True Love Really Doesn't Run Smoothly
Part 4: Gum
Author's Note: I am not sure how much interest this story is attracting, so I would love you to review it so I have an idea.
The songs used in this chapter are I'm With You by Avril Lavigne and Yesterday by The Beatles.
**********
Phoebe looked away as Rachel and Joey got out of bed and put on dressing gowns. Joey's wide smile was causing Rachel to giggle like a little school girl.
Rachel tapped Phoebe softly on the shoulder to let her know she could turn around. she did, and they immediatly saw the odd look she was wearing. The different parts of her face showed compromising emotions: her light green eyes flashed dangerously in anger, but she couldn't conceal the small smile curling the corners of her mouth upwards.
Then she started shouting. The sheer volume of her voice could have easily cracked the vases of lilies dotted around the bedroom, and Rachel had to put her fingers in her ears to prevent herself from going deaf.
"What the hell are you two doing?! I don't understand. It's wrong, I tell you, just plain wrong......"
Despite the loudness of Phoebe's voice, both of the others present in the room found their minds wondering. They both knew Phoebe would notice if they looked at each other, but it was all either of them could do to stop themselves from jumping on each other.
Rachel satisfied herself by reliving the entire night in her head, from the moment she'd entered the apartment to the moment just passed. It had been, she thought, one of the most enjoyable nights of her life. She remembered back to trying to make the transition from friend to lover with Ross. That had been extremely difficult: she recalled herself unable to stop giggling as they'd tried to kiss.
But she'd found it so much easier with Joey. It had still felt a little weird, since it wouldn't have said much for their friendship if it hadn't, but something Joey did had eased it. He'd made her feel comfortable, the way he always did, but he'd also made her feel special, like she was the only girl he'd ever wanted, and he wanted to treat her right.
She pictured staring into his eyes over the dinner table, making her feel like they were the only two people in the world. And the way he brushed her hair gently back, a gesture of such deep caring it never failed to thrill her. She had every movement of his memorized, and she ran them through her head: the way his lips moved when he talked, the way he smiled, the way he kissed...........
Her thoughts were cut short by something Phoebe had just said. Rachel had heard a phrase that she'd heard so many times over the past few years that she was determined to put it to rest.
She looked up slowly at Phoebe, with a calm expression and fake coolness she knew would barely last another minute. "What did you just say?" she said quietly.
Phoebe looked rather annoyed that she hadn't been listening. "I'm not going to repeat it all-"
"No, no, just the last sentance," interrupted Rachel, gritting her teeth in a desperate attempt lo keep calm.
Both Phoebe and Joey were aware that something was wrong, and while Phoebe tried to keep a brave face in front of the ignited Rachel, Joey backed away before she blew up.
"I - er - I said 'What about Ross?'" said Phoebe nervously.
Rachel felt the anger bubbling up inside her. She didn't want to shout at Phoebe, but she desperately needed to peel off the the label which read ' Ross' - keep off ' which, apparently, everyone but her could see.
She tried to stay calm as long as she could, but Phoebe and Joey could see the anger radiating from her.
"What about Ross? What about Ross......hmm," she pretended to muse. "What about Ross. Well, you know what, Pheebs?" she asked, annoyance giving her fake calm voice a dangerously edge.
"N - No," said Phoebe, abandoning all pretences and taking a giant step backwards.
Rachel's voice found a level of loudness it had definately not reached since she was a baby as she exploded, almost knocking the now distant Phoebe off her feet. "I don't give a shit about Ross! You people are always saying things like that, and, to be honest, I don't care. I don't care about Ross. I do not belong to him. He gave me up, he slept with the copy girl, not me, and I got over him. He is NOT the person I want to be with anymore. I want to be with Joey. Not with Ross. With Joey. And we do not need your approval. Okay?" She snapped the last word out.
Phoebe nodded slowly, still intimidated by this woman she had once branded a pushover. The smile they had seen curling at her mouth returned, slowly growing as she saw how happy they were, in each others arms at the end of the bed.
Rachel's outburst had evidently taken a lot out of her, and she breathed heavily as her head rested on Joey's shoulder, while his hand stroked her hair sedatingly. She smiled, making Phoebe suddenly realise she didn't want to be there right now.
"Okay, I'm gonna go," she said, backing out of the room and clicking the door shut behind her.
