Chapter 12
"Okay, Ross, what was that about? Why did you throw me the phone without mentioning who it was?"
"Rach, I did a stupid, stupid thing."
Ross slapped his forehead with the palm of his hand.
"What did you do?"
"Idiot that I am, I told Chandler that Monica would probably bring Eric to our engagement party."
"Nooooo!" Rachel said, shocked that Ross would say such a thing.
"Why...why...why did I say that?"
"Good question. Why would you mention anything about Eric to Chandler? Did Mon even tell you that? She hasn't said anything to me."
"No," Ross said, shaking his head. "But Chandler told me that he's probably going to be preoccupied with work stuff even though he's planning to attend. I know Monica is going to be disappointed if Chandler can't spend time with her. I'm looking out for my sister. I want her to be happy. At least if she brings Eric, someone will be paying attention to her."
"Are you going to advise her to bring Eric?"
Ross gave his intended a sheepish look. "Would that be so bad?"
After pondering Ross' words for a few moments, Rachel got a gleam in her eyes and snapped her fingers. "You know, Ross, maybe you just did Chandler and Monica a huge favor. But come on, honey, we have to pick up Ben. I'll work on my idea. Maybe we can discuss it with Joey and Phoebe later."
Ross had no clue what Rachel was thinking, but she definitely had him intrigued.
*~*
Rachel, Ross and six-year-old Ben spent the better part of the day at the zoo. At one point, when they were sitting at a picnic table eating lunch, Ben asked for Auntie Monica.
"She's at home," Ross explained. "Rachel and I wanted to have some time alone with you."
"Why?"
"Well, Ben, you know how Mommy and Susan and you are a family?"
The little boy nodded as he sipped his milk through a straw.
"Well, Rachel and I love each other very much, and we're going to get married on Christmas Eve. We want you to be there. We also want to spend as much time with you as we can."
"I want you to feel comfortable around me, Ben," Rachel added. "I want to help you and take care of you."
"Rachel is going to be my wife, so that means she will be your step-mom. We hope you'll start thinking of Rachel as part of your family. Do you understand what we're saying?"
Ben nodded. "You're my daddy," he said, pointing to Ross, "And you," he continued, pointing to Rachel, "are going to be another mommy to me."
Ross and Rachel smiled at Ben. "Yes, that's right. How do you feel about that, son?" Ross asked.
He shrugged. "I dunno. I like you, Rachel. But I'm still going to live with Mommy, right?"
"Yes," Ross assured his son. "We hope you'll want to visit us a lot, but we won't make you do anything you don't want to."
"I'll come," Ben said. "I like staying with you, Daddy."
"And me?" Rachel asked. "It'll be all right if I'm there?"
Ben nodded.
"Yay!" Rachel said, high-fiving Ben and Ross. "I can't wait until we're a family. I know we'll make an excellent one!"
*~*
Phoebe and Joey were talking and laughing when Rachel and Ross entered Central Perk that evening.
"Hey!" Phoebe said. "How was your day with Ben?"
The couple exchanged satisfied looks.
"I think it went pretty well," Ross said.
"I think so, too," Rachel added. "We had a few awkward moments, but Ben seemed okay with us getting married and with me becoming a bigger part of his life."
"Cool!" Joey said.
"Yeah," Phoebe agreed. "I'm glad it went well."
"Thanks. So," Rachel said, perching herself on the table in front of Joey and Phoebe, "have you seen Monica today?"
"No," Joey answered. "Why?"
"Well, I've thought of a plan, and I want to share it with you. Ross, honey, can you get some coffee?"
"Okay, but don't start without me."
Rachel kissed him. "Never."
"What's this all about?" Phoebe asked.
"Yeah," Joey said. "We cut our picnic short so we could meet you. What's goin' on?"
"Well," Rachel said, leaning in closer to her friends, "something happened this morning that I've decided we can use to our advantage."
"Rach," Ross complained, as he handed her a big yellow cup filled with coffee, "you said you wouldn't start without me."
"I didn't. I haven't told them about my plan."
"Well, tell us," Phoebe encouraged.
"Okay, here's what happened. Ross called Chandler this morning, and Ross just happened to mention..."
"You know," Phoebe said, interrupting Rachel, "I still haven't called him."
"Never mind about that," Joey said. "Let's hear what Ross did."
Ross shook his head at Joey, who nodded as if he knew somehow Ross had messed up. Big time.
