This is my first attempt on writing a one shot that is set during the season; I have already written two short stories (Boxes and Drawers, Brotherly Love) that both happen after the last episode and so does my in progress long story, Close Encounters.

This is not a real AU, because I think this is something that might have happened after the end of the episode.

I like to imagine that a conversation between Ross and Rachel actually happened because it's impossible to even think that after breaking up with Joey she would not talk about it with him.

And I am pretty sure that Rachel would compare the failure of the relationship with Joey to the longest and most important relationship she ever had.

So, this is totally Roschel material, Roey shipper stay away =)

RT

Rachel came out of her bedroom to take a glass of water.

Joey was sitting on the yellow couch; the ice-bucket was still on his sore spot.

"Hey, is it getting better?" she asked him.

"A little…Hey, Rach, would you help me getting to my bedroom? I think I'd rather lying down on my bed for a while."

"Oh, sure!" she replied.

She walked towards Joey and helped him to stand up, then she put her left arm under his and Joey put his right one on her shoulders.

"Oh, God, I do hope THIS is still going to work or I am in serious trouble."

Rachel sighed, "Again, I'm so sorry, Joey."

"Don't worry, Rach…" he said, falling on his bed with a thud.

"Goodnight, Joe."

"'Night."

Rachel closed Joey's bedroom door behind her, she walked towards the counter to drink her glass of water.

She was heading for her own bedroom, when she heard somebody knocking softly at the door.

She wasn't expecting any visitors, so when she opened the door she was very surprised to realize that Ross had been the one knocking.

"Hi!" she said, a bit concerned about his sudden appearance. "Are we starting to knock before entering, now? Since when?" she asked, smiling at him and trying so hard not to laugh out loud at his brown tan.

"Well…I'm feeling a little uncomfortable now that you and Joey are together…you know, since…I mean, after I saw you…"

"Oh…" Rachel nodded in comprehension and Ross coughed to ease the tension.

Rachel understood his predicament. A few days ago, Ross had found the two of them making out after opening that door as he always did. They were kissing passionately and he had been silent for a couple of minutes before starting to bubbling out weird sentences to try and convince them that he was fine.

There was no doubt that he was still feeling bad about what had happened and the fact that he was now knocking at that door was a clear sign of the fact that he wasn't ready to see them kissing or hugging, not yet. Rachel suddenly felt a huge pang of regret and guilt in her stomach.

Not more than a few minutes before she'd broken up with Joey, if you can consider a few kisses and hugs exchanged during a week a relationship. But was she ready to tell Ross?

"So, why are you here so late?" she asked him.

"Well…" Ross was starting to talk, but his attention was caught for a moment by something else.

Rachel was underdressed. She was wearing a light pink tank top and a pair of grey tight trousers. He couldn't help but notice that she wasn't wearing a bra, which wasn't unusual for Rachel before going to bed, but tonight this was a detail that Ross didn't really want to ponder about. He tried to look away from Rachel and his stare fell on Joey's bedroom door. Rachel smiled to herself because she noticed that Ross had blushed, so he had looked elsewhere. She could still read his silent signs of embarrassment better than anyone.

"Wait a minute…" Ross realized, "Weren't you and Joey supposed to go out tonight?"

Rachel just shrugged, "Joey is already sleeping. Ross, what's the matter, why are you here?"

"Oh, yes…Tomorrow I have this date with Charlie, and…" Ross waved his hand over his face.

Rachel stifled a laugh.

"You think you could help me, I don't know with some makeup, like some foundation cream or some skin corrector?"

"I think the only one who can help you is Michael Jackson's surgeon, Ross."

Ross glared at her and turned around to walk out the door, "All right, I'll ask Monica!"

Rachel chuckled, "No, Ross! I was kidding, please! I'll help you!" she dragged him from the entrance to the living room and Ross followed her.

"Thank you…if Charlie sees me like that I'm afraid there won't even be time for a fourth divorce. She's going to break up with me because either she thinks that I'm a racist making a prank on her or a perfect idiot!"

Rachel giggled, "I think the second option is more likely to happen…anyway, Monica and Pheebs were busy tonight, they had a dinner with Amanda."

"Amanda? The Amanda who used to live here?"

Rachel was now in her bathroom, looking for some makeup to help Ross with.

"Yes, did you know her?" she asked.

"I did…God, Amanda was the worst!" Ross exclaimed.

"That's what Phoebe said too!" Rachel laughed.