Rachel looked up at Joey, who smiled sweetly. Rachel's bottom lip was still quivering from her outburst, and Joey saw it. He touched it lightly, and her deep blue eyes stared at him. He smiled again, before placing his lip against her's and kissing her. Their tongues flickered against each other like candle flames as they melted into each other.
**********
Phoebe left the apartment quietly, knowing they were already back over each other. She'd seen the sparks flitting around them, and it was obvious they'd barely been able to contain themselves while she was there.
Phoebe had always thought that, eventually, Rachel would get back together with Ross, and that, although she'd no idea how, she'd end up with Joey.She wasn't upset, she was just confused. In any of her wild dreams, which she had a lot of, she had never thought it would be Rachel and Joey together. Now who would Phoebe fall back onto?
As she reached the lobby, she assured herself she'd find someone. She took the gum she'd been chewing out of her mouth and tried to throw it into the wastepaper basket at the bottom of the stairs. However, the old and dim lanterns in the lobby didn't give off much light, and in the darkness Phoebe managed to get the gum stuck to her index finger.
She continued walking towards the exit, and, while trying to scrape the gum off her favourite ring, absently walked down the steps outside.
Her shoulder made full contact with someone. They tumbled down the steps together, and Phoebe landed face down on top of an overly wrapped up man.
She looked down. It was Ross.
She smiled. "I'm sorry Ross, I......" Her words trailed off as she noticed the compromising position they were in.
He had an odd look on his face. She felt something pass through her body, making her shiver. She felt every nerve in her body stand on end as she stared at his face.
He'd felt something too. The little hairs on his arms stood on end as he took in her confused face, her bright eyes, her long hair. He wanted to move, to get up and out because he he knew he shouldn't stay. But something kept him there, unable to move his eyes from her face.
He suddenly felt extremely hot. He'd known it was cold out, so he'd wrapped up warmly, even though he was only going across the street.
She saw the beads of sweat running down his face, and she moved her hand to wipe them off.
He felt her finger touch his skin, and that one gesture sparked something in him, and as her face moved down, his moved up. Her hand moved into his hair as their nioses touched. Their lips were almost together -
Ross' head jerked upwards, bashing Phoebe's forehead.
"Uh, there's something in my hair," he panicked, shaking his head around.
Phoebe rubbed her forehead and giggled. "Oh, my gum!" she said, looking down at her bejewlled hand and realising the gum was now absent.
Ross looked horrified. "There's gum in my hair?!" he said incredulously, shaking his head around even more fervently.
She put her hand on his arm placatingly. "Ross, calm down. It's only gum," she said, picking it out of his hair. "See?" she said, holding it up for him to see, then standing up and throwing it into the nearby trashcan. Ross got up and brushed off the bits that had attracted to his coat.
Phoebe walked back over. Remembering what had almost happened, they both averted their eyes in embarassment.
"So, I'm gonna call a cab," said Phoebe, breaking the awkward silence. "Brr, it's kind of cold isn't it...." The words died on her lips as she noticed what Ross was wearing.
They shared a laugh, although both still found it rather awkward. Phoebe flagged down a cab, which stopped, and the driver leaned over. "Where to?" he asked in a heavy Southern accent.
Phoebe gave her address and opened the door. "Bye Ross," she said, with a flickering smile.
He raised his left hand as a gesture of goodbye, and watched as she ducked into the cab and pulled the door shut. He looked after the cab until it vanished into the bright lights of the city traffic.
**********
It's a damn cold night
Trying to figure out this life
Won't you
Take me by the hand
Take me somewhere new
Don't know who you are
But I
I'm with you
**********
Ross entered Central Perk and saw Rachel and Joey sitting together on the couch. He failed to notice they were a lot closer together than they normally were, but he was preoccupied with thoughts about Phoebe.
He had no idea where the almost-kiss had come from. Yesterday at this time he'd felt totally normal, but now..... His body ached to see her again, for their lips to be in the proximity they had been, for her hands to be in his hair again. He knew full well these thoughts were wrong, but he couldn't get them to leave his head.
He sat down in the armchair at the end of the coffee table. Seeing him, Rachel moved a little back from Joey, whose smile was a little wider than normal.
Ross sighed. Feining interest, Rachel leaned forward and asked "What's wrong, Ross?" She tried to stop herself from squealing as Joey ran a finger down her back.
