Sorry for taking so long in updating this, and spending a lot of time on the emotional buildup. The story will be over soon, with just one more chapter, unless I do an epilogue. Also, Exintaris commented that Monica was being easy on Chandler, so I've slightly edited Chapter 8 and added a confrontation here that's perhaps more realistic. And yay for Chandler with a spine...
And once again, the spinoff can kiss my ass. I hope the ratings continue declining steadily and that it gets cancelled just like the disastrous Coupling remake last season!
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Things remained tense in Westchester.
Because Chandler still wasn't listening to her, Monica lost her temper. "Chandler, this is important! Come on, I'm trying to decide who's gonna watch our babies for eight hours a day, five days a week! Anything could happen to them in all that time! We have to pick people we can trust, who won't neglect or abuse them."
"I know," Chandler said, feeling angry that she thought he was apathetic about their children's welfare. He gestured to the notebook she had compiled. "But look, you like this organizing stuff and you're good at it, so what do you need my input for? Besides, you'll make the decision without me anyway, even if I did have a different opinion than you."
"I wouldn't do that!" She didn't think of herself as tyrannical or manipulative.
"Oh yeah?" Chandler had learned otherwise over the years. He scoffed and asked spitefully, "Then tell me, is Jack's name still Jack?"
She looked mad and offended. "No, I didn't change his name!" Yet. She resented that he had guessed what she had in mind, though.
Chandler continued sarcastically, "Good, 'cause I just thought of what we could rename him: Daniel J Geller. Just J, you see? He'll only have a middle initial, but no name, like Harry S Truman."
Monica was definitely not laughing. "Why do you have to be so stupid?!"
"Me? Why couldn't you have sorted out the names three months ago, when we were filling in the birth certificates and adoption papers? It's not like you haven't had names picked out since you were 14 years old. It's not like you haven't been Jewish forever."
"Shut up! Just shut up!" This time, she got from the table and stormed out. He knew--he knew!--that she had picked out those names at the last minute, because "Emma" was already taken and because they were adopting from Erica, details that she hardly could have predicted as a teenager.
After she was gone, the twins reacted to all the yelling by crying, and Chandler finally felt guilty. He shouldn't have gone that far.
So he picked up the babies and soothed them, then he went into the living room after Monica, who sat on the couch with her back turned to him. It looked like she was crying too, and he felt like more of a jerk.
Standing in the doorway with the babies, he spoke humbly, "I'm sorry." She didn't say anything, so he continued his apology. "I-I didn't mean that, Mon. I just... I don't know. That's the way my parents used to fight, hurling cruel insults at each other and pushing each other's buttons." Not to mention the twisted sex games with the houseboy. Chandler winced at the memory and sighed. "I always tried not to be like them at all, but I guess some of it sank in anyway. I'm sorry."
Still, she didn't move or acknowledge his words. He cautiously approached her and tried to touch her shoulder, but she pushed him away. This was not something that could be mended that easily and quickly. So he gave up for now and returned to the kitchen with the babies, putting them back in their baby seats while he cleared the table and washed the dishes.
When he and the babies joined Monica later, she remained upset and cold to him, so he just looked through the daycare notebook that she had compiled.
They were soon startled when the silence was broken by the telephone ringing. They let the machine get it as usual, but then they heard Ross leaving a message, "Uh, hi. It's Ross. I guess you guys are busy again, but can you call us back soon...?"
Monica picked up the phone. "Hey, Ross. I'm here. Did you put me on speakerphone? Okay, hi Rach and Emma!"
Chandler noticed that she sounded more relaxed now. Talking to their old friends probably did it, so he just listened and didn't interrupt.
After the greetings, Monica learned that Ross and Rach weren't just calling to keep in touch. They asked her about the fight between Joey and Chandler, so Monica explained to them about Chandler asking Joey for a loan and Joey refusing.
"A loan? You guys need money?" Ross asked. How come nobody told him? Why weren't they in the loop anymore?
