Chapter 9

"I Saw My Aunt Kissing Santa Claus"

Note :The conversations written in italic were the conversations they had in the past.

Today was Christmas Eve's Eve as Phoebe would say and this year's Christmas was different - so much different from last year. Starting this year, Ross had full custody over Ben, three hundred sixty-five days a year, without the help from his ex-wife and her partner anymore. So, this year he needed to step up his game, to hopefully give his son something to look forward to this Christmas. To hopefully make his first Christmas without his mommies a little bit better.

Ross had a perfectly brewed plan today, he was going to surprise Ben with a Santa costume tonight - which this time he had booked a month prior to Christmas, not wanting to repeat the same mistake he did a couple years back. He wanted to teach Ben more about Hanukkah, but this year he'd make an exception. Maybe next year he was going to teach both kids about Christmas and also Hanukkah, Ross felt like Ben already had enough on his plate right now.

He planned this with the help of his girlfriend, Rachel. Girlfriend. Referring to her as his girlfriend somehow didn't seem so right to him. We're more than that , he thought. But for now, he had to feel satisfied with only calling her his girlfriend, though he was hoping the title would eventually change in the foreseeable future. Preferably sooner than later.

Ross was getting ready in his sister's apartment. After receiving an 'okay' from his sister and brother-in-law, he headed toward his own apartment - a huge red bag filled with presents in his hands. He grinned happily as he crossed the street, heading toward home, not even minding the funny looks people gave him.

Rachel stole a glance at the clock.

7 p.m.

Ross would be coming home soon in his Santa costume like they had planned the week before and she really wanted to make this plan a success. Ross had worked so hard for this.

As she waited for Ross, her eyes then fell on their kids. Ben was watching his favorite cartoon in the living room right now after they ate dinner together earlier that night. Meanwhile their youngest, Emma, was playing with her rattle on Rachel's lap - looking so delighted at the sound the toy made.

"Where's daddy?" Ben asked as he noticed the clock and realized his dad wasn't home just yet.

"He had an important meeting he can't miss at work." Rachel began to explain like the way they had rehearsed it. "He'll be home soon though. Don't worry." She gave Ben a reassuring smile.

"Okay then." Ben replied, simply believing in her words before turning back his attention to the TV - immediately laughing at a certain funny scene playing on it.

Rachel let out a sigh - feeling relieved, it looked like Ben bought the excuse so far. Well, it wasn't exactly the first time Ben heard that, so maybe that was why he didn't ask much details about it. What mattered for the boy was that tomorrow they'd spent their Christmas Eve together at his Aunt Monica's apartment across the street. He loved being around his aunts and uncles, especially Uncle Chandler. Ben found him very hilarious.

"Ben, can you watch Emma for a minute?" Rachel asked as she put Emma down on her playpen. "I need to use the bathroom."

Ben shrugged. "Sure."

"Thank you." Rachel smiled before heading toward the bathroom.

She was glad at times like this that Ben was there to help her. Ben was so attentive when it came to his sister, Rachel was sure he'd make a great brother to her daughter. She loved how Ben cared about Emma and her. The way Ben cared about people around him showed her how similar he actually was with Ross.

What Rachel didn't know was that having a little sister or a brother was something that Ben had been wanting since a couple years ago. He felt jealous over his friends whenever he saw them playing together with their siblings. He wanted a brother or a sister for him to play with too. He figured because it was a woman who carried a child, he asked his mom instead of his dad, but their answer would always be the same.

"What about a puppy?" Carol asked, changing the topic she had always tried to avoid. "We can get you a puppy."

"Yeah, we can go to a shelter and adopt a puppy." Susan chipped in.

Carol and Susan never had a plan to add another child with the help of a sperm donor or through an adoption. For them, Ben was enough. He already brought so much joy into their life.

"But, I don't want a puppy." Ben whined. "Please..Mommy?" Ben pleaded with all his heart.

Sadly, no matter how hard he pleaded, their answer would always be a 'no'. Ben didn't really understand why his moms didn't want him to have a sibling.

Only if he knew, having another kid wasn't as simple as buying an apple at the grocery store, especially for Carol and Susan's case.

So, when the first time his dad told him that he was going to have a sibling, he was so happy about it. That was why he loved being around Emma. Though his baby sister hadn't been able to talk or walk yet much to his disappointment, he still enjoyed being there for her. Ben really loved his baby sister, Emma.

Ben was playing with some toys with Emma on her playpen when suddenly he heard the doorbell ring.

"I'll get that." Rachel quickly sprinted toward the door, biting back a grin as she did so. "Who is it?" She asked as she peeked through the peephole.

