The Distance

By Mary Grace

Author's note: Hey guys! I know I haven't written anything in awhile, but the idea for this fic just came to me one night. I hope you like it! It's an RnR fic, but the other four characters are very much included. It has nothing to do with any actual storylines from the real show.

Characterization: The characters are much younger: Rachel, Monica and Phoebe are about 22, and have just graduated from college. Ross, Chandler and Joey are 24. Ross is in grad school, working on his PhD. Chandler is a Business Exec. Joey is an actor on DOOL. Phoebe is a songwriter. Monica is a chef. Rachel is a fashion designer. Monica went to college in San Francisco, California where she met Rachel. They were roommates. Monica went to the Culinary Institute while Rachel went to the Academy of Art. Rachel lives in SF permanently and Monica is originally from New York. Chandler and Monica are high school sweethearts. Now, on with the show. 

Disclaimer: I own no one and no one owns me.

            "Rachel! Over here!" cried Monica as she waved her hands frantically trying to grab her best friend's attention. Rachel heard her name being called by a familiar voice. She turned around, her eyes wandering over the crowd in front of her, finally catching a glimpse of a familiar brunette wearing an ecstatic smile. Warmth touched her heart. Rachel politely fought her way through the crowd to the other end of the airport, realizing just how much she missed that smile.

            "Mon!" squealed Rachel as they embraced in a long anticipated hug.

            "You're here!"

            "Are you kidding?! You're getting married! No way would I miss this!" They loosened their grip to face each other. Rachel wiped Monica's cheek with her hand lovingly as they both smiled through tears.

            "Yeah..." whispered Monica in realization, "I'm getting married." She gave Rachel a grateful glance. "I'm so glad you're here. I would NEVER be able to get through this without you!"

            "I know," she smiled coyly at Monica. They both took deep breaths to calm themselves down.

            "Hey Rachel!" said Chandler as he approached the girls. "It's good to see you again." They embraced in a quick hug.

            "Likewise," she agreed.

            "Where's your luggage? I've got a cab waiting for us outside."

            "Right here," answered Rachel. She signified to the five very large suitcases behind her. Chandler winced in surprise.

            "Hmm...we might need two cabs," he teased.

*******

            As they left La Guardia Airport, Rachel stared out her window amazed. She had never been to New York City before. It reminded her of San Francisco, except that it was MUCH bigger. The skyscrapers seemed taller as well.

            About forty-five minutes later, they reached a less congested suburban area. The cab finally stopped in front of a comfy-looking, two-story, Victorian style house.

            "This is where I grew up," explained Monica.

            "It's gorgeous Mon," complimented Rachel.

            "I'm so excited!" said Monica. "You're finally going to get to meet my family and friends!" Rachel nodded nervously. She wanted to make a good impression, especially since she was going to be Monica's Maid of Honor. When they used to live together in San Francisco, Chandler was the only one who would fly over to visit. She heard so much about Ross, Phoebe, Joey and Monica's parents, but Rachel hadn't met any of them. She held her breath as they made their way into the house. Chandler paid the cab driver and attempted to carry the suitcases. "Mom! Dad! Rachel's here!" called Monica into the house. The girls heard footsteps coming down the stairs.

            "So you're Rachel!" exclaimed Judy happily. "We've heard so much about you!" She delicately took Rachel in a hug.

            "Thank you so much for flying over for our little Harmonica's wedding!" said Jack as he too hugged Rachel.

            "Thank you so much for having me here," smiled Rachel. A loud "thud" interrupted their greeting. The four of them turned around to see Chandler on the floor with a pile of suitcases toppled over him. They tried to stifle a laugh but it was unsuccessful. Chandler smirked sarcastically as he slowly got up to collect himself.

            "So where's Ross?" asked Monica.

            "He has a late lecture tonight. He should be here soon," answered Jack.

            "And Joey and Phoebe?" asked Chandler.

            "Oh, they can't make it to dinner. Joey's gonna be on the set for the whole night and Phoebe's grandma's sick. They'll definitely be at the rehearsal tomorrow, though."

            "Why don't you show Rachel to her room, Monica? Then you can freshen up for dinner," suggested Judy.

            "Sure, Mom." Monica glanced over her shoulder at Chandler who was once again attempting to lift the suitcases. "Sweetie, why don't you just leave those for Ross? I'm sure he won't mind carrying them up to Rachel's room later." Chandler didn't know whether to be insulted or relieved. Instead, he shrugged slightly before he dropped the suitcases and joined Jack in the living room to watch TV.

            "Here's the guest room, Rach. I hope it's okay," said Monica.