Rachel added, "Wow, that's weird. Joey needs money too, because he's going to get fired soon."
"What?!" Monica was shocked. "Fired?" She turned to Chandler accusingly, "Did Joey tell you he was going to get fired?" She thought that maybe this detail was what he'd been holding back from her all week.
"Huh?" He finally looked up from the notebook and the babies. "What are you talking about?"
Monica listened further to Ross and Rachel, then relayed to Chandler, "He overheard some people on his show, saying that they want to get rid of him because he's late and tired all the time, and he forgets his lines a lot. Man! No wonder he didn't want to give us a loan. What the hell are you angry with him for?"
"I didn't know!" Chandler protested. "He never told me any of that stuff! Why--why wouldn't he tell me that?" He looked deeply troubled and hurt.
Monica was baffled by his reply, but after a moment, she shrugged and guessed, "I-I don't know. Um, maybe it was his pride. Remember when he didn't want to take your charity?"
"Oh my God," Chandler whispered, putting down his head in his hands. Horrified, he wondered why Joey would send him a $2000 check if he were in danger of losing his job. It just didn't make sense. But perhaps Joey really didn't have that much financial sense, and maybe he was also trying to make up for the kissing the other night. Chandler was glad he hadn't cashed the check.
Monica continued talking with Ross and Rachel on the phone, explaining why she and Chandler needed money and that they already worked out a plan to deal with it; Chandler was too stunned and upset to listen.
Monica rolled her eyes. "Okay, I'm sorry I was too busy to tell you, Ross. I guess I thought Dad would mention it, although I did tell him I wanted it to be a secret from mom. Do you promise not to tell her too?"
Ross seemed uncomfortable, but agreed. "I guess so, but why didn't either of you come to us for help in the first place? Why only Joey?"
"Well, we thought he had money to spare and that he owed us after all these years. We never figured that he'd refuse, or that Chandler and him would get into a serious fight about it." She confided more quietly, "I still don't know why Chandler's been so upset with him all week. He said he never wanted to see Joey again."
"Whoa. What has gotten into these guys?" Rachel asked. "Joey refused to even talk about it with us."
"Yeah, thanks for filling us in," Ross added. "What do you say, we work on Joey and you work on Chandler, and somehow we'll get them to patch things up?"
"Yeah, that sounds good. Okay, goodnight Ross. Bye, Rach." Monica hung up, then glanced at Chandler who was still lost in his thoughts. She sighed and said softly, "So... um, that's really bad news for Joey, huh? I hope he's gonna be okay."
Chandler groaned with concern and remorse. He feared that this situation was all his fault somehow; he instinctively felt responsible for Joey, after all these years of looking after him.
Monica continued prodding, "It kinda puts everything in perspective, you know? I mean, fights really don't seem important anymore, when a friend's in trouble." She kept watching her husband for a reaction. "So maybe we should call him up and see how he's doing?"
Chandler gulped and realized what she was getting at; if Joey couldn't afford to give them a loan, then it made no sense to be mad at him and refuse to see him. Chandler couldn't tell her that he wasn't mad at all, just terribly lonely and afraid of his feelings for Joey. He felt helpless and didn't know how to plausibly reject her seemingly harmless suggestion.
"Come on," she nudged Chandler, "you don't have to make up with him right away. We don't even have to bring it up. We can just, like, wish him luck with getting a new job. You know, I'm sure he feels just as awful as you do about your fight."
In turmoil, Chandler tried to convince himself that making contact was a good, sensible idea; he would at least be able to communicate with Joey again, after all. He could ask why Joey hadn't mentioned this before, and explain to him that they never cashed the $2000 check, so he didn't need to worry so much. And yet, how would Chandler cope with hearing Joey's voice again? How could he stop from picturing Joey's face and remembering their kisses? How could he bear the ache and the longing?
"I-I can't!" Chandler shook his head and choked up miserably. Unable to deal with all this stress, he got up from the couch and fled upstairs to the refuge of Joey's bedroom again.