"This is Santa Claus." A man, clearly faking a deep voice answered. "I heard a special boy named Ben lives here."

Rachel opened the door and she tried hard to stifle her laughter in front of Ben. Ross looked ridiculous in his Santa's voice and outfits. He is such a bad actor, she thought.

Ross gave her a wink before coming in.

"Ben." Rachel called the boy, a huge smile plastered on her face. "Look who's coming to visit you." Rachel ecstatically said.

As soon as Rachel opened the door, Ben saw Santa Claus standing outside the door with his signature laugh. Ben quickly stood up from his seat and walked toward the door with the biggest smile on his face.

"Ho..Ho..Ho.." Santa laughed. "You must be Ben."

"Uh-hmm." Ben nodded somewhat shyly. "My name is Ben Geller and that's my little sister, Emma." Ben explained as he pointed at the playpen where Emma was now curiously looking at the weird bearded man.

Santa bent down to match Ben's eye level. "Well, hello Ben. I'm Santa Claus." He said in his deep voice. "I heard that you're being a nice kid this year, so I decided to pay you a visit and give you this present by myself, but under one condition."

"What's that?" Ben's perked up at the mention of 'presents'. He was a kid after all. He loved being spoiled with toys, especially during this time of the year.

"Promise me that you'll always be a good kid like you are right now."

That was easy, Ben thought.

Ben nodded and smiled. "Okay."

Santa smiled and gave him a pat on his head. "Good. Then this is your present." Santa handed Ben a box of presents wrapped in colorful papers and a red ribbon.

"Cool!" Ben quickly snatched the present and unwrapped it excitedly.

Ross had bought Ben the Lego set he wanted. Though Ross didn't really like the idea of spoiling their kids, this year was an exception. After what Ben had been through, he felt like it was okay for him to spoil his son every now and then. He was so grateful that Ben was able to be a happy kid once again after that accident and that was all that mattered to him. This year, all Ross wished for Christmas was to have all his family and friends to be healthy, safe, and happy. Though, standing here with the three people he loved the most in this world surrounding him, it looked like he already got what he wished for.

"What do you say, Ben?" Rachel reminded him.

Ben smiled shyly. "Thank you."

Ross then walked over to Emma and picked her up. As if Emma could sense her dad's presence, she smiled brightly as she played with Ross' fake beard and giggled.

"And this is for the little princess Emma." Ross gave his daughter a pink stuffed dinosaur and Rachel had to roll her eyes. He had tried to make their daughter to like dinosaurs even way before she was born and even though it looked like Emma wasn't interested at all, he wasn't going to give up anytime soon.

Ross spent another half an hour with them before he said his goodbye. Rachel walked him to the hallway and closed the door behind her.

She enveloped him into a hug and gave him a soft kiss on his lips. "Well, this is the first time I kissed Santa Claus." She let out a smile, happiness sparked through her blue eyes.

He chuckled softly and brushed a strand of her hair aside. "I'll make sure it won't be the last one." He said before giving her another kiss. "So, do you think he knows?" Ross asked after they broke apart.

"Well, despite your really bad impersonation of Santa Claus." He gave her an unpleasant look and she giggled. "Relax.. I don't think he knows."

"Yeah?" Ross asked excitedly.

"Uh-hmm. You're such a great father, Ross." She said sincerely. "And I'm so glad we have you in our life."

Today was Christmas Eve and Ross had brought Ben to visit Carol's parents earlier today since Ben would be celebrating Christmas with Ross and the gang tomorrow. Meanwhile, Rachel was left alone with Emma for the whole day, which she didn't really mind.

She needed a break from living with two boys. Try to be in her shoes and you'd understand. It wasn't that she hated living with them, it was the opposite of that. She loved living with them, especially the past couple months since she and Ross had gotten back together. But still, she wasn't used to the idea of sharing a house with a man and an eight years old boy.

She couldn't lie, back then when she was living with Joey, it was hard in spite of how fun it was compared to Monica's. Joey was so laid back about everything and sometimes it was too much for her to handle, especially when it came to how dirty their apartment was. There were times when she was thinking about moving out from Joey's place, but again, living with Joey means it was only a few steps away from Monica's apartment and the coffee house - their usual hang out places, and she wasn't ready to give up on that.

But then, things got better when she moved in with Ross. It was a walking distance toward Central Perk and Monica's apartment, but it was way cleaner than Joey's. Being a Geller, Ross knew how to keep his apartment clean and organized, but yet not as extreme as Monica - which was an added bonus. But still, he was a man. He and Ben sometimes forgot to put the toilet seat back down or left their dirty clothes scattered around the bathroom much to her annoyance.

