(Hey guys!!! I'm back!!! There is one more chapter after this- So yay
almost done then I'll start the new story. Look for "Out of the Blue"
coming soon!!! Quick note to MD: THANK YOU!!! I totally agree and snaps to
you for being awesome. It is fiction, right? All right guys- Here we
go!!!)
One week later
Rachel walked up the stairs to her friends' floor and paused when she stood between the two doors. She had intended on going to see Monica because she brought Chinese food to cheer her up. She was doing better than last week, going outside her apartment, even if it was for a short amount of time. But she turned to the apartment across the hall and knocked, shifting her weight from one foot to the other. Chandler opened the door and smiled when he saw her. Rachel noticed the dark circles under his eyes and winced slightly, he looked like he had slept an hour.
"Hey Rach, come on in."
"I just wanted to stop real quick before I brought this take out over to Mon's," she said as she walked in, holding up the white boxes in her hands before putting them down on the counter. Chandler leaned against the counter, tilting his head to the side.
"What can I do for you?"
"Well... uhm... I kind of have to move back in because I can't stay at Phoebe's any longer."
"Oh... okay."
"So I mean... I uhm... I can't talk to her about it Chandler. I'm afraid she'll burst in tears at the mention of it."
"I know. I don't even want to talk to her... I mean I do but I'm so afraid of saying the wrong thing that it scares me so much," he frowned. Rachel nodded, studying the floor.
"Have you tried yet?"
"Talking about the baby?... No."
"You're going to have to. It'll help her move on."
"Rachel she just lost the most important thing to her... I have no idea IF she'll ever get over it."
"Just... you have to. You haven't seen her Chandler and-"
"I have seen her Rach, it's not like I'm ignoring her! I can't make things better! I can't go back in time and fix this! It started as a mistake and it ended as one! Wouldn't it be better if we moved on?"
"She is not going to move on. Not until she hears what you have to say." Chandler rubbed his hands over his face and looked at her.
"Did she tell you she kissed me?"
"You mean when she was drunk."
"No... sober."
"Sober as in... bass-ackwards drunk?"
"No... sober as in a week ago sober." Rachel's mouth dropped and he rolled his eyes.
"God, don't look so surprised!"
"You?!"
"Wow you're making me feel just peachy here!" She snickered and motioned with her hand.
"She kissed you?"
"Uh huh!"
"...Okay... Sorry. Go on."
"As I was saying, she kissed me when we confessed we had feelings for each other –"
"Wait! She told you about that?"
"What? You knew about that?" Rachel suddenly shut her mouth and shook her head and Chandler's eyes widened, pointing at her.
"You knew?!"
"Mmm... no."
"You knew!"
"Yeah big deal, I knew."
"Why didn't you tell me?" "It was a secret!"
"What is this, third grade?" he yelled. Rachel glared at him and flicked her hair.
"I made a promise to her. But that's gone to hell because you told her you liked her." Chandler nervously tapped his foot and she looked at him strangely.
"Well... uhm... I kind of said I was... falling in love with her." There was a silence for a few moments before Rachel spoke again.
"Oh... my... God."
"I know...," he moaned.
"What'd she say?" Rachel asked, now holding her hands over her mouth. Chandler looked at the closed door and sighed.
"She loved me back," he finally said. Rachel screamed in excitement and Chandler shushed her quickly.
"Holy shit... Oh, this changes everything. Oh this is great!"
"What? How is it great? Our baby just died and she's clearly depressed! In my mind, that is no where near great!"
"Okay no... but! Now you guys can work this out together! And fall in love! And have another baby! Okay that would SO work!" she rambled and Chandler stared at her like she had lost her mind.
"What the hell planet are you on? Replacing a baby with another baby is not the kind of baby talk we should be talking about! Babies!" he yelled in frustration.
"But what if you guys dated? And got married? The you'd have a family and a house with a white picket fence... and oh, it would be perfect." Chandler thought about it before shaking his head.
"Wait... You think we would get married?"
"Oh yeah. You guys are perfect together." He smiled proudly.
"Really?"
"Yeah! And I know I sound like Phoebe here, but it was fate! You guys slept together and fell in love!" Rachel smiled.
"Oh yes, a dreamy, drunken state of love."
"Come on! Just consider it, okay?" Rachel asked before picking up her Chinese food. Chandler thought about it before looking at her.
"I don't want to consider it... I know how I feel... I love her Rach." She stumbled, backing against the counter.
"Dammit I almost dropped the food... you love her? After all of this?"
"Yeah."
"After everything you've been through? Love?"
"Yeah," he smiled. She put the cartons down and ran over to hug him. He grinned and hugged her back, laughing at her happiness.
"Oh my God Chandler! Oh you are so the perfect couple... Oh I can see it now...," she trailed off, squeezing him again before letting go. She grinned at him and he laughed.
"Well what are you waiting for?"
"Huh?"
"Go tell her!"
"Right now?" he panicked.
"No, a month from now. Yes now! Go!" Rachel grinned, watching him nod to himself before opening the door.
"Okay, I'm going to tell her."
"Okay! Oh! Wait, take these." She grabbed the take-out boxes and put them in his hands.
"Gee, thanks!"
