The Return of Emily

This story should begin between 5,12 (TOW Chandler's Work Laugh) and 5,14 (TOW Everyone Finds Out). Chapter 1 corrected, following SFGrl's astute spotting of a contradiction.

Disclaimer: The Friends characters do not belong to me, but to Bright, Kauffman and Crane Productions and Warner Bros. Their use is not intended for profit, only for entertainment.

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Part 1: Confrontation and Detente

It was a dark and stormy evening, and most of the friends were gathered in Monica and Rachel's apartment, when the buzzer went. Surprised, because they were not expecting visitors and had not ordered anything, Monica answered. 'Monica Geller; who is it?'

'It's, it's Emily Waltham,' came a rather desperate-sounding voice. 'Look, I have very little money, and it's pouring out here, and I can't think what to do … could I come in, just for a while?'

Monica hesitated for a long moment. 'Okay,' she said finally, and pushed the door release.

'Thanks,' said Emily, sounding very grateful. 'I'll be right up.'

Monica turned to the others. 'It's Emily,' she said. 'She sounds in a bad way, so I thought I'd let her come in out of the rain.'

'And you didn't tell her to get lost?' said Rachel in sudden fury. 'After the way she treated Ross – and me?'

'I want to know why she's in New York,' said Monica quite calmly. 'And if she's come to beg Ross to take her back, don't you think he deserves the chance to make her crawl, or jerk her around a bit?'

'Ooh – vicious,' said Phoebe approvingly.

'Well, I don't want to be in the same room as her,' said Rachel. 'Guys, can one of you let me into your apartment?'

'Sure,' said Joey. 'In fact, I'll come with you. I don't want to be around her either.'

So it was that when Emily appeared, lugging two large suitcases and looking even more of a drowned rat than on her first appearance, only Monica, Chandler and Phoebe were there to see. She looked at them rather apprehensively.

'Thanks so much for letting me in, Monica,' she said. 'I know I don't deserve it. Er … Rachel's not here? Is she with Ross?'

Monica shook her head. 'They're not together. He's at Carol and Susan's, baby-sitting Ben. Why don't you take off your coat and sit down, and tell us why you're in New York? Oh, I'd better get you a towel.'

'They're not together?' Emily echoed, looking puzzled. 'But I thought … oh yes, thank you.' She did as suggested and took a seat, looking even more nervous as she took in the rather hostile expressions of Chandler and Phoebe.

'Okay, so why are you here?' said Monica, returning with a towel. 'Weren't you getting married … again?'

'I couldn't go through with it,' said Emily rather wildly, pausing in her use of the towel to dry her face and hair. 'I realised I was deceiving myself. I kept thinking of Ross and all we had been to each other, and I saw what a mistake I was making and … and had made.' Her voice had become rather shaky. 'So I, I broke off my engagement to Colin and came over. But Ross wasn't in the flat he was supposed to be renting from my cousin. So I went on to my cousin, where I had been going to stay, and found out he'd evicted Ross, and we had the most shattering row.' She shook her head as if unwilling to believe what had happened. 'I never meant for that to happen; it was so, so petty.' She looked at them as if begging them to believe her. 'Where is Ross living now?'

'He's staying with us while he looks for another apartment,' said Chandler in a neutral tone.

'Oh no,' said Emily softly.

'And what with one thing on top of another, his temper has got so out of control, he's been forced to take leave of absence from his job,' said Phoebe. 'So he's got nowhere to live, no one to love, and not much to do,' she added, keen to make Emily realise all the harm she had done.

'Oh my God!' Emily cried, and burst into tears.

Monica looked at Phoebe. 'There was no need to go that far,' she said rather reproachfully.

'Wasn't there?' said Phoebe nastily. 'This limey dame has totally screwed up your brother's life, and you want me to lay off her?'

'I've screwed up my own life as well,' shouted Emily tearfully. 'And anyway, how would you like it if, if you were getting married and he, he said the name of his old lover, and then, when you thought you could forgive him for that, you, you found he was going to go off on the honeymoon with her?' She put her hands over her face and cried loudly.

Ever soft-hearted, Monica crossed over and knelt beside her. 'We know you have had a tough time as well,' she said. 'But he didn't go with her, he went after you, and he explained it all later. But you went rather far in what you expected of him if you were to get together again, didn't you?'