"Chandler!" Monica threw up her hands with disappointment and frustration. Apparently, he just wasn't ready to have contact with Joey again. What was wrong with him? How bad could their fight have been anyway? She just couldn't understand what could possibly be holding Chandler back from his best friend after all these years, nor why he wouldn't even discuss it with her.
Well, perhaps Ross, Rachel, and Phoebe would have more luck in convincing Joey to confess and bridge the gap. She gave up on the problem for the time being and instead got the babies ready for bed. Then she prepared lunch for Chander for tomorrow, since she would be visiting her dad in Massapequa at that time. Her mom would be out with some friends of hers, and hopefully the financial business wouldn't take too long.
It was not long before Monica soon retired to bed.
That night, Chandler again slept apart from Monica, feeling more unhappy than ever. He tossed and turned much of the night, anxiously worrying about Joey and wondering what he should do.
On Saturday morning, Phoebe came over to see Joey again, to help him rehearse his lines like she had promised. She found that Joey was still in bed--in Chandler's old room--so she assumed that he was just sleeping in. She shook him awake and said, "Come on, Joey. I know it's Saturday, but you've got lines to learn, mister!"
Joey groaned and rolled away from her, pulling the covers over his head. He didn't want to see her now. He didn't want to see anybody. He just wanted to stay in bed and finish his dream about Chandler. They were together, before Monica, before the kids. It was London, and they were making love in their hotel room instead of fighting all day.
Phoebe sat down on the edge of the bed and tried to be encouraging. "Hey, I know it's a lot of lines to memorize, but we'll take it slow, okay? Just get up and shower right now. I'll make us some breakfast again, and we can watch some morning cartoons with the birds first. Huh?"
He wouldn't get up, or even turn to face her. "No."
"Joey!"
"Go away!" Joey insisted with a pout. "Go hang out with Ross and Rachel, or--or go home and see your boyfriend!"
"Nah, he's all worn out after our date last night!" But she realized that Joey was not amused by this, so she got serious again. "Come on, what's wrong, Joey?" She sighed and patted his head tenderly. "Are you upset about your fight with Chandler?"
Joey sniffled and retreated further under the covers with guilt and loneliness. He missed Chandler so much.
"Come on, can you at least tell me what you guys were fighting about? Chandler wouldn't tell me."
Joey was confused. "You talked to him?"
"Yeah, a couple of days ago. You were moping here, and I stopped by his work to ask him to come cheer you up, but then he told me that you guys weren't speaking to each other anymore, but he wouldn't say why."
Joey was hurt and shocked, finally turning to face her. "He--he said that? We're not speaking to each other anymore?" Chandler didn't want to see him again. Chandler hated him now.
Phoebe was surprised but pleased that Joey did apparently want to make up with Chandler. He did miss him after all. "Oh, I don't think he really means it. He's just being a big jerk right now, but don't worry. He'll cool down soon and you guys will make up again like you always do."
Joey shook his head and didn't feel so confident. "No, 'cause everything's so messed up now, and..." He trailed off, then sighed and said with a frown, "Maybe I should just leave here. I-I should move to L.A. or something."
Phoebe gaped. "What?! Are you crazy?"
Joey said, "Yeah, I should go. If Chandler doesn't wanna see me anymore..." He sniffled heartbrokenly. "And I'm gonna get fired from my job soon too, so I should start over somewhere else, you know?"
"No! No way, Joey! You can't go. What about all the rest of us? You don't care about us?"
"But you guys don't need me, Pheebs. You've all moved on and settled down and had kids. I'm alone, and getting phased out. There's no point." He hoped that moving to L.A. would help him to get over Chandler. Maybe he'd even run into his old flame Kate Miller. Joey wasn't sure if he was straight anymore, but it couldn't hurt to try. Maybe his feelings for Chandler was just a fluke.
