Title: The Open Road

Author: Kaitlyn

Summary: "I've got some beer and the highway's free, and I got you and baby you got me."

Rating: R

Note: This chapter is rated R. I usually pride myself on never including gratuitous sexual situations, but I slipped up this time :-) Oh well, what're gonna do? I decided to let them have some fun. It's nothing too heavy. It is still tasteful, though, and I promise you that I will never forfeit that aspect. It probably doesn't even deserve that R rating, but I decided that if I were going to error, I should do so on the safe side. If you're a diehard Ross and Rachel fan, you're probably grateful for it, considering their recent lack of interaction on the show. Anyway, enjoy!

Also, I don't own the song "Perfect Skin" by Lloyd Cole or "Follow Me" by Mel Carter.

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After about a week of very minimal planning, Ross and Rachel mutually decided on a location for their wedding. When they were kids, Ross and Monica had always gone with their parents to this very esoteric, lake-side ski resort in Vermont, owned by a family friend. It was a governor's club type setup, meaning only "lineage members" were permitted to stay there, but all it took was one phone call from Ross to insure three rooms for the weekend at a discount rate and exclusive use of the gazebo on Saturday night. The entire interlude would only run them about $800, including a private, complimentary dinner reception following the ceremony. The owner had also agreed to aid Ross in a "special surprise", of which Rachel knew nothing.

So, on Thursday evening, the six met at Chandler and Monica's to begin their weekend journey. Rachel had initially insisted upon keeping the ceremony casual, refusing any of Monica's incessant offers to take her wedding dress shopping. However, arguable knowing Rachel better than anything else, Monica was fairly certain she'd change her mind at the last minute, so she took the liberty of purchasing and secretly packing a casual yet elegant dress for Rachel.

Now, with all possible glitches out of the way and all the luggage packed, everyone piled into the SUV, once more, with the certainty of an exciting road trip and an eventful weekend ahead of them. Chandler, again, took his position behind the wheel with Monica as his navigator. Ross persisted that Monica would "never remember how to get there", but, being confident as she was, Monica ignored him and elbowed her way into the front seat. After fighting traffic for a good half hour just to get out of New York, the car turned north, and they were on their way.

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The sun went down around 6:30 pm, after less than an hour into their trip. With the absence of sunlight, Phoebe and Joey's backseat game of Pictionary was terminated, forcing them to pick a new source of amusement. To the slight annoyance of the other four, they quickly chose Name That Tune, appointing themselves, rather than the radio, as the musical providers.

"You guys want to play," Joey offered. "The category is 'television theme songs'." Everyone indifferently declined, leaving Phoebe and Joey to their own devices for the rest of the way. In the front seat, Chandler and Monica were fighting over the radio.

"I'm telling you, there is NO WAY I'm listening to Jennifer Lopez for the rest of this car ride," Chandler insisted, reaching over for the radio dial.

"Oh, so it's okay to stare at her ass all day, but to actually enjoy what she does for a living- that's out of the question," Monica retaliated, brushing Chandler's hand away.

"You know, I'm really glad we're starting to understand each other," he quipped, finally succumbing to Monica and at least another few minutes of "If You Had My Love".

(Author's Note: I know that song is probably from, like, light years ago, but I don't know squat about Jennifer Lopez or her latest "single". That's the only one I remember. So, to any potential "J. Lo" fans out there- my apologies. Now, back to the story.)

Meanwhile, in the middle section of the car, Rachel was using the absence of sunlight to her advantage, taking the opportunity to squeeze in a nap before their arrival at the hotel. She was sprawled out, forcing Ross into a tiny segment of the seat up against the window. She laid on her back with her head in his lap, while he stroked her hair and played with the fingers of her right hand. Absentmindedly, he stroked the ring that was placed so elegantly there, rotating it around her finger. She noticed this gesture and smiled.

