Chapter 3: Farewell, Joey

Joey Tribbiani stood up from where he had been stooped over packing a box. He glanced about the place that was soon to be his former apartment with a wistful smile and sigh.

A week from now, he would be living on the other side of the country, in California.

For close to fifteen years, he had lived here in the city, arriving here with big acting dreams straight out of college.

He remembered what it had felt like then, that first year or so. He had been alone, hadn't known anyone. He had had a roommate, in some apartment building in Midtown that he now wouldn't remember the directions to if you handed him a map.

By the time the 1990s were proceeding apace, he had worked enough acting gigs plus odd jobs here and there to save up some decent money to move to the Villages. Bedford Street had always been in a nice area, smack dab between the South Village and Greenwich. He remembered the day he had become Chandler's roommate, apparently by default because of some snafu in which the other candidate had been offered the place but for some reason hadn't shown. In the end, it had worked out for the best.

Awash in the memories, Joey paused for a moment in the center of his nearly empty apartment, silent, remembering. He recalled the day he met Monica, instantly feeling a spark between them. He hadn't believed it when he had seen the look on her face, instantly giving away how she thought he was cute, and she had shyly invited him in for some lemonade. ….. And then he had proceeded to take off all his clothes because he had assumed she was the type of girl for whom 'lemonade' was a euphemism, thereby ruining any chance with her. That had been for the best too, though. Monica Geller-Bing would always be one of the most beautiful women he had ever known, inside and out, and yet Joey marveled at how right it felt to now look at her and feel something almost brotherly towards her. She and Chandler were made for each other. They were together, deliriously in love and were new parents. It was meant to be, for them.

…. He wished he could reconcile his feelings towards his other best gal friend, Rachel, so easily. Whereas he had found contentment and peace over how he felt for Monica long ago, going so far as to agree to marry her and Chandler, Joey thought of Rachel and still felt there were things unresolved. Even as his heart was now telling him, though more quietly, that this too was for the best. The split had been amicable. She was back together with Ross, and their little girl, and if observation was any indication, if past informed present, then it appeared the most volatile couple he had ever encountered were back for good, this time. For Ross and Rachel, it would either end in marriage at last – one that stuck this time and happened far away from Vegas – or they would continue to act as two separate co-parental units for a little girl with a broken family. Whatever he still felt for Rachel, Joey didn't want the latter outcome.

He heard the door open behind him, and Rachel strode in, smiling at him kindly. Joey swallowed down the lump in his throat. If not for how the place was now nearly empty of all its furnishings, he could almost imagine that they were back in a time when she and Emma had lived here with him. Now, mother and daughter were living in Ross's penthouse, in the apartment building on the opposite side of Bedford Street.

"Hey, Joey…." Rachel grinned.

"Hi…."

Rachel glanced about, pursing her lips in a bemused smile. "Wow…." It might have been a trick of the interior lighting, but it appeared she was attempting to fight back tears. "You work fast." She circled the kitchen island. "You have your phone? Monica's been trying to call you for the last day or so, but hasn't gotten through…"

Joey flushed. "Nah. I…. I cancelled my landline subscription. It's been disconnected."

Rachel nodded in understanding and dug through her purse. Pulling out her cell phone, she began to dial the Bings' number. "You've got to promise us that you'll get one of these, once you're in Los Angeles," she lectured Joey, approaching him. "We can't be worried sick over you come to find out you get there and then spend three weeks not hooking up your landline…. Yeah, Monica?" Rachel now held the cell to her ear. "Yes, he's here." She leaned back, holding the mobile out to Joey. "She wants to speak to you."

Joey took the phone from Rachel. "Hey, Mon." He frowned and then let out a sigh, shaking his head, no doubt over something Chandler had called from the background. "No, that was not my Jamaican accent, Chandler! Monica, can you please tell your husband….? ….. Uh huh…. No, I'll still be here Wednesday; it's the night before I leave…." His face now lit up. "Are…. are you serious?!" Rachel watched, beaming, as Joey now grew emotional enough that he had to wipe back tears. "I…. Yeah, Mon. I'd…. I'd be honored! I – OK! See you for dinner, and then they'll hold it straight after? Yes. And Monica? - Thank you. OK…. I love you, too. Bye." He hung up, grinning from ear to ear. "Monica just asked me to be godfather for Erica!"

Rachel shrieked happily, and leapt into Joey's arms for a hug, as he picked her up and spun her around. When he set her down, there was a beat as they drew apart awkwardly, Rachel pursing her lips into a thin smile. "That's so great, Joe!"

