Beyond Friends Episode Fifty One "Safety Dance"

Guest Star-
Courteney Cox as Monica
Matt LeBlanc as Joey


"Born To Dance"

"I can't believe it." Monica said to Rachel. "You are finally marrying my stupid brother after, what, 20 years?"
"I see you heard the news." Rachel said to Monica she entered the door to Rachels apartment.
"I was almost last to know." Monica explained. "I called and told Pheobe and Joey. They are positively thrilled for you and Ross." Monica smiled. "Come on. Big hug!"
Rachel smiled and gave Monica a big bear hug. Monica hugged back. They pulled apart as Chandler came home from work.
"I don't want to know what you two are doing. Ok?" Chandler said. "I swear you two look like a scene from Friend Green Tomatoes."
"I was just hear meeting my new friend in law. Correction, sister in law." Monica said. "I came over, thought you would want help with the wedding stuff."
"It's gonna be months before the wedding." Rachel said. "We'll have lots of time."
"Oh no, see, you have to get married before Friday Nov 27 or Ross won't get that inheritance, the two million dollars and the haunted house that Aunt Egladia willed to him." Monica said with a perfectly straight face.
Chandler and Rachel looked at each other.
"Psyche!" Monica said.
"Ohh," Rachel said. "It's a joke."
"Supposebly." Chandler nodded.
"Ok, I confess, I started watching Joeys show a week ago and I got hooked. I really like his character. I can't remember if he's supposed to be the good guy or the bad guy." Monica admitted.
"Well you'll get a chance to tell him." Chandler said. "The whole gang is coming over for dinner."
"Great." Monica said. "It will be just like it used to be." Monica clapped her hands together. "I got some dishes at home I have been dying to try out on you guys. Let me go home and get the recipes."
"I'll come with you." Rachel offered.
"Rachel, I got to talk to you a second." Chandler reached out and took her by the arm.
"Sure." Rachel said. "Monica will you wait in the hallway."
Monica looked at Chandler for a second. He took his hand off of Rachel and shooed her into the hallway. Monica closed the door slowly, then finally slammed it shut.
"Just making sure it closes right." She called from the hallway.
"What is it Chandler?" Rachel said.
Chandler held an envelope in front of her face.
"What's this?" Rachel said.
"Check the address." He tapped it. "Not ours, the one who sent it."
"I know how to read an envelope." She took it out of his hand. "This is from the dancing thing we went to months ago."
"The marathon dance, the ones you got tickets from Allison." Chandler nodded. "Apparently there is going to be another competition. I read the letter before came here."
Rachel pulled the letter out of the envelope. "Dear Ms Green and Mr Bing."
"Mr Bing. Sounds like an old fast food place. Four Bings for a dollar. No pickles." Chandler noted.
"We are holding another dance tourney. You and your partner were one of the top five dancers at the marathon dancing event, so we chose you to send this invitation to. The contest is a couples dancing exhibition - one unique dance will be performed by each couple. You will be notified of your chosen style in a week. Good luck, we hope to see you there, with bells on your dancing shoes."
"Damn." Chandler said. "I got to go the arts store, I've got to put bells on my wingtips before the dance." Chandler pouted.
"I afraid I can't do this." Rachel said.
"Why not? We were great as a dancing team. Just like Fred and Ginger, if Fred had two left feet."
"I know, but with the wedding preparation, and Joey always coming up with new jobs for me, I don't think I will have any time to practice with you." Rachel said. "I'm so sorry."
"Sure. I'll just dance with myself. I've done it before, see?" Chandler strikes a dancing pose not unlike John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever.
"Don't do that." Rachel said. "Wait a minute! Monica!"
"What?" Chandler asked, relaxing from his pose.
"I can get Monica to take my place at the dance contest." Rachel said.
"How will you do that?" Chandler asked. "We don't really dance."
"Yeah you do. You danced at her non-wedding. And if I remember you two looked really good out there too." Rachel said. "Come on! It can't really hurt to ask."
"Well, ok." Chandler said. "But shes getting her own bells on her dancing shoes."
Rachel opened the door. Monica was standing out there alone. "Hey!"
Monica turned around startled. "I wasn't doing anything!"
"I'm ready to go now." Rachel closed the door.
"Ok, let's go." Monica said. She turned and went down the stairs.
Rachel poked her head back in the door. "She'll dance with ya, I have my ways." Rachel said to Chandler. She winked at him, then closed the door again. Chandler stood back from the door.
"What are her ways? I'm almost afraid to ask." Chandler said out loud. "Never mind, I don't want to know." He paused. "You're talking, shut up."

