Okay, I'm sorry it's taken so long to update! I was out of town for a week, then I was just terribly sick and had the worst writers block, but now I'm back! :D Once again, thanks for the amazing reviews! It really helps me keep motivated. For all of you who have been asking, Rachel will be pregnant, but not until later. This is a pretty intense chapter, but I've been working on it for a while so I hope you like it! And please, keep R&R-ing so I know you like where I'm going with this!
I don't own Friends or anything. But it'd be awesome if I did.
Clink. Clink. Clink. Joey rhythmically tapped his pen on the bench, waiting impatiently for the subway. Clink. Clink. Clink. The only place Joey realized they hadn't looked was the airport, no one would ever assume Chandler would be desperate enough to leave the state. It was the only place left in the city he would check before he would resort to calling the police and filing a missing person report. Clink. Clink. Clink. His mind was a jumbled heap of thoughts, he could barely read the map to find the right subway. Clink. Clink. Clink.
Joey knew what all of his friends thought of him. The player. The "guys guy." That idiot that picked up a new women every night that didn't even have real emotion. He never admitted to anyone, but it hurt a little. He did care about his friends, more than anything, and Chandler, oh God he wouldn't even be in their group if it wasn't for him. Clink. Clink. Clink. In the back of his mind, he knew part of coming here tonight was to prove to everyone that he did care more about people than just a one night stand or free food. He did have the ability to love. Clink. Clink. Clink. The reverberating sound of a train echoed down the tunnel and Joey stood up and rushed over to make sure he was first to get a seat.
The subway finally came, but the ride seemed to take an eternity. Like a ghost, Joey drifted his way from train to train, sitting, getting up, switching cars, weaving his way through the city to Newark Airport. When he finally arrived at the last stop, he practically broke open the door in a hurry to get out. He shoved several people out of his way as he darted up the stairs, mumbling the typical "Pardon me, outta my way, move please, emergency." He nearly threw himself in front of a taxi trying to hail it down. He jumped into the backseat and screamed confusing directions at the driver, who fumbled for a minute, but soon recognized the words "Newark" and "Plane" and assumed the right destination.
Joey stared as the city zoomed past his window, tall skyscrapers extending upwards so high he could barely see the tops. The sun had already set, leaving the sky in unending blackness. He was put in such a trance, that when the cab finally jerked to a stop, the driver had to smack Joey's shoulder to let him know to get out. Joey nodded and rummaged through his pockets before realizing he had left his wallet at the hotel. "Ah, damn it!" He yelped, slapping the leather seat. "I don't have my wallet, but I will give you anything you want!" He said desperately.
The cab driver looked him up and down for a moment, observing every detail of his olive skin, leather jacket, tuxedo shirt, shiny loafers. "No charge." He said gruffly. "You got somewhere you need to be, so go on." Joey was so surprised he barely had time to say "thank you" as he went fleeing out and through the airport doors.
Once inside, he realized how desperately he had to pee. He hadn't gone since early morning, and it was nearly 9 o' clock. "Agghh." He muttered as he searched the walls for a bathroom. He would just have to hurry and hope for the best. He spotted one along the far wall and maneuvered his way through stray luggage and confused tourists to it. He unzipped his pants and let the relief set it. There were two men washing their hands and chattering about something, but other than that, he was alone. He zipped up and turned on the faucet in the sink next to them. Their conversation struck Joey as slightly odd, like that feeling you get when you know someone's watching you. The hairs on his neck started to prick up as their discussion got further along. Maybe he shouldn't be eavesdropping, but he just had such a strong feeling in his gut that this was important...
"I know, I swear he came from some kind of mental hospital." The one on the right said. He was an old man, probably in his late forties, very lanky and obviously losing hair fast.
"Yeah, but you did the right thing. Don't want to mess with those kinds of people. They can be pretty violent." The guy on the left said. He seemed to be the exact opposite of tall guy, he was short, squat, and had a head full of yarn like brown hair.
"I just wish I could understand what he was saying. He seemed like so rushed, out of his mind." Tall guy mentioned.
"Eh, maybe we misjudged him. Could just be a nervous little man running away from some personal issue. My cousin Eric pulled the same kind of stupid stunt on his wedding day." Yarn head responded.
"Well, he certainly was dressed up enough to be a groom." Tally guy laughed as he reached for the paper towels. The two then changed the subject to some foreign matter and strolled out the door.
Joey was tired, but the whole conversation slowly started to settle into his mind. Stupid stunt… wedding day… dressed up… out of his mind, good God it's Chandler! Joey dropped the paper towels and bolted out the door. He must have run off somewhere! Oh god, but where? Joey thought. Yes, it was all beginning to make sense, everything fell into place. He snaked through the crowds of people, trying desperately not to lose sight of the two men who were gaining distance on him.
"Hey wait! Baldy! Brown afro! Slow down!" Joey cried over the noise of the busy airport. He wiggled his way between an unusually large family and finally came to an empty space between him and the guys. He sprinted, pushing his legs harder and harder. There were exploding pains in his ribs but he didn't care, he kept pushing. He finally got within arm's reach of them, and stretched out and grabbed the short guy's jacket.
"Hey, watch it buddy!" Yarn head hissed, ripping his jacket out of Joey's grip.
