Little glimpses of Love
24; Under The Rain.
A/n; Welcome to the next installment in this ever growing series. This chapter deals with TOW the Prom video. There is just something I really wanted changed in that episode and well I had so much plotbunnies coming at me at work that I just sat down and wrote it ALL out at once when I came home. It also deals with TOW the List. Also Rachel might be a little out of character maybe? But this is how I imagined one of the many possible scenarios.
This chapter will feel incredible short to you because its under 4000 words this time, but it was intentional so bear with it please.
BTW Cris-chan, this one is for you! I remember us discussing this issue with that episode so I dedicate this to you and your awesome theories! 3 (XD Do you EVEN remember that discussion? XDD *eyes U*
And Ccole at Fan , thanks you so much for sticking with this story. I would love to give you a personal reply but I can't since you don't login when you review . But sincerely, thank you!
Enjoy!
"Yeah well, I'm not watching it!" Ross stated firmly.
He didn't look back once as he swiftly made his way towards the door. Without another word he opened it and walked out, closing it behind him softly.
"What's up with him?" Chandler wondered out loud to no one in particular. Nobody answered him, instead they turned their attention back to the Prom home-video that was still playing on the TV.
Rachel frowned slightly though as she only seemed to halfheartedly watch the rest of the tape. The look on Ross' face when he had said that he wouldn't watch anymore of the images before him on the screen , had confused her. He almost looked depressed and a bit pained when he quickly glanced in her general direction before leaving.
She turned her full attention back to the screen when she heard Monica gasp in surprise.
"Oh my God." Her friend whispered softly. Rachel watched as teen-aged Ross scraped his courage together while clearly suppressing his nerves to chaperon her teen-aged self to the prom. She still remembered that night clearly, Chip had finally shown up. She had however never known that Ross was about to take her when Chip seemed to not come in the first place.
She couldn't help the small smile when she saw the shy demeanor Ross displayed in the video as he grabbed some flowers from a vase and told his dad that he was ready.
The next few seconds of film made that small smile disappear though. Her hand unconsciously gripped the hem of her skirt when she witnessed the devastated and slightly hurt look on Ross' face when it was clear that Chip had showed up. She heard Judy tell Jack time and time to turn off the camera which was still rolling.
And with that, the tape ended.
"I can't believe he did that!" Monica said with an incredulous expression on her face.
"That was very graceful of him." Phoebe added. Chandler and Joey only shared a knowing look. After all they were very familiar with Ross' feelings for Rachel so to see him do something like he did on that tape, did not really come as a surprise to them.
The only one who didn't seem to be able to comprehend the situation, was Rachel. She was deep in thoughts, her heart clenching almost painfully in her chest when she realized just how much Ross cared for her well being. She had known that for a little while now but this just confirmed it once again.
They'd had a chance to be together but he ruined it by writing that ridiculous list of her faults. But that seemed to pale in comparison now. Rachel frowned slightly. She was confused.
She didn't know what to do now. Just earlier that afternoon in Central Perk, she had told them that they never would become more then friends. But after having witnessed this tape, her feelings for him had sparked once more, if she had to be honest, they never had vanished really, she had just been to stubborn and thickheaded to see past that one little mistake he had made.
She had to make things right, she didn't care anymore. All she wanted was to find him and tell him that she wanted to be with him. It was clear he deeply wanted to be with her still, if that pained look he'd given her was any indication of that.
"I have to go!" She abruptly said standing up and hurrying over to the door. She didn't hesitate but yanked it open rather violently and disappeared before any of the others had a chance to ask or say something.
"What is going on?" Monica asked confused.
"Well...I think, and I might be totally wrong of course, but I think she is going after Ross." Chandler said thoughtful.
"But why would she do that?" Monica started to ask before realization dawned upon her.
"Oh my God, do you think..?" She said loudly.
