Okay, this is my first fanfic, and it'll probably suck a little! Don't say I didn't warn you! Monica and Chandler don't know each other…Mon and Rachel are best friends, and the rest will be introduced in this fic (I hope! lol) Everyone's single!  This takes place sometime before they got old (lol)…they're like 22/23/24 years old…now on with the story!

Disclaimer: I don't own these characters, or any songs that I may use

               "Oh my god, Monica! This is sooo great! Aren't you excited??!" Rachel squealed and squeezed the handles on her suitcases. "We're actually gonna get outta this city!! Oh my god, I'm so excited!!! We'll be like starting a new life! Across the country!!"

               "Rach…calm down. People are looking…" Monica mumbled through gritted teeth. The people around them looked on with strange faces.

               "I know Mon, but oh my god, this is just too exciting. Think about it, we'll be off in California, on our own, free from our parents!!!" Rachel giggled like a little schoolgirl.

               "College freshmen?" a man, about 27 years old, asked Monica and Rachel, focusing mainly on Monica. They both looked confused, and after a short pause, broke out laughing.

               "College? Us? No, we just got outta college. We're 22 actually. Just moving to California. My friend here thinks this is some huge change in our lives. Kinda like the time we switched from Macy's to Bloomingdale's." Monica silently laughed.

               "Actually, your friend's got a point. Moving all the way from New York City to California is a big change. It's actually really great down there! What part are you moving to?" the man asked, then nodded ahead as the waiting line began to move.

               "Uhh, she'll be living in San Fransisco. She got a job as an assistant buyer near Union Square. And I'll be in Greystone, Sonoma Valley," Monica picked her bags up and hauled it a few steps forward.

               "Greystone! Are you attending the Culinary Institute of America?"

               "Yeah! Have you been there?"

               "Yeah, actually, my aunty teaches the students there. It's really nice. Well, if you'll be living in Sonoma Valley, that's the complete opposite of here! It's total country."
               "See Mon! I told you this was a huge change!!! Wait, come on, I think they just called our names!" Rachel struggled to wheel her cart and suitcases to the front desk. Monica smiled at the man, and pushed her luggage ahead as well. 'God, finally.' She thought. They had been waiting in line for 40 minutes at JFK airport, and the loud, irritable crowd did not make it any more comfortable. After getting everything checked and cleared on the front desk, Monica and Rachel handed the airport facilitators their entire luggage, took their carry-on's, and headed through the metal detectors. Once they arrived at their gate, they were shocked to find it practically empty.

               "Whoa! Where is everybody?" Rachel rhetorically asked, while putting her bag down, and sitting on the black waiting chair.

               "I dunno, but Ross should be here soon. He just sent left me a message," Monica was saying as she listened to her brother's message on her phone. It must have been so loud in the airport that she didn't hear it ring. "He's waiting in line right now, so I'd give him about half an hour. When does this flight leave?"

               "Don't ask me Mon. I don't pay attention to things like that, remember?" Rachel replied nonchalantly while flipping through Cosmo. Monica groaned in disgust.

               "Hey guys!!" Ross came running up to them with a small duffle bag. He hugged Monica and kissed her on the cheek, then hugged Rachel.

               "Ross?! How'd you get here so fast?! I just heard your message, we were expecting you to take like, half an hour or something!" Monica was shocked.

               "Yeah, that's what I thought too, but it turns out that Carol's dad works here! Yeah, although we're divorced, I think he's still taking a liking to me! Well anyway, he saw me, and opened up another counter…just for me!" Ross put his bag down. "So, why is this place so empty?"

               "Got me. Hey, uhh Mon, I'm gonna go run to that store near gate 28. I need more magazines. Okay?" Rachel grabbed her purse and stood up.

               "Sure, and can you pick me up a bottle of water?"

               "Of course. Ross, you want anything?"

               "Yeah, could you get me a bottle of water too? Oh! And I almost forgot, I've been dying to get this month's copy of Scientific American!" Ross smiled at the two girls excitedly.

               "Okay…sure." Rachel left with an uncertain face.

               At the store, Rachel carefully picked out her selection of five different magazines, and after a while of searching, found Ross' magazine in a small corner of the newsstand. She found three bottles of water, and picked up a bag of M&M's and Skittles. As she waited in line, she noticed the boy in front of her had an issue of Playboy in his hands. Rachel eyed him oddly. He couldn't have been older than 10 years old. 'I don't wanna know what kinda parents he has' She watched as he walked away and gave the magazine to an older man, around Rachel's age.

               "Oh my god!" she said aloud. The cashier looked quizzically at her. "I'm sorry, excuse me, I'll be right back." She went to the entrance of the store where the little boy and the man were.