            "It's perfect. Thanks." She gave Monica a grateful smile before her eyes wandered over the walls of the room in a daze. Monica watched Rachel intently.

            "So why didn't Jay come?" asked Monica suddenly. Rachel stared at her shocked.

            "How did you know what I was thinking?!"

            "Rach," started Monica. "We're best friends for a reason."

            "Right..." agreed Rachel. She sighed heavily. "Am I not a good girlfriend or something?" Rachel and Monica slumped down on the bed. "He knows how important this is. You're my best friend! It wouldn't have killed him to share this with me..."

            "Then why isn't he?"

            "He said he'd just feel uncomfortable around a bunch of people he didn't know. Then he'd end up ruining my fun and he didn't want to do that..."

            "Sounds reasonable," began Monica.

            "Yeah, but I know that's not it," figured Rachel. "I mean, he's in advertising! He HAS to have some kind of 'people' skills in order to do his job, right?"

            "Then why didn't you try to find out the real reason why he didn't want to go?"

            "Because I'm tired of arguing, and I know that's what it'll lead to." Rachel shook her head sadly. "I've spent the last two years trying to make this relationship work..." She paused a moment to stare blankly ahead before she continued. "You want to know what I don't get? I can't remember the last time we were actually happy...isn't that a sign to get out of the relationship?" Rachel looked over at Monica to see her response.

            "I don't know if it's a sign to get out," replied Monica. "But I'm sure it's not a good thing." Rachel nodded in agreement. Almost instantaneously, her cell phone rang. It was Jay.

            "I'll be right back, Monica." Rachel got up and rushed outside before she answered the call. "Hello?"

            "Hey you, did you have a good flight?" asked Jay.

            "Yeah, I'm kind of tired though," she answered.

            "That's good..." They shared a moment of silence. "So, umm...I guess that's it. I'll call you later to say goodnight, okay?" Rachel wasn't surprised, but she was angry.

            "That's it? That's all you have to say?" she tried her best to not sound irritated.

            "Uh, yeah," he answered unsurely. "Why do you sound angry?"
            "Jay!" breathed Rachel sadly. "How about, 'I miss you', or 'I'm sorry I couldn't be there', or 'I hope you have a great time'?! You used to NEVER want to get off the phone with me and now it's like you can't wait to get off!"

            "Okay, where the hell is all of this coming from?" asked Jay annoyed. Rachel bit her lip to stop her eyes from watering.

            "I'm not happy Jay..." she whispered. "It's like we're together for the sake of not being alone. We're not in love anymore..."

            "What?! Okay, Rachel I'm not understanding any of this. You felt you had wait until you were thousands of miles away from me to tell me this?!"

            "Why didn't you want to come to New York with me?!" asked Rachel suddenly. The phone fell silent once more.

            "So this is what this is about," he began bitterly. "I already TOLD you Rachel! Why are you being so difficult?!"

            "No. I want to know the REAL reason why. You know how much you being here means to me! I just don't understand-" He cut her off.

            "Rachel, I just got home from work. I'm tired. I'm hungry. And now I'm annoyed. Can we please continue this conversation later?" Rachel didn't answer. Jay waited patiently for a response. Finally after a few minutes, she spoke.

            "It's over, Jay." She said simply. He did a double take into the receiver. He couldn't have heard right, could he?

            "Excuse me?" he asked shocked.

            "We tried. We've been trying for two years. I'm not happy. You're obviously not happy. We both know this is never going to work and I don't want to keep pretending that it will." Rachel felt her heart breaking. She heard nothing on the other end. "Jay?"

            "Whatever..." he said icily.

            "I'm sorry."

            "Bye Rachel," he hung up before she could respond. Rachel turned off her phone and wiped the wetness from her eyes. They burned. A slight wind touched her skin. The breeze forced her soft, blonde hair to graze her face, but it did much more than that. A wave of contentment swept through her as she realized that for the first time in so long, her heart felt free. Her thoughts were broken by the sound of footsteps behind her.

            "Uh...are you okay?" asked a male voice softly. Taken aback, Rachel turned around to see a handsome, concerned face looking down at her.

            Her eyes locked on his. Her mouth opened, but she couldn't speak. It didn't matter. Ross couldn't speak either. He was completely breath taken. For a moment, the world disappeared. As the gaze continued, a mixture of emotions flooded their hearts and countless waves of electricity ran through their bodies. It was surreal. Ross swallowed hard before he lifted his hand to dry her delicate cheek. "I'm-I'm Ross..." he whispered hoarsely, staring intently into her eyes.

            "I'm Rachel..."

To be continued...