Thanks for the positive feedback. I was unsure about this plotline.
This story is going to jump around, so let me know if it gets too confusing.
Again, I own no one.
~*~*~*~*~*~
The Pact, Chapter Two
Central Perk was bustling with customers. It was a cold day, and shoppers and tourists were escaping
to the cozy Village cafe to warm up and re-energize. Pheobe Buffay-Martinez walked into the shop, and
was astounded to find that not much had changed in ten years. The once-orange couch had been re-upholstered,
and was now a warm shade of green. There was a small group of twenty-somethings lounging on the couch,
talking about their latest dating disasters. Pheobe laughed. It was like looking through a window to the past.
Their lives were so much simpler then. Pheobe walked to the counter, and ordered a cup of coffee. She
turned the oversized mug nervously in her hands, hoping that she wouldn't be the only one to show up today.
She could not believe that she had lost touch with everyone, even Joey. None of her friends were at her wedding,
and none of them were there when her sons were born. None of them were there two years ago, when she finally
found her father and half-brother. And none of them were there when her twin sister was killed.
She suddenly felt very lonely, and had to concentrate to keep from crying. She was so lost in thought that she
didn't hear her own name-at first.
"Pheobe? Pheebs? Helloooo?" Monica was waving her hand in front of Pheobe's face.
"Monica!" Pheobe finally said, hugging her old friend tightly.
"Are you okay?" Monica asked.
"Yeah, I was just thinking," Pheobe replied.
"About the past." It was more a statement than a question.
"Yeah."
"Do you think everyone will show up?" Monica asked.
"I dunno. I think you and I are the only ones who stayed in New York. But you came from upstate, right?"
"Uh, no. I am here in the City now."
"Really? Where's Richard?"
Monica sighed. Maybe it would do her some good to get it all off her chest. She didn't really have anyone
to talk to, so she'd kept her feelings bottled up for years.
"We're divorced."
"What?" Pheobe was taken aback.
"I, uh, I guess it started about a year after Richard and I got married," Monica started, as the two women took a
seat at a small corner table.
****
1998
"Sweetie, I was thinking," Monica Burke said, as she bounced into their new living room.
"Uh oh," Richard replied sarcastically.
"Ha-ha. Seriously, we have been married more than a year now, and I was thinking...well..."
"What is it Mon?"
"I was thinking that we should maybe start to think about having kids."
"Ah," Richard replied flatly.
"What does that mean?" Monica asked crossly.
"I think it's a great idea. But, can we maybe, uh, wait a few more months? I was kinda planning this trip for us..."
Monica laughed. "Sure, we can wait a few months. I just wanted to start thinking about it."
"Okay," Richard said, sighing.
1999
"I don't understand," Monica said, tears welling up in her crystal blue eyes, "We've tried *everything*, and I am still
not pregnant."
"Mrs. Burke," Dr. Morris said softly, "Maybe you need to stop trying so hard. It's probably the stress over trying to get
pregnant that is preventing you from getting pregnant."
"That makes sense," Monica said quietly.
"Get some rest, and maybe hold off for a month or two."
Monica nodded, and thanked her doctor. She could wait. It was only a few more months.
2007
"Well, the months turned to years, and I realized that I was the only one who was really trying," Monica explained.
"Wow," Pheobe replied.
"So, about um, three years ago, I decided that maybe Richard was the one with the problem, ya know? I mean, he is
kinda old," Monica laughed bitterly.
"Did you talk to him about it?"
"Yep. And he said that his doctor said that he was fine. So I decided to go talk to his doctor..."
2004
"Richard!" Monica was fuming. She was sure that she had never been this angry in her life.
"Hey honey," Richard greeted his wife, "Where have you been?"
"Please tell me that it is not true," Monica said, ignoring Richard's question.
"Tell you *what* is not true?"
"Tell me you did not get a vasectomy six years ago?"
"Mon," Richard started.
"You son-of-a-bitch!" Monica cried, "Were you just, never gonna tell me?"
"I wanted to Mon, but, I didn't want to hurt you, and..."
"So you let me believe that there was something wrong with me? How is that not hurting me?"
"Mon, I am sorry, I just..."
But Monica didn't want to hear excuses. She ran out the front door, and took off in her SUV,
before Richard could say another word.
2007
"Oh, Monica! That is horrible!" Pheobe was crying now too, and hugged her friend fiercely.
"It just went downhill from there. I wanted to at least try to make the marriage work, ya know?
I hated the idea of getting divorced. I saw what Ross went through when he divorced Carol, and I
just never saw myself as someone who would get divorced. But I found that I couldn't trust Richard
anymore, so I left.
2006
Richard walked through the front door, anxious to see what kind of mood Monica would be in. Her moods
were so erratic, that it made him dread coming home sometimes.
"Monica?" he called out cautiously.