"Yeah…." His face dipped just a bit. "Apparently, it's gonna be you and me assigned to Erica, and Ross and Pheebs on Jack." He frowned. "Doesn't seem to make much sense – why wouldn't they have you and Ross on one baby and Phoebe and Mike on the other….?"

Rachel grinned and laid a hand on his arm. "It's generally advised not to have joint couples godparent the same child. Remember when Carol and Susan and Ross were assigning godparents to Ben?"

"No," Joey shook his head, slowly grinning. "I never was officially offered godfather duties."

Rachel shrugged, grinning back. "It was implied…. Besides, you and Monica are godparents for Emma, aren't you? Ross and I did have a ceremony for that…."

Joey thought back to the musings he had had over Monica earlier and smiled softly. "Yeah…. She was thrilled, wasn't she?"

"Oh, Monica was thrilled?" Rachel smirked, amused.

"Yeah, OK, I was too!" Joey chuckled. "So…. Wednesday night, then?"

"Yup. Phoebe said we can all carpool in her grandmother's cab."

Joey's face twisted through a wince as he thought of the recoil that one went through in the backseat of that cab whenever it so much as slowed to a stop. "Oh, boy…."


"To the guardians of our beautiful children!" Monica raised a toast, where she and her loved ones – her family – were all gathered together at one of the more upscale restaurants in Westchester County. Also present were Jack and Judy, as well as Nora, Chandler's mother.

Glasses were clinked all around. Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, Monica went back to perusing the menu, her attention interrupted every few seconds to make silly faces at her babies, wriggling in their high chairs.

Joey leaned into Chandler and whispered under his breath, "She's picking apart everything on this place's menu, isn't she?"

Chandler chuckled. "I'm sure she's not being that harsh. Mon's just…. studying the competition."

Even as he said this, Chandler watched as his wife tssked, pointing at a menu line item and shaking her head. "They should broil the asparagus for a dish like that…" At least, that's what Chandler thought he heard her mutter. He failed to suppress a warm smile. Some things never changed… and he hoped, where Monica was concerned, nothing ever did.

Across the table, Jack was engrossed in a lively conversation with Mike about business. "Now, son, are you sure you're OK with being the odd man out?"

"Yes!" Judy jumped in eagerly. "Maybe it would be fair to have one of the babies have three godparents? The spirit of inclusivity, you know!" (Across the table, Joey and Chandler both watched Monica tense at this, though she left her face buried in the menu even as she reached out one hand to playfully tickle baby Jack's foot).

Mike just grinned and shook his head. "I've always known I would be the tag-along with this crew." He glanced around at the six friends. "I don't mind. Wouldn't have it any other way, really." Beaming at him, Phoebe leaned in and softly kissed her husband.

The food finally arrived, Monica eating off her plate judiciously, as if she was a judge at a taste testing. Even over the soft din of the restaurant, Chandler heard his wife make a contented little noise in the back of her throat as she chewed.

"I'm surprised she's not taking notes," Joey observed.

"She is," Chandler laughed, tapping a finger to temple. "All up here."

With the meal over, the group headed out into the sleepy little hollow that was Westchester County. There was something almost colonial and picturesque about the neighborhood. The small church and chapel was just a short walk down the street from the restaurant. Dusk was falling. It was a perfect, early summer evening.

The Bings and their loved ones entered the small chapel. Monica carefully unbuckled her children from their carrier seats one by one and, lifting them gingerly, passed them off to their appointed godparents: Erica to Joey and Rachel, Jack to Ross and Phoebe.

Bouncing Erica quietly, Rachel peered up into her dear friend and ex's face, biting her lip. "Our situation doesn't have to be weird," she told him quietly.

Joey smiled softly, stealing a platonic arm around her, even as he was still getting used to how that worked. "It won't be. Or, it will be only if we let it. Besides, this would just be in an 'In Case of Emergency, break glass' scenario…"

"Exactly…" Rachel told herself. "This is more symbolic then anything else. And anyway, if heaven forbid something ever did happen to Chandler and Mon, you know Erica would go to me first…."

Joey didn't bother to argue the point; in truth, she was right. He didn't know what the future held, but if his bachelor lifestyle remained intact… well, that wasn't exactly conducive to looking after a little girl, and on an actor's pay.

Everyone took their places as a priest emerged from the vestibule, ready to perform the baptismal ceremony.

