October-December 2002

She had thought about bringing up all this information with Joey but at the end of the day, both she and Ross decided to keep it quiet. Maybe it would be best if he didn't know just how far she and Ross had dug. She turned her focus back to Emma, to enjoy her months of maternity leave. For Emma's first Halloween, Rachel had transformed her daughter into Raggedy Ann, complete with a little dress she had made and a red wig. There was a part of her that contemplated not going back to work, although she knew she would have to go back eventually.

A few days after Halloween, she was hanging out with Monica and Phoebe to keep Monica company while Chandler was in Tulsa. Monica was happily playing with Emma as Phoebe was talking about Mike. It was so sweet how Phoebe was talking about Mike. Rachel had never known Phoebe to talk like this about a guy and she loved it, loved that her friend was actually letting herself fall for a guy and Mike seemed very nice, slightly quirky and a good fit for Phoebe.

"He's kinda sweet," Phoebe said, grinning from ear to ear.

"Awww, you like him," Monica said.

"And guess what else? He knows Chandler. They went to high school together," Phoebe said.

"Oh my G-d," Monica said, giving Rachel a look.

"Did you know that?" Phoebe asked.

"I didn't know him in high school," Monica said.

"Yeah, Mon and I only had that one run in," Rachel said.

"Oh...he remembered Sally Disisa Corvette. Mike was there when Chandler got the car."

"That was an amazing car," Rachel mused, she really did love that car and there was a part of her that felt slightly responsible for being the one who put it out into the universe that Chandler would crash his car.

"I drove it once on the freeway," Monica said.

"He let you do that?" Rachel asked.

"No, no...it was when he got wasted at a frat party and left me alone on the couch and I was so furious that I left, took his car and took it for a spin. He was not happy," Monica grinned.

Rachel shook her head. Chandler really had been as asshole during his college years, according to the stories she had heard from Monica and Ross. While she would forever regret dumping Monica as her friend during that time, she was glad she had not known Chandler or really interacted with him all that much. She liked who he had turned into which was so far removed from the guy he used to be.

"So wait, Joey's set up worked," Rachel said.

"Yeah, although I'm still pissed. Who does that?" Phoebe asked.

"It's Joey," Rachel shrugged. Although she wasn't sure how true that was anymore. She wasn't really sure how much she knew about Joey.

"Joey's a dad," Monica blurted out.

"Excuse me?" Rachel asked, shocked. What did Monica say? Joey was a dad? She looked at Phoebe and then at Monica.

"Okay, alright….you cannot say a word. Neither one of you, we are going to tell Joey this weekend but okay….Lizzie lives in Tulsa and she and Chandler had dinner together," Monica said.

"He had dinner with her?" Rachel asked, not sure if she should be mad that Chandler had dinner with his ex-girlfriend or maybe dismiss it. She could yell at him about it later.

"I got mad at first too...but I trust him. Well, okay, Lizzie cheated on him. That's why they broke up and Chandler found out that Lizzie had a daughter with the guy she cheated on Chandler with. Chandler found out at this dinner that the daughter is Joey's," Monica said.

"Noooooooo," Rachel said. She was knowing more and more about Joey with each passing month.

"Oh my G-d," Phoebe said. "And Joey has no clue."

"None. Apparently, Lizzie tried to call Joey to tell him and-"

"He never called her back," Rachel finished.

"Yep," Monica said, "and here's another thing. I was catering in college and I catered some party for an acting class and Lizzie was there and she was all over this one actor guy and I have put it together and that the actor guy-"

"-was Joey," Phoebe finished.

"Yeah, 'cause Chandler was in Israel with Ross and was gone all summer and that was the summer Lizzie apparently cheated with Joey and when Chandler and Ross got back, Chandler and Lizzie broke up. That was the 'oh crap' moment when Chandler said he loved her and she said, 'oh crap'...I mean, this is...I've been holding this in all week and I'm about to explode but Joey's a dad." Monica said.

"And Lizzie is coming this weekend?" Rachel asked.

"Yeah and the four of us are going out for dinner but before the dinner, Chandler is going to tell Joey because we don't want him walking into this but...yeah," Monica said as Phoebe and Rachel sat in stunned silence.

When she returned home, Ross was working on something at his computer. He looked up when she walked in. Rachel walked towards him as he reached for Emma.

