True Love Really Doesn't Run Smoothly

Part 12: Sail Your Sea

A/N: Right. Firstly, sorry for the wait, if anyone was waiting at all, but I got a block on this. And I still dislike it. But, thank you for the encouraging reviews. I hope this, the final chapter, is a satisfying conclusion. I'm not too fond of it, but I just wanted to get it out there and finish. If people want, I'm open to doing an epilogue, but only if encouraged. So, review, and tell me whether this is a good end, to the first story I ever started. It sure feels good to finally say that we're at the end.

ETA: Edited to fix mistake pointed out by reviewer, and a few grammatical mistakes. (Although I'd hardly say they were "numerous".) Also, I am not going to respond to any more questions on Monica's "surprise", purely because I did that already, and if you can't believe it, don't. I didn't know how else to end her story satisfactorily, and I saw this situation on my local news, so please stop asking about it. Thank you.

Dedication: To Pie, for all her support and proofing skills, and to Rose, who will never read this, but was my inspiration.

Her lips moved easily over his for several minutes, her hand fumbling with the buttons of his shirt, sliding easily from their holes and coming apart, her fingers reaching deeper and touching his skin. For a while, he simply surrendered, the feeling of her with him again, of what he thought he'd lost forever, overwhelming him and making all rational sense flood away.

But as she pushed herself against him, willing his hands to touch her back, she felt him tense, and she drew away, immediately dreading what he would say.

His breathing was heavy as he stared at her, sense leaving again as he took in her worried face, hair messy around her face but still radiating beauty.

She watched his mouth open, and waited for his words, her heart beating wildly.

"I don't understand," he whispered.

She frowned, breathing softly as she moved closer, resisting the urge in her fingers to touch him again. "Understand what, Joey?"

"How you can be doing this," he replied, louder, standing up. He strode across the room, and her gaze followed, as she perched on the bed, distress filling her eyes.

"Doing what?" she asked quietly.

"This!" he burst out, and she was taken aback, and leant backwards. "How can you do this to me? You blame me for kissing Kate, making me feel me feel like total shit even though I did nothing wrong and now… now you expect me to accept that you're just throwing it all away?"

Rachel stood, trying to make herself look like she wasn't intimidated. "I thought this was you wanted!" she cried.

"It is," he said softly. "But I can't just let you carry on like nothing's happened. You've put me through so much pain, and I can't just pretend like nothing happened, Rach."

"Well, what do you want me to do? For all I know, you did kiss her."

"I didn't!"

"Well, I don't know that!" she yelled, and he stepped back.

He breathed, his face a mask, no sentiment showing. She just hoped with all her heart that he was hiding it. "Well, Rachel, y'know what? For the first time in your life, someone is going to leave you, instead of the other way round," he snapped, brushing past her and sweeping out of the door, leaving an ashen Rachel to sit down on the bed and try to stop herself from crying.

"What is going on with you two?"

Rachel glared at Monica's whisper, and moved further into the kitchen, glancing at Joey's unmoving head as he sat on the sofa. Phoebe, Joey and Chandler were sat before the television, occasional laughs coming as they watched a show Rachel couldn't name. Ross was busy laying out the table with chips and a deck of cards, stealing glances at Phoebe when no one was looking.

Rachel shoved the bowl of salsa into Monica's hands and grabbed a couple of glasses from the shelf above. "Nothing has happened," she intoned, met with a look of scorn.

"Rachel, I know something's changed- it's so obvious. Now, tell me, or I'll just keep nagging you," she whispered, glancing at Ross, sighing when she saw him staring at Phoebe. "God, this group is so messed up," she moaned, looking at Chandler, who was cooing to baby Melissa.

"Except for you two," Rachel added, following Monica's gaze.

Monica smiled, and turned back. "I know," she said. "It's been two weeks since we brought her home, and Chandler's been even more attentive than ever," she grinned.

Rachel sighed, looking wistfully at the salsa bowl. "Yeah," she said quietly.

Monica put her hand on Rachel's shoulder and was about to reply when Ross straightened up and yelled out happily.

"Okay, who's ready for poker?!"

"I'm out."

"Me too."

"Yeah, I fold."

"What is it with this stupid game?"

Everyone moved slightly back as Monica slammed her cards down on the table, and she looked at them scornfully.

"Sorry."

Phoebe silently glanced at Ross, who was still holding his cards tightly, and raised her eyebrows. He tried desperately to see into her eyes, but she looked down again, her face drawn.

