The One With Joey's Huge Commitment

The One With Joey's Huge Happiness

AN: I would like to thank everyone for all the wonderful comments, they really keep this story alive, as I don't think I'd update without them.

By the way, this may be the last chapter I post for a while… I have exams in a few weeks and need to study. I will be back to normal posting towards the end of May though. So wish me luck…

This episode contains some of the stuff I've been planning for a while, so I suppose really it's quite important, so anyway, read away…

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There was deathly silence after Phoebe's outburst, as everyone in the room stared at either Jill, or Joey. Ross and Monica were the first to speak, in union, "What?"

Rachel mouth was open in astonished anger, "What?"

"What!?" Jill was full of confusion, although whether that was an act, Joey didn't know.

Joey turned to Phoebe and hissed, "Phoebe!"

"What?" Phoebe said defensively. "If w waited here for you to say we'd still be eating these vegetables next week." Mike beside her could help nodding in agreement to that.

Ross shook his head, staring at Joey, "I can't believe this."

Rachel was still in shock, "Oh my God."

Then Jill piped up, "Um, I'm sorry, but did Phoebe say 'knocked up'?"

"Yeah, 'cause you are, duh," Phoebe muttered, raising her eyes.

Jill frowned, "I am?"

"Oh my God," repeated Rachel

Joey's eyes went wide, "You're not?"

Jill laughed, "No! No I'm not pregnant!"

Rachel was shaking her head, "Oh my God."

Starting Credits

Joey stared at Jill, "But Phoebe found your pregnancy test in the trash."

"It's not mine!" cried Jill, just as Monica found sudden interest in her shoes, but which no one else noticed.

Rachel, still in shock, said yet again, "Oh my God."

After realising Rachel hadn't said anything much past those three words since finding out Joey decided it was time to explain to her. "Um, Rach…"

Rachel turned suddenly to Joey and said, rather unsteadily, "You. I, uh, I need to talk to you… out in the hall."

Jill looked from Rachel to Joey and back again, "Um, Rachel…"

"I'll yell at you later!" Rachel yelled.

Joey stepped back, taken aback by her sudden burst of anger, "Rach, couldn't we talk here… you know with witnesses."

"Outside!" she yelled.

"You're the boss," Joey hurried out into the hall.

………………………………………………..

Joey and Rachel left to talk in the hall, leaving the others quite amazed by what had just gone on, no one was eating their vegetables. "Wow," whispered Ross.

Phoebe turned to Jill, "Are you sure you're not pregnant?"

"Yes!"

Phoebe gave a sigh and looked down at her carrots. Ross turned to Chandler, "Hey man, can I talk to you for a sec?"

Chandler shrugged, "Sure." The two men went over to the other side of the kitchen away from the others, "S'up man?"

"I just, I uh, well… if Phoebe found that test in the trash then someone must be pregnant…"

"Really?" said Chandler, his voice heavy with sarcasm. "And there I thought she meant a math test." He changed his tone, "Geez Ross, you only just figured that out? Joey got there quicker than you."

"No," said Ross. "I mean… someone we know must be pregnant… and since it isn't Jill, Phoebe's already pregnant and it can't be Monica then that means it must be Rachel!"

"Oh," Chandler's jaw dropped as he realised this could be true. "But, wait let's not jump to conclusions here… I mean it, it, it might not be her."

Ross exhaled, "Yeah, then who? Joey? Mike? You? …Not very likely Chandler."

Chandler nodded grudgingly; he had to admit this was a good point. "Oh my God, well – well, what are you gonna do?"

Ross lifted his hand up in desperation, "Well, I – I don't know! What can I do?"

"Well, talking to Rachel will be a start, and nit freaking out would be next."

Ross had hardly heard him though, he was in his own dream world, "I'm gonna have another child," he kept on whispering to himself. "Me and Rachel are going to have another baby…"

……………………………………..

Joey took a deep breath before going out into the hall with Rachel. He hadn't a clue what he would say, but he didn't really think it would matter what came out of his mouth judging by the look on Rachel's face. She put her hand through her hair before speaking, trying to control her breathing, "I can't believe this. Ohh I just, I can't believe you'd – you – how could you Joe? She's my sister!"

