Disclaimer: Nothing belongs to me – the characters are property of Bright, Kauffman and Crane Production; the first two songs belong to Finch and the last two are by My Chemical Romance; I used the quote from Beautiful Girls for the beginning of the story, which was also used in a Taking Back Sunday song. The only thing I own is the computer I'm typing the story on and the 'cute' band names I came up with… oh, and the characters 'Danielle' and 'Ryan'.
A/N: Working on an entirely AU story, but it'll contain some elements from the show. Story's set with the gang in their early twenties, plus Ross and Chandler are college roommates and are in a punk band – might as well, seeing as how I've already incorporated a lot of songs into some of my other stories. As far as what the characters look like: Ross (Season 10), Chandler (Season 9 with the shaved head), Rachel (the beginning of Season 8), and Monica (Season 9). Everything else should explain itself as the story progresses…
Handguns and Second Chances
"Saturday"
A beautiful girl can make you dizzy, like you've been drinking Jack and Coke all morning.
She can make you feel high full of the single greatest commodity known to man – promise.
Promise of a better day
Promise of a greater hope
Promise of a new tomorrow
This particular aura can be found in the gait of a beautiful girl in her smile, in her soul
The way she makes every rotten little thing about life seem like it's going to be okay.
Scribbling into a notebook, a dark-haired man – wearing a "Frankie Say Relax" T-shirt – sat on the curb of the street just outside Central Perk, an infamous little bar where some of New York's better local punk bands played and were discovered. He stopped to take a sip from his water bottle – which from the smell, it obviously wasn't water. The man continued to scribble and jot down in the notebook. Every now and then, he'd read aloud what he'd just written, checking if what he'd written down made sense.
Just then, another dark-haired man – this one with blue eyes – approached him with his guitar bag slung on his shoulder, taking a puff from a cigarette with his free hand. Flicking the cigarettes' ashes and blew smoke in the opposite direction, he quipped, trying to catch the other guy's attention, "You know I've heard alcohol can damage the vocal cords. Since you're our lead singer and all, we wouldn't want you to mess up those vocal cords, Geller."
"Right, Bing – because those things are that much healthier and safer than alcohol is," the man quipped back jokingly, pointing to the cigarette that the other man had nestled between his fingers. "Especially when you'll need a voice box to speak and oxygen tank to breathe."
The man with the cigarette simply shrugged it off, "Fine, Ross – it's really a pick your poison kind of deal. You'll eventually damage your liver – and me, I'll be ultimately rewarded with blackened lungs, emphysema and well, lung cancer."
"I thought you were trying to quit, man," Ross replied. "And you were doing pretty well going cold turkey too."
"See, that's the thing – emphasis on trying," Chandler informed. "Apparently, it's a lot easier said than done. So, were you writing another song about Danielle? How's your relationship with her going?"
"For the most part," Ross paused. "I mean, uh, it's going to pretty well."
"Bullshit – you don't think I can tell when you're lying. Give me some credit, we've been roommates for a couple years now," Chandler reasoned. "Danielle's at that time of the month again, huh?"
"That's like me talking about you and Kathy. She doesn't understand, man. Anyways, I don't want to talk about it – or her, right now," Ross said matter-of-factly, shooting a glare at Chandler. "So, when are Kip and Gandalf getting here? They do know we're the first band playing tonight and we've got to set up."
Almost as if on cue, Mike "Gandalf" Ganderson answered, carrying a couple of amplifiers for the guitars into Central Perk, "Damn it, Geller. I'm not an idiot. So, anything else you want?"
"Nothing," Chandler chimed. "So, what other bands are performing after us?"
"Well, there's us and other bands," Gandalf informed. "Oh and there's this great band from Queens who've got an awesome drummer."
"Right, Mikey – thanks for being specific," Kip mocked, carrying his drumsticks in one hand and the drums' snare in the other. "Anyways, have any of you three girls heard about Kori and Adrienne's barbecue next weekend? I've heard they want some bands performing, including us."
"We're totally there," Chandler and Mike simultaneously replied, noticing Ross' silence and lack of enthusiasm. "Ross?"
