Chapter 3 Phoebe and Joey... Forever?
It was two years after Phoebe and Joey had started to go out and Joey was looking in the engagement ring store with Chandler. Monica was now together with a guy named George, Chandler was with Janice and much to his surprise enjoyed it, and Ross and Rachel were still together, but unengaged. Except Joey was in the engagement ring store looking for an engagement ring for Phoebe.
"Do you think that this is a bad idea?" Joey asked Chandler. "I mean, Ross and Rachel aren't even married and they've been going out for longer than Phoebe and I."
"Well, I mean, they just want to take their time, but you're making your way through," Chandler sighed. "I mean, if she says 'yes'-" Joey looked at Chandler with surprise. "-Which I'm sure that she will, we won't be able to spend so much time together."
"Dude, what are you talking about?" Joey asked with concern. "Even if we get married that doesn't mean that we aren't going to spend as much time together."
"I know, but then you'll be knocking Phoebe up and I'll be here with stupid Janice. Why haven't I broken up with her?"
"I know that we don't like her, but you do and we respect your opinion."
Joey looked down at a ring that he liked and looked up at the store clerk who asked, "Would you like me to marry you?"
"No!" Joey said with shock. "Why?"
"That's not what I mean," the store clerk said nonchalantly. "I mean, to see if you think that it's the perfect ring."
"Yes, please," Joey agreed understandingly.
The store clerk took the ring from Joey and Joey stared intently at him as he said, "Will you marry me?"
"Oh my God that's so convincing!" Joey said with happiness. "I'll take that one."
Chandler sighed. "I can't believe that this is it. You and Phoebe forever..."
When Joey wasn't looking, Chandler dashed outside and to Monica and Rachel's apartment where Rachel and Ross were sitting in front of the television kissing. Rachel slowly turned her head as Chandler entered.
"What is it?" Rachel asked.
"Okay, I think that it will all be out by tonight, but... Joey is asking Phoebe to marry him!" Chandler was standing there with happiness and Ross jumped up.
"This is so good for, Joey," Ross said.
Rachel looked into Ross's eyes. "Yes, and I'm not married yet, because someone hasn't asked me to marry them so I'm still a lonely unmarried girl who isn't married. You are going to propose someday or else I'm just going to dump you right here."
"Of course I'm going to propose to you someday," Ross said. "Don't look like that."
"You promise?" Rachel asked.
Ross nodded. "I know that I will, because that's where I want this relationship to go. I want it to go somewhere, because the one with Carol just wasn't meant to be."
"I know that," Rachel whispered. "We both know that. Now, I've got to go into work. Joanna will be so mad if I'm not in on time."
Chandler jerked his head up. "You mean that Joanna that you once hooked me up with and then I got attached to the handcuffs, because of her?"
"That Joanna," Rachel told him. "Except I think that she feels fine now. Don't look that way. You're with Janice now and you're happy."
Rachel's voice cracked a little as she said the last sentence and Chandler could hear it. "Why do you all have a problem with Janice? There's nothing wrong with her. I mean, she may be a little weird and I know that you all hate her."
"You should too," Ross told Chandler.
"I know that I should," Chandler told them, "except I love her."
"Can you ever see yourself marrying her?" Rachel blurted suddenly and she immediately felt regret.
"I can," Chandler suddenly said automatically.
"No! You're already married to her!" Ross gasped.
"No, I'm not married to her," Chandler told Ross. "I'm still single, but I really want to be married to her."
"Only marry her if you can see your relationship going somewhere," Ross told him.
"Yeah, and can Ross and I be married first?" Rachel asked.
Chandler rolled his eyes and looked at Rachel. "I won't wait forever, but I'm not planning on marrying her now or anytime soon."
