What Love Can Do Chapter 9, a friends fanfic

Thank you SO much for the reviews, and I hope you liked my new summary, (those of you who took notice).

Disclaimer; I don't own Friends, and I don't own the song "Every little part of me", sung by Julie Berthelsen. You should try and listen to it sometimes, if you haven't heard it. It's really gorgeous.

What Love Can Do

Chapter 9.

Chandler woke up to a noisy house that Sunday morning.

He had, for once, slept in the same bad as Monica, since Joey had occupied the couch.

He groggily stood out of bed and went downstairs to see what was going on.

When he came down, he realized that Monica was making breakfast. Joey was teaching Jack about acting, while telling him anecdotes about his own career. Erica was watching Sponge Bob, with the TV on a horrible high volume.

Chandler grabbed the remote and turned it down, ignoring Erica's protests about not hearing anything because of Jack and Joey's conversation.

"And then you take something sharp, and make a little hole in your pocket. That way you will always be able to get tears out by pocking yourself" Joey finished, a proud smile on his lips. He looked up from Jack's face and saw Chandler in the door, "Hey man! 'Morning!"

"Good morning" Chandler said, sitting down on his regular seat by the table, "Did you sleep well?"

"Yeah, that was okay" Joey said, "Not that your couch is too comfortable, but it was fine"

"That's good" Chandler said, pouring coffee into his cup, "What are you doing today? Going to see Ross? Phoebe, or what about Rach?"

"Joey and I are going to the hospital to talk to Ross" Monica chipped in, leaving scrambled eggs at his plate, "I mean, I should probably go see him too. I haven't been there"

"Haven't you been there yet?" Joey exclaimed, "Mon, it's your brother?"

"I know!" Monica exclaimed, "But I haven't had the time"

"That's bullshit Monica, and you know it" Chandler said, taking a sip of his coffee, "You've had plenty of time"

"Monica, you could at least tell him that you're sorry" Joey said.

"I just don't know how I can look him in the eye" Monica said, pausing, "Do you think anyone told him it was me?"

"Rachel probably did" Chandler said.

"Yeah" Monica whispered, "But anyway, we're going there"

"Then I have the kids today?" Chandler asked.

"Yes, and I was thinking…" Monica trailed off, "Since it's so long since they've been together with Emma you could invite her over here? And Rachel too, she could probably use some cheering up? I know you two talk a lot together. Get her to open up a little"

Chandler froze by the opportunity of a day with Rachel.

How could he spend time with her, without talking about the kiss? Without kissing her again, when all he had practically thought about was what it meant, and how good it had been?

"Yeah" Joey agreed, "And we should really give Ross an earful after what he did to her? How could he do that?"

"I have no idea" Chandler managed to say, "But she was heartbroken"

Monica looked at her husband with curious eyes. He'd been different the past days. Not just different like when they argued all the time, but since the accident…

Maybe he was finally facing things?

Maybe he wanted to leave her?

Can you hear the echo
Footsteps down the hall
Always such lonely
As they're walking away
The man in the mirror
Looks tired and worn
Another Dejá Vu day
When your heart is torn

She looked out of the window with a sad look in her eyes.

The leaves were still falling. There were a few left on their three, she wondered though, if anyone was left on the three outside the hospital. If everything had gone like she'd predicted, they would be gone now.

She hadn't slept much this night.

She'd gone the weeks happening over and over in her head.

The crash. Ross' body. Erica's hand. Monica's cry. Ross' yelling. The furniture gone. The kiss. The phone. The talk.

It hadn't left her alone. It's had taken over her mind.

The crash. Ross' body. Erica's hand. Monica's cry. Ross' yelling. The furniture gone. The kiss. The phone. The talk. The crash. Ross' body. Erica's hand. Monica's cry. Ross' yelling. The furniture gone. The kiss. The phone. The talk. The crash. Ross' body. Erica's hand. Monica's cry. Ross' yelling. The furniture gone. The kiss. The phone. The talk. The crash. Ross' body. Erica's hand. Monica's cry. Ross' yelling. The furniture gone. The kiss. The phone. The talk. The crash. Ross' body. Erica's hand. Monica's cry. Ross yelling. The furniture gone. The kiss. The phone. The talk. The crash…

She smashed her head into the glass of the window, wanting her mind to think of other things.

She wanted to feel happy again, she really did.

