A Leap of Faith

Description:

An AU story set up in the beginning of season 9. Carol and Susan were killed during a car accident. Ben is now living together with Ross, Rachel, and Emma. How would they help Ben cope with his grief? And how far would it change Rachel and Ross' relationship?

This is an AU story happening somewhere on season 9 before 'TOW Rachel's Phone Number'. So, it was before they got into a huge fight and before Rachel gave her number away.

Sorry for the grammatical error you may find in the story. English isn't my first language and unlike Ross, I'm bad at grammar. I hope you enjoy the story nevertheless! :)

Disclaimer:

The show 'Friends' and all the characters inside it obviously aren't mine. This goes for the entire story.

Prologue

There was a saying that people who could hurt you the most were people who you love most. Rachel, she didn't believe it at first. How could someone who you loved the most, hurt you most? She wondered. She remained skeptical until she found him. The only man she ever truly loved and probably would always be.

Almost six years ago, she was in a relationship she thought was going to last forever. The bond she shared with her former boyfriend, Ross Geller, was exceptional. Passion, trust, friendship, commitment, and love used to be the description of their relationship. People used to envy what they had. Their love story was just like a fairy tale fantasy, and it was almost too good to be true. And it did, until that one fateful night that changed everything.

A mistake, if you would call it, it only took them only one mistake to destroy it all. A mistake that eventually cost them everything. Trust was a tricky business in terms of relationship. It was hard to build, so easy to break, and even harder to rebuild. That snowy night it was taken away from her, and no one, not even her, would know if it was ever going to come back.

That night, it was not only the relationship that had changed drastically. It also changed two people, their friends, and their family. It changed her. It changed her way of loving people, it changed her way of letting people in, and it definitely changed her way of trusting people. Her multiple relationship failures after him were her witness. It was like every relationship she tried to build after that night, was always turned to be a failure.

Was it because she couldn't trust another man? Was it because she was afraid to get hurt? Or was it because deep down she always knew there was only one man she wanted to be with? The same man who somehow managed to make her the happiest woman on earth, but at the same time also managed to break her hearts into a million pieces. And yet her love for him never seemed to go away.

Things would be much simpler if they both weren't a part of a group of people who considered themselves as best friends. Things would be easier if their relationship didn't start off as a best friend. But it didn't. She or he couldn't just ghost each other after they broke up and nor did they want to. It would be much simpler and hell, it would save them both from constant heartbreaks and tears. But no, they chose to be best friends after their infamous break up. It was a painful journey, but they eventually made it work and left no regret.

The term 'best friend' was an understatement on what they had, they were more than that. More than a friend but not a lover, it was always something between that. They shared more intimate gestures than a normal friendship would have. The way that they looked at each other, the way they confided in one another, the way they touched, it showed how much they still love each other. Everyone but the two of them knew it as it was a known fact amongst the group of six. And yet, the two of them were too stupid, too stubborn, and too afraid to admit it, so they stayed as friends. By some efforts and constant denial, the two ex-lovers managed to stay as friends for more than four years after their big break up.

Everything was going perfect for Ross and Rachel, until one drunken night led them to conceive their daughter or their little angel as they would call her, and it brought back old feelings they used to share, love. Things were going smoothly after Rachel moved in with Ross and then Mona broke up with him. This time no one was in their way, they were in love with each other, they lived together, they were about to have a baby together and raise it together. The timing couldn't be more perfect, right? How perfect was that?

But, yet once again they managed to destroy it. All because of another mistake, this time involving one of their closest friends, Joey Tribbiani.

The mixture of exhaustion, crazy hormones, Janice's words, Rachel's fears of raising a child alone, and Joey with a ring on his hand created one complicated nightmare. One huge misunderstanding did that. Rachel was left dumbfounded and somehow alone, again. Joey felt really guilty about the whole thing and yet deep down he couldn't deny that he actually loved the idea of marrying Rachel. After all he had loved her and he never even had a chance before. Meanwhile Ross was left heartbroken and betrayed by none other than the love of her life and one of his best friends.

