Because of You Chapter 2: Late Night Talks, a friends fanfic

Because of You

Disclaimer: You know, you don't realize how pathetically boring and unfulfilled your life is until you write a disclaimer that says that you don't own a damn thing.

A/N: Here's chapter two! Thank you so much to every one who reviewed. Your kind words and encouragement mean so much to me! Please read this and leave me more!

It was still only midnight but Ross felt that it was at least into the early morning hours. His evening with Rachel was still fresh in his mind, as was her departure, which left him once again with the painful burden of confusion and longing. He sat on his couch, beer in hand, and studied a picture of the group taken by Rachel's mother only 3 weeks ago. Ross had been telling a story with everyone seemingly listening intently, but as he scanned their faces, the only one showing a true interest in what he was saying was Rachel. He looked into her eyes and saw raw emotion overflowing with love, adoration, and the familiar longing that was weighing his already heavy heart. Wiping a tear from his eye, he gazed at the still form of her perfection, captured in time forever on a glossy 4" x 6" sheet of paper. While he looked at her, he couldn't help but wonder, what happened between her and Joey to cause them to break up, and what questions were plaguing her mind, holding her back from a wonderful future by his side? Will he ever get what he desires most?

I'll fill those canyons in your soul
Like a river lead you home
And I'll walk a step behind
In the shadows so you shine
Just ask it will be done
And I will prove my love
Until you're sure that I'm the one

XoX

Rachel walked down the hall and away from Ross's apartment, unable to stop the tears from falling or her body shaking violently from her sobs. It took all of the strength that she had left to keep her from running back to him and never letting him go, but she knew that when, and if, anything progressed between them – more than what already had – it had to be different. It had to be right, and most importantly, it had to be with permission from the man that was her everything for two years. The man who she knew deep down always would be. It had to be okay with Joey.

She continued down the hall, listening to Ross' muffled sobs before he took a deep breath and went inside, closing the door behind him. Knowing that he had finally stopped watching her walk away, she let her knees go, crumbling into a crying heap on the floor down the all from his apartment. She sat like this; legs sprawled across the hallway for at least an hour, trying her best to dry her own tears although she knew that the one person who could do that for her was less than 100 feet away. Sighing, she got up and walked over to his door and pressed her ear against the wood, struggling against the sound of her own breathing to hear him on the other side. For a brief second, she held her breath, and it was just long enough for her to hear him sob. The sound seemed to rip her heart in two, so after kissing his door and whispering, "I'm sorry" once again, she turned and ran for the stairs, not trusting herself enough to stay.

XoX

Rachel walked aimlessly around the Village, never once lifting her eyes off the ground. Her clothes were like a second skin due to the storm that passed through 30 minutes earlier, and her face was puffy from crying. On an impulse, she made a right and entered an apartment building, letting her memory guide her up the stairs to her destination. He was the only one she knew who lived in this building but she hadn't been here in over a year, as Monica's apartment was the official "hangout" for the sextet. She hesitated briefly before knocking – partly because she was afraid to talk to him, and partly because if he had a girl over, she didn't want to disturb them. Finally, she rapped softly on the door three times, and waited for two minutes before she got ready to knock again. She brought her arm up, but stopped when she heard his familiar groggy voice on the other side call her name. She nodded wordlessly, afraid of willing more tears to fall if she spoke. She heard the chain unlatch as the door opened to reveal a clothed Joey looking at her quizzically, "What's the matter?" He looked her up and down, taking in her soaked figure with red, puffy eyes. "Did you walk here?"

Rachel sniffled and shifted her weight, looking up at him with the most pitiful and pathetic look in her eyes – the one that would melt your heart.

"Hey Joe – can we talk?"

XoX

After his sixth beer and whole box of Kleenex tissues, Ross decided to pack it in for the night before he wasted himself too much. He gathered all of his trash and brought them into the kitchen, surprised to find that it was still steamy and stuffy from hours earlier. He looked around, a faint smile playing his lips as he looked at the refrigerator. While the steam that was on it before had melted away, you could still see a faint outline of where their bodies were. You could see the print of his right hand next to where her head would have been, and you could see where her hand slid across the top of the door and over to the side. Ross forced himself to look away, suddenly feeling very sad and disappointed that it happened the way it did. Their first time was supposed to be special and romantic, not rushed and irresponsible. He threw away his beer cans and tissues and left the kitchen. He let out a deep sigh as he scanned the apartment before turning to his room to go to bed. It was going to be a long night.

