This is a Rachel and Chandler fan fiction. Rachel leaves her abusive husband for a new life in the city, where the kindness of a stranger gives her a new beginning.
The one with the kindness of strangers
"Rachel! Get in here!" shouted Barry, angrily. Rachel hurried into the bedroom, scared to keep him waiting. He didn't like to wait. It made him mad. She knew all about him being mad, and it hurt. "Yes dear?" she asked, a lump forming in her throat. "Get here!" he was angry, it scared her. "I saw you flirting with that guy at the bar today!". The bar. It was Barry's favourite hang-out. The place where all his anger ignited. Rachel was the release for all the anger, the target, the punch bag, the victim. There were so many names for people like her. One sprang to Rachel's mind. Weak. Weak for putting up with it. Weak for believing he was sorry, he was repentant, he would never do it again, but he did and that was the factor that put Rachel in a bracket. A bracket of women who were bullied and attacked by their husbands. She hated this so much. This was more painful than any cut, bruise or broken bone. "I wasn't! I swear!". He grabbed her wrist, pulling her down to the bed. He slapped her hard across the face. She didn't even feel a tear come to her eye because she knew that this wasn't over. He swung her into the wardrobe, breaking one or two of her ribs. She tried to escape his grip, pulling harder and harder, but his hand just grip tighter. Finally, she broke free. Running for the door, he grabbed her foot, pulling her to the floor. He kicked her. She broke free once more and ran for the door. She slammed it in his face, running for the apartment door. She slammed that, not before grabbing her purse, and run for her life. For once, Barry didn't follow, knowing if he did, he would cause a scene. She ran and ran as far as her legs would carry her without buckling under the pain of the attack. She collapsed in a doorway in pain, clutching her chest in pain. She couldn't breathe. The force of being pushed into the wardrobe felt like it was crushing her lungs. She started to cry, weeping tears that she was so familiar with. Suddenly the door opened. "Are you okay?" asked a man from above her. He had a take-out latte in his left hand and a briefcase in the other. He was dressed in office wear and his hair was neatly cut. He stared at her, she was still clutching her chest in pain and could barely speak, so weakly shook her head. He put down his briefcase and coffee and sat down beside her. "What's the matter?" he asked, anxiously. He swept her hair away from her face, revealing a bruise where Rob had slapped her. She then slowly lifted her shirt, where the skin covering her ribs was bruised purple, almost black. "I.....can't...breathe" she whispered in pain. "Oh my God! We have to call an ambulance!" He pulled her up, letting her lean on him and led her into the coffeehouse, of which she had been in the doorway of. Central Perk. He shifted some people of the sofa so that she could lie down. "Gunther, call an ambulance!" he shouted. "What's your name, sweetie?, the paramedics will need to know". She could hardly speak at all but managed to say 'Rach..' before running out of breath. "Rachel?" he asked, interpreting this correctly. She nodded. "I'm Chandler Bing, okay, the paramedics will be here soon". She smiled, as he stroked her face, relaxing her. She was finally free of her marriage and this was a new beginning.