"Joey, no! Don't go. You're not getting phased out! You're still our friend, and we'd miss you if you moved that far away. I mean, we all made a big deal about Rachel deciding to move to Paris for that job, and I don't even like her half as much as I like you. Stay!" Realizing that she couldn't just command him to stay like a dog, she added, "Besides, Joey, you're gonna need a new job, and I don't have any contacts in L.A. to get you auditions there. You should stay here now."
Joey thought about that, and reluctantly saw her point. "I guess so. It's just, I-I can't take living here anymore. There's too many memories." He broke down.
"I know, honey, I know." She pulled him close and hugged him while he cried on her shoulder. "Don't worry. We'll figure something out. I'll help you make up with Chandler, even if I have to kick his ass!"
Suddenly, Ross and Rachel entered the apartment and called out Joey's name. They had left Emma with a baby-sitter.
Phoebe heard them in the living room and answered, "Ross? Rachel? We're over here."
They came into the bedroom and saw Joey crying while Phoebe comforted him, so they gathered around and tried to join the hug.
"Oh, sweetie!"
"Joey, you okay?"
Phoebe told them that Joey was sad about Chandler and had even considered moving away.
"What? No. Not across the country!"
Ross tried to be helpful. "It can't be that bad, Joe, and it's not to late to fix things. I still don't understand why you didn't just tell Chandler that you were losing your job to begin with."
"Huh?"
"What?" Joey gulped back his sobs and looked at them bewilderedly.
Rachel explained to him and Phoebe, "Oh, we called Monica and Chandler last night, and they told us that the big fight was about money. They were having some financial problems and Chandler came to ask Joey for a loan."
Phoebe was surprised and confused. Why didn't Joey or Monica or Chandler tell her this earlier? It had been almost a week already.
Ross nodded and continued the story. "But Joey refused to give them the money, and he tried to convince them to move back to the city because of that 'stupid house in the stupid suburbs' thing. But look, Joey, if you had just told them that you couldn't afford to give them a loan, I'm sure they would have understood. Chandler had no idea that you were losing your job, and he was very upset last night."
Joey tried to make sense of Ross's words. "What? But I-I didn't know I was losing my job until Thursday. Chandler asked me for the loan on Monday."
"Oh." Ross realized his mistake.
"Oh right! You were moping since Monday." Rachel also looked embarrassed about getting mixed up. "Well, that explains it then."
Joey asked them, "You guys talked to Chandler? Did he say anything else?"
"Well, we didn't actually talk to him," Rachel said. "Monica was telling us everything on the phone, but we did hear him in the background with the babies."
"He was shocked, and I think we gave him the wrong impression that you knew you were fired all along. Sorry. I guess we'll have to call them back and straighten it out."
Phoebe suggested, "Or Joey could talk to Chandler directly and they can make up."
Ross and Rachel thought that was a good idea, but Joey just frowned anxiously. "Did he say, he doesn't want to speak to me again?"
Ross and Rachel obviously didn't want to tell him Monica's comment about Chandler not wanting to see him anymore, but the guilty looks on their faces were enough to tip off Joey.
Joey looked hurt and withdrew from everybody's embrace miserably. He lay down and pulled the covers over his head again, starting to cry anew.
They all tried to comfort him, but he wanted to be alone. "Go away!" He kicked and pushed them away.
"Joey, we just wanna help you."
"Yeah!"
"Then go--go feed the chick and duck or something!"
The baby birds were indeed awake by now and were loudly chirping and quacking for attention.
Ross and Rachel wanted to stay with Joey, but Phoebe sensed that it was useless now, so she pulled them from the bed and whispered, "Let's just give him a minute alone."
So they went into the living room to feed the birds and turn on the TV to entertain them. Ross and Rachel decided to make breakfast; they figured that food, surely, would attract Joey out of bed, so they made eggs and bacon while Phoebe watched the birds.
They all discussed Joey and the telephone conversation with Monica further. Ross and Rachel explained that Monica had already worked out a plan with her father to get money, and they swore Phoebe to secrecy as well.
"Man, if people just told us their problems, it would so much easier!" Phoebe complained. "What's with this damn communication problem ever since they moved to suburbs?"
