Rachel Green woke up to rain streaming down her window. God, she thought, the perfect
weather. She sighed, got out of bed, grabbed a pair of jeans and a shirt off the floor and put
them on. She tied her long blond hair up into a ponytail and opened her bedroom door.
"SURPRISE!!!" shouted her friends as she entered the living room. Monica was there, with
Chandler and their three kids Mehgan, who was 7, and Graeme, who was 5, and Meredith,
who was 3. Pheobe and Joey were there too; their daughter Claire, who was 4, was
clutching Joey's hand shyly. Rachel smiled. She had the best friends.
"We made you breakfast, aunty Rachel!" shouted Mehgan as she proudly held up a plate of
pancakes. "Wow, did you make that all by yourself?" asked Rachel, trying not to smile.
"Well...mommy and aunty Pheobe helped a little..." she said quietly. Rachel hugged her.
"Why don't you and the other kids go play in the basement?" she asked, pointing towards the
stairs. "I've got some of Ben's old toys down there!" she said. The kids ran out. "They sound
like elephants." remarked Chandler off-handedly.
"So, happy 40th, Rach!" said Joey. "Yeah, whatever." replied Rachel as she sat down on the
couch. "Hey, don't worry about it, Rach. We've all gone through this!" said Pheobe,
attempting to cheer Rachel up. "Yeah, but at least you guys had your lives sorted out!
Monica and Chandler were already married with kids! And Pheebs, you and Joey were
already married! My life is virtually at a standstill! I haven't been in a serious relationship since..."
Rachel looked at the floor. Even now, 8 years later, it still hurt.
*~March 13, 2003
Rachel opened the door to her new apartment. It felt great to be living there. But it felt even
better when she thought about who she lived there with.
"Ross? Honey, are you home?" she called as she took off her coat. "Ross? Sweetie!"
she called as she opened the door to their room. Ross was there, sitting on the bed with
another woman. "It's true love..." he was saying as Rachel entered. "Ross!!
What the hell...!!" shouted Rachel. "No Rach! It's not like how it looks!" cried Ross as he
stood up. "The hell it isn't! This is twice, Ross! And don't try to tell me we were on a break!"
And Rachel was gone. Ross tried calling her many times, but she would hang up. So he left.
He moved to Calgary, Alberta, Canada to work on a dig site and had only come back for
Pheobe and Joey's wedding in 2005, but other than occasional phone calls and letters, they
never heard from him.~*
"Oh God, Rach, I'm so sorry." said Pheobe as she sat next to Rachel. "I still can't believe he
did that. I never thought Ross would cheat...again..." said Monica sadly. Chandler and Joey
sat down beside Rachel with Pheobe as Monica massaged her shoulders. "Thanks, you guys."
said Rachel, wiping tears from her eyes. The group sat silently. Suddenly, the phone rang.
"I'll get it," said Pheobe, who was the closest.
"Hello?" she said. She listened quietly for a second. "OK" she said. She handed the phone
to Rachel. "It's for you..." she said. Rachel wiped the rest of her tears away and took the
phone.
"Yeah?" she said. "Hey, Rach." said the voice on the other end. "Oh my God, Ross?"
"Hey." He replied. "Oh my God, it's Ross! Oh God, it's Ross..." she said, half laughing half
crying. Her friends smiled at her. "What...what are you calling for?" asked Rachel. "I called
to wish you a happy 40th!" said Ross. "You remembered?!" said Rachel happily. "Yup.
Now open your front door, there's a present there for you." said Ross mysteriously. "OK,"
said Rachel, intrigued. She walked over and opened the front door. And there was Ross.
"Ross!" cried Monica, rushing past the dumbfounded Rachel to hug him. "Mommy, who's
that?" asked Graeme, peering out from behind Rachel. "Oh, Graeme! This is you uncle Ross.
He's mommy's brother!" said Monica as she wiped away tears. "Hi, Graeme! I know we've
never met, but I have a picture of you..." said Ross as he pulled out his wallet. "There." he
said, showing Graeme a picture of Monica, Chandler, Mehgan, Graeme and Michelle. "That
was at Christmas!" pointed out Mehgan as she stepped out from behind Monica to look at the
picture. "I had shorter hair...and I lost a tooth!" she said, grinning up at Ross. Ross smiled.
He stepped into the house, where Chandler was waiting. They hugged, and Ross hugged
Joey as well. Then he saw Pheobe.
"Pheebs! You look so...so..." Ross stammered. "Pregnant? I'm due May 19th" replied
Pheobe. "Yeah..." said Ross as he attempted to hug Pheobe around her large middle. "And
is this...?" said Ross as he saw Claire look shyly around Joey. She had her thumb in her mouth.
"Yup!" said Joey proudly. "This is Claire. She's 3 now!" "Joe, I never would have imagined
you as a father...especially with Pheebs!" exclaimed Ross. "Don't forget overprotective!" called Pheobe over his shoulder.
"Rach..." said Ross, turning to her. "Ye...ya...yes?" she asked rather stupidly. "I came here
for one reason..." he said, taking her hand. "Uh huh?" she said, her mouth hanging open.