"Anyway, she used to live in this apartment before Chandler. Needless to say, we were all so much happier when Chandler became Monica's neighbor when Amanda left."

Rachel came out of the bathroom with a few products in her hands, "It's been a while, isn't it? Sometimes I don't think about it, but I've been living in this building for ten years, too! God, time flies…"

Ross nodded, "I know…So, you can do something for me?"

"Like a miracle? For that, I'd need a magic wand!" Rachel laughed at him and Ross smiled, shaking his head.

"How in hell did you got yourself THIS tanned?"

"Well, let's just say that I won't count mississipily anymore in my entire life…"

Rachel stared at him questioningly, but Ross was looking elsewhere again to avoid her gaze. Rachel, though, had learned not to wonder about Ross's weirdness too much. He was the smartest man she knew, and yet he was so funny and clumsy to get involved in such crazy situations.

"Ok, let's try some of these. Maybe I can lighten up you face."

They both sat on the couch and Rachel started to use one of her creams with a sponge. Ross's eyes were closed and they were both in silence.

She couldn't help but notice that they were sitting on the same spot where she and Joey had tried to move forward with their relationship the night before.

The same spot where they had understood that they were nothing more than friends just moments before.

"Sandra called me, before. Emma wanted me to say goodnight." Ross told her.

"Yeah…she still can't sleep well if she doesn't hear your voice before sleeping." Rachel stated, noticing that Ross was smiling delightfully.

"So, why was she there if Joey is already in bed? Were you busy at work?" he asked, always with his eyes closed.

Rachel kept sponging his face, "Well, I did have a date with Joey tonight."

Ross didn't say anything, but he noticed the discomfort in her voice. So after a few seconds he asked, "Are you going to tell me what happened?"

Rachel sighed, "Let's just say…that sometimes things don't work out the way you'd thought they would."

Ross opened his eyes at once, startling Rachel. He was brought back to five years before, when Rachel had said the exact same words to him after splitting up with Joshua.

"What happened?" he had asked her, concerned.

"Uh, well, I think, I think he broke up with me."

"Noo. Why?"

"Well, apparently he scares easy." Rachel had answered, almost sarcastically.

"Oh, Rachel, I'm-I'm sorry." Ross had said, sincerely.

"It's okay. Sometimes, things don't work out the way you'd thought they would."

The look in Rachel's eyes had meant all and nothing. Ross knew that there was something in there that he couldn't really fathom. She was feeling bad for Joshua, but was him the real reason of her sadness?

"Come here." He had told her. And he had hugged her, trying to soothe her the best he could.

"Oh, hey, don't you have to go pick up Emily?" Rachel had said, breaking the hug.

"Yeah." He'd murmured, still not convinced about leaving Rachel alone.

"Yeah."

"You okay?" he had asked her once again, trying to make her confess something.

"Yeah! I got my girls." Rachel had exclaimed, feigning a smile to make Ross sure that she would be fine.

Ross then had left to pick up Emily, but he had wondered if Rachel was really fine.

Looking at this memory in perspective, knowing that after the wedding in London she had confessed that she still loved him, now he knew that Rachel wasn't fine. She was suffering because he was getting married to another woman.

That was the reason why NOW Ross immediately realized that Rachel had broken up with Joey. And that wasn't the ONLY thing that was bothering her.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Rachel shook her head and shrugged, "It just didn't work out…our relationship…if you can call one week with two dates a relationship…it just blew even before starting!"

"Rach, I'm so sorry…"

Rachel squeezed her eyes suspiciously at him, "You really are?"

"Well…I can't say I was your number one fan, and egoistically yes, I am probably glad that it's over because it was so hard to accept the idea of you and Joey together…but after talking with him I had promised that I would be fine. Not only to Joey, but also to myself. And…you two seemed so excited, I don't understand what might have happened!"

Rachel lifted her arm and started to sponge Ross's face again, so he closed his eyes.

"Well, sometimes you think that you can find the right chemistry with someone, but after going out with them you realize that things just don't click."

Ross knew exactly what Rachel wanted to say, but he didn't interrupt her.

"We also talked with Chandler before. He said that when he and Monica started to be together, all they could think about was that it felt right. That it felt like…they couldn't believe they hadn't been doing it the whole time. You know what Joey and I were thinking, instead?"

"What?"

"Why are we doing this, again?"

Ross opened his eyes again and gazed intently at Rachel. He smiled and the small dimples that Rachel loved so much appeared on his cheeks.

"What?" she asked him, smiling too. Whenever she saw that expression on Ross's face, it was so difficult for her not to smile in answer.