Ross shrugged. "I guess it's just them being busy with the babies and almost never answering the phone when we call."
"Well, then we should visit Westchester more often or something. Joey went there every weekend these past few months."
Rachel nodded. "I know. It's just, it's an hour there, and an hour back, and we're usually busy with work, or Emma, or the birds when Joey has us babysit. It's just not the same as when Monica and Chandler lived five minutes away."
"Yeah, and I guess I was too busy fighting with Mike and complaining about him to you guys to think about going to Westchester to hang out with crying, needy babies for hours. I figured that Joey counted for all of us, you know." Phoebe sighed. "So I guess all we have to worry about now is getting Joey a new job and getting him to make up with Chandler."
"Yeah, and don't forget your divorce from Mike. How'd things go with the lawyer?"
"Fine. I think it will be easy to divide everything, because Mike had been secretly storing a bunch of his old furniture and bachelor stuff at one of those rental lots after he moved in with me. It was 'just in case' our marriage didn't work out. Hmph!" That was one of the reasons why she came to distrust Mike and fight with him so much.
Phoebe changed the subject and told them about her great date with David last night, and how they were going to see each other again.
They all waited for Joey to leave the bedroom, and even tried to go back and talk to him again, but he had locked to the door and wouldn't respond to them. Ross and Rachel got frustrated, and they had to go home to Emma anymore, so Phoebe assured them that she would stay longer and hopefully rehearse lines with him if he felt up to it later.
She said goodbye to them, then put away Joey's untouched breakfast into the fridge while she ordered some pizza for herself. Maybe the smell of a Joey special would attract him? When the delivery arrived, Phoebe ate some slices of the cheese pizza and shared a little crust with the birds, but Joey still wouldn't come out.
She stood at the door. "Come on, Joey. We won't talk about Chandler anymore if you don't want to. You wanna hear about my divorce? Or David? Or wanna rehearse some lines for your auditions next week?" Still, he said nothing. "Aren't you even hungry? There's plenty of pizza left, and there's some bacon and eggs in the fridge."
After a while, Joey reluctantly came out of the bedroom to use the bathroom, but he wouldn't face her and only grunted when she tried to ask him which food he wanted her to heat up for him.
Then Joey finally came out after washing up and he ate some cold slices of pizza, but it was not with his usual ravenous appetite or enjoyment. He just sat in his recliner and stared at the TV with Chick Jr and Duck Jr, but he wasn't really paying attention.
Phoebe sat on the arm and hugged Joey while she patted his head. "It's gonna be okay."
He said, "I don't wanna talk."
"Okay." So she fell silent and watched TV with him until he finished nibbling and decided to go back to bed and mope some more.
Phoebe offered to take the birds to her apartment again, so they wouldn't make so much noise and bother him, and he agreed with a shrug. He wanted to be alone.
She gathered up the birds into their carrier and turned off the TV. "Just remember, there's more food in the fridge if you get hungry, and if you wanna talk later, call me or Ross and Rachel."
"Okay. Bye." He went back into Chandler's old room and shut the door without looking at her.
She was actually glad that Joey chose that room because, even though the slashed door had been repaired in recent years, there was still a weak point in the door that they could break if they really needed to get inside again. For now, she just gave him his privacy.
Phoebe left with the birds and decided to go across the street to tell Ross and Rachel about how Joey was doing, before she headed home.
Meanwhile, Chandler and Monica shared a strained breakfast. Chandler still didn't want to talk about Joey so he wouldn't meet her eyes, and Monica didn't have time to get into another big fight with him since she was going to see her dad today. She would wait until she got home again before trying to prod him further to make up with Joey. Maybe she'd even stop on her way back home to consult with Ross, Rachel, and Phoebe about the situation too.
So Monica got ready to go, making sure there were enough bottles in the fridge for the babies and telling Chandler that she had prepared a lunch for him to heat up later.
