A/N: Thank you for the great reviews! They really make my day! I have most of this story written, so I'm trying to get it up quickly. I'm sorry about the cliffhanger at the end of the last chapter, but this chapter will clear everything up! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I still do not own the Friends. They are the creations of Marta Kauffman and David Crane, the most brilliant writers in the history of everything!

CHAPTER 3 -

Phoebe Buffay

For the first time in a long time, Phoebe woke up smiling. She didn't open her eyes, but she could hear Monica walking around the room, probably cleaning. It was just like the old days, when they were roommates.

These were the people who cared. As sappy as that sounded, Phoebe knew that these people were the only people who she'd ever really trusted, who'd ever really cared about her. She was so delighted to be with them again. She'd tried to keep up contact - calling Joey every once in a while, meeting Monica for lunch that time she flew out to Germany, but after a while, everyone was too busy with their own lives to talk to her.

Phoebe had been crushed. But now, now she was back with her old friends, and she knew they still loved her. Phoebe had to admit she too had changed. She could tell that they didn't see it, except physically - her hair was shorter and she wore mostly dark, tight fitting clothes - but there was more. Her new job, an accountant at a high-paying office job, was nice, but she didn't really belong there.

Phoebe had had to change herself in order to work there. The clothes, the hair - she'd started smoking and going out with her "work friends" on weekends, it was all the new fake-Phoebe persona.

Once Monica had left the bedroom they were sharing for the weekend, Phoebe got out of bed and got dressed. She went downstairs and found just Monica and Ross sitting at the breakfast bar, sipping coffee.

"If it isn't the Geller early birds," she teased. They smiled.

"Morning, Pheebs," Ross said. "How did you sleep?"

"Great! You know, having the ocean right next to your window is really comforting," Phoebe said, pouring herself some coffee. "What about you guys?"

"Okay," Monica said. "I kept waking up to listen for Cassie. She's been having bad dreams lately and she's always coming in to sleep with me. I hope she's doing okay with Danny."

"I slept okay too," Ross said, but didn't elaborate. In those few moments, her friend's simple answers had given Phoebe a window into their lives, into what they thought about.

Before long, the other three had trudged into the kitchen and they were all eating breakfast. As Joey polished off his third omelet, Rachel, playing the part of hostess, said, "So I was thinking we could all just spend a nice relaxing day at the beach."

"Relaxing - hmm, I think I've forgotten what that word means," Ross said. He smiled, but Phoebe could tell he wasn't kidding. Poor guy, she thought. Monica had told her he and Emily were splitting up and he wasn't taking it so well.

An hour later, they all - with the exception of Rachel, who said she burned too easily - had bathing suits on and were laying out towels on the beach.

"I'll race ya in, Pheebs," Joey challenged Phoebe.

"You're on," Phoebe said, feeling like a kid again although she was pushing 38. "First one all the way wet wins! On your mark, get set - "

"Go!" Joey yelled, and was off sprinting down the sandy bluffs.

"Hey! Cheater!" Phoebe yelled, tearing after him.

Once they were both in the water and floating around, Joey said, "God, hasn't everyone changed?"

"Yeah," Phoebe said quietly. "None of them seem too happy, do they?" It wasn't a question.

"No, they don't," Joey agreed.

"I wonder what happened," Phoebe said rhetorically.

"Well, Monica got divorced, and Ross is about to get divorced, and Chandler - "

"I know what happened, I'm just wondering what happened to them spiritually," Phoebe explained.

"Spiritually? I think they just got older and had a lot of crap happen to them," Joey said. After a minute, he asked, "Are you happy?"

Phoebe didn't answer immediately. "I guess. I mean, my job is great, but I'm not sure it's quite my calling, you know? And I've got friends, but they're... they're nothing like you guys." Phoebe smiled shyly. "What about you? Is fame and fortune all it's cracked up to be?"

"Aw, well, I'm not exactly rich," Joey said modestly. That's a lie, Phoebe thought. "But to tell you the truth, I would probably give it all up to go back and live in the apartment with Chandler, across the hall from Monica and Rachel, a couple of blocks from you and Ross... you can never tell who you're friends really are in show biz. If I've learned anything, it's that."

Phoebe suddenly realized there was an aspect of Joey's new life she didn't know anything about. "What about girlfriends? Got any of those back home?"

"Ah, well," Joey hemmed. "I got a couple of girls back home that I hang out with once in a while. You know, casual friends." Who have sex, Phoebe read off Joey's face. He must have seen something, because he immediately said, "But you'll always be my number one girl, Pheebs. Nothing could change that." She felt his foot brush against hers in the water, and she kicked him back. They smiled shyly at each other, then she threw her arms around him. After the embrace, Joey swam out and under her.

