The Distance Ch.4
By Mary Grace
Author's note: I know I lag TERRIBLY with creating/posting chapters. I hope it was worth the wait. Thank you SO much for the great feedback...your reviews motivate me to write. *hint hint* =P Here's part 4...
Disclaimer: I found a lucky penny yesterday, but I'm still not lucky enough to own these characters.
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Ross practically glided on air as he traveled the familiar halls inside his apartment complex. He had just gotten home from the airport. For the first time in very long, things felt incredibly right. Almost perfect. Of course, he didn't want to jinx the perfection of the last 3 days, so he couldn't admit this out loud.
Unfortunately, fate had a twisted sense of humor...
Ross casually stepped off the elevator and onto his floor. A sudden wave of surprise slapped him in the face as he noticed the body of a familiar female sitting in front of his door...reading a maternity magazine.
"Emily..." the words barely escaped his mouth. She quickly glanced up embarrassed and got to her feet. However, Ross didn't notice the redness in her cheeks. His eyes were dead focused on the shape of her belly. He couldn't blink.
"Umm. Surprise," she whispered. Ross just stood there, mouth gaped, eyes wide. "Maybe...perhaps....we should talk inside?" slurred her accented voice. Robotically, he opened the door. She picked up her suitcase from the floor and followed him inside. It took all but two seconds for Ross to slam the door and turn to face her. The shock lost its value. He was furious.
"I don't know what kind of sick joke you're trying to pull but you had better explain something!" his voice quavered. The size of her belly signified she was at least 6 months pregnant.
"Well, umm..."she began slowly. "You know what's odd? I had this all worked out in my head until I saw you...now I don't know where to start..."
"Hmm, I don't know," started Ross sarcastically. "How about, 'Ross, this is what happened..." he finished bitterly. The glare from his eyes pierced Emily's. She knew she deserved it. She heavily sighed.
"I know you hate me-"
He cut her off, "that's an understatement." The stinging sensation her heart felt at these words forced Emily to turn away.
"But I thought you should know the truth."
"The truth?!" Ross exclaimed incredulously. "I haven't seen or heard from you in over 6 months! The TRUTH is that you cheated on me and lied straight to my face! You left without an explanation! I wasted two years of my life with you!" He swallowed hard. "You never even said you were sorry...I had no idea where you were-"
"I left you a note..." she stupidly explained.
"Oh, I'm sorry! That's right! That makes up for everything, doesn't it?" he spat out. He walked over to the window and looked out into the city. "Emily. I don't know what you're doing here, but I'm warning you now...if you're expecting me to be the subservient pushover you tried to mold me into, you're going to be heavily disappointed."
"Ross..." she whispered bravely. "It's yours."
In a weird sense, Ross expected this. "I don't believe you," he calmly stated.
"But-but it is..." she pleaded. "Collin, he-he kicked me out of our apartment today...he suspected it wasn't his for awhile so we took an irregular paternity test, even though the doctor was highly against it...but Collin threatened to leave if I didn't go through with it...and it turns out...he's not the father after all...and I was only with you and him." Emily was in tears. "Ross, I've nowhere else to go...my parents have no idea of the mess I'm in, I've no other friends in the city...I got fired for missing so much work because of all this...I mean, I'm holding your baby...I know you hate me but I know how good of a person you are...you wouldn't put the welfare of your child in jeopardy..." Ross cringed at her last sentence. He hated how she knew exactly which buttons to push. "I'm not asking for much...I just...I need a place to stay until I get things taken care of...I should have this sorted out in a week..." She walked over to him, her eyes bloodshot and wet. "Please, Ross..." she continued. "I've no excuse for the way I've treated you, but don't make our child suffer because of my stupid, cruel mistakes..." Ross stared out into the city for a long time. He fought the hatred fueled by the sight of Emily with the compassion his parents taught him. He came to a conclusion.
"For the record, I still don't believe you...but even if the child isn't mine, nobody, especially as innocent as a baby, should have to suffer for your stupidity and cold-heartedness." He turned to face her. "You can stay for the meantime. You will sleep in the guest bedroom. You will NOT invite ANYBODY over unless you ask me first. My bedroom is completely off limits. Do not answer my phone and don't open my mail. During this time I expect you to find another job and search for an apartment." A sigh of relief escaped Emily's lips. "But if you think I have forgiven you in any way, you're dead wrong. For the child's safety, we won't take another test until after it's born."
