Little Things are the Big Things
CH 1: Don't Pretend to Care
Even he didn't believe it. Before his simple mind could even comprehend the words that had just slipped out of her mouth they were lip locked. Rachel had just decided to give a relationship with Joey a try, despite the fact that she had just given birth to his best friend's baby. Joey pulled away.
"Are-are you sure?" He asked excitedly.
"Yes. I am." Rachel smiled before they began kissing again.
Phoebe, Monica and Chandler were the firsts to know. Excitedly, Joey and Rachel ran in with Emma. Smiles wide and gushing.
"W-what happened? Did Emma roll over?" Monica asked eagerly.
"No, even better!" Joey smiled, wrapping one arm around Rachel.
"We're a couple!" Rachel shrieked.
"Oh, really?" Monica asked calmly when they told them.
"That's good." Chandler said in the same tone. Joey felt them put on an act showing only lukewarm sentiment. The truth was, neither of them wanted this to happen. All this meant to them was another blow out fight between Joey and Ross. Monica knew her brother, and he would not be happy about this.
"Can you at least show some enthusiasm?" Rachel asked.
"Rach- don't." Joey said knowing that this would be a problem.
"What do you mean 'don't'?" Rachel asked him before turning to Monica and Chandler again. "When you guys hooked up we were so happy for you, why can't you at least PRETEND to be happy for us?" Rachel asked.
"Hmm, let me think. What do you thing Ross is going to think about this?" Monica asked, her voice growing tense. The tension in the room was almost crushing everyone.
"Uh, what Ross thinks isn't really my problem, now, is it?" Rachel snipped.
"You know what? Fine. Whatever, you guys. Do what you want. Get married. Have babies. Whatever you do, I'll be there. But I can't promise that there will be much of a group afterwards." Monica said harshly before exiting to her room. Chandler followed, but only to talk to Monica. Rachel sighed and looked at Phoebe.
"What do you think, Pheebs?" She asked. Much to Joey and Rachel's surprise, Phoebe was less than supportive. She simply mumbled something about 'Lobsters,' before leaving the room.
"Oh my God. Why are they doing this?" Rachel asked. Everyone knew that they weren't being the best friends to them right now. But the truth was that they were scared for Ross.
"Well, you think they took it bad. Now we have to tell Ross."
Joey didn't go with Rachel to tell Ross. He knew that no good could come out of that. Rachel went alone, knowing that she and she alone would be able to console his anger. She knocked her fist against the door. He answered it within only seconds.
"Hey. Something wrong? Is Emma okay?" He asked.
"No. Emma's fine." Rachel said blankly. "We just- we need to talk." She said. Suddenly she felt guilty after watching his eyes light up with the simple phrase, 'We need to talk.' He must have thought it was about her and him getting together. She felt her heart being pulled in two different directions. Rachel just spit it out. She figured that it was like a band- aid. The faster pulled, the less the sting.
But the speed didn't make it any less painful. As soon as he heard, 'Joey and I are a couple,' Rachel watched a part of him die.
To her surprise, however, Ross was relatively calm. This didn't mean that he wasn't upset or didn't care. No, he wouldn't let himself hurt in front of her. The pain would come later when he had to lay in bed alone. Praying for dawn.
"When?" He choked. Rachel pulled her purse strap onto her shoulder more securely.
"Yesterday." She shared.
"But,' he chuckled uneasily. "But we were so close." He said quietly. "I never thought-"
"I didn't either, Ross. It just happened. I never knew I had these feelings. But...I do."
"So, you and Joey are going to raise our daughter." Ross said nodding. Letting the words soak in. "Ha. Joey is going to be MY daughter's step dad!" He said, his voice growing. "Who-who WOULDN'T be happy?" He asked. He began pacing.
"Just knock that off!" Rachel said, raising her voice as well. "Who even knows if it will get to that point?!" She asked. Ross sat back down.
"So, you've moved on. You're just going to throw away feelings or whatever the hell you felt?" Ross asked, realizing that he had repeated something Rachel had said so long ago. The night they had shared their first kiss.
"Well, after every thing we've been through I've gotten pretty damn good at it." She snapped.
"Who is benefiting from this?" Ross asked angrily, changing the argument into a new direction. "If you still have feeling for me, do you think it's fair to Joey?"
"ALL is fair in love." Rachel said.
"And war." Ross added.
"I guess I should go." Rachel said standing up. Ross sighed.
"Yeah. Maybe you should."
When Ross told them, *they* could hardly believe it. He had gotten a job in California.
"I *have* to go." He lied. In reality, he had put in for a transfer. That month had been rough. Within just weeks of Rachel and Joey confessing, Ross was moving and there was little doubt in anyone's mind why he was so eager to go. After everyone had said goodbye, Rachel asked for a moment alone with him.
"Why are you really leaving?" Rachel asked, knowing the answer.
