"Are you sure you're ok, Spence?" JJ asked while rubbing his forearm.
Reid smiled weakly and nodded "I'll be fine"
Garcia came back from the coffee counter, sat down next to Reid and passed him a bright yellow mug containing steaming hot liquid caffeine.
"So you never even suspected she was... that way inclined?" Will asked while trying to stifle a laugh.
Reid shook his head and stared down into the dark coffee.
"But you must of had some idea" Morgan said with the same grin on his face as Will had. "I mean, she was a lesbian" Will snorted in a laugh then both men broke into laughter.
"She said she didn't know" Reid mumbled as an excuse and took a sip of coffee.
"Yeah, but how do you not know you're a lesbian" Morgan continued with laughter slipping through his voice. There was a small pause as the laughter subsided and everyone took a few sips of their coffees. "Anyway, it can't be that bad. You're single, man! We can have a boys' night or something" Morgan added in an attempt to cheer up the glum Reid.
"But i don't want to be single..." Reid mumbled while fiddling with the end of his shirt sleeve. There was another pause as everyone thought of something to say to cheer him up when JJ quickly turned her head in confusion.
"Emily?" JJ blurted out with a bewildered tone to her voice to match her facial expression.
"Oh God, JJ" Emily said and rushed toward the blonde woman who was now standing. Garcia, Will and Morgan exchanged glances while Reid stared up at the raven haired woman in shock.
"Can we get another coffee?" JJ called to one of the waitresses who nodded and began the typical order. JJ took another look at the flustered Emily and added "Make it decaf" She then wheeled Emily round to face where the group was sitting and took a few steps forward. "Guys, this is Emily. We went to high school together" JJ explained. "Emily- this is everybody. That's Will and Garcia and Morgan and you remember my brother Spencer, right?" JJ said while pointing out the gang who waved or smiled a hello.
"Sure" Emily said and bound toward Reid, shaking his hand with a big smile. Once Reid had shook Emily's hand he quickly sat back down on the sofa, Emily settling herself in between him and Garcia while JJ perched on the edge of Will's armchair.
"So what brings you to Central Perk?" JJ asked after a small pause.
"Well, uh" Emily began before letting out a small laugh at something she had thought. "I was on a date with Barry and he proposed... And... I mean, he hadn't even mentioned getting married before and i guess i just freaked out" She explained then shrugged a little. "I snuck out of the bathroom window and i know we've drifted apart and we don't talk much but you're the only person i could think of..." She said with a small sigh. During Emily's explanation Reid had picked up a sugar packet and emptied it into Emily's cup which she gave him a grateful look for before taking a big sip.
Xxxxxxxxxx
"What happened while i was gone?" JJ asked while rushing over to the group with a bowl of popcorn in her hands and a Spanish soap opera playing on the TV.
"I'm guessing that guy bought her that big pipe organ" Will said while taking a handful of popcorn. The scene on the TV played out for a few more minutes until it changed to two women arguing on a flight of stairs. Emily was leaning against a counter top with a phone pressed to her ear; on the other line was her mom.
"That girl should not be wearing those pants" Garcia said as the bowl was passed round to her and she grabbed a few pieces of popcorn.
"I say push her down the stairs" Morgan said through a mouthful of popcorn. Will grinned at Morgan and they started chanting 'push her, push her' until Garcia and JJ had joined in. A few moments later the screen changed again to show the woman rolling down the stairs which earned claps and cheers from most of the group.
"No mom-" Emily began which drew the group's attention before she was cut off yet again. "No, i know Barry was a nice guy but-" She tried again but the same process was repeated. "He just wasn't my type of guy!" She paused again to hear her mother's response. "I don't know what my type is but they don't float around in your social circles" Emily explained through gritted teeth after her mother offered to match make for her. "No, mom i didn't mean-" She began before the line went dead and she hung up.
"How'd it go?" JJ asked cautiously.
"Barry wants me out of the apartment and my mom is pissed at me" Emily sighed as she dropped the phone onto the counter before being led to the sofa by JJ.
"Well, maybe this is a good thing" Garcia said and sat down next to Emily.
"Yeah, getting some independence from Barry and your mom" JJ added optimistically.
"Yeah, and if you ever need anything you can always come to me" Morgan said as he leant on the back of the sofa and placed a hand on Emily's shoulder. "Me and Will live right across the hall and he's away a lot" He added with a smirk and wink.
"Morgan, stop hitting on her!" JJ said with a mix of disgust and contempt as she pushed his hand off her shoulder.
"Hey, all i'm saying is bounce backs are the best way to fix a broken heart!" Morgan said defensively as he stood and walked toward Will who was standing in the kitchen. "And Mr. Morgan is very good at fixing broken hearts" He added with a grin.