Monicas place

Monica was rummaging through her recipe box, while Rachel watched.
"I thought it was in here somewhere." Monica said, moving a large pot.
"Are you sure you have this wodnerful recipe?" Rachel said.
"I'm sure. I'm so sure." Monica said rising, she had a recipe in her hand. "I'm sure this isn't it." She ducked back down. "Why don't you look around? You never really got the grand tour of my new chateau."
"You sure you don't mind?" Rachel said getting up from her seat.
"I'm sure." Monica said.
"You're sure of a lot of things." Rachel muttered.
"What?"
"Never mind." Rachel went into Monicas room. She looked around. "You haven't been home a lot have you?" Monicas bed was unmade, there was clothes scattered on the floor. "I've never seen your room this messy."
"Let's just say I have to fire that maid." Monica joked. "I don't have one. That would have been funnier out of Chandlers mouth." She came into the room. "I have it."
"Great." Rachel said. "You still have a beanie baby collection?" She asked pointing to an open oak cabinet. "I thought you lost everyhting in the fire."
"I had these in storage." Monica said taking one out. She played with it. "I would have gone nuts if I didn't have these happy things looking at me all the time."
"You could have moved Phoebe in, shes full of boundless joy." Rachel noted.
"This one is my favorite. Tutu teddy. I got it for Christmas one year from a boyfriend. I never liked beanie babies but now I'm addicted." She set Tutu Teddy back in its space. "There's something about them. I don't know."
"Mon?" Rachel said sitting on the unmade bed. "I have to ask you something."
"Sure?" Monica said. "What is it?"
"It's better of you sit." Rachel said.
"Ok." Monica made her way over and sat on the crumpled flower bedspread. "What?"
"Remember that dance contest me and Chandler was in?" She asked.
Monica nodded. "I think you got fifth place."
"Yeah, that and a coupon for turtle wax that never got used." Rachel said. "They are going to hold another dance contest, for the top five winners in the dance marathon." Rachel smiled. "They want me and Chandler to enter this one too. But there is one problem. I can't get ready for the wedding and be ready for any job Joey gets me at the same time."
"You want me to go to this dance thing with Chandler?" Monica said.
"Yeah." Rachel said getting up. "So what do you think?"
"I don't think so." Monica shook her head. "I never really danced in front of an audience before."
"You dance at weddings all the time." Rachel said. "Please? Chandler really wants to go."
"No, come on." Monica said.
"No you come on." Rachel stomped her feet."I didn't think it would have to come to this."
"Come to what?" Monica rose.
"If you don't do this for me." Rachel grabbed "Tutu Teddy". "If you don't do the dance for me, this teddy will never do ballet again." She took the doll and held it in a Wishbone postion.
"No!" Monica said.
"I need a decision, or I'm making a wish." Rachel gestured with her hands. She tugged slightly.
"Ok, ok, I'll do it." Monica said. "Now give me back my teddy, you beanie baby murderer!"
Rachel gave the beanie baby back to Monica. "Now was that so hard?"
Monica gave Rachel a cross look as she put her teddy back in the case.
"Let's go." Monica said. "Joey ought to be there by now."

Chandlers Place

Joey sat down at the kitchen table with his beer. He popped the top off with one smooth motion and sipped a little.
"So how are things at the studio." Chandler said. "Not good." Joey said. "I think my days at Days Of Our Restless Children are numbered."
Chandler looked at him surprised. "How can you tell?" "I know all right, the new script I got today deals with my characters death." Joey said. "It's Drake Remoray all over again, I tell ya."
"Oh no." Chandler said. "What are you gonna do?"
"Theres nothing I can do, it's already been decided." Joey said.
"Are you gonna tell the others?" Chandler asked.
"Nah, I'd rather not have them tune into see me bumped off. Again." Joey said. He sighed. "On the bright side I got another job for Rachel. For a few weeks she will play an extra on the show." Joey laughed. "Wouldn't be ironic, that she got a permanent character the same day I got killed off?"
"Yeah, that would be weird." Chandler looked up as they heard the key click in the lock.
"Don't tell the guys, I want this to sink in a little first." Joey said.
"Ok." Chandler smiled as the door opened. It was Rachel and Monica.
"Hey Joey!" Rachel said and ran in. She gave him a big hug around his neck. Monica came in and did the same.
"I really like what you are doing on the show." Monica said. "I hope they have you there for a long time."
Joey looked at Chandler who smiled. "Me too."
"Chandler, Monica will taking my place at the dance competition." Rachel said sitting.
"Thats great." Chandler said. "We are going to be doing a dance competition." He explained to Joey.
"We have a few weeks to teach these two left feet how to dance." Rachel said.
"Thanks." Chandler said.
"I have two left feet too." Monica said. "What kind of dance will we be doing?"
"We'll find out next week." Chandler said. "Till then, we just prepare ourselves the best way we can."
"Sure," Monica said. "what have we go to lose?"
"Nothing."
"Exactly." Monica said.