"How was girl's night?" Ross asked as he placed Emma on his lap. Rachel grabbed a chair and sat next to him.

"Fun. What did you do?"

"Lesson plans," Ross said.

"Sounds exciting."

"You have no idea. "

"So Chandler had dinner with Lizzie in Tulsa," Rachel said.

"Really? So do I have to kill him?" Ross asked. Rachel let out a snort and shook her head as she looked at him. Did he really think Chandler would cheat on Monica?

"Chandler? Really? He's not Joey…..or you," Rachel said.

"We were on a break."

"I'm going to punch you in the head."

"So he had dinner with Lizzie."

"Yes and you probably know more about the Lizzie and Chandler story than I do-"

"She cheated on him and they broke up….and he said 'I love you' and she responded with 'oh crap'. It's my favorite part of the story."

"You boys are always so sweet to each other."

"I know, right," Ross said. "But you weren't they, he put her through a lot."

"Was he really that bad of a boyfriend?"

"He had a big sense of entitlement back then. Like he felt everyone owed him something. He's gotten over that, but he-she took care of him even more than I did. He was kind of an ass. Still hysterically funny, but still an ass."

"Wow. Anyway, Lizzie had a kid with the guy she cheated on Chandler with. She tried to call the guy when she got knocked up, but he never called back, turns out...the guy was Joey Tribbiani."

"Are you kidding me?" Ross asked, his eyes widening.

"Joey's a father."

"When-when-"

"When you and Chandler were in Israel apparently and she dated a guy in her acting class."

"Wow, I feel like I'm uncovering so much about Joey Tribbiani."

"I know."

"Joey has no clue."

"None and when Chandler comes back from Tulsa, he and Monica are having a double date with Joey and Lizzie and…."

"Can we come?" Ross asked.

"I didn't ask."

"Why not?"

"I should've….although, least dramatic couple of the moment," Rachel said, motioning to herself and Ross. He laughed as the two high fived each other.

"Go us."

"I like living with you Ross. It's fun. It's easier than I thought."

"Yeah, I know. Even though you love Joey more."

"I think I need to start smacking you around more," Rachel mused as she picked Emma off Ross' lap and placed her in her crib. She soon felt Ross' arms around her waist as he leaned into her ear.

"We were on a break," Ross whispered.

"You weren't spanked enough as a child," Rachel muttered as Ross kissed her neck. She turned to look at Ross.

"Someone's horny," Rachel said.

"You've amazed me these last six months. You are incredible."

"Thank you," Rachel said, melting under his intense gaze.

"See, I told you that you'd be an amazing mom. You are unbelievable."

"Thank you."

"Do you…." Ross said, motioning towards his bedroom. "Well, we've been on a very long break," Ross whispered. She smiled and grabbed Ross' hand and pulled him into his room. They looked at each other and moved into kiss.

"Say we weren't on a break," Rachel whispered.

"Never."

"We weren't on a break."

"We were," Ross said as she gently smacked his bottom. "We were on a break." To which she spanked him again.

"We were not on a break," she said as she sat on the bed and grabbed his hand. He lay across her lap as he once again told her they were on a break and she kept spanking him. Each time he said they were on a break, she'd spank him more.

Soon, he sat up and gently pushed her on the bed. The two continued to kiss and tear at each other. It had been so long that the heat between them took them over. She loved those moments between her and Ross. It felt easy, comfortable and when they were done, they lay side by side, holding each other but saying nothing. She hoped it would always remain that easy.

She wanted to check in with Joey when he found out about Lizzie and his daughter. She found Joey in his apartment a few days after he had found out. She brought Emma to visit him as he sat in his chair, staring at the television.

"Hey, Joe."

"Hey."

"So….you're a dad?" Rachel asked as she handed Emma to Joey and pulled up a chair and sat next to him.

"I can't-"

"What happened?" Rachel asked. "Do you remember?"

"I'm trying. It was 1989. Summer and….I took an acting class and there was this girl who was hot-"

"Did she say she had a boyfriend?" Rachel asked.

"No. No, not at all. We had an amazing summer, but then I went to Los Angeles and broke off all contact and….she's twelve years old. Lauren. That's my daughter's name. Why didn't Lizzie ever tell me?"

"Apparently she tried. You never called her back, Joe."

"So this is my fault?"

"Well, kinda…..you never called her. I'm sure she called more than once."