"What? Oh, nothing. Just some work stuff," he said absently, signalling to a waitress he wanted to order. She walked over, her high heels clattering on the wooden floor. "I'll have a decaf and a jam donut," he said, and she nodded and moved to the table behind. "You wanna hear about it?" he said teasingly, knowing the answer.
"No!" said Rachel and Joey in unison, both leaning away again. Ross smiled.
His expression changed when Phoebe came walking from the bathroom. She saw the expression on his face and looked away, sitting on the couch next to Rachel.
However, Rachel had noticed Ross' sudden change in expression, and she looked in confusion from Ross to Phoebe. "What's going on?" she asked.
Phoebe moved her head towards Rachel, but was unable to look her in the eye as she answered. "Nothing," she denied.
Joey suddenly realised that something was odd, and he leaned in, his face eagerly flashing between Phoebe and Ross. "Yes there is!" he exclaimed. "What is it?" he asked excitedly.
Phoebe gave a very fake laugh. "No there isn't," she said firmly. A mischeavous smile suddenly flickered across her face. "Hey, Ross, did you know Joey and Rachel are seeing each other?"
Rachel gasped. Ross sat foward in alarm, while Joey's eyes almost popped out of his head.
"Phoebe!" said Rachel angrily. Phoebe sat back grinning, her mission accomplished. Rachel looked at Ross, whose mouth had dropped open in surprise.
"Ross?" said Rachel.
"Yes?" he said. His voice sounded quite calm, which surprised all three of them.
Phoebe's expression returned to annoyance, since her plan to distract the others with Ross' anger didn't seem to be working. It also held nervousness, because she desperately wanted to forget the moment with Ross which had been at the front of her thoughts ever since.
Joey looked rather scared. He thought that Ross was going to explode at any second at any second, and, although he didn't dare take his eyes from Ross, his hand hand searched next to him for Rachel's. He felt his fingers run lightly over her's, and he clutched at her hand.
Rachel smiled. Joey was incredibly cute when he was worried, she thought. It softened his expression, making him more vulnerable. She drew in a breath, and the smell of his colone entered her nostrils. It's strong scent overwhelmed her, only making her mind think more of Joey.
She too was expecting Ross to explode, but she was ready for it. She knew everything he would say: he'd said it all countless times. Her mind started manufacturing dozens of counter arguements, all ready to escape her mouth and hit Ross right back.
But Ross did not explode. He still looked very calm, which unnerved Joey, who was expecting to be deafened at any second. Ross took his coffee and donut politely, and, after taking a sip of coffee, said simply, "Really? When did this happen?"
Rachel stumbled, relegating all the vicious insults to the back of her mind as she tried to respond. Joey bravely stepped in.
"Well, a couple of nights ago, at the hotel," he said slowly. "But the baby - well, it's mine."
Ross nodded, as though they were discussing the weather. "Interesting. It's great, " he said, smiling at the shocked Rachel and unnerved Joey. Phoebe still avoided his gaze. "Well, I've gotta go. I promised Mom I'd have lunch with her," he said, quickly finishing his coffee and wrapping his donut in a napkin. He got up, smiled at them again, and walked out.
Phoebe, Rachel and Joey stared after him.
"Was that Ross?" asked Joey in bewilderment. "I was expecting him to - "
"I know!" said Phoebe, in the exact tone of voice Monica said it in.
Rachel looked at her. "Oh, and thanks for telling him, Pheebs," she said sarcastically.
Phoebe smiled cheekily. "My pleasure."
**********
Ross turned the corner of the street and relaxed against the wall.
Even though he knew he and Rachel weren't meant to be, he would have expected news like that to affect him a little. His ex-girlfriend, ex-wife come to that, getting together, and getting pregnant, with his best friend?
He remembered the rules he had once recited to Chandler after his short thing with Janice. Somehow they didn't seem to matter any more. Everything had been so simple yesterday.
All he'd been able to think about while seeing the once love of his life with his best friend was how he wanted Phoebe's lips touching his.
**********
Yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far away
Now it looks as though they're here to stay
Oh, I believe in yesterday.
Suddenly, I'm not half to man I used to be,
There's a shadow hanging over me.
Oh, yesterday came suddenly.
**********
Endnote: This chapter really belongs to Ross and Phoebe, but they are NOT going to be come the main focus of this story. The focus will return to Joey and Rachel next chapter, which also sees the return of Monica and Chandler.