Chandler and Monica had their own relationships with religion: she, along with her brother, had been raised in the Jewish faith; Chandler was very, very, very lapsed Catholic. After the couple had married, they had agreed that any children of theirs would be raised in both faiths.

Joey grinned at the thought. "This is so cool! Jack and Erica will get to celebrate both Christmas and Hanukah! Double the presents!"

Rachel wrinkled her nose. "You don't get presents at Hanukah." At least, she didn't think so; she would have to ask Ross. Come to think of it, she and her partner hadn't yet had a discussion over which holidays they would celebrate with Emma.

"Yeah, you do! You get the little dreidels…." Joey was protesting; Rachel shushed him.

The priest solemnly read through the service. As the first born (and for a brief moment, thought to be the only baby), Jack went first, Phoebe and Ross holding the little baby boy between them. Back a ways behind the gathering, Emma whimpered in her grandfather's arms, and Jack quieted her. The noise was nothing compared to what baby Jack uttered now, wailing and crying as he was awoken to the feeling of water being dunked on his head.

Joey shook his head in sympathy. "Poor little guy…. His daddy used to wake me up like that often enough." Rachel nudged him, though her smile was one of amusement.

Joey and Rachel now stepped forward with Erica next. Unlike her brother, Erica was wide awake, and seemed to attempt and shy away uncertainly as Rachel held her out towards the water in the baptismal basin. Despite the difference in wakefulness between the twins, the end result was still the same: Erica thrashed, wailing and fussing, as the priest poured the water over her head.

"It's OK…." Rachel murmured, almost in a sing-song voice, and she glanced back over her shoulder: Monica was worrying her bottom lip, clearly fighting against every maternal instinct to run up there and take Erica into her arms. Rachel grinned at her best girl friend and probably future sister-in-law reassuringly, even as she knew Monica's worry was over nothing she and Joey were doing.

Watching their children being baptized, Chandler grinned down at Monica, holding out his hand. Beaming into her husband's eyes, Monica finally laced her fingers through his and gave them a gentle squeeze.


The following morning was the opposite of the joyous occasion the group had experienced just the night before. In the lobby of Newark Liberty International Airport, Monica felt her eyes flood with tears as she dove back in to wrap Joey in one more hug.

"Now, you promise me that you'll call us as soon as you land?"

Joey grinned, and also fought the urge to affectionately roll his eyes. "Yes, Mom…."

"What?" Drawing back from the embrace, Monica cocked an eyebrow sharper than a loaded gun; behind her, her husband Chandler winced. Joey quickly and sheepishly corrected himself. "Yes, Mon….. I promise…"

Monica smirked. "That's what I thought you said." A beat, and then she was diving back in for one more squeeze, letting out a moan. "Oh, God…. We're gonna miss you!"

"I'll miss you too."

Monica drew back, hands on his shoulders. "Promise me: no matter what, we stay in touch. OK?"

Joey smiled. "I could never lose touch with you! Can't anyway, even if I wanted to…. we're family now, remember?" He glanced past her shoulder to where Chandler was dividing his attention between the little car seats at his feet. Joey squeezed Monica's shoulder. "Thanks for making me godfather, even though I'm…. I'm leaving…."

Monica beamed. "You're welcome." She kissed his cheek. One more hug. "Fly safe…."

"Thanks. And you know something? I'll always be grateful you asked me in for 'lemonade.'" Joey said the last using air quotes, causing Monica to wetly laugh and push him away.

"You dope!" She swatted him.

Chandler now moved forward, shaking Joey's hand. A beat, and then neither man could remain constrained enough – they both went in for a backslapping hug.

"Wish we could walk you to your gate. 9/11 protocol really is a bitch, isn't it?" Monica frowned in disapproval at her husband's language, but she let it go.

"Yeah. I'll…. I'll visit though, yeah?" Joey promised, trying not to get teary himself. There were goodbyes all around: crossing to ruffle the twins' hair, Joey then moved on to hug Ross, then Rachel (the latter embrace slowly losing its awkwardness). A kiss on the cheek for Phoebe, a handshake for Mike. One more kiss on the cheek for Monica. Then Joey shouldered his bag, and with one hand raised in farewell, walked towards security.

The friends waited until they could spot him emerging on the other side, and even got to see him walk to his gate just off security. Gate A17. Turning back, Joey pointed at the flag with a boyish grin, then saluted it before, with a final wave, he ducked into the causeway out of sight.

Tears streaming down around her bittersweet smile, Monica blew him a kiss. "God be with you…."