Thanks for all the great reviews! Now for chapter 3..

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Ross had never felt more miserable. He walked into his apartment and threw his keys on the table. God, why did he always have to show up and see them there together. He went over and grabbed a beer, and then layed down on the couch, and before long was asleep,the only place he could escape from the pain he felt.

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Rachel got home late from her date with Chris, still sobbing. She couldn't believe what had just hapenned. She prayed that Monica was still sleeping, she didn't want anyone to see her like this, she didn't want anyone to know. Chris apologized, he'd probably never hit her again, and she had been a little unreasonable with him. He'd had a little to drink tonight anyway. She couldn't exactly call off the engagement over one little mistake. Everything would be fine..or so she hoped.

"Oh my god Rach, what hapenned to you're arm," Phoebe asked, sitting down on the orange couch with a coffee next to Rachel and Joey.

"Oh, i-it's nothing. I fell last night getting out of the shower, that's all." Rachel said.

"Oh. So anyway, how was your date with Chris last night?" Phoebe asked.

"It was okay, we got into a bit of a fight, but we made up," Rachel said.

"So, the wedding's coming up pretty soon huh? Just a month and a half away. You excited?" Joey asked.

"Yeah.." Rachel said.

"If I were you, I'd be freaking out right about now. You'll never sleep with anyone else ever again. I don't think I'd be ready for that!" Joey said.

"You'd better get over that Joey, I don't think you'll ever meet a woman who'd let you sleep with other women while you're married to her" Rachel said.

"Stranger things have hapenned.." Joey said.

"Well, I've gotta run. I'll see you guys later." Rachel said.

"Bye Rach" Phoebe said.

Just then Monica walked in with Chandler.

"Hey guys" Monica said, sitting down.

"Hey" Joey said.

"Has anyone seen Ross recently? I haven't really seen much of him lately. He seems really depressed about something," Monica said.

Joey and Chandler exchanged looks..remembering what Ross had told them after he opened Rachel's wedding invitation.

"Yeah, me and Joey saw him yesterday actually.." Chandler said.

"Yeah, he did seem pretty upset.." Joey said.

"Well did he talk to you about it?" Phoebe asked.

"Well…sort of.." Joey said.

"Sort of?" Monica said.

"Well..we walked in on him right after he opened up Rachel's wedding invitation. He seemed really upset, and we talked to him about it, and he kinda told us that.." Chandler said.

"He's still in love with Rachel!" Joey blurted out.

"Oh my God, that's why he's been acting so strangely ever since Rachel and Chris announced that they were getting married!" Monica said.

"Does Rachel know?" Phoebe asked.

"No, and I don't think he wants her to. He might not even go to the wedding." Joey said.

"But he has to go!" Monica said.

"It might just be to hard on him..' Chandler said.

"Poor Ross.." Phoebe said.

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The next month was really hard for Rachel. She was amazing at hiding it, although It was only a matter of time before people starting noticing the bruises and scratches. Chris had been drinking more and more, stressed about the wedding, and getting more violent. Any time he saw her talk to another man, he went crazy, which sucked because 3 of her best friends hapenned to be men. He had never been so jealous before. At first he would question her every time she talked to a guy, and seemed a little jealous, but it was sort of cute, and it was never like this. He hit her every time they fought now. She just couldn't marry him, she actually tried breaking the engagement, but he just got madder, and she couildn't do anything. Her friends must've thought she was the biggest klutz, because everytime they asked her where she got a bruise, she made something up like that she tripped or something. Now, with only 2 weeks until her wedding, to a man who had taken her life from happy and comfortable, to a horrible nightmare. But still, she smiled, pretended like nothing was wrong, even though she felt as though her whole world was crashing down.

Things weren't much easier for Ross. He still thought that Rachel was happy as ever with Chris. He told her he would go to the wedding. He knew it would be the most painful thing he had ever done, but whether he went or not, nothing would change that Rachel was going to be married, and she wanted him there, so he told her he would go even though it was tearing him apart inside.

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Rachel was getting ready to go over to Ross' with the gang (Monica thought it might cheer him up to have them all hang out without Chris around, she was sick of seeing her brother so depressed) and stopped and looked at herself in the mirror. This wasn't her..not the Rachel she once was. Her body had bruises on it, and she had lost weight, because being so upset made her lose her appetite, making her already thin figure even skinnier. She looked pale and unhappy. She covered everything up. She wore long sleeved shirts and pants everywhere now, even just at home, she made sure she had a sweatshirt or something on. Her friends started to notice she hadn't really been acting like her old self. Sure she acted happy, like nothing was wrong, but her friends knew her better then that, but couldn't figure out what could possibly be wrong. Despite all of this, she still went on pretending..she didn't know how much longer she could hold it all in though. She finished getting ready and headed over to Ross'.

Rachel was the first one there. She walked in, and her and Ross sat down and talked for a while, waiting for everyone to come. Ross noticed Rachel seemed quieter then usual, and found it odd that she hadn't said one word about the wedding. Normally, unfortunately for him, it was all she could talk about.

"Rach, are you okay, you seem sort of..I dunno, distracted or something." Ross said.

She was tired of lying to all of her friends when they asked her questions like that, but she knew they would just make a big fuss, and they wouldn't be able to help her anyway. For some reason she just didn't want to lie to Ross..she didn't know what to say..

"Rach?" he said.

She couldn't do it anymore, she had to tell someone or she would explode.

"I'm not okay, Ross..I haven't been ok. I-I..It's Chris.." Rachel said, before bursting into tears. "I don't know what to do Ross, h-he's been.."

Ross hugged her, he hated seeing her so upset.

"It's okay, Rach, what is it?

"Chris has been.."

"Rach, what?"

"He's been hitting me.." she sobbed.

"That bastard, I swear, I'll kill him!" he looked down at Rachel, realizing that wasn't what she needed to hear right now. "How long has this been going on?"

"About a month or so..around the time the wedding invitations were sent out.."

"Why didn't you tell anyone?"

"Well..I thought he would stop, but he didn't, he just got worse. I even tried to break the engagement, and he just got madder. I've tried everything Ross, I don't know what to do..and my parents are spending a fortune on this wedding."

"I'm so sorry Rach, that's terrible. Look, I swear I will do anything to help you through this..I'm'so sorry"

"I'm so stupid Ross, why did I ever believe that he'd stop..what was I thinking?"

"Look at me, you're not stupid. You're smart and beautiful and wonderful and funny..Chris is the stupid one. How could anyone do this to someone so amazing?"

"Ross, you're so sweet.."

Finally, for once ever since all this started, she felt safe. She forgot how good it felt to have him hold her, to look into his eyes. For a moment, she felt as if the world stopped. As if nothing else mattered but them, in that moment, and she forgot about her problems, about Chris, getting lost in his eyes. Before she knew what was going on, she was kissing him..she couldn't believe she forgot what a good kisser he was. Everything just felt so right..but then, she heard the handle on the door move, and they sprung apart still staring into eachother's eyes, both vulnerable and scared. As their friends walked in, oblivious to what was going on, Rachel was jerked back to the horrible reality of her life.

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Hope you liked chapter 3! Again, thanks for all the great reviews. The more reviews I get the fast I update! Lol, so please review : )