5; the one with the Christmas.
"Ew, ugly naked guy is decorating his Christmas tree!", Phoebe exclaimed from the window. "Oh my God, you should see the side of his Christmas balls!".
Alycia was the only one that actually walked over there to check the scene, cringing along with Phoebe at the sight of their favorite neighbour. Alycia was glad her apartment was facing the other street and not towards the naked man.
"Hey", Chandler says as he and Joey entered the apartment.
"How much did you guys tip the super this year?", Joey asked.
"We were gonna give fifty but if you guys gave more, we don't wanna look bad", Chandler added.
"Actually this year we just made him homemade cookies", Monica replied.
Joey and Chandler exchanged a look before focusing on Alycia that was still by the window with Phoebe, still talking about the naked man decorating his Christmas tree.
"I gave him twenty five", she replied without even looking back at them, knowing the two guys think the idea of the cookies is too lame and were looking for an actual answer.
"Twenty five it is", Chandler said as he wrote a check.
"You gave him cookies?", Joey asked.
"Money is so impersonal. Cookies say something really cares".
Alycia and Phoebe walked closer to the table. They stole a cookie from Monica and started sharing it as Alycia gave it a bite, handing it over for Phoebe to eat too.
"Alright, we're broke. But cookies do say that", Monica gave up after the guys gave her a look for her last comment about the cookies.
"I can see that. A plate of brownies once told me a limerick", Phoebe said.
"Phoebe, let me ask you something, were these funny brownies?", Chandler smirked.
"What's funnier than talking brownies?", Alycia joked, following Phoebe to take the cookie out of her hand.
"They weren't that funny, actually", Phoebe replied believing Alycia's comment was actually meant to be taken seriously. "Oh, but I think they had pot in them".
☀
"Hey", Phoebe and Alycia greeted their friends as they walked inside the coffee shop.
"Happy Christmas Eve Eve", Phoebe smiles.
"You too", Ross replied while looking around inside his shopping bags.
"Oh my God, where did you get this?", Phoebe asks in surprise as she takes the photoframe out or his hands.
"Macy's, third floor, furnishing".
"This is my father!"
Alycia lagughed out loud, earning a questioning look from Phoebe. "What, you were serious?"
"Pheebs, that's the guy that comes with the frame", Chandler adds.
"No, it isn't. Look, I'll show you".
"I thought your dad was in prison".
"No, that's my stepdad. My real dad is the one that ran out on us before I was born", she explained to Rachel as she searched for something on her purse.
"How have you never been on Oprah?", Rachel asked in disbelief.
"Okay, look. This is him!", Phoebe opened her wallet, revealing the picture from that same guy. "My mother gave me this picture before she died".
"Honey, this is a picture of the frame guy posing in front of a bright blue screen with a collie", Monica replied.
"It's not a blue screen...maybe it was just very clear that day". Phoebe takes a closer look to the picture before putting her wallet back in her purse. "I have to talk to my grandmother", she quickly said before walking over the door to exit the shop.
☀
"Phoebe got here with the cab yet?", Joey asked as he's walking over to where Chandler and Alycia were waiting.
"Yeah, she brought the invisible cab. Hop in!", Chandler replied with sarcasm.
"She better get here soon. The stores close at seven".
"How about we focus on providing moral support for our friend first, huh?", Alycia said. "It's your fault you didn't buy your gifts sooner".
"We're gonna make it", Chandler assured Joey. "Hey, Al, is Sam going to Monica's party?"
"He traveled to Canada to spend the holidays with his family", she informed him.
They were interrupted by a car honk and they soon saw the taxi driving down the street. Phoebe turned around to park near them so they could enter the cab, hitting the sidewalk a little.
Chandler got in the co-pilot seat while Joey opened the door for Alycia to enter on the back, him entering shortly after she did.
"Can you believe this? In two hours I'm gonna have a dad!", Phoebe said with excitment.
"Big stuff!", Joey replied.
"Okay, let's go. Oh, you have to hold this", she handed Chandler a piece of paper.
"Break left, gas right?", he read in disbelief. Joey and Alycia sat back with their backs fully leaning against the seat as Chandler looked around for the seatbelt. "Where's my seatbelt?"
"This side deosn't have it. The paramedics had to cut through it".
Chandler exited the cab inmediately after, choosing to go sit at the back with the other two.
