Beautifully

Chapter 6: The Seventeenth Date

~.~

T-minus twelve days until our wedding reception…I am nothing but relieved that it's almost over since we're doing it completely for our families…since we, ya know, eloped…for a reason… If anyone has a spare girl gene to make me more excited for this, please, send it my way.

Anyway, thanks SO much for the reviews! Last weekend marked my tenth anniversary on the site-holy crap! If you had told little, junior high Jamie that she would be writing here again when she was an "adult" (I use the term loosely…do I have to be an adult?), she probably would have laughed at you. Of course, she also would have laughed at you if you told her she was going to run a marathon. And be married by now.

C'est la vie...

~.~

"Hey!" Chandler greeted Rachel from her living room when she got home from work.

"Hey," she smiled back warmly as he stood up from her couch. "Were you waiting for me?"

Chandler smiled sheepishly. "I might have been…."

"Is Monica here?" Rachel asked as Chandler crossed the living room to where she was still standing in the kitchen.

"Nope," Chandler shook his head, wrapping his arms around her, burying his face in her hair. "Just me and you."

Rachel sighed as she melted into his embrace, glad it was just them. "I had the worst day," she sighed into his chest.

"Aw, why?'

"First, I broke a coffee pot not five minutes after I got there this morning, and it's the seventh one I've broken in the last two weeks, so, from now on, everything I break I buy," Rachel started. "And I just kept messing up order after order…worse than usual," Rachel added, more to herself than to him.

"Sorry your day was so bad," Chandler whispered, still holding her.

"Well, you were kind of the thing that was distracting me," Rachel smirked slightly as she pulled back a bit.

"Ouch," Chandler laughed, and Rachel smiled, Chandler leaning in to kiss her before loosening his arms from around her.

"I just really hate my job. And I'm terrible at it. And I hate that I'm terrible at it," Rachel sighed.

"Maybe you're terrible at it because you hate it so much?"

"Oh, no, not maybe," Rachel shook her head, "definitely. I just don't care. I don't care if Miss Uptight's non-fat, extra-foam, two-shot caramel latte is too hot. I don't want to put the trays back in the tray spot. I just, I don't care," Rachel shrugged. "If I wasn't pretty, I wouldn't make any money in tips at all…."

Chandler smiled at that last part. "Why don't you quit if you hate it so much?"

"Asks the man who hates his job?" Rachel raised her eyebrows as she slipped off her shoes, heading for the couch.

"Yes, but there's a money-happiness continuum. If you make enough money, it's okay if you're not happy. They pay me too much to quit. And, last time I tried to quit, they promoted me!" Chandler defended himself, sitting beside her on the couch.

"Hey, I'll quit my job when you quit your job. Deal?"

Chandler smiled. "That could be a fun game, until we both run out of money."

Rachel shook her head at him, leaning against him, and Chandler kissed the back of her head

"At least your job makes you smell like coffee and chocolate," he breathed in the smell of her hair, which she had taken out of its earlier ponytail.

"Well, at least I get one benefit out of working there," Rachel turned to face him, kissing him. "Hey, um, did you by any chance talk to Ross today.

Chandler grinned. "As a matter of fact, that was the only productive thing I did today."

"And?"

Chandler shrugged. "He's okay with it. Not that I was asking for his permission…I just wanted to tell him before he found out some other way."

Rachel nodded. "So, Ross knows, and Phoebe knows, but Monica and Joey don't know?" Chandler nodded. "I should probably talk to Monica."

"Why?" Rachel gave him a look that said he should know the answer to that. "What?" he asked, not understanding the look.

"At no point in the past six or seven years that you guys have been hanging out have neither of you given any thought to…" Rachel trailed off, and Chandler remained quiet. "And that's why I'm going to talk to her," Rachel said quietly.

