Emma was unsure about her first day of high school. She had heard two very different versions of the place and was afraid that it wouldn't be her mother's version of Lincoln High but her father's that she would experience. See she wasn't exactly the miniature of her mom that everyone had expected her to be. It was weird because it was her older brother Ben that had turned out to be like her mother even though he was not in the least actually related to her, in fact she had only really entered his life nine years ago, he had been thirteen at the time, and Emma had been five.

"Something in your cereal must be very interesting"

Emma looked up to see her father standing over her and then cast her look back down at the multi-coloured Os in her cereal and nodded.

"Oh come on, tell your old dad what's wrong" he said pulling up a chair beside her

"I don't want to go to Lincoln high" Emma muttered "Aunt Monica always tells me how people treated her there are also how they treated you and I'm like you and not like mom and I don't think the others will like me"

"But you have friends already going into school; you don't have to worry about that"

"That's not true! Jack and Erica are still in grade seven and I don't really have any close friends besides them"

Ross sighed. He wanted to assure her that she would find friends at Lincoln high but he wasn't sure. She was right kids can be cruel and unfortunately for Emma though she had inherited her mother's looks she had also inherited her father's interest for science and it was that that took over Emma's image and focus. Though his daughter was brilliant he could see how advanced math and science in grade nine was no comfort when facing the realities of the social aspect of high school especially when her two best friends were still two years away from being a part of her high school life.

"Tell you what, once a week, whenever you chose, I will pick you up at lunch hour and take you out for lunch, a special treat from dad and of course you know that you can always call me if you need too, I will be there in seconds no matter when you call."

Emma smiled, her dad always knew what would make her feel better and she felt better knowing she had his support. She knew he could have tried to just tell her that she would be fine and would make friends eventually but he didn't because he knew that it was possible that it might be a long time before she did. At that thought she frowned again. "Thank you dad, I hope I do make friends though."

"You never know, there may be a whole crowd of science and math geeks for you to hang out with. There are a lot more people in high school then in middle school and you may just find it is really easy to make friends once you find the right people. Now you can't go to class in your pyjamas so get yourself ready!"



The other woman in Ross' life came snuck in behind him and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. "You handled that really well" she said and accompanied the statement with a soft kiss where his neck meets his shoulder. "I could never had made her feel better the way you did"

"That's not true. You're her mother, even if you share different interests she will always be attached to you because of that"

"I just don't feel that connection that you insist is there."

"She's a teenager; her mother is the last person she wants to talk to about anything. Wait until she is a little older. Just don't become my mother and you'll be fine"

Rachel couldn't help but laugh. She knew that Ross was referencing the relationship that his sister and Rachel's best friend Monica had with her mother. "I have no plans on becoming Judy"

"Well then you're fine. Now why is it that you are still in your bathrobe?"

"Not feeling well, I plan to call into work today."

"Do you want me to stay with you?" Ross asked, concerned.

"No, no, go to work, I just think I'm going to stay home and sleep today."

"Alright but call me if you need anything. Soup, Kleenex, someone to rub your back or change the channel, anything"

"I assure you, I will be fine. Now go to work, while I go to bed" Rachel padded back to the left bedroom. She and Ross had decided that they wanted to remain in the city but Ross' apartment just hadn't been big enough for the family so they had put in an application for a certain purple apartment that could be seen from the window. It had made everyone so happy to have the apartment that had held so many memories back. Ben had moved in with Joey across the hall while he attended classes at NYU. It was good because it gave Ben his own space while still being near at least part of his family, not that Carol and Susan were all that far away. This arrangement also gave Emma a chance to be able to get away from her parents from time to time, which was important considering Emma was quickly becoming a teenager. Something that Rachel could hardly believe.

"Well I am off to work. Emma I will drop by your school at what time?" Ross called out from the doorway.

Emma stepped out of her room, her golden hair smoothly framing her face and falling to about her shoulders. A haircut that Ross thought he had seen many times before on Emma's mother, it astonished him that his daughter looked so exactly like her mother. The way you could tell she was not just a miniature was the fitted t-shirt that displayed the phrase I wish I was your derivative so I could lie tangent to your curves, the baggy jeans and beat up keds. "Lunch is at 11:45, can you give me a ride to school, it's right on the way"

"Oh alright, well come on then"

Emma grabbed her backpack, and then dashed off to her parent's room. "Bye mom, I will see you tonight, wish me luck at school"

Rachel smiled, as a teenager she would never have been caught dead in a look as unstylish as what her daughter wore, but it didn't matter because she also never had the passion that her daughter had or the caring. "Have a good day, good luck, I am sure you will do fine" she stood and walked over to her daughter and kissed her on the top of the head. "Now you have to get go going or you and your father will be late"

"Bye Rache, I love you honey" Ross said Ross accompanying it with a kiss on the cheek

"I love you too honey" Rachel returned the kiss and then the door closed behind her husband and daughter.

"Back to bed" Rachel sighed crawling into bed picking up the magazine next to her and snuggling down under the covers.