? They were 20 minutes late if they hadn't.
Suddenly the door burst open and a very out of breath Monica and Chandler rushed through it.
"Phoebe we're so sorry, we got caught in traffic." Monica spat the sentence out as quick as she could.
"Its ok. I'm just glad you're here." Phoebe flashed them a huge smile, the first time she had did so in months.
Chandler helped her down from the bed and held her tightly, supporting her waist as he aided her. He bent down and picked up her case that was by the bed with his free hand and motioned to Monica to get the baby from her incubator, much to Phoebe's disappointment.
"Mon can you bring her here a moment?" Phoebe looked grief-stricken.
"Sure hun," Monica carefully walked with the baby to where Phoebe stood at the door, supported by Chandler, and held her close to Phoebe's chest.
She bent down and placed a kiss on her daughters nose. "I love you so much," Phoebe's voice cracked as it was filled with emotion. The baby's hands reached up and touched her softly on the face, its fingers tangling in her long blonde hair. A tear fell from her eye as Monica pulled the baby back into her and cradled her. She prayed that tonight would go well. Things couldn't go wrong could they?
~*~
"JOEY!" Gloria stood at the bottom of the stairs and hollered at the top of her lungs
"Oh what does she want now," Joey sulkily trotted downstairs in his sweatpants and baggy sweatshirt.
"What?" He asked sullenly as his Mom came into sight.
"Chandler phoned, there's been a problem at home, he wants you to go back as soon as possible. He sounded really shaken sweetie."
"Oh my God, didn't he say what it was? Is it Phoebe and the baby?" Joey started to tremble in fear, while Gloria tried desperately to hold in the smirk that was determined to appear.
"I better phone him," Joey ran past Gloria into the living room, pulling the room apart as he searched for the cordless phone. Cushions and magazines flew threw the air as his hunt grew more desperate.
"JOEY! STOP!" Gloria pulled him back to his feet. "Chandler said not to phone, he wouldn't be there. You have to go back the city this minute, you hear?" Joey took a deep breath and wiped the perspiration from his forehead.
"Ok, ok, I hear you. Can I take dad's car?"
"Of course you can, now GO!" She handed him the keys from the hanger by the door and pushed him through it, slamming it triumphantly behind him.
"What was all that about?" Joseph appeared behind his wife from the kitchen.
"Just a bit of lying and gentle persuasion." The smirk was now visible on her face. Her plan had worked so far. It was all down to Joey now.
~*~
Disclaimer: I don't own anything to do with friends.
A/N: Ok folks, the next chapter is the last. Well, im pretty sure it is :o) Ill tie up the whole Rachel/Ross thing, more Monica and Chandler, and of course Pheebs and Joey. Ill maybe write an epilogue if you guys want one? Let me know :o) ~*~
"JOEY FRANCIS TRIBBIANI! GET YOUR ASS DOWN HERE THIS MINUTE!"
"Oh man, im in for it now." Joey prised himself off the bed he had once slept in as a child and walked cautiously downstairs into the kitchen where his Father was sitting at the table looking rather guilty, while his Mom paced the floor in despair.
"Yeah?" Joey screwed his face up, knowing what was coming.
"Your dad has just told me everything! What have I raised? Huh? You were brought up such a good boy Joey," Gloria's face softened, then contorted again as she slapped him on the side of the head.
"NOW LOOK AT YOU! Did you not take in anything we taught you? You get a girl pregnant you support her. You don't run off to your parents to escape. We're not going to bail you out!"
Joey's dad tried to speak but got interrupted by his wife continuing her tirade.
"How exactly did this happen? In fact don't tell me, I don't think my heart could take it!" She sat down on a stool, looking worse for wear.
"Mom, this isn't what you think. It wasn't just some one-night stand. Well it was. But there were feelings! We love each other. Well, I love her. This is such a mess," He threw his head into his hands in anguish.
"You're telling me! Its not exactly a bed of roses Joe!" Gloria stood up again, but let her son finish what he was saying.