They both remained silent for a moment, Chandler's arm around Rachel, his hand tracing circles on her side. "We can't count this like a normal relationship, can we? I mean, we've been hanging out every day for over a year, so it's not like counting Friday as a first date, and yesterday as a second…"

Rachel nodded in agreement. "No, it's more like starting from date like…seventeen?"

"Date seventeen?" Chandler laughed.

Rachel shrugged. "Far enough in that you're already kind of committed, but still kind of at that beginning stage…."

Chandler nodded. "Yea, we'll call it date seventeen…."

"Can date seventeen consist of ordering pizza and renting a movie or something?" Rachel asked. "After today, I really don't want to do anything…."

Chandler smiled, leaning in to kiss her. "Date seventeen sounds just about perfect." Rachel kissed back, moving slowly so that she was sitting on his lap straddling him, his hands on either of her thighs, inching up under her skirt as they kissed harder, leaning closer and closer. Rachel's arms wrapped around his neck, his now wrapped around her waist as the kiss intensified, both of them knowing that this was going to go further than the past two nights had gone, so wrapped up in each other they didn't even notice the front door opening as Monica walked in.

"Ohmygod," was all they heard, followed by the door slamming shut as they pulled apart, breathless.

"I'm gonna go talk to Monica," Rachel pointed at the door, and Chandler nodded as she moved off of him.

"Probably a good idea," Chandler agreed, though he'd really rather she stayed and finished what they were doing.

"I'll be right back," Rachel added, leaning down to kiss Chandler again.

"Kay," he replied, watching her as she walked out the door, turning back as she reached it to smile at him before walking out the door and across the hall, hoping Monica had gone to the guys'.

Rachel opened the door slowly, Monica standing in the kitchen by the counter, Joey sitting in the living room watching TV.

"Hey," she started slowly, Monica looking up.

"Hey."

"Look, I kind of wanted to talk to you about, well…that," Rachel pointed towards the door.

"You mean, you and Chandler?"

"Wait, what about you and Chandler?" Joey turned around to face them, turning the volume down on the TV.

"Joey, we're trying to have a conversation," Rachel turned towards him.

"Yea, in my kitchen!" Joey defended himself, standing up. "So, what happened between you and Chandler?" he stood between them, arms crossed in eager anticipation.

"Joe," both girls warned simultaneously.

"Fine," Joey shrugged. "I'll just go talk to Chandler," he walked out the door, leaving the girls alone.

"Why did you want to talk to me about it," Monica shrugged nonchalantly, but it seemed forced to Rachel.

"Because…it's Chandler," Rachel said quietly. Monica again shrugged at that, playing with the edge of a piece of paper that was sitting on the counter. "Okay," Rachel started, "I don't know-or want to know-what, if anything, has ever happened between you two, or what feelings have gone what ways at any point in time, but I don't want to not acknowledge that us, me and him…might be a little weird for you. I don't want to gloss over all of that and have you end up mad at one or both of us," Rachel paused. "Okay, now this is the part where you talk…"

Monica looked up, laughing at that. "You guys just…really caught me off guard, that's all," she finally started. "I won't lie and say that..." Monica trailed off, trying to find the right wording, "we haven't had our…moments. I just, I'm having a really hard time wrapping my head around this. How did this happen? Was he who you were with last night? How did Phoebe know?"

Rachel laughed at that, shaking her head. "I have no idea…it just kind of…happened," Rachel shrugged. "You know how I went to that work party with him Friday? And Phoebe was there when I got back, and I couldn't not spill," Rachel again shrugged, unable to contain her smile.

Monica smiled at her friend's happiness. "Okay, but, I do need details. Because I'm not going to lie and say I've never wondered what it would be like to date Chandler..."

Rachel laughed, pulling one of the barstools up to the counter. "Well, it started Friday when we went shopping with Julie…."

~.~

"Dude," Joey opened the door to the girls' apartment, finding Chandler getting himself a glass of water.

"What," Chandler shrugged.

"Rachel?" Joey raised his eyebrows, and Chandler nodded, smiling. "First of all, does Ross know about this?"

