The One With Rachel's Reaction
Chapter Three
Continued from: The One With Joey's Reaction
By: Jana~
This chapter contains spoilers for season eight (in general) and MAJOR spoilers for episode #816 in particular. Do NOT read if you do not wish to be 'spoiled'.
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-- Monica sprinted across the street to Ross and Rachel's apartment, Rachel having sounded very distraught on the phone…
With only an obligatory knock on the door, Monica let herself in…
Rachel was on the couch, a blanket on her lap, a corner of it fisted in her hand as she held it to her cheek, her tears wetting it…
"Rachel!" Monica ran to her… "What's wrong?" she knelt next to the couch… "Is it the baby?"
"No…" Rachel shook her head… "It's Joey…"
"What about him?" She asked, confused…
"He said--" she took a deep breath to steady her shaky voice… "He said he's in love with me."
Monica nodded knowingly…
"You knew?!"
"Yeah, hunny, I did. He's felt this way for a while…"
"Why didn't you tell me?!"
"It wasn't my place to…" Monica replied… "It was something he needed to do… if he decided to. He obviously decided to…"
"IF he decided to?"
"Well, he was really conflicted, because of how Ross might take it… and cause he was worried about losing you as a friend…"
Rachel gasped… "I'm gonna lose him as a friend now, aren't I?"
"No, sweetie, you won't…" Monica assured her… "Tell me what happened…"
Rachel told her everything that happened, and unbeknownst to her and Monica, Ross was at the slightly-ajar door listening in…
"He left you at the restaurant crying?" Monica asked incredulously…
That was all Ross needed to hear. He stepped away from the door and headed over to Joey's.
"I wasn't crying when he left." Rachel answered Monica's question… "I started crying after he left…" She sniffled and wiped her nose on the kleenex Monica offered her… "And I haven't been able to stop since!"
"Oh, sweetie…" Monica soothed, hugging her… "I'm sorry you're so upset…"
"I don't know why I am…" Rachel admitted…
"Well, how do you feel about him?"
She shrugged… "I don't know. I know I care about him! I know I don't want to lose him as a friend!"
"You won't. But, I think you need to decide if it's something you want to pursue…"
Rachel nodded as Monica sat beside her on the couch and put her arm around her…
*****
--Ross approached Joey's door and knocked angrily. After overhearing what Rachel had said, he was ready to 'rip Joey a new one' for making her cry, and for not staying to console her after making her cry.
Joey answered the door, oblivious to everything but his own breaking heart… "Oh. Hey Ross."
"Don't you 'hey Ross' me!" Ross snapped, pushing his way into the apartment… "How dare you!"
Joey was beyond confused… "What?"
"I'm talking about Rachel!"
"What about her?"
"You just left her at the restaurant?! She doesn't return your affections, so you just-- just leave her there?!"
"Ross, I--"
"No! Joey! I don't want to hear your excuses! I thought maybe you'd grown up a little… but I guess I was wrong!" Ross turned abruptly and marched out the door, slamming it behind him…
Joey stared at the door for a moment, then plopped down on his chair and put his face in his hands… *Good going…* he criticized himself… *Now you've lost two of your best friends.*
*****
--"I just don't know Monica…" Rachel lamented… "Joey and I have been friends for so long. It'll seem, weird, won't it?"
Monica shook her head… "Not necessarily. You knew Ross for a long time… did it feel weird with him?"
"A little. At first…" Rachel replied… "What about you and Chandler? Was it weird at first for you guys?"
"Not really…" Monica answered with a smile… "Surprisingly…"
"What happened?" Rachel asked… "With you guys… in London…"
"Didn't I tell you this story?"
Rachel shook her head… "No… I don't think so…"
"Oh, no, ya'know what? It was Joey and Phoebe we told. You weren't there…"
"So, tell me now?"
Monica smiled and nodded… "Well, at the rehearsal dinner, one of Emily's relatives mistook me for Ross' mother. And of course, that really upset me. And, well, I drank a lot…" she recalled… "And Chandler was right there with me the whole time, being all sweet and supportive. Well, he went to his room and I went to mine, but later, after several more drinks, I went to his hotel room…"
"Why?"
"Truth be told, I was looking for Joey." She smiled sheepishly… "I wasn't looking for the love of my life, I was just looking for sex. I figured Joey would be my best bet…"
Rachel nodded her understanding…
"But, Joey wasn't there. And Chandler and I got to talking… and he was being so sweet, and complimenting me on how beautiful I was… I don't know what made me do it exactly, but… I kissed him." She grinned at the memory… "And he kissed back at first, but then he pulled away and asked me if I was drunk… cause he didn't want to take advantage of me. I told him I wasn't, but I kinda was…"
"Was it weird kissing him? At that moment when you crossed the line?"
"No, actually. It felt… really good."
Rachel grinned… "Was he, like, 'gotta have you now'? Or was he sweet? Or--"
"It started out kinda passionate and stuff, but, it slowly changed into… something else…"
"Yeah?" Rachel asked, starting to get into the story…
"Yeah. And I could tell, I just knew… it was going to more than just sex. And it was."
"Wow. That is such a neat story…"
"And, maybe you can have that with Joey!"
