Thanks everyone for the great reviews on all my fics! The next chapter of Love at First Sight will be up VERY soon. It's all done. :) Please leave me a review on this one.

This is the chapter that finally leads us into the main plot...(what, you thought we already started, lol?) ;) You'll see...

Just read on. ;)

Ugh. Monday again. They never seem to stop, do they? Like the relentlessly evil tide, Mondays seemed to roll in, one after another, hardly leaving room for other days to bestow grace upon Monday's victims.

Rachel sat at her small desk in her office at Ralph Lauren, twirling her hair and gazing out the window.

Rain fell, for the millionth day in a row, it seemed. Rachel leaned farther back in her chair as she waited for the time to hit 5:00.

4:55. Rachel tapped her foot impatiently on the cold, hard floor. Every time her mind would drift to the past weekend, she would replace them with a mundane to-do list that she was intent on finishing.

Pick up dry-cleaning. Don't think of Ross. Hide stained pillow from Monica. Don't think about Ross. Cancel hair appointment. And for God's sake, don't think of the one you love but can't have!

'Wait a sec. In telling myself not to thin about him, I'm thereby thinking of him...4:58. That's it, I'm getting out of this prison and heading straight for Hell.'

Rachel flung her purse over her shoulder and briefly strided towards the exit.

The newfound glory she took comfort in was held in that word.

Held in the prospect of escape.

----

"What do you think of this one?" Emily fidgeted uncomfortably in front of the small mirror.

Ross stared blankly up at the ceiling, studying the rows and patterns of never-ending dots, merely contemplating.

Not contemplating anything that would change the world, or even his life, just thinking. About her. The one person his mind was not allowed to drift back to for the longest time had suddenly made an entrance and was not leaving for a while.

"Well, what do you think? Is it too dressy?"

Abruptly, Ross cleared his throat, "Ahem...too dressy...for what?"

"For dinner tonight."

"We're going to dinner tonight?"

"Yes," Emily sighed exasperatedly, "for the second time now. Are you alright?"

"Yeah...just a little tired, that's all."

Somehow, Emily sensed something else was wrong. It wasn't something she could place her finger directly on, but a feeling that hovered above both of them...a graying storm cloud darkening to fill the unspeakable void.

----

Against the silhouette of her apartment building, the night sky, vacant of stars, looked cold and harsh.

And empty.

Oh, how Rachel wished her heart could take on the emotions of the stoic sky. Instead, her heart threatened to burst from the ever-pressing weight her love burdened upon the delicate depths of her soul.

Shaking off as she stepped into the building, Rachel mounted the stairs and thought of all the possible pain the coming night could bring with it on its carriage.

'What are we going to do tonight?' she wondered.

Suddenly, she remembered. 'Oh God, dinner out.'

Ever since Ross and Emily had come, Monica hadn't the strength to keep cooking for all those people.

Tonight, they had reservations at some other upscale restaurant that Rachel didn't even care to know the name of.

The stairs seemed to go on forever, and Rachel had been met with the urgent urge to use the bathroom. It was that time of the month again, and if Rachel didn't reach the bathroom soon, problems were bound to arise.

Swiftly, Rachel unlocked the door and was greeted by a very depressed looking Phoebe who was all clad for a fancy dinner.

"Pheebs, what's wrong?" Rachel asked her, immediately concerned.

Her sweet eyes looked strained. "Oh nothing, really."

"C'mon, Pheebs, what is it?"

"I don't...I don't really know. I'm just...sad, for some reason."

"Well, hey, that's okay. It happens to the best of us."

Phoebe warily swirled her head around and surveyed the living room. The door to Rachel's old room- the door that would lead to her past- was closed.

"Come here," whispered Phoebe, and she motioned for Rachel to follow into the room she now shared with Monica.

"Where's Mon?" Rachel wondered.

"She, Chandler, and Joey are across the hall, but that's not the point."

"Well, what is?"

"Okay. So I kind of do know what's wrong...and it's a couple of things." Rachel nodded encouragingly as Phoebe proceeded. "Number one, I feel like we've been drifting apart. I hardly see you anymore, and when we're together, things are different."

"Aw, Pheebs." Rachel wrapped a comforting arm around Phoebe's small shoulders. "Things are just a little weird right now, y'know?"

"No, I don't know," Phoebe sighed. "That's the problem. Everyone just assumes I know everything, but I don't."

"Well...what do you want to know?"

"If you still love Ross."

Rachel felt as if a football had been hurled at her stomach at ninety miles an hour. "Do I...do I...what?"

"Do you still love him?"

It was a simple question that required a simple answer- one that Rachel knew all too well.

Slowly, she nodded.