"Chicken fight, anyone?" he yelled to the four people on the beach. Phoebe spun around to look at her friends. They were all gone.

Monica Geller

As the remaining four sat on the beach, the tension, sexual and otherwise, was palpable. They weren't mad at each other, but things were so different now - and yet the same.

"Wow, it's getting really hot out here," Rachel said suddenly, wrapping her oversized shirt more tightly around her. "I think I'm going to go inside. I'll see you guys later."

A minute or two later, Ross said, "Ah, I'm going to go call Ben. We're meeting on Tuesday so I just want to, um, make sure he can still make it." He got up and sprinted off towards the house.

"So, Mon - how've you been? I mean, really been?"

"Fine" came to mind. But this was Chandler. He would know if she was lying, and "fine" would be a lie. "Okay. Not so great," Monica admitted. "Things got kind of hard after Danny and I split up. He's always going on business trips so I've got Cassie on most of his weekends. Not that I mind at all - I love my daughter, it's just sometimes..." It's like I'm a single parent.

"Do you wish you were still with him?"

Monica gazed out at the water. "I don't know."

"How come you never told anyone why you split up?" Chandler asked gently. If this had been anyone else, Monica would have been angry, angry with the person for prying. But not at Chandler. Chandler was just trying to help. He could tell something was off.

"It wasn't really important," Monica heard herself saying dully.

"Okay," Chandler said.

After a minute, Monica said, her voice cracking, "Actually, it was." She sat up and pulled her knees close to her chest.

"Mon, what's the matter?" Chandler said, immediately sitting up to comfort her.

"I'll talk to you. Can we go back to the house, though? I'm getting sort of, uh, sunburned..." And I don't want Ross and Rachel and Phoebe and Joey to come back and see me like this Talk about an original excuse.

"Sure," Chandler said. They picked up their towels and started back to the beach house. When they got there, they sat on the swing on the porch.

"I found out Danny was cheating on me two years ago," Monica said, and let out a deep breath. There. That was the first time she'd actually said it to anyone. "I came home early one day when Cassie was sick and found him with another woman in our bed. Our bed, Chandler, can you believe that? So I left him. That's really all there is to it." Ah yes, another lie.

"I'm really sorry," Chandler said. "I had no idea."

"Yeah - neither did I. I was too embarrassed to tell anyone. On the divorce papers, I just put 'irreconcilable differences.' I mean, it was obviously my fault. I just wasn't what he wanted." Although her tone was dull, cold, she felt her eyes burning and her voice becoming choked.

"He didn't deserve you," Chandler said. "You deserve someone who will treat you right."

"Chandler? Do you ever think about that time we... you know..."

"Yeah."

"Me too."

"Do you think we could ever...?"

"I don't know."

Rachel

Rachel stared into the mirror, looking at her body. Ross had seen the bruise on her stomach. How could she have been so stupid?! It had been foolish enough to spill her guts about Joshua, but to let him see the bruise... that was a fatal mistake. Now Ross would know what a weak, horrible person she was. And if Joshua ever found out, who knew what he would do.

But this vacation away from him was good. Yes, it was definitely good. One weekend of not having to worry about Joshua or the kids or slipping up or living in constant fear that Joshua would come home enraged and take it out on her.

Rachel took a deep breath. Maybe this trip wasn't such a good idea. What if he got so angry that he hit her babies? He could hit her all her wanted; she just didn't want him to hurt her children. Maybe she shouldn't have left them there.

No, Rachel said. Joshua loves Jamie and Callista. He would never lay a finger on them. It's only you he hates.

"Rach," Ross said softly, sticking his head into the room and knocking. "We're here with the groceries." He and Monica had gone shopping for food for dinner an hour or two earlier.

"Oh! Great!" Rachel said, wiping her eyes. "Tell Mon I'll be right down." Rachel turned away.

"Listen. I was wondering if I could talk to you about something," Ross said, coming into the room.

"Sure. What?"

"It's about Joshua. Is he - is he hitting you, Rachel?"

Rachel gaped at Ross, then let out an airy laugh. "What? That's ridiculous, Ross! Hitting me? Wherever did you get that idea?" Her voice was unnaturally high and she was speaking much too quickly.

"I just... saw the bruise on your stomach, and they way you talked about Joshua... I just figured - "

"You figured wrong." Rachel snapped, standing up and brushing invisible lint off her clothes. "Joshua and I are perfectly happy. I don't know what I was talking about last night. I must be PMS'ing or something. That's why I'm crying, too," Rachel said, wiping her eyes again. "See? Just stupid emotions running out of control!"

"Okay," Ross said. "But remember, if you ever need to talk - "

"You're there," Rachel said. "I know."

A/N: So, some secrets have been told... but there's more to the story. Keep those great reviews coming! I love them!

-J