Hey guys, here's the new installment, I hope it was worth the wait. Ross has finally made it to Paris yay. Life's busy right now but I promise I'll try to get the next one soon-ish.


It was just past 1pm when Ross stepped out of the plane. He was lucky enough to have had a smooth and peaceful flight, with no altercations between passengers or kids crying, he even managed to sleep for a few hours. So when he was en route to the baggage claim he felt rested and ready to take on the day. He couldn't wait to see them, to give Emma a big hug, to see Rachel's face, he just missed them both so much. He was used to having them living across the street and not being able to visit them whenever he wanted was killing him.

As he was waiting for his luggage he decided to let Rachel know he was in Paris.

Hey

Just landed

Will be heading to your place soon

There! Very simple and effective. At first he suggested staying in a hotel as he didn't want to impose on them with his presence, he knew they already had a routine after 3 months but Rachel insisted on him staying at her place. They had been roommates once, great ones even, so he knew how to adapt to her without getting in her way.

He would usually make them breakfast and Rachel would be in charge of getting Emma ready for the day. Then, they would eat together while they waited for Molly, telling each other their schedules and what they hoped for that day. After work, he would be the first to get home and that usually meant bonding time with Emma, he would play with her and try to make her laugh, sometimes with inappropriate songs, God forbid other parents find that out. Then Rachel would get home, prepare something for them to eat while he gave their daughter a bath. It was a dance they had perfected with time, even if it was a short one.

Wonderful!

Can't wait to see you. Emma has been asking for you since she woke up :)

How was your flight?

Great

Slept through most of it

At baggage claim now

Soon he spotted his luggage, it had a big red bow to make it easier to identify among the thousands of black ones. As he grabbed it, he double checked the tag just to make sure he had the right one. Satisfied that it was indeed his own bag he opened his wallet to check Rachel's address and grabbed a French for Travelers book out of his backpack.

Rachel told him that although she managed to live a normal day to day life, it would be much easier if she spoke French. Her colleagues were very considerate and helped her whenever she faced the language barrier, but he knew she felt bad for not being able to communicate with them the way she wanted. So, he took it upon himself to learn a few things here and there to get by in the city.

He turned around, his head still down trying to find the airport section in the book so he could identify the signs towards the exit, when he heard a very familiar voice.

"Hey you."

Two simple words. That was all it took for him to feel that tingling sensation running through his entire body. Once upon a time that was a daily occurrence for him, every time she looked at him with tenderness, every moment she decided to kiss him just to show him how much she loved him, every perfect hug they shared because they couldn't stand to be apart for too long.

Every single thing about her made him tingle all over. It didn't matter if he was in love with her or not, his body recognized her as his state of alert.

As he raised his eyes to meet her blue ones, images of her saying that exact same thing flooded his mind, so many moments, so many memories. That was their special way of greeting each other and not even miles apart could change that.

She had a smile on her face, so big you could barely see her eyes. Her hair was still as shiny as ever, a bit of natural curl which he loved, her bangs a little longer than the last time he saw her.

"He you", he said back.

He opened his arms and there she was, engulfing him in a tight embrace, while he tucked his face in his favorite place in the whole world, the crook of her neck. She told him once that she loved when he did that, it made her feel very protective of him.

When he stepped back she was still sporting a big smile but now she also had tears in her eyes. At least that hasn't changed, he thought as he laughed to himself. He knew her like the palm of his hand, what she liked, what she hated, what made her tick, what made her smile, laugh or cry, but he also knew that she had a whole new life here and that she probably picked up a few quirks along the way. He hoped he could learn them as well if she let him.

"You have no idea how happy I am that you are finally here", she said while caressing his arms. They were still close and he could see the sincerity in her eyes.

It has always been hard to define his relationship with Rachel, to figure out if he was actually in love with her or if it was just a feeling his body has always been used to and didn't know how to live without. Everything in his life had been about moving forward, of taking the next step. She was his past, but he always thought she was his future. It was very complicated.

"I do, Rach. I'm just as happy to be here with you guys", he said. "Wait, how come you are here, I thought you had back to back meetings today", he asked as they started to walk through Charles-De-Gaulle airport.

"I couldn't ruin my surprise, could I?"

As they walked side by side, catching up with each other, he looked at her sideways and noticed how sophisticated she looked. Her work attire has always been great, but now she just… she looked like the elegant fashion manager she was always supposed to be.

"What?"

He realized she noticed him staring and instead of deviating from the subject like he was used to, he decided to go with the truth.

"Nothing, you just look fantastic, that's all." Rachel blushed somehow, averting her eyes from his. It reminded him of the adorable 25 year old Rachel he dated. He used to love making her blush back then. In more than one way.

He saw her trying to hide it with a smile and decided not to push it. He gave her a side hug and a kiss on her temple. She had always evoked this tender side of him.

"I'm really glad I could take these two weeks off. I thought we would have seen each other by now."

"I know, I did too. But there was so much for me to learn and keep up with that only now I feel comfortable in my new position. I wanted to come home sooner but I just couldn't and I'm sorry for that."

She said home. She still considered New York, the village, her home. It made his heart ache and it also gave him some kind of hope because she was his home.

As they were in line to get a cab she told him everything about life in Paris. How her coworkers were being really nice to her, how Emma was a little fuzzy in the beginning when the nanny first started showing up but now she was used to her. How she still couldn't navigate through the city all that well, it pained her to admit that her direction hadn't gotten any better just because she was in a new place. He laughed out loud at that.

"Have you had any chance to check the museums yet?"

