A/N - This is the first of (possibly) many one-shots of everything we didn't get to see before, during, and after Ross and Rachel moments. I don't plan to change any of the story arcs, but instead just fill in the gaps to help us feel the existing scene even more. I have never done any fanfics like this before as most of mine are A/U, so we'll see how it goes. Please review and let me know if these are worth continuing or not :)

1x24 - TOW Rachel Finds Out
The scene with Rachel's dream on the balcony is way underrated in my opinion. What led her to the pivotal moment when she first realized her feelings for Ross?

Rachel sat up in her bed, resting her head against the headboard. Under the glow of her bedside lamp, she slid the ivory pin back and forth between her fingers. She was in awe of the comfort and familiarity elicited by the beautiful piece of jewelry. It was exactly like the one her grandmother used to wear when she was a little girl. As she observed its intricate detail, she was flooded with memories of the carefree days when her biggest problem was an 8:00pm curfew.

She was shocked that Ross remembered that fleeting moment on the street all of those months ago. She happened to see the pin in the window of an antique store and had excitedly shared some memories of her grandmother with Ross, but she had long since forgotten the exchange entirely. Apparently he had not.

He's in love with me?

She racked her brain searching through moments over the past year as she attempted to pinpoint any signals she had missed. She recalled one instance the very first night she came to the city where he mentioned something about maybe asking her out, but she selfishly assumed he just wanted to live out a childhood crush. After all, he did not hide it well back in those days.

When they were in high school he would stammer and turn bright red while clumsily trying to maintain his cool any time he was around her. His nerdy haircut and mustache were enough to keep him at arm's length. But he also went to space camp and carried that keyboard around all the time. Her social status would not allow her to even consider associating herself with someone like that. She had all kinds of jocks lined up to date her back then and his infatuation was merely a game to her.

She wasn't proud of that now. He had become one of her very best friends since moving to the city. The afro and mustache were now gone and he had grown into a mature and intelligent man with quick wit and an enormous heart. He always made her laugh and he showed a genuine interest in their conversations. But that's just Ross. He was like that with everyone in their tight-knit group. Being attracted to Ross or seeing him as anything more than a friend had never even crossed her mind...until now. She had gone back and forth about him a dozen times since her hasty trip to the airport a week ago, where luckily he had already boarded the plane, because she hadn't the slightest idea what she would have said to him if she saw him.

On one hand, the possibility of exploring this with him sounded really exciting. He was smart, successful, charming, funny, caring, and apparently, crazy about her. She already knew everything about him (or at least she thought she did before her birthday party). There was no doubt that he would always make her feel special and loved.

But on the other hand, he scared her. He had been married before and had just become a father. She wasn't sure if that was something she was ready to get involved with at this point in her life. He was an amazing father though, and that was actually incredibly endearing the more she thought about it. Maybe that part would be okay after all. But what about all the pressure Monica had been putting on her all week? She was practically forcing the relationship into existence while Ross was still on another continent. Rachel knew the pressure she felt from Monica would only be multiplied when the eyes of her other three best friends were on them too. And what if things didn't work out? She had never really had a successful relationship before, so that seemed like the obvious trajectory. She was so happy with the new life she was building in the city. Trying to mix a relationship into it could ruin everything. If things ended badly, one of them would have to leave the group. It would obviously be her because Ross was so deeply rooted in the group already with Monica being his sister and Chandler being his college roommate. That would be the end to her beautiful new life in Manhattan. The last thing she wanted was to go back to Long Island.

Besides, this didn't make any sense anyway. She left Barry in order to find someone that would pursue her and give her the love she deserved. If he was too scared to say anything after they spent every single day together for a whole year, how could he possibly be capable of a mature relationship? She didn't have time to play games. Besides, she had a date tonight with someone who did pursue her! Sorry Monica, it's never going to happen.

Outside her apartment, Rachel leaned against the wall of the balcony with a drink in her hand as she listened to her date fill the air with mindless chatter. Carl was a nice guy. He had a great job, made a lot of money, and was well dressed and decently attractive. He was the type of guy she had been raised to pursue.

She watched him intently, attempting to process his words, but her mind kept drifting elsewhere. Somewhere in the midst of moving to the city she had discovered a newfound confidence and independence that had always lay dormant inside of her. She left Long Island because she wanted more for her life than to be a suburban housewife. She wanted to feel pride in herself by working hard for what she earned for once. She also desperately hoped to find That One Great Love. She wanted more than a guy who checked every box on paper, or whose arm she could hold while keeping up appearances in social circles. She wanted more than what her parents had.

She wanted a man that made her wild with desire, that could fulfill her completely - make her toes curl. Like Paolo did. Maybe it was the language barrier, but he provoked a carnal nature in her that her former naivety never knew existed. Their innate attraction to each other was fueled by untamed desires to explore each other's bodies in a way that sent her to a different world. It was raw, it was passionate, it was...fun.

She knew from the start it would never be more than that with him. As satisfied as he made her physically, the emptiness she felt in her heart was magnified. She was far too emotionally driven to ignore a need for more. She longed for a man that knew her heart better than she did - a man that could also be her very best friend. But does a guy like that even exist? Could a man really give her both?

She found herself wishing a certain someone else was standing in front of her on the balcony instead of Carl. This realization scared her and she immediately tried to push it away by blinking her eyes and mustering every ounce of strength she had to focus on her date. Ross should not be creeping into her thoughts while she was on a date with another man. She didn't want anything complicated. She didn't want anything messy. He would very much be both of those things.