"And you, Ross?" Kip inquired.
"Uh, I don't know guys. I mean, it all depends on whether Danielle wants to or not because I don't think she doesn't get along that well with them," Ross lied, hoping not to dampen the rest of the band's excited mood.
"Come on, man – it's not like you guys are married," a frustrated Kip reacted.
"I know, we're not," Ross countered, taking off his trucker cap and running his hand through his hair. "It's just that she seems to be rushing through things… and I'm not there yet, you know?"
"Well, we'd better get inside since we still have to set up," noted Chandler, hoping Kip and Mike would stop with the interrogating Ross as if he had been some witness to a crime scene.
XXX
"Ugh, Melinda, why again do we – no wait, more specifically do I – have to go to this stupid little gig thing?" Rachel pressed her roommate and Kappa Kappa Delta sorority sister. "You know how I hate you making plans for me at the last minute."
"Last minute, Rachel? One, I've told you about these plans like a couple weeks ago. It's not my fault you weren't paying attention," Melinda answered calmly. "And two, you know how I hate it when you call me by my full name. Plus, my boyfriend's band is playing tonight – and because you really need to get over Barry because you know he's out with his frat brothers, trying to find girls to hook up with. Besides, what else are you going to do at home on a Saturday night?"
The most Rachel could come up with was a "Shut up, Mindy." After all, Mindy was right – there wasn't much else to do in their dorm on a Saturday night… that and Barry was an ass. Although, Rachel's stubbornness and pride wouldn't allow her to admit she'd been dating a jerk for the past six months.
"Anyways, who else is going?" Rachel shouted from inside her room, scattering through her enormous closet for what to wear. After about a half an hour, she finally settled on a green T-shirt with the word 'Spoiled' sprawled across the front, a pair of slightly torn low-rise jeans, a white with green Abercrombie track jacket and a pair of dirtied green high-top Converses. 'Not too bad,' Rachel thought.
Mindy informed, "Well, there's you, me, Kiki and Melissa – all Kappa Kappa's."
Rachel asked, giving her friend the third degree. "What time does thing start and where is it?"
"7:30 at some club in the Village – oh, Central Perk. And Rach, not that I don't mind all these questions, but everything else is on that blue flyer," said Mindy pointing at the flyer on the table while straightening her hair.
"The One Night Stands, bite the bullets, Dripping with Sarcasm and Fighting Sanity –" Rachel read from the flyer as if it were some grocery list, "What the hell ever happened to simple band names like Green Day, The Ramones, U2… or KISS?"
Mindy walked out of her room, wearing a black 'Dripping with Sarcasm' shirt with pink lettering embossed across her shirt, a pair of brown corduroy pants, a black-hooded jacket and a pair of black UGG boots. "So, you ready to go, Rach?"
"Yeah, should we call them and see if they're ready to be picked up?" Rachel asked, grabbing her purse and keys to her green with white racing stripe 1967 Ford Mustang Shelby GT – a graduation and eighteenth birthday gift from her father. After all, Rachel was Leonard's first and favorite daughter – because Rachel deserved only the best.
"By the way, it's your turn to be designated driver," Mindy divulged. "Oh, and Rachel – you're the only person I know who could wear a trash bag, and still look gorgeous."
Brutal honesty: it was one of the qualities that Rachel had admired about Mindy. It was a dramatic change from the people she surrounded herself around at Lincoln High, which most of them consisted of a bunch of suck-ups and phonies. Yet, Mindy's honesty was like a double-edged sword – the compliments were fine and welcomed, but her criticism could be scathingly harsh and piercing.
"Thanks, slut," joked Rachel, tapping Mindy lightly on the shoulder as they headed out the door. "You look great, too. If I were a lesbian…"
XXX
"Wow, so this is the 'infamous' Central Perk," Melissa noted, using air quotes. "You know, it's a lot smaller than I had pictured it would be."
Of course, Central Perk wasn't the most luxurious club in New York, but it had enough room to fit four or five people on a stage (and their instruments), a dance floor designated area where people could watch the performing bands, a pool table, a bar and several portraits and paintings that decorated the walls.
