August 1, 2004
"Ross, do you have Emma's teddy bear?" Rachel was walking down the stairs with Emma on her hip.
"Yes!" Rachel heard Ross' voice from the living room, so she followed it until she found him.
"And you have plenty of juice boxes packed?"
"Yes. We're all set."
"This is so exciting, Ross! We're going on our first real family vacation together."
"Well, everything's packed. I'll go swing by Carol and Susan's and pick up Ben. You just stay here and rest," Ross ordered. Rachel raised an eyebrow.
"Now you're telling me what to do?"
"I'm just watching out for you, sweetie."
"I know," Rachel replied. She stood on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek. "Go pick up Ben." Ross left and Rachel put Emma down. She sat down on the couch and looked at her daughter.
"What do you think, Emma? We're going to Disney World. Are you excited about Florida?"
"Yeah!" Emma exclaimed with a wild exuberance. Rachel laughed and smiled at her daughter. The girl began to twirl around light a ballerina and Rachel realized how amazing her and Ross' daughter really was. The girl was graceful and she was becoming slender, even at two years old. She was intelligent for a baby her age, and she always had something to say, even if you couldn't understand it.
Rachel and Ross had decided not to tell Emma about the new babies until Rachel began to really show. There was a bit of a bump in front now, only at three months along, but Rachel knew it wasn't a good idea to tell Emma yet. She didn't want the girl to get her hopes up and then something would go wrong. But Rachel felt wonderful, and she knew it was because she was with Ross and her family was expanding.
Rachel realized that her daughter was still spinning around in circles.
"Sweetie? Stop so you don't get sick!" Emma stopped and giggled at her mother. She climbed up into Rachel's lap and leaned against her chest. "Emma, you know that momma loves you, right?" Emma looked up at Rachel with big, beautiful brown eyes and she smiled. Rachel knew Emma understood.
The front door opened and Phoebe walked in.
"Hey Pheebs!"
"Hey Rach. What's going on?"
"Ross, Emma, Ben, and I are leaving for Florida. Ross is picking up Ben right now."
"Lucky bastards."
"What?"
"Oh, I'm just bored out of my mind. Mike is away on business, and I'm stuck at home pregnant and . . ."
"What?!"
"Mike's away."
"What'd did you say after that?"
"I'm stuck at home."
"Pheebs, you're pregnant?!"
"Yeah. Didn't you know?"
"No!"
"Well, I just found out a few days ago. I'm due in April."
"That's so awesome!" Rachel hugged her friend. "Does Mike know yet?"
"No. I'll tell him when he gets home."
"Well, congratulations!"
"Thanks. Well, since you're getting ready to leave, I'll let you finish packing." Phoebe hugged Rachel and left with a wave. Rachel sighed heavily and sat back down on the couch.
A while later, Ross and Ben arrived at the house. Ben was ten years old now. He had grown much taller since the last time Rachel had seen him. Ben had been away in England for the past couple of years with Susan and Carol. They had just arrived home a week before, and Ross wanted Ben to meet Emma.
Emma was sitting on the couch watching cartoons when her dad and brother came in. Rachel walked into the living room with a juice box for Emma. She handed it to her little girl who accepted it happily.
"Hey Ben!" Rachel exclaimed with a big grin.
"Okay, what do I call you? Aunt Rachel, Rachel, or mom?" the boy asked. Ross laughed.
"You can call me whatever you want," Rachel replied, "as long as it isn't anything bad. I'm your step-mom, so you be the judge."
"I have two moms at home, but having a third one wouldn't be so bad."
"Well, it's up to you. I'll be happy with whatever you choose." Ben hugged Rachel and when they pulled away, Rachel motioned for Emma to come over. Emma hopped off of the couch and took her mother's hand. "Emma, this is your big brother. His name is Ben. Can you say hello?"
"Hi," Emma said quietly.
"Ben, this is your little sister Emma."
"Hi Emma." Emma hid behind Rachel's leg.
"Don't be afraid. He's your brother. Now that he's back in New York, you'll get to spend a lot of time with him," Ross said to Emma. He picked her up and she looked down at Ben.
"I don't think she likes me," Ben said quietly.
"She does like you. You're just new to her." Ben nodded slowly and Ross looked at the clock.
