Part 12 Rachel finds out

Suddenly Rachel burst into the room with Emily's cousin close behind, making Emily and Ross stand up in surprise. Suddenly the room seemed way too small.

'What the hell have you been doing Ross? You've been here for more than an hour,' Rachel exclaimed, looking angry and a little frightened. Ross realised that Rachel was thinking the worst.

'Rachel — ' Ross began when Emily's amused voice cut through,

'What's the matter, don't you trust him?' She was smiling, still holding the book in one hand.

'You can just shut up,' Rachel told her and turned to Ross, glaring. 'What's going on? What are you doing here? What do you want to see her for?' Ross rushed to placate her.

'Honey it's not what it looks like, did Monica tell you?'

'She just said you were meeting Emily here and I came over just in time to see you come in. Over an hour ago,' Rachel said accusingly. Then surely, Ross thought, she must have noticed that Emily had arrived perhaps only ten minutes ago. But Rachel was so agitated that perhaps she hadn't noticed Emily arriving — she might only have expected to see the worst. It didn't seem that she knew why he was seeing Emily — she probably hadn't waited to find out.

Turning to Emily, Rachel said, 'I don't care what you're up to but you just get on that plane to London right now. No-one wants you here, understand? No-one! And if someone hijacks your plane on the way back, that will be even better!' Emily looked contemptuous at this outburst.

'Take her away Ross,' Emily said to Ross, looking past Rachel. 'No-one asked her to come barging in here. She's lowering the tone.'

'You can talk to me if you've got something to say!' Rachel demanded.

'I've got nothing to say to you. This is between me and him,' Emily said loftily, making Ross think she was being deliberately provocative. Deliberate or not, it provoked Rachel.

'You bitch!' Rachel lunged at Emily who hit her across the face with the book she had been holding before Ross and the cousin could get between them. Rachel staggered back at the blow and the cousin shoved Rachel out of the way before her outstretched hand could grab any of Emily's hair.

'Hey!' Ross said angrily as he caught Rachel. As soon as he made sure Rachel was okay he'd —

'You keep your filthy hands off her,' the cousin snarled at Rachel. 'She's a pregnant woman, you maniac!' Rachel, who had angrily shrugged Ross off, stepped back in alarm at his tone.

'Don't talk to Rachel like that - ' Ross said but the cousin turned to Emily, and said,

'Shall I call the police?'

'Police!' Ross exclaimed outraged, 'Now you look -' but this time it was Emily who cut across him.

'No need, she's just leaving and so is Mr Geller.' Emily gave Ross and Rachel a hostile look, holding her book firmly as though she might need to use it again. The cousin glared at them.

'You heard Emily. Out.'

'Come on Rach, let's go,' Ross said, holding out a hand, 'I'll explain on the way home.'

'I'm not going anywhere with you,' Rachel said, infuriated. 'You let her hit me!' She slapped him and stormed out. Ross ran after her without seeking a final reassurance from Emily about the children.

He caught Rachel up on the street, but he had to hurry to keep up with her as she was setting a cracking pace.

'Rachel, listen to me honey.'

'No!' She charged over the road and Ross followed in trepidation. Rachel didn't so much as glance to the right before she crossed. Oh my God, he thought, she's so upset, she's taking her life into her hands...

'Rachel!' She whirled around and faced him.

'How could you do that to me Ross? I gave up Paris for you and the minute that bitch turns up you're over there!' Emily had made her nose bleed although it had stopped. Rachel angrily swiped away a comforting hand. 'How could you? After everything we've been through and the promises you made suddenly you're off, seeing your ex — '

'Come on, at least hear my side of it,' Ross pleaded. 'It's not fair of you to not hear my side.'

'Your side? You let her hit me!' Rachel exclaimed.

'I didn't let her hit you,' Ross said.

'You tried to protect her, you were holding me back,' Rachel said.

'I was trying to stop you falling over!' Ross said.

'You would have let that awful hit me too,' Rachel said.

'I would not have!' He wished that he had punched the cousin out but he hadn't thought it would help at the time. Now he'd do anything not to have Rachel think for a second that he had let her down. But what if they had called the police? He had seen both their faces, they would have called the police for sure, and how would that have looked, with Emily pregnant, saying that they had been brawling in front of her?

'It's so nice,' Rachel spat, 'That you've been having this wonderful get together, catching up on old times. Did you rekindle old feelings too? The first time round it happened kind of fast with you two!' Rachel started walking again and Ross had to hurry again.

'It's not what you're thinking at all.' Whatever she was thinking was bound to be wrong. In fact he was beginning to feel a sense of injury that she was thinking anything bad about him. That was the injury Emily had done him, thinking that he was wanting to see Rachel for the wrong reason, not trusting him even if appearances did look bad…

'Oh what am I thinking?' Rachel demanded, 'Huh Ross? Tell me what am I thinking?'

'All sorts of things that aren't true. Damn it Rachel do you think I wanted to see her?!' Ross exclaimed, 'I never wanted to see her again, she's a reminder of something very painful to me but I had to see her, okay? I had to see her.' Rachel had stopped walking but she refused to look at Ross. He passed the photo in front of her eyes. 'Look.'

'What?' she asked and taking the photo, she stared at it. 'Who are they? Are they your cousin's children?' She sounded mystified.

'No, they're mine. And Emily's.' Rachel stared at him in disbelief.

'Emily had babies? Your babies?'

'Yes.'