☀
"Wow, this is it. I'm gonna meet my dad", Phoebe said once they're outside his house. "This is like the biggest thing ever".
"Yeah, Pheebs, it trully is", Alycia nodded with a smile.
"Okay, here I go".
"Good luck, Pheebs!", Joey smiled at her too.
"I'm going in", she repeated. "Here I go".
Phoebe was still sitting inside the cab, without being able to exit the car and go over his house to talk to him.
☀
Alycia rolled her eyes when she noticed Joey and Chandler waking up abruptly after Phoebe went back inside the cab.
"Thank God, my arm was falling asleep", she muttered since Joey had been sleeping all that time with his body resting against her.
"How far did you get?", Joey asked to Phoebe.
"Mailbox".
"Again", Alycia remarked.
"Alright, we're getting closer", Chandler pointed out.
Joey finally decided to ask, "Phoebe, what's going on?"
"It's just- it's a whole mess of stuff, you know?"
"But Pheebs, I'm sure your dad is a really great guy", Alycia tried.
"Yeah, I know. And maybe I'll knock on the door and he'll hug me, and I'll have a dad!", she agreed. "And I'll go to his pharmacy and everyone will be nice to me because, you know, I'm Frank's daughter".
"So why don't go and knock?", Chandler leaned foward on his seat.
"Because why if he's not this really great dad guy? I mean, what if he's still just the scumbag who ran on my mom and us?"
Her three friends agreed in the backseat.
"You know what? I've already lost a fake dad this week, and I don't think I'm ready to loose a real one".
"Pheebs, that's okay. You took a big step today", Joey said to calm her down.
"Yeah, and we couldn't be any more proud of you", Alycia added.
Phoebe smiled a little at their words, "You think so?"
"Absolutely", Chandler said this time. "And someday, when you're ready, you'll make it pass the hedges".
"And when you do, he'll be lucky to have you".
Phoebe smiled at her friends before putting her hand through the small open space in the big plastic wall kind of thing that separated the two front seats with the ones in the back. Chandler took her hand first before Joey and Alycia did too.
"I'm sorry about your shopping", she apologized to the two guys.
"That's okay, we'll figure something out", Chandler smiled back at her.
"Hey, Pheebs, I know you're not going in there but is it okay if I go and use his bathroom?", Joey completely changed the subject.
☀
"Ho- Ho- Ho- Holy crap it is hot in here!", Chandler said as they're walking inside Monica's apartment.
"Were you planning on burning your guests alive or...?", Alycia added, quickly taking her coat and her sweater out, leaving her just with a tank top and her pants.
"You mind if I turn the heat down?", Joey asked Monica.
"Hey, we could've used that kind of thinking earlier!", Monica snapped sarcastically.
"Hey, Pheebs, how did it go?", Ross turns to look at her with concern.
"Oh, I couldn't go in".
"Honey, I'm sorry".
"Are you okay?"
"Yeah, because I know he's there, you know? That's enough for now".
"Hey, guys, it's after midnight. Merry Christmas!", Chandler cheered.
Monica and Rachel hugged each other while Phoebe hugged Ross. Alycia walked over to Chandler to give him a big hug and repeating this with all of her friends.
"Hey, Monica, the knob was broken so I turned it off form underneath. I hope that's alright", Joey informed before sitting down on the kitchen table to start eating.
☀
Joey walked Alycia down to her apartment after the group opened up their presents. When they were at her door, she turns around before opening it.
"Thanks for offering to walk me over to my apartment", she smiles up at him.
"No problem", he smiles back, hesitating a little before adding, "I have a present for you".
"Really? I thought those snickers bars were good enough!", she joked, remembering the awful gifts him and Chandler gave to the whole group.
"I bought this one a while ago", he confessed, putting a small box out of his pocket, handing it to her. "Merry Christmas".
She opened the box to reveal a beautiful necklace with a small blue stone. Joey knew she would like it because it's one of her favorite colors. Aside from that, he thinks she looks really pretty wearing blue.
He didn't know why, but he just wanted to give her a really nice gift.
"Oh my God, Joey", she mutters as she looks at the necklace. "It's beautiful, thank you so much".
Alycia wrapped her arms around Joey's shoulders, hugging him for a few seconds before turning around to open the door. She gave him one last smile before entering to her apartment.