After putting their now eight-months-old daughter for a nap, Rachel went to the kitchen and made a cup of chamomile tea. She then absent-mindedly sipped her tea as she relaxed on the couch whilst reading the latest issue of Vogue magazine.

It was the first time in a while that the apartment was this quiet and she was enjoying every second of it.

It was very peaceful and relaxing.

It was indeed a nice break she really needed right now. Something she hadn't been able to do for a while now - having to juggle between work, taking care of their kids, and helping Ross clean up the apartment. It was her 'me time'.

She flipped through the last page of the magazine and she sighed in satisfaction. It was her first magazine in months that she actually was able to finish in one sitting without any interruption. She even had the time to mark certain pages she loved for her fashion references by folding the tip of the page slightly. After she was done, she put the magazine down and rested her eyes.

She must've been dozing off for a while, because when she woke up, Ross was already there sitting on the couch beside her with a cup of coffee and a newspaper in his hands.

"Hey.." She rubbed her eyes softly before yawning. "I didn't hear you coming in."

"Oh, hey.." He smiled as he put his coffee and newspaper away. "You were sleeping like a log. I wouldn't be surprised if you didn't hear anything."

"Yeah." She admitted shyly. "Emma is asleep so I decided to take a short nap." She paused, realizing she forgot about their daughter. "Oh, shoot! I forgot to check on Emma!" She was about to stand up when his hand stopped her.

"Don't worry about her." Ross started. "I just gave her a bath and she's playing in your room right now with Ben."

"Thank you." She smiled thankfully at him and then rested her head on his shoulder. "What time is it?"

He checked his watch before answering her. "Uhm, six pm, which means we have to be at Monica's in an hour."

Rachel quickly stood up from her seat. "Oh crap. We can't be late for Christmas dinner. Monica is going to kill us." She quickly panicked. "I have to get ready. Can you change Emma's clothes? I hang it in my room."

"Sure." Ross nodded.

"Thanks." She said before giving him a peck on his lips.

He smiled at her small gesture. It was like a habit, like it was something they did everyday for their whole lives - like they had never even broken up in the first place.

As if they were together the whole time, Ross and Rachel's couple mode was being turned back on so easily and so naturally. She'd give him a goodbye kiss before they went to work, they'd hold hands, and she'd sit at his lap whenever they were hanging out at the coffee house. But whenever Ben was around, they had to be careful and frankly both of them were tired of sneaking around. He wanted to share a room with her so that they could finally have their own little privacy. He had missed her so much, it almost drove him nuts.

Maybe it was time for them to let Ben know.

That night, the family of four joined the rest of the gang to celebrate Christmas Eve. Ben and Emma, as the only kids amongst them, were being spoiled with gifts from their aunts and uncles. They were crowding the kids and showering them with so much attention.

"Do you guys want some eggnog?" Monica asked as they were now sitting at the couch and watched Ben and Emma unwrap their presents after dinner.

They all nodded and thanked her.

"Do you have some cookies too?" Joey asked innocently.

Monica nodded. "Yeah, I baked some earlier today. Let me grab it for you."

"Can I have some too, Aunt Monica?" Ben asked hopefully.

Monica brushed her nephew's hair gently and smiled. "Sure, you can have as much as you want."

"Maybe just a little." Rachel added, knowing firsthand what sugar did to children, especially at night. It was every parent's nightmare.

"Hey! It's not fair! I asked for it first!" Joey whined.

Chandler slapped Joey in the shoulder.

"Ouch!" Joey yelped. "What's that for?"

"That's for not sharing cookies with an eight years old." Chandler explained.

"Okay, enough. I think there's enough cookies for everyone." Monica said.

"Let me help you with that, Mon." Rachel stood up, Ben trailing behind her.

Knowing how much Uncle Joey could actually eat, Ben was determined to follow his aunts into the kitchen and claimed what was his before Uncle Joey ate them all.

Ben was sitting at one of the chairs while Rachel brought him his cookies. Rachel's motherly side was something new for Ross, but he couldn't have enough of it. He loved watching her with their children, he could easily tell that she genuinely loved them both, even Ben. And judging by how Ben kept following Rachel around, it looked like the feelings were mutual. Ross couldn't help but smile as he watched the whole scene with a dreamy look on his face.

