Running back to you©
By XOXOElizabethXOXO
Rachel walked into Phoebe and Joey's. It was around eight o'clock, and they were all watching a movie. Rachel walked straight into her room. Phoebe and Joey just shrugged it off, until Rachel walked out to the living room with her bags.
"Where are you going?" Joey asked quickly. Rachel shrugged.
"I don't know. And you know what? I feel pretty damn good about that." She said as she went into the bathroom and got her toiletries.
"Nuh-uh, you're running away again." Phoebe said brightly. "And I won't let you."
"Pheebs, it was stupid for me to come back. There was NO POINT. I am going back tonight. I can't, I just can't be here." She said helplessly.
"I'm not letting you run away from Ross again. That's just not how it works. You are just going to piss everyone off again." Joey said walking in front of the door. Rachel let out an annoyed sigh.
"Why are you guys doing this to me? I was an idiot to come back! I just let history repeat itself again! I am sick of it!"
"No! Rachel, stop running!"
"Why should I stay?" Rachel asked dropping her bags. Phoebe put her hands on Rachel's shoulders. Rachel looked over at the couch at Sandi, who was looking at her with a great sadness in her eyes.
"Aunt Rachel? Are you leaving?" Rachel looked down at her feet.
"Because you made a promise to a little girl and a little boy that you wouldn't leave them. And what kind of aunt would you be if you did?" Phoebe whispered. Rachel looked down and nodded. She smiled a little.
"That's no fair. You used the child on me." She said quietly.
"Go put your bags back into your room, and go talk to Ross. He called a moment ago, he told us about Mona. Isn't this what you want?" Joey asked. Rachel nodded.
"We'll see you later then." Phoebe smiled. "Go."
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Rachel walked silently down the street. She felt an instant reminder of the night she came here. The night was much like this, slightly cold and still. She looked at the tall buildings with a glowing window here and there. They must have been lighten by the workaholics that stayed up until all hours of the night, working on that project that was due the next day. She focused back down at her feet, tapping on the sidewalk. She wasn't sure if Ross was going to talk to her, especially how she treated him. She never should have confronted him about being engaged to Mona, that wasn't her place to explore. But how could he have not told her? In fact, why hadn't anyone told her? Rachel walked into the apartment building and down the hall until she stood in front of Ross' door. She took in a breath, and knocked on the old oak door. There was no response. She jiggled the handle, and found the door left unlocked.
Rachel peeked her head into the dark apartment. It seemed no one was home. She ventured on. She couldn't help touching things as she went by. A sculpture, a picture, little things that she remembered from so long ago. She looked above his mantle and found a picture of Ben when he was still very little, sitting on her lap. She wondered why he hadn't cropped it to make is a picture of only Ben, but didn't ask questions. She entered his room to see if he was asleep. She only found a well-made, empty bed. The closet door was wide open, so she could see his shoes stacked close by one by one. She saw his clothes on the hangers neatly resting in order. He wasn't there.
An open shoebox on his bed caught her eyes. It was a Bloomingdale's one, and she knew he never got shoes there. Without thinking twice, Rachel walked over and pulled the shoebox carefully to her. Caressing it slowly, she looked inside.
At first there was a smell. It was a familiar one, her perfume. She used to wear it when she and Ross were dating. Ross loved that perfume. It was GAP: Dream. She opened it all the way. It was filled with old letters and little things. She dug down deep and found an old, dried up rose, with a little tag on it. "Our one year anniversary." It simply said. She bit her lip. Looking further, she picked up one of the many envelopes. It was a letter she had written to him, two months before they had split. She pulled out a little tiny bear holding a heart that she had stolen from work and given it to him because it made her think of him. The memories came flooding back to her. She closed her eyes and set everything back in. Then she saw it, it in far left corner. A piece of paper and a rubber band wrapped the square object. Curiosity got the best of her and she pulled it out.
First Rachel pulled off the rubber band and unwound the paper. It was just a piece of scratch paper, but it had a little speech on it. She read it.
"We've only been together for a year now, but I haven't ever felt this close to you. So many things are happening, and we are facing so many different obstacles, but I am even more in love with you than I was a year ago. I know I have some bad traits, and I know I am not perfect. But you make me feel like I am perfect because that is almost how you see me. I love you so much, sweetie, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you, even if it's not in Scarsdale. So I ask you, tonight, Feb 4, 1997, our one-year anniversary: Rachel, Will you marry me?"