Chandler nodded. "Yea, and he's okay with it."

"Okay," Joey walked over to him, slapping him on the back. "Du-ude, Rachel?" Chandler just laughed. "So, have you slept with her yet?"

"Dude," Chandler looked at him, and Joey held up his hands, as if to say he was backing off.

"So, wanna order some pizza? I'm starving," Joey sat down in one of the kitchen chairs.

"We were actually about to order pizza," Chandler sat down across from him. "Well, we were about to do something else, but after that, we were about to order pizza," he looked up at Joey, who grinned at getting a slight detail out of Chandler.

"You haven't slept with her yet, have you?" Chandler shook his head. "Nervous?"

"Terrified. It's Rachel."

"Want some pointers?"

Chandler shook his head. "Never not wanted something more in my life."

"Should we get pepperoni?"

"What?" Chandler looked at him in confusion.

"Pizza. Should we get pepperoni on the pizza?" Joey looked at him, as if that should have been obvious.

Chandler laughed. "I honestly don't know if you have a two-track mind of food and sex, or if it's just one-track consisting of both food and sex…."

Joey grinned. "Definitely the second one."

"Should we go see what kind of pizza the girls want?" Chandler asked, standing up just as the door opened, and Ross walked in, followed shortly by Julie, and the girls, who she had gotten from Joey and Chandler's.

"I'm really confused by you two here," Ross pointed at Joey and Chandler in the kitchen. "And Rachel and Monica over there," he pointed towards the guys' apartment.

"We're about to order pizza," Joey explained. "And I think Monica walked in on Rachel and Chandler about to do something else, if you know what I mean," he raised his eyebrows, getting smacked on the arm by Julie, who was the closest girl to him.

"Anyway," Ross ignored Joey's comment. "Julie and I have an announcement to make," Ross started as everyone followed them into the living room.

"Oooh, are you going to have another kid?" Joey asked, looking at Ross.

"No," Ross shook his head.

"Are you getting married again?"

Ross again shook his head as Julie moved by his side.

"We're moving in together!" she said before Joey had the chance to ask another question.

"You guys, that's great!" Monica was the first to congratulate them, hugging her brother first before moving over to Julie.

"Congrat's, man," Chandler patted him on the back, though he had known the news was coming.

"I'm here!" Phoebe burst through the front door, juggling four bottles of champagne in her arms. "Who's pregnant or who's getting married? Julie's message said to bring some champagne because we're celebrating!"

"None of the above, Phoebs," Ross answered her as Chandler and Rachel, who were closest to the door, grabbed the bottles from her arms before she dropped them.

"How many of us did you think there were?" Chandler looked at Phoebe, and then at the four bottles, and then around the room. Phoebe shrugged.

"Okay," Ross clapped his hands. "Phoebe, Julie and I are moving in together!"

"Aw, yay for you guys!" Phoebe hugged Ross before moving over to hug Julie. "Julie, I'm so glad we have you now. After the guys outnumbering Monica and I for so long, it's nice that we finally outnumber them."

Julie laughed at that. "Thanks, I think."

Phoebe nodded. "It was a compliment."

"Okay, so should we all get to drinking? Those four bottles of champagne aren't going to drink themselves!" Chandler looked at the bottles on the table.

"Okay, what is with you and the four bottles?" Phoebe turned back towards him. "If someone told you to bring some champagne to celebrate, how many bottles would you bring?"

"One," Chandler looked at her blankly.

"Really? Just one?" Phoebe challenged back. "What a party pooper."

"Okay, champagne," Monica changed the subject, going to the cabinet for glasses. "Believe it or not, I don't own any champagne flutes, so, wine glasses," she started setting them on the counter, Julie heading over to help.

"Hey, can we pop all four corks at the same time and see which one goes the furthest?" Joey moved closer to the table. "Chandler did you ever order that pizza?"