"Of course! After all, she is his lobster!" Phoebe stated. The others just gave her a look at that before they broke out in a heated discussion that involved two of their missing friends.
Said friends were miles apart, both going in a different direction, one was debating on going home trying to clear his mind while the other was desperately searching.
Ross decided to walk through the park, no matter how much he wanted to be as far away from his sisters building and the embarrassing video, he didn't feel motivated to go home just yet. There he would just be alone and think about things again. He was tired of thinking about things, specially since most of the time his thoughts only revolved around one person.
"Stupid video, why the hell did they bring that over?" Ross muttered to himself as he kicked a small pebble stone away that lay in his path.
He could remember that night as if it happened yesterday. Just thinking back could make his stomach churn with nerves and then gut-wrenching disappointment. He hadn't want to do what his father asked of him, but knowing that Rachel was so upset because of her date not showing up, he hadn't been able to put his foot down.
Ross grimaced as he realized that even then he could not stand to see her hurt. And for what? He sure as heck had ruined any little chance he had with her by writing that stupid list.
Why oh why had he listened to Chandler and Joey of all people? He winced as he remembered how hurt Rachel had been by it. After that, things had just not been the same, their closeness had disappeared.
He could hit himself in the head for making such a fool out of himself in Central Perk that afternoon. He should have known that Rachel didn't want him in that way. She had made it quite clear before and still he had harbored a small hope that she would turn around, that she would forgive him for writing that list and forget about it.
"No such luck, dammit Geller you're so pathetic sometimes!" Ross hissed angrily at himself, He didn't really know why he felt so upset after watching that prom-video, after all it was all in the past but he guessed that remembering that awful night, together with the knowledge that Rachel would never give them a chance to be together had become too much to handle for him at that moment.
He let out a sigh as he looked up at the clouded sky, he hadn't realized that it had started raining.
"Might as well go home now." He said to no one in particular as he quickened his step.
Meanwhile, Rachel was still searching for Ross and grew kind of desperate when she couldn't find him. She had checked their regular spots such as Central Perk and the small bookstore near to it, knowing Ross loved going there just to look into science and other geeky magazines. But this time he was nowhere to be found.
She rubbed her arms, it was rather chilly with the soft falling rain beating down on her. She was already soaked through and through for walking in the wet weather without a jacket. She'd probably catch a cold but she didn't care.
All she cared about was finding Ross and...well and then she'd see what would happen. She wasn't sure how he would react to what she had to say but she had to try and turn things around. She had been stubborn and it got her no-where. Now was the time to let it go and just go with whatever fate decided to throw at her.
But in order to do that, she had to find him first.
"Dammit, where are you?" She murmured as she crossed another street. She stood still under the roof of a small convenience store for a moment to get out of the rain. She ran some thoughts over in her mind.
The only logical and last place she could look for him, was his apartment. He was probably home by now. Where else could he be?
She decided to try and hail a cab, which was not an easy feat in this weather since the wind had picked up and the rain came down more steadily. Rachel shivered slightly as she walked hastily to the corner of the street , intending on getting a cab there when she saw a flash of brown enter her vision. She did a double take, not believing her eyes.
There he was, just across the street, it seemed he had just excited the park and was now walking opposite of her. He hadn't seen her yet as he rounded a corner disappearing from her sight.
"Ross!"
Ross halted his step, he could've sworn someone called his name just now. He frowned in confusion before shrugging it off. He probably had heard it wrong. The ever falling rain made quite a noise as it connected with the pavement and buildings around him so he assumed that he somehow had interpreted that sound as someone calling him. He continued walking, quickening his step.
He'd thought about getting a cab to go home but he knew it would be an almost impossible task so he had decided to walk the few blocks to his building. He was already soaked to the bone so how much worse could it really get?
"Ross, wait!"
Ross arched his brows, now he was certain someone was calling him, he could not have imagined that clear sound that seemed to come from just behind him. He slowly turned around, wondering who would be calling for him, what he saw shocked him to say the least.
