Wow, it has been a really long time since I've written anything…and much, much longer than that since I've updated this story – since 2002, in fact!  Does anyone even remember this (or me)?    Oh well…  I decided I would take advantage of an unexpected day off from work (snow day, yay!) and finally get this thing finished, even if it's bad.  And…I about halfway succeeded.  =)  Hopefully the rest will follow shortly. 

Ross groaned as the combination of sunlight and Phoebe's incessant humming finally pulled him from his restless sleep.  He cursed jet lag as he turned his head to glance at the clock, but reluctantly pulled himself into a sitting position.  He had a feeling that if he didn't get up now, Phoebe would just start singing louder. 

            He wearily rubbed his eyes, then pulled on a t-shirt before he stepped out into the living room.  It had taken him almost a week to adjust to the time change when he arrived in Egypt.  He sincerely hoped it wouldn't take him that long this time.

            "Morning, Phoebs," he greeted her as he rounded the corner into the kitchen. 

            "Morning," Phoebe answered cheerily, picking up a coffee mug and pouring him a cup.  "Did you sleep well?"

            "Hmmm…" Ross mumbled as he sipped the coffee, hoping the caffeine would do its job quickly.  "Yeah.  So good I think I could just sleep the whole day."

            "Well, you can't," Phoebe informed him without apology.  "Chandler just called – we're having lunch in an hour."

            Ross made a face as Phoebe turned her back, not happy about the announcement of their plans for the day.  It wasn't that he didn't want to spend time with his friends – of course he did! – but he didn't know why Chandler couldn't have postponed his plans a little and allowed him a few extra hours to adjust to Eastern Standard Time.

            "I guess I should take a shower then," Ross stated with resignation.  "I'll be out in a couple of minutes."

            Phoebe shrugged, her joy at the thought of a reunion eclipsing any sympathy she might have had for her weary friend.  "Okay.  Towels are there in the closet."

            "Yeah, thanks," Ross muttered as he headed for the bathroom, hoping the steady spray of water would help wake him up.  He purposely made the water as cold as he could stand it, so that he wouldn't be tempted to linger.  Right now, he felt like he could close his eyes and fall asleep standing up.

            A few minutes later, he was shrugging into his clothes, still shivering from the cold shower and feeling a little more alert.   He found Phoebe out in the living room, having a spirited conversation with the plants she was watering.

            "I'm starving," Ross commented as he plopped down on the couch and covered a yawn with his hand.  "And I have to admit I'm looking forward to American food.  Where are we going?"

            "Monica and Chandler's," Phoebe answered distractedly, not realizing that Ross was referring to a restaurant.  Ross rolled his eyes and decided to be satisfied with that for now, since he did not currently possess the energy that pursuing this line of questioning with Phoebe would require. 

            "Soo…should we go?" he asked instead, anxious to be on their way now that he had resigned himself to going.

            Phoebe turned to look at him, a smile flitting across her face.  "You wait three years to come back and visit us and now you can't wait three minutes to leave for lunch?"

            Ross smiled in return, taking the teasing for what it was, and feeling a wave of nostalgia as he realized how deeply he had missed the easy banter that characterized their little group.  There was none of this light-hearted ridicule in Egypt; no sarcastic rejoinders, no random, off-the-wall observations.  Dinosaur jokes abounded, but even Ross knew that it wasn't a good sign that he was widely recognized as "the funny one". 

            "Fine," he remarked, settling back down against the couch cushions.  "We don't have to leave right now.  I'm sure Monica is a lot more easy-going about punctuality now that she has a toddler, huh?"
            Phoebe's eyes widened as she considered that, then in one swift motion, she put down her bright purple watering can, grabbed her purse and jacket, and headed for the door.

            "Ross, we should probably go," she informed him, as if she were scolding him for holding her up.  "Caleb gets cranky when he's hungry."

            Ross grinned as he followed her out the door.  It was nice to know that some things hadn't changed that much after all.

            "Uncla Woss!" was the exclamation that greeted Phoebe and Ross as they entered the Bing residence, where Chandler, Monica, and Rachel had already gathered.  Ross grinned at his nephew's enthusiasm, smirking at Chandler as Caleb squirmed out of his father's arms and ran straight into his uncle's. 

            "No hello for me?" Phoebe asked, pretending to be offended that the two-year-old had not greeted her with the same measure of excitement.  Caleb turned his head from Ross's shoulder and bestowed an angelic smile on his 'aunt'. 

            "Hi, Aunt Phweebs."