"It's too long a story, and Im not in any mood to relive it all again, Especially when dads probably told you it all anyway. All you need to know is im going to be staying here again for a while. But once I'm-sorted ill get my own place." Without saying another word he turned on his heel and walked back to his room, leaving his Mom and Dad speechless in the kitchen. His Mom shook her head. "We need to do something,"
"Like what?" Joseph was just as slow as his son.
Gloria smirked. "Leave it to me,"
~*~
"There! All done!" Chandler stepped down from the small stepladder and glanced up proudly at the pink and lilac "Welcome home" banner that he had hung from the ceiling.
He felt Monica's arms slide around his waist and he couldn't help but let his smile grow.
"Thank you for helping me," Monica wrapped herself tighter into his back and snuggled into his neck.
"It was my pleasure." He loved the feeling of her being so close to him. He had always imaged it would be this way, but now that it was actually happening between them both he couldn't have been happier. He loved every little thing about her, and intended to for the rest of his life. He wasn't ever going to let her go.
"Hey, we better be getting back to the hospital. Phoebe will be wondering where we are." Monica quickly looked at her watch and broke her embrace with Chandler.
They left the apartment, both taking once last look at the room to make sure it was just perfect, which it was.
Welcome home banners hung from the ceiling, streamers drooped in every corner, presents lay in colourful wrappers around the room, the kitchen sink was laden with well wrapped food on dishes and a travel crib replaced one of the barcalounger.
Phoebe was going to have a ball, for a while at least.
~*~
Phoebe looked at the wall clock in her now bare room. It read 9:20m. Had they forgotten about her? They were 20 minutes late if they hadn't.
Suddenly the door burst open and a very out of breath Monica and Chandler rushed through it.
"Phoebe we're so sorry, we got caught in traffic." Monica spat the sentence out as quick as she could.
"Its ok. I'm just glad you're here." Phoebe flashed them a huge smile, the first time she had did so in months.
Chandler helped her down from the bed and held her tightly, supporting her waist as he aided her. He bent down and picked up her case that was by the bed with his free hand and motioned to Monica to get the baby from her incubator, much to Phoebe's disappointment.
"Mon can you bring her here a moment?" Phoebe looked grief-stricken.
"Sure hun," Monica carefully walked with the baby to where Phoebe stood at the door, supported by Chandler, and held her close to Phoebe's chest.
She bent down and placed a kiss on her daughters nose. "I love you so much," Phoebe's voice cracked as it was filled with emotion. The baby's hands reached up and touched her softly on the face, its fingers tangling in her long blonde hair. A tear fell from her eye as Monica pulled the baby back into her and cradled her. She prayed that tonight would go well. Things couldn't go wrong could they?
~*~
"JOEY!" Gloria stood at the bottom of the stairs and hollered at the top of her lungs
"Oh what does she want now," Joey sulkily trotted downstairs in his sweatpants and baggy sweatshirt.
"What?" He asked sullenly as his Mom came into sight.
"Chandler phoned, there's been a problem at home, he wants you to go back as soon as possible. He sounded really shaken sweetie."
"Oh my God, didn't he say what it was? Is it Phoebe and the baby?" Joey started to tremble in fear, while Gloria tried desperately to hold in the smirk that was determined to appear.
"I better phone him," Joey ran past Gloria into the living room, pulling the room apart as he searched for the cordless phone. Cushions and magazines flew threw the air as his hunt grew more desperate.
"JOEY! STOP!" Gloria pulled him back to his feet. "Chandler said not to phone, he wouldn't be there. You have to go back the city this minute, you hear?" Joey took a deep breath and wiped the perspiration from his forehead.
"Ok, ok, I hear you. Can I take dad's car?"
"Of course you can, now GO!" She handed him the keys from the hanger by the door and pushed him through it, slamming it triumphantly behind him.
"What was all that about?" Joseph appeared behind his wife from the kitchen.
"Just a bit of lying and gentle persuasion." The smirk was now visible on her face. Her plan had worked so far. It was all down to Joey now.
~*~