Kiki pondered, trying to speak loud enough through the band that had been tuning their instruments, "What time is it, Rach?"
Looking at the clock on her cell, Rachel answered, "7:20… about 10 minutes to go."
A dark-haired man walked behind Mindy, putting his hands on her eyes so she couldn't see. "Hey, babe – so glad you could come."
"No problem," Mindy responded, facing her boyfriend and putting her arms around his neck. "Oh, you already know Rachel. This is Melissa and Kirsten – girls, this is Ryan."
He nodded, "Nice to meet you."
Mindy resumed talking to Ryan, "So, what time is your band going up, sweetie?"
"Well, we're scheduled for 9:00 or 9:30, either the second or third band up tonight. I've heard this opening act is pretty solid though – they've been a band for a couple years now and go to Syracuse, but they're only now starting to become popular," Ryan acknowledged.
In the meantime, Melissa and Kiki had wasted no time, looking for guys to flirt with and alcohol to drink at the bar, which left Rachel alone to hear her roommate's private conversation. Attempting to block out the conversation, she wandered around Central Perk until she had reached the dance floor area. She saw a man with the "Frankie Say Relax" shirt talking with three other guys – one with a Mohawk, holding a pair of drumsticks and wearing a green shirt with the phrase 'Sex? The One Night Stands' printed across the front, another with blonde hair and wearing a black shirt that read 'Ramones' and red tie, and the fourth guy who had really pretty blue eyes.
'Pretty fashionable for guys,' Rachel thought, noticing the guy with the "Frankie Say Relax" shirt, not quite sure where she had seen him before. 'Hmm, he looks familiar.'
Rachel saw him turn around who'd checked to see if his microphone were plugged into the amp. Just then, she spotted the 'R' and 'G' tattoos just above his left and right elbow, respectively. Aside from her own, she had known someone with those initials before… just then it hit her like a ton of bricks, "Ross?"
XXX
"1-2-3-4!" Ross yelled into his microphone, jumping up and down "Let's go!"
Simultaneously, Chandler and Mike played a several chords on their guitars. A few seconds later – Kip contributed to the noise factor, blasting away on the drums while Ross stood there, grasping his microphone and rhythmically tapping his right foot to the beat of Chandler's guitar riffs.
"Alone at last, together in a photograph – Our eyes are always open, devoted to perfection," Ross cooed into the mike, "through silence."
At the same time, a bunch of people in the crowd surrounding a confused Rachel sang the chorus along with Ross, "What am I supposed to do? Should I sit, wait for you? Listen to me screaming more."
Ross continued singing, "This story is old only to those who have no mold. The truth can be bought or sold. But what are we buying? Nothing but silence," then pointed the microphone towards the crowd.
"What am I supposed to do? Should I sit here, wait for you? Listen to me screaming more," the audience energetically sang as Ross mouthed the words with them. Placing the microphone just over his mouth and lips, Ross continued to sing back, "Then tell me now just what am I supposed to do? Should I sit, wait for you? Listen to me screaming more."
"Fold the corners, break the silence," Ross sang, going into the hook as Chandler screamed in the background, "Fold the corners just for tonight (tonight). Fold the corners, break the silence. Fold the corners just for tonight (tonight). Fold the corners, break the silence – (when weakened), when will you rise?"
Ross finished the song, "What am I supposed to do? Should I sit, wait for you? Listen to me screaming more." By the end of the song, a mini-mosh pit – consisting of mostly guys – had overwhelmed some of the crowd.
As he took a little break, he took a sip from the same water bottle, tried talking to the audience and introduced the band, "How are all of you doing tonight? Name's Ross. On the guitar, we have Chandler," who waved to the audience and acknowledged their presence, "on bass, 'Gandalf the Wizard'; and finally, on drums – the most underrated member of any band, Kip. And some of you might know us as The One Night Stands. This next song was written by Chandler and is on our new Downsides of Popularity EP, which you can buy from any member of the band after our set – nothing wrong with shameless self promotion, right?"