Phoebe's eyes became very white and grew to the size of golf balls. "I knew it!"

"Shhh!" Rachel whispered and nodded towards the next room.

"Sorry...oh, God! This must be so hard for you!"

"No...it's a piece of cake," whispered Rachel, her tone threatening to burst from the sarcasm that bubbled.

"That's not the only thing that's been bothering me, though."

"Well, what's the other thing?"

She hesitated, then took a deep breath. "Well, this morning I took off work because I was feeling tired. I haven't been feeling that good lately, so I just decided to hang out here. Mon was at the doctor, and you were at work. Ross was visiting Ben alone...and I don't think that Emily knew I was here because I was napping Monica's room."

Phoebe glanced out the window as she trembled. "...and I overheard a phone conversation. Does Emily know a...Colin?"

"Yeah, I think she had an old boyfriend named Colin. Why?"

"Because that's who she was talking to on the phone. He called here, so apparently he knew where to find her."

"Oh my God," gasped Rachel.

"And that's not it! The call on the caller ID showed up as local! I think he lives in the city."

Rachel let a long, slow whistle seep through her lips. "So what did they talk about?"

Phoebe smiled slightly. "That's the thing. She picked up just as the answering machine beeped on, so the whole conversation was recorded."

"So the tape's still in there?"

Phoebe nodded.

"Have you heard it?"

Slowly, she shook her head no.

"I gotta go get it!"

Phoebe jumped up, "No! Let me. I have a tape recorder in my purse."

"Phoebe!"

"Well, you never know when you might need one! I'll go put it in your bag. Listen to it later...I don't think I can."

"Alright, but I have to go to the bathroom or I'll die."

"Okay," laughed Phoebe. "I feel a little better now that I got that off my chest."

"Good. Don't worry about it, though, cause I'm sure it's nothing."

However, her heart hoped different.

----

'Oh thank you for bathrooms!' Rachel thanked no one in particular.

The walls gleamed and shined...Rachel figured Monica must have been there not too long ago.

Rachel wondered what the walls would say if they could talk. She imagined these bathroom walls would have some funny stories to share.

The next thing she thought of were her bedroom walls. Now those walls would have a lot to say. During times with Ross, the walls were blessed with pleasant memories and happy days. Now, they were stained with tears.

As she looked around, she realized something that would make going to the bathroom very difficult. 'Damn, where is all the toilet paper?'

She reached around the bathroom and found an old Kleenex in the box behind her. That was enough to finish the first task...but it was that time of the month, and she still needed a few more tissues to take care of business and "wrap things up."

Eyeing the trashcan, she noticed a few tissues laying on top of the stash. She knew it was gross, but did what she had to do.

"EEW! This is so GROSS!" She gingerly lifted the Kleenex off the top and wrapped her tampon in it. "I think that's the most disgusting thing I've ever done..."

It was at that moment she spotted something that made her cringe and her heart leap.

She gasped as she sifted the trash around some more. Among all the tissues and other bathroom-worthy garbage was a small box.

The text read: First Response Pregnancy Test.

And the stick was nowhere to be found...

----

That night at dinner, Rachel could think of nothing but the pregnancy test. Who might it belong to? After all, Monica hosted a party a few nights ago, but who would take a pregnancy test at someone else's home?

And most of all, was it positive?

She stole furtive glances at Emily as the night progressed. Oh, how she loathed her for stealing the one thing good in her life.

Whenever Emily would throw her head back and let out her tinkling laugh, Rachel would feel disgusted.

It was like a scene from a movie. The jealous ex watched on as her old flame and friends gazed adoringly at the newest addition to the group.

And as everyone gracefully sipped their wine-

Wait. Rachel's heart leapt as she noticed one among the seven not drinking wine, but opting for water for some reason unbeknownst to everyone but the water-drinker. And now to Rachel.

Her hands began to sweat as she picked up her purse and announced she was going to the bathroom.

Walking towards the back of the restaurant, she peeked inside her bag. Sure enough, on top of the pile, was a tape recorder complete with a tape and headphones.

Shaking, she found a stall and locked herself inside.

Within the confines of all four makeshift walls, she pulled out the tape recorder and put the headphones over her ears, determined to get to the bottom of things.

Even though she knew the walls couldn't talk, she wasn't about to take her chances.

----

Uh-oh...Who's pregnant? LOL. You will all just have to leave me a review and wait in order to find out. Here's a hint...it's not who you think. (Or is it?) Okay, I'm being dumb. But now the fic can really get going and present the main problem, who will have to struggle with guilt etc..OK, I shouldn't say too much.

Please review, and have a happy Fourth of July out there! Don't blow your fingers off with fire works...and don't play with matches! ;)

Mel