"No, not yet. Which is good because now I can go with you and Emma."

Not even an hour had gone by since he landed in Paris and this was already one of the best days of his life. She wanted him here, she wanted to spend time with him and Emma, she wanted to include him in their lives. Life was good and he couldn't swipe the smile away from his face.

Her apartment was pure charm. It was all her and her good taste was in every little corner. A mix of old and new, sophisticated with a few tacky antiques here and there which he loved. He realized this was the first time she was able to decorate her own place, put her own twist on things. Usually she had to fight her way through to have a piece of decoration or just adapt to someone else's taste, but now she could do whatever she wanted and he loved that, he was happy for her.

It was a two bedroom apartment, Emma had her own room now and that had been a huge adjustment for Rachel. Ross, she's going to be all alone in there. I won't be able to hear if she cries, you know I'm a heavy sleeper. It took him almost an hour to convince her that it was going to be ok and that Emma could handle sleeping in a separate bedroom. I know that, I'm the one who can't.

After a week of sleepless nights, Rachel had finally managed to relax and deal with the separation anxiety. It wasn't easy, he had gone through the exact same thing with Ben and when Emma had lived under his roof she had shared the room with her mom, making the separation a lot easier for him.

He saw the living room and the kitchen on the right and there were three doors on the left. One of them, the last one, wide open showing a queen sized bed with white covers. He assumed it was Rachel's room from all the clothes scattered around the floor. Messy as always. The other two were closed, but only one of them had little giggles coming from the other side.

"Emma, mommy's home. Guess who's also here to see you?"

He could hear her excitement, calling out for him. He could feel his heart bursting with love for his little girl. Three months was a long time to be away from her and he couldn't wait to have her in his arms again.

As soon as the door opened she came running with the biggest smile on her face, just like her mom, and her arms reaching out for him.

"Dada", she screamed excitedly.

"Hi, baby girl. I missed you so so much."

As soon as he picked her up he felt relief run through him. She still recognized him, she still loved him, she still knew who he was. They only had a telephone as a source of communication and he feared that his voice alone wouldn't be enough. Three months were a lot of days and children easily forgot, easily adapted to the new, leaving the past behind. But not his Emma.

He saw Rachel wiping the tears from her eyes. He didn't want her to feel guilty so he smiled as if to say that everything was ok, that he was ok.

"Ross, this is Sadie, Emma's nanny. Sadie, this is Ross, Emma's father"

As they greeted each other he found out she was a 22 year-old Australian aupair. She was a temporary arrangement till Emma started daycare the following week. He was happy to be here and see that happening, he didn't want to miss another milestone and he also wanted to be here to give Rachel some emotional support.

Rachel had informed him that she had taken the afternoon off so she could help him settle. She had then sent Sadie home and soon it was finally just the three of them in the apartment. Their little family was finally reunited and he wanted to hold on to this feeling forever.

After a much needed shower, he found Rachel in the kitchen preparing something for them to eat. He would be staying in Emma's room, in a comfortable sofa bed that fit his size very well. His daughter was already there, taking her afternoon nap.

As he gazed at her he felt overwhelmed, full of longing for the familiarity of the scene in front of him. He had missed the domesticity, the feeling of having someone else around, sharing the same space. He often found himself at Monica's searching for that feeling of home. But home was not here, or at his apartment. Home was here, with her, wherever she was.

She made them sandwiches and he was surprised to notice that it actually tasted delicious.

"I'm throwing this sandwich in your face if you say anything."

He couldn't help but start laughing right away.

"Hey, I didn't say anything", he said in between chuckles.

"You didn't have to, your face said it all."

Her face showed both annoyance and amusement. After a few seconds she joined him, making fun of her own lack of skills in the kitchen. He had witnessed a few attempts and even tried to teach her a few things, but the woman was a disaster. Not anymore apparently.

"Well, after I moved back to Joey's I had to learn how to cook otherwise Emma would starve to death since she didn't have you to prepare her meals anymore."

"I can see that she's in very good hands now."

His daughter has always been in very good hands, he knew that. Through the years they could all see how much Rachel had matured and grew into this incredible woman. But after Emma, he got to know a whole new side of her and that made him feel even prouder.

As they shared the meal and talked, his eyes started to feel heavy and he found himself dozing off a few times. Jet lag was finally hitting him and he felt like he could sleep for days.

"Go, get some rest", he heard Rachel saying. "I promise to wake you up in a few hours so you don't mess up your body clock."

He hesitated at first, because he didn't want to miss the few precious times with just the two of them, but he couldn't even keep his eyes open anymore. He finally compromised and promised her he would be up soon. He gave her a kiss on the forehead and headed for Emma's room.

As he got there he found her restless and moving back and forth. He picked her up without waking her up and took her to bed with him. As he settled in the big sofa bed he put her on his chest, his arms securely around her and closed his eyes.

He felt content, he felt at peace and was finally able to sleep after so many months tossing and turning around in his bed.

In the middle of his nap he tried to move his arm but if felt trapped, it had a weight on it. He thought it was probably Emma who had moved from his chest but as he looked down, his little girl was still there sound asleep. As his eyes moved left he saw a very familiar mop of golden brown hair under his chin. Rachel had her left arm on his stomach, her head on his shoulder and her body tucked in his arm. He gave her an involuntary squeeze and closed his eyes again. If this was a dream he didn't want to wake up.

He could hear his cell phone vibrating somewhere in the room but he was too happy and busy to care. He dozed off again with his most precious gifts from life in his arms.