"It really is a beautiful ring," she offered, cutting into his thoughts and bringing him back down to Earth from whatever cloud he had previously been residing on. Not knowing exactly what to say, he settled for smiling and placing a soft kiss on the palm of her hand which contained the ring. In doing so, he realized for the first time that evening just how amazing she looked. She was wearing dark jeans that hugged her hips and thighs, and the waistband of which dipped down impossibly low. The bottom of her red tank top had scooted up, resting at the bottom of her ribcage and revealing an expanse of her flat, tan stomach. Her hair, as usual, was doing that "accidentally perfect" thing, where it seemed both wild yet precise. It rested in waves across his lap, and the moonlight reflected flawlessly off of it, adding to it a golden shimmer. He found himself getting increasingly aroused. How couldn't he? Any warm-blooded male, when placed in a close proximity of this woman for any length of time at all, was BOUND to start noticing these things in painfully minute detail. The only difference between him and every other warm-blooded male was that he had explicit permission to do something about it.

Carefully, as to not acquire attention from any of the other four, Ross took his jacket from the back of their seat and placed it over top of Rachel. Confused, she sent him a quizzical look, but suddenly became very clear as to what he was doing when he smiled slyly and arched a playful eyebrow. Teasingly, he brought a finger to his lip, signally her to be very quiet, which was actually a rather difficult task, considering the absolute silence that had recently enveloped the car. Joey and Phoebe had submitted to their car ride induced fatigue minutes previously, and Chandler and Monica were listening quietly to some soft rock station up front.

Indiscreetly and ever so softly, Ross placed his hand on the inside of her thigh, brushing his thumb back and forth over the rough fabric of her jeans. For some inexplicable reason, this sent chills up her spine. They had obviously been in much more intimate situations than this, but for whatever reason, just the weight of his hand on her leg gave her goose bumps. Perhaps it was the possibility in the back of her mind that one of the others would discover them. Rationally, she knew that even if one of them WAS to notice their furtive rendezvous, they most likely wouldn't care or comment. Something about the pitch of the car and stillness in the air reverted her back to her days of awkward high school encounters and sweaty palms. Her heart was racing and her hands were shaking- the way they did when Chip put his arm around her for the first time in the back of the movie theater. This was different, though. This was Ross. There was love accompanying these touches, making the affect all that much more powerful.

Slowly, he moved his hand up her leg, letting his thumb graze the metal teeth of her zipper. He stopped then, just like she knew he would. He was such a tease when it came to things like this. When he knew she wanted him, but had little to no control over the situation, he was painfully stingy with his touches. He did it knowing full well that she hated and loved it all at once. He also knew that it would provoke one of the sexiest moves she could ever make- placing her hand over his for guidance. When other women had done that, he hadn't liked it. He deemed it demanding and offensive. When she did it, however, he loved it. He had no idea why. Before he could deliberate on it for much more, however, he felt the long graceful fingers of her left hand come to rest atop his right. She pushed his hand up, asking him wordlessly to continue in his exploration. He had not initially planned on it going that far, but he should have known better. There was no way he could stop himself now.

The unzipping in itself took close to a minute- a glaringly long minute- in his attempts to remain silent. Finally, when he was done, he waited for the light grazing of her fingernails over the skin on his hand before proceeding. The sexiest thing about all of this was not the necessity of it remaining undercover, or the moonlight that was encasing the car in it's warm glow, or even the fiery contact of her hand atop his. No, the biggest turn-on for him was the fact that he could actually hear her heart beating. In fact, he couldn't ever remember hearing it beat so loudly. Even at times when he had been laying with his ear pressed directly up against her chest, he had not heard it beat with the ferocity and intensity that he did now. It exhilarated him- knowing that he was having that affect over her. Then, when he didn't think it was possible for her to be any more attractive to him, she arched her back slightly, lifting her hips a little into the air.

Okay, this was getting out of control. When he had started all of this, he had possessed no conceivable notion that it might have turned into one of their most intimate encounter to date. He was sweating now, and he was pretty sure that his hand was shaking noticeably beneath hers. Just as he bent his fingers inside the denim of her jeans and felt the silkiness of her underwear browse his skin, the soft lyrics of the song coming from the radio caught his attention.

"And I'm staying up here, so I may be undone

She's inappropriate, but then she's much more fun

And when she smiles my way,

my eyes go out in vain

She's got perfect skin"

He closed his eyes, concentrating on nothing but her erratic breathing. His arm was snaked down her stomach, and he could feel her soft, gooseflesh skin against his. Her stomach and chest rose and fell deliberately, obviously in her attempt at regulating her breathing. At one point, he thought he heard a limp moan, but it was so subtle and brief that it's existence could never be confirmed.

