Author's Note: I wasn't too thrilled with the season 8 cliffhanger, so I
eased my mind by writing this. I might keep going, but I don't want to
analyze the show too much since I want to be surprised come September.
Read and review if you want!
---
-where season eight left off-
"Okay," she whispered, the word coming out in a rush. She barely had time to comprehend what Joey was asking, or what she was accepting, but with her emotions in a whirl she found herself replying instinctively.
Above all else, she just didn't want to end up alone.
"Okay," she repeated a moment later, trying out the word again. She was unprepared for what came next.
Slowly, the look on Joey's face went from shocked to confused to horrified. "N- no," he stuttered, his eyes widening in alarm. "No, Rach, uh… this, this fell out of Ross's jacket, I just picked it up!"
Rachel stared at him, aware that the expressions crossing her own face were probably mimicking his. If there were ever a good time to sink into the floor and disappear forever, it was now.
Joey, realizing he was still holding the ring, dropped it like it was on fire and then cursed and picked it up again, stuffing it into the pocket of Ross's jacket and jerking unsteadily to his feet. He looked at Rachel, but couldn't seem to find the words.
Rachel moaned, lifting one hand to massage her forehead as she squeezed her eyes shut. "Oh, god," she whispered. "Can I just take back the last thirty seconds of my life?" What the hell had she been thinking?
When she opened her eyes again, Joey was now staring at the floor… she could tell he was hurt. She'd hurt him. Again.
Tears filled her eyes immediately.
"Joey," she began, sniffling, and realizing that for the first time in all the years she'd known him, she had no idea what to say to this man.
"He must have been holding that for you," Joey muttered, nodding his head and still not meeting her eyes.
A rush of belated feelings overwhelmed her, as she began to understand the other implications of the engagement ring in Ross's jacket pocket. "I – I didn't know. I don't know," she said helplessly, realizing that she *didn't* know, anything, anymore.
Joey sighed, then took a deep breath and approached the bed. His hands fiddled nervously with the sheet. "I think you do know," he said quietly. "I think you're just confused. But you shouldn't be. You and Ross, and this baby… it's everything you need, Rach, right there in that jewelry box. Don't settle for me. Not that I was even asking…" a wry smile crossed his face, disappearing a moment later, "but absolutely, don't settle for me. You guys are like… a family. And you love each other still, I think. We all think. We talk about it all the time."
"You do?" Rachel peered up at him, trying to wipe away the tears clouding her vision. Her mind was racing a mile a minute.
"Oh yeah. It's not as, um, as hard for me – as it was a few months ago. To talk about you guys together."
"Joey…" She reached out, lacing her fingers through his own and squeezing tightly. "I love you," she whispered, looking up at him. "You know that, right? You are one of the most important people in my life."
He was quiet for a long moment. "Yeah," he finally said, attempting a smile. "And that's not just something I'm settling for. That's something I… I cherish, Rach."
Tears were streaming openly down her face now, and she reached up, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him briefly on the mouth. They held each other for a moment before he finally stepped away.
"Hey, now. I'm still Joey, okay? Don't do that and expect me not to brag about it to Chandler later."
A tiny smile crossed her face, and she nodded tearfully as the world – which had come crashing down around her minutes before – slowly began to right itself.
"I'm such an idiot," she whispered, caught somewhere between remorse and regret. Man, if she thought the slipper incident was bad, reliving *this* one for the next few sleepless nights was going to be absolute hell.
Joey gave an odd half-smile, not agreeing with her but not quite objecting, either. Rachel had a way of wreaking emotional havoc in him, and for his own sanity he knew he'd have to guide them both past this – for good. He studied her carefully, understanding what the right thing to do was… and reached out and squeezed her hand.
"When he asks," he murmured, "don't just say 'okay'. He's givin' you a ring, not extra toppings on your pizza."
She gave a surprised laugh, nodding. 'Don't just say okay…'
'Yes,' a little voice inside her whispered. 'Say yes…'
He smiled at her as if knowing what she was thinking, and added, sotto, "See, Rach, now aren't you glad we rehearsed? You know you only get one take when it's the real thing."
Rachel met his eyes for a long moment. "Thank you Joey," she whispered.
He nodded slowly. "No problem."
Ross cleared his throat in the doorway behind them, and he slowly released her hand.
"Am I, uh, interrupting something?" Ross asked curiously.
Joey turned around. "No. I was just on my way out, man." His serious expression caught Ross off guard, and he lowered the bouquet of lilies he was holding, giving Joey a 'what's up?' look of concern.
Joey inclined his head just slightly toward Rachel, and then gave her one last look as he passed Ross in the doorway, placing a hand on his friend's shoulder. "I think she's waiting for you," he said. And then he slipped out into the hallway, and was gone.
