Flashback – Immediately After the "Gilmore Girls" Flashback (AN:  In Chapter 3, since I'm sure none of you remember what the heck I mean by that):

            Joey stared at Rachel for long minute, then slowly dropped his eyes and scuffed one shoe against the rug.  Rachel watched him, her eyes wide with shock from the conversation she had just walked in on.  Slowly, she dropped the bags she was carrying, never taking her eyes off Joey.  Ross knew that look, knew it all too well.

            She was looking at Joey the same way she had looked at him the day they watched the old video from her senior prom, as she came across the living room and into his arms.  He had once believed that look would be only for him for the rest of her life.

            "Um, whattaya say we go get some coffee, guys?" Chandler suggested forcefully, breaking the silence in the room.  

            "Yeah, let's do that!" Phoebe replied with exuberance, casting an apprehensive glance at Joey and Ross as she headed toward the door.  Rachel stepped aside to allow Chandler, Monica, and Phoebe to pass through, then glanced at Ross as if expecting him to go with them.  When he didn't move, Rachel slowly turned to shut the door, leaning against it with one hand for a brief moment before turning back to face them.  Joey was still avoiding her eyes, and after a moment of hesitation, she slowly crossed the kitchen to stand in front of him.

            "Joey?" she questioned in a small voice, laying one hand on his arm.  Joey finally raised his eyes and tried to force a smile from the downward curve of his lips. 

            "Rach." 

            Rachel knitted her eyebrows together, trying to decipher the look on her best friend's face.  She figured she had probably memorized every expression he had years ago, but she had never seen quite this mixture of hope, guilt, and vulnerability in his face before. 

            "Joey," she repeated, more insistently this time.  He swallowed hard, then simply shrugged with a half-smile.  The simple gesture was enough.

            "Since when?" she asked in a whisper, looking incredulously into his chocolate-brown eyes. 

            "I don't know," Joey admitted.  "I just…"

            A smile spread slowly across Rachel's features, and reach up to stroke his cheek with one hand.

            "Yeah.  I know."

            "You can't be serious!" Ross burst out, finally fed up with the scene.  "It's Joey, Rachel.  He doesn't know anything about love."

            Rachel turned on him, her expression one of disbelief.  "This has nothing to do with you, Ross."

            "It has everything to do with me!" Ross exclaimed, looking surprised.  "You're Rachel."

            "Well, you do know my name," Rachel commented sarcastically.  "But I'm still not sure why you deem it necessary to be here right now."

            "Fine, I'll go," Ross said, throwing up his hands in exasperation.  "But you have to decide, Rachel.  It's me or him.  I won't just stand by and wait for him to break your heart."

            "Ross, come on," Joey finally spoke up, looking sick from the confrontation.  "Let's just sit down and talk about this."

            "I don't want to talk to you, Joey," Ross spat out, glaring at him.  "I'm not sure I ever want to talk to you again.  I trusted you; I thought you were my friend.  I can't believe you would do this to me."

            Joey froze, his shoulders slumped in defeat.  Ross had hit him where it hurt, but the words were true.  He had broken the sacred rules of friendship.  It didn't matter that he hadn't been able to help falling in love with Rachel.  It didn't matter that he had tried for Ross's sake to stop it.  The damage was done. 

            "Get out of here, Ross," Rachel demanded, her voice cold.  "Leave before you say something else you'll regret."

            "Rachel – "

"Don't make me choose," Rachel warned him.  "Don't, Ross.  You won't like the outcome."

            Ross's eyes widened in astonishment, and he looked from Rachel to Joey and back again.  Rachel didn't waver.  Shaking his head, Ross stormed out of the apartment and down the stairs, leaving Rachel and Joey alone.

            Two weeks later, Chandler, Monica, and Phoebe watched him board a plane for Egypt. 

            Six months after that, Ross received a wedding invitation with a note pleading for him to come.  It was signed 'Joey and Rachel'. 

            He threw it away.

            The Present:

For a moment, the world inside Apartment 20 froze, with Ross and Joey locked together in a startled gaze.  Before any of the adults could recover from Joey's sudden appearance, Caleb broke the trance with an excited shriek. 

            "Uncla Joey!" he bellowed, scrambling out of Ross's arms so quickly his uncle was afraid he had dropped him.  Quickly recovering from the shock of Joey's unexpected arrival, Rachel squealed and ran happily into Joey's arms, while Caleb wrapped himself around Joey's left leg. 