Joey shook his head; he had to try to make her see, "No Rach, no you – you gotta listen to me -"

Rachel shook her head, "Oh, no Joey! I cannot even look at you right now!" Rachel put her hand to her mouth, making him only just able to hear her as said loudly, "I mean, she's my sister Joey. My little sister!"

Joey tried again, "But Rach-"

"You know the crap I went through when Ross just kissed her!" Rachel interrupted. "I mean she isn't just a girl you picked up, she is my sister! And I just – I really – I do not want her getting hurt, and you – you just…"

"I won't hurt her!" Joey was yelling now too.

"I can't believe you," Rachel went on. "You – the guy who 'sticks by the rules'!"

"That's not fair!"

"What – wh – why Joey? Why isn't this fair on you Joey? I mean why the hell is -"

"Because I'm in love with her!"

A screaming silence was left after this outburst, as Rachel stood there dumbfounded by what Joey had just told her. Leaving her both a little guilty, and amazed. "What?" she whispered finally.

Joey looked down at his feet, swallowing hard and not finding it difficult to look at Rachel. "I am," he said quietly. "I know I am I – I haven't this way since with you. I love her."

Rachel's mouth opened, "Does – does she feel the same way?"

Joey looked up at her, she didn't look angry anymore. "I don't know," he admitted. "Sometimes I think she might."

"Wow," Rachel clearly looked gob smacked after believing Joey had only been having sex with Jill for the fun of it. "Come here." She gave a small smile to Joey and from then he knew it would be all right. She went up to him and gave him a hug.

"So," Joey pulled back slightly. "We're… uh, we are okay?"

Rachel gave him a grin, "We're gonna be fine." They went back to their hug.

…………………………………………….

A few days after the thanksgiving episode and Joey, Rachel, Phoebe, Monica and Chandler were sat at Central Perk drinking coffee when Joey's cell phone rang, "Hello?" he said picking it up. "…Oh hi Tom, how are ya? … Yeah? … Oh my God, seriously? … That's great … uh, okay, yeah I'll be there!" he hung up the phone and turned to the others, "You guys will never guess what!"

"Oooh, I love this game… uh, you - you got an acting job!" Phoebe yelled.

Joey looked slightly crestfallen, "Yeah, how did you know that?"

Phoebe grinned, "My psychic taught me well… it was either you have an acting job, or you were in bed with Matty Hobbs – and that guy's a client and a total virgin."

Joey smiled, "Yeah, well anyway, that was my new agent, Tom. He got me this great part in this movie role."

There were chants of "oooh" and "that's great!" as Joey grinned proudly at them all.

"Yeah," he went on. "I play the lead guy too! It's a tragic love story written years ago but what's been modernised. It's by some guy named Romeo or something… or maybe I play him, I dunno…"

The other all frowned, and Chandler put in quite calmly, "Could that be Romeo and Juliet written by Shakespeare ?"

Joey shrugged, "Something like that, yeah. This is great, I can get my apartment back! I gotta tell Jill!" he ran out of central perk, happier than any of them had ever seen him.

"Wow, thing must really be going well with those two," Phoebe commented. "You okay with it Rach?"

"Yeah," said Rachel honestly. "I really am. I mean he loves her, I don't wanna get in the way of happiness."

"Yeah I agree, it's sweet what they have," Monica added.

"So, how are things with Ross?" Phoebe asked Rachel.

"Oh wait," Chandler quickly interrupted. "Are you three gonna go all girly, 'cause if you are then I think I remembered an errand I have to do right about now."

Monica smiled, "Looks that way Chandler." Chandler nodded and left.

The girls turned their attention back to Rachel who smiled, "Well, it's okay I guess, we're getting back on track… though I have this horrible feeling he seems to be wanting to tell me something. You know he keeps saying 'I have to talk to you about something' and then he goes all squeaky when I ask what and just makes up some excuse about needing to get an early appointment to the doctors… he may believe I think he's sick."

Phoebe shrugs dismissively, "Ah, he probably just wants to break up with you, if I were you I'd just yell at him to get it over with."

"What? Phoebe, he does not want to break up! And neither do I!"

"Why not? You've done it enough in the past," said Phoebe with an odd reasoning to her voice.