Part 4: Gum
Author's Note: I am not sure how much interest this story is attracting, so I would love you to review it so I have an idea.
The songs used in this chapter are I'm With You by Avril Lavigne and Yesterday by The Beatles.
**********
Phoebe looked away as Rachel and Joey got out of bed and put on dressing gowns. Joey's wide smile was causing Rachel to giggle like a little school girl.
Rachel tapped Phoebe softly on the shoulder to let her know she could turn around. she did, and they immediatly saw the odd look she was wearing. The different parts of her face showed compromising emotions: her light green eyes flashed dangerously in anger, but she couldn't conceal the small smile curling the corners of her mouth upwards.
Then she started shouting. The sheer volume of her voice could have easily cracked the vases of lilies dotted around the bedroom, and Rachel had to put her fingers in her ears to prevent herself from going deaf.
"What the hell are you two doing?! I don't understand. It's wrong, I tell you, just plain wrong......"
Despite the loudness of Phoebe's voice, both of the others present in the room found their minds wondering. They both knew Phoebe would notice if they looked at each other, but it was all either of them could do to stop themselves from jumping on each other.
Rachel satisfied herself by reliving the entire night in her head, from the moment she'd entered the apartment to the moment just passed. It had been, she thought, one of the most enjoyable nights of her life. She remembered back to trying to make the transition from friend to lover with Ross. That had been extremely difficult: she recalled herself unable to stop giggling as they'd tried to kiss.
But she'd found it so much easier with Joey. It had still felt a little weird, since it wouldn't have said much for their friendship if it hadn't, but something Joey did had eased it. He'd made her feel comfortable, the way he always did, but he'd also made her feel special, like she was the only girl he'd ever wanted, and he wanted to treat her right.
She pictured staring into his eyes over the dinner table, making her feel like they were the only two people in the world. And the way he brushed her hair gently back, a gesture of such deep caring it never failed to thrill her. She had every movement of his memorized, and she ran them through her head: the way his lips moved when he talked, the way he smiled, the way he kissed...........
Her thoughts were cut short by something Phoebe had just said. Rachel had heard a phrase that she'd heard so many times over the past few years that she was determined to put it to rest.
She looked up slowly at Phoebe, with a calm expression and fake coolness she knew would barely last another minute. "What did you just say?" she said quietly.
Phoebe looked rather annoyed that she hadn't been listening. "I'm not going to repeat it all-"
"No, no, just the last sentance," interrupted Rachel, gritting her teeth in a desperate attempt lo keep calm.
Both Phoebe and Joey were aware that something was wrong, and while Phoebe tried to keep a brave face in front of the ignited Rachel, Joey backed away before she blew up.
"I - er - I said 'What about Ross?'" said Phoebe nervously.
Rachel felt the anger bubbling up inside her. She didn't want to shout at Phoebe, but she desperately needed to peel off the the label which read ' Ross' - keep off ' which, apparently, everyone but her could see.
She tried to stay calm as long as she could, but Phoebe and Joey could see the anger radiating from her.
"What about Ross? What about Ross......hmm," she pretended to muse. "What about Ross. Well, you know what, Pheebs?" she asked, annoyance giving her fake calm voice a dangerously edge.
"N - No," said Phoebe, abandoning all pretences and taking a giant step backwards.
Rachel's voice found a level of loudness it had definately not reached since she was a baby as she exploded, almost knocking the now distant Phoebe off her feet. "I don't give a shit about Ross! You people are always saying things like that, and, to be honest, I don't care. I don't care about Ross. I do not belong to him. He gave me up, he slept with the copy girl, not me, and I got over him. He is NOT the person I want to be with anymore. I want to be with Joey. Not with Ross. With Joey. And we do not need your approval. Okay?" She snapped the last word out.
Phoebe nodded slowly, still intimidated by this woman she had once branded a pushover. The smile they had seen curling at her mouth returned, slowly growing as she saw how happy they were, in each others arms at the end of the bed.
Rachel's outburst had evidently taken a lot out of her, and she breathed heavily as her head rested on Joey's shoulder, while his hand stroked her hair sedatingly. She smiled, making Phoebe suddenly realise she didn't want to be there right now.
"Okay, I'm gonna go," she said, backing out of the room and clicking the door shut behind her.