"Anyway," Rachel said, anxious to get back to her story, "Ross mentioned to Chandler that Monica would probably bring Eric to our party."
"Why would you say that?" Joey asked, clearly not understanding how his friend could do such a thing.
"I had my reasons," Ross said, trying to stand his ground.
"They must've been really stupid ones," Phoebe retorted and nodded when Joey agreed.
"Hey, I'm trying to protect my sister," Ross said.
"Whatever," Rachel said, waving her hands in the air. "Guys, would you listen to me?"
"Go ahead," Joey said, crossing his arms against his chest and scooting closer to the edge of the sofa.
"At first, like you guys, I couldn't believe what Ross had done. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that we should encourage Monica, as much as we can, to bring Eric to the party."
"Why?" Phoebe asked.
"Because I believe it will accomplish one of two things: either Chandler will realize Monica is not going to wait around for him while he sorts through whatever it is he's going through or once Monica is in the same room with Chandler and Eric, maybe she will realize she has genuine feelings for Eric and that will make it easier for her to live with whatever decision Chandler comes to about his issues."
"Is any of this up to us to decide?" Ross questioned.
"We're not deciding anything," Rachel explained. "Chandler and Monica are. But I look at this plan as them getting some much-needed help from us. That's all."
"It kinda feels like Monica would be using Eric in that situation," Phoebe said. "I mean, if she even listens to us and asks him to be her date."
"But who knows?" Rachel reasoned. "Eric could come out the winner in all of this. Sooner or later, Monica has to decide how she feels about him, too. We're just helping to push things along."
The three friends looked at each other and then at Rachel.
"So?" she asked expectantly. "What do you think?"
"Somehow, it feels wrong," Joey said. "And yet, all we're really doing is suggesting Monica bring a date. The decision is ultimately up to her."
"Exactly," Rachel said. "It's not like we're telling her to marry the guy."
"Okay," Phoebe said. "I'll talk up Eric to Monica. I like him, even though I don't think he's as funny as Chandler. But that's not everything, right? He seems to like Monica a lot and he seems to treat her really well. Maybe this will help her to realize she has feelings for him, too."
"And if she does," Ross said, suddenly realizing the impact that would have, "where does that leave Chandler?"
"Okay, Ross, what was that about? Why did you throw me the phone without mentioning who it was?"
"Rach, I did a stupid, stupid thing."
Ross slapped his forehead with the palm of his hand.
"What did you do?"
"Idiot that I am, I told Chandler that Monica would probably bring Eric to our engagement party."
"Nooooo!" Rachel said, shocked that Ross would say such a thing.
"Why...why...why did I say that?"
"Good question. Why would you mention anything about Eric to Chandler? Did Mon even tell you that? She hasn't said anything to me."
"No," Ross said, shaking his head. "But Chandler told me that he's probably going to be preoccupied with work stuff even though he's planning to attend. I know Monica is going to be disappointed if Chandler can't spend time with her. I'm looking out for my sister. I want her to be happy. At least if she brings Eric, someone will be paying attention to her."
"Are you going to advise her to bring Eric?"
Ross gave his intended a sheepish look. "Would that be so bad?"
After pondering Ross' words for a few moments, Rachel got a gleam in her eyes and snapped her fingers. "You know, Ross, maybe you just did Chandler and Monica a huge favor. But come on, honey, we have to pick up Ben. I'll work on my idea. Maybe we can discuss it with Joey and Phoebe later."
Ross had no clue what Rachel was thinking, but she definitely had him intrigued.
*~*
Rachel, Ross and six-year-old Ben spent the better part of the day at the zoo. At one point, when they were sitting at a picnic table eating lunch, Ben asked for Auntie Monica.
"She's at home," Ross explained. "Rachel and I wanted to have some time alone with you."
"Why?"
"Well, Ben, you know how Mommy and Susan and you are a family?"
The little boy nodded as he sipped his milk through a straw.
"Well, Rachel and I love each other very much, and we're going to get married on Christmas Eve. We want you to be there. We also want to spend as much time with you as we can."
"I want you to feel comfortable around me, Ben," Rachel added. "I want to help you and take care of you."
"Rachel is going to be my wife, so that means she will be your step-mom. We hope you'll start thinking of Rachel as part of your family. Do you understand what we're saying?"
Ben nodded. "You're my daddy," he said, pointing to Ross, "And you," he continued, pointing to Rachel, "are going to be another mommy to me."