"I have to go. It's my job." That was exactly how he said it too. Just like all of his conversations with her and with Joey. Short, choppy and to the point.
"You're going to leave Emma here. Without a daddy?" She asked.
"It's not like that." Ross said. "Besides, it's only for a year. I'll be back by her first birthday."
"I don't think you should go." Rachel said. "I think you'll feel alone."
"Oh, since when have you cared how I feel?" He asked, hoping that his words would pierce her heart. And they did. Rachel stared at him.
"I've always cared about you Ross. I always will." She said hurtfully.
"Jus-just stop!" Ross said loudly. "Don't pretend to care! You care about yourself, and Emma and Joey. You care about the guilt that YOU will be stuck with. The guilt that YOU will feel. Once again, here's Rachel Green. Thinking about herself." Ross said. He didn't care how rude or harsh he sounded. Ross had turned bitter.
"You know what? That is so not true!" Rachel defended tearfully.
"Oh, bull shit Rachel! You're just upset because you know why I'm really leaving. You know why-" He began to feel his eyes brimming. "You know why I'm not going to get to watch my little girl grow up. I'm not going to get to see her first step. Hear her first words. I won't be there, but Joey will." He paused, watching Rachel's shameful expression grow and grow. He quieted before continuing. "And it kills you, doesn't it? It kills you to know that the only man who will love both you and that little girl is me. And no one will love you both like I do. So save the 'I care' thing for Joey." He finished.
"Fuck you, Ross!" Rachel screamed in anger. "Maybe some of that is true, but we tried! Okay? God KNOWS we tried, and it just didn't work! And now, now I am happy! I'm moved on and you should too! Nothing will be the same between us and you need to accept that! We are just not compatible!"
"You look me in the eyes and tell me that you love Joey. You tell me that you think that he is really going to father your baby." Ross said, holding her am. Rachel looked down. Ross nodded, smiling maliciously. "How long, Rach?" He whispered. "How long before he leaves both you and Emma alone. How long before the REAL Joey comes back and starts womanizing. He can't help it. That's him!" He whispered harshly to where it almost wasn't a whisper at all.
"No, he loves me!" Rachel fortified. Ross stood up straight and picked up his bags.
"And it's pretty sad too. Because you will never be able to force yourself to love him." Ross leaned in and kissed her on the cheek. "Bye Rach."
XOXOElizabethXOXO
In case people are wondering, this is a JnR fic that will be turned into an RnR fic.
CH 1: Don't Pretend to Care
Even he didn't believe it. Before his simple mind could even comprehend the words that had just slipped out of her mouth they were lip locked. Rachel had just decided to give a relationship with Joey a try, despite the fact that she had just given birth to his best friend's baby. Joey pulled away.
"Are-are you sure?" He asked excitedly.
"Yes. I am." Rachel smiled before they began kissing again.
Phoebe, Monica and Chandler were the firsts to know. Excitedly, Joey and Rachel ran in with Emma. Smiles wide and gushing.
"W-what happened? Did Emma roll over?" Monica asked eagerly.
"No, even better!" Joey smiled, wrapping one arm around Rachel.
"We're a couple!" Rachel shrieked.
"Oh, really?" Monica asked calmly when they told them.
"That's good." Chandler said in the same tone. Joey felt them put on an act showing only lukewarm sentiment. The truth was, neither of them wanted this to happen. All this meant to them was another blow out fight between Joey and Ross. Monica knew her brother, and he would not be happy about this.
"Can you at least show some enthusiasm?" Rachel asked.
"Rach- don't." Joey said knowing that this would be a problem.
"What do you mean 'don't'?" Rachel asked him before turning to Monica and Chandler again. "When you guys hooked up we were so happy for you, why can't you at least PRETEND to be happy for us?" Rachel asked.
"Hmm, let me think. What do you thing Ross is going to think about this?" Monica asked, her voice growing tense. The tension in the room was almost crushing everyone.
"Uh, what Ross thinks isn't really my problem, now, is it?" Rachel snipped.
"You know what? Fine. Whatever, you guys. Do what you want. Get married. Have babies. Whatever you do, I'll be there. But I can't promise that there will be much of a group afterwards." Monica said harshly before exiting to her room. Chandler followed, but only to talk to Monica. Rachel sighed and looked at Phoebe.
"What do you think, Pheebs?" She asked. Much to Joey and Rachel's surprise, Phoebe was less than supportive. She simply mumbled something about 'Lobsters,' before leaving the room.
"Oh my God. Why are they doing this?" Rachel asked. Everyone knew that they weren't being the best friends to them right now. But the truth was that they were scared for Ross.
"Well, you think they took it bad. Now we have to tell Ross."
Joey didn't go with Rachel to tell Ross. He knew that no good could come out of that. Rachel went alone, knowing that she and she alone would be able to console his anger. She knocked her fist against the door. He answered it within only seconds.