Rachel looked up at Joey, who smiled sweetly. Rachel's bottom lip was still quivering from her outburst, and Joey saw it. He touched it lightly, and her deep blue eyes stared at him. He smiled again, before placing his lip against her's and kissing her. Their tongues flickered against each other like candle flames as they melted into each other.
**********
Phoebe left the apartment quietly, knowing they were already back over each other. She'd seen the sparks flitting around them, and it was obvious they'd barely been able to contain themselves while she was there.
Phoebe had always thought that, eventually, Rachel would get back together with Ross, and that, although she'd no idea how, she'd end up with Joey.She wasn't upset, she was just confused. In any of her wild dreams, which she had a lot of, she had never thought it would be Rachel and Joey together. Now who would Phoebe fall back onto?
As she reached the lobby, she assured herself she'd find someone. She took the gum she'd been chewing out of her mouth and tried to throw it into the wastepaper basket at the bottom of the stairs. However, the old and dim lanterns in the lobby didn't give off much light, and in the darkness Phoebe managed to get the gum stuck to her index finger.
She continued walking towards the exit, and, while trying to scrape the gum off her favourite ring, absently walked down the steps outside.
Her shoulder made full contact with someone. They tumbled down the steps together, and Phoebe landed face down on top of an overly wrapped up man.
She looked down. It was Ross.
She smiled. "I'm sorry Ross, I......" Her words trailed off as she noticed the compromising position they were in.
He had an odd look on his face. She felt something pass through her body, making her shiver. She felt every nerve in her body stand on end as she stared at his face.
He'd felt something too. The little hairs on his arms stood on end as he took in her confused face, her bright eyes, her long hair. He wanted to move, to get up and out because he he knew he shouldn't stay. But something kept him there, unable to move his eyes from her face.
He suddenly felt extremely hot. He'd known it was cold out, so he'd wrapped up warmly, even though he was only going across the street.
She saw the beads of sweat running down his face, and she moved her hand to wipe them off.
He felt her finger touch his skin, and that one gesture sparked something in him, and as her face moved down, his moved up. Her hand moved into his hair as their nioses touched. Their lips were almost together -
Ross' head jerked upwards, bashing Phoebe's forehead.
"Uh, there's something in my hair," he panicked, shaking his head around.
Phoebe rubbed her forehead and giggled. "Oh, my gum!" she said, looking down at her bejewlled hand and realising the gum was now absent.
Ross looked horrified. "There's gum in my hair?!" he said incredulously, shaking his head around even more fervently.
She put her hand on his arm placatingly. "Ross, calm down. It's only gum," she said, picking it out of his hair. "See?" she said, holding it up for him to see, then standing up and throwing it into the nearby trashcan. Ross got up and brushed off the bits that had attracted to his coat.
Phoebe walked back over. Remembering what had almost happened, they both averted their eyes in embarassment.
"So, I'm gonna call a cab," said Phoebe, breaking the awkward silence. "Brr, it's kind of cold isn't it...." The words died on her lips as she noticed what Ross was wearing.
They shared a laugh, although both still found it rather awkward. Phoebe flagged down a cab, which stopped, and the driver leaned over. "Where to?" he asked in a heavy Southern accent.
Phoebe gave her address and opened the door. "Bye Ross," she said, with a flickering smile.
He raised his left hand as a gesture of goodbye, and watched as she ducked into the cab and pulled the door shut. He looked after the cab until it vanished into the bright lights of the city traffic.
**********
It's a damn cold night
Trying to figure out this life
Won't you
Take me by the hand
Take me somewhere new
Don't know who you are
But I
I'm with you
**********
Ross entered Central Perk and saw Rachel and Joey sitting together on the couch. He failed to notice they were a lot closer together than they normally were, but he was preoccupied with thoughts about Phoebe.
He had no idea where the almost-kiss had come from. Yesterday at this time he'd felt totally normal, but now..... His body ached to see her again, for their lips to be in the proximity they had been, for her hands to be in his hair again. He knew full well these thoughts were wrong, but he couldn't get them to leave his head.
He sat down in the armchair at the end of the coffee table. Seeing him, Rachel moved a little back from Joey, whose smile was a little wider than normal.
Ross sighed. Feining interest, Rachel leaned forward and asked "What's wrong, Ross?" She tried to stop herself from squealing as Joey ran a finger down her back.
