A/N Hello! Friends is one of my favorite TV shows of all time. I had attempted to write a story a few years ago but decided I didn't like it. I am giving it another try with this one shot. This story is completely AU.
Does not exactly follow any particular episode. It is just an idea I had. I hope you like it.
Ross and Rachel were my favorite on that show. So this is about them.

Rachel Karen Green couldn't sleep. Not one wink. There was too much on her mind. The top of the list was the fact she was carrying life inside her. A life she would be responsible for. A life that she would be devoted to loving and nurturing. A precious baby that was going to need her. Not just her. It would need it's father as well. It's father Ross Geller.

She got up from her bed and gazed out the window at the city lights. It was scary. Being responsible for the well being of another was scary. What was also scary was doing it on her own. No husband. Sure she had her friends and yes Ross was going to be a part of this whole experience but the reality was she had no husband. The young Ralph Lauren executive thought about what her life would be like. It would be totally different. No more could she spend late nights at the office, go on business trips to exciting new places. Her child was going to come first. She could handle that. So she had to leave the office at five or six and rush home to be with her child. Or earlier to go pick them up at school.
Her schedule was flexible. However something else crossed her mind. What would it be like for the child to not have a family. Not live in the same house with its Mom and Dad. Not have their parents be together. Yes it was true Ben, Carol and Ross's child, was pretty well adjusted to not having his parents together but he had confided her to once that he often wished that they were married cause he would see his father every day, not just every other weekend. He hated that. He wished his parents never divorced. Although the young boy understood the circumstances, it didn't make him like it any more.

So could she do that to this child? Allow them to grow up with no stable family?
No permanent Mom and Dad? Her father was right. The baby needed both parents. The baby needed a family. And when she had thought of having children, she always pictured herself being married and having her husband fuss over her. That wasn't going to happen. Yes Ross was going to be there for her, for whatever she needed but it wasn't quite the same as Ross coming home from a long day at work and being excited to see her and putting his hands on her stomach and talking to the baby. Both of them anxiously awaiting the day their child would be born.

Which brought up another issue. How did she feel about Ross? Did she love him?
Well…she…she hated every single woman he dated after her. It killed her when her sister Jill made a play for him. Emily. She so wanted to scratch the eyes out of that British chippy. At the wedding a part of her wanted to gloat to the woman that Ross said her name. He said Rachel. Not Emily. Rachel. And there was a few years earlier when the paleontologist had been going out with that Bonnie. How she enjoyed getting that blonde bimbo to shave her head! The thought of her touching and kissing Ross made her sick. Rachel did not like anyone going out with Ross. She didn't want him to go out with anyone. What she wanted was….him. She wanted him. She wished to be by his side.
That's what she truly wanted. It couldn't be more clear. At the Geller anniversary, she was loving telling everyone about her amazing wedding to Ross and how romantic it was. And his proposal story! Oh how sweet! She would love a proposal like that!

Rachel thought of the times that she and Ross had broken up. Him sleeping with the copy place girl and her finding out from Gunther. That hurt her deeply. He had no right to just go and...then they do get back together because she had believed he was going to take responsibility for the break-up. He lied and said he did because he never finished her letter. Then when he does find out what she wanted, he gets all…and they fight and it's over. There in was the problem. They would get into a fight and then just up and break up. If they did get married, is that what they would do? It seemed pretty immature.
Monica and Chandler had fought but they didn't break up. They worked through it. Why couldn't she and Ross do the same? Was there a reason they couldn't try to work out their problems? How stupid were they? The copy place girl was clearly a skank and had no respect for relationships. If she had, she wouldn't have allowed Ross to do what he did. Now she wasn't putting all the blame on that girl, Ross clearly had blame, but it wasn't like that girl was completely innocent. Ross did tell her about him having a girlfriend. She just didn't seem to care. Why didn't she think of this before?

Of course yes there was another factor Ross's jealously of Mark. There was nothing going on. Nothing for him to be jealous of. She did not want Mark. Did not sleep with him, had no intention of doing that. If he had made a move on her, she would have rebuffed him very quickly. And yes maybe she was neglecting Ross when she started her new job at Bloomingdale's. It wasn't that she meant to, it was just that for once in her life, Rachel Green felt like she was doing something important. She was being a part of something. Making an impact. It was hard to explain. Yes she had been a rich, spoiled princess her whole life. She could have married Barry. It would have been easy. She didn't want easy. There was just no way she could marry a man she didn't she just did not love simply because it was convenient. Getting out there in the real world and having a good paying job that she loved, it was thrilling. Being able to depend on herself made her feel good. Rachel was sure Ross did get that but he still felt like she was not making time for them. And maybe that was true. She hadn't made time for him like she should have.

Now things were different. She and Ross were having a baby. The baby had to come first. It's needs and wants surpassed her own. And what it needed was a family. A real family. Something she didn't have anymore. Her own parents were not together anymore. They couldn't be in the same room together. And having to listen to them bitch about each other…it was too much. Did she want that for this child? Ross and her in different rooms complaining about one another. No. She didn't. She wanted this baby to have a stable happy family life. Did she wish to be like her sisters? Now she loved them to pieces but Amy and Jill were still pretty self-centered. They would not even think of a child and it's wants and needs. Amy would think it would be like in the movies where she doesn't know what to do but somehow just figures it out and it all comes together. Jill. She was certain that Jill probably would never have a baby. Wouldn't want to ruin her figure.

Rachel wasn't a self-centered spoiled princess. She had grown. She had matured. And now she was having a baby with someone who was very special to her. She looked down at her hand noticing her empty ring finger. How she wished there was a ring on that finger! She couldn't do this anymore. No it was too hard. She was making it too hard.
It was time to take charge.

Rachel walked slowly to the other bedroom and peeked inside noticing him sleeping soundly. She carefully approached the bed and sat down. Reaching over, she ever so gently stroked his dark hair which caused him to stir. Slowly Ross opened his eyes. "Hey." He greeted.

"Hey." She replied back softly.

"What time it is?" He asked sitting up in the bed.

"After three." Rachel replied.

"Oh…is everything okay?" Ross asked. "Is the baby.."

"The baby is fine." Rachel sighed. "It's me who's not."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean Ross…I've been doing a lot of thinking and…I think we are being stupid. Or I am. You wanted to marry me after you found out that I was pregnant. You said it was the right thing to do. I rebuked that. I got on my feminism high horse and said I don't want to get married, I don't need a husband…Well guess what…I do. I need you. I…Ross…" She said tearing up. "I love you…I love you so much…I…"

Ross could not believe what he was hearing. Rachel…she…."You love me?"

She nodded her head. "I do. I do love you. Ross…This baby…I want this baby to have a family. A real family. I don't want to have to explain to everyone about how we are not together….I don't want our child to have to explain why it's parents are two idiots. I want us to be together."

The scientist reached over into his nightstand and pulled out a small box. He took Rachel's hand in his. "I…I had bought this after you had told me you were going to have a baby…I wanted to put this on your finger…Rachel…will you marry me?"

Tears weld up in her eyes. They were of joy. She smiled and wiped them away. "Yes! Yes I will marry you!"

Ross slipped the ring on her finger and they two hugged. "I love you." He said. "I love you Rachel Green and I promise I will not divorce you."

Rachel laughed. "I love you too Ross Geller. And I promise I won't let you divorce me."

Ross then brought her in close for a kiss and they fell back on the bed giving into their passion for one another.

The End!