Rachel wiped tears from her cheek. She never had a clue that he was going to purpose. She looked down at the black box and sighed. She opened the object that the paper had been surrounding. As she had figured, a simple ring sat inside. One that hadn't ever been out of the box. Little had she known it had been out all the time when Ross looked at it. The ring had never been used. She sniffed and looked up helplessly. Closing the box and placing everything back into the box, she got off the bed and left the apartment.
Where was she going to go? What was she going to do? Who was she going to tell first? Questions bounced off of the walls in Rachel's head as pulled her coat to herself tighter. She didn't know where she was exactly, but everything looked very familiar so she didn't worry. She stopped dead in her tracks, staring at the building at the end of the street. The Museum of Natural History. She felt a sudden urge to see the stars.
At first she was afraid that it wasn't going to be open, but it was only 9:00, and the museum closed at 9:30, giving her enough time to see what she desperately felt she needed to see. She walked down the big rooms filled with art and sculptures, and passed the ice age and cave man models. She finally stood in front of a set of double doors, with a sign above: The Planetarium. She scooped out a bag of popcorn and two juice boxes from the popcorn machine before she entered.
The room was dark of course. She looked up and gazed at the stars. She didn't think that they would be on, but she was glad that they were. She looked towards the stage, the place where she and Ross had first well, you know. She walked down the aisles of seats to find a good place to sit, just until she had remembered enough. She sat in the back row. The room was empty. Or so she thought. Looking around she saw a man sitting in the row above her. He was tall, and had black hair, from what she could see. She stood up and walked to a point where she could see his face. It was, (as you may know) Ross. She felt her heart skip a beat. Before she knew it, she was walking towards him. He didn't even notice her. She sat down next to him and looked at him. Still, he did not acknowledge the fact that she was there. She took her popcorn and pointed it towards him.
"Popcorn?" She asked politely. He looked over at her and smiled a little.
"No thanks." He said as he pulled a bag up. "I have my own." He leaned back and looked up at the stars. Rachel smiled sweetly as little details of that night popped into her head.
"So, uh. Do you want cran-apple or grape?" She asked him.
"Grape." She handed him a juice box. He smiled. "I've been waiting for you to get here for an hour now." He said emphatically.
"I didn't know that. Sorry if I kept you waiting." She said sadly. Ross looked into her eyes and smiled. He was silent for a moment.
"Like a girlfriend of mine once said, 'you were worth the wait... and I don't just mean tonight." He smiled and looked back up at the stars.
"I'm sorry if I ruined another one of your relationships. I didn't sabotage this one though." She insisted. Ross sighed.
"I know. Mona was great, and I'm going to miss her. But that wasn't where I wanted to be." He looked at her.
"Uh-huh. And, uh where, where is it that you want to be?" She asked blankly.
"Scarsdale." He said simply.
"Scarsdale?"
"Yup. I want to be in Scarsdale. Looking at the real stars. Putting two children to bed. I want to walk outside and sit on the back porch. That's where I want to be. With my wife."
"And-and, who are you on that back porch with?"
"Preferably my wife. But that's not going to happen. Not for a long long time though."
"Oh." She said dejectedly. "Wow, this place brings back some memories, eh?" She asked changing the subject. He looked directly at the stage.
"Ohhh yea. It sure does." A little, perhaps embarrassed smile crossed his face as he remembered. "We had some good times though, right?"
"Oh! Yea. Some fun times, some romantic times. Some, uh, hard times. But we always overcame it."
"Yep. That's true."
"Do you think we can overcome this?" She said after a while. Ross looked into her soft blue eyes. He had to pry himself away because the stare she had was hypnotizing.
"I think it's possible." He finally said. "I mean. We like each other enough to move on."
"But, I don't like you."
"Oh? That's a self esteem booster." He joked. She was about to open her mouth, but he stopped her. "Don't, don't say anything you will regret. I am not going to get involved with someone I'm just not compatible with."
"Compatible? Hell Ross, we were in love." She joked. He looked at her.
"Were?"
"Well, I don't want to get into something I will be hurt in. And I don't want to hurt you either. Well, I mean, I dunno, we can get over this. We love each other. Even if it's just as friends. But, Ross, I find myself in a situation where being friends hurts the most." Rachel said softly, moving her head slowly close to his. She was about to kiss him, when she heard the creaking of the planetarium door open. A tall security guard came in.
"Dr. Geller? You can stay but ma'am, we're closing up now."
"I'll uh, I'll see you later I guess." He said looking back at the stars. Sad, and a bit hurt, Rachel left the room.