"What? Oh, nothing. Just some work stuff," he said absently, signalling to a waitress he wanted to order. She walked over, her high heels clattering on the wooden floor. "I'll have a decaf and a jam donut," he said, and she nodded and moved to the table behind. "You wanna hear about it?" he said teasingly, knowing the answer.
"No!" said Rachel and Joey in unison, both leaning away again. Ross smiled.
His expression changed when Phoebe came walking from the bathroom. She saw the expression on his face and looked away, sitting on the couch next to Rachel.
However, Rachel had noticed Ross' sudden change in expression, and she looked in confusion from Ross to Phoebe. "What's going on?" she asked.
Phoebe moved her head towards Rachel, but was unable to look her in the eye as she answered. "Nothing," she denied.
Joey suddenly realised that something was odd, and he leaned in, his face eagerly flashing between Phoebe and Ross. "Yes there is!" he exclaimed. "What is it?" he asked excitedly.
Phoebe gave a very fake laugh. "No there isn't," she said firmly. A mischeavous smile suddenly flickered across her face. "Hey, Ross, did you know Joey and Rachel are seeing each other?"
Rachel gasped. Ross sat foward in alarm, while Joey's eyes almost popped out of his head.
"Phoebe!" said Rachel angrily. Phoebe sat back grinning, her mission accomplished. Rachel looked at Ross, whose mouth had dropped open in surprise.
"Ross?" said Rachel.
"Yes?" he said. His voice sounded quite calm, which surprised all three of them.
Phoebe's expression returned to annoyance, since her plan to distract the others with Ross' anger didn't seem to be working. It also held nervousness, because she desperately wanted to forget the moment with Ross which had been at the front of her thoughts ever since.
Joey looked rather scared. He thought that Ross was going to explode at any second at any second, and, although he didn't dare take his eyes from Ross, his hand hand searched next to him for Rachel's. He felt his fingers run lightly over her's, and he clutched at her hand.
Rachel smiled. Joey was incredibly cute when he was worried, she thought. It softened his expression, making him more vulnerable. She drew in a breath, and the smell of his colone entered her nostrils. It's strong scent overwhelmed her, only making her mind think more of Joey.
She too was expecting Ross to explode, but she was ready for it. She knew everything he would say: he'd said it all countless times. Her mind started manufacturing dozens of counter arguements, all ready to escape her mouth and hit Ross right back.
But Ross did not explode. He still looked very calm, which unnerved Joey, who was expecting to be deafened at any second. Ross took his coffee and donut politely, and, after taking a sip of coffee, said simply, "Really? When did this happen?"
Rachel stumbled, relegating all the vicious insults to the back of her mind as she tried to respond. Joey bravely stepped in.
"Well, a couple of nights ago, at the hotel," he said slowly. "But the baby - well, it's mine."
Ross nodded, as though they were discussing the weather. "Interesting. It's great, " he said, smiling at the shocked Rachel and unnerved Joey. Phoebe still avoided his gaze. "Well, I've gotta go. I promised Mom I'd have lunch with her," he said, quickly finishing his coffee and wrapping his donut in a napkin. He got up, smiled at them again, and walked out.
Phoebe, Rachel and Joey stared after him.
"Was that Ross?" asked Joey in bewilderment. "I was expecting him to - "
"I know!" said Phoebe, in the exact tone of voice Monica said it in.
Rachel looked at her. "Oh, and thanks for telling him, Pheebs," she said sarcastically.
Phoebe smiled cheekily. "My pleasure."
**********
Ross turned the corner of the street and relaxed against the wall.
Even though he knew he and Rachel weren't meant to be, he would have expected news like that to affect him a little. His ex-girlfriend, ex-wife come to that, getting together, and getting pregnant, with his best friend?
He remembered the rules he had once recited to Chandler after his short thing with Janice. Somehow they didn't seem to matter any more. Everything had been so simple yesterday.
All he'd been able to think about while seeing the once love of his life with his best friend was how he wanted Phoebe's lips touching his.
**********
Yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far away
Now it looks as though they're here to stay
Oh, I believe in yesterday.
Suddenly, I'm not half to man I used to be,
There's a shadow hanging over me.
Oh, yesterday came suddenly.
**********
Endnote: This chapter really belongs to Ross and Phoebe, but they are NOT going to be come the main focus of this story. The focus will return to Joey and Rachel next chapter, which also sees the return of Monica and Chandler.