Another AU fanfic borrowing yet more concepts from the wonderful Jasper Fforde (The Eyre Affair is the first his marvellous books). This time, FRIENDS has been taking place in an alternative universe, very similar to our own except that since 2003, technology has come a long way (Extinction need not be the end: You too, can create a Dodo of your very own using a cloning kit at home, just add water). Some of that technology is not available in the US because of intellectual property disputes, animal rights campaigners, anti cloning campaigners and various other people objecting on a multitude of grounds. This is why no mention of these things appeared in the series.

Time travel has been discovered but has been kept secret by the government agencies of the few countries where the technology is available so people really don't believe in it. However, just in case some people do catch on and succumb to the temptation to go back and change history (or even worse, discover what next week's winner at the races is in order to make a killing on the betting in their own time) so time police, already exist.

Since Emily, being British, is more familiar with the new technology, we will begin with her...

Time slip

The view of Emily, 2004

Emily looked around the café. Central Perk looked the same as she'd remembered it from six years ago. Of course it should, because she was now 'six years ago' herself, thanks to the Device she'd found in the street outside her house. She called it the Device because she didn't know quite was it was, although it looked like an old fob watch. That, it certainly wasn't – or at least, that wasn't all it was. It had a clock that hurt her eyes to look at too closely. If she glanced at it, she could see the time but if she looked at it steadily she found that the numbers had a tendency to melt in front of her eyes like a Salvador Dali painting. If she blinked, they'd come back to normal again.

Opposite the clock part was a dial, which when she turned it accidentally made time run forward. After the shock she realised that this would be useful. For a start, she knew that in two years time she was going to have to make sure that she had the double glazing installed, three extra heaters and that that lovely horrendously expensive cashmere sweater she'd seen recently would be a good investment. When she turned the dial back, she found time slipping backwards.

She could change things. There was a lot about her life in the here and now that was wonderful. She had finally found a decent man. Even thinking about him made her smile. Jasper was so gorgeous. So clever. So witty. So good in bed. She sighed involuntarily at this. Even when she'd been pregnant he'd found ways... And there was her baby - well he was two now – Alun, more marvellous every day. Her job was going well.

Not everything was perfect of course but there were only minor hiccups. The Dodo she'd sequenced last month as a playmate for Alun had turned out to be such a bad tempered bird that she was using it as a guard dog at the moment instead. Just as nasty as any goose and nastier than a pit bull. Bringing extinct species back to life with a do-it-yourself kit was not all it was cracked up to be. Once she'd finished the paperwork, the Dodo was going to a Dodo farm - because of course you weren't allowed to destroy species that had been brought back from extinction by law (Once Is Enough Act 2003).

The thing that she found a problem was her past. In her memories she always skidded past the last half of 1998 and the first half of 1999. Painful times. She'd met and married Ross and then she'd rebounded back into a relationship with Colin that she had known was doomed - or else why escape to New York in the first place? She'd had a lucky escape from that one, but there had been a lot of fall out over it. She wished she could just wipe them out of her memory, but memory erasure techniques had serious problems and the slightest risk that she would erase any part of Jasper was too much of a risk for her.

She had been thinking about this problem when she found the Device and started playing with it. Going back in time. She had heard rumours about this sort of thing but it had been vigorously denied any time a hint of it reached the papers. But the Device demonstrated that it was true. And she could always make sure that she ended up meeting Jasper when she was supposed to. The date time and circumstances were engraved on her memory - so no problems there.

So now she was in 1998 just before the going away party. She'd have a nice New York holiday, which would end when it was supposed to. She planned to sneak into the bedroom after the 1998 Emily had gone to sleep and whisper in her ears messages that she hoped would have a subliminal effect along the lines of,

'Come on Emily, Ross is a right wally, all right a holiday but really, he's not your type, he's not even a good kisser and you know how important that is to you, remember Liam, now there was someone who could kiss,' and so on.

She had considered talking to the 1998 Emily face to face but wondered if that might cause problems forward in time. That might be too outrageous. In any case, she knew herself well and she knew she wouldn't listen to herself. The Emily of 1998 just rushed into things. The Emily of 2004 knew better.

'Emily?' Emily spun around, snapped out of her thoughts and back into Central Perk. It was the 1998 Rachel. 'Oh it's not you, sorry,' Rachel 1998 said. 'You just look like Emily.' Her hair was longer in 2004 than it had been in 1998, and she had become a little thinner. Emily repressed her desire to throw her coffee in Rachel 1998's face, even though at this point in time, Rachel 1998 had done nothing to hurt her, except rudely stand her up. Besides, she realised, Rachel 1998 could help.

'No, I'm Helen,' Emily said, borrowing her best friend's name, 'I'm Emily's estranged older sister. She doesn't know I'm here.'

'Oh I don't know,' Rachel 1998 said, sitting near her and studying her with curiosity. 'You don't look that strange to me. You look a lot like Emily and she doesn't look strange.'

'No what I mean is, Emily and I haven't spoken or seen each other for a long time. Years. Six years in fact.' Well it had been six years since she'd seen her 1998 face in the mirror.

'Oh,' Rachel 1998 said, 'That's too bad. It's awful when families fight.' Rachel 1998 sighed. 'I should know. My family's feuding too.'

'Oh are they?' Emily hadn't known this before.

'Yeah. But you're here, so are you here to see Emily? That would be nice if you could make things up.'

'Well I don't know,' Emily said, not certain as to how she'd proceed. 'I'm still deciding, you see. We might just start fighting again. You know how it is with sisters?'

'Oh yes, but take the chance,' Rachel said.

'Well,' Emily said, wondering how she could make use of Rachel 1998 to get into Ross's apartment before anyone else, including herself, turned up. Getting to New York had been the easy bit. 'I might think about it. Oh dear,' she said, 'There's something wrong with your make up.'

'What? What?' Rachel 1998 said.

'There,' Emily said pointing at somewhere on Rachel's face at random. Rachel whipped a compact out of her bag and scrutinised her face. She didn't see Emily take keys out of her bag. Rachel 1998 would be all right. They all had keys to each other's apartments, which was what she was counting on, and Emily could always leave this set at Ross's apartment afterward.

'Oh there,' Rachel 1998 said, 'Thanks.' Emily was surprised because she'd just invented the make up blemish but Rachel 1998 was on the lookout for anything that made her less than perfect. She was, Emily remembered, trying to get that Joshua guy. How different things would have been if she had.

'I'd better go,' Emily said, 'Please don't mention to Emily that I was here.' Rachel 1998 looked a little disappointed.

'But why?'

'No, I'll talk to Emily in England, it was nice meeting you.'

'Nice meeting you too Helen,' Rachel 1998 called as Emily left Central Perk.

So she had the keys in her hand and all she had to do was wait until Ross 1998 had gone and then she could hide in the bedroom - maybe not the bedroom, since she had no desire to hear herself making love, let alone to a man she had learned to loathe - or another room until he returned with Emily 1998.

Later that evening she was sitting in the main room, confident that she knew what time Ross 1998 would be returning with Emily 1998 when she heard a sound that shocked her. The door was opening - how could they be back so soon? But it wasn't Ross 1998 and Emily 1998. It was Rachel. A different Rachel from the one in the coffee shop. Older.

'What the hell are you doing here?' Rachel demanded.

Next instalment: The view of Rachel, 2004