Waiting – Chapter 7

The Price of Friendship

A/N: Well, this fanfic has broken 100 reviews. Yay, thanks you guys! The reviews are so nice and you guys just rock! You're all my lucky pennies. ;)

Joey exited his bedroom and walked swiftly over to the television, shutting it off without a second glance.

"Hey, Joey!" Chandler admonished, before rising from his chair, "I was watching that!"

Joey raised an eyebrow, "You were really that interested in an infomercial about car wax?"

Chandler looked down, "I happen to be very concerned about my car's well being."

"Oh," Joey paused, "Wait… you don't have a car!"

Chandler sighed and covered his face with his hands. When he removed them, he noticed Joey was still standing in front of the television set. "What's up, Joe?"

"I, umm, I," Joey scuffed the floor with his shoe, "I need you to come on a double date with me."

"Joey, I'm flattered, really," he deadpanned, "But I'm not interested in you that way."

"Chandler!" Joey shouted, exasperated, "Please will you come out with us?"

"No! Joey, don't you remember what happened on the last blind date? How about the time before that?"

Joey shuttered, "In my defense, I didn't know the last one was an ex-con…"

"Not the point. I just don't want to go out on any of your crazy dates."

"Aww, come on – just one night!"

"No! Now leave, so I can watch my infomercial in peace!" Chandler turned the television back on, "Aww, man, it's over!" he shook his head, "Nothing but regular commercials, damnit!"

Joey shut off the television again. "Chandler, please just do this for me!"

"Why should I?' Chandler challenged him with his eyes.

"Because you're my friend!"

"And if you were my friend, you would leave me alone when I said 'no' numerous times…"

"Chandler –"

"And there's the word again – NO!"

"Come on, a date could do you really well! You haven't been on one since Kathy!"

Chandler recoiled. Joey immediately regretted the words he'd said. They burned like acid through the thick atmosphere of the apartment. Joey could almost feel his lungs feel with smog.

"No."

"Right," Joey mumbled, "You can't go because you're in love."

"With Kathy?" Chandler laughed, "Right."

"No, not with Kathy. With Monica."

Chandler bolted upright, "What are you talking about?!"

"Chandler, you don't think I haven't heard you call that cat Monica?!"

"What?"

"It's so obvious that you're in love with her! Every time anyone mentions her, you either get mad or blush."

"You don't know what you're talking about," Chandler replied through gritted teeth.

Joey shrugged, "I know what I see."

At that moment, Chandler hopped out of his seat and lunged for Joey. Completely taken by surprise, Joey was immediately pinned to the ground. Each time Chandler's fist made contact with his friend's face, he let out some of the pent up anger inside of him. He hated Joey at that moment. Well, he actually hated everyone – but Joey was there, so he hated Joey the most. The suggestion of he and Monica was preposterous. It made him want to chop off his own ears. It was so wrong. It was so utterly wrong that it was, in effect…right.

Chandler felt dizzy and pulled away. Joey continued to lay on the ground, stunned by his friend's reckless reaction. Maybe Joey was right. Maybe – but he couldn't admit it. Instead, he crawled back and sent his fist crashing into Joey's jaw, relieving his anger and frustration in one of the only people he actually cared about. It was the ultimate price of true friendship.

--

Monica crossed her arms and shook her head, as Joey finished recounting the story of the previous day. Chandler sulked in his chair, her scolding appearance suddenly reminiscent of a schoolteacher. She turned to him, a frown residing on her pale face, as her eyes demanded an explanation – an explanation Chandler was anything but willing to reveal.

"I don't understand why he," Chandler pointed to Joey, "Has to be here!"

"Well, he was directly involved," Monica informed him, "Besides, I like to make you suffer."

Joey began to laugh, but a sharp look from Chandler challenged him to continue.

"Why did you do it? Why did you attack your best friend?"

"I wouldn't say attack…" Chandler mumbled.

"I would!" Joey cried, soliciting a negative response from both Monica and Chandler.

"He just said some stuff," Chandler admitted, hoping to not have to discuss the part that Joey had miraculously left out of his version of the story, "That's all."

"Stuff?" Monica questioned innocently, "What kind of stuff?"

"Just stuff."

"I wanted him to go on a blind date."

"Yes, you told me that, but it doesn't seem like reason enough to attack you, Joey."

Joey shrugged in response. After all, it wasn't he who had reacted in that manner. He would be damned if he could understand why he was, in turn, greeted with such a response.

"I also mentioned his ex, Kathy."

"Yes, you told me that, too," she turned to Chandler, "Was that what made you upset?"

"Yes," he lied through gritted teeth.

Joey chuckled, "No it wasn't! It was because I –" he stopped when he noticed Chandler glaring at him, "Because I, uh, I don't know," Joey turned helplessly to Chandler, "Why was it again?"

"This is so stupid."

Monica ignored Chandler, "Joey, tell me what you said that made Chandler so upset."

"Just some stuff about his ex."

"That wasn't it and you know it," Monica focused again on Chandler, "Either you tell me what he said, or I'll get Joey to tell me instead. It's a win-win situation for me, Chandler."

"Fine," he huffed, "He said…he said…well, he said that I was in love with you," Chandler mumbled the last lines almost inaudibly.

"What?" Monica asked, attempting to hide her shock at this revelation.

"He said I was in love with you, but I'm not!" he added quickly.

Joey waved his hand in disbelief, "Pfft."

"Well, Joey, what made you think that Chandler was in love with me?"