After the little introduction, Chandler played a couple of chords, followed by Kip's expertise on the drums kicking in… finally, Ross sang, "Once again, your eyes make it hard to say goodbye, so I'll just keep driving. Where do you wanna go? It doesn't really matter as long as you are here with me, with me, with me."
Beads of perspiration were situated on Ross's forehead as he broke into the chorus, "Whoa, there's something in the air tonight – something that makes me feel alive and I say, Whoa, what were the words that you said to me that made me feel so special now."
Rachel looked around to see her friends – all of them were getting into the band's music and vigorous energy. She snickered as she saw Mindy trying to thrash her elbows at some guy in the pit.
"Once again your eyes make it hard to ask you why, so I sit here knuckles tight. Hands against the wheel, your head against the glass and you mean so much to me, to me, to me," sang Ross, heading towards the song's chorus, "Whoa, there's something in the air tonight – something that makes me feel alive and I say, Whoa, what were the words that you said to me that made me feel so special now."
One section of the dance floor was jumping up and down all at once, almost mimicking and pantomiming Ross. While on the other side, even Rachel had started getting into the music, nodding her head and jumping up and down to the music, watching a couple girls crowd-surf to get to the front of the stage. She barely heard herself laugh when she saw that one of the girls was Melissa.
"Whoa (stay with me), whoa (stay with me), whoa (stay with me), whoa (stay), stay with me," Ross sang as Chandler picked-up the other vocals, then Ross repeated the last portion until the end of the song, "Cigarettes and open air, hand in hand I said stay with me. 'Cause every star that I see is brighter than the last, so stay with me."
XXX
The One Night Stands played three to four more songs, bringing more intensity to each and every song, and the audience responded positively. At one point during the songs, Ross threw his slightly drenched "Frankie Say Relax" T-shirt and an emptied water bottle into the crowd – both of which were caught by a couple of overly eager teenaged girls.
"Our last song tonight's written for and dedicated to a very special friend in our lives and biggest supporter," Chandler informed seriously, speaking into his microphone stand as Ross took sip of water from the water bottle and grabbed a seat to sit down on. "Without her, the band probably would not have gotten together."
Chandler looked up at the roof of the building, "This one's for you, Carol."
"I never said I'd lie and wait forever. If I died, we'd be together. I can't always just forget her, but she could try," Ross sang as Chandler and Gandalf played the guitars at a completely different slower pace and more somber and melancholy tone than their previous more upbeat songs… even Kip's drumming was nowhere near as intense.
This time Chandler sang the chorus, "At the end of the world or the last thing I see, you are never coming home, never coming home. Could I? Should I? And all the things that you never ever told me and all the smiles that are ever, ever, ever..."
Mindy mouthed to Rachel, who could barely hear her through the music, "Wow, this person must be important."
Ross sang, "Get the feeling that you're never all alone and I remember now, at the top of my lungs in my arms she dies, she dies."
"At the end of the world or the last thing I see, you are never coming home (never coming home). Could I? Should I? And all the things that you never ever told me and all the smiles that are ever gonna haunt me, never coming home, (never coming home). Could I? Should I? And all the wounds that are ever gonna scar me. For all the ghosts that are never gonna catch me," Chandler sang.
"If I fall, if I fall (down)," Ross sang at the point the breaking down while trying to put up a brave front.
Chandler sang the hook, seeing as how Ross probably wasn't going to finish, but Ross somehow managed to chip in on some of the back-up vocals, "At the end of the world or the last thing I see, you are never coming home, never coming home, (never coming home, never coming home). And all the things that you never ever told me and all the smiles that are ever gonna haunt me, never coming home (never coming home). Could I? Should I? And all the wounds that are ever gonna scar me for all the ghosts that are never gonna..."
After the song ended, the group took a few minutes to pack up their instruments. While they did, the next band set their equipment up. As they finished, Ross wiped some sweat and tears off with a towel, walking straight towards the exit.
Moving their way through the crowd, Ross followed Chandler out of Central Perk. Chandler lit up a cigarette, took a deep inhale, blew the smoke in the other direction, and told Ross, "I know – it's difficult sometimes."