Rachel stood a few feet away from him, her clothes were drenched, her hair was wet and hung limply, heavy with the water it had caught. Ross gulped, he thought to himself she had never looked so beautiful to him. He shook that thought out of his mind as he fully turned his attention on her. She was running over to him. He barely had time to register what happened when she launched herself in his arms.
"Rachel? Wha..?" Ross stammered surprised. But she didn't answer him, instead she wrapped her arms around his waist and held him close to her.
Rachel closed her eyes as she inhaled deeply , catching his scent mingled with the rain. All the words she had wanted to say had vanished from her mind. All she wanted right now was to be close to him, hold on and not let go. She surprised even herself with her actions.
Ross however didn't know what to think of the situation, there he was in the middle of the street, hugged by the one person he knew he could never have while the rain kept falling around him.
Then he started to panic. Something must've happened for Rachel to come looking for him.
"Rach? What's going on?" He said pushing her away from him. Rachel frowned at the sudden loss of contact.
"Did something happen? Is Monica alright?" Ross asked seriously.
Rachel gave him a confused look. Then it dawned upon her how this must've looked to him. To her, her intentions were clear but he didn't have a clue.
"No nothing is wrong Ross." She said softly. Ross had to strain his ears to catch what she was saying.
"Are you sure?" He asked not entirely convinced.
Rachel nodded firmly before she grabbed his hands and held them.
"I was looking for you...because...because." But she didn't continue, simply because she didn't know how. Ross watched her face in worry.
"Because what?" Ross prodded on. But Rachel didn't answer him, instead she just gazed up in his eyes.
She hesitated but a split second before she acted on her gut feeling. She grabbed a hold of the front of his jacket and yanked him downwards a little so she could reach where she so desperately wanted to go.
Ross' eyes widened considerably as he felt the soft but firm touch of her lips against his as she kissed him full on the mouth. He immediately reacted, not able to resist her.
Rachel couldn't help but smile against his mouth as she felt his immediate reaction, she wrapped her arms around his neck as she lost herself in the moment. She felt Ross' arms encircle her waist and pull her closer to him. She marveled at the warmth that radiated off of him, it made her realize how cold she was as she shivered slightly, though the shivering could very well be caused by something else entirely.
She felt her knees go weak as the kiss slowed to a stop. Without a word, she buried her face into his neck as they kept holding on to each other.
Ross swallowed as he tried to come to terms with what just happened, but his mind was a blissful blank as they slightly swayed on the spot, both afraid to break the silence and the spell that they seemed to be under right now.
But eventually Ross found his voice back. He gently let go of the woman in his arms so he could look her in the eyes.
"What happened? What brought this on?" He asked seriously. He was trying desperately not to get his hopes up high. But it didn't make sense him, how she could just kiss him like that while she had told him they could never be together earlier that day. Her actions were a contradiction and he didn't know what to think.
Rachel bit her lip, she knew he wanted answers but for the life of her, she couldn't come up with one coherent sentence right now. She was overwhelmed by the moment and what just had transpired plus she didn't know how to start.
She shivered rubbing her arms as she tried to come up with a reply.
Ross just watched her patiently. He needed an explanation because she had confused him so much now.
"Rach?" He hesitantly asked when she didn't answer him, there was a silence between them that was slightly uncomfortable. He noticed her shivers and then realized just how soaked they both were, the rain had stopped for now but he was sure it would start up any minute again.
"Let's get somewhere dry and warm first." He said taking her hand and pulling her gently with him, the streets were deserted aside form cars and cabs that drove up and down the lanes. When they reached the sidewalk across from where they had been standing, Rachel stopped him by untangling her hand from his. Ross stopped to look at her in question.
"Why?"
He arched his brows at that.
"Why what?"
"Why did you do it? Why did you plan on taking me to prom?" Rachel asked softly.