XOXOElizabethXOXO
Last Chapter, coming up! (
Rachel walked into Phoebe and Joey's. It was around eight o'clock, and they were all watching a movie. Rachel walked straight into her room. Phoebe and Joey just shrugged it off, until Rachel walked out to the living room with her bags.
"Where are you going?" Joey asked quickly. Rachel shrugged.
"I don't know. And you know what? I feel pretty damn good about that." She said as she went into the bathroom and got her toiletries.
"Nuh-uh, you're running away again." Phoebe said brightly. "And I won't let you."
"Pheebs, it was stupid for me to come back. There was NO POINT. I am going back tonight. I can't, I just can't be here." She said helplessly.
"I'm not letting you run away from Ross again. That's just not how it works. You are just going to piss everyone off again." Joey said walking in front of the door. Rachel let out an annoyed sigh.
"Why are you guys doing this to me? I was an idiot to come back! I just let history repeat itself again! I am sick of it!"
"No! Rachel, stop running!"
"Why should I stay?" Rachel asked dropping her bags. Phoebe put her hands on Rachel's shoulders. Rachel looked over at the couch at Sandi, who was looking at her with a great sadness in her eyes.
"Aunt Rachel? Are you leaving?" Rachel looked down at her feet.
"Because you made a promise to a little girl and a little boy that you wouldn't leave them. And what kind of aunt would you be if you did?" Phoebe whispered. Rachel looked down and nodded. She smiled a little.
"That's no fair. You used the child on me." She said quietly.
"Go put your bags back into your room, and go talk to Ross. He called a moment ago, he told us about Mona. Isn't this what you want?" Joey asked. Rachel nodded.
"We'll see you later then." Phoebe smiled. "Go."
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Rachel walked silently down the street. She felt an instant reminder of the night she came here. The night was much like this, slightly cold and still. She looked at the tall buildings with a glowing window here and there. They must have been lighten by the workaholics that stayed up until all hours of the night, working on that project that was due the next day. She focused back down at her feet, tapping on the sidewalk. She wasn't sure if Ross was going to talk to her, especially how she treated him. She never should have confronted him about being engaged to Mona, that wasn't her place to explore. But how could he have not told her? In fact, why hadn't anyone told her? Rachel walked into the apartment building and down the hall until she stood in front of Ross' door. She took in a breath, and knocked on the old oak door. There was no response. She jiggled the handle, and found the door left unlocked.
Rachel peeked her head into the dark apartment. It seemed no one was home. She ventured on. She couldn't help touching things as she went by. A sculpture, a picture, little things that she remembered from so long ago. She looked above his mantle and found a picture of Ben when he was still very little, sitting on her lap. She wondered why he hadn't cropped it to make is a picture of only Ben, but didn't ask questions. She entered his room to see if he was asleep. She only found a well-made, empty bed. The closet door was wide open, so she could see his shoes stacked close by one by one. She saw his clothes on the hangers neatly resting in order. He wasn't there.
An open shoebox on his bed caught her eyes. It was a Bloomingdale's one, and she knew he never got shoes there. Without thinking twice, Rachel walked over and pulled the shoebox carefully to her. Caressing it slowly, she looked inside.
At first there was a smell. It was a familiar one, her perfume. She used to wear it when she and Ross were dating. Ross loved that perfume. It was GAP: Dream. She opened it all the way. It was filled with old letters and little things. She dug down deep and found an old, dried up rose, with a little tag on it. "Our one year anniversary." It simply said. She bit her lip. Looking further, she picked up one of the many envelopes. It was a letter she had written to him, two months before they had split. She pulled out a little tiny bear holding a heart that she had stolen from work and given it to him because it made her think of him. The memories came flooding back to her. She closed her eyes and set everything back in. Then she saw it, it in far left corner. A piece of paper and a rubber band wrapped the square object. Curiosity got the best of her and she pulled it out.
First Rachel pulled off the rubber band and unwound the paper. It was just a piece of scratch paper, but it had a little speech on it. She read it.
"We've only been together for a year now, but I haven't ever felt this close to you. So many things are happening, and we are facing so many different obstacles, but I am even more in love with you than I was a year ago. I know I have some bad traits, and I know I am not perfect. But you make me feel like I am perfect because that is almost how you see me. I love you so much, sweetie, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you, even if it's not in Scarsdale. So I ask you, tonight, Feb 4, 1997, our one-year anniversary: Rachel, Will you marry me?"