               "Aren't you Joey Tribbiani?" Rachel looked at the man with a gleam in her eye.

               "Yes…that's me. Why, do you want an autograph?" Joey tilted his head with a sly grin. Rachel looked around for something to sign on, but found nothing. She gave up and gave him one of her magazines. Joey hesitantly took it, and signed it.

               "Thank you! Is that your son?" Rachel pointed to the little boy.

               "Huh? Oh, Ryan? No…of course not. You think I'd tell my son to buy me an issue of Playboy? He's my agent's nephew."

               "Oh! Okay, well, I'd better get going. Umm…where are you off to?" Rachel asked.

               "I just landed here in New York. The premiere for my new movie Business Talk is here. You should see it. It's a good movie."

               "Okay, I will! It was nice to meet you! Bye!" Rachel ran off to tell Monica and Ross about her encounter with Joey Tribbiani, but only after stopping and realizing she forgot to pay.

               "Mon! Ross! You will never believe who I just ran into!!!"

               "Benjamin Franklin?" Ross asked sarcastically. No one laughed. Except for him.

               "No…Joey Tribbiani!!! From Days of Our Lives!!! And that other movie, uhhh, The Window in the Attic. [AN: sorry, I couldn't think of another title!] I saw him! He was at the magazine store!! I got his autograph too!!! See…" Rachel held up her latest issue of Vouge, which possessed the signature of Joey Tribbiani.

               "Wow! Oh my god! You're so lucky! Joey's really cute!" Monica giggled giddily.

               "I know! He's staying here for his premiere of Business Talk. We have to go see that when it comes out!"

               After waiting for another hour and a half, the gate announcer finally started boarding. Rachel, Monica, and Ross were all sitting next to each other in the coach section. Rachel watched jealously as the first class passengers found their seats on the plane. "Look at that! They get so much more room for their feet!! And their chairs are made of leather…leather!"

               "I'm sorry, my friend drinks wine with her breakfast." Monica pushed Rachel ahead while smiling politely at the confused passengers. Once they were seated in their seats, the captain's animated voice was heard on the speakers.

               "Gooooood morning everyone! This is your captain speaking. Welcome aboard United Airlines flight 28 to San Fransisco. This will be a non-stop flight to SFO airport, at which we will be arriving at precisely 9:35 western time. The flight will be about 7 hours and 40 minutes long. We will be serving a small snack and dinner. Please fasten your seatbelts when the fasten seatbelt sign is illuminated. However, we recommend that you keep your seatbelt fastened at all times, regardless of the sign. There shall be no smoking at all on the aircraft, and please turn off all cell phones, pagers, and other electronic devices. We will be showing you a safety video in just a few short minutes. Thank you for your time, and thank you for flying United."

               "Ooooh this is so exciting!!! In just 7 hours and 40 minutes we'll be across the country in our new home!!" Rachel squealed again as she fastened her seatbelt.

               "Actually, we'll be staying at a hotel for the first couple of days, so we won't really be 'in our new home', just in San Fransisco." Ross, being the irritating correcting freak that he is, kindly corrected Rachel, who just rolled her eyes at him.

               "Ross, please, I am trying to enjoy our flight. Please don't ruin it by talking," Monica told Ross, just as the plane started to move away from the terminal.

               "Please don't ruin it by talking," Ross ultrasonically mimicked his sister.

               "Okay, are you guys gonna be like this the whole flight? Because if you are, I think I'll just trade places with that big, old bald man across of us." Rachel smirked. Ross and Monica looked at each other worriedly.

               "You bitch!! You said you'd share your coke with me!!" Ross yelled at Monica. They were constantly fighting, and it had now been 5 hours into the flight.

               "I didn't say I'd share it with you!! I said that I might share it with you if I felt like it! And now…I'm not really feeling like it!"

               "So what, I'm just supposed to sit here and drink nothing! I'm parched!"

               "Good…for…you!"

               "Monica! Come on, just a tiny little sip! Hey, I shared my water with you!"

               "Only because you split mine when you got so excited about that stupid article in your stupid science magazine, which, by the way, is geeky!!!"

               "Just so you know, geeky isn't even a real word!! It's a slang for stupid people like you!"

               "Shut up!!! You and your corrections! You're like a walking, obnoxious dictionary with oily hair!" Monica silenced him and put her earphones on. Ross rolled his eyes at Monica, and turned to put on his earphones, but quickly realizes he didn't buy any.

               "Goooood evening everyone! This is your captain speaking! We are now preparing for landing. Please fasten your seatbelts and return your chairs and tables to the upright position. Make sure all carry-on's are safely stored above you or below the chair in front of you. The weather in San Fransisco is very cloudy and cold. The temperature is presently 50 degrees Fahrenheit. Once you arrive at SFO, report to baggage claim G, G as in girl. Again, we are preparing for landing, and thank you for flying United."