Rachel's smile dropped… "Oh, I don't know…"
"You need to find out." Monica insisted… "First of all, does he seem like someone you can maybe fall for? At all?"
She shrugged… "I guess. I never really thought of him like that…" she hesitated… "Except…"
"Except?" Monica prompted…
"Well, remember when we were talking about how I was all 'randy' a while back?"
"Yeah?" Monica's smile grew wider…
"There was a brief moment, when I thought… maybe…" she sighed… "We were leaning in really close, and I was talking about how I wanted just sex… with someone I know and care about… no strings. And, there was this moment between us…"
"Oh, Rach, hunny, you gotta see if this can be anything."
"How? How do I do that?"
"You two need to kiss!" Monica informed… "One kiss, and then, see how you feel. It's like that Linda Ronstadt song… 'If you wanna know if he loves you so, it's in his kiss'…"
"Oh man, I just-- what if he feels something and I don't? What if it makes him fall harder for me and I just… I feel nothing?"
"Ask him if it's worth it to him. To find out…"
Rachel sighed… "I think I need to think about it…"
"Yeah…" Monica nodded… "I can understand that. It's definitely not a decision to be made lightly."
*****
--"Hey, Joe, Monica needs to borrow some--" Chandler's words dropped when he saw the expression on his friend's face… "What's wrong?"
Joey looked up when Chandler had entered his apartment, quickly wiping at the tears in his eyes, not wanting to appear weak… "Nothing."
"I know better than that Joe. Talk to me."
"I told Rachel…" he said softly, and Chandler nodded in response… "You knew?"
"Monica told me…" Chandler admitted…
"She knows?"
"Rachel told her."
"Does she hate me too?"
"What?" Chandler asked, confused…
"Ross was here last night… he's pissed at me."
"Why?"
"Cause I left Rachel alone at the restaurant… was all he said…" Joey replied…
Monica entered Joey's apartment on a mission… "I need that cup of sugar guys--" She instantly stopped talking when she saw the anguish on Joey's face… "Sweetie, what's wrong?"
Joey shrugged… "I told Rachel, but, she doesn't feel the same. And now she and Ross hate me…"
"What?"
"Ross came by last night… he was really pissed…"
Monica sighed… "Ok, let's start at the beginning…"
*****
--Ross answered the door, somewhat surprised to see Monica standing there…
"Hey Ross…" she greeted him… "Can I come in? I need to talk to you…"
He shrugged, then opened the door further to allow her entry… "Sure."
"I heard you paid Joey a visit last night."
"Yeah. I did."
"He thinks you hate him."
"Well, I'm not real happy with him, that's for sure!"
"Why? What did he do that has you all upset? Is it cause he told Rachel about his feelings?"
"No…" he shook his head… "I'm upset with him cause he left her all alone and crying at the restaurant!"
Monica eyed her brother… "Did Rachel talk to you?"
He looked away… "No…"
"Then, may I ask, where are you getting your information?"
Ross kicked guiltily at the floor, scuffing his feet… "I kinda overheard you and her talking here last night…"
"You eavesdropped?!"
"I didn't mean to! I was just… coming home… and I heard you guys talking--"
"And did you happen to hear Rachel say that she started crying AFTER he left?"
He froze… "What?"
"He didn't leave a crying pregnant woman alone in a restaurant… she didn't start crying till AFTER he'd left. And did you stop to think about how he was feeling? He'd just been rejected… he thought! He was hurting, and he didn't want her to see him cry, so, he left."
Ross sat heavily in his chair by the couch… "I guess I hadn't thought of it that way…"
She knelt beside his chair… "He thinks he's lost both you and Rachel as friends. He's talking about moving to Vermont."
"Why?"
"Cause he wants to leave the country…" she smiled when he rolled his eyes…
"Ok, ok…" Ross looked to the ground… "I'll talk to him…"
"Look, I know this must be hard on you…" Monica placed her hand on his in support… "But I don't want you to lose Joey's friendship over this."
He nodded… "I don't either."
She gave him a hug, then stood to leave… "Just don't wait too long to talk to him… he was asking me how to exchange US money for Vermont money…" She chuckled as she walked out the door…
*****
--Joey opened the door and actually flinched when he saw Ross on the other side…
"Hey." Ross greeted him awkwardly…
"Hey…" Joey immediately looked to the ground… "Ya'know, if you came here to hit me… go ahead. I deserve it."
"I didn't come here to hit you…"
"Kick me?"
Ross shook his head… "No."
"Bite me?" he asked worriedly…
"No, no… I just-- I just wanted to come over to say that… well, I misspoke yesterday, and I don't hate you. And… I wanted to tell you… Vermont is a state, in this country."
Joey smiled sheepishly… "You talked to Chandler and Monica?"
"Just Monica."
"Ah."
"So, I'm gonna go now…" Ross started to walk away, but Joey called out to him…
"Hey! You wanna come in for a beer or something?"
Ross turned and shook his head… "No. I gotta go. Take a rain check?"
Joey nodded… "Sure. Any time."
Ross approached him and gave him a quick 'guy-hug', then walked away…
Joey smiled as he closed the door, relieved. Ross was still his friend.
*But, now, what about Rachel?*
TO BE CONTINUED…