Rachel wiped tears from her cheek. She never had a clue that he was going to purpose. She looked down at the black box and sighed. She opened the object that the paper had been surrounding. As she had figured, a simple ring sat inside. One that hadn't ever been out of the box. Little had she known it had been out all the time when Ross looked at it. The ring had never been used. She sniffed and looked up helplessly. Closing the box and placing everything back into the box, she got off the bed and left the apartment.
Where was she going to go? What was she going to do? Who was she going to tell first? Questions bounced off of the walls in Rachel's head as pulled her coat to herself tighter. She didn't know where she was exactly, but everything looked very familiar so she didn't worry. She stopped dead in her tracks, staring at the building at the end of the street. The Museum of Natural History. She felt a sudden urge to see the stars.
At first she was afraid that it wasn't going to be open, but it was only 9:00, and the museum closed at 9:30, giving her enough time to see what she desperately felt she needed to see. She walked down the big rooms filled with art and sculptures, and passed the ice age and cave man models. She finally stood in front of a set of double doors, with a sign above: The Planetarium. She scooped out a bag of popcorn and two juice boxes from the popcorn machine before she entered.
The room was dark of course. She looked up and gazed at the stars. She didn't think that they would be on, but she was glad that they were. She looked towards the stage, the place where she and Ross had first well, you know. She walked down the aisles of seats to find a good place to sit, just until she had remembered enough. She sat in the back row. The room was empty. Or so she thought. Looking around she saw a man sitting in the row above her. He was tall, and had black hair, from what she could see. She stood up and walked to a point where she could see his face. It was, (as you may know) Ross. She felt her heart skip a beat. Before she knew it, she was walking towards him. He didn't even notice her. She sat down next to him and looked at him. Still, he did not acknowledge the fact that she was there. She took her popcorn and pointed it towards him.
"Popcorn?" She asked politely. He looked over at her and smiled a little.
"No thanks." He said as he pulled a bag up. "I have my own." He leaned back and looked up at the stars. Rachel smiled sweetly as little details of that night popped into her head.
"So, uh. Do you want cran-apple or grape?" She asked him.
"Grape." She handed him a juice box. He smiled. "I've been waiting for you to get here for an hour now." He said emphatically.
"I didn't know that. Sorry if I kept you waiting." She said sadly. Ross looked into her eyes and smiled. He was silent for a moment.
"Like a girlfriend of mine once said, 'you were worth the wait... and I don't just mean tonight." He smiled and looked back up at the stars.
"I'm sorry if I ruined another one of your relationships. I didn't sabotage this one though." She insisted. Ross sighed.
"I know. Mona was great, and I'm going to miss her. But that wasn't where I wanted to be." He looked at her.
"Uh-huh. And, uh where, where is it that you want to be?" She asked blankly.
"Scarsdale." He said simply.
"Scarsdale?"
"Yup. I want to be in Scarsdale. Looking at the real stars. Putting two children to bed. I want to walk outside and sit on the back porch. That's where I want to be. With my wife."
"And-and, who are you on that back porch with?"
"Preferably my wife. But that's not going to happen. Not for a long long time though."
"Oh." She said dejectedly. "Wow, this place brings back some memories, eh?" She asked changing the subject. He looked directly at the stage.
"Ohhh yea. It sure does." A little, perhaps embarrassed smile crossed his face as he remembered. "We had some good times though, right?"
"Oh! Yea. Some fun times, some romantic times. Some, uh, hard times. But we always overcame it."
"Yep. That's true."
"Do you think we can overcome this?" She said after a while. Ross looked into her soft blue eyes. He had to pry himself away because the stare she had was hypnotizing.
"I think it's possible." He finally said. "I mean. We like each other enough to move on."
"But, I don't like you."
"Oh? That's a self esteem booster." He joked. She was about to open her mouth, but he stopped her. "Don't, don't say anything you will regret. I am not going to get involved with someone I'm just not compatible with."
"Compatible? Hell Ross, we were in love." She joked. He looked at her.
"Were?"
"Well, I don't want to get into something I will be hurt in. And I don't want to hurt you either. Well, I mean, I dunno, we can get over this. We love each other. Even if it's just as friends. But, Ross, I find myself in a situation where being friends hurts the most." Rachel said softly, moving her head slowly close to his. She was about to kiss him, when she heard the creaking of the planetarium door open. A tall security guard came in.
"Dr. Geller? You can stay but ma'am, we're closing up now."
"I'll uh, I'll see you later I guess." He said looking back at the stars. Sad, and a bit hurt, Rachel left the room.
XOXOElizabethXOXO
Last Chapter, coming up! (