Ross turned away from her. He didn't feel comfortable with her question, after all it was not a memory he liked to dwell on.
"I think you know that answer by now." He said softly.
Rachel stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him from behind. She rested her cheek against his back.
Ross closed his eyes at the sudden contact. He couldn't take it anymore. This was killing him.
"Rachel, what is the meaning if all of this? Do you have any idea what you're doing to me? What about what you said this afternoon in Central Perk? Your actions contradict your words so much that it confuses me. I don't want to get my hopes up now only to see them crushed." He said seriously as he untangled himself from her and stepped away, putting some distance between them.
"I'm sorry..."
Ross' heart sank at those words. Rachel saw his facial expression fall. She hurriedly stepped forward and grabbed one of his hands.
"For being so stubborn." She ended her statement. She could see Ross was confused by it so she pressed on before she lost her nerve.
"I know it's confusing but I'm really serious Ross, I want to be with you. I was just too stubborn and angry with you to admit it to myself. These past few weeks have been hard on me as well. I hated to see our closeness slowly disappear. Every time I looked at you, I had to think of that night when we shared that amazing kiss but then I also remembered that list you made of me and I just couldn't see past the hurt you caused me with that. But seeing how much you have always cared for my well being on that prom video made me realize it was time to stop ignoring what was really there and act upon it."
Rachel took a deep breath after that as she waited for Ross' reply.
Ross took a moment to take it all in before he closed the remaining space between them and hugged her close to him.
"I'm sorry too, I should have never listened to Chandler and Joey and make that list. I didn't realize it could hurt you so much and it confused me. It still does though." He admitted.
Rachel broke the embrace and took his hand, leading him to some small steps of an apartment building where they sat down. Here they would stay dry in case the rain would start up again.
"Ross, you have to understand that I am insecure about some of my flaws. It's bad enough that I make myself feel bad by thinking about them but then to see that someone you care about points out exactly those faults as thing to consider not to be with you, well it's awful. It really confused me and that confusion turned to anger." Rachel explained softly.
Ross nodded, understanding better now.
"I didn't mean to hurt you, I had such a dilemma, I didn't know what to do. So I lost my common sense and listened to Chandler and Joey. And although I know that sounds as an excuse it's all I can give you. I felt so devastated that evening, specially when you canceled the song I requested for you. I knew then that I had seriously screwed up." Ross replied.
"I tried to apologize and make you see that I didn't mean you harm but you wouldn't let me. I could understand that on one side but on the other side it was so frustrating. And then I saw you with that guy in Central Perk today and I got jealous and angry because it should've been me talking to you in that moment. I'm sorry for ruining your 'date'." He finished.
Rachel let out a soft chuckle making him look at her in surprise.
"Actually, I'm glad you did...look where it got us now..." She trailed off not looking at him.
Ross turned towards her to grab a hold of her shoulders so he could turn her back around, Softly, he wiped her wet bangs from her face. Without another word he softly brushed his mouth against hers in a gently and chaste kiss.
"Yes indeed and I wouldn't want anything more then be able to be with you Rach, I've been dreaming of this moment for so long, I wont let it slip away a second time." He whispered before wrapping her in his arms around her and pulling her even closer.
Rachel could not stop the tears that slid down her cheeks as she felt him capture her lips once more, wrapping her arms around his shoulders for the second time that day, she sighed into the kiss as she ran her fingers through his wet hair. She was vaguely aware that they were still outside and could be seen by whoever was brave enough to endure the new shower of rain but she found her self not caring one bit.
All that mattered was this intimate moment with Ross, somehow she knew everything would work out for the better now.
END!
I have a thing for Rainy scenes 3 , They are just so wonderful. So there ya have it, one of my many views on these Episode moments. I have Rachel searching for Ross and starting the kiss because it was so clear in that ep that she is the one starting things up first what with that kiss at the door, which I tried to somehow add in here but slightly different.[/B]