'Oh, don't,' Emily wailed, but she totally failed in her attempts to say any more, collapsing into helpless sobs. Chandler and Phoebe looked at each other uneasily while Monica tried to comfort her. Suddenly Phoebe got up, went to the fridge, from which she took a bottle of water, and poured a glass. She took it over to Emily.

'Have a drink,' she said. 'I'm sorry to have upset you so badly, but, you know, we have been … rather mad at you for trying to split Ross off from us.'

Emily made a noise that might have been interpreted as denial, but she took the glass and drank, her hand shaking so badly it rattled against her teeth. Then she looked up, her face a complete mess of tear-tracks, some containing mascara. 'I've been over and over it in my mind,' she said. 'If you only knew how I wished I could take back some things – but I wasn't really trying to split Ross from you …' She sobbed, looking about to break down again.

Monica decided to intervene. 'Now you must stop crying,' she said bracingly. 'It won't make things any better. I am prepared to believe you're genuinely sorry for things you've done, and things that have happened which you did not intend. But I have to tell you, it will take more than just being sorry to get Ross to forgive you, let alone Rachel. She was not happy to hear that you were back.'

'Is, is she still interested in him?' Emily faltered.

Monica sighed. 'No one knows the answer to that question, not even Rachel, I think. But she's certainly not behaving like it. She did encourage him to do what he had to, to make your marriage work.'

Emily's face began to crumple, but she bit hard on her lip and took a deep if shaky breath. 'I, I owe her an apology, then,' she said huskily. 'I really thought she was trying to get him back.' She sighed deeply. 'Where is she now, anyway?'

'In our apartment, with Joey,' said Chandler. 'Do you want to go over?'

Something that looked like panic appeared momentarily in Emily's eyes, but she swallowed hard, set her mouth, and stood up. 'If you would … take me over, I'd be grateful,' she said. 'I must do this before I lose my nerve.' She made an effort at a grin. 'Lead on, Macduff.'

Chandler's mouth twitched, and he looked approving. He held the door open for her and bowed her through. Monica and Phoebe looked at each other, then got up and followed. Then Chandler opened his own door and said, 'Rachel, Emily has something she wants to say to you.'

Rachel swung round in one of the Barca Loungers, in which she had been watching TV, and gave a little gasp as she took in Emily's haggard and tear-stained face.

Emily swallowed hard. 'Rachel, I, I want to apologise f-for all the hurt I've caused you by unjustified suspicions, that led me to do things I now … bitterly regret.' It was evident that she was only keeping her voice steady with considerable effort. She took a deep breath. 'I, I can't expect you to like me; only p-please forgive me.'

Rachel held her gaze for a long moment, her face masklike. Then she said, 'It took a lot of guts to come say this, I'll give you that. But that is a lot to ask.'

Emily's body began to tremble and her face to work, and tears began to trickle down again.

'Rachel!' said Monica rather sharply. 'Show a little generosity. Remember things you've told me – and Phoebe – and admit to yourself that Emily's suspicions were not so unreasonable.'

Rachel's face changed; for a moment it showed pain. 'Okay,' she said quietly. 'Let's … call it quits.'

'Thank you,' said Emily, equally quietly.

'Well done, both of you,' said Phoebe. 'Your auras look a lot better.' Even Emily could not avoid smiling a little at this characteristic Phoebism. 'So, Emily, you have nowhere to stay?' she went on.

Emily shook her head. 'I couldn't stay with my cousin – not after what I said to him.'

'The one who booted Ross out of his apartment?' Rachel asked, looking interested.

Emily nodded. 'I swear to you, Rachel, I never meant for that to happen. I was so angry! But because I was expecting to stay with him, I didn't come with much American money, and I've spent a lot of that on taxis. I can't go to my uncle, because he doesn't know I'm here, and anyway my aunt won't approve of my breaking my engagement. I suppose I could look for a hotel, but my funds are low: I rather maxed my credit card getting a flight over here at short notice.' She looked at Monica pleadingly. 'Could I … possibly sleep on your couch, just for tonight? I'm so tired and jetlagged and … and overwrought.'