"She says 'turn on the light,

otherwise it can't be seen'

She's got cheekbones like geometry,

and eyes like sin

And she's sexually enlightened

by cosmopolitan

And when she smiles my way,

my eyes go out in vain

For her perfect skin

Yeah, that's perfect skin"

Suddenly, his mind was flashing back to that fateful night in the planetarium. He was only catching the encounter in waves, but what was actually coming back to him seemed strikingly similar to his current situation. He remembered how hot her skin at been...

"At the age of ten...

And I loved her then,

but how was she to know?

That when she smiles my way,

my eyes go out in vain

She's got perfect skin"

He remembered how surprisingly powerful and strong her touch had been for such a delicate body...

"The river is cruel

and the water is deep and blue"

He remembered how blue her eyes had been- so blue, that against the black contrast of the darkness around them, they had provided an electric glow that had seemingly illuminated the entire room...

"I lived on the edge of all this indulgence"

He remembered the need- how he had never experienced that intense a need in another human being, and how it had scared him almost to the point of tears.

Faintly, he made out the still air that proceeded the changing of songs. Then, it was gone, and a different melody thickened the air between them.

"Light comes in,

I watch you wake

Wanting you so much,

my heart could break

To touch your skin,

to feel your hair

I'd follow you anywhere"

When he heard her breath catch momentarily in the back of her throat, accompanied by the wonderful friction of her back rubbing rhythmically against his knee, he opened his eyes. Tilting his head to the side, he watched her face.

"Light goes out,

I watch you sleep

Never imagine love so deep

I close my eyes,

to breath the air

I'd follow you anywhere"

Her eyes were closed, but he could see her eyelids fluttering ever so softly. He watched her fingernails as they dug into the upholstery of the seat, whitening her knuckles. He watched he steady rise and fall of her chest, escorted by the deep intake and exhaling of her breath.

"In the waves that wash over me,

wash over you

Follow me,

I'll follow you

Through your dreams,

to secret places

Here's my hand,

just take it"

He leaned down, stroking her hair with his free hand, and placed a small kiss on her brow. Then, lowering his lips even further down to her ear, he let his hot breath linger there for just a moment before whispering the most honest words he'd ever spoken.

"You're beautiful." Then, so quietly and breathily that not even she could make out exactly what he was saying, he began to sing along with the words on the radio.

"Nobody knows who made the stars

Baby, the whole world is ours

From Liverpool to Leicester Square

I'd follow you anywhere.

Angels that watch over me,

watch over you

Follow me,

I'll follow you

Through your dreams,

to secret places

Where nobody can trace us

We'll make it through

I'll follow you

I always do"

Then, like clockwork, he felt her body squirm roughly yet unobtrusively against his, and he heard in quick passing, the jagged catch in her breath that had always signaled the end.

For moments afterwards, she laid there in complete stillness and silence. He didn't dare move his face away from hers, so instead, he let it hover those few inches away. They could each feel the breath of the other against their faces, not sure as to which belonged to who, and not particularly caring. What they had just experienced had indisputably been one of the most personal, loving, intimate, sexual exchanges either of them had or would ever encounter. Before too long, he shifted his weight, scooting his body down the seat until he was lying down beneath her. The seat was not wide enough to keep her at his side, so he situated her on top of her, nestling them both beneath his jacket in a snug cocoon. He encircled her in his arms, suddenly feeling very protective of her, and pulled her tightly to his chest. He thought he could feel her shaking slightly.

"What is it?" he asked quietly, still making sure that the others couldn't hear them. Now, it was more from not wanting to ruin their exclusive moment, rather than from fear of being discovered. She buried her face in his neck and kissed him there, answering his question in the most appropriate manner she could think of, though he wouldn't understand immediately.

"I love you," she whispered back, her voice muffled against his chest.

And to think, this entire union had gone unnoticed to the rest of the world, slipping silently underneath the radar of even the car's other four inhabitants. Something so small and insignificant had proven to be a source of so much intimacy and understanding between two people, who, on that night, had gained some bit of unspoken clarity.

End Chapter 10. Continued in Chapter 11.