XoX

Joey fixed Rachel a mug of hot chocolate as she sat, wrapped in a towel, on his couch. She was staring into space, her eyes distant, and she barely smiled in thanks when Joey brought her the mug.

He sat down opposite her on the barcalounger and watched her curiously, waiting to see if she would initiate the conversation that she walked across town to have. When she didn't, he took the first step. "What's on your mind, Rach?"

She took a deep breath and played with her fingers before answering. Without looking up at him, she said, "Ross and I kind of … had sex tonight."

Wow… It was safe to say that he wasn't expecting that. Joey shook his head and looked at her with a puzzled expression on his face. "I'm sorry… What?"

Rachel looked up at him finally, and repeated the words with much more confidence than she had managed before. "Ross and I had sex tonight."

This time, Joey nodded and looked down, playing with a bracelet on his wrist. He looked up at her again, the calm in his voice and eyes surprising her. "Wow… um, okay."

Rachel was so confused. She'd been scared to say anything because she thought Joey was going to freak out and kill Ross. His reaction came completely out of the blue, leaving her at a loss for words for several minutes. "Aren't you – aren't you upset?"

"Why would I be upset?"

"Because it's Ross, your best friend and me, your ex-girlfriend."

"That doesn't bother me…Do you want me to be mad?"

"No! No, it's just… for some reason I expected you to flip out and stuff."

"Listen Rach, we've been over for a year and a half. I've moved on, and I'm happy that you have too. I'm actually glad that it's Ross and not some guy I don't know. Ross will treat you good. I know how much he cares about you."

"You do?"

"Are you kidding? You'd have to be blind to not notice the way that he looks at you."

At this, Rachel smiled. She was those looks too. He really did care about her. "So you're really okay with this?"

"Rachel…I'm okay with whatever makes you happy. Don't let me stand in the way of anything." Rachel smiled and hugged him, feeling his warmth as he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her head. "Hey Rach?"

"Yeah?"

"Have you talked to him about what happened with us?"

Rachel looked up to see genuine concern and worry in his eyes. "No not yet."

"Well, make sure you do. Before he decides to be with you, it's only fair for him to know what split us up."

Rachel nodded. "I will Joe." After a second of just being held by him, she kissed his cheek. "Thanks Joey. I'll let you know how it all turns out."

She was just turning the knob to open the door and leave when she heard him call out, "Where are you going?"

"Uh…home?" She answered.

"Rachel, it's two-thirty in the morning. There's no way in hell I'm letting you walk home. I'll go get you something to sleep in and a pillow for the couch." And with that, he went back into his room and got all of her sleeping necessities. Before she drifted off 15 minutes later, she looked at him and smiled. "Thank you for everything Joey."

"It's no problem." He turned around to go into his room, but at the last second stopped himself and faced her again. "Hey Rach, can I ask you a question?"

Yawning, she closed her eyes and answered him, "Sure, honey."

"Do you love him?"

She opened her eyes and turned to look at him. She studied his face before answering with a smile, "Yeah, I think I do."

I hope you never fear those mountains in the distance,

Never settle for the path of least resistance

Livin' might mean takin' chances but they're worth takin',

Lovin' might be a mistake but it's worth makin',

Don't let some hell bent heart leave you bitter,

When you come close to sellin' out reconsider,

Give the heavens above more than just a passing glance,

And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance,

I hope you dance.

Joey nodded and smiled. "Goodnight."

"'Night." And this time, when she went to sleep, there was a smile spread wide across her face…

XoX

Ross had only been sleeping for three hours when he heard soft knocking at his front door. On the way to the door, he shook his head violently; trying to wake himself up, but that wasn't nearly as effective as opening the door to find Rachel standing on the other side.

She's the sun set shadows
She's like Rembrandt's light
She's the history that's made at night
She's my lost companion
She's my dreaming tree
Together in this brief eternity
Summer days, winter snows
She's all things to behold

XoX

For a moment, he just stared at her - too shocked to speak. He was amazed that she came back so quickly, and that she came back at all. He hadn't expected to see her for a few days before she figured herself out and what she wanted.