"Phoebe!" Rachel cried. "Look, I don't know what it is Ross wants, but I do agree with your yelling at him to get it over with bit. You know it's just getting really annoying now." Phoebe nodded knowingly, yet sympathetically. "Phoebe, we are not breaking up."

Phoebe gave a disbelieving smirk, "What ever you say…"

………………………………………….

Joey entered Ross and Rachel's apartment to find Jill on the phone. "Oh, gotta go!" she was saying. "Kay, bye." She hung up the phone quickly and, rather guiltily, turned to Joey, "Hey you."

"Hey," Joey said. "Who was that?"

"Oh, uh, just - just Amy."

"Right," said Joey dismissively. He then grinned at Jill as he began to excitedly tell her his news, "Well, guess what!? I have a movie role!"

Jill's eyes went wide with excitement and happiness, "What? Are you serious? Oh Joey!" she went over and hugged him tightly and pressed a deep kiss against his lips. "I knew this would happen for you!"

Joey grinned, "Yeah, it did! Oh, but that isn't the best part… well it is, but I have some other news too."

"Really," Jill smiled. "What is it hon?"

"Well," Joey looked at Jill and remembered all he's told Rachel about loving her; it was all the truth. He was desperately in love with this woman and determined that his next question should go right. "Jill, I – I love you." It was the first time he had told her and she was clearly touched. "And I – I – well I, uh, I've sorted some stuff out, and since I'm working again I can have my apartment back and, well, I – I wondered if you might want to move in with me?"

Jill's mouth opened in amazement and she grinned at Joey. She was increasingly looking like her birthday had just come early twice. "Yeah, I'll move in with you! You big movie star, you!"

They hugged one another tightly and it suddenly felt for Joey, like all the pieces were slotting into place.

…………………………………………………….

It was a different matter for Ross who was increasingly feeling like if he didn't go right and say what he thought he knew soon then he might explode from the knowledge of it all. So when Rachel entered later that afternoon Ross was full of determination to simply tell her that he knew she was pregnant.

It seemed though that she already had something to discuss, "Ross! Ross!" she called as soon as she got in. Ross came into the living area from the bedroom where he'd been putting Emma down for a nap. Rachel, not seeing him, continued to call "Ross! as she hung up her coat. "Ro –." Then she saw him in front of her, "Oh."

"Hey," he said. "I need to talk to you about -"

"Yeah, yeah, I know, you need to talk to me! Exactly! So if you try to get out of whatever it is you're trying to tell me one more time by some lame doctor appointment then -!"

"I know, I know!" said Ross quickly. "I'm not going to… I just – I just wanted to tell you that – that… I know."

Rachel looked confused, "Huh?"

Ross sighed, "I know Rachel."

"Know…?"

Ross nodded, "I know."

Rachel shook her head, "Okay, you're gonna have to help me out here Ross."

Ross sighed again, "Rachel, I know we're going to have another baby."

"What!?" Rachel looked shocked.

Ross looked amazed as he realised she didn't have a clue what he was talking about, "We're… not going to have another baby?"

Rachel looked down at her stomach in alarm, "Not unless I peed on a stick in my sleep Ross."

"But – but if that wasn't your test then who the hell did that test belong to!?"

……………………………………………………

She stood with her back against the bathroom door, holding her stomach protectively. She breathed in deeply as she thought of what was to come in less than nine months time. The thought of a new baby filled her with happiness. She remembered the fear of taking the test – fear of it being negative – and how happy she'd been when she'd read the result. If only it were as easy to tell the father.

But the time would come for that soon enough. Until then Monica laid her hand protectively over her small bump – her little miracle, and thanked God for delivering her, not now just two, but three babies, one of which was growing steadily in her stomach.

Ending Credits

The following morning Rachel was just coming from her and Ross' room when she heard Jill on the phone. She was just about to go through to the kitchen for breakfast when Jill's conversation caught her ears.

"Yeah," Jill was saying. "I'm moving in with him this weekend… Well I told you didn't I, I told you he'd be a movie star … yeah, I know it's soon, huh? … If he's this quick at proposing I should be taking him for all the cash he makes by next year" Jill laughed slyly, that made a shocked Rachel know she wasn't joking, and certainly didn't feel the same way about their relationship as Joey did.

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AN: It got a little more dramatic than I intended by the end there, but there you go. May not update due to exams, depends on my schedule.