::: short story :::
Note from Tina: Hey guys! I was having like this huuuuuuge block and then I thought maybe if I wrote a short story I would get better, so... I did it!! :) I'm surprised I managed to do it, my block is BA-AD!! But anyway, it's pretty corny, I had to get it out after two comedies in a row!! :) Anyway, I hope you like it anyway! It happens on the beginning of the 9th season, but not at the hospital with the cliffhanger. But it does explain what happened there and everything! Please don't focus too much on Joey!
Disclaimer: These characters do not belong to me, they belong to Bright Kauffman and Crane Productions in association with Warner Bros. The fic though belongs to me and my site Soulmates, dedicated to Ross and Rachel!
Rachel softly hummed one of the very few lullabies she knew to her daughter, leaning on the crib to get a good view of the beautiful baby who peacefully slept. She smiled sweetly at Emma, she couldn't believe that little angel was hers. She reached out and touched her soft hair, her tiny hand, with tiny fingers... she was so perfect, it was all so surreal. The last few days had been very overwhelming for Rachel, but yet everytime she watched Emma as she slept it all just seemed to fade away and all that was left left was a peaceful warmth in her heart.
She felt a chill up her spine and imediately looked at the window, to find it open. She walked to it stroking her arms to keep herself warm, seemed like it was getting cold before time this year. Summer was just ending, fall would be somewhat chilly this time and she hoped her little Emma wouldn't get such a rough winter as her first one ever alive. She closed the window and made her way back to the crib, it felt like a magnet, she couldn't get away from it, specially if Emma was asleep. "My cry baby", Rachel whispered softly, smiling down at Emma.
After planting a soft kiss on Emma's hair, Rachel quietly left the room, knowing that in just a few hours she would have to be back there anyway. She was exausted, it had been a long time since she had had a decent night of sleep. Emma would wake up several times at night for all reasons possible, so much sometimes Rachel couldn't even tell the difference between night or day. Truth, when Ross was at home he always helped her when the problem was a dirty diaper of just the wish get some atention, but there were some things he just couldn't help with, for anatomic and biologic reasons.
Rachel sunk on the couch of her and Ross' apartment and yawned. She turned the t.v. on, mainly just for the sake of it. She was so out of it she knew she wasn't going to pay atention to any of it, but she did it anyway, it seemed to make her comfortable. She glanced at the clock that rested on the side table, it was still 7 p.m.. "The gang must be at Central Perk", she thought. Ross hadn't been home yet though, she noticed, and Joey hadn't come over as usual. She took a while to rethink everything that was going on right now, so tired that it seemed like the facts strumbled on one another as she wondered.
Eversince she left the hospital, or maybe even before she gave birth, her hormones had been driving her so much crazy she couldn't concentrate on her life well, it seemed like she only made mistakes. And it was funny because, even so, whenever she was with Emma she was this racional mature woman. Maybe that's when the animal maternal stincts kick in, she concluded. But her personal life... what a mess it had turned out. She had lost the potential love of her life for good and got herself an engagement she never wanted in the first place.
Sure, Ross and she hadn't been a couple or had shared many feelings for the last few years. But still they had a daughter and, just untill very recently, she thought she could count on him for everything, no matter what. What changed? Why did that talk about the future with Janice and Joey changed her opinion so much? Why could she believe Joey would always be there for her, but Ross maybe wouldn't? She knew the answers... Ross was a great guy. In fact, he was the best guy she had ever known, losing him was the scariest thought she could ever have. And she really believed she had lost him forever this time.
Just then Ross walked in, still wearing a suit from work. Rachel smiled, he was looking so good, aging was doing a good job with him. He smiled, pleased to notice Emma should be in bed and Rachel had made it. He could still remember well how she was nervous about being a bad mommy. But that memory was quickly fading as a new image of Rachel took its place, the image a of a great and responsable mom who's been trying hard and learning everyday more since they got back from the hospital. "Quick learner", he smiled at the thought.
"Hi", he smiled at her as he placed his briefcase on the coffee table. Rachel smiled back and put her index finger on her lips, motioning him not to make too much noise. "Took me forever to get her to sleep and I only have a few hours before I have to go in there again", she said. He smiled at her. "Why don't you get yourself some sleep? I'll stay up for her", he suggested. She wondered for a while and remembered Joey would be there any minute, it wouldn't be such a good idea leaving Ross and him alone like that, they didn't seem to be on too good therms lately.
"Hm, I'll just take a shower, I'm not that tired tonight, but thanks" Rachel replied, trying not to sound too obvious about why she was actually turning his offer down. It was a waste though, he knew what she was thinking... Both thought about it a lot, and yet they never talked about it to each other, not even when Joey first told Rachel and Ross about his feelings. Lately they had barely even mentioned there ever was a relationship between them, so talking about Joey would be a complete turn around. They weren't a real couple anymore, so they figured there was nothing to talk about with each other concerning that.
As Rachel left to take her shower Ross took a deep breath, looking miserable. He couldn't believe Rachel was actually going to marry Joey. This was not what was supposed to happen, he thought. The day Emma was born was supposed to be perfect. As Ross and Phoebe watched little Emma at the nursery, she convinced him that he shouldn't be so afraid of his feelings, that it would be more than worth it giving another try with the woman of his dreams. But it was over like that...! Funny how five minutes can turn your life around. He walked into her room only to find Joey proposing to her with his grandma's ring. It wasn't fair... But since Rachel said yes, what was he supposed to do? Be happy for her, that's how much he loved her.
Ross shook himself off of his memories, it was useless to keep remembering it, nothing would change. Emma, that was his future, that was what he needed to focus on right. He carefully entered the nursery he and Rachel had decorated specially for her, trying hard not to make any noise that could snap her princess away from dreamland. He approached the crib and smiled, Emma was a perfect baby. He loved being around her, getting to know this heavenly creature he and Rachel made, together. She was just about a month old still but he knew her. He would constantly imagine her future, always happy and colorful.