"Not for you! For her! Now go!" She watched as he went across the hall and knocked on the door before entering. He winked at her and Rachel gave him the thumbs up before he closed the door behind him. She sighed, walking down the hall with one last look at her friend's apartment with a smile.
One week later
Rachel walked up the stairs to her friends' floor and paused when she stood between the two doors. She had intended on going to see Monica because she brought Chinese food to cheer her up. She was doing better than last week, going outside her apartment, even if it was for a short amount of time. But she turned to the apartment across the hall and knocked, shifting her weight from one foot to the other. Chandler opened the door and smiled when he saw her. Rachel noticed the dark circles under his eyes and winced slightly, he looked like he had slept an hour.
"Hey Rach, come on in."
"I just wanted to stop real quick before I brought this take out over to Mon's," she said as she walked in, holding up the white boxes in her hands before putting them down on the counter. Chandler leaned against the counter, tilting his head to the side.
"What can I do for you?"
"Well... uhm... I kind of have to move back in because I can't stay at Phoebe's any longer."
"Oh... okay."
"So I mean... I uhm... I can't talk to her about it Chandler. I'm afraid she'll burst in tears at the mention of it."
"I know. I don't even want to talk to her... I mean I do but I'm so afraid of saying the wrong thing that it scares me so much," he frowned. Rachel nodded, studying the floor.
"Have you tried yet?"
"Talking about the baby?... No."
"You're going to have to. It'll help her move on."
"Rachel she just lost the most important thing to her... I have no idea IF she'll ever get over it."
"Just... you have to. You haven't seen her Chandler and-"
"I have seen her Rach, it's not like I'm ignoring her! I can't make things better! I can't go back in time and fix this! It started as a mistake and it ended as one! Wouldn't it be better if we moved on?"
"She is not going to move on. Not until she hears what you have to say." Chandler rubbed his hands over his face and looked at her.
"Did she tell you she kissed me?"
"You mean when she was drunk."
"No... sober."
"Sober as in... bass-ackwards drunk?"
"No... sober as in a week ago sober." Rachel's mouth dropped and he rolled his eyes.
"God, don't look so surprised!"
"You?!"
"Wow you're making me feel just peachy here!" She snickered and motioned with her hand.
"She kissed you?"
"Uh huh!"
"...Okay... Sorry. Go on."
"As I was saying, she kissed me when we confessed we had feelings for each other –"
"Wait! She told you about that?"
"What? You knew about that?" Rachel suddenly shut her mouth and shook her head and Chandler's eyes widened, pointing at her.
"You knew?!"
"Mmm... no."
"You knew!"
"Yeah big deal, I knew."
"Why didn't you tell me?" "It was a secret!"
"What is this, third grade?" he yelled. Rachel glared at him and flicked her hair.
"I made a promise to her. But that's gone to hell because you told her you liked her." Chandler nervously tapped his foot and she looked at him strangely.
"Well... uhm... I kind of said I was... falling in love with her." There was a silence for a few moments before Rachel spoke again.
"Oh... my... God."
"I know...," he moaned.
"What'd she say?" Rachel asked, now holding her hands over her mouth. Chandler looked at the closed door and sighed.
"She loved me back," he finally said. Rachel screamed in excitement and Chandler shushed her quickly.
"Holy shit... Oh, this changes everything. Oh this is great!"
"What? How is it great? Our baby just died and she's clearly depressed! In my mind, that is no where near great!"
"Okay no... but! Now you guys can work this out together! And fall in love! And have another baby! Okay that would SO work!" she rambled and Chandler stared at her like she had lost her mind.
"What the hell planet are you on? Replacing a baby with another baby is not the kind of baby talk we should be talking about! Babies!" he yelled in frustration.
"But what if you guys dated? And got married? The you'd have a family and a house with a white picket fence... and oh, it would be perfect." Chandler thought about it before shaking his head.
"Wait... You think we would get married?"
"Oh yeah. You guys are perfect together." He smiled proudly.
"Really?"
"Yeah! And I know I sound like Phoebe here, but it was fate! You guys slept together and fell in love!" Rachel smiled.
"Oh yes, a dreamy, drunken state of love."
"Come on! Just consider it, okay?" Rachel asked before picking up her Chinese food. Chandler thought about it before looking at her.
"I don't want to consider it... I know how I feel... I love her Rach." She stumbled, backing against the counter.
"Dammit I almost dropped the food... you love her? After all of this?"
"Yeah."
"After everything you've been through? Love?"
"Yeah," he smiled. She put the cartons down and ran over to hug him. He grinned and hugged her back, laughing at her happiness.
"Oh my God Chandler! Oh you are so the perfect couple... Oh I can see it now...," she trailed off, squeezing him again before letting go. She grinned at him and he laughed.
"Well what are you waiting for?"
"Huh?"
"Go tell her!"
"Right now?" he panicked.
"No, a month from now. Yes now! Go!" Rachel grinned, watching him nod to himself before opening the door.
"Okay, I'm going to tell her."
"Okay! Oh! Wait, take these." She grabbed the take-out boxes and put them in his hands.
"Gee, thanks!"
"Not for you! For her! Now go!" She watched as he went across the hall and knocked on the door before entering. He winked at her and Rachel gave him the thumbs up before he closed the door behind him. She sighed, walking down the hall with one last look at her friend's apartment with a smile.