"Well, Ben, you're stuff's already in the car. Rach, you want to put Emma in her car seat? I'll get the luggage."
"Sure sweetie," Rachel replied. She took Emma and led her and Ben to the car while Ross got the suitcases.
When they were all loaded into the car, Rachel looked back to see Ben handing Emma her teddy bear. Rachel smiled and she turned to the front and watched the kids through the rear-view mirror. Ben already looked protective of his little sister, and Emma was starting to smile at him. Rachel knew that Emma would adore her big brother, even though he was so much older than her. She knew that Emma would love her new siblings just as much some day. She couldn't wait until her family expanded. She couldn't wait to have babies in the house again. Emma was growing up more and more each day, and it was sad for Rachel because her little baby was turning into a little girl.
"You alright?" Ross asked when he got into the car. Rachel nodded at him. She took his hand.
"I was just thinking about how our little girl is growing up. It'll be nice to start over, you know?"
"I know," Ross replied with a smile. He turned around to look at his kids. "You read to go to Florida?"
"Yeah!" Ben exclaimed with just a slight hint of an accent from his stay in London.
"Are you guys going to get your picture taken with Mickey Mouse?"
"Yeah. And Goofy! Maybe Emma will get one with Minnie Mouse," Ben suggested. Emma clapped her hands at that suggestion.
Later that night, the Geller family stopped at a hotel in South Carolina. Emma and Ben were hopping on one of the beds. Ben was holding Emma's hands so she wouldn't fall off. Rachel was down the hall getting some ice for the water. Ross was flipping through the channels on television.
"Joey!" Emma screeched out as she saw her Uncle Joey's television show commercial. Emma settled down on Ross' lap until the commercial was over. Emma laughed and clapped her hands.
Ben sat down next to his dad and his sister. Rachel walked into the room and she leaned against the door when she saw her husband and children sitting together. She watched as Ross tickled Emma's feet and as Ben kissed his little sister's hand. She watched Ross look up at her and motion her over, and she knew that she had made the right decision in being a part of this family. She knew that she never wanted to turn back. This was where she wanted to be.
"Ross, do you have Emma's teddy bear?" Rachel was walking down the stairs with Emma on her hip.
"Yes!" Rachel heard Ross' voice from the living room, so she followed it until she found him.
"And you have plenty of juice boxes packed?"
"Yes. We're all set."
"This is so exciting, Ross! We're going on our first real family vacation together."
"Well, everything's packed. I'll go swing by Carol and Susan's and pick up Ben. You just stay here and rest," Ross ordered. Rachel raised an eyebrow.
"Now you're telling me what to do?"
"I'm just watching out for you, sweetie."
"I know," Rachel replied. She stood on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek. "Go pick up Ben." Ross left and Rachel put Emma down. She sat down on the couch and looked at her daughter.
"What do you think, Emma? We're going to Disney World. Are you excited about Florida?"
"Yeah!" Emma exclaimed with a wild exuberance. Rachel laughed and smiled at her daughter. The girl began to twirl around light a ballerina and Rachel realized how amazing her and Ross' daughter really was. The girl was graceful and she was becoming slender, even at two years old. She was intelligent for a baby her age, and she always had something to say, even if you couldn't understand it.
Rachel and Ross had decided not to tell Emma about the new babies until Rachel began to really show. There was a bit of a bump in front now, only at three months along, but Rachel knew it wasn't a good idea to tell Emma yet. She didn't want the girl to get her hopes up and then something would go wrong. But Rachel felt wonderful, and she knew it was because she was with Ross and her family was expanding.
Rachel realized that her daughter was still spinning around in circles.
"Sweetie? Stop so you don't get sick!" Emma stopped and giggled at her mother. She climbed up into Rachel's lap and leaned against her chest. "Emma, you know that momma loves you, right?" Emma looked up at Rachel with big, beautiful brown eyes and she smiled. Rachel knew Emma understood.
The front door opened and Phoebe walked in.
"Hey Pheebs!"
"Hey Rach. What's going on?"
"Ross, Emma, Ben, and I are leaving for Florida. Ross is picking up Ben right now."
"Lucky bastards."
"What?"