They stood in a heavy but comfortable silence for just a couple of minutes before she managed a soft "Hey" and a small smile.

She's my kind of rain
Like love from a drunken sky
Confetti falling down all night
She's my kind of rain

He cleared his throat and shifted his feet before greeting her with a very hoarse "Hey" in return.

Again they just stood there, this time the silence easing out of comfortable and into awkward as hell. He was still staring at her and she was looking anywhere but at him, afraid of what she might do if she met his eyes for longer than three seconds. Finally, she looked at the floor and then back up at him. They'd been standing there for close to five minutes, and no one had said more than one word. Plus, this is not where she wanted to talk to him about everything that she needed to say. "Um…Can I come in?"

"Oh! Yeah, sure." He stammered as he stepped aside, holding the door open wide enough for her to come in. God, he thought, she is gorgeous. "So, um…do you want some coffee or something?"

Don't be scared to show your feelings

Cause baby I do understand

And I don't make promises that I can't keep

And I vow to be a real good man

She nodded and sat down on the couch fidgeting nervously and smiling slightly when she looked up and found him staring at her again. She arched her eyebrows expectantly; silently waiting for him to say or do anything; anything that would turn his attention from her. "Ross?"

He shook his head, allowing his mind to float back down to Earth, realizing that he'd done nothing but stare at her for thirty seconds – even more if you counted what happened at the door. He looked up at the ceiling, searching his brain for the memory of whatever he was supposed to be doing right now, and trying to push away the insecure feelings of how big of an idiot he probably looked right now. "Oh right – the coffee." Rachel let out a nervous chuckle as Ross ran into the kitchen to prepare the coffee, sighing and running her fingers through her hair.

This was going to be interesting.

XoX

Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Ross was massaging his temples, mentally kicking himself for his ridiculous behavior. He took a deep breath and got two mugs from the cabinet above his head. He filled them both with coffee and prepared hers just the way she liked it – three sugars with fat free Chocolate Raspberry cream. His own mug he left black, figuring he would need the extra jolt.

He brought the coffee into the living room and sat down across from her, taking a sip before asking, maybe a little too casually, "So what's up?"

She bit her lip in that adorably sexy, provocative way that he loved and twisted a ring that was on her finger. "I just got back from Joey's."

"Oh…" Ross said, failing miserably at concealing his hurt and disappointment.

In one fluid motion, she ran over to the chair where he was sitting and sat on the table in front of him. She took his hand in hers and said, "No! No, Ross, honey. That's not what I meant. I didn't go over there in the way that you're thinking." He looked up at her with this expression on his face that reminded her of a combination of a little boy and a little puppy. She had to force herself not to laugh. "I went there to talk …" She took a deep breath and squeezed his hand, gesturing between them "… about what's going on with us."

In those big green eyes I see a glow of love

I just hope I'm the one you're dreaming of

Let me be the one to love you

Let me be the one to care

Let me be the one to light your flame

Oh baby Oh baby

Let me be the one

"Yeah?" Rachel nodded and smiled at Ross's noticeable relief. "Well, what'd – what'd he say?"

"He gave us his blessing." Ross smiled. "Apparently, he caught you making eyes at me and figured you out." The both laughed but stopped almost immediately when their eyes met. Her eyes pierced through his and he could swear that they illuminated every corner of his heart and soul. "Ross, before anything happens with us, we need to talk. There are some things that you really need to know before you decide that you want to be with me."

"Things like what?" he asked curiously. He rubbed circles on the back of her hand with his thumb while she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She looked right at him again and answered calmly.

"Things like why Joey and I broke up."

A/N: I think I'm just naturally nervous about updating things like this, I don't know. This chapter seemed a little too heavy on the dialogue to me, but I felt that it was necessary because how else were the characters going to communicate, y'know? Alright, so the songs in here are: Gary Allan's "The One", Tim McGraw's "She's My Kind of Rain", LeeAnn Womack's "I Hope You Dance", and Blessid Union of Soul's "Let Me Be the One."

PLEASE leave me a review and let me know if I'm on the right track!