---
-where season eight left off-
"Okay," she whispered, the word coming out in a rush. She barely had time to comprehend what Joey was asking, or what she was accepting, but with her emotions in a whirl she found herself replying instinctively.
Above all else, she just didn't want to end up alone.
"Okay," she repeated a moment later, trying out the word again. She was unprepared for what came next.
Slowly, the look on Joey's face went from shocked to confused to horrified. "N- no," he stuttered, his eyes widening in alarm. "No, Rach, uh… this, this fell out of Ross's jacket, I just picked it up!"
Rachel stared at him, aware that the expressions crossing her own face were probably mimicking his. If there were ever a good time to sink into the floor and disappear forever, it was now.
Joey, realizing he was still holding the ring, dropped it like it was on fire and then cursed and picked it up again, stuffing it into the pocket of Ross's jacket and jerking unsteadily to his feet. He looked at Rachel, but couldn't seem to find the words.
Rachel moaned, lifting one hand to massage her forehead as she squeezed her eyes shut. "Oh, god," she whispered. "Can I just take back the last thirty seconds of my life?" What the hell had she been thinking?
When she opened her eyes again, Joey was now staring at the floor… she could tell he was hurt. She'd hurt him. Again.
Tears filled her eyes immediately.
"Joey," she began, sniffling, and realizing that for the first time in all the years she'd known him, she had no idea what to say to this man.
"He must have been holding that for you," Joey muttered, nodding his head and still not meeting her eyes.
A rush of belated feelings overwhelmed her, as she began to understand the other implications of the engagement ring in Ross's jacket pocket. "I – I didn't know. I don't know," she said helplessly, realizing that she *didn't* know, anything, anymore.
Joey sighed, then took a deep breath and approached the bed. His hands fiddled nervously with the sheet. "I think you do know," he said quietly. "I think you're just confused. But you shouldn't be. You and Ross, and this baby… it's everything you need, Rach, right there in that jewelry box. Don't settle for me. Not that I was even asking…" a wry smile crossed his face, disappearing a moment later, "but absolutely, don't settle for me. You guys are like… a family. And you love each other still, I think. We all think. We talk about it all the time."
"You do?" Rachel peered up at him, trying to wipe away the tears clouding her vision. Her mind was racing a mile a minute.
"Oh yeah. It's not as, um, as hard for me – as it was a few months ago. To talk about you guys together."
"Joey…" She reached out, lacing her fingers through his own and squeezing tightly. "I love you," she whispered, looking up at him. "You know that, right? You are one of the most important people in my life."
He was quiet for a long moment. "Yeah," he finally said, attempting a smile. "And that's not just something I'm settling for. That's something I… I cherish, Rach."
Tears were streaming openly down her face now, and she reached up, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him briefly on the mouth. They held each other for a moment before he finally stepped away.
"Hey, now. I'm still Joey, okay? Don't do that and expect me not to brag about it to Chandler later."
A tiny smile crossed her face, and she nodded tearfully as the world – which had come crashing down around her minutes before – slowly began to right itself.
"I'm such an idiot," she whispered, caught somewhere between remorse and regret. Man, if she thought the slipper incident was bad, reliving *this* one for the next few sleepless nights was going to be absolute hell.
Joey gave an odd half-smile, not agreeing with her but not quite objecting, either. Rachel had a way of wreaking emotional havoc in him, and for his own sanity he knew he'd have to guide them both past this – for good. He studied her carefully, understanding what the right thing to do was… and reached out and squeezed her hand.
"When he asks," he murmured, "don't just say 'okay'. He's givin' you a ring, not extra toppings on your pizza."
She gave a surprised laugh, nodding. 'Don't just say okay…'
'Yes,' a little voice inside her whispered. 'Say yes…'
He smiled at her as if knowing what she was thinking, and added, sotto, "See, Rach, now aren't you glad we rehearsed? You know you only get one take when it's the real thing."
Rachel met his eyes for a long moment. "Thank you Joey," she whispered.
He nodded slowly. "No problem."
Ross cleared his throat in the doorway behind them, and he slowly released her hand.
"Am I, uh, interrupting something?" Ross asked curiously.
Joey turned around. "No. I was just on my way out, man." His serious expression caught Ross off guard, and he lowered the bouquet of lilies he was holding, giving Joey a 'what's up?' look of concern.
Joey inclined his head just slightly toward Rachel, and then gave her one last look as he passed Ross in the doorway, placing a hand on his friend's shoulder. "I think she's waiting for you," he said. And then he slipped out into the hallway, and was gone.