Carl's overt enthusiasm suddenly jarred her back to reality. "I'm just sayin', if I see one more picture of Ed Begley, Jr. in that stupid electric car, I'm gonna shoot myself! I mean, don't get me wrong... I'm not against environmental issues per se... it's just that guy!"

Alright, so Carl was not 'the one'. She absent-mindedly nodded in agreement with him, throwing in an occasional smile, knowing she would never be allowed to get a word in edgewise. But the longer he went on, the more she welcomed the fact that he was doing all the talking so she didn't have to. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't focus on anything he said. All she could think about was Ross.

As her imagination began to take control, she saw him leaning nonchalantly against the terrace, observing her date with annoyance. She blinked her eyes. Her mind was playing tricks on her. She shouldn't be thinking about Ross right now. He was her friend and that was all he would ever be. But he invaded her imagination once more, his dark eyes peering into hers.

"I can't believe you'd rather go out with him than me", he smirked cooly, motioning towards the man that was obviously not her Cassanova.

"Would you excuse me, please? I'm trying to have a date here!" she fired back at him, out of annoyance for her own incessant thoughts.

He smirked. "Fine, just stop thinking about me."

He moved beside her, so close that even in her imagination, she could feel his shirt slightly brush against her arm. Why was she suddenly so aware of his closeness?

"Can't do it, can you?" he asked with a boyish grin.

She felt herself losing the strength to fight the vulnerability that was forming in her mind.

In an attempt to mask it, she responded defensively, "So I'm thinking about you. So what?"

"I don't get it. What do you see in this guy, anyway?" Ross asked.

In Rachel's imagination, he exuded a suave confident nature that was quickly becoming intriguing to her. Ross was never that suave in real life. It was all in her head….. right?

"Well... he happens to be a very...nice..guy..." she responded weakly.

She looked at Carl again as a wave of either annoyance or nausea fell over her - she wasn't sure which one. There he went, getting worked up again, as his boisterous voice boomed.

"I mean, come on, buddy, get a real car!" He was obviously too caught up in himself to even realize that she had been having a conversation with another man in her head for the past number of minutes. She found his overly zealous demeanor very obnoxious - borderline repulsive. She realized that she was much more drawn to her imaginary conversation with Ross, and for the first time that night...she didn't mind.

Ross moved in front of her as he took her hands in his. She had never noticed the enchanting pull of his dark brown eyes before. All of a sudden, she was unmistakably drawn to them, unable to look away. As his gaze penetrated her own, months of unspoken truths suddenly came to life with such clarity, as if his eyes alone could speak to her without any words at all. This new unspoken language was like a door into his soul, and she suddenly understood him, she felt him. She had never known that this could be possible between two people, but as his dark eyes met hers, she hoped they would say more.

"Rachel, come on. Give us a chance." he pleaded.

"Ross, it's too hard." she answered softly. Her eyes explored his face. Knowing full well that this was a dangerous road, she began to observe his features for the first time. She had never noticed how soft his lips looked. She quickly diverted her eyes. She wasn't sure how to respond to the feelings starting to form in the pit of her stomach. It was overwhelming. It was scary.

"No, no, no... why, because it might get weird for everyone else? Who cares about them! This is about us. Look, I-I've been in love with you since, like, the ninth grade."

"Ross, you're like my best friend. If we broke up, and I lost you…"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. What makes you think we're gonna break up?" he asked incredulously.

"Well, have you been involved with someone where you haven't broken up?"

He paused in thought. "No. But... it only has to happen once..."

His pleading with her had somehow not come off as desperate at all. Instead it was incredibly confident and almost...alluring. It was as if any shy or awkward side of him she had always known had never existed at all. Her heart raced. Suddenly she started to realize how much her date paled in comparison to Ross. Truthfully, how any other guy paled in comparison to Ross.

He gently placed his hands on her arms, his deep brown eyes magnetizing hers, as if they were the only ones that existed in the world. The touch of his fingers on her skin sent a shot of electricity through her veins.

"Look, you and I both know we are perfect for each other, right? I mean... so, the only question is... are you attracted to me?"

She froze. "I don't know... I mean, I've never looked at you that way before."

His expression suddenly changed as his eyes filled with desire for her. "Well start looking."

He quickly closed the small gap between them as he took her face in his hands and placed his lips against hers. She parted her lips to welcome the kiss as a wave of warmth washed over her, unfurling all her senses. She grazed his forearms with her fingers as their lips explored each other's. The taste of him nearly silenced all of her thoughts. Her heart skipped a beat as the smell of him hypnotized her. Only a few short seconds later he separated from her, slowly backing away, leaving her wanting more. Her eyes were still closed, taking in the moment. She reached up to touch him again but all she could feel was the tingling in her body from the lingering feeling of his skin against hers. She wasn't sure if she dreamed this moment to life, but the way his lips felt against hers, it was as if she had been waiting for this her whole life. She had never known it was possible to feel so much from just one kiss. This was different.

"Wow..." she whispered, loud enough for Carl to hear her.

"Exactly! And you just know I'm gonna be the guy caught behind this hammerhead in traffic!"

Rachel knew she had to see Ross immediately. She had to find out if what she felt in that moment was real or just a product of a daydream. All of a sudden, he wasn't just Ross, the sensitive nice guy. He was Ross, the guy whose touch she desperately craved. Somehow, neither of those two sides of him outweighed the other. All of a sudden the line between friend and lover that she had previously refused to cross, began to blur so perfectly into the man of her dreams. It was impossible to ignore now, and she didn't even want to try. Her mind raced as she planned her get-away from her date on the balcony. Surely there was someone that could keep him company. Sorry again, Monica…