As always, Rachel, Ross, Monica, Chandler, Phoebe and Joey do not belong to me to but the creator of FRIENDS.



TOW The Letter

Rachel, Phoebe, Sierra, Madi, Taylor, and Lauren were shopping in a large mall. "Aunt Rachel, can we go to Music land?" Madi asked.

"Sure guys, but make sure you meet us right back here in fifteen minutes." Her three nieces went off toward the store. Rachel pulled Lauren's stroller over to a bench and sat down. Phoebe plopped down next to her. "Oh I am sooo tired!"

"So when is Nick coming home?"

"Well Ross talked to Judy last night and they decided to keep him an extra week. So he will be home about a week before school starts. And to be honest, Pheebs, it has been so peaceful without him here I'm not sure if I am looking forward to him coming home."

"I can understand. Does he talk to you or Ross yet?"

"No every time we call he refuses to speak to either of us. Guess I can't blame the kid. After all we did send him away-"

"Rachel don't you even make yourself feel guilty about this. You are a fabulous Mom, like way better than I thought you would ever be. Nick was being a grateful, rebellious child and you did what you thought was best for the family-"

Rachel hugged her, "Thanks Phoebe. You always did have a way of putting things."

"Yeah, I know it's a gift."

The girls were back now each one toting a new CD. "If you girls spent your school clothes money on CD's your Mother will go ballistic on me." Rachel warned them.

"Relax, Aunt Rach," Sierra laughed, "We know all too well what Mom would do to you- and to us. We bought these with our allowance."

"Okay, then." They shopped for a few more hours and then finally headed back to Ross and Rachel's.

They opened the front door and dropped all their bags on the floor. Ross looked up at them and smiled, "That better not all be yours Mrs. Geller."

"Relax Dr." she winked at him, "Only about half of it is mine." He came to her and kissed her. "All right ladies, why don't you sort through this and take your stuff over to your apartment and put it away."

Taylor held up a shopping bag, "Who bought something at Victoria's Secret?"

Rachel quickly grabbed the bag, "That is mine."

Ross raised his eyebrows at her, "Is it?"

"Yes," Rachel wrapped her arms protectively around the package and made a dash for their room.

Ross tried to follow her into their room but she shut the door on him, "Rachel Karen Geller open up this door!"

"Oh Uncle Ross, I bet you can't wait for us to go home now!" Sierra joked.

"Ewww! Gross!" Taylor rolled her eyes, "You guys are like way worse than our parents and our parents are like hopeless nymphos."

Ross looked at Taylor in shock, "You are way too young to even know that word young lady!"

"Relax, Uncle Ross we live with Mom and Dad. Who by the way, say you and Aunt Rachel are much worse." Rachel burst out laughing from her bedroom and Ross looked down kind of embarrassed.

Rachel opened the door walked right past Ross into the kitchen and started dinner. When their nieces left to take their stuff home Ross asked, "So what did you buy at Victoria's Secret?"

"Oh, nothing. Just some underclothes I have been needing."

"What kind of underclothes?"

"You know, the usual bras and underwear."

"Rach, are you keeping secrets from me?" Ross teased, "Cause you know I will make you pay for keeping secrets."

"Oh will you?" Rachel touched his lips with her fingers, "Well then you just gave me more of a reason not to tell you."

The girls came back into the apartment laughing and joking about their now bulging closets. "Oh no! Mom's going to want us to recategorize our clothes-"

"I know! I know! Maybe if we tell her we did it will they were gone she won't make us do it again."

"Yeah, right. Then she will want to see our inventory list by category."

Ross and Rachel laughed. Sometimes they felt sorry for their nieces who had to live with the ever-obsessive Monica. Only Sierra who was just like her Mother didn't seem to mind Monica's quirky little "things." "Which reminds me, your parents called while you were out shopping. They are going to be gone a day longer than they thought. So you are stuck with your Aunt and I for a little bit longer." Ross told them.

"That's cool!" Taylor turned on the TV, "you guys are the coolest- except for they lovey dovey stuff." Soon the girls were engrossed in VH1. Ross kissed Rachel's forehead, "Are you okay with having them for an extra night?"

"All the longer to keep secrets from you my dear." She grinned at him.

Ross wrapped his arms around her, "Maybe when my sister and her dear husband return from their trip, they will let us go on one of our own." He kissed her and pulled her closer to him.

"Ross! Ross! The water's boiling!"

He ignored her and kept kissing her, "And our nieces are in the next room! Joey is bringing Travis back from the zoo like any second now-" As if on cue the door opened and in walked Travis and Joey.

