Author's Note:

I'm so sorry that I haven't updated this story! I've had this plan for it for so long but I've never been sure how to execute it. I want it to be known that in the end, this story will have a happy ending. But much like the Friends writers, it will be a long road to the endgame that this story is destined to have.

For now, this will be the Chandler and Joey chapter ever, just because I love their friendship so much and I could never imagine Joey without Chandler, especially when something like this is going on in his mind. (Sorry to all the Chandler and Ross fans, Chandler and Joey is my favorite lane.)

It was difficult for Joey to go to sleep more than normal. He could usually clear out the few thoughts in his mind and the only thing he really had to worry about was a few days from now. It wasn't like he had a million dollars worth of ideas in there.

But he was worried for more than one reason. Instead of taking a cab, Joey had walked Rachel home, and in that walk, he felt the same sting that he used to, all those years ago. In just one night, he had gone from reminiscing it to being ready to fall right back into the same trap.

The worst part was leaving her apartment. Their breath had intertwined together in the dark but clear sky, though the streets still continued around them with its usual noise; Joey wouldn't have noticed it anyway, despite how loud it was in comparison to her soft voice.

She held his hands tightly before saying goodbye, promising to stop by soon, giving him a smile and disappearing behind her door for the night. He walked home again, humming to himself and getting a finger pointed at him in warning when he caused the door bell to ring past ten at night.

And on his way home, he'd gotten caught in all of his thoughts that he used to have, ones when he had been madly in love with her and trying his best to keep in under wraps. She's Rachel. You know how Ross will react. It doesn't matter how long they haven't been together; Ross is your friend. You'll wait it out and you'll be over it in a few weeks, tops.

All of those thoughts had cleared out, all but one. What happens if you do fall in love with her again?

It haunted him, more so now than it had then because he'd been surrounded by people to distract him on a daily basis. He couldn't exactly say that he had that now, even if part of it was his fault.

Joey picked up his phone and looked at the time; it was nearly two in the morning. He unlocked it, sending Chandler a text that was simple: Need your advice. Come over tomorrow?

He oddly felt better at the thought of Chandler coming over the following day; even if it was late, it would be better than nothing at all. All he knew for now was that out of everyone, Chandler had kept calm when it came to dealing with situations that were catastrophic or could have similar consequences. It was only logic that Chandler could teach him to do the same thing.

With the promise of having things figured out soon enough, Joey fell asleep like a child, his heart finally becoming as light as a feather again.

It was nearly seven when he heard a knock on his door, only to open it to see his favorite Bing. They smiled and hugged for a brief moment before going inside completely and shutting the door. "So what's up, Joe?" Chandler asked, going over to the couch that was closer to Joey's room than his former one.

Joey pulled two beers from the fridge, thinking about how he should word the situation. He didn't want his best friend thinking that he was already in love with Rachel, just trying to avoid going down that path. "I saw Rachel yesterday and she came over for awhile."

He could tell that Chandler was having an issue distinguishing the problem, his lips pressed together and eyes squinted in order to piece together the information. "And..?"

"Look, I'm not like I was way back then. But I know if I let myself do it, I'll be right back there."

"Back where, Joe?" His best friend sighed, taking a sip from his bottle of beer before setting back onto the counter. "Joey, even if you fell in love with Rachel again, don't you think that Ross would be a good enough friend to understand? It's not like you'd be dating her; it's feelings that you can't control."

"He's always been a good friend, Chandler; I just don't know if I would be a good friend to do that to him. Even when it was just feelings, when I hadn't told Rachel and it was just between me and Ross, he couldn't even talk to me. I'd rather have to be awkward friends with Rachel than have him mad at me for the rest of his life."

Chandler shook his head, something that made Joey wonder what could've been going on in there. "If that were possible, he would have given up on you the first time. But say he does; say he wants nothing to do with you for the rest of all our lives. You've got me, Monica; you won't be alone, Joe. I promise."

And as greedy as it was, the Queens born man drank up that promise, remembering to hold onto it for dear life. The remaining weight rolled right off his shoulders, something that made him smile before picking up his beer and moving to the foosball table that was brand new but still in its old spot. "Well, maybe you should see if you wanna stick to that after I kick your ass, eh?"

His former roommate tilted his head, narrowing his eyes and shaking his head. "No, I'm not too worried. You'd have to actually know how to play foosball for that to happen."

There was a solid knock against his door and he checked his watch; he didn't remember inviting anyone over but then again, did he really have the best memory in the first place anyway?

Joey answered the door, his breath catching in his throat as he saw not only one dirty blonde but two, the other only slightly shorter than the other. The shorter blonde, who he thought looked familiar but wasn't quite sure he could place her, practically jumped into his arms. "Uncle Joey!" she said with an unfiltered joy, something he smiled at.

"Emma." He closed his arms and hugged her back, as if she were his own coming back from a whole summer's worth of camp; he was sure he could feel the crow's feet at the sides of his eyes but it didn't matter to him. He'd missed her so much and he'd realized how much she'd grown in the last few years.

And despite how much he feared jumping into something different, something familiar, he knew that he could never let it get to the point where he didn't recognize either of the people who filled the room with him. So he closed the door and offered what would be the first of many conversations on the new couch that was nestled between two windows that looked down upon the city life below them.