"Oh, I'm just bored out of my mind. Mike is away on business, and I'm stuck at home pregnant and . . ."
"What?!"
"Mike's away."
"What'd did you say after that?"
"I'm stuck at home."
"Pheebs, you're pregnant?!"
"Yeah. Didn't you know?"
"No!"
"Well, I just found out a few days ago. I'm due in April."
"That's so awesome!" Rachel hugged her friend. "Does Mike know yet?"
"No. I'll tell him when he gets home."
"Well, congratulations!"
"Thanks. Well, since you're getting ready to leave, I'll let you finish packing." Phoebe hugged Rachel and left with a wave. Rachel sighed heavily and sat back down on the couch.
A while later, Ross and Ben arrived at the house. Ben was ten years old now. He had grown much taller since the last time Rachel had seen him. Ben had been away in England for the past couple of years with Susan and Carol. They had just arrived home a week before, and Ross wanted Ben to meet Emma.
Emma was sitting on the couch watching cartoons when her dad and brother came in. Rachel walked into the living room with a juice box for Emma. She handed it to her little girl who accepted it happily.
"Hey Ben!" Rachel exclaimed with a big grin.
"Okay, what do I call you? Aunt Rachel, Rachel, or mom?" the boy asked. Ross laughed.
"You can call me whatever you want," Rachel replied, "as long as it isn't anything bad. I'm your step-mom, so you be the judge."
"I have two moms at home, but having a third one wouldn't be so bad."
"Well, it's up to you. I'll be happy with whatever you choose." Ben hugged Rachel and when they pulled away, Rachel motioned for Emma to come over. Emma hopped off of the couch and took her mother's hand. "Emma, this is your big brother. His name is Ben. Can you say hello?"
"Hi," Emma said quietly.
"Ben, this is your little sister Emma."
"Hi Emma." Emma hid behind Rachel's leg.
"Don't be afraid. He's your brother. Now that he's back in New York, you'll get to spend a lot of time with him," Ross said to Emma. He picked her up and she looked down at Ben.
"I don't think she likes me," Ben said quietly.
"She does like you. You're just new to her." Ben nodded slowly and Ross looked at the clock.
"Well, Ben, you're stuff's already in the car. Rach, you want to put Emma in her car seat? I'll get the luggage."
"Sure sweetie," Rachel replied. She took Emma and led her and Ben to the car while Ross got the suitcases.
When they were all loaded into the car, Rachel looked back to see Ben handing Emma her teddy bear. Rachel smiled and she turned to the front and watched the kids through the rear-view mirror. Ben already looked protective of his little sister, and Emma was starting to smile at him. Rachel knew that Emma would adore her big brother, even though he was so much older than her. She knew that Emma would love her new siblings just as much some day. She couldn't wait until her family expanded. She couldn't wait to have babies in the house again. Emma was growing up more and more each day, and it was sad for Rachel because her little baby was turning into a little girl.
"You alright?" Ross asked when he got into the car. Rachel nodded at him. She took his hand.
"I was just thinking about how our little girl is growing up. It'll be nice to start over, you know?"
"I know," Ross replied with a smile. He turned around to look at his kids. "You read to go to Florida?"
"Yeah!" Ben exclaimed with just a slight hint of an accent from his stay in London.
"Are you guys going to get your picture taken with Mickey Mouse?"
"Yeah. And Goofy! Maybe Emma will get one with Minnie Mouse," Ben suggested. Emma clapped her hands at that suggestion.
Later that night, the Geller family stopped at a hotel in South Carolina. Emma and Ben were hopping on one of the beds. Ben was holding Emma's hands so she wouldn't fall off. Rachel was down the hall getting some ice for the water. Ross was flipping through the channels on television.
"Joey!" Emma screeched out as she saw her Uncle Joey's television show commercial. Emma settled down on Ross' lap until the commercial was over. Emma laughed and clapped her hands.
Ben sat down next to his dad and his sister. Rachel walked into the room and she leaned against the door when she saw her husband and children sitting together. She watched as Ross tickled Emma's feet and as Ben kissed his little sister's hand. She watched Ross look up at her and motion her over, and she knew that she had made the right decision in being a part of this family. She knew that she never wanted to turn back. This was where she wanted to be.