Yes, yes, yes, Emily (whoops, that's Ross's dialogue from the last chapter). Changing things from the show's storyline is what fanfiction is all about, and pairings are fair game. This fic is labelled RE to warn people who don't like RE pairings that this is just such a story.

Missing Rachel

They stayed for several nights, catching the flights that they had planned to take home. Ross had covered up for the fact that he'd given his ticket to Rachel by pretending that he'd lost Emily's ticket. Since he was able to get one for her without difficulties, it wasn't a point that she pressed.

Their honeymoon had been busy enough. They had found another hotel the next day and then had gone sight seeing. On the last day, they burdened themselves with shopping, even though they had started the last day saying that they were going to be sensible. But there was always a little something Monica might like or Phoebe would love or Chandler would find interesting, as Emily saw it. Ross didn't know why she was being so generous, although he liked her thoughtfulness. He looked out for Joey and tried to wonder about how he could get Rachel a gift without getting a matching one for Monica, Phoebe and Emily herself.

There were plenty of others he had to look out for. There was Ben and the rest of his family, there were the people at work. Then they saw things that they might like for their home. In a jewellery shop, Ross picked out some earrings for Emily. She seemed to love that shop, looking over things at length. She seemed to like the pendants in particular.

'Do you want something else sweetie?' It wasn't that he minded getting her things, he wanted to get her things, but everything had turned out to be more expensive than he had thought. He was paying for two honeymoons after all.

'Oh no,' she said. 'Let's go.' He thought nothing of it when further down the street, she gave all her bags to him to run back to the shop for her hat. After all, she really had left her hat behind.

At the airport, they avoided being over the limit by wearing several sets of clothing and putting as much as they could in their pockets.

'Are we even gonna be able to sit down?' moaned Ross.

'I hope we don't drop anything,' Emily said. She only just saved her hat from falling off her head.

'I really don't think it will help if you wear your hat on the plane,' Ross said, 'It's not really adding anything to the weight problem.'

'It's too late now,' Emily said. They'd got the things checked on. She sighed. 'I could do with a magazine to read. Perhaps I should buy one.'

'We can't possibly carry any more stuff. I've got a book in my pocket if you want something to read.'

'All right,' Emily started to explore.

'No, not that pocket - way hey, that's not a pocket!' Ross jumped.

'There's something in there, is it getting bigger?' grinned Emily.

'Move your hand!' Ross said. She took the other jacket pocket.

'Oh there's the book.' She took it out. 'Carl Linnaeus?'

'Great biography,' Ross said.

'Oh. It is to do with dinosaurs?' she asked dubiously.

'No, it's just something I thought would be interesting, for a change.'

'Ah,' Emily said, looking at the book. She opened it slowly and sat down, with care.

'Ooh,' I've got to go to the bathroom,' Ross said. She gave him a look. 'No, I've really got to go, I'll leave the stuff with you.'

He was on his way back from the bathroom when he ran into Rachel.

'Oh my God, you're here.'

'Yes, I'm going home.'

'Oh.'

'I've got to go home sometime and the date on the ticket you gave me was for today.' She could have changed it, of course but why should she?

'Did you enjoy the holiday?'

'How nice of you to ask.'

'Don't be like that Rach.'

'It was pretty embarrassing.'

'Oh.'

'But the island was nice. How about you?'

'Oh it was great just great.'

'Where's Emily?'

'Over th- ' Ross waved. 'Please don't let her see you.'

'Why not?'

'Because she might suspect that you were with me on the island that's why. She's almost forgotten about you - '

'Oh that's nice,' Rachel said sarcastically.

'I don't want her getting upset again,' Ross insisted.

'It's okay if I get upset is it?' Rachel challenged.

'No, I don't want you to get upset either. I don't want anyone to be upset.'

'Well you want me to go sneaking around, pretending I'm not there. Of course that upsets me. She's going to see me in New York too, you know. Do you want me to move?'

'No, New York's different,' Ross said.

'Gee thanks.'

'Just until we get back, please please don't let her see you. Do you want me to have problems?'

'Oh all right,' Rachel said. 'Where are you sitting on the plane?' Ross showed her the boarding pass. 'Oh my God, I'm two rows behind you.'

'Oh no.'

'Well Ross, I'm still catching this plane, so what's your bright idea going to be?'

Ross had delayed boarding by claiming to need to go to the toilet again, so that he and Emily were the last ones to take their seats.

'Oh it's so hard to sit down,' he said. He hated planes anyway and three layers of clothes plus things in pockets didn't make it any easier for him.

'Are you all right?' Emily asked. Her hat fell off and she kicked it under the seat in front of her.

'Yeah, if I'm careful with my breathing.'

'You were wrong about the hats. I'm not the only person with one.'

'What?'

'There's a woman two rows back from us. She's practically wearing a sombrero.'

'Oh,' Ross said, feeling dread.

'I suppose if she didn't wear it, it would get crushed in her luggage,' Emily said. 'Funny thing to wear though.'

'Who are you to talk?' Ross said. 'Your hat is big.'

'Come on Ross, it's not that big,' laughed Emily. 'Take a look at hers.'

'Shh! She might hear you.'

'No, she -' Emily saw his face, 'Oh all right.' She was about to look back again when Ross grabbed her arm.

'No. I forbid you to look at that woman. You're not allowed to. Absolutely not, no, naughty, don't.' She stared in amazement at him and then just shrugged.

'All right.' She opened the Carl Linnaeus book and then said, 'Oh, you'll need your book back.' She offered the book to him.

'It's okay, I've got another one.' He brought it out. It had something to do with statistics. He looked at her. 'Do you want to swap?' The classification of plants seemed more accessible to Emily than a book with strange symbols in it, and she said,

'No thankyou.'