Thank you all so much for the reviews. I know I said I would end the fic in this chapter but I couldn't. Not without it becoming too long. So it's divided into two chapters. The next one will be put up soon.

Disclaimer: I forget who actually owns friends but I know it ain't me!

The Stage Is Set

"Can't you keep a secret, Chandler?" Monica yelled.

Chandler winced. He supposed he should be grateful. At least, she was on speaking terms to him today. Yesterday, after his slip to Amanda, she hadn't said one word to him. But did she have to yell? The neighbors might start complaining.

He tried defending himself. "I really thought Joey told Amanda. Why would he tell her everything but the name?"

Monica glared at him. "It's just like you to ruin everything. Like the time you told Rachel that Ross loved her. You messed up then. And now you're messing up their marriage."

"Ross'?"

"Of course not! Joey's."

"They don't need my help for that," he grumbled. "They seem to be doing pretty well by themselves."

Monica narrowed her eyes. "Don't try defending yourself. Their marriage was perfectly …well…um…perfect!"

Chandler was annoyed. "How can you say that? They weren't happy. How else would you explain Joey kissing Rachel?" As soon as he said that he knew it was a mistake.

Monica looked like she had been shot. She stared at him, speechless. But Monica could never remain quiet for long. "What the hell are you talking about? When? Where? Why?"

"You forgot who." He gulped when he saw Monica's glare. "I don't think I was supposed to tell anyone…" he trailed off. One look at Monica's face told him that he was supposed to tell her.

****

Rachel glanced down at Emma's sleeping form. Emma was the one reason she had stuck it out for so long. When she felt that she couldn't stand one more day in this phony marriage, Emma was the one who gave her the courage to go on. She sighed. For six years it had been easy to know what to do. But today…she had no idea. And the very thought mortified her.

Joey had always been at the back of her mind. But it had been effortless to put the thoughts away. She couldn't do that anymore. Joey was all she had thought about for two days. It was agony. And after last night…how could she go on living as she had before? Ross was still asleep. She knew that she couldn't face him. Not with the feelings she had for Joey threatening to overwhelm her. She needed to clear her head. Monica would know what to do. She glanced at her watch. 3:30 a.m. Monica was probably asleep. But she was going to drag Monica out of bed. She left a note for Ross and ran out.

****

Monica flopped down on the couch. "I can't believe it. For a year I thought that Joey was finally happy. And the poor guy was still pining for Rachel. It must have been awful for him."

Chandler nodded. He wished he could help them. But he had no idea what he could do.

The doorbell rang. Monica and Chandler exchanged glances. Who would visit at 4 a.m?

It was Phoebe. She barged in and stopped, with her hands on her hips, in front of Monica. "What's going on?"

Monica raised her eyebrows. Phoebe, sometimes, made her feel out of her depth.

Phoebe continued, "Don't act innocent, Monica. The boat's rocked and I want to know what exactly is wrong."

Chandler rolled his eyes. He was in no frame of mind to play games. "Just spit it out, Phoebe."

"I can sense there's something wrong in the lives of some people from the gang and I demand details."

The doorbell rang again. Chandler groaned. Why were they suddenly so popular?

Rachel walked in. Phoebe gasped. She pointed at Rachel. "You're one of them!"

"Wha…what?"

"You have some serious issues."

Rachel glared accusingly at Monica. This was the last straw. Her life was messed up enough. She didn't need her best friend blabbing her secrets to everyone. Monica held her hands up defensively. "I swear I didn't tell her. She sensed it."

Rachel was skeptical. But this was Phoebe, after all. It was probable that she actually did sense it. Rachel had always had this niggling doubt that all of Phoebe's prophecies weren't exactly outrageous. And today she was in no mood to argue the point. She was here to talk to Monica. And having Phoebe there might help. Just like old times.

****

Joey turned the TV on. He couldn't sleep. He had come home at around 2 a.m. He had tossed and turned in bed for two hours or so before giving up. It was a lost cause. He was never going to remember his lines tomorrow. And he probably looked a mess too. The director was going to kill him.