"Hey. Something wrong? Is Emma okay?" He asked.
"No. Emma's fine." Rachel said blankly. "We just- we need to talk." She said. Suddenly she felt guilty after watching his eyes light up with the simple phrase, 'We need to talk.' He must have thought it was about her and him getting together. She felt her heart being pulled in two different directions. Rachel just spit it out. She figured that it was like a band- aid. The faster pulled, the less the sting.
But the speed didn't make it any less painful. As soon as he heard, 'Joey and I are a couple,' Rachel watched a part of him die.
To her surprise, however, Ross was relatively calm. This didn't mean that he wasn't upset or didn't care. No, he wouldn't let himself hurt in front of her. The pain would come later when he had to lay in bed alone. Praying for dawn.
"When?" He choked. Rachel pulled her purse strap onto her shoulder more securely.
"Yesterday." She shared.
"But,' he chuckled uneasily. "But we were so close." He said quietly. "I never thought-"
"I didn't either, Ross. It just happened. I never knew I had these feelings. But...I do."
"So, you and Joey are going to raise our daughter." Ross said nodding. Letting the words soak in. "Ha. Joey is going to be MY daughter's step dad!" He said, his voice growing. "Who-who WOULDN'T be happy?" He asked. He began pacing.
"Just knock that off!" Rachel said, raising her voice as well. "Who even knows if it will get to that point?!" She asked. Ross sat back down.
"So, you've moved on. You're just going to throw away feelings or whatever the hell you felt?" Ross asked, realizing that he had repeated something Rachel had said so long ago. The night they had shared their first kiss.
"Well, after every thing we've been through I've gotten pretty damn good at it." She snapped.
"Who is benefiting from this?" Ross asked angrily, changing the argument into a new direction. "If you still have feeling for me, do you think it's fair to Joey?"
"ALL is fair in love." Rachel said.
"And war." Ross added.
"I guess I should go." Rachel said standing up. Ross sighed.
"Yeah. Maybe you should."
When Ross told them, *they* could hardly believe it. He had gotten a job in California.
"I *have* to go." He lied. In reality, he had put in for a transfer. That month had been rough. Within just weeks of Rachel and Joey confessing, Ross was moving and there was little doubt in anyone's mind why he was so eager to go. After everyone had said goodbye, Rachel asked for a moment alone with him.
"Why are you really leaving?" Rachel asked, knowing the answer.
"I have to go. It's my job." That was exactly how he said it too. Just like all of his conversations with her and with Joey. Short, choppy and to the point.
"You're going to leave Emma here. Without a daddy?" She asked.
"It's not like that." Ross said. "Besides, it's only for a year. I'll be back by her first birthday."
"I don't think you should go." Rachel said. "I think you'll feel alone."
"Oh, since when have you cared how I feel?" He asked, hoping that his words would pierce her heart. And they did. Rachel stared at him.
"I've always cared about you Ross. I always will." She said hurtfully.
"Jus-just stop!" Ross said loudly. "Don't pretend to care! You care about yourself, and Emma and Joey. You care about the guilt that YOU will be stuck with. The guilt that YOU will feel. Once again, here's Rachel Green. Thinking about herself." Ross said. He didn't care how rude or harsh he sounded. Ross had turned bitter.
"You know what? That is so not true!" Rachel defended tearfully.
"Oh, bull shit Rachel! You're just upset because you know why I'm really leaving. You know why-" He began to feel his eyes brimming. "You know why I'm not going to get to watch my little girl grow up. I'm not going to get to see her first step. Hear her first words. I won't be there, but Joey will." He paused, watching Rachel's shameful expression grow and grow. He quieted before continuing. "And it kills you, doesn't it? It kills you to know that the only man who will love both you and that little girl is me. And no one will love you both like I do. So save the 'I care' thing for Joey." He finished.
"Fuck you, Ross!" Rachel screamed in anger. "Maybe some of that is true, but we tried! Okay? God KNOWS we tried, and it just didn't work! And now, now I am happy! I'm moved on and you should too! Nothing will be the same between us and you need to accept that! We are just not compatible!"
"You look me in the eyes and tell me that you love Joey. You tell me that you think that he is really going to father your baby." Ross said, holding her am. Rachel looked down. Ross nodded, smiling maliciously. "How long, Rach?" He whispered. "How long before he leaves both you and Emma alone. How long before the REAL Joey comes back and starts womanizing. He can't help it. That's him!" He whispered harshly to where it almost wasn't a whisper at all.
"No, he loves me!" Rachel fortified. Ross stood up straight and picked up his bags.
"And it's pretty sad too. Because you will never be able to force yourself to love him." Ross leaned in and kissed her on the cheek. "Bye Rach."
XOXOElizabethXOXO
In case people are wondering, this is a JnR fic that will be turned into an RnR fic.