"Loser?" she asked.

Ross blinked, and then jumped as Melissa started screaming in the other room again. The other four rose, sensing something was about to happen, and they all clambered into the bedroom, Joey glancing back quickly before Chandler pulled him away and closed the door.

Ross took his chance. "Look, Phoebe-"

Phoebe coughed. "Loser?" she repeated, her tone harsher.

Ross sighed. "No, I fold," he replied sullenly, dropping his cards on the table and standing up. As he went into the bathroom, Phoebe put her cards down, scraped the pile into her arms; then froze, her eyes firmly on his pile of cards. She looked quickly around and reached across the table, picking up the cards and staring at them.

Her mouth fell open as her brain desperately tried to manufacture the information she saw before her, and as Ross came back out, glancing sadly at her, she just gaped at him.

"What?" he rasped.

She stuttered. "Ross… this is a straight flush."

He blinked. "So?"

"So… you won," she answered, handing him his cards. She pushed the chips across the table again. "These are yours," she said, and stood up, turning toward the door. "Tell Monica and Chandler I had to go home early," she told him, and he just stared at her as she took her coat and left.

There was silence for a few minutes as Ross stood there staring at the closed door, trying to figure out what to do. He'd thought he'd laid a careful plan, one that would get Phoebe into his arms. It had been clear to everyone what he'd been doing, and he was sure it was clear to her too. But he'd also been sure that it'd work.

Suddenly, he moved, racing out of the door and down the stairs after her.

"He's gone," Monica whispered, ear against the door.

Joey sighed, rolling his eyes. "Can we go out again now? It stinks in here," he said, glancing at Melissa, who squirmed in Chandler's arms.

Rachel smiled at the baby. "Aww, its all part of having babies, Joey," she said innocently, not realizing what she had just said. Joey stared at her, but she didn't look up, and teased little Melissa, who reached out her hand, and Rachel smiled. Chandler and Monica exchanged a glance, as Joey left silently, Rachel not even looking around as the door shut.

Monica looked pointedly at Chandler, who left quickly, and Monica moved nearer to her best friend.

"Rachel…"

"Monica, no. We are not going to talk about this."

Monica made a pained face. "Do you not realize what you just did to him? Playing with a little baby, like the one inside you right now, the one that, in about two months, he's going to father?"

"Look, I tried, okay? And he didn't take it. He said he didn't know how I could just forget it all, and left, so… there. Okay? I tried. If you want to try and convince anyone, convince him, but I'm not going to hear it," Rachel said, standing up and moving over to the window.

"Chandler's talking to him," she whispered.

Rachel rolled her eyes. "So? What does that mean? That he's going to ask me how to fix it, and then propose because he's sorry?" she scorned, drawing on one of Chandler and Monica's own experiences.

Monica blushed slightly. "No… meaning they're guys, and probably aren't even talking about it," she replied, gaining a laugh out of Rachel.

It was silent in the crisp night air as Ross walked out of the door, shivering, and regretting not stopping to get his jacket. He started down the steps, but froze as a blond head swept around, tear stains on her face, and a tissue in hand.

"Oh my god, Phoebe… are you okay?" he said, running down the steps and sitting next to her, tentatively stretching an arm around her.

She stared at him. "Do I look it?" she said, wiping her eyes.

"Well… no," he said softly, and tightened his hold, as he felt no resistance. "What's wrong?" he said, voice holding a silent hope that it was he.

"Guess," she whispered, eyes almost sparkling as she stared at him.

He sighed. "I'm sorry," he said. "I'm sorry that I did this to you. I'm sorry I threw you into this depression. I just… I just…" he trailed off, not knowing how to finish.

"You just love me," she finished for him, with a small smile playing over her lips.

He sighed, pulling her close and kissing her hair fondly. "Do you?"

She said nothing.

"Phoebe?"

"I don't know if I can," she whispered, sadly.

Ross sighed deeply. "Why not, Phoebe?"

She turned to face him completely. "Too many reasons to count, Ross. Too many reasons why not."

"What about the reasons why?" he countered, his hand resting against her cheek.

She sighed, and let a tear fall. "And what are they?" she asked quietly.

"There's one," he whispered, holding a finger up. "One that will beat anything that says why not."

"And… what's that?" she said breathlessly, knowing what he would say, and ignoring the fact that all this seemed to cliché. But, she realized as he moved even closer, sometimes clichés happen, and sometimes you have to surrender to them.