"No, to the second, and I might be more on-board with needing four bottles of champagne if we can use them for the first…" he replied, everyone looking to Monica for permission since it was her apartment. She struggled inwardly with it for a moment before replying.

"Only if it's outside. And only if I get one of the bottles," she finally responded.

"Yea, baby!" Joey celebrated, grabbing a couple of bottles and heading for the balcony, Monica grabbing the other two and the others following close behind, Rachel and Chandler hanging back.

"Not quite the quiet night we had planned," Chandler said as Rachel stood in front of him, wrapping her arms around his waist as he encircled her in his.

"No, but I'll take it," Rachel replied as Chandler leaned down to kiss her.

"Chandler, come on!" Joey yelled through the window. "We're saving a bottle for you!" he held up the bottle in one of his hands, Ross and Monica each with the other two. "C'mon," he motioned for them to come outside.

"So, this is what date seventeen gets us," Chandler laughed, walking towards the balcony, Rachel following close behind, hand in his.

"I'm afraid so," Rachel laughed.

Chandler just nodded. "I'll take it."

~.~

Though it was Sunday night, since all four bottles of champagne had been opened, and it was somehow decided that all four needed to be drank, and it had turned into five other people joining in on what was supposed to be Rachel and Chandler's pizza and a movie. Instead, they had all argued about what kind of pizza to get, and then what movie to watch, finally settling on When Harry Met Sally (Phoebe's excitement over the girl majority had already paid off). Rachel sat on the end of the couch, cuddled up under a blanket beside Chandler, content to spend the night there with him, with or without five other people. Well, a lot of the night she would have preferred without, especially, when Chandler would slide his hand up her inner thigh under her skirt, and then she had reciprocated, running her hand up his leg and across his crotch, not stopping until she felt his jeans get tighter. And then he would play with the edge of her panties. And as soon as her breathing would quicken in anticipation, his hand would be back on her leg. She felt like a horny teenager, but, if this was like date number seventeen, there was usually sex involved before then. And the past two nights it had taken a lot of willpower on both of their parts for that not to happen. And the slight buzz from the champagne was giving her the courage to reciprocate what the champagne was giving Chandler the courage to do in the presence of five other people.

Slowly, the rest of the group did turn in. First Phoebe, then Monica, then Joey, and finally Ross and Julie, leaving Chandler and Rachel alone as the movie finished, four empty bottles and seven empty glasses on the coffee table (Monica must have been at least slightly drunk to have left the mess).

Seconds after the door closed, Rachel and Chandler were kissing, moving so that they were laying down on the couch, Chandler on top. Rachel ran her hands up his back beneath his shirt, gripping his shoulders and pulling him down closer, kissing him, over and over, unable to get him close enough, as his fingers pushed up her skirt so that he could pull her panties down, and she helped him by kicking them off the rest of the way. Rachel fumbled with the button and zipper on his jeans as he unclasped her bra and his hands cupper her breasts, fingertips running over her nipples as she decided four bottles of champagne was the perfect amount because she was the perfect amount of buzzed for this.

After pushing his jeans and boxers down around his ankles, Rachel wrapped her legs around his back, eliciting a slight moan from Chandler, who pushed into her. Rachel inhaled sharply, trying to gather a bit of coherence inside her head that was spinning from a mixture of alcohol and Chandler. He must have been even more drunk than she was, because they needed- What was he doing with his hips? Oh, god, what was he doing with his hips….

"Chandler," it came out a soft moaned whisper, but it had been enough.

"Shit, condoms?" Chandler finally asked quietly.

"Bedroom," Rachel replied, now moving with him.

"Keep doing that, and it's gonna be too late," he moaned, eyes closed. "Bedroom?"

"Bedroom," Rachel nodded, Chandler standing up, pulling her with him, wrapping the blanket around both of them as they moved, still kissing, towards her bedroom.

~.~

I should have been studying for my lab exam tomorrow instead of writing this for the past hour and a half, so, please don't make me beg for reviews :)