But she didn't have the strength to figure out how.

I'm in this melancholy mood
That never does me any good
It gets worse when I'm tired
It's a habit I've acquired

Her sleepy eyes were barely able to keep open, but she didn't want to close them. She got pictures in her head.

She didn't want that.

She smashed her head into the glass again, but stopped when she heard padding feet in the hall.

She turned around to find her baby girl staring at her.

She looked right into her eyes with a loving gaze, and couldn't help but smile by the chocolate brown look she got back.

She loved those eyes.

Emma reminded her so much of Ross.

Oh, how she missed him…

Every little part of me
Is missing you now
Every little part of you
No matter where you are I do
This body aches to be kissing you now
Every little part of you
Deep down to the heart of you
And in the middle of the night
You should hear my spirit cry
Ohh - I – I'm still missing
Every little part of you

Emma looked at her with worried eyes. She was scared for her mother, the person she trusted the most in the hole world. She silently reached her hand out.

She starred at it for awhile, the hand. Wondering what to do.

Rachel reached out and took it.

Monica looked at the door before her.

She closed her eyes and imagined what Ross' reaction would be.

She hoped it would be good.

She lifted her hand and knocked, Joey's hand supportingly laid on her shoulder.

"Monica just assumed it would be good for you to talk to someone" Chandler said, trying to break the awkward tension which had built between them

"Yeah, I bet she did" Rachel sarcastically replied. "She knows everything, right? She knows that I don't talk to anyone"

"But you don't talk to anyone" Chandler said.

"Oh, yes I do!" Rachel said, "I talk to someone. I talk to someone all the time"

Chandler looked at her with a cooked eyebrow; "You do? Really?"

She nodded.

"Who?"

"I talk to… Emma" Rachel said, in a way that only she could possibly do.

"Yes, 'cause Emma can understand your problems like a grownup can" Chandler sarcastically shot back.

"Emma is very mature for her age!" Rachel protested, but knowing it would get her nowhere.

"But anyway" Chandler said, looking lovingly at her, "If you don't want to talk, we could cheer you up instead?"

"Hmm?" Rachel seemed to wonder, "That would be nice, but I doubt your abilities to do that"

"Oh, we can do that?" Chandler said, turning around to look at the kids who were playing videogames in the living room, "Right kids? We can cheer Rachel up?"

Emma nodded with a big smile on her face, "Yes!" she smiled.

"Does one of you have an idea then?" Chandler asked, sending Rachel an evil smile. She wasn't getting out of this now!

"Uh, daddy I do!" Jack said, "I have an idea!"

"What is it, son?" Chandler asked.

Jack rushed into the living room and whispered something in his father's ear.

Chandler got a smile on his face; "I think we should do that"

"Yai!" Jack said.

"Where are we going?" Erica asked.

"Are you hungry?" Chandler asked them.

Rachel looked at him, confused; "What are you up to?" she laughed.

"Hmm, we're going to McDonald's!" Chandler smiled.

"We are?" Erica exclaimed, "Yai! Mom never takes us!"

"So you wanna go there?" Chandler asked them.

The three kids nodded and rushed out to take on their shoes and jackets.

"Well, this certainly looks like we're going to McDonald's" Rachel smiled, already feeling her mood kick a phase up.

Monica bend down and kissed his hand again. She'd done that at least a thousand times since they stepped into his room, which was more then tree hours ago.

"But Ross?" Joey said, after Ross told them how he'd taken Rachel's things, "That doesn't explain why you did it?"

"I already told you" Ross said, "I cant let her marry me. She should move on. That's what's best for both of us"

"No, it's isn't" Joey said, "What's best for the both of you is to be together, because you can't be apart. You two have survived so many things, Ross. You've been through so much. It's hard to imagine the two of you not working through this either"

"But we can't Joey" Ross said, "Maybe I will never walk again, maybe I'm gonna be in a wheelchair forever"

"Yeah, but maybe you're gonna walk again" Joey said, "You can if you want to"

"It's not that easy, Joe" Ross said.

"Monica, will you please help me?" Joey asked, shrugging his shoulders.

"I don't know what to say" Monica asked, "It's all… floopy"

"But Mon, I do have a question;" Ross said, "You and Rachel have been weird around each other for so long. What has happened between the two of you?"