"Thanks for covering for me, Bing," Ross responded.
"Anytime man," Chandler answered, taking yet another puff from his cigarette. "So, should we go watch the other bands?"
Mike and Kip exited Central Perk – lighters and cigarettes in tow. Michael spoke, "Great stuff tonight. We rocked the damn place."
"What are we doing later tonight after the show?" asked Kip.
XXX
The next band – bite the bullets – performed a few of their more recognizable songs until concluding with "Honey, This Mirror Isn't Big Enough for the Two of Us."
"So, are you having fun, Rachel?" Mindy asked while a band was performing.
"Yeah," Rachel nodded, paying more attention to the current band. "At first, I wasn't, but as that first band got going, definitely."
"That's great," Mindy replied excitedly. "Oh my God, Ryan's band is after this one!"
"The amount of pills I'm taking counteracts the booze I'm drinking. And this vanity I'm breaking, let's me live my life like this and well I find it hard to stay, with the words you say. Oh, baby let me in," the lead singer shouted, drowning out the conversation between Rachel and Mindy. "Well I'll choose the life I've taken, never mind the friends I'm making and the beauty that I'm faking lets me live my life like this. And well I find it hard to stay, with the words you say. Oh baby let me in. And you can cry all you want to – I don't care how much..."
He continued into the chorus, "You'll invest yourself in me – we're not working out. And you can't touch my brother and you can't keep my friends and we're not working out, we're not working out. This time I mean it, never mind the times I've seen it."
"RACHEL!" Mindy yelled, "What are you doing after this?"
"Well I hope I'm not mistaken by the news I heard from waking. And it's hard to say I'm shaken, by the choices that I make. And well I find it hard to stay, with the words you say. Oh baby let me in…"
"I don't know, Min," Rachel responded. "Why?"
"I hear that Ryan's band and a couple of bands are going to be hanging around, throwing a mini-party backstage if you want to join… Melissa and Kiki are going, too."
"Sure," Rachel replied with a smile, but frowned when she remembered the designated driver stigma she was stuck with for the night. "But damn it, I'm not going to be able to have any alcohol later – not that I need alcohol to enjoy myself. It'd just be nice to have that option."
Mindy laughed while watching her boyfriend and his band take the stage. She yelled, "I love you, Ryan." Not like she was audible to begin with since other people had been screaming and cheering.
XXX
An hour and a half later, the final band, Fighting Sanity, had sung the final song of the night. Afterwards, most of the crowd had left, exhausted and out of breath.
Melissa had not held in her alcohol that well, puking a couple times on the sidewalk outside Central Perk. Mindy reeked of alcohol on her shirt when some guy – who had been holding a beer bottle, jumped up and down – spilled most of the contents. By the time the last band started, the four women had already run out of energy and sat out most of their performance.
"So, you guys still up for the after party later?" Rachel asked, covering her mouth as she let a yawn escape her mouth.
"Yeah," the other three chimed.
Melissa added, "Did you notice how cute all of the lead singers were?"
The other three nodded and Rachel chipped in, "Ah, yeah. The first two lead singers were the cutest though."
Ryan walked up behind Melinda, putting his arms around her, "Ready, hon?"
Luckily, there had been several guys and girl there – most of them band members and fans.
Rachel laughed, seeing Melissa trying to throw herself onto one of the band members, and thought, 'Look at Warburton go.'
"Does she even know his name?" Rachel asked Kiki.
"Joey… something," she replied, a bit unsure. "He's the drummer for Fighting Sanity. So, do you see any guys to help you get over Barry, Rach?"
Rachel mentioned, "I think I just might have one in mind," as she saw the guy she'd been eyeing for most of the night, walk in through the door.
XXX
A/N II: Joey did get a mention, but I don't know – and I highly doubt – if I'll include much of him (or Phoebe) in this story, but Monica will definitely be included in the next chapter. And kids, you know how I love when you leave positive reviews (as well as, criticism), but if it's possible, don't leave reviews where it's just "Please, put so-and-so together," not that I don't mind those…