"You remember that pact we made? If we're both 40 and unmarried..." "We'd marry
eachother" finished Rachel.
weather. She sighed, got out of bed, grabbed a pair of jeans and a shirt off the floor and put
them on. She tied her long blond hair up into a ponytail and opened her bedroom door.
"SURPRISE!!!" shouted her friends as she entered the living room. Monica was there, with
Chandler and their three kids Mehgan, who was 7, and Graeme, who was 5, and Meredith,
who was 3. Pheobe and Joey were there too; their daughter Claire, who was 4, was
clutching Joey's hand shyly. Rachel smiled. She had the best friends.
"We made you breakfast, aunty Rachel!" shouted Mehgan as she proudly held up a plate of
pancakes. "Wow, did you make that all by yourself?" asked Rachel, trying not to smile.
"Well...mommy and aunty Pheobe helped a little..." she said quietly. Rachel hugged her.
"Why don't you and the other kids go play in the basement?" she asked, pointing towards the
stairs. "I've got some of Ben's old toys down there!" she said. The kids ran out. "They sound
like elephants." remarked Chandler off-handedly.
"So, happy 40th, Rach!" said Joey. "Yeah, whatever." replied Rachel as she sat down on the
couch. "Hey, don't worry about it, Rach. We've all gone through this!" said Pheobe,
attempting to cheer Rachel up. "Yeah, but at least you guys had your lives sorted out!
Monica and Chandler were already married with kids! And Pheebs, you and Joey were
already married! My life is virtually at a standstill! I haven't been in a serious relationship since..."
Rachel looked at the floor. Even now, 8 years later, it still hurt.
*~March 13, 2003
Rachel opened the door to her new apartment. It felt great to be living there. But it felt even
better when she thought about who she lived there with.
"Ross? Honey, are you home?" she called as she took off her coat. "Ross? Sweetie!"
she called as she opened the door to their room. Ross was there, sitting on the bed with
another woman. "It's true love..." he was saying as Rachel entered. "Ross!!
What the hell...!!" shouted Rachel. "No Rach! It's not like how it looks!" cried Ross as he
stood up. "The hell it isn't! This is twice, Ross! And don't try to tell me we were on a break!"
And Rachel was gone. Ross tried calling her many times, but she would hang up. So he left.
He moved to Calgary, Alberta, Canada to work on a dig site and had only come back for
Pheobe and Joey's wedding in 2005, but other than occasional phone calls and letters, they
never heard from him.~*
"Oh God, Rach, I'm so sorry." said Pheobe as she sat next to Rachel. "I still can't believe he
did that. I never thought Ross would cheat...again..." said Monica sadly. Chandler and Joey
sat down beside Rachel with Pheobe as Monica massaged her shoulders. "Thanks, you guys."
said Rachel, wiping tears from her eyes. The group sat silently. Suddenly, the phone rang.
"I'll get it," said Pheobe, who was the closest.
"Hello?" she said. She listened quietly for a second. "OK" she said. She handed the phone
to Rachel. "It's for you..." she said. Rachel wiped the rest of her tears away and took the
phone.
"Yeah?" she said. "Hey, Rach." said the voice on the other end. "Oh my God, Ross?"
"Hey." He replied. "Oh my God, it's Ross! Oh God, it's Ross..." she said, half laughing half
crying. Her friends smiled at her. "What...what are you calling for?" asked Rachel. "I called
to wish you a happy 40th!" said Ross. "You remembered?!" said Rachel happily. "Yup.
Now open your front door, there's a present there for you." said Ross mysteriously. "OK,"
said Rachel, intrigued. She walked over and opened the front door. And there was Ross.
"Ross!" cried Monica, rushing past the dumbfounded Rachel to hug him. "Mommy, who's
that?" asked Graeme, peering out from behind Rachel. "Oh, Graeme! This is you uncle Ross.
He's mommy's brother!" said Monica as she wiped away tears. "Hi, Graeme! I know we've
never met, but I have a picture of you..." said Ross as he pulled out his wallet. "There." he
said, showing Graeme a picture of Monica, Chandler, Mehgan, Graeme and Michelle. "That
was at Christmas!" pointed out Mehgan as she stepped out from behind Monica to look at the
picture. "I had shorter hair...and I lost a tooth!" she said, grinning up at Ross. Ross smiled.
He stepped into the house, where Chandler was waiting. They hugged, and Ross hugged
Joey as well. Then he saw Pheobe.
"Pheebs! You look so...so..." Ross stammered. "Pregnant? I'm due May 19th" replied
Pheobe. "Yeah..." said Ross as he attempted to hug Pheobe around her large middle. "And
is this...?" said Ross as he saw Claire look shyly around Joey. She had her thumb in her mouth.
"Yup!" said Joey proudly. "This is Claire. She's 3 now!" "Joe, I never would have imagined
you as a father...especially with Pheebs!" exclaimed Ross. "Don't forget overprotective!" called Pheobe over his shoulder.
"Rach..." said Ross, turning to her. "Ye...ya...yes?" she asked rather stupidly. "I came here
for one reason..." he said, taking her hand. "Uh huh?" she said, her mouth hanging open.
"You remember that pact we made? If we're both 40 and unmarried..." "We'd marry
eachother" finished Rachel.