            "Sweetie, what are you doing here?" Rachel asked, gazing adoringly at her husband, whose eyes were still locked on Ross.  "You said it would be another week!"

            Distracted, Joey broke eye contact with Ross and looked down at Rachel.  Immediately, his face brightened and he placed a quick kiss on her lips. 

            "We finished up early," he explained, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear as his other arm went around her waist.  "I wanted to surprise you."

            With that, his gaze went back to Ross.  "But I guess I was the one who got the surprise," he finished quietly, without hostility.  "Ross," he acknowledged with an up-nod, watching him warily. 

            "Joey," Ross nodded back, his heart hurting when he realized that under different circumstances, Joey would have been greeting his absentee friend with a headlong bear hug.  Tentatively, Ross reached out a hand, knowing that after all they had been through, it was his responsibility to make the first move.  Surprised, Joey hesitated before reaching out and shaking it firmly, swallowing hard as memories overwhelmed him. 

            "It's, um…" Joey paused, trying to find the right words for this encounter.  "It's good to see you," he finally said, surprising himself with his sincerity.

            "Yeah," Ross agreed, forcing a tight smile.  "It's…been a long time."

            "I didn't know you were coming home," Joey said softly as he studied Ross's face, hoping it would offer some sign to let him know how he should respond to his old friend.  Despite everything they had been through together and all the years they had lived as nothing less than brothers, the one event that had changed both of their lives stood between them and neither of them had any idea what to say.  Silence reigned as each struggled for words, while their friends – and Rachel – looked on with tense faces, wondering if all hell was about to break loose and knowing there was nothing they could do to stop it if it did. 

The only person in the room oblivious to the reason for the awkwardness between the two men was the one most troubled by it.  Caleb glanced from one uncle to the other, perplexed by the looks they were giving each other and the almost frightened silence of his parents and his aunts.  Shrugging his tiny shoulders, he let go of Joey and took a step back so he could look up at him.

            "Are you gonna come eat wiv us, Uncla Joey?"

            The strain on Joey's face melted into a smile as he looked down at Caleb, and he let go of Rachel to pick up his honorary nephew.

            "I don't know," Joey replied, scrunching his face into the goofy smile that never failed to make Caleb giggle.  "Where ya goin'?"

            "To get macawoni and sheese!" Caleb informed Joey with glee, relieved to see his beloved uncle smiling again, and quite pleased with himself for diffusing the tension in the apartment. 

            "Ohh…" Joey replied, looking suitably impressed.  "How'd you talk your mom into that?"

            "Uncla Woss picked," Caleb stated matter-of-factly, gesturing toward Ross and directing everyone's attention back to the prodigal son.  "Are you gonna come?"

            Joey ignored Caleb for the moment and turned his attention to Rachel.  "You were going?" he asked, his voice meant only for her to hear.  Rachel nodded, wishing she could explain the wounded look off his face, but not wanting to go into the details of her reconciliation with Ross while he was there in the room.

            "Come with us," she said instead, reaching up to run a hand through his hair.  "You must be starving." 

            Joey swallowed, not even acknowledging the irony of Rachel's statement:  When was he not hungry?  Instead, he studied Rachel's face, hoping for some sign of reassurance.  It was ridiculous, he knew – feeling betrayed by the apparently restored relationship between Rachel and Ross – but his history with the two of them made him vulnerable.  And now, walking into this apartment and seeing everyone – everyone but him – preparing to share a jovial meal together like nothing had changed…it was enough to turn his stomach to ice.

            Joey closed his eyes for a split second to compose himself, then forced himself to smile confidently at Rachel.  "You know what, babe?  I ate on the plane…and I'm worn out.  I think I'll just stay here and…take a nap or something."

            He watched her face drop, confused by her reaction.  Surely she didn't really want him to come along.  The rest of them could pretend all they wanted to, but he came to terms long ago with the fact that things weren't the same as they used to be.  And as much as he hated to admit it, and as much as he tried to defend it, Joey knew that at least part of the blame for that rested on his shoulders.  That was what kept him awake sometimes at night, as he stared at Rachel's sleeping face and mentally acted out scenarios, trying to figure out how he could have saved his friendship with Ross…and still kept Rachel.

