"What was that?" Rachel asks.
Rachel was confused more then Ross, but Ross was also confused. Rachel didn't yet know what Ross had heard or thought. Ross was confused because of the conversation and Rachel was confused having never heard the conversation
"Phoebe's not coming." Ross says softly.
"Oh, no. Why?"
Now Rachel was confused, more then ever and upset, mad and sad, she hadn't seen phoebe, in well so long, that now she wanted to know why phoebe wasn't going to be in Vegas, was the rest of the gang going to be there?
"I don't know,"
Ross didn't know what else to say, the truth was he didn't know why phoebe was like that on the phone and he didn't know why he wasn't coming, Ross could see in Rachel's eyes that she wanted to know what was going on and was going to ask a lot of questions. Rachel thought, "I want to know, and I need a better answer, then what Ross gave me"
"You talked to her?"
"I talked to Regina Philange,"
Rachel was getting frustrated, why would phoebe say she was Regina Philange? Rachel wanted to know the truth, did Ross talk to phoebe or what, Ross wasn't giving Rachel much good information at all, Rachel spoke clearly, and after she said what she wanted to saw she waited for Ross to reply
"You talked to Phoebe." she asks.
"I have known Phoebe for so long, that whenever Phoebe lies about her name, it is always Regina Phalange."
"Okay" she says. Rachel decided to believe what Ross was saying and trust him, like she always tried to, Rachel wondered why phoebe would lie about her name and say she was Regina Phalange to Ross. Was phoebe okay?
"Is Phoebe okay?" she asks.
"She said 'no'."
Rachel was now panicking in her mind, and thought "What do you mean she said no!" is she just saying Regina Phalange is not okay, or is she saying PHOEBE IS NOT OKAY? Rachel knew that answer, phoebe was not okay! Oh my god! She thought, she responded the only way she could
"Oh my god, oh my god, Ross…"
"Rachel, I'll call her on the airplane, we'll see what's wrong."
"Ross, can I do that?"
She asked, looking away from him, over at my children, who are telling stories about Ross and her, to complete strangers, as if they're trying to damage our reputation with everyone in Gate 7, and Gate 8. Rachel wanted to call phoebe cause, obviously last time he called her he didn't do very good job, Rachel wanted to her all of this right from PHOEBE'S mouth and try to sort things out right away.
"Mommy and Daddy were drunk when they conceived me." Emma says, almost proud.
Emma, Ross and Rachel's first child only knew bits and pieces of somewhat false and wrong information from, well I would just Joey, and Emma was telling all of this to COMPLETE STRANGERS again, and different people then the last time it was like she was telling everybody, Rachel had to do something
"Emma!" Rachel says forcedly and goes and grabs her shoulder.
Ross looks at Danielle being a good child, and his eyes shine with pure parental pride.
Ross was, well at the moment very happy with Danielle and was very upset with Emma, but let Rachel deal with it on her own. Rachel was very mad and embarrassed at the fact that Emma would say that to people she didn't even know, even thought she would never see these people again, it was still a big deal and a bad thing to be spreading.
On the airplane, Emma and Danielle sit in on row 24 A and B, and Ross and I sit in 24 C and D. I realize that Emma has snuck a copy of Cosmo into her suitcase and is now reading it. Danielle is reading Snow White for the three hundredth time. Rachel had, she went over to Emma and Danielle's chairs, to do something about their HORRIBLE behavior.
" Emma, Danielle, please meet me in the washroom, NOW!"
I seems that Rachel might be yelling, but she is yelling in a whisper with a firm strong voice because she is mad, Emma whines in a reply.
"But mommy, why?"
"Cause I said so, now March!"
"Fine"
Danielle just followed Rachel and Emma and didn't make a fuss about it, you could say she was a "good little girl' and did what she was always told, which was not a bad thing in the "Gellar family'. Rachel, Emma and Danielle reached the bathroom, opened the door, and all went in, Rachel started to lecture.