"She cheated on her boyfriend."

"Yeah, and knowing what I know about Chandler and Lizzie's relationship in college, I don't blame her and wonder what took her so long. He was a horrible boyfriend to her. Ross was telling me that he put her through emotional hell and that even Chandler would agree he was an awful boyfriend. He also he cheated on her. He kissed me, remember I told you "

"I have a child."

"You do."

"What am I going to do?"

"Does Lauren know?"

"No. Liz hasn't told her so Lauren basically thinks she has a deadbeat dad. I don't….what do I do?"

"Return her phone calls? Call her back."

"I guess."

"And….you know, Dan was killed."

"Dan?"

"Brian's boyfriend. The one that was on Oprah who said that Brian bought drugs from Christopher. I thought you were going to talk to Christopher."

"I did."

"Well?"

"Didn't work."

"Why not?"

"Because you don't go on national television and tell the world that a mobster killed your boyfriend and then give the name of the mobster. I did go talk to Christopher, he told me to go fuck myself."

"Great. But Dan's whole motive was to have someone pay for Brian's death so…..I mean, my best friend died because of your cousin."

"No, your best friend is dead because he's a moron who bought drugs off a mobster because he got his panties in a bunch after a fight and so he decided to to be an ass and take his own life."

Rachel glared at him, "way over the line, Joe. Way too far."

"I'm sorry."

"No, you're not."

"I am."

"You know, Ross and I did research on you."

"You did?"

"Yep. We um looked you up on the internet and we looked up Tony Soprano and….we found out stuff."

"I wish you hadn't done that."

"Why not? We know so little about your past and how you grew up."

"I like it that way."

"We're your friends, we wanna know. Just like how we know everything about Phoebe and Chandler's lives growing up. What about you?" Rachel said.

"'Cause I've done a lot of crap I'm not proud of. I've made a lot of mistakes and you guys see me in one way and I want to keep it that way."

"I'm not going to change how I think of you. I will always think you're sweet and kind and one of my favorite people….and a pig who should have called Lizzie back."

"Well, there are a lot of women I haven't called back. What if I have like a basketball team out there or something? Should I call every woman I've ever slept with and ask if they have children."

"Don't do that."

"Okay….and if I had known that the reason Brian wanted the drugs, I would have done something. I just thought-"

"It's okay,"

Joey smiled as he played with Emma some more. She watched them closely as they played. She thought a lot about what she had been learning about Joey and it amazed her and was curious to see how he would react to this latest development in his life. He was now a father.

Emma's first Christmas meant Rachel's maternity leave would soon be ending. It had been an amazing seven months but she was definitely looking forward to going back. She missed her job, her co-workers although she wasn't sure how she would handle not spending the day with her daughter, it would be nice to get back. Now, she would just enjoy the holidays, enjoy being surround by friends or at least some of them. Chandler was still in Tulsa.

"You're all giddy," Rachel grinned as she sat with Phoebe and Emma. Phoebe was telling her about Mike and how he was planning something for them. She was so happy for Phoebe and Mike.

"I know and he said for New Years, he has something special planned," Phoebe said.

"Awwww...I'm so going to live vicariously through you. My husband won't be here for New Years," Monica said as she walked towards Phoebe and Rachel.

"Who am I gonna be with for New Years? I'm a thirty two year old single mother," Rachel said.

"We'll just kiss each other," Monica joked.

"What?" Joey asked, suddenly perking up from across the room where he was staring out the window.

"Nothing, Joey," Rachel said. "You know, Mon...why doesn't Chandler just quit this damn job? I mean, he hates his job. He's hated his job for...how long has he had it?"

"Eleven years," Monica said.

"Wow and he's in Tulsa for a job he hates and that company just seems like an awful company to work for. I mean, they forced him to move without a raise and they...I don't know," Rachel said.

"He's a coward, that's why he won't quit," Phoebe said.

"Phoebe, you have to be nice to Chandler in 2003," Monica said, letting out a sigh.

"Yeah, you don't like Chandler anymore," Rachel said, teasing.

"I do too. I like Chandler," Phoebe said.

"No, you don't," Joey grinned.

"Yeah, you hate him," Ross said as he walked towards the chair and sat down.