Ross smiled gently, his hands holding her chin up. "That I love you… and you love me," he murmured, and captured her lips softly, passionately; and she let him hold her, and let him run his hands over her skin, concealed by her jacket, and the rain trickled down upon them and cars drove past; but he did not let go, and she wouldn't have let him if he had tried.

The room was silent. In the bedroom, Joey could hear distant sounds of Melissa squirming as Chandler and Monica tended to her. Rachel shuffled uncomfortably on the floor, finger running down the CD collection in the cupboard, searching for something to play. She sighed and sat down, slamming the cupboard shut and glancing at Joey.

"Don't know what to put on?" he said, but she stayed silent, staring straight ahead. "Rach?" he said, leaning forward, but she looked away, sniffing quietly. "What, are we not even talking now?"

Rachel glared at him. "I tried. And what did you do? Blame me for this whole stupid mess," she snapped, eyes flashing dangerously.

"Well, if you'd just believed me, there'd be no problem!" he yelled back, his words fading quickly and silence hanging in the air.

Rachel stood quickly. "I couldn't," she whispered. "Do you even know what I thought when I saw you kissing Kate? That whole thing with Ross. I'd still be with him now if he hadn't betrayed me. Maybe that was meant to be. Maybe this is too. Things happen for a reason, Joey, and maybe the reason for Kate coming back, even if you didn't kiss her, was to get us apart," she said, breathing heavily, absently resting a hand on her rather large stomach.

Joey stared at her. "So… what? We're not meant to be together? I'm just meant to accept that?"

"Sometimes you just have to," she replied.

Joey shook his head. "I can't. I can't do that."

"Maybe you have to," she countered, and he heard the doubt in her voice, and moved nearer.

"No," he said. "I know you don't believe that. I love you. I love you too much to let you go. Why do you think being apart destroyed us? I remember yours and Ross' break-up. And you- you were angry at each other. We, we weren't angry. I felt ill, every day. Every day that I woke up and you weren't there, and I remembered everything. I started to blame myself, I became convinced I had kissed her, because nothing else made sense," he pleaded. "Please, Rachel. I love you. I love you, and we're going to be together, and we're going to get married, and we're going to have this baby and be a family," he whispered, through a veil of tears.

She didn't blink. Tears rolled down her cheeks, and a hand softly touched his cheek. "You… you want to get married?" she whispered.

His eyes widened. "Do you?" he asked, looking surprised at himself as he spoke.

She stayed quiet for a few minutes, looking like she was considering what he had said- but all the time she knew her answer. "Yes," she answered, smiling. "Yes!" she shouted, and ran forward, flinging her arms around his neck, and he held her tightly, a smile finally splitting across his face as he held her.

"So I'm forgiven?" he whispered into her ear.

She leant back, still hanging in his arms. "Am I?" she replied, with a crooked smile.

He answered her with a passionate kiss, slowly releasing his grip, and kneeling before her. "Gotta do this properly," he grinned, and she wiped her eyes, smiling gently back.

"Okay," she laughed.

He winked. "Rachel Green… will you marry me?" he whispered softly, smiling.

"Yes," she giggled, kissing him again, and he stood up again, slipping his hand into hers and kissing her hair.

Joey grinned and turned to face the bedroom door. "Hey, you two can come out now!" he called, and Monica and Chandler walked slowly out, tentative smiles on both of their faces.

Rachel smiled. "It's okay, you guys. I'm sure you heard it all," she winked.

"Congratulations," said Monica warmly, and Chandler nodded in agreement. But neither moved forward, and Rachel frowned.

"Is that it?" she said plainly.

Monica smiled. "Well, we're… oh, to hell with it! I can't believe it!" she cried excitedly, hugging Rachel tightly, and Chandler did the same to Joey.

"Congratulations, man," he said, and Joey grinned.

Rachel drew away again, smiling widely. "Hey, where are Ross and Phoebe? We have to tell them the good news!" she exclaimed, and Monica shrugged.

"They both vanished. Remember?"

"There's a light on at Ross'," said Chandler, and they all moved nearer, all noticing the shadows at the same time.

"Oh my god, that looks like Ross and Phoebe are-" started Monica, and then fell silent as they all realized what exactly Ross and Phoebe were.

"Okay, close my drapes, put me to bed, and book me in for therapy tomorrow," said Monica turning away from the window as the others all cringed.