Thanks for the reviews. Here is the next part. This chapter concentrates a little on Joey. Enjoy!

DISCLAIMER: The characters are not mine. (Do I have to say that every chapter? Shouldn't it be enough if I say it at the beginning of a story? Cause it hurts every time I have to write it. ;-) But whatever.)

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Joey pulled his coat tighter around his body, trying to keep the cold November wind from freezing him to dead. He was standing at the train station waiting for his ride out of Queens. He was just getting back from his weekly family gathering. Like every week there was plenty of food and the freshest gossip going around.

Joey enjoyed this steady ritual. It was his chance to get away from the shattered group of friends. Since that fateful day twelve weeks ago it was almost unbearable for Joey to be around them for too long. There was just to much sorrow and regret floating around when they got together. He himself fought a constant battle with his conscience. He felt extremely guilty for the way he had treated Chandler.

Now in the clear light that time had created he realized that Chandler had tried to talk to him about what was going on. But he hadn't even given his friend a chance to explain himself. Instead he had let his own pride get the better of him. He had loved Rachel back then and the idea of Chandler sleeping with her was too much to stand. It had been so easy to jump to conclusions and believe Rachel's side of the story blindly.

And now they all had to live with the consequences. For him and the others that might mean never seeing their friend again. And as it looked like, for Monica it meant that she would have to divorce the love of her live.

Joey had been shocked when the papers arrived less than a week ago. Deep within his heart he still thought that Chandler would come back and that all would be like it had always been. But slowly he realized that the possibility of that happening was near to nonexistent.

Chandler wanted a divorce. That had to mean that he wasn't planning to come back. And Rachel still lived with her mother upstate. The only contact she had to the remaining group was through Ross. He visited her a couple of times to talk about their situation and now the two of them went to a Lamaze class once a week.

An hour later Joey climbed up the stairs to his apartment. His nose was painfully thawing, getting the warmth back that was sucked out of his whole body by the biting wind he had to struggle with on the way from the station to his building.

He started to unlock his door when he decided to make sure Monica was ok. He hadn't seen her for a few days. He knocked lightly on the green wood before opening the door slowly. Monica was always moody these days so Joey became very tentative around her. Always checking if she was in a good frame of mind or if she would bite his head off for just crossing her line of view.

But this time it was quite clear how she was feeling, because she was sitting at the kitchen table with her head on her arms. Her shoulders were heaving with the quite sobbing sounds she was making. Joey watched her for a few minutes, completely frozen. After all this times that he had seen her in such a state, he still didn't know how to react. And he hadn't seen her crying this bad for some weeks now.

Finally he snapped out of his thoughts and went over to her.

"Mon? Monica?" When she didn't seem to be aware of his presence he touched her shoulder. But she just jumped at the contact and wept louder.

"Monica?!" Joey was getting worried now so he started to shake her. "Monica, what's going on? Did something happen?!"

Monica lifted her head and cast a glance at Joey. He was shocked by what he saw in her eyes. It was nothing but an absolute and total defeat in them. Even after Chandlers disappearance a tiny spark of hope could at least be discovered in them.

Before Joey could find his voice Monica threw herself into his arms. Joey just stood there beside the table, rocking Monica back and forth, soothing her hair with one hand. The other one was rubbing her back.

They stayed like that for some time and when Monica suddenly spoke Joey got startled because he had been lost in the possibilities and scenarios his mind had formed.

"Chandler was here." Monica broke the silence.

After hearing that Joey felt a rush of happiness bolt through him. He wanted so badly to see his friend again and apologize. Maybe trying to mend there friendship. But his rising smile dropped instantly when he realized that Monica's state could only mean that Chandler wasn't back to see them or to stay. Joey pulled back from the hug and then stood a few feet in front of Monica.

"What did he say?" Was all Joey could get himself to ask after a few minutes of contemplating.

"Oh Joey!" Monica wailed. "You…you have no idea how bad I hurt…hurt Chandler back then." Monica was trying to suppress the oncoming hiccup. "He thinks I wanted to torture him by not signing the divorce papers."

"Why would he think that?"

"He believes that I wanted him to come back here so I could see his…his defeat." Monica sobbed.

"Oh no." Joey cried out. "And what did you say?"

"I didn't know what to say. You should have seen him. He broke down totally. He was crying, Joey! I have never really seen him cry." Monica whispered the last part. "I had to let him go. I had to sign the papers and let him start a new life. I just had to!" Monica was now getting close to hysterics. She sat on the chair sobbing and shaking terribly. Joey slowly went over to her and pulled her again in his arms. He just couldn't believe how it had come to this. Monica and Chandler were meant to stay together forever. But now he was more than sure that he and the others wouldn't see Chandler again. And that thought made him sad. Although, he couldn't blame Chandler. He would've reacted the same way if the roles had been reversed.

"What happened after you signed the papers?" Joey asked after Monica had calmed down a little. He still didn't want to believe that he had lost his friend permanently.

Monica looked up at Joey, tears still filling her eyes. "He said 'Thank you' and he wished me a happy life. And he meant it. I hurt him so much and still he wants the best for me. Can you believe that?" Monica asked rhetorically.

"Do you think he will ever come back?" Joey questioned. He had to know what Monica thought. If someone knew now if there was a chance for Chandler to come back it was Monica. And Joey wanted desperately to hold out hope to see his friend again after some time. Monica looked up at Joey and looked into his dark eyes. And for the first time she understood that she wasn't the only one hurting over Chandler's leaving. She saw the grief in Joeys eyes and that made it just harder to say the next sentence. But she had to be realistic to give him and her a chance to move on.

"No, Joey. I don't think we will see him again."

TBC…

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I know it is short, but it was a good place to stop. And I already started with the next part. Maybe I can post it by the end of the week. But as always I need your support, so please review. I swear it doesn't hurt, I have done it myself a few times. ;-)