Some singer was crooning a love song,

"If I don't need you then why am I crying on my bed?
If I don't need you then why does your name resound in my head?
If you're not for me then why does this distance maim my life?
If you're not for me then why do I dream of you as my wife?"

God, that really rubbed salt into his wounds. Fate was being so cruel. There was no way she could be in his life. Why did he have to go that damn party? But would he really have wanted to miss spending time with her? It was the happiest he had been for so long. And thanks to that one week, he was going to be miserable for the rest of his life. Because, damn it, he did have the courage to stay faithful to Amanda. And it would gradually kill him.

Amanda glanced at the alarm clock. 4:30 a.m. She could hear the TV downstairs. Joey must have come home. She had intended to wait up for him. She had to confront him. She was tired of accepting everything. What she found out last night had changed her entire outlook on their marriage. She had hoped that she could make him forget the woman he loved. It was easier when it was someone unknown. But knowing that it was Rachel just made it so hard.

Was that why he was always late these few days? Were they seeing each other on the sly? But she dismissed that thought. Joey would never do that.

She descended the stairs slowly. Joey was watching some love song on TV. She coughed.

Joey jerked his head around. His eyes widened. What was she doing up?

She switched the TV off. "Joey, why didn't you tell me your long lost love was Rachel?"

Joey swallowed. No man should have so much to contend with in just a few hours. Ross telling him he knew about his feelings for Rachel. Rachel admitting she had feelings for him. Both of them kissing on a deserted sidewalk. Knowing that what he was doing was wrong. And now Amanda revealing she knew that Rachel was the woman he loved.

Amanda had never noticed the desolation in his eyes, after she had caught him that day. Had it always been there? She cast her mind back. And she knew. Maybe it was intensified today. But it was always there. She had just chosen to ignore it. She sat down beside him. It was time for a long overdue chat.

****

Ross threw the alarm clock against the wall. Why had he set at it at 5 a.m? He didn't have to be up till around 7. He thought back to yesterday. He had wanted to talk to Rachel so desperately. But for some reason he couldn't. Maybe it was because her word would seal the fate of their marriage. And he wasn't sure if he was ready for it yet.

"Daddy?" Emma poked her head into the room. "What was that bang?"

"Oh, baby, I'm sorry. Daddy's alarm clock fell down."

Her gaze fell on the pieces and she giggled. "Now we can get the Flintstones one?"

He grinned. "Yeah. Don't tell mommy I did this. Let's tell her an elf did it."

The plan met with her full approval. She jumped into bed. "I'm not sleepy. Let's go shopping."

He smiled. She was a miniature Rachel. Emma looked around. "Where's mommy?"

Ross frowned. Damn, where was she? He noticed a piece of paper pinned to her pillow. He grabbed it. Great, she was at Monica's. He ruffled Emma's hair. "She's gone to Auntie Monica's home."

She looked at his face quizzically but accepted it. She was too sleepy to delve deeper. She snuggled into bed. And smiled. "I liked last week."

Ross knitted his brows. Emma was hanging around Phoebe too much. She flitted from subject to subject, worse than Phoebe.

Emma went on, "Last week, mommy smiled a lot. She looks like Barbie when she smiles."

Ross didn't even know that Emma noticed Rachel's sunnier mood. Did she know why? He shook his head. His daughter was bright but not clairvoyant.

She had fallen asleep. She had always liked sleeping in their bed. She said it was bigger and so better. Logical thinking. But in some ways, Emma was amazingly perceptive. If Emma could notice that Rachel seemed more cheerful, what was to stop her from noticing that her parents' marriage was in trouble? Maybe she wouldn't notice that now but eventually…He was being paranoid. But what if it did turn out to be true?

Don't be mad at me. I really will finish the fic in the next chapter. This one really just sets the scene for the next one. The song is Daniel Bedingfield's 'If you're not the one'. I love the song!

So please read & review!