"You two what are you doing? You don't tell personal things to strangers, especially when you don't give all the information and talk about things you don't understand, especially about me and daddy, do I make myself clear?"
Emma and Danielle replied in unison "okay, sorry mommy"
All three of them headed back to their seats in silence and Rachel did not see Emma or Danielle talk about anything to anyone, which is what she wanted, Emma went back to reading COSMO and Danielle reading snow white, Rachel would talk to Emma about COSMO later.
Now that Ross and I have two children, we barely have time to just talk. The world does not center a round US anymore. Our once simple New York City life with our five friends has changed. We now live apart from our friends, in Chicago, and our days are now punctuated by baths, bedtime stories, breaking up fights, and tucking in the girls. This is one rare moment we have together, just the two of us.
"I wonder what's up with Phoebe?" Rachel says.
"I don't know, Rach…" he hands her his cell phone, which the Field History Museum that he works at, pays for.
"I don't want to call her, Ross." she says flatly.
"Why?"
"I'm scared."
"You want me to do it."
Rachel wondered why she was so scared, wait she knew the answer, its cause what if there was a real Regina Phalange, or what if someone was pretending to be phoebe, or a kidnapper was making phoebe be Regina phalange and say all those things? Rachel was terrified, she couldn't wait to find out what Ross heard and knew
She laid her head down on Ross's shoulder, thinking about phoebe and what was going to happen next, Rachel then decided she was the one who was going to talk to phoebe this time.
"I think I ought to hear whatever it is straight out from her."
"Okay,"
"Give me the phone." she ays.
As she clicks the redial button on Ross's cell phone, she looks out the window, at the runway. The phone rings, and rings and rings and someone picks up;
"Hello," she says.
"Hey, Phoebe?
"Yes, who is this?"
Phoebe was kind of blonde in this moment Rachel thought when she picked up the phone and said phoebe? She said yes Rachel was so happy that it was phoebe; Rachel was now nervous and anxious to what phoebe would say next
"Rachel…"
"This is Regina Phalange…"
"Phoebe, I know it's you, why aren't you coming?"
"Um, they're doing a demo of Smelly Cat. "
"Oh that's great! Are they using your real voice this time?"
"Maybe."
"That's not the reason you're not coming?"
"Rachel, stay out of this."
Rachel couldn't believe that Phoebe would be so rude, and why was she being so distant and weird, why wasn't she coming to Vegas and not wanting to talk to anymore, then, it takes me a second to notice it; that one of my once best friends hung up on me.
An hour later, we are still on the ground because of mechanical problems on the plane and the children are stir crazy, and I am in the mood for a few bottles of vodka and wine; just to keep my mind of Phoebe.
"Rachel, are you okay?"
"Ross, it's like Phoebe's become some kind of untouchable…"
"Phoebe has always been kind of a question mark," he says as if that would make me feel better;
Ross remembered about 10 years back when Ross and Joey brought back a porno movie that phoebe was in, that was actually Ursula, her twin sister, Rachel said
"Man you know you think you know someone, even Phoebe who's been somewhat of a question mark?"
"Yeah"
Rachel said this distantly while looking out the window waiting for the plane to finally hit ground, they finally got out of the plane and made their way to the hotel
It has been one full day since we've been in Vegas; the others aren't coming until the next day, I try to focus on seeing Joey, Chandler and Monica; and even when she gave it all her effort not to, she was thinking Phoebe;
It was because of her that Rachel got off the plane; without her, there would be no Ross and Rachel and no Danielle Anna; she is the reason Rachel has her family.
Rachel tried to remember everything about her, but it is impossible. Ross and I try not to talk about her, but Emma and Danielle want to know everything about Aunt Phoebe; so we tell them.
And that night, at the fountain outside of the hotel where we sat; as if we'd conjured her through our words and mental images; standing there, was Phoebe.
Author's note: Phoebe's situation will be further described in later chapters; PLEASE REVIEW, they make Celia Ray and rossrachmonchan's day!