               "G…baggage claim G…where the hell is baggage claim G??!" Rachel stomped on the ground, frustrated.

               "Umm, it's right there, under the big sign that reads 'G'." Monica pointed out. Ross and an embarrassed Rachel followed Monica to pick up their luggage. It was very crowded at SFO. Once they managed to squeeze through the crowd and pick up all of their heavy luggage, they wheeled it all outside.

               "Okay, where's the shuttle to the Serrano hotel supposed to pick us up?" Monica squinted her eyes as she tried to read the signs.

               "I think it's stop 8, which is further down. Come on; let's hurry before they leave us." Ross and Monica wheeled their luggage, with a struggling Rachel in tow. They got to the stop just in time. After loading everything on the shuttle, they took off at a shocking 95 mph. [AN: sorry, that may not be shocking to some people, but in Hawaii, we drive slower, so it was shocking to me when our shuttle driver went that fast…] It took around 2 hours to get to the hotel. Once they settled in, it was 1:00 am. They were tired, yet very excited. Of course, Rachel was the most excited. She ran into their hotel room and opened the curtains to the balcony, revealing a spectacular view of the city.

               "Oh my god! Monica, come look at this!! It looks almost like New York!" Rachel's eyes were twinkling. She suddenly gasped. "Look!!! It's Saks!!! Right there! Look how big it is!" she gasped again, "And there's Macy's!!! All 5 stories of it…" Rachel stared off dreamily into the city's lights.

               Ross suddenly came running out of the bathroom holding shampoo in his hands. "Mon! You gotta smell these babies!! It's like heaven!" Ross opened a bottle and smelled it.

               Monica rolled her eyes and sat down on one of the beds. She sighed heavily and closed her eyes. As much as she wanted to start her life here, in this beautiful state, she missed New York. It was hard for her to let it go. That was her home…where she lived her whole life. Rachel, on the other hand, was born in LA and moved to New York when she was 9. Ross didn't really seem to care anyway. He had moved to San Fransisco because he had been offered a job at the Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate Park.

               After a week had gone by, they were all ready to move into their new residencies. [AN: I know it takes longer to find a house and all…but c'mon, it's just a fanFICTION] Rachel and Ross were going to remain in the city. Ross had found a nice apartment in Haight Ashbury. He had a half an hour drive to the science academy. Rachel lived not to far away, near Union Square, in a large apartment complex. Her department was right near Macy's, which was about a 15-minute drive. Monica, however, drove another 2 hours to get to her new home. It was a small cottage in Greystone, in Sonoma Valley. The man at the airport had been right; Sonoma Valley was very country-like. She could walk to the nearest church, grocery store, and even a winery a few blocks down. Although she had lived in the city for most her life, she had a strange connection with the new country living. It was beautiful there. It was a half an hour drive down a long country road to the Culinary Institute of America. The Conn Creek Winery was just across the street [AN: it's really not, but oh well].

               "Hey, you're Monica right?" a tall, slender girl walked up to Monica while she was walking to her class [AN: I've never been to a cooking school, so I don't really know what exactly happens…but I'm just gonna say that they have one class…]

               "Yeah, why?" Monica turned around.

               "You're new here. My name's Hazel, Hazel Jon."

               "Hi, I'm Monica Geller. Hazel…that's a nice name," Monica and Hazel started the long walk up the steps to their next class.

               "Thanks. My mom gave it to me because of my eyes."

               "But, your eyes are blue," Monica pointed out.

               "Oh, no these are contacts! My real eye color is Hazel brown." She laughed. "Gosh, don't you wish we were allowed to use those elevators? These stairs are tiring! Especially when your class is all the way on the 3rd floor! We're in the same class, right?"

               "Pastry?"

               "Yup. Don't worry Ms. Robbie is really nice. She even lets you eat the left over cookies from the night before!" Hazel stopped for a while to catch her breath. "So, where are you from?"

               "New York City."

               "The city?! Wow! Must be a big change for you!" Hazel and Monica started walking again.

               "Yeah, but it's really beautiful out here! Especially the vineyards; they seem so…romantic." Monica laughed.

               "I know what you mean. My fiancé just proposed to me at the Conn Creek, right across the street." Hazel smiled.

               "Oh wow! Congratulations!" Monica was delighted for Hazel.

               "Thanks. Well, here we are! Finally!" Hazel showed Monica where to sit. "I feel like I walked up Mount Everest. I mean, I know I do this every day, but it just seems to be getting harder and harder. It's a good work out though!" They both laughed and took their seats. 'Hazel seems really nice. I guess making friends here won't be as hard as I thought!' Monica smiled to herself, and snapped to attention when Ms. Robbie entered the room.

