Chapter One
It was a typical Saturday morning, especially in New York City for a group of friends in their mid-twenties. Five out of these six friends sat in their favourite coffee shop, Central Perk, talking about the usual randomness over their usual cups of coffees while sitting on their usual sofa.
Ross Gheller was an archelogist who worked at the local museum and enjoyed everything there was to know about dinosaurs. He had already been married once, but it all ended rather badly when he discovered his wife was a lesbian and took off for another woman. At least he got a son out of the marriage, a little one named Ben, who he mostly saw on weekends.
Rachel Greene was Ross's girlfriend and worked for a fashion designer, a job she had dreamed of having her whole life. She came to know her friends after she left her fiancee at the alter a few years back. She went from a life of riches and spoiled by her parents to fending for herself and living in a small apartment with her best friend. But now, she wouldn't trade it for the world.
Joey Tribiani was the goofball of the group. He was also quite the player. It seemed he was seeing a new girl almost every week. It was hard for everyone else to keep up with him. He was also an actor, landing a role as Dr. Drake Ramoray on the hit soap opera, Days of our Lives. Joey was always good for a laugh.
Chandler Bing was Joey's roommate, and the two of them lived across the hall from Rachel and Monica. His parents divorced when he was little, and he used this as his reason for coming up with jokes for every situation. Chandler was incredibly sarcastic, but when it really came down to it, he was always there for his friends.
Phoebe Buffay was a free spirit. She was a massage therapist and on the side, she wrote her own music, playing acts at Central Perk every once in a while. Phoebe was a little naive in some ways, and some might even call her ditzy. But she was a unique addition to the small group of friends that had accumulated in New York City.
Then there was Monica Gheller, who wasn't present that day at the coffee shop. Monica was Ross's little sister, and shared an apartment with Rachel. She came a long way since her high school days, when she weight at least four times more. Her friends would call Monica a control freak, anal and a perfectionist.
The six had been best friends for a few years now, but to them, it seemed as though they had known each other a lifetime.
"All I'm saying is it's not fair!" Chandler retorted, placing his coffee cup down hard. "Everyone has a date this weekend but me!" He was referring to the fact that his roommate, Joey, always had a date, not to mention Monica had a boyfriend and Ross and Rachel were always together. Phoebe came and sat down beside him. She gave him a condescending pat on the head.
"Aww, don't feel bad Chandler. Not everyone has a date this weekend. I don't have a date." She pointed out. Chandler perked up a little.
"Really?" He asked. Phoebe nodded.
"Uh-huh, so there, you aren't a loser." She said with a smile. Chandler smiled back, but wasn't exactly sure what she meant.
Suddenly, a man nobody recognized hovered by the couch they were all sitting around. He had eyes for Phoebe.
"Excuse me." He said. Phoebe looked up, just as surprised as everyone else for the sudden stranger.
"I was just sitting over there," the guy pointed to a lone seat and looked back at Phoebe, "I just...well, I couldn't take my eyes off of you. I know this is a stretch, since we've just met, but would you...would you do me the honors of going out to dinner with me tonight?" Chandler looked away bitterly. Phoebe was ecstatic.
"Yeah, okay." Phoebe said with a giddy giggle. "Meet me here at 7pm?" The guy nodded with red cheeks and left the coffee shop. Joey, Ross and Rachel all began talking at once.
"Wow, Phoebe, you flame!" Rachel exclaimed.
"Yeah, easy way to get a date." Ross added.
Joey just nodded with a sly grin. Chandler sighed.
"So much for suffering together in silence." He moped. Phoebe glared at him.
"Oh what is your problem? Why don't you just go up and ask some random girl out?" She asked. Chandler glared back.
"Because it comes across as desperate."
"Woah man!" Joey put up a hand. "If that were true, do you think I'd have the luck with women that I do?"
"Anyway, you don't even know him, Phoebe. Don't you think that's a little risky?" Chandler asked, ignoring Joey's comment. Phoebe raised an eyebrow.
"Oh please, Chandler. If that had been a woman coming to ask you out, you would have been buying her a diamond ring before she even made it to the door." She pointed out. Chandler opened his mouth to argue, but then closed it. She was right. He leaned back with a mope.
"I'm pathetic." He sighed.
"Oh hey! Guys, I forgot to tell you. Frank's coming to visit next week!" Phoebe said with a smile of glee written across her face. She was met with blank stares. She sighed.
"You don't know who Frank is, do you?" She asked. Everybody shook their heads.
"Frank Jr. You know, my little brother? The one I just found out about a few weeks ago?" Phoebe explained.
"Oh!" Everybody remembered. It was true, only weeks earlier, Phoebe had finally gotten up the courage to find her birth father, but she did not find him. She did, however, find out she had a little brother, half brother actually, named Frank Jr. He was 18, just a teenager, but Phoebe's blood relative nonetheless. Phoebe couldn't have been more excited.
"Is he staying with you?" Rachel wanted to know.
"Yeah, he'll stay in the spare room in the apartment. He said he's really excited about coming to the city. Even though he already lives in a city, he thinks it will be cool to actually see this city." Phoebe said. Ross quietly marvelled at how similar Phoebe's little brother seemed to Phoebe herself.
"Yeah I still think it's really weird that I have a little brother who's only a teenager. You know, he hasn't even experienced life yet. It's really cool that I get to be a part of his life and shape the way he'll grow up." Phoebe said. Chandler had to admit, that thought scared him a little.
Phoebe began sipping her coffee quietly, and Chandler only watched as Ross and Rachel began chatting quietly, whispering "sweet nothings" and holding hands. Chandler sighed loudly.
"Do you really have to do that in the presence of the sad single?" He asked bitterly. Ross and Rachel didn't even look up. Joey patted his roommate on the shoulder.
"Hey man, don't worry 'bout it. I know this girl I work with on Days of our Lives. She's single, your age, I can hook you up. Her name's Kristen. I think you'd be perfect for each other." He said. Chandler's face lit up.
"Really?" He asked. Joey nodded.
"Yeah don't worry about it. I'll talk to her tomorrow and see if she's interested." He replied.
"Joe, just do me a favour." Chandler pleaded. "Don't tell her anything truthful about me!"
"Hey guys!" Monica exclaimed as she entered the coffee shop and hovered over the sofa where her friends were hanging out.
"Hey Monica, where have you been?" Rachel asked.
"Well I would have been down sooner but I've been on the phone with my parents. They said they wanted to meet with me. Meet with me. Like right now, right away. I'm not panicking though, why would I panic? No big deal, just a lunch date with mom and dad." Monica replied, clearly agitated. Ross, her brother, looked up curiously.
"That's weird, since when do mom and dad actually want to hang out with you?" He asked, earning him a hard glare from Monica. Then her face dropped.
"Oh who am I kidding? You're right Ross. Mom and dad aren't exactly the parents of the year, and they definitely don't hang out. Why would they want to get together to talk? And why can't it wait? What is so urgent that it has to be talked about in person and right away?" Monica breathed out. "They said they had to talk to me about something. Not Ross, just me, so what did I do wrong this time? Are they going to tell me again how wrong it is for me to be dating Richard because he's a friend of daddy's and too old? Are they going to criticize me for being unemployed? What?"
"Mon, maybe they just want to tell you how much of a wonderful daughter you've been!" Phoebe exclaimed, but it was clear from the reception she received from her friends that was definitely not the case.
Monica breathed out.
"I'll be back in a while. Please be around. I'll probably need emotional support." She turned to leave. "Whatever it's about, I can guaruntee it won't be fun."