When there was no answer, he headed to the den to make himself a Scotch. He turned when he
heard a small sniffle.
"Mon?"
Monica was sitting in the den, sipping a Scotch (on the rocks with a twist on a coaster) quietly.
Her luggage was sitting next to her.
Richard swallowed hard, and asked the question he had been dreading.
"Are you leaving me?"
Monica took another sip of her Scotch, and set it down on her coaster. She swallowed hard,
trying her best not to cry. But as soon as she tried to speak, a lump formed in her throat.
"Yes, I am."
Richard nodded, knowing that there was no use arguing. This had been coming for a long time now,
and he had no right to ask her to stay. He simply turned and walked up to his bedroom, and shut the
door quietly behind him.
Monica sighed, and picked up her bags. She made a vow to never give her heart the way she had with-him.
"Never again," she whispered aloud, and walked out the door.
2007
Pheobe and Monica sat in silence for several minutes. There was so much to say, yet so little to be said.
Their silence was broken when they heard a girl shriek.
"Must be Joey," Pheobe laughed.
And she was right. Joey walked in a few minutes later, and saw the women immediately. He flashed them his
best movie-star grin, and walked over to them quickly.
"Pheebs!" Joey said, pulling her into a bear hug.
"Hey Mr. Movie Star Man!" Pheobe said.
"Hey Mon!" Joey said, as he hugged her.
"Joey! You look great!"
"Thanks! I've been working out," he said in a husky, mocking tone.
"How's Hollywood?"
"Eh, it's no New York, but it pays my bills!" Joey said.
"When was the last time you were out here?"
"Uh, a couple of years ago. I was filming a movie."
"Oh! Was it 'Heartbreak Cop'?" Phiebe asked excitedly.
"Yeah!" Joey said happily.
"That was a great movie," Phoebe said dreamily.
Joey laughed. "So where's everyone else?"
"I dunno," Phoebe said, sounding concerned.
****
Ross and Emily approached Central Perk, and Emily had to laugh at the emormous grin on Ross' face.
She knew he was looking forward to this reunion, as he had been talking about it for weeks.
Ross walked up to the front door to open it, and accidently ran into a woman who was trying to do the same.
"Oh, I'm sorry," Ross said.
"Sorry!" The woman said at the same time.
"Rachel?"
Rachel looked up, trying desperatly to keep a neutral expression on her face.
"Ross."
****
Yes, it's short, but that's the idea. I will be doing each story individually, and eventually
the stories will come together. I hope. Let me know what you think!!
This story is going to jump around, so let me know if it gets too confusing.
Again, I own no one.
~*~*~*~*~*~
The Pact, Chapter Two
Central Perk was bustling with customers. It was a cold day, and shoppers and tourists were escaping
to the cozy Village cafe to warm up and re-energize. Pheobe Buffay-Martinez walked into the shop, and
was astounded to find that not much had changed in ten years. The once-orange couch had been re-upholstered,
and was now a warm shade of green. There was a small group of twenty-somethings lounging on the couch,
talking about their latest dating disasters. Pheobe laughed. It was like looking through a window to the past.
Their lives were so much simpler then. Pheobe walked to the counter, and ordered a cup of coffee. She
turned the oversized mug nervously in her hands, hoping that she wouldn't be the only one to show up today.
She could not believe that she had lost touch with everyone, even Joey. None of her friends were at her wedding,
and none of them were there when her sons were born. None of them were there two years ago, when she finally
found her father and half-brother. And none of them were there when her twin sister was killed.
She suddenly felt very lonely, and had to concentrate to keep from crying. She was so lost in thought that she
didn't hear her own name-at first.
"Pheobe? Pheebs? Helloooo?" Monica was waving her hand in front of Pheobe's face.
"Monica!" Pheobe finally said, hugging her old friend tightly.
"Are you okay?" Monica asked.
"Yeah, I was just thinking," Pheobe replied.
"About the past." It was more a statement than a question.
"Yeah."
"Do you think everyone will show up?" Monica asked.
"I dunno. I think you and I are the only ones who stayed in New York. But you came from upstate, right?"
"Uh, no. I am here in the City now."
"Really? Where's Richard?"
Monica sighed. Maybe it would do her some good to get it all off her chest. She didn't really have anyone
to talk to, so she'd kept her feelings bottled up for years.
"We're divorced."
"What?" Pheobe was taken aback.
"I, uh, I guess it started about a year after Richard and I got married," Monica started, as the two women took a
seat at a small corner table.
****
1998
"Sweetie, I was thinking," Monica Burke said, as she bounced into their new living room.
"Uh oh," Richard replied sarcastically.
"Ha-ha. Seriously, we have been married more than a year now, and I was thinking...well..."
"What is it Mon?"
"I was thinking that we should maybe start to think about having kids."
"Ah," Richard replied flatly.
"What does that mean?" Monica asked crossly.