Monica looked at her brother and decided to tell him. It didn't matter anyway. They had much more important things to worry about now.

"It was… We were having lunch one day, a couple of months ago. She came down to the restaurant, and I treated her a quick lunch. We talked about this and that, and suddenly, she mentioned her and Chandler's lunch dates. I didn't know about them, did you?"

"Yes," Ross smiled, "Rachel always told me what Chandler had been talking about. Which jokes he'd told. Chandler also talked to me about Rachel's complains about me not proposing. Didn't Chandler say anything?"

"No" Monica said, "Which was why I got so offended and angry. Then I got home and asked him, casually, why he hadn't mentioned the fact that they ate lunch everyday, because he had told me that he couldn't come down to the restaurant because he was eating with a friend. I just never assumed it was Rachel" Monica paused and looked thoughtful for awhile, but then she begun again, "He said he didn't think it was such a big deal and stuff. Already there were we having arguments all the time, discussing small things, getting worked up over nothing. I was really nervous if he was having and affair, because he sometimes came home, smelling like Chanel, but I didn't say anything"

"Rachel uses Chanel" Ross pointed out.

"Yeah, I know that" Monica said, "But back then I didn't know he was eating with her, so I though it could be someone else's. I got relieved after that one, and thought everything was good. But then the next day Rachel came down again, because Chandler had cancelled lunch. She asked me if I had something to do with it, if I thought they were doing something behind my back, which was ironic since that had been exactly my thought"

"That is weird" Ross said, "But Rachel never smelled like Chandler. Do you think they were having an affair?"

"No!" Monica said, "Of course not! Not now when I knew the perfume was hers. It all made sense then. I also told her that I didn't ask him to cancel their lunches, 'cause I didn't do that. But she accused me for it still, and told me that why else should he have done it. Then she left the restaurant. In anger"

"But why did he cancel?" Joey asked.

"I don't know" Monica said, "I've been trying to get it out of him, because then I could give Rachel and explanation and we could be friends again. But y'know, apparently, the next day, they'd had dinner again. I expected Rachel to apologize, but she didn't. Chandler still didn't tell me what they were doing, but I assumed everything was fine. Well, except for the fact that I was having a fall out with my best friend"

"Hmm, I never really noticed anything until Chandler told me" Ross said, "But after that, we didn't know what to do, so we did nothing"

Monica smiled at him, "It went that way for awhile, until you guys had Jack and Erica over for a sleep over because I was working and Chandler had to attend to a family crises. Erica came home the next day, smiling brightly with new clothes in hand and telling me all about aunt Rachel, who apparently was the coolest person in the world. I got so jealous, which is crazy. After that though, I ignored her completely. And when she finally rang my cell and tried to make up, I just hung up on her. We didn't really talk after that, though we were trying to act like nothing was going on"

"Wow" Joey mused, "I leave you guys alone, and you're all fighting with each other? Where is Phoebe in this hole mess?"

"I don't know" Monica said, "She's mostly with Mike. I see her occasionally. Actually, a few days ago. I don't think Rachel and Chandler talk to her much"

"She's here visiting me everyday" Ross said, "She helped me with the furniture and all"

"Ross!" Monica said, "That's a good way to get Rachel to hate her! How could you do that?"

"She could've said no" Ross pointed out.

"But she probably felt sorry for you. Lying there in your hospital bed. She probably felt like she had to do something" Joey said, crossing his arms.

"I don't know" Ross said, resting his head at his pillow, "All I know is that it's all messed up right now. I don't want to lose any of you, but I cant see us working through all this. Definitely not me and Rachel"

"And me and Chandler" Monica said, hugging his hand with hers, "I think he's ready to leave me"

Rachel laughed and took a big bite of her burger, which resulted in her, getting ketchup and mustard all over her face.

She chewed it and swallowed.

Emma pointed at her and giggled.

"Oh, do I have something?" Rachel asked, giggling too.

Emma leaned forward and wiped her mothers face with a napkin.

She hadn't had this much fun in ages!

Jack took a sip of his cola and threw a French fry at his sister. Erica laughed and threw one back.

Chandler looked at them with a big smile on his face.

Mission accomplished.

He had made Rachel smile. She had laughed and now she even had tears in her eyes because she was laughing so hard.

He felt peaceful.

He could be himself and he could laugh and eat the way he wanted.