"Rach you got any food? I'm starved." Joey looked at them kissing and said, "Niiice!" Ross and Rachel broke quickly.

Ross went into the living room to get Travis cleaned up for dinner. Rachel set an extra place at the table, "Stay and eat dinner with us Joey. It'll be crowded and fun."

And fun it was. During dinner, Joey had them all in stitches. He told the girls about their parents' secret love affair and how they all found out. Of course because Joey knew about the relationship the longest he had the most information and his version of the events were hilarious.

Sierra wiped the tears from her eyes, "Mom and Dad conveniently left some of that out. They may kill you when they found out you told us." She smiled at her sisters, "Now we know why Dad always teases Mom about laundry day."

After dinner Joey went home and the girls gave Travis his bath. They loved babying him and he loved all the attention. Ross took Lauren for a bit and Rachel went into to read to Travis and tuck him in.

A few days later.

When Monica and Chandler came back from their trip Rachel could tell that they had a refreshing time. The girls were eager to see their parents and were already starting to tease them about some of the things Joey had told them. "That's it Joey is a dead bastard." Chandler said to Monica.

"Yep, but how do we do it?" Monica asked as the girls laughed at them.

Finally Ross, Rachel, Travis and Lauren had their apartment and their routine back to normal. It was an eerie, yet wonderful feeling after a week and a half with a house full of teenage girls.

"Maybe that's why Nick and Travis were boys." Ross laughed, "Cause I am not ready for adolescent daughters," he picked up Lauren, "It's a good thing I have a few years to practice before you turn into one of them." He teased his little daughter and made a funny face at her. Lauren smiled at her Daddy and squealed in delight. "Oh yes! There's Daddy's little girl!"

Rachel looked lovingly at her husband and her daughter. She was so glad that she had given him a daughter even if they were too damn old for this baby thing. They were both having a blast.

When Travis and Lauren were in bed Ross joined his wife on the couch. She was looking over some designs for the new fall line. "Thinking of going back already?" Ross asked.

"Already? Lauren is five months old. We agreed I would wait until she was six months. My new boss just asked for my opinion on the new fall line."

"Honey, what's in the Victoria's Secret bag?"

"I told you underclothes."

"Can I see?"

"Ross, there is nothing to see it's bras and underwear."

"I still want to see. Please." He gave her his puppy dog eyes.

Rachel sighed, "Man those eyes are killers! I will show them to you, but then you have to let me finish looking at these designs, my boss wants my critique in the morning."

Ross ran his hand up her leg, "But I want to see your fall line." He began kissing her neck, "I've heard it's fabulous."

"It is-" Rachel tried to divert his attention. "We have this great new black strapless dress."

"Uh hum," Ross laid her down on the couch and began unbuttoning her shirt, as his kisses on her neck grew more intense.

"Oh dammit!" Rachel said and let herself be carried away by her husband's advances.

About three days before Nick was scheduled to arrive home Ross and Rachel received a certified letter from an attorney. Rachel tore it open and then burst into tears.

Her hands were shaking so hard she could barely dial Ross' number. "Professor Geller."

"Ross," she was serious and quiet.

"Rach? What's happened? What is it?"

"Ross, I need you to come home."

"Well, I have a class this afternoon. I'll see if I can get a substitute."

"Ross you have to come home. It's really important. Please-" Rachel was crying too hard to go on so she hung up.

Ross tore out of his office down to the Dean's fearing the worst. He spoke quickly with the Dean and then rushed home as fast as he could.

He found Rachel on the couch hugging Lauren tightly to her. Travis was coloring at the table. "Hey buddy!" Ross tousled his sons' hair.

"I'm drawing you a new dinosaur Daddy."

"That's great, Trav, my office needs some new artwork and you just happen to be my favorite artist."

Ross sat down next to Rachel, "Okay, I'm here. What's going on?"

Rachel handed him the letter. "This is what is going on."

Ross read the contents of the letter and looked at his wife sadly. "I think we need a lawyer now." He went across the hall and asked Monica to watch Travis and Lauren. He didn't tell her anything but Monica knew Ross well enough to know that something was very wrong so she quickly agreed.

Ross and Rachel soon found themselves in an attorney's office. Rachel was grasping the letter in one hand and Ross' hand in the other. Neither of them spoke. A few more minutes passed and finally the lawyer entered the room. "Hello, I'm Mike Clark."

Ross stood, "Hi, I'm Ross Geller and this is my wife Rachel."

Mike sat down behind his large desk and looked at them through the end of his glasses, "So what exactly do you need my help with? My secretary told me this was concerning an adoption-"



TO BE CONTINUED.