"I think it's a great idea. But, can we maybe, uh, wait a few more months? I was kinda planning this trip for us..."
Monica laughed. "Sure, we can wait a few months. I just wanted to start thinking about it."
"Okay," Richard said, sighing.
1999
"I don't understand," Monica said, tears welling up in her crystal blue eyes, "We've tried *everything*, and I am still
not pregnant."
"Mrs. Burke," Dr. Morris said softly, "Maybe you need to stop trying so hard. It's probably the stress over trying to get
pregnant that is preventing you from getting pregnant."
"That makes sense," Monica said quietly.
"Get some rest, and maybe hold off for a month or two."
Monica nodded, and thanked her doctor. She could wait. It was only a few more months.
2007
"Well, the months turned to years, and I realized that I was the only one who was really trying," Monica explained.
"Wow," Pheobe replied.
"So, about um, three years ago, I decided that maybe Richard was the one with the problem, ya know? I mean, he is
kinda old," Monica laughed bitterly.
"Did you talk to him about it?"
"Yep. And he said that his doctor said that he was fine. So I decided to go talk to his doctor..."
2004
"Richard!" Monica was fuming. She was sure that she had never been this angry in her life.
"Hey honey," Richard greeted his wife, "Where have you been?"
"Please tell me that it is not true," Monica said, ignoring Richard's question.
"Tell you *what* is not true?"
"Tell me you did not get a vasectomy six years ago?"
"Mon," Richard started.
"You son-of-a-bitch!" Monica cried, "Were you just, never gonna tell me?"
"I wanted to Mon, but, I didn't want to hurt you, and..."
"So you let me believe that there was something wrong with me? How is that not hurting me?"
"Mon, I am sorry, I just..."
But Monica didn't want to hear excuses. She ran out the front door, and took off in her SUV,
before Richard could say another word.
2007
"Oh, Monica! That is horrible!" Pheobe was crying now too, and hugged her friend fiercely.
"It just went downhill from there. I wanted to at least try to make the marriage work, ya know?
I hated the idea of getting divorced. I saw what Ross went through when he divorced Carol, and I
just never saw myself as someone who would get divorced. But I found that I couldn't trust Richard
anymore, so I left.
2006
Richard walked through the front door, anxious to see what kind of mood Monica would be in. Her moods
were so erratic, that it made him dread coming home sometimes.
"Monica?" he called out cautiously.
When there was no answer, he headed to the den to make himself a Scotch. He turned when he
heard a small sniffle.
"Mon?"
Monica was sitting in the den, sipping a Scotch (on the rocks with a twist on a coaster) quietly.
Her luggage was sitting next to her.
Richard swallowed hard, and asked the question he had been dreading.
"Are you leaving me?"
Monica took another sip of her Scotch, and set it down on her coaster. She swallowed hard,
trying her best not to cry. But as soon as she tried to speak, a lump formed in her throat.
"Yes, I am."
Richard nodded, knowing that there was no use arguing. This had been coming for a long time now,
and he had no right to ask her to stay. He simply turned and walked up to his bedroom, and shut the
door quietly behind him.
Monica sighed, and picked up her bags. She made a vow to never give her heart the way she had with-him.
"Never again," she whispered aloud, and walked out the door.
2007
Pheobe and Monica sat in silence for several minutes. There was so much to say, yet so little to be said.
Their silence was broken when they heard a girl shriek.
"Must be Joey," Pheobe laughed.
And she was right. Joey walked in a few minutes later, and saw the women immediately. He flashed them his
best movie-star grin, and walked over to them quickly.
"Pheebs!" Joey said, pulling her into a bear hug.
"Hey Mr. Movie Star Man!" Pheobe said.
"Hey Mon!" Joey said, as he hugged her.
"Joey! You look great!"
"Thanks! I've been working out," he said in a husky, mocking tone.
"How's Hollywood?"
"Eh, it's no New York, but it pays my bills!" Joey said.
"When was the last time you were out here?"
"Uh, a couple of years ago. I was filming a movie."
"Oh! Was it 'Heartbreak Cop'?" Phiebe asked excitedly.
"Yeah!" Joey said happily.
"That was a great movie," Phoebe said dreamily.
Joey laughed. "So where's everyone else?"
"I dunno," Phoebe said, sounding concerned.
****
Ross and Emily approached Central Perk, and Emily had to laugh at the emormous grin on Ross' face.
She knew he was looking forward to this reunion, as he had been talking about it for weeks.
Ross walked up to the front door to open it, and accidently ran into a woman who was trying to do the same.
"Oh, I'm sorry," Ross said.
"Sorry!" The woman said at the same time.
"Rachel?"
Rachel looked up, trying desperatly to keep a neutral expression on her face.
"Ross."
****
Yes, it's short, but that's the idea. I will be doing each story individually, and eventually
the stories will come together. I hope. Let me know what you think!!