In the meantime, Joey was feeling a little better and he was thirsty, too. He tried to stand up from the bed and realized with relief that he could walk properly again. When he opened the door, he noticed Ross and Rachel sitting on the couch. When he saw that she was putting makeup on him, he smiled to himself and got ready to have fun of him, but when he heard what their conversation was about, he decided that he didn't want to interrupt them because he really wanted to know what they would say. He stood up close to his door, leaving it open just a bit to be able to listen to their conversation.

"Nothing, there's just this thing that came back to my mind. I know I shouldn't tell you because it may be self-defeating but…remember our first date? Whenever I tried to kiss you and you kept laughing because you were nervous? Maybe that is what's happening with Joey, you just need a little time to get accustomed to each other…"

Joey felt a huge wave of gratitude for Ross. There he was, in front of the woman he'd always loved. Maybe that he still loved, even if he still kept whining about not being in that place. And yet he was trying to convince her to give his friend another chance. Ross was a true friend, surely much better than he had been when he'd started making out with Rachel without telling him.

Rachel shook her head and smiled at the man in front of her, "Ross, it's not the same thing. It's completely different. Back then I was nervous because I knew that after the kissing we would make a big step that would lead us to something…amazing. Because, I mean, it was US. But today, with Joey…it was weird. When things got serious, it felt like I was with a brother. It felt totally wrong. I don't know if you can understand this, just think about kissing Monica!"

"Eww, Dude!"

Rachel chuckled.

Joey wasn't hurt by Rachel words. He only understood that even if Ross had taken his side, Rachel wasn't willing to give him a second chance because she had realized that she didn't feel anything for him but a deep affection. And if he thought about it, she was right. She was his best friend; she was like another sister to him. It had felt so weird trying to take off her bra, seeing her so horny and trying to jump on the chair with him.

"Rachel are you really sure of this? Because the intimacy level on our first date was a disaster, but on our second date…well it went…better…" Ross swallowed, his mouth suddenly dry. He was looking at her almost with sparkles in his eyes. The same that were shining in his eyes the night they had slept together for the first time at the Museum.

Rachel nodded again "I know, but to be honest, tonight Joey and I had our second date."

"Oh…" Ross nodded slowly in understanding.

They both kept nodding and Rachel began to sponge Ross's face again, but this time he didn't lose eye contact with her. Thoughts of that night at the Planetarium were evidently resurfacing in their minds.

You were worth the wait, and I don't just mean tonight.

Ross sighed, as he did whenever that memory came back. Always together with the stupid mistake that had changed his life.

Joey was looking at them from his bedroom and he couldn't believe what he was seeing.

Ross and Rachel hadn't been Ross and Rachel for years.

And yet, you put them in a room together, let them talk without other friends around and with a little bit of honesty and here they are.

Lobsters, again, if you want.

That was the moment when Joey decided that those two were destined to get back together sooner or later and that if he could do anything to help them, he would.

'If I ever get the chance to do something to convince Ross that this is the right thing to do, I will. I'll make them become a couple again. I owe them. And Emma deserves a happy family. Maybe I can do it even without making Ross too much aware…'

Ross was still looking at Rachel; he couldn't believe how beautiful she still was after all those years. It looked like giving birth had made her even more bewitching.

"You know…it's all in the past now, but maybe it's better to have lost a boyfriend who can't count to five."

Ross chuckled together with her, and when he noticed Rachel's hair falling in front of her face, he couldn't resist the impulse to lift his arm to put her lock behind her ear.

She was surprised by this lovely gesture and she stared at him.

"Maybe you are right…" he murmured, still keeping his hand on her face.

They both realized that the situation was getting too much engaging, but neither of them was ready to get rid of the other.

"Would you like to come and take Emma with me tomorrow?" Rachel asked him.

"Of course…you know, I'd love to spend some quality time together, only the three of us…and we could organize a huge birthday party for her, with the guys, my parents and yours, too!"

Rachel scoffed, "I doubt that my parents and sisters will come to town only for a one-year-old baby birthday, but we could try to invite them…Oh, I could buy a cake in that place in New Jersey's, Carino's! They make those beautiful desserts in different shapes and they put a photo on them in icing!"

"That's great! And hey, listen, I'd like to make a video of her first birthday with messages from all our friends and then we can save it for her to watch it when she turns 18!"

"Wow, Ross, that's a wonderful idea! How did you come up with it?" Rachel asked, marveled.