            "You're sure?" Rachel asked softly, her hand resting on the nape of his neck as she stared up at him.  Joey smiled slightly and nodded, hoping she wouldn't recognize the doubt on his face…all the while knowing full well that any acting skills he had managed to acquire over his sporadic career disappeared completely when this woman looked into his eyes.

            "Yeah," he replied, giving her a lopsided smile.  "I'll…I'll just catch up with you later, okay?"  He addressed the question to all of them, looking to Chandler for approval first and then allowing his gaze to swing slowly around the room at the others until his eyes rested on Ross once again.  Ross was the only one to respond to the rhetorical question, nodding slightly in silent understanding before allowing his eyes to fall to his shoes again.

            "We'll catch up with you later," Rachel amended, giving Joey a bright smile before turning to their friends.  "You guys don't mind, do you?  We haven't seen each other in almost a month."

            "No," Joey cut in, before anyone else could respond.  His own abruptness startled him and he flushed guiltily in response to the sudden bewilderment on Rachel's face.  "No, sweetie," he tried again, as he reached for her hands and gave her a shy smile of apology.  "You should go.  Ross… Ross is here…and you were just getting ready to head out.  I don't want you to stay home on account of me.  I don't mind, baby.  Really."  That was a lie, of course.  He did mind, and he hated himself for it.  He wasn't the jealous type; he never had been and he didn't want to be.  But damn it, with Ross he just couldn't stop it.  It was like some kind of weird chemical reaction to his hair gel or something.

            He watched her eyes slide over to Ross and linger there, and Joey felt his heart drop as he realized that he'd put her back in the position they had both hoped she would never be in again.  Maybe it was hopeless, inevitable; maybe her destiny was to make the choice between them again and again. 

            He'd wondered before – and still agonized over the possibility – if the heartrending repetitiveness of moments like these was Fate's attempt at righting a wrong; a second – or third or fourth – chance for Rachel to change her mind and choose Ross, therefore putting all the planets back in proper alignment. 

But from the moment Rachel had placed her hand in his and told him that she was choosing love, she had never faltered.  Instinctively, Joey's left thumb reached out to stroke the wedding band adorning his ring finger, which was tangible, undeniable evidence of the promises and commitments they had made to each other.  Ross hadn't changed them then, and he couldn't change them now.  Deep down, Joey knew that, knew it with a certainty only the love in Rachel's eyes could validate.  But at the same time, the dread that had settled in his stomach demanded that he acknowledge the fact that Ross had been in New York only a matter of hours – and still they were right back where they started: facing each other across the room, waiting for Rachel to make a choice.

            "Ross," Rachel began, and as Joey followed her gaze to his old friend and adversary, he realized that Ross had been watching him, appraising his expression and demeanor.  When their eyes met, Joey was surprised to see a flicker of remorse on Ross's face, but Ross's attention shifted to Rachel before Joey could examine him further.  "You don't mind, do you?" Rachel asked, putting on her best "gotta love me" grin.  "We can meet you for dinner tonight…"

            Rachel let the suggestion linger and while Joey suppressed his unhappiness at being included in the plans, Ross hesitated slightly and then nodded affably, looking as if he wanted to say something but thought better of it.  Joey was baffled by Ross's strange behavior and the lack of hostility in his stance, but shrugged it off as Rachel began bidding everyone goodbye with promises of a nice dinner later.

            As Rachel opened the door and pulled him into the hallway, Joey glanced back over his shoulder, his gaze drawn to Ross against his will as questions swirled through his mind.  Ross raised his eyes just in time to meet Joey's, his expression making Joey's eyes widen in disbelief before the door closed behind them.

            He had thought his relationship with Ross Geller was beyond repair, that it had been sacrificed – unwillingly yes, but sacrificed still – in the name of love.  But in that split second, Joey had seen something he never would have expected, something that gave him, for the first time since his wedding day, a spark of hope for reconciliation.

            It had been tentative and tight with uncertainty, but Joey had no doubt that he'd seen it.

Ross had smiled at him.

As soon as they were alone in their apartment, Rachel wrapped her arms around Joey's neck and pulled his head down to hers for a kiss.  The familiarity of her form in his arms and the gentle touch of her lips helped to ease his recent anxiety, and he tightened his arms around her as Rachel sighed happily and slowly opened her eyes to look up at him.