That night, Rachel was straightening out Joey's suit. "You're just going to do it in our apartment and we're all going to leave. Look, the candles are going to be lit by Monica as soon as she comes. Alright? We've got it all planned out. Monica is going to pretend to be having sex with George. We've already gotten him to come over tonight, but then she's going to realize that she offered to work in the coffee house for Gunther tonight. Then she's going to go and George is going to go with her. Then I'm going to say that I forgot some papers at work and Ross is going to go with me. Chandler is going to be in his room the whole time so he's out of it, but when we all leave, he'll hear it and we'll all be outside the door. Okay?"
"Yeah, that's fine," Joey said. "Do you notice that I can be starting off the night not engaged, but tonight I'm going to end up being engaged when this is all over?"
"I know," Ross said. "You're growing up before me."
Rachel swiveled around to look at Ross. "Yes, and we aren't even engaged yet."
"Stop being so fussy, Rach. I'll propose to you now if you'd like?"
"No, Ross! I don't want to be proposed to you like this. I want to be proposed to be as if it's real and it's meant to be. I just want to know that our relationship is going somewhere. I don't care if you don't propose for another ten years." Rachel thinks. "Did I just say that? I didn't actually mean it, but you know what I mean."
Monica rushed out of her bedroom and began to light the candles. "Shouldn't Phoebe be here?" she asked.
"Yep," Ross said. "She's late."
Then George appeared with Phoebe and Monica said. "Okay, George, I forgot! I have to work at the coffee house tonight. Is it okay if we do it another time?"
"It's fine," George assured her and the two left.
Rachel pretended to be looking through her papers and turned to Ross. "I forgot my forms at work that I have to fill out."
"I'm sorry," Ross muttered. "I'll come."
As the four of them left and went into the hallway they closed the door and Chandler rushed out of his apartment. "What's happening?"
"They aren't engaged yet," George said. "Phoebe just came over. I met her on the staircase up and Phoebe said that she's glad that she's with Joey."
"You're not supposed to ask that!" Monica told George sternly. "Now she's going to-"
"Shhhh!" Rachel snapped cutting Monica off. "Listen."
The five of them could hear through the doorway and they heard Joey's voice.
"Now we're alone," he was saying. "And I have something to ask of you."
Phoebe looked into Joey's eyes. "Really? Oh, what is it?"
"Shush," Joey told her. "Look around the room, it's romantic and I think that this is the perfect time to do this."
Ross gasped as he heard Joey get down on his knees and take out the ring. Then Phoebe gasped.
"You're asking me to-?" she began, but Joey cut her off.
"With all my life, I never thought that I'd ever end up with you. I mean, Ross and Rachel, they're together, but they're relationship isn't as strong as ours-"
"Hey!" Rachel whispered, trying not to be too loud. "We do too have a strong relationship except we're just not ready for a marriage yet. Is that wrong?"
Chandler looked at them. "Nah, Janice and I aren't getting married anytime soon."
"Shhhh!" Monica snapped this time as they heard Joey's voice.
"Even though I know that we will always be together. Monica and Chandler just aren't one and that's okay. We're one. For today, tomorrow, a month, a year, and maybe forever and our descendants will go on for such a long time. Pheebs, will you marry me?"
"This is it!" George said, nudging Monica.
"Yes," Phoebe whispered and Rachel could hear the two of them kiss.
"Can we come in?" Chandler called out. "Some of us have to pee out here!"
Monica slapped Chandler playfully. "That's not a nice way to greet their engagement."
As the five of them entered Chandler rushed to the bathroom while the rest of them hugged. "I can't believe that we're engaged!" Phoebe cried out happily.
"I know," Monica said. "And soon you will have kids."
"And you'll all be aunts and uncles," Joey promised. "Even though none of you will be blood related."
They all began to hug again and Rachel was so happy for them even though she wasn't even married to Ross, but Ross just felt guilty.
I haven't asked her to marry me, Ross thought. I haven't told her that I slept with another woman and no one knows, but me. Will she ever know the truth?
Hope you liked it! I don't know why I make their be such a long difference between each chapter, but the spaces will get shorter. Kind of, but you know. Chapter 4 up soon. :)