Monica looked at Rachel, who nodded and said, 'I won't object. But I must warn you, Emily, if Ross meets you here, he's liable to completely freak out. We need to tell him things before he sees you.'

'We?' queried Monica.

Rachel looked uncomfortable. 'Well, I … maybe I have been blaming Emily for things a bit too much. I think it might help if I … got involved a little, since Ross and I are on good terms at the moment.'

Emily dabbed at her eyes with a handkerchief. 'Thank you, Rachel,' she said sincerely. 'I was … well, I was under a lot of stress when, when I tried to keep you and Ross apart, and it never went away. I fooled myself that I was happy with Colin, but I wasn't, and I knew it really, and … oh God, it's such a mess!' She looked at Rachel directly, her eyes pleading. 'I'm sorry to ask this of you, but I think you're the only one who might have an idea. Do you think I have any chance with Ross, any chance at all?'

Rachel sighed a little. 'Let's all go back into our apartment and have a drink. This needs some thought, and you look as if you could use one, anyway.'

'Thanks,' said Emily, 'but actually what I'd most like to do is repair my face. Could I use your bathroom, Monica?'

'Sure,' said Monica. 'I'll get you a dry towel.'

Chandler and Joey followed them back to the apartment. When Emily and Monica were out of the room, Joey said in a rather worried voice, 'Rach, you really want to help Emily get back together with Ross?'

Rachel looked back at him seriously. 'I don't really want to, exactly, but we've got to do something about him. He certainly hasn't tried to get back together with me, so maybe he would be better off with Emily, though personally I doubt if he has any feelings for her left.'

'Me too,' said Phoebe. 'But she has come an awful long way to admit she was wrong, and I think maybe she deserves a little help.' She looked across at Rachel. 'You're doing the right thing, you know. Hanging onto grudges is bad for the spirit. Don't you feel better for having forgiven her?'

Rachel cocked her head. 'Well, maybe.' Suddenly she grinned. 'Hey, it makes me better than her. She wasn't ready to forgive me.'

Phoebe looked at her sternly. 'This isn't a competition. Likely she was feeling insecure: I know I would, if my bridegroom said someone else's name when taking the vows.'

'Oh, can't we forget that?' said Rachel rather peevishly. 'Seriously, Joey and Chandler, do you think Emily has any chance with Ross?'

But before they could reply, Emily returned with Monica. She still looked pale, but much better.

'I really am grateful to you people for giving me a chance,' she said, smiling at them all. 'I'm very sorry about what Ross has gone through, and if he'd let me, I'd make it up to him.'

Joey shook his head. 'No way you're going to be able to do that,' he said bluntly. 'You could go to him bare naked right now and I doubt he'd be interested.'

'Joey!' said Monica fiercely as Emily's face crumpled again. 'That wasn't very kind.'

'No,' said Emily, wiping a hand across her eyes and heaving a sigh, 'he's probably right. But I … I would like to try to get him to forgive me. If I need to put in some work, well, I'm ready to.' She pulled a face. 'Talking of work, I need some. I … burnt my boats leaving; I dumped my job as well as Colin.'

'Well,' said Rachel slightly maliciously, 'you could always try for a job in Central Perk, like I had once.'

The others looked at her in surprise and, in Phoebe's case, reproof. 'That's twisting the knife a bit, isn't it?' she said.

'What, you don't think Gunther might see a waitress with an English accent as a draw?' said Rachel with wide-eyed false innocence.

'Do you think he would?' said Emily, and they all turned to see that she was sitting up eagerly, her eyes shining. 'I've been a waitress before, when I was hanging around London after taking my degree and trying to get a real job,' she explained. 'I wouldn't mind a job like that, and it would mean I'd get to see you often … and,' she looked down, 'and Ross.'

Rachel looked rather chagrined that Emily seemed keen on the idea that she had put forward as an unkind joke, but Phoebe looked pleased. 'That's the spirit,' she said approvingly. 'And I think you shouldn't give up on Ross too easily. He certainly needs someone.'

'That's for sure,' said Monica. 'He hasn't dated in I don't know how long. Now, I think the best way to let him know that Emily's around is to ring him now at Carol and Susan's.'