"I don't know…I mean, since we got together I've always thought that we could do it for our kids. I had this idea of a video as a time capsule, with lovely birthday wishes to watch all together, maybe before going to college…"

Rachel smiled and realized that Ross was talking about Emma, but in his vision he had a clear view of a united family, maybe with other children.

Joey was so emotional that he could have cried. What did those two need more to get back together? Ross was clearly foreseeing a future with Rachel and Emma in it. And Rachel wasn't denying it.

'Well, surely your getting in the way at the hospital when Emma was born didn't help, you jerk!' the little voice in his head said.

"Oh, shut up!" he whispered to himself.

"Well, I must admit, this was one of your best ideas, I'm impressed, Dr. Geller."

"Thanks." He replied, pleased with himself.

"Ok, listen, I think this one might work." Rachel stopped sponging his face. "I think it might lighten your brown tan a little bit, maybe tomorrow I can help you put it on. But Ross, it won't be enough…I'm pretty sure you'll have to explain Charlie what happened and just hope she is very comprehensive or very self-ironic."

Ross had almost forgotten about Charlie, "Oh…well I hope so too, otherwise I'm going to be single again tomorrow. Ok, I think I'm going to take off. Thank you very much, Rach…"

He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek and stood up.

"Oh, no problem, honey! And thanks for the talk, I really needed that…you cheered me up."

Ross turned around and looked at her, nodding and smiling, "Don't worry about Joey, I'm sure it's going to be fine. You're such good friends, you love each other, you're going to get through this. And hey, we got through our break, didn't we?"

Rachel changed her expression and looked at him askance, "You want me to bring the right make up tomorrow, don't you?"

Ross nodded faster, "I just meant that when you really love someone it's difficult to cut them out of your life."

"Yeah…it's hard to stay friends after the end of a relationship as passionate as the one whe had, but it's very important."

"Well, I know that I could have never let you out of my life. And Emily knows something about that."

Rachel looked at him grateful, "I know…Well, I'll see you tomorrow. Say 11-ish?"

"Always the morning person, Rach?"

"And don't ever forget about it…" Rachel teased him.

"How could I? I'll bring you some breakfast. Blueberry muffin and chamomile tea?"

"See? That's why I love you." Rachel smiled at him.

Ross winked at her, "And don't ever forget about it."

Rachel chuckled and looked at Ross who stared at her a few other seconds before actually closing the door behind himself.

Ross stood in front of the door a couple of minutes, waiting for his heart to stop beating so fast.

He hadn't felt this way in a long time. Tonight all the feelings he had promised himself to set apart were screaming to come to the surface again.

Would he ever be able to forget about this woman? Could he actually lie to himself and believe that he would live a life without hoping that one day he would get together with Rachel again?

He sighed deeply. Now he didn't have time for this. Rachel was still trying to reconcile with the decision of breaking up with Joey, and he had a girlfriend, Charlie. And Charlie was an amazing, beautiful, smart woman. She deserved his total attention. She deserved a real chance with him.

Inside the apartment, Rachel was still standing in the middle of the room, smiling. She couldn't help but feeling happy for that unexpected visit. She had broken up with Joey, she should feel terrible, and yet that conversation with Ross had made her realize a few things.

For example, that he was still the most amazing man that she'd ever met. That she had left him only for one reason, and that maybe, after so many years, that reason was becoming a long gone memory that could be tagged as a mistake. That she missed him, oh so much. She missed moments like those, when they would talk and have fun and remember the past, and think about their feature.

Because Ross wasn't her boyfriend, but he was Emma's father.

And she wouldn't say that out loud, but maybe he was still her lobster.

Joey kept looking at Rachel from his bedroom. She wasn't moving and she was still smiling.

And he hadn't missed Ross's remarks, neither the way his eyes hadn't left Rachel's until the door had closed. Joey finally understood the true reason of the ending of his relationship with Rachel.

Yes, they weren't sexually compatible and yes, they were too much friends to have a love interest for each other. But the truth was that Rachel was still in love with another man.

God, even if they had got together, he would have never had a chance. Rachel had been lying to herself so much, pretending not to love Ross anymore. But maybe she was finally realizing this.

Joey followed Rachel while she took her makeup and put it back in the bathroom, then she went back to her bedroom. He was finally free to get out of his room to drink.

He walked outside towards the counter and took a glass of water.

'Let's see how long does Charlie last.' He thought.

"It's time that we all get over this 7-year-break once and for all…" he smiled to himself.