Ross and Rachel smiled at Ben. "Yes, that's right. How do you feel about that, son?" Ross asked.
He shrugged. "I dunno. I like you, Rachel. But I'm still going to live with Mommy, right?"
"Yes," Ross assured his son. "We hope you'll want to visit us a lot, but we won't make you do anything you don't want to."
"I'll come," Ben said. "I like staying with you, Daddy."
"And me?" Rachel asked. "It'll be all right if I'm there?"
Ben nodded.
"Yay!" Rachel said, high-fiving Ben and Ross. "I can't wait until we're a family. I know we'll make an excellent one!"
*~*
Phoebe and Joey were talking and laughing when Rachel and Ross entered Central Perk that evening.
"Hey!" Phoebe said. "How was your day with Ben?"
The couple exchanged satisfied looks.
"I think it went pretty well," Ross said.
"I think so, too," Rachel added. "We had a few awkward moments, but Ben seemed okay with us getting married and with me becoming a bigger part of his life."
"Cool!" Joey said.
"Yeah," Phoebe agreed. "I'm glad it went well."
"Thanks. So," Rachel said, perching herself on the table in front of Joey and Phoebe, "have you seen Monica today?"
"No," Joey answered. "Why?"
"Well, I've thought of a plan, and I want to share it with you. Ross, honey, can you get some coffee?"
"Okay, but don't start without me."
Rachel kissed him. "Never."
"What's this all about?" Phoebe asked.
"Yeah," Joey said. "We cut our picnic short so we could meet you. What's goin' on?"
"Well," Rachel said, leaning in closer to her friends, "something happened this morning that I've decided we can use to our advantage."
"Rach," Ross complained, as he handed her a big yellow cup filled with coffee, "you said you wouldn't start without me."
"I didn't. I haven't told them about my plan."
"Well, tell us," Phoebe encouraged.
"Okay, here's what happened. Ross called Chandler this morning, and Ross just happened to mention..."
"You know," Phoebe said, interrupting Rachel, "I still haven't called him."
"Never mind about that," Joey said. "Let's hear what Ross did."
Ross shook his head at Joey, who nodded as if he knew somehow Ross had messed up. Big time.
"Anyway," Rachel said, anxious to get back to her story, "Ross mentioned to Chandler that Monica would probably bring Eric to our party."
"Why would you say that?" Joey asked, clearly not understanding how his friend could do such a thing.
"I had my reasons," Ross said, trying to stand his ground.
"They must've been really stupid ones," Phoebe retorted and nodded when Joey agreed.
"Hey, I'm trying to protect my sister," Ross said.
"Whatever," Rachel said, waving her hands in the air. "Guys, would you listen to me?"
"Go ahead," Joey said, crossing his arms against his chest and scooting closer to the edge of the sofa.
"At first, like you guys, I couldn't believe what Ross had done. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that we should encourage Monica, as much as we can, to bring Eric to the party."
"Why?" Phoebe asked.
"Because I believe it will accomplish one of two things: either Chandler will realize Monica is not going to wait around for him while he sorts through whatever it is he's going through or once Monica is in the same room with Chandler and Eric, maybe she will realize she has genuine feelings for Eric and that will make it easier for her to live with whatever decision Chandler comes to about his issues."
"Is any of this up to us to decide?" Ross questioned.
"We're not deciding anything," Rachel explained. "Chandler and Monica are. But I look at this plan as them getting some much-needed help from us. That's all."
"It kinda feels like Monica would be using Eric in that situation," Phoebe said. "I mean, if she even listens to us and asks him to be her date."
"But who knows?" Rachel reasoned. "Eric could come out the winner in all of this. Sooner or later, Monica has to decide how she feels about him, too. We're just helping to push things along."
The three friends looked at each other and then at Rachel.
"So?" she asked expectantly. "What do you think?"
"Somehow, it feels wrong," Joey said. "And yet, all we're really doing is suggesting Monica bring a date. The decision is ultimately up to her."
"Exactly," Rachel said. "It's not like we're telling her to marry the guy."
"Okay," Phoebe said. "I'll talk up Eric to Monica. I like him, even though I don't think he's as funny as Chandler. But that's not everything, right? He seems to like Monica a lot and he seems to treat her really well. Maybe this will help her to realize she has feelings for him, too."
"And if she does," Ross said, suddenly realizing the impact that would have, "where does that leave Chandler?"