A/N: OMG I love you guys! I can't tell you how happy I was to read your reviews, I feel so wanted and appreciated ^^. Now I'm worried I won't live up to your expectations, but I'll try damned hard. This chapter is named after the lovely duet by Celine Dion and Barbara Streisand, because I personally think it's rather apt. Please keep reading and reviewing! (PS: In the first chapter I said the wedding wouldn't be so disasterous... well I might change my mind. Just read. Please!
"I'm so happy for you guys..."
"Then what happened?" Monica pressed her friend, worried about her. She'd arrived in her hotel room ten minutes before, in floods of tears. Monica was well aware that she had to be ready for the wedding in less than an hour, but she knew that this was more important.
"He smiled.. and said... "Thank you, that means more to me than you will ever ..." Rachel choked and dissolved into floods of tears again. Monica sighed and patted her gently on the shoulder. Chandler was also hovering in the room, as Rachel's entrance had interrupted an important conversation that the two of them had been having whilst they were getting ready.
"Hey, Rache, come on. If it was meant to be, things will work out," Monica tried to reason with her. "And everyone knows that you two are meant to be. It's obvious to anyone."
"Except him," Rachel sniffed. "And he's getting MARRIED Monica. You can't say things like that. You're practically wishing a divorce on him. It took him ages to get over Carol."
Monica didn't know what to say. She hated to see Rachel so upset. Where was the fun Rachel that everyone knew and loved? This new, sniffling, distraught Rachel unnerved her slightly. Rachel was the one who Monica would go to with her problems. Rachel was the spoilt one, the one who always got her way... yet this time, the time she really really needed to "get her own way" she couldn't. It broke Monica's heart to watch her.
There was a knock at the door, and Joey poked his head into the room. "Hey, how is she?" he said in an undertone to Chandler.
Chandler walked him out the room and shut the door behind him, and they stood in the corridor. "She's devastated," Chandler admitted. "I've never seen her this bad."
"What is it about Ross?" Joey wondered out loud. "He seems to be surprisingly like a magnet these days. I mean, Emily's pretty hot, in her own British way, and now he has Rachel crying for him too! It's enough to make you sick," he finished vehemently.
Chandler laughed. "Joe, you're not exactly at a loss for women to... meet up with," he said. "If anyone should be sick to the core, it's me. I'm the one who struggles to get women."
"Yeh right!" Joey laughed. "What about Aurora? Janice? She was smitten with you man. And what about that hot babe you had last night?"
Chandler looked at Joey in surprise. "Wh-wh-what?" he asked, not wanting Joey, of all people, to find out about Monica just yet.
"It's ok man, you can trust me. So, who was it?" Joey asked eagerly, wanting to know the latest gossip.
"I don't know what you're talking about," Chandler said, a little too quickly. "Anyway, why do you think I "had someone?"
"Well, the door was locked last night, for one thing," said Joey. "And when I went to get a... well, I had that bridesmaid with me last night, and I had to get protection.. you know..." Joey looked surprisngly embarrassed, but Chandler didn't notice. "Anyway, when I went to get it, there was one missing."
"Well... I... " Chandler couldn't think of an explanation for that, and he didn't want to leave it to Joey's imagination, what he could have been up to if he wasn't with someone last night. "OK, so what if I had someone last night? We were both drunk, and it's a very rare occasion for me, you know."
"Dude, I know," Joey said, causing Chandler to feel rather offended. "I just mean, when you are with someone, you always seem to be really serious... more serious than me anyway."
Chandler was getting bored with this conversation, and wanted to go back to see how Rachel was. "Look, we all have to be ready in like half an hour," he said to Joey. "You're still wearing jeans. Go get ready Joe, and I'll see you in the church."
Joey nodded. "K man, see you soon," he said, before walking off to his own room. Chandler watched him walk off, and wondered how long he'd be able to keep his secret from his best friend-after Monica, of course.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Monica had managed to persuade Rachel to come to the wedding, and had also managed to find something reasonably smart for her to wear. Although Rachel wasn't a bridesmaid, Monica still thought she should be there. She had a slight hope in the back of her mind that Ross would realise what he was missing out on, seeing Rachel there as he made the biggest commitment of his life.
As they walked up the aisle, Monica found herself standing with Chandler "Is Rache ok?" he asked, to start the conversation.
Monica shrugged. "I really don't know. I think Ross is making a big mistake personally. Maybe he'll realise too."
Chandler looked at Monica. "Do you think we made a mistake?" he asked her abruptly.
Monica smiled. "That depends on what you want to do from now," she said. "I really think we need to talk more... Rachel kind of interrupted us back then."
Chandler nodded, happy that Monica didn't think of last night as a mistake. "I don't think it was a mistake," he said, taking Monica's hand in his own briefly. "I do think our friendship has been effectively ruined though." He grinned, and she moved as if to hit him again, but he dodged her. Laughing to herself, she went to stand by the vicar, and waited for Emily to walk up the aisle.
Rachel was sitting in the middle of people she didn't know, and was watching the man she loved make a commitment to someone else. She couldn't do it. She tried to move, but was sandwiched inbetween two rather large old men. She realised she would have to wait until she could move out quietly.
All heads turned as Emily started walking up the aisle with her father. Rachel had to admit, she looked beautiful. Her hair fell just below her shoulders and briefly touched the dress she was wearing. She looked angelic. Rachel hated her even more, though kept telling herself that it wasn't Emily's fault.
The ceremony began. Everything seemed to be running smoothly, but Rachel couldn't wait to leave. People on one side of her were moving up, and she felt in a couple of minutes she could slip out unnoticed.
The vicar smiled at Ross. "If anyone..."
"Excuse me," Rachel hissed to the man next to her. "I need to get up."
"...knows any reason why these two people should not marry, say now, or..."
"Thank you," Rachel whispered to the man, as she made to get up.
"...forever hold your piece," finished the vicar. Rachel stood, making to leave the church.
"Yes?" the vicar asked, surprised. In all the years that he had done marriages, no one had ever objected to a wedding.
Rachel turned. Ross and Emily were staring at her. Monica was staring at her. Chandler and Joey looked shocked. Joey was mouthing "No!" at her.
They think I'm objecting! Rachel thought to herself. She stayed standing, watching Ross' face in silence as everyone in the church started to talk amongst themselves. "His ex," she heard someone explaining to someone else. Everyone obviously thought she had a reason to object.
"I..." Rachel began.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Hmm, I thought I'd end it there for now. I'm not completely sure about that ending-I know it was a little strange. I'll try and make it up to you by making the rest of it a lot more interesting. Anyway, please review! Lilian xXx