"Thank you," was all she could say. Even Emily didn't expect how easily he'd been persuaded. She watched Ross go into his room and roughly shut the door. A slow smile of satisfaction crept on her face. She deserved an Oscar for that performance. Suddenly, the phone rang. Remembering what Ross said and knowing not to test his authority, not yet anyway, Emily let the machine answer it. *beep*
"Hey, I'm looking for a Mr. Ross Geller. I got your number from Joseph Tribiani and he said it'd be okay to call. I'm Cliff Houston, a record exec. from Simplistic Inc. I observed your performance at the Bing wedding and I must say you are one talented young man. I would've approached you at the wedding, but I figured that wasn't a time for professional business matters. Anyways, I'd appreciate it if you would give me a call back, even if you aren't interested. Hope to hear from you soon." *beep*
Emily's mouth opened wide. Ross? A record deal? The idea was mad. That means he may become famous. To think, her naïve, dumbfounded Ross...a celebrity. Her purpose with Ross suddenly changed.
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The day's events had worn them both out. Ross hadn't come out of his room all evening and Emily had fallen asleep before 9pm. A sudden pang of thirst woke her up and forced her into the kitchen for some water. Coincidentally, a knock was heard coming from the opposite side of the door. Forgetting it was her apartment, she instinctively walked over to answer it.
Emily opened the door to reveal a very pretty woman with dirty-blonde hair, standing there in a bit of embarrassment. As on cue, Ross came out of his bedroom.
"Who is it Emily?" He was stopped at the door and stared at Rachel in disbelief. Her eyes moved quickly from Ross to Emily. Emily watched the panicked look on Ross' face. She knew that look. This woman meant something to him. Twinges of jealousy flooded her veins.
"Oh my God," Rachel whispered sadly. She covered her mouth as her eyes watered. "How stupid must I look right now..." She ran towards the elevator. Ross impulsively ran after her.
"Rachel, wait...I know this looks SO bad, but there's a perfect explanation." Rachel impatiently pounded her thumb against the elevator button. She glared at him.
"There always is," she said icily.
"No-no, wait...you don't understand!" Ross pleaded. "That woman-she's Emily! You know...I told you all about what happened with us!" He rushed his explanation as fast as he could. "She showed up today-I had no idea-she's pregnant with my potential child-I was going to call you tomorrow-" The elevator doors opened. Rachel rushed inside and Ross quickly followed, she jumped back out and he quickly followed. This continued while he fought to explain. "Rachel I'm serious! I'm telling the truth! I had no idea she was going to be here! I don't want her here! I have no choice...please let me explain to you..." She searched into his eyes and sadly sighed. She stepped out of the elevator and back onto his floor. He followed. Emily watched from Ross' door. Rachel stood there expecting an explanation. "Okay, here's what happened-"
Emily knew it was time to butt in. She walked over to where they stood. Emily squeezed between them and extended her hand. "Hi," she sung sweetly. "I'm Emily...Ross' wife...and you are?" she inquired. Ross couldn't believe what she just said.
"Emily!" Ross fumed. "What the hell are you doing? You're not my wife!" He turned to face Rachel. "She's NOT my wife!"
Fake tears flooded Emily's eyes. This crying stuff was easy. Especially with her being pregnancy hormones being so strong. "WHAT?!" she screamed. "You selfish, ungrateful, bastard!! You're dumb enough to lie straight to her face AND insult me like that???" She cried pitifully. Rachel's turned away and exhaled frustratingly. Ross stood there completely dumbfounded.
"Rachel, I...I mean she's..." he struggled for words while shaking his head.
"Ross," whispered Rachel. "It doesn't matter. She's pregnant...with your baby. Even if what you're saying is true, and she's the one who's lying...I shouldn't get involved. The facts don't lie. I live in California. You live here. There are problems already. Let's be practical. It would've never worked anyway..."
"Then why did you come back?" he asked quietly.
Rachel stared at Emily for a few moments and thought to herself. "I had doubts that this wouldn't work. But...part of me wanted to believe different. I guess I just needed proof," she answered simply. She gave Ross one last, sad glance before she pressed the elevator button once more. It quickly opened and she entered it. This time, Ross didn't follow. He sadly watched the doors close...and felt his heart close simultaneously. Unfortunately, they had been so caught up in what was happening that neither he nor Emily noticed the small audience of annoyed, but intrigued tenants standing by their open apartment doors. He coldly motioned for Emily to get inside his apartment. He apologized to the other tenants and closed the door.
"What the hell was that Emily???" he threw up his hands in grief. "Are you asking to be thrown out?!"
"I did you a bloody favor," she said simply.
"How the hell was that a favor? You ruined possibly the best thing that ever happened to me!" He shook his head angrily. "Baby or no baby, I want you out. NOW."
"Ross..." she stood directly in front of him. "If you really care about the twit, then let her be. You really don't want to involve her in this mess, do you? That would put her in one hell of a position. Can you imagine telling her friends and family she got involved with a man who impregnated another woman? Think about how this would affect her emotionally. You don't want to make her go through all that heartache and pain, do you?"
"Don't you think that's for her to decide?" he bitterly said.
"But my love, she already did." Emily said matter-of-factly. She turned away to hide a smirk.
To be continued!! Muwahahaha! Feedback and comments are greatly appreciated! =D