Then she got her purse and left, driving to meet her dad in Massapequa, out on Long Island. She hoped that traffic would be fairly light this morning and that her mom Judy wouldn't unexpectedly show up despite her dad's precautions. She hoped that the real estate agent and the car dealer guy would both give her good deals, so that their money problems would be fixed.
As she drove through Manhattan in the Porsche, Monica noticed all the city conveniences and nice restaurants that she missed because she had been living in the suburbs lately. The twins (and the house) had been her top priorities for these past few months, but now she itched to get back to work soon and be among grownups again. Then she felt guilty about that. But really, according to books and everything, working mothers naturally felt guilt about leaving their new babies behind. So Monica tried to cope with it.
When she arrived in Massapequa, her dad greeted her with a warm hug and kiss, then he introduced her to the car dealer, who admired the Porsche.
"What a beautifully maintained car! I had some doubts, since you said it had been in the family so long, and that she had twins, but wow, there's not a scratch on it, and I don't see any spills and stains inside either."
"That's my Harmonica."
The car dealer laughed, then began a more thorough inspection of the car to determine its trade-in value, and he even asked if Monica would take out the baby seats in the back for now. "You'll be wanting a nice sturdy family vehicle instead, right?"
"Yeah."
As the inspection continued, Monica put the car seats onto the porch and commented to Jack, "Dad, isn't it kind of unusual for a car dealer to make a house call? I'm surprised he didn't want me to bring the Porsche over to their dealership."
Jack explained, "Oh yeah, but this guy's really good and he's doing us a favor. Richard recommended him to me after he sold his Jaguar to him."
"Richard?" Monica blinked. "Sold his Jaguar?"
"Yeah, 'cause he's moving to Paris soon." When he saw how shocked she looked, he misintrepreted her feelings. "Oh, don't worry, sweetie, I didn't tell him about your money problems. I don't think he'd really spill it to Judy, but no need to get into it since he's leaving. I just said that you were looking to buy a practical family car for commuting."
"Richard?" Monica was stunned. "Moving? To Paris? When? Why?"
Jack realized that he'd been absent-minded. "Oh, I didn't tell you before? I'm sorry. Yeah, he's moving with his fiancée to Paris in like six weeks. Her job got relocated there, and he decided to go and live with her there. He even officially turned the practice over to his son Tim." Jack sighed wistfully. "Boy am I gonna miss him, but he said he'd call and invite us to visit them once they get settled."
"F-f-fiancée?" Monica couldn't help talking in broken questions. "Who? When did he--?"
"Her name's Janet something. I forget the rest. Remember when I told you that he was selling his apartment to buy a bigger place? Well, when he moved, she lived in the same building, and they got to talking sometime and they've been dating since then. Didn't I mention the proposal? It was really cute. Oh wait, that might have been just after Erica gave birth at the hospital, so I might have forgot in all the excitement with the twins."
Monica was speechless and wide-eyed. Richard was getting married. Richard was moving to Paris. He sold his car and everything. She couldn't believe it.
Meanwhile, Jack talked with the car dealer about the inspection and haggled with him over the value. Monica didn't pay attention and only responded blankly whenever they spoke to her.
Soon the dealer left, saying that he would let her discuss the deal with her husband too before making a final decision. He planned to have some nice family cars for them to choose from whenever they brought the Porche to his dealership. "Nice doing business with you folks. Take care of the Porsche. Goodbye."
"Bye," Jack said as he shook the man's hand, then watched him drive away. "You hear that honey? Can I find you a good deal or what? Anyway, let's go inside and have lunch. Then I'll show you the papers that the real estate agent wants us to sign about the beach house."
Monica remained in a daze. "Just, just a minute, Dad. I wanna put the baby seats back in the car, before I forget."
"Oh, right. Well, I'll go set the table in the kitchen."
"Okay."
After Jack went inside, Monica just stood there on the porch for a while and took a long, uneasy breath. Against her will, the ghost of an old love was stirring in her heart, and she could not stop thinking about Paris.