"What? Wait, do you all think I hate Chandler?" Phoebe asked to which the rest of them all said yes to. Phoebe let out a sigh and continued, "Okay...but seriously...alright, let me ask you. I asked Mon this when Emma was born. He ran out before the wedding. He has screwed us all over many times. How do you guys forgive him? Don't give me, 'oh, I just do.'"

Rachel let Phoebe's question sink in. She did forgive Chandler. She just did.

"You know, I was thinking about that...I mean, it really sucked what he did but and...here's my thing, we always make comparisons between you and Chandler and we say how you two are so similar because of how sucky your backgrounds are but they're really not similar. You had to learn survival skills, Pheebs. You had to learn how to live to see the next day so you could take the crap and just put it aside because you had to find something to eat or whatever...Chandler had no one protecting him. That's why he keeps pulling this crap. It's how he protects himself. It's why he keeps telling jokes. It's why he keeps trying to fuck things up with us. He's trying to protect himself," Rachel said.

"That's why I keep forgiving him," Joey said, "come on, he has screwed me over a lot. He hooked up with my sister, he kissed my girlfriend, he fell asleep at my movie premiere...he forgot to give me that message about the show I was on. He's fucked up with me a lot. But I'm not letting him push me away. He's my friend. My brother and that's it."

"That's how I look at it too. He keeps wanting to see how far he can push us because I think it would be easier for him to deal with us leaving. I disagree. I don't think he'd crumble if we'd all left, it's us staying that he's not sure how to deal with," Ross said.

"See...you just gotta look at it that way," Monica said.

"I do love him guys...it's just-" Phoebe said.

"Hey guys...it's snowing," Joey said, suddenly and soon the attention shifted to outside as they all gathered together and began watching the snow.

"Merry Christmas, you guys," Chandler said.

The group turned to look at him, stunned. Chandler was standing in the doorway. Monica ran to him and hugged him.

"It's a Christmas Miracle," Joey remarked.

"What are you doing here?" Monica asked.

"I quit," Chandler said.

"You finally quit your job?" Ross asked.

"Yep...it was a stupid job. Look, I love my life right now. I got the best wife, forgiving and patient friends...the most gorgeous niece in the world," Chandler said as he pointed to Emma sleeping soundly in her carrier, "and Em, we are still trying to get you a cousin...I've also been clean and sober for twenty months. But I hate that job. I've hated it for eleven years. I wanna be happy in every part of my life and that includes my job," Chandler said.

"I can't believe you finally quit," Rachel said, feeling so proud of him. Ir amazed her how different he was now than when she had first met him. There was a calmness to him that she loved. He was happy.

"I did," Chandler said.

"So what do you wanna do now?" Rachel asked.

"Not a clue," Chandler said. "But I know I don't wanna do that."

"Oh my G-d...I think I like you again," Phoebe said.

"Thanks, Phoebe," Chandler said as Monica kissed him again. The six then walked towards the window to watch the snow fall. They were complete.

"You actually just said you love your life right now?" Phoebe asked.

"Yeah...I mean, it's not good enough yet, but it's pretty damn close," Chandler said.

"Good. I'm sorry," Phoebe said.

"Me too," Chandler said as he hugged Phoebe and gently kissed her on the head. The group held onto each other as they continued to watch the snow. The moment was interrupted by the ringing of Joey's phone.

"It's Lizzie," Joey said.

"Oh...um, before you take that, I may have accidentally told Lauren that you were her dad," Chandler grinned.

"What?" Joey asked.

"Merry Christmas," Chandler said.

Joey glared at him as he flipped open his phone and put it up to his ear, "hey, Liz. What's up? Yeah, Chandler's here...he's enjoying the last few moments of his life. Yeah, he told me," Joey said as he walked off towards the kitchen table to continue talking to Lizzie. Phoebe's phone went off soon after.

"Mike," Phoebe grinned as she grabbed her phone and walked towards the couch and plopped down as she continued to talk to him. Rachel and Ross soon tired of watching the snow as well and walked towards Emma to look at her. She was sleeping soundly.

"I can't believe I'm going back to work. I'm gonna miss her."

"I know. I can't believe we've made it," Ross said.

"I know. We're parents."

"You're amazing."

"So are you," She said as he kissed the top of her head and she wrapped her arm around her waist. 2002 was ending well and who knew what 2003 would bring but with things going well with Ross and Emma being perfect, it seemed like everything would finally go as planned.