A/N: The only change from the storyline presented in the Friends sitcom is that, as you may have guessed from the title, Rachel didn't get off the plane at the end of the finale.
The obligatory disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters contained in this story. Friends and all characters contained therein are property of Bright/Kauffman/Crane. All copyrights and/or trademarks of Warner Brothers and/or NBC are assumed to be honored as well. The only thing herein created by me is the story..
Splash...bloosh...crash...
The drone of the sea reverberated in the background. Relentless. Eternal.
Splash...crash...splisshhhh...
She couldn't tell if she'd been listening to the sound for a minute, an hour, or a day. It was friendly music, yet she had no idea where it was coming from. It was calming in a way; it was the one unwavering force in a world where even consciousness came and went capriciously. Still, the soft, untamable roar of the water continued gently in the distance.
...whoosh...crash......
"Was it all a dream?"
She tried to open her eyes but could only muster a squint. Peering through her eyelids, she could make out a cerulean blur and nothing else. She tried to lift her head in order to survey the surrounding area but, much to her alarm, her muscles couldn't seem to find any strength. She tried to lift her arms, her legs: nothing. It was useless. Feeling frustrated and defeated, she gazed into the shadowy void above her pensively, not really knowing what to make of this strange and frightening situation. She wanted to cry, but even that seemed too daunting a task for her tattered body to undertake. So she squinted on, waiting for the curtain of haze to lift or else consume her altogether. Her eyes tired after a short while, the murky shades of blue too difficult to take in any longer. She closed her eyes and was alone again, save the unrelenting sounds of the ocean.