You couldn't blame Ross though. He was an insecure man to begin with. After his divorce with his lesbian ex-wife, it scarred him for life. He had a hard time trusting the people he loved, he even revealed that multiple times during the time he dated Rachel. She however, underestimated his fear and his insecurity. His problems were much bigger than anyone would have thought, including her. Eventually it was one of the reasons that destroyed their relationship in the first place. And when Joey, who once admitted to Ross that he was in love with Rachel somehow engaged with her, he felt betrayed. It was like Joey was stabbing him with a knife in his back. He was devastated.

His plan to start things up with her was ruined. It was partly his fault though. He never seemed to seize the moment. He lost his perfect timing due to his fears.

Talk perfect about timing, what if Ross never said anything about the kiss they shared before Emma's birth, or what if he told her about his feelings sooner? It would all be different and maybe they would be together now. She wouldn't be lonely and he wouldn't be left heartbroken.

It was roughly a month after the whole proposal fiasco at three in the morning. Rachel just finished breastfeeding her baby daughter and put her back in the crib. She stroked Emma's hair gently and tucked her blanket in. She then placed her arms and rested it on a side of the crib as she stared into her beautiful little daughter. Emma was someone that both Ross and she had created together.

Emma looks exactly like her father, she thought.

Whatever happened between them, Rachel always knew she would have a piece of him no matter what. She smiled at that thought. She then spent a moment on what she loved to do lately, staring at her daughter sleeping soundly and watching her little tummy rise and fall in a rhythm. Staring at her sleeping baby daughter somewhat brought a sense of peace in her heart and that was why she did that every night. She needed that sense of peace and calm.

After the proposal, things were getting normal between Ross and her. They were mostly occupied by raising their newborn so that they didn't have a chance to talk about their relationship. He was still hurt by the event and she was sorry for that, but deep down she had an urge to talk about their relationship and maybe take it to the next level. But, there was always something that prevented her from doing it.

Her mind was jumbling at the consequences she had to deal if they would get back together. What if he didn't love her? What if he once again broke her heart? What if it didn't work? What if they got into a huge fight instead? And the thing that dreaded her most was, what if they ended up hurting their little girl? That was the one thing that always stopped her to even try. She was afraid to hurt her little girl.

Experiencing her parents divorced firsthand, she knew exactly how a divorce could hurt a child. She was 26 years old at the time, but it didn't stop her from getting hurt. She was hurt so badly and her parents' constant fighting wasn't helpful at all. She hated that. And she would never ever let her daughter experience it. She couldn't even imagine that.

So, here they were. Separated by a thin wall and lost in their own thoughts. No one was willing to make a move and no one was brave enough to do so. They needed an urge, a big one push to even give them a shot, a chance. The universe had one in store for them and now it was up to them to take it or ignore it, just like they were good at.

A phone rang brought her up from her trance. She checked a clock in her room. It was 3.14 AM. No one called at three in the morning for good news. As soon as she heard the phone ringing, she felt an awful feeling in the pit of her stomach.

She made sure Emma was still sleeping before she made her way to the living room. She opened her door knob at the exact same time as him. It almost startled her. Sometimes she kept forgetting the fact that they were now roommates.

"Oh, God. You're scaring me." Rachel said as she placed her hands on her chest.

Ross chuckled a little bit and made his way to the phone.

"Who do you think is calling us?" Rachel asked.

Ross shrugged, "I don't know. Let's find out." She nodded and he answered the phone.

"Yes, this is he." Ross began.

His face started to become pale as the conversation continued. It scared Rachel but she was too afraid to ask.

"Oh my God. Okay. Hmm. Okay." He started to scribble something on a notepad.

She tried to take a peek but his writing was messy and then she noticed his hand was shaking. That moment she knew something bad must've happened.

"- I'll be there as soon as I can. Thank you." He then placed the phone back and stared at the notepad blankly.

She swallowed a lump on her throat before mustering her courage to ask him, "Wh-who is it, Ross?"

He let tears escape from his eyes before turning his head to face her, "It's the police. Ben, Carol, and Susan were in a car accident."

Notes

So, this was another story I decided to write a couple months ago. I've read a lot of stories starting around season 9, but if I remember correctly, I think I haven't read one with Ben on it.

Anyway, please leave a review and tell me what you think :)

Thank you.