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"Isn't this great!" Emily said with a big grin. It was the next morning and she was bringing three coffee cups toward the table where Morgan and Will were sitting. "I've never made coffee before in my life!" She added.
"Amazing" Will said in a playfully sarcastic tone of voice while swallowing a yawn and taking a big sip of steaming bitter coffee.
"You know, if you're on a roll maybe you could whip up a western omelette or something?" Morgan said with a grin as he took a sip of his own coffee. Both men pulled a face, placed the coffee cups back on the table and pushed the fowl drink away from them. "Actually i'm not that hungry"
"Alright kids, i better get to work... gotta input those numbers" Will said unenthusiastically as he stood and pulled on his jacket.
"So, you guys all have jobs?" Emily asked as she sat down at the table while JJ picked up the boys' coffee cups and started washing them up.
"Yeah" JJ said with a little laugh. "That's how we buy stuff" She added in a slow way like she was talking to a child which earned her a laugh from the boys.
"Yeah, I'm an actor" Morgan said proudly once the laughter died down.
"Wow!" Emily said with a face that showed she was genuinely impressed. "Would i have seen you in anything?"
"No, it's just commercials and stuff so far" Morgan explained.
"What about that production of Pinocchio?" JJ reminded Morgan which made the man smile and nod in agreement.
Will grinned at Morgan and began mockingly "Look Geppetto! I'm a real live boy!"
"I won't take this abuse" Morgan said and faked to be offended while standing and walking towards the door.
"You're right... I'm sorry" Will said slowly then grinned. "Once I was a wooden boy, a wooden boy, a wooden boy!" Will sung loudly while pretending to be a puppet and running out of the room and into the hallway. Morgan grinned then turned and left the apartment with a look that told the girls he was going to get revenge.
"So how're you doing today? Did you sleep alright?" JJ said softly while rubbing Emily's arm.
"Yeah, yeah. I'll be fine, I just need to move on" Emily replied with a look of determination.
JJ smiled a little then stood to leave. "Have a good day" She called.
"Oh, wish me luck!" Emily said and took a step forward to follow JJ.
"What with?" JJ asked as she pulled open the door and hung on the handle for an answer.
"I'm gonna go get a job" Emily announced proudly which made JJ grin even more.
"Good luck" JJ called as she walked out into the hall and closed the door.
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Reid had his arm around his sister, JJ, whose feet were tucked neatly underneath herself while the movie came to an end. Only a few feet away Emily sat chewing on an Oreo. "Alright guys, i'm going to bed. Are you gonna crash on the couch?" JJ asked and turned to Reid after switching off the TV.
"No, i need to go back to the apartment at some point" Reid said and gave her a weak smile.
"Alright, sleep well" She said softly before hopping off the couch and going to her room. There was a small pause in which Reid reached for an Oreo and thought of what to say.
"You, um, probably don't remember but back in high school i, uh, had a major crush on you" Reid said, pausing often as his cheeks turned red and nervous laughter slipped through his voice.
"Yeah, I thought you might of..." Emily said as she tried her best to stop her own cheeks taking on a rosy colour.
Reid smiled a little to himself. "I always thought you thought of me as JJ's geeky older brother" He said while pushing a few strands of hair out of his face.
"I sort of did" Emily admitted with a half smile gracing her lips. There was another small pause as Reid dug up the courage to take a risk.
"Do you, um... Do you think it would be ok if i, uh, asked you out sometime" He said with his cheeks turning an even deeper shade of red.
"Yeah that would, um... that would definitely be ok with me" Emily answered while trying to stop the stupid smile that took hold of her face.
"Great" Reid said with a big grin before internally kicking himself for looking to eager. "Anyway, I'm really tired" He added while standing and taking a step backwards and toward the door. "But, um... I'll see you tomorrow" He said before leaving the apartment with Emily sitting in the armchair, with that stupid smile she'd been trying to stop, feeling like coming to Central Perk only a few days prior was one of the best decisions she'd made in long time.
So, i've been meaning to write this for a really long time. I've had the idea for months but i just thought that friends was such a great TV show that it would be impossible to start something this big. But i finally decided to give it a try and this was the end result! It took about a week of on/off planning to get everything right before i could even start writing plus another four days writing, rewriting and proof reading before i put this up which is definitely the longest i've spent on a single chapter/idea ever! Obviously i've had to make a few changes to characters (Reid is a little more confident, Emily is a little more naive)but having to mix two big TV shows was never going to be easy. Please review if you like the idea and want more, it took such a long time to do just one chapter i don't think i'll be able to do another if i don't get enough feedback. I hope you liked the chapter! :)