Unbeknownst to Ross, Phoebe was watching how the little family interacted for the whole night and she couldn't wipe that smile out of her face. Her lobsters were finally getting back together and she was so happy for them. From the very beginning, Phoebe always believed that these two were meant to be together and not once she doubted that. What Ross and Rachel had was special and she was able to see that. She was just glad that they finally worked things out and were together again. It had been a while since she saw Ross and Rachel became this happy and happiness was something this family needed after what they've been through recently.

"So, how's things between you and Rachel?" Phoebe had to ask after looking at the dreamy look on Ross' face.

"Uhm, I'm sure Rachel told you everything going on between us." He let out a soft chuckle.

"Yeah. Yeah. You're going on a date and had sex under the stars. Blah blah blah. I know about that." Ross made a face. She could be very blunt sometimes. "That wasn't what I'm trying to ask you." She said, "I mean I saw that look you have whenever you see Rachel with Ben. You want more."

"I do want more." He admitted. It was a lie if he told her that he didn't, because he did. But he wanted to do things slowly now. Their stakes were raised and he didn't want to rush into anything and ended up ruining everything they had. If it was only up to him, he could even take her to city hall right this second and marry her. "But I don't want to rush into anything right now. I want this to be right, you know?" He explained. "I mean Ben didn't even know about us yet."

Phoebe didn't actually agree on his last statement. She was pretty sure Ben knew, or at least the boy must've suspected it. He was a kid, but he wasn't dumb after all.

"Okay then. Whatever it is, just don't mess it up this time." Phoebe warned him. No matter how much she loved Ross and Rachel together as a couple, their break up was so ugly, it even changed the dynamic of their friendship for a while.

Ross looked at Rachel who was now smiling and laughing with Ben as they engaged in a conversation he couldn't hear and he smiled. "Yeah, I know." He started, feeling confident. "I won't mess this up again."

After spending their Christmas Eve together, the family of four went back into their apartment. This year was Emma's first Christmas. To commemorate it, Ross and Ben had prepared a little something for the family.

As Rachel was changing Emma into her pajamas, Ross quickly stopped her.

"Wait." He started, gaining her attention. "Ben and I bought a little something for us." Ross handed her a shopping bag.

"You went shopping?" Rachel raised her eyebrow in amusement, questioning him. She knew he hated shopping in general, let alone Christmas shopping. The shopping mall must've been very crowded during this time of the year, she couldn't help but wonder what exactly made him go to such trouble.

"Uh-hmm." Ross nodded proudly. "Open it."

She was impressed at his gesture until she opened the bag. She pulled out a matching red and green Christmas pajamas with t-rexes in Santa hat patterns all over it. He grinned, knowing how much she was going to hate that and he was right. She frowned as she inspected the pair of pajamas more closely. There was no way in hell she was going to wear that. It got dinosaurs all over it, for god's sake.

"Oh, no..No..No..No.. You're not going to force me to wear this." She shook her head adamantly, pushing the pair of clothes back into his hand.

"See.." Ross began with a chuckle as he shoved them back into her hands. "That's where you got it wrong. It isn't me who's going to 'force' you wearing it. Ben, come on in." Ross called his son in.

With a cue, Ben walked in proudly with a big smile on his face wearing the matching pajamas just like Rachel's and Emma's.

"Do you like my gift?" Ben asked hopefully, his eyes were wide and sparked with excitement.

How could she say no to that?

She gave Ross a look and he smiled widely, knowing she wouldn't be able to say no to Ben.

She sighed and eventually let out a smile. Though they could always choose better pajamas, knowing how sweet their gestures were, she wasn't going to complain. This was all she wanted after all. Spending Christmas with her own family, feeling nothing but loved. Next year though, it was her turn to buy them all matching pajamas and Ross was going to regret it for choosing a dinosaur themed this year.

"Like it? I love it!" Rachel said with a big smile on her face. "And it looks like Miss Emma likes it too." She said, referring to Emma who was already trying to put her new pajamas in.

Ross chuckled and helped Emma with her pajamas whilst Rachel motioned Ben to come closer.

"Thank you so much." Rachel said as she gave him a hug and a kiss on top of his head.

Ben beamed in pride. Mission accomplished, he thought.

"See, dad? I told you she's going to like it!" Ross just shrugged and Rachel giggled.

After Ross finished changing Emma into her new pajamas, Rachel observed the two siblings and she smiled brightly. Eh, the pajamas weren't as bad as she thought it would be. It actually looked really cute on them, she thought.

"You know." Ross started. "You and I should get change and we can all take a family picture together in front of the tree." He suggested.

She nodded and smiled. "Okay."

Not long after, the family of four gathered around the Christmas tree, each wearing matching pajamas. Ross set the camera up using a tripod as the rest of the family propped themselves in front of the tree. Rachel had Emma on her arms and Ben stood in front of them, posing and grinning proudly for the camera.