            "Hi," she whispered, her eyes shining with pleasure at being reunited with her husband.

            "Hi," he whispered back with a lopsided grin, leaning forward to drop a kiss on her nose.  Rachel giggled as she buried her head in his chest, sliding her hands inside his leather jacket to feel the warmth of his body through his t-shirt. 

"I'm so glad you're home," she told him, concentrating on the comforting sound of his heartbeats through his shirt.  "I missed you like crazy."

"I missed you too," Joey murmured in return.  "I was counting the minutes until the plane landed."

"I can't believe you didn't tell me you were coming," Rachel admonished him happily, pulling away to look up at his face.  "I had no idea."

Joey smiled back at her, then pulled gently away from her. 

"I guess a lot of people are showing up unexpected around here lately, huh?" he stated quietly, tilting his head to one side.  The implication was clear, and he sighed deeply as he felt Rachel's arms slowly drop away from his waist and back down to her sides.  There it was again:  just a reference to Ross was enough to actually, physically separate them. 

"Are you upset?" Rachel asked contritely, biting her lip as his eyes shadowed and he looked away from her.

            "Not upset, Rach," he told her, shrugging helplessly as he slumped down into his recliner.  "Just…confused.  I mean, nobody even told me he was here.  Do you know how it felt to walk into that apartment and find everyone acting like nothing ever happened?"

            "I know, sweetie – "

            "And since when are you and Ross friends again?" Joey blurted out before he could stop himself, all of his insecurity presenting itself in the single desperate statement.  Instantly repentant, he shook his head and sighed, running a hand wearily through his hair.  "I'm sorry.  I didn't mean – "

            "Hey," Rachel murmured, crossing the room to sit on the arm of the chair and put her arms around his shoulders.  "Don't apologize.  I know it must have been a shock to see him there…"

            "With you," Joey countered, rubbing his hand wearily over his eyes.  "He was there with you."

            "Yes," Rachel said carefully, "he was.  I know you weren't expecting him to even be here, much less in the same room with me…"

            "You've talked, then," Joey stated, his eyes dropping to the floor.  "You and Ross, you've worked out your differences."

            "Joey – "

            "Funny, though, that your "differences" were your opinions about me."

            "Joey, you're acting like this is a bad thing.  It's what we wanted!  We wanted things to be the way they used to be."

            "But they aren't, Rachel!" Joey exclaimed, standing up and facing her.  "It's not that easy for me and Ross.   He said he would never be able to trust me again.  He said he was sorry he ever considered me his friend." 

            Rachel closed her eyes, feeling the familiar rush of rage at Ross's cruelty and the words he had forced both Joey and herself to carry with them into their marriage.  Then she remembered the remorse on his face the night before as he apologized for everything he had put them through, and her anger slowly dissipated. 

            "And you know what, Rach?"  Joey continued, dropping back into the chair as if he had just been deflated.  "I don't even blame him.  I crossed the line, and the rest of it was just…it just was."

            "Joey, Ross was wrong.  He was wrong.  He knows that now.  He told me he was sorry.  He said he was happy for us, for both of us."

            Joey looked up at her, his expression cautiously hopeful.  The memory of Ross's hesitant smile as they left Chandler and  Monica's apartments flashed through his subconscious, and he felt his heartbeat quicken in sudden anticipation.

            "You think…you think he's finally…?"

            Rachel nodded in response to Joey's unfinished question, then slid into his lap.

            "Yeah, sweetie.  I think we finally have Ross back."

            Joey sat stoic for a moment, digesting that thought.  Then his face broke into a grin and he hugged Rachel close before standing up with her in his arms.  He stood her upright and reached for the phone, punching in the phone number from memory.

            "Who are you calling?" Rachel asked, confused by his actions. 

            "Pizza," Joey answered matter-of-factly.  "I'm starving."

            "I thought you weren't hungry?" Rachel commented, incredulous.  "You said you ate on the plane."

            "I did," Joey responded with a shrug.  "And now I'm ordering pizza."

            He grinned at her as the restaurant picked up on the other end, and Rachel couldn't help smiling back, even as she shook her head in false exasperation. 

            Everything was per usual in her world once again.

            To Be Continued…if I can get over this severe Writers Block!   Comments are welcome – maybe they'll inspire me.   =)