            "Hi sweetie," she responded with a smile, leaning over to give him a wet kiss on the cheek.  Caleb squirmed away from her, laughing, then turned his attention back to his new-found uncle.

            "Are you gonna eat wiv us?" Caleb asked with wide eyes, waiting for Ross to nod before he continued.  "We're not goin' ta Mommy's wes'waunt," he confided, clearly pleased with a rare change of mealtime scenery.

            Ross smiled, looking over at Monica to see what her reaction would be to her son's comment.  She was shaking her head in feigned exasperation, while Chandler looked on with a grin, clearly enjoying Caleb's candor. 

            "Well, that's good," Ross replied, winking at his sister over Caleb's head.  "I wouldn't want to eat there unless your mom was there to cook for us.  She is the best cook in New York, you know."

            "I know," Caleb agreed with an earnest nod, not disputing what he clearly considered fact. 

            "So where are we going?" Ross asked the child, repeating the question he had unsuccessfully tried with Phoebe earlier that morning.

            "Mommy said you gets to choose," Caleb announced, his eyes big with the honor that had been bestowed on his uncle.  Then he lowered his voice confidentially, as if he were sharing a secret.  "But 'member 'dat Daddy likes hambu'gers, Mommy likes foods that are hard to say, Aunt Wachel likes helpfy stuff," Caleb made a face that illustrated his opinion of Rachel's common choices, "and Aunt Phweebs won't eat anyf'ing that comes fwom an aminal."  Caleb paused, thinking, then his eyes lit up with further knowledge that he could offer.  "And Uncla Joey likes pizza…but he's in Ca'fornia," Caleb concluded with a sad shake of his head, dismissing any need to consider Joey's tastes while choosing a restaurant.

            Ross was aware of that all eyes were resting on him, wondering how he would react to the mention of Joey's name.  Determined not to show any emotion – good or bad – especially in Rachel's presence, Ross kept his eyes on Caleb's face.

            "What about you?" he asked, deciding that his young nephew's preference would be the most influential in his choice – and at the same time wishing he knew Caleb well enough to already know the answer.  "What do you like to eat?"
            Caleb hesitated, considering his answer carefully.  After a moment of thought, his expression of concentration melted into the smile that was already becoming familiar to Ross. 

            "Macawoni and sheese."

            Ross laughed, looking pointedly at Chandler.  "He inherited your taste buds, huh?"

            Chandler shrugged and looked proudly at his son.  "Well, Monica's doing her best to sway him to more…sophisticated tastes, but yeah, Cae's more of a hot dogs and potato chips kind of guy.  Right, little man?"
            "Wight!" Caleb confirmed happily, much to his mother's dismay. 

            "Well, then I guess we're going somewhere with macaroni and cheese." Ross said firmly, searching through his memory for a good restaurant with that on the menu.  "How about that restaurant a couple of blocks up?  What was it called – Travita's?"

            "Travinia's," Monica corrected, nodding her agreement.  "That okay with you guys?" 

            "Fine with me," Rachel said, reaching for her purse.  "Let's go, I'm starving."

            "Caleb," Monica began, turning toward her son as the others grabbed jackets and prepared to leave, "do you need to go to the potty before we leave?"

            "Nu-uh," Caleb replied, his stubborn tone reflecting his dislike for the process of potty training. 

            "If you don't go now, Daddy will have to take you to the big boy bathroom at the restaurant," Monica warned.  "Are you sure you don't need to go?"

            "Sure," Caleb reiterated after a moment of hesitation, sounding a little more uncertain than he had a moment ago.  However, Monica accepted it, not wanting to prompt a temper tantrum.  Caleb may have inherited Chandler's simplistic taste for food, but he definitely had Monica's stubbornness and proclivity for winning.  Besides, "Daddy" would be the one dealing with Caleb's dislike of public restrooms if one was needed. 

            "Okay then," Monica said, giving Caleb a glance and one last chance to visit the bathroom.  "I guess we're ready to go. "

            Monica's announcement was punctuated when the door to the apartment suddenly swung open, and Joey poked his head through the door, grinning like he knew the world's greatest secret.

            "Hey guys, have you seen Ra – " 

            Joey stopped dead in his tracks, his face paling noticeably as his eyes fell on Ross.  He blinked once in disbelief, then slowly took a step into the apartment, not bothering to close the door behind him.

            "Ross."

To Be Continued…

(I'm putting the next chapter up simultaneously – I just had to split them up or it would've been really long!)