"He has this cat," Joey described, "It's white and he told its name is Chopsticks. But, when he thinks I'm not around, I've heard him call her 'Monica'."

Out of the corner of her eye, Monica could see Chandler hit his forehead in – was it anger? Embarrassment? Perhaps a bit of both, she decided. She refocused her attention upon Joey.

"Really? Did you know I bought that cat for him?"

"You – you did?" Joey frowned, "Chandler told us he picked up the cat from the shelter."

Monica turned to Chandler, feigning insult, "I get you a gift and this is how you thank me?! You can't even tell people I got you the cat," Chandler blushed, "I'll never understand men."

Joey looked toward Monica and then toward Chandler, "So that's why you named it Monica?"

"Yup," Chandler answered, feeling frustrated with his friend, but content at winning a battle, all at the same time.

"Oh, I'm sorry man, it's just – but wait!" he paused, "What about that time you called out Monica's name in your sleep?"

"What?!" Monica and Chandler both asked in shocked unison.

"Yeah, yeah," he began distractedly, "It was when you were sick."

Chandler blanched, "I called out her name?"

"Yeah, twice."

"You're lying," Chandler muttered, knowing very well from the vivid dream he'd had that night that Joey was telling the truth.

"Well obviously," Monica interjected, "He called my name because he sees me as a form of comfort."

"Don't flatter yourself," Chandler deadpanned.

"Would you like to go with the first interpretation?!" she shot back.

"No," he croaked.

"Anyway, as I was saying…he was sick. His dream was obviously a nightmare. He was calling my name because he affiliates me with one who helps him out of tough spots – you know, mentally and emotionally."

Joey pondered her words for a few moments, trying desperately to grasp what she was saying.

"What I mean," she explained, noticing his distress, "Is that Chandler sees me as his comfort – like…a security blanket, in a way. He was calling out my name because he wanted me to be there and comfort him."

Revelation washed over his face, "Oh!" he turned to Chandler, "I'm sorry I accused you of being in love with Monica."

Chandler frowned, "It's okay."

"And Chandler, I think you owe someone an apology as well."

"Fine," he faced Joey completely, "Joe, I'm sorry for hurting you."

"And…" Monica persuaded.

"And I'm sorry for insulting your mother."

"And…?"

"And I'm sorry for hiding all the spoons while you were sleeping."

"That's all right," Joey agreed easily, before rising and holding his arms open for Chandler. Though reluctant at first, Chandler allowed himself to be engulfed in a bear hug.

Monica was beaming, "There you go! You're lucky you have such a great friend, Chandler."

Chandler cleared his throat and sat down once more, glaring at her. Monica ignored him and instead looked at one of the clocks on the wall. "I think our session's over. This went very well. Thank you for coming, Joey."

"No problem."

"Bye you guys."

Chandler didn't even attempt to respond. He was beyond furious with her. She snuck a glance at his furious face - Joey was just making the 'love' theory up, right?

"Bye!" Joey responded in Chandler's place.

"Hey Joe," Chandler tried as the two walked through the waiting room, "Don't all those clocks annoy you?"

"Yeah!" Joey agreed anxiously, "They make me nervous that I'm late for something!"

Chandler smiled triumphantly and then looked down at his watch, "Hey…didn't you have an audition that started ten minutes ago?"

Joey thought for a few moments, as they made their way through the waiting room. "Aww, crap! And I forgot my sandwich in Monica's office! I'll be right back."

Joey jogged back toward her office, while Chandler just shrugged and went outside to hail a taxi.

Joey knocked lightly before entering the office once more. Monica looked up from the papers she was working on behind her desk and smiled kindly at him.

"Hey Joey, what can I do for you?"

Joey looked around, "Oh, I found it!" he grabbed his sandwich and then smiled sheepishly, "I'd forgotten my sandwich."

Monica smiled, "That's all right."

"Hey," he began suddenly, "Thanks for letting me come today."

"Not a problem."

"I really care about him."

"I can tell."

"Is he gonna be all right?"

She put down her pen and cocked her head to the side, "Yeah. He's gonna be fine."

"You know, he's always been a bit strange – even before Kathy dumped him."

"Strange? How so?"

"Well, it was never anything major – not like psycho or anything, but he'll just sit outside for hours and watch people walk past him."

"Yeah, we've discussed that."

"Oh, then I guess you know about his water thing, too?"

"Water thing?"

"Yeah, Chandler hates water. He'll never get near it, unless he has to shower. He even keeps an umbrella with him whenever there's even just the slightest chance of rain."

"Huh," Monica responded, "That's interesting."

"He…he didn't tell you that himself?"

"Well, we haven't quite gotten to the topic of phobias yet."

"Oh, well it's just –"

"Don't worry. He'll never know you told me."

"Thanks," Joey responded, relieved, "Well, I'm gonna go. Chandler's gonna get suspicious soon."

"All right, thanks for coming today."

"My pleasure!"

Monica watched as Joey exited the office. Once he left, she absently began to gnaw lightly on the cap as she thought. Suddenly, an idea struck her. She smiled triumphantly, before resuming her previous work.

A/N: Ya, okay, I know it might not be realistic to have Joey come with to a therapy session, but it works for this fic. Plus, I'll deal with it a little more later. Ya, umm, I guess it's back to writing a play script for English class. There are worse assignments I could working on… ;) Please review, thanks for reading! :D (Oh and the good part's coming up really soon – and by good I mean…Mondlerness.)