by Tina
-----------------------
For the last time, Rachel sat on the chair she'd called hers for a year now. She closed her laptop and sighed. Over the last five years she'd worked her way up in Prada and saying goodbye proved to be a much more difficult task then it seemed at first thought.
She looked around her private little "attelier". It wasn't too big, but it was charming and, well, hers. The vast wooden table was filled with papers, coloring pencils and crayons. On the walls were pinned up many sketches she had created. Rested against them were uncountable rolls of fabric and a huge wardrobe took over practly half of the room. Rachel turned around to get a good view. A model was up on a stool while one of Rachel's helpers worked on the adjustments she's just marked on the dress.
A smile came upon her face.
The oportunity to leave for Paris had definitely been the best one she had ever had in her life. For someone who collected bad decisions in her past, it had sure become a turning point. At 25, Rachel was a completely different person. She was a woman now. Independent from her parents, independent from so many things.
Yet, dependent on so many others. She picked up the framed picture that never left her side and stared at the man she was soon going to be vowing eternal love to.
She sighed and walked out to the balcony. The view was priviledged. The builting was located in a beautiful yet casual side of Paris and she could even see the Eiffel Tower from up there. She sighed and deeply inhailed the perfume of the flowers located everywhere her eyes could reach. It was hard to believe that sight was soon going to change.
"Hey, Rach?" the so familiar voice came from inside. Rachel turned around and toothly smiled at her visitor.
"Hey, stranger!"
They hugged tight.
"Not done saying goodbye yet?"
"It's hard..."
"As they said in your goodbye party, you'll be missed... But it's time to move on now. You're only being relocated anyway."
"I guess..." she smiled.
"It's what you want, isn't it?"
She smiled at him.
"More than anything"
"Now I gotta get outta here, I've got a lot to do before dinner tonight"
"Right, right..."
"I guess I'll see you later then. I just dropped by to say hello."
"Right... Thanks for dropping by, Nick"
He kissed her cheek.
"See ya"
"Oh hey" he stopped on the way to the doorway and looked at her. "Ross says 'don't be late'. He's just picking up his family at the airport and then they'll be right over"
Rachel nodded.
"I won't"
The simple thought of seeing them all again made her want to drop everything and walk away that very second.
Without looking back, just like she had done before.
-------------------------------
Dinner was casual, yet so classy. When it came to their families coming together, contradiction and diversity were always ever present adjectives. The Gellers and the Greens gathered together for dinner at a restaurant to celebrate Ross and Rachel's engagement, joined by a few friends.
Finally.
After three years of separation, one year of casual esporadic encounters and another one of serious long-distance relationship, they had finally judged themselves ready to take that kind of commitment.
He held her hand gently as he played with her engagement ring. She had her head rested against his chest and he held her from behind. The physical contact only portrayed half the intimacy they had developed over the years. So many stories to tell, good and bad. Memories to be savoured or just remembered for their lessons.
And they sure had learned.
As they heard their friends and family each make a little speech, they couldn't help but wonder about how perfect the timing was now. How right he'd been before to give them a break. Despite the fact they'd each grown into very different people, they were still, somehow, everything they loved about each other.
He was still the same old gooffy, sweet and caring geek she so much loved. Only now wiser and more mature. And she, well, Rachel was still his fantasy after all of those years. But... so much more than that, at the same time. She had the biggest heart he'd had the priviledge to know. He could see so much beyond her beauty. And she'd be forever thankful for him to that.
Their relationship was now anything but shallow.
As Chandler sat back down on his chair - a slight look of annoyance due Rachel's sister's Amy's loud comment in the middle of his speach about something to do with his tie - Ross and Rachel's atention was only lost for a second, which they used to glance at each other, but was quickly drawn back as Nick lightly hit his crystal glass with the tip of his knife.
"Excuse me, everyone." he rose. "I know I'm no best man here or anything, but I would just like to add something to that"
Rachel looked up at Nick with admiration in her eyes. Ross held her tighter, but not in a possessive way. It was more of a reassuring gesture, to validate that moment for himself and for her. They deserved that much.
"You..." he looked at Ross and Rachel and smiled. There was so much that smile could say. For all Ross and Rachel knew, Nick could have sat down that very moment and that would have already been a beautiful speach. "As much as I have to say to you, I just somehow can't help but think anything I say will be a re-run for you. You guys know how lucky you are, you have been through too much to ignore history and face the fact that this is it. And me wishing you guys all the luck, like you would need it...!" he trailled off. "Oh, alright, maybe just another chears with another round of good wishes from everyone won't kill you, right?"
They chuckled.
"So, OK, all the best for the happy couple"
Everybody cheered and Rachel silently thanked Nick with a look, while Ross nodded. Nick nodded back, sitting back down next to his wife.
"This is nice" Rachel softly commented.
Ross followed her eyes, scanning the room.
"Isn't it?"
She looked at him.
"I can't believe I'm going home tomorrow"
"Yeah. Home..." he repeated, as if the concept of Rachel's home was something rather magical. And he was about to hop into that wonderful journey with her.
She smiled at him and closed the distance between them, kissing his lips very lightly. He closed his eyes softly and just savored as her lips played with his, a routine that never lost its enchantment and never failed to lighten up his spirits.
"Hmm" she moaned quietly as she hugged him. "Ross?"
"Yeah?" he burried his face on her neck.
"You know what?"
"What?"
She sighed and smiled relieved, having realised something that was somehow so obvious all along.
"You're my home"
THE END
------------
OMG... Yes, that's the same last line from "The one to give". I need a new bash of creativity...! Anyway, I just HAD to finish this. I owe you guys that much and I couldn't stand seing this file on my HD anymore : That and, well, I miss writing. Very much. But I've been having many problems with my that lately. 1, there's no time. 2, there's no patience. 3, there's no creativity! I mean, I have ideas, but I haven't been able to develop them...! That and, well, I don't know...! I still love my sweeties (AKA Ross and Rachel), but I hate it how sometimes it seems I'm growing out of this. There are major weak times though, when I have to watch my DVDs and etc...! But... oh well, it's not the same (
Plus, as I said, life's been busy. And that's good, only not for my writing. And as I said, I miss it. Ahh, I sound so silly writing this repeating the same old things! Let's just say I hope to write something new, but have no idea when it'll happen. I wanna write a crossover, am torn between 'The object of my affection' x 'Friends' (as much as it pains me to say, there would be no Rachel) or 'Sex and the city' x 'Friends'. haha. Those ideas plus another one soooort of like 'The one that could've been'. That one would involve a lot of my Psychology classes. Which would be cool. But I haven't been able to concentrate (
OK, just please leave me a tiny review here and, hey, review whore I am I may get all excited to write more soon! Vacation's just around the corner and I'll have some time off before I go off "home" ;) So, who knows, eh?