Joey was doubled over, trying to regain his balance and catch his breath. Through several thick wheezes he motioned for them to wait. It took almost two minutes, but when Joey was able to talk again he burst into a sea of words. He explained how Chandler had gone missing, and how they had all been looking for him. He explained how he came here, knowing this was the last place he'd be, but it was worth a shot. He'd overheard them in the bathroom and thought they might be talking about Chandler. When he'd finally finished his tale, he realized how absolutely absurd he sounded. How in the world did their conversation even relate to Chandler? How did it even relate to a passenger? Being this tired was definitely not doing anyone any good. "You know what? Nevermind. I just sound ridiculous. Sorry for wasting your time." And with that, he turned around and slinked away, his shoulders hunched over.
"Hey wait!" The familiar voice shouted from behind him. "You're not crazy! I think I know what you're talking about." Joey turned around, his heart suddenly lifted.
"You do?" He felt a wild grin returning to his face.
"Yeah, I do." Tall guy said as he flashed a yellow smile. "You see, son, Walt and I have been traveling the world together for as long as our wives have been cheating." At this, they both chuckled obnoxiously as if it were some sort of old inside joke. "Anyway, we've been everywhere; Paris, Munich, Monte Carlo, Athens, Rome, London, the whole works. But we'd never been somewhere close to home, so we decided the closest tourist trap around here would be Toronto. So it's about 11 or so last night, we're headed to the gate, when here comes this psychopath just tearing through the crowd."
"He's goin' up to random people, bloodshot eyes, beggin' for a ticket." Walt piped up. "I swear he'd be foaming at the mouth if he hadn't been talkin' so much. So he comes up to us, offering anything for a ticket outta here."
"And of I course I tell Walt to be careful, because if he was as mental as he was acting, he could get real dangerous if we denied him anything." The tall one interrupted.
"Mel here's just really superstitious." Walt winked. "But anyway, I give him my ticket, he gave me fifty bucks and he was outta there faster than he came in."
"So Walt and I just got tickets for tomorrow morning and crashed at a motel down the street. But I doubt it's the same guy you're looking for…" Mel trailed off.
"It could be. Chandler's got thick brown hair, brown eyes, wire glasses, he's got a kinda large build, and was probably wearing a tux, too."
Short guy looked at Walt, who nodded and said "Well, that sure sounds like our guy."
As Joey thanked them and hastened over to the counter to buy a ticket to Toronto, he couldn't help but realize how dumb this whole situation was overall. How immoral and senseless someone must be to make a mistake this big, he wasn't even sure he could call it a mistake anymore.
A whopping $650 it cost him to go fix Chandler's thoughtless blunder. He's so going to owe me. Joey thought, exasperated as he zigzagged his way through security and the airport to gates 160-198 and waited for his flight number to be called. He decided he should at least call and let the other's know how he was doing. He whipped out his phone and dialed Monica's number. After four long rings, he was about to hang up, but then Rachel answered.
"Hello?" she said in a groggy voice.
"Hey Rach, it's me! Did I wake you up or something?"
"Well, it's only 1:00 am, so I'd say yeah." She sounded annoyed.
Joey winced. "Sorry, I kind of... Had an adventure this evening. I was too pumped to realize it was this late. But anyway, I found Chandler!"
"You did? Oh my God, Joey that'd great! Where is he? Where are you guys?" Now she sounded awake.
"Well, the thing is, he's in Toronto. But I bought a plane ticket and I'm headed up there right now!" he prayed she wouldn't ask too many questions. Luckily, she was probably too sleepy to even regard half of what he said. "So how's everyone doing?" He asked quickly, changing the subject.
"Well, Phoebe went home, but Ross and I decided to crash here. Mon's in her bedroom, crying herself to sleep, Ross headed off to the guest room about an hour ago and I've just been sitting at the kitchen table waiting for some kind of word on his whereabouts." He could hear her sigh through the receiver. "It's been a long day, Joey. It really has." Rachel needn't say any more, Joey understood. This much stress can do wonders to people. He told her to make sure everyone knew he was fine and would be back with Chandler by Monday, then said goodnight and hung up.
He leaned back in his chair. Why buddy. Why. What did I ever do to you? He let his shoulders relax and finally, for the first time all day, felt at peace. He finally felt like Joey again. What a day it had been. Everything was so rushed that even thinking about it made him pant like a dog. But everything was smooth now. He knew where Chandler, or someone like Chandler, was, and everything would be okay by morning. Everything.
When his flight number was called, he grabbed his jacket and boarding pass from underneath the benches, and sauntered over to the gate. When he had boarded and got settled into his seat, he felt his phone vibrate. He pulled it out and saw he had a missed call and voicemail from Chandler. He quickly held the phone to his ear to hear the message.
Hey, Joe, it's Chandler. I called because, well, obviously you guys are wondering where the hell I am! Hah. But listen buddy, I'm going to need you to stop. Just stop looking, stop worrying, just let me cool down somewhere else, and I'll come home when I feel like I can. For now, just know I'm safe, and go back to your normal lives. Thanks man, I'll see you soon. Bye.
The beep cutting off the message was the last thing Joey heard before the phone went clattering to the floor.