"Ready?" Ross asked.

"Ready!" Ben shouted loudly, which caused Emma to clap her hands frantically and giggled at the same time.

Rachel and Ross smiled and looked at each other's eyes knowingly. Oh, how they could get used to this. Domestic bliss.

"Okay, everybody in their position." He clicked the button and made a beeline toward Rachel's side. He instinctively put his arm around her waist and smiled brightly at the camera.

All of them looked so incredibly happy. This Christmas meant so much for both Ross and Rachel knowing that tonight marked the first Christmas that they'd spent together as a couple again with their daughter and his son with them. The stakes were much higher this time, so that night they got back together, they knew they were going to make this work. They weren't a twenty something without responsibilities like they used to anymore. They had kids now. Both Ben and Emma deserved to grow up in a happy family and Ross and Rachel had to work really hard to make it come true. So that there were hopefully going to be more of these for the years to come. Though they also knew even after years went by, this Christmas would forever remain as a special one for them.

This Christmas, they all gained a family.

And unbeknownst to the couple, this was what Ben had been praying for each night. He wanted a family more than anything in the world. He wanted this family and without him knowing, he already got what he wished for.

They took a few more photos and then Rachel served them each a cup of hot chocolate. The family gathered around the living room with Ben and Emma playing on the floor, while Ross and Rachel took a seat at the brown leather couch. They smiled as they watched Ben teach Emma how to play with blocks, and couldn't help but keep their distance close.

"I'll get the photos printed as soon as possible."

This was going to be posted on the next issue of The Geller Yeller, Ross thought. After all, his entire extended family already thought him and Rachel were married, so it was his chance to brag to his entire family about his kids and his 'wife'. Who would've thought a geeky boy like himself would end up with the most famous cheerleader from Lincoln High? Even himself couldn't believe it sometimes.

"Okay." She nodded and sipped her drink. "You know. It's Emma's first Christmas and it can't get better than this."

He nodded, agreed. "I know. There's no better way to celebrate Christmas other than with our family."

She smiled warmly and squeezed his knee. If that was even possible, tonight both Ross and Rachel were so much happier than they already were. After all those years, all the ons and offs, they finally came into this moment. Having each other and being able to call them as a family was such a blessing for them, especially during the holiday.

Even just eight months ago, she never would've thought that they'd got back together this soon. She even doubted that they had another chance. But it turned out the universe had another plan in store for them and now they both were glad they decided to take that chance.

After all, they deserved a happy ending.

These past two months with Rachel were nothing but full of bliss. They hadn't got into a fight yet as they both were still in their honeymoon phase of their relationship. Seeing how good his relationship was with Rachel, especially after tonight, made him wonder if they really should tell Ben about their relationship sooner than they had planned.

The only question was: were they ready?

Ben was feeling excited tonight, he couldn't sleep. Tomorrow was Christmas, his favorite day of the year and he was feeling ecstatic. Waking up from his own bed that his dad had set up in their room a month ago, he rubbed his eyes and hopped off from his bed. Thinking his dad must've already been asleep, he carefully and slowly made his way out by tiptoeing, not wanting to wake his dad up. Closing the door behind him, he made his way toward the kitchen, wanting to grab a glass of milk.

He suddenly stopped his track and quickly hid behind the wall that was separating the living room with the hallway.

Santa Claus was kissing his Aunt Rachel beside the Christmas tree.

Not wanting to get caught, he quickly made his way back on his bed.

Realizing that his dad's bed was empty, a huge smile crept out from his face. Ben's hunch was indeed right. Aunt Rachel was kissing his daddy.

That night he slept with a huge smile on his face, knowing that he might get what he had wished for after all.

What a merry Christmas indeed, he thought.

A/N

If you guys noticed it, in the show Rachel came back to her work after Christmas. But then Emma was born in Summer(or in April according to the internet) which means her maternity leave was for more than half a year. I don't know how the system works in the US, but I'm pretty sure it was only supposed to last for 3-4 months tops. So, for the sake of the story let's just ignore that fact. After all, as I said this is an AU story, so I don't really follow the plot from the show.

To be honest with you all, I wrote this chapter ages ago (sometime early this year, I think) and like I said before I've written all the chapters and actually finished it, which is why all I have to do is to actually edit it and post it here. I don't know if any of you are still interested in this story or if I should continue to post it here, so if you're still interested please let me know. Nonetheless, I hope you all enjoy the story!

See you soon and have a joyous holiday! :)