Erica and Jack could get ketchup all over their face, because Rachel was doing that too, so no-one told them it was wrong. No-one told them they should eat nice and behave. They just enjoyed each other.

McDonald's was a kids place.

They could behave like they wanted to.

"Are you throwing fries at me?" Rachel asked, sending Jack an angry look.

Jack just nodded, "Yes, yes, I think I am"

"Uh, I'm gonna get you!" Rachel squealed, leaning over the table to tickle him everywhere.

"Mommy, stop it!" Emma said, "He's gonna pee in his pants!"

Erica just stood there, amused.

"I give up!" Jack laughed, "I give up! I wont throw fries at you"

"Alright" Rachel said, retiring to her own seat, "But if you don't keep your promise, I'm gonna have to tickle you again"

Jack just laughed and shot her a toothy smile.

"So, do you feel happy now?" Chandler asked Rachel.

She turned to him and smiled, "Yes, thank you, Chandler. I haven't had this much fun since forever!"

He just smiled at her.

"Wow, look at you" an elderly woman, who had a child (probably grandchild) in one hand and a soda in the other, said, "What a cute picture"

"Thank you" Chandler said.

"Such cute kids" she smiled, "How old are they?"

"These two are 4 years old and this one is 6." Rachel told her, pointing at them one by one.

"It's so nice to take the kids out, right?" she smiled, "Well, this is my grandson. My husband and I finally got to watch him, so we thought we'd take him to his favourite place"

"Yeah, it's nice for the kids to come out a bit" Chandler smiled.

"Hmm, well, I gotta go" the woman said, "Nice talking to you"

"You too" Rachel smiled.

"Such a nice family" the woman mumbled and walked away.

Phoebe sighed when she once again got the voice mail.

It was unbelievable.

Where could she be all day long?

Maybe she didn't pick up because it was her?

No, Rachel didn't have a caller ID.

Phoebe made a decision and dialled another number.

Maybe Monica would be able to take a talk with her tomorrow.

She had always had all the answers.

Remember when you told me
How pain never lasts
We can win tomorrow
By facing the pasts
How come today then
All that remains
Each and every memory
Is a heart full of pain

Ross looked at the white ceiling, a numb feeling in his heart.

The talk with Monica and Joey had only confused him more. He didn't know what was happening to the tight group they'd once been. To the close friendship they'd all shared.

It was slowly breaking apart.

Piece by piece.

I'm in this melancholy mood
That never does me any good
It gets worse when I'm tired
It's a habit I've acquired

But even though he was missing the friendship they all had, he was missing one person the most.

He didn't know how they'd ended where they were.

If Joey was right, they'd be able to make it. To work through it, but he just didn't know if Joey was right or not.

In a way, he hoped he was, because being with Rachel, was his way of living.

But in another way, he hoped Joey was wrong, because after all he'd done, he didn't believe that Rachel deserved him.

He had waited all day for her to step in the door, and say hi, to get him to talk to her.

That that didn't happen, he'd waited for a doctor or a nurse to come tell him that she'd called and asked how he was doing.

She hadn't done that either.

She didn't care about him.

But as Joey had told him before he closed the door and left:

"You should talk to her Ross. It's the only way to get this sorted out. Because I know you love her, and I don't think you want to lose her"

But maybe that was just too late.

Rachel was happily bouncing around the living room, letting the days happenings sink down.

This morning she'd been depressed, sad and teary-eyed.

Now she was happy, smiling and full of joy.

She couldn't believe that a simple visit at McDonald's could do that.

If she'd known that one visit could make her fly up between the skies when she had been buried in the dust, she would have done it a long time ago.

But it was probably not the place she'd been.

It was the people she'd been there with.

Yeah, that was it.

She still missed Ross, sure.

She would always miss him when she didn't see him, but the wound wasn't too bad when she was spending time with Chandler and he kids.

And when I feel the morning light
I reach for you to hold you tight
How I wish I could feel you once more
See the sun rise on your face
But deep down in my heart I know
That maybe I should let you go
But you are a hard habit to break

Okay, so I think this was the longest chapter yet, but I don't know… A lot of stuff had to happen, and ironically, this chapter took me only half the time it took me to write the last chapter, and this was much longer… I don't know what happened. Anyway, you guys should leave me a review, because I want to be happy, and they make me.

Thanks for reading, Stessa.