               Ross stepped into the Academy of Sciences full of confidence and pride. He had been offered to give presentations in the Earth Science department. He walked to the front desk and asked the man where he could find Mr. Norville. Ross walked off, following the directions that had been given to him.

               "Mr. Norville?" Ross peeked his head into a small room in the corner of the entrance. A skinny, balding man with a strange sweater vest on turned around in his chair. He had on dark, wire-rimmed glasses.

               "Yes?" he answered politely.

               "Hello, I'm Ross Geller. The new speaker for the Earth Science department." Ross stuck his hand out towards Mr. Norville, who graciously shook it.

               "Oh! Ross Geller, please, have a seat." He motioned toward the chair in front of his desk. "Welcome to the Academy of Sciences. I assume you want to get started right away. Follow me and I'll show you where you'll be working… for the rest of your life. Hopefully." Mr. Norville smiled politely, regardless of his subtle threat. Ross, a little scared, followed him out of the building he had first entered, across an outdoor eating area, and into a second building with the title "Earth Science" in bold letters. Another man, around Ross' age and built, appeared from a dark room in the building.

               "This is Michael Canal. He will get you settled and show you what you need to do. Enjoy." With that, Mr. Norville left Ross with Michael.

               "Oh…my…god! Rachel Green?!" a high pitched voice came from behind Rachel as she stood in the entrance of her new office. Rachel whipped her head around at the familiar voice. She gasped when she saw who it was.

               "Cindy?! Wow! What are you doing here?" Rachel pulled her old friend into a big hug.

               "I work here! Yeah, I'm an assistant buyer in Heddy's department," Cindy explained.

               "Really?!? Me too!! Oh my god, this is so amazing! We can catch up on old times! I haven't seen you since like, four years ago! How have you been?" Rachel and Cindy took a seat in her new office.

               "Fine, I've been fine. I broke up with Henry though." Cindy looked down at her feet.

               "Oh no! Why?"

               "He was too overprotective when he found out I was moving to San Fransisco. I guess he didn't mind going to UCLA with me, but for some reason he didn't wanna go to San Fransisco. I think it has to do with his parents. Well, anyway, so I moved here a few months ago, and he thought every guy I met I would sleep with. So, I ended things with that bastard."

               "Wow…I'm sorry. I was sure that you two would get married or something!" Rachel laughed uncomfortably. "Well, ummm, I just moved here about a week or so ago. I came with Monica-you remember Monica right?"

               "Yeah! She was sweet,"

               "Yeah, well, I came with her and her brother, Ross. She lives all the way in Sonoma Valley though, so we visit each other on the weekends, but we talk every night." Rachel looked up right when her boss, Heddy, walked in. She told Cindy that it was time to go back to work. Rachel had a short meeting with her about what she needed to do as her assistant buyer.

               "Thank you for your time Rachel. You'll fit in perfectly here."

               Monica and Hazel became closer friends. Not as close as her and Rachel though. 'No one will replace Rachel.' They were just about to walk their long flight of steps to class on Monica's 3rd day of school, when Hazel suddenly shouted, "Let's take the elevator!"

               "What? Hazel, the students aren't allowed to use those." Monica reminded her.

               "I know, I know, but I really don't feel like walking all of those long…tiring stairs!! Please, look, no one's even paying attention. We can just sneak on! Please???" Hazel begged with puppy dog eyes.

               After a few seconds of thinking, Monica finally replied. "Okay…fine, but if we get caught, it's all your fault!" she smiled jokingly as she snuck over to the elevator and pushed the button.

               "Can I ask you something, Hazel?" Monica asked as they waited for the elevator. Hazel nodded. "Why don't you want to walk up those stairs? It's not that tiring. I mean, is something wrong? Like, why are you dreading to walk up those stairs everyday?"

               Hazel looked down at her feet. "They're just really tiring. I get tired easily, that's all."

               "Are you sure?" Monica said skeptically.

               "Fine, I guess I should be honest with you if we're going to keep hanging out. I mean, you'll find out sooner or later." Hazel paused and looked up at Monica. "I'm pregnant."

               Just then, the doors to the elevator opened. A young man with blue eyes and tan skin stepped out of the elevator. He had a coffee mug in his right hand. "Oh, hey Hazel!"

               "Hey!! Oh yeah, I forgot you made your coffee here! You guys still didn't get a coffee maker?" Hazel asked the stranger.

               "Nope. Don't think my boss likes coffee." He laughed and started walking away. "Bye Hazel, see you later!"

               "Bye Chandler!"

that's the end of the first part…please leave a review! ;)