He heard something behind him and turned around. Rachel was there again, smiling weakly at them, wearing her bathrobe. "Why does she have to look so beautiful? Is this a way of punishing me for ever letting her go?", he thought to himself. "You just can't stay away from her, can you?" he said, smiling back at her. "I hate not knowing what's going on with her", she said, walking to the crib and smiling as she saw Emma was in the very same position she left her. She focused on the baby's breathing, it was so relaxing.
Ross turned his atention back to Emma and imediately also focused on her breathing. He felt silly sometimes for it, but sometimes he would wake up in the middle of the night to make sure she was there, that she existed. And most recently he had begun waking up to make sure she was breathing. He was too scared of ever losing her. He wouldn't bear if he ever lost Emma, specially after having just lost Rachel.
Even though he tried hard to keep his feelings aside, at all times he was very aware of Rachel's presence, of her body standing right there next to his. Eversince the birth it was getting harder and harder for him to hide these feelings he had kept locked up inside his heart for so long, they were now releasing themselves out and Emma was the key. He couldn't even imagine Rachel felt the exact same way.
So they just stood there for a long time, loving vibes flashing all over the place without anyone admiting it. There was no need to. But he still thought she loved Joey, she still thought he simply didn't love her anymore. She looked at him and he quickly turned to look at her back. They kept looking at each other and... was it love they could see in each other's eyes? They tried just to smile, but the sparke in their look was uncontrollable. It had been so long ago, they had both missed that funny feeling in their stomach, little soft butterfly touches.
Rachel broke into a smile first, for a moment totally forgetting all about Joey. Ross was sent to heaven aswell and if he wasn't so sure Emma was sleeping right before them he could swear he was a few years in the past, back when he and Rachel were together. He smiled back and softly touched her hand that was rested on the crib with his thumb, also resting it there. Rachel looked down at their hands and then back at Ross, smiling more. She knew that smile, she knew that look he had in his eyes...
Their moment was broken by the phone, which started ringing. Both instantly looked at Emma, but she didn't seem to be hearing it, so neither of them bothered to go pick up the phone, not right now. That's what machines are for anyway, they thought. "Hi Ross, it's your mom, how are you sweetie? And how's Emma?". "Fine", Ross said softly, looking down at Emma. Rachel smiled at him more. "Well, okay, this is not what I called for though. Since you didn't seem to have the guts to ask Rachel to marry you, I was wondering if I could have your grandmother's ring back. I'll save it to the next time you have a baby with a woman you're no longer dating!"
Ross' eyes widen up. How could his mother not realise Rachel lived there too and would esily hear that message? He swallowed hard and then looked at Rachel, who seemed to had fallen in realisation about the ring. She slowly took the engagement ring off and looked at the carving. "R.G." She paused and looked at him. "Rachel Geller", she whispered. Ross didn't say anything, he just sighed. "Of course it's not Rachel Green, not even Joey would be stupid enough to put my maiden name on my engagement ring!" Ross simply looked at her.
At first all she could think about was the fact that Joey was never supposed to propose that day. She played the memory she had about that day on her head over and over, it all made sense now. The surprised look on his face, how vague he was about the ring, Ross' anger... Oh, so he was not just angry because Joey had proposed, he was angry because he wanted to do it... and Joey used his ring. Rachel couldn't believe it, it was too much information to take in in such short period of time.
"Oh my God", she whispered. Then she sighed nervously and put her hands on her face for a while. "Were you going to propose to me?", she said when she finally came out of her trance. Ross sighed too, frustrated, he didn't want to answer. "It doesn't matter Rachel. It simply doesn't matter whose ring it was, you said yes to him" he said, hurt. She could have easily broken down and cried right there. Her hormones, her confusion, his puppie eyes...! He was hurt and she could see that.
"Ross, you remember just how overwhelmed I was that day. My hormones were driving me crazy, I was crying over anything, I just-" "You don't owe me any explanation, Rachel", he said shortly and kinda coldly. They stayed in silence for a while, not knowing what to say. "You told me we shouldn't let 'us' happen again that day. And Janice was all telling me once you had your own family you will completely forget about Emma and me", she continued.
"What?! This is crazy, Rachel, you know I will never do that!" he said. "Do I?", she said. They were both still talking pretty softly, Emma was still deep into her sleep. "Have I ever forgotten about Ben?", he asked and she knew he was right. "But still Ross, I thought you didn't want to be with me, you said it yourself", she said, starting to get teary eyed. "'Cause I was scared, Rachel, I was scared of hurting Emma", he argued. "Did you change your mind?", she softly asked, whiping some tears as they steamed down her cheek. "Yes", he said simply.
Rachel looked at him quite surprised. She didn't know what to say, she just kept glaring at him with her big blue eyes. Ross quickly looked down and then up at her again. "Phoebe helped me realise that this, just this Rachel, is everthing I've always wanted since I was fifteen", he said. "It's all in this room". Rachel's heart melted, he always knew what to say...! How could she ever resist that?
"Oh Ross... I don't know what to say", she whispered. "There's no need to say anything", he whispered. They quietly hugged for a long time and he whispered into her ear "Thank you for everything". Her heart felt as if it was about to explode, she had to find a way of showing him just how much she loved him too, but couldn't find any words. There weren't any words who could express it, so she simply broke the hug and kissed him. They kissed for a very long time, as if trying to make it up for the lost time. They missed each other's lips, each other's taste, each other's arms. The "break" was finally over.
::: THE END :::
Hope you guys liked it! If anything comes up, e-mail me! :)