I'm sorry I haven't updated in a couple of months but I've been suffering my own drama and heartbreak. Thanks again for all the great reviews, glad you're enjoying it. There's still plenty more where this came from!

Chapter Five – Into The Void

Ross sat down next to his wife and grasped her hand.

"Rachel, sweetie, I have something to tell you"

Rachel smiled up at Ross without a hint of confusion or curiosity, "well what is it honey? You can tell me!"

Ross rose from her side and walked over to the door of their apartment. He opened the door slowly and there was Aimee, dressed in her prettiest formal dress smiling from ear to ear. He smiled and embraced his oldest daughter then turned to Rachel whose expression was still fixed in a smile.

"Rachel" he began "this is my daughter Aimee"

Rachel got to her feet immediately, held her hands to her chest and gasped. Ross thought for a second that she was going to collapse or start to scream but to his surprise she began to laugh.

"That is so wonderful" she yelled happily. She scurried over to Aimee and pulled her into a tight hug; "welcome to the family! Wow, Aimee, that's my sister's name" she babbled happily

Ross was pleased but very surprised. He'd expected Rachel to be furious at him for keeping this a secret, but she seemed delighted. She was happily chattering away as if she'd always known.

"We're going to the kitchen to get some cookies and milk" Rachel announced to her husband, still clutching her newly found step-daughter.

"Okay" Ross said smiling at his wife. He felt like the luckiest man alive; three great kids, fantastic friends and possibly the most understanding wife a man could have. He lay back on the couch, closed his eyes and relaxed.

After about fifteen minutes, Ross was feeling kind of hungry and decided to shout Rachel to bring some cookies and milk for him. "Rachel, sweetie?" He shouted. There was no reply. "Very strange," thought Ross and he shouted again "Rach?"

After yelling out once more he got up and walked toward the kitchen. Before he opened the door he stopped and listened at the door. Silence. He didn't understand. Where were Rachel and Aimee? Surely if they'd have left the apartment, he'd have noticed.

He opened the kitchen door and was greeted with pitch-black darkness. Confused, he stepped into the small kitchen carefully and felt around for the light switch.

"Rachel?" he asked quietly "Aimee? Are you in here?"

He was confused and worried, what was going on in here?

He took another step further and suddenly he began to fall. He screamed with panic and fear, as he fell through the darkness.

"Ross" he heard Rachel's voice calling him, though it was distance and almost like an echo.

He air was rushing past his face as he continued to fall into the black void. He could feel tears streaming from his eyes. He couldn't think about what was happening anymore, all he could do was wait for the inevitable and deadly landing.

"Ross" he heard again, louder this time, but still he couldn't work out where she was.

Again, he screamed out in desperation. He screamed for Rachel, he screamed for his children, he screamed for his friends and family who he thought he'd never see again.

"ROSS!"

All of a sudden Ross was back in his bed. He sat up, shaking and sweating, cool tears streaming down his burning cheeks. It took him a minute to realise what had happened; it was only a dream.

He turned to see the concerned face of his wife and sighed with relief.

"Are you okay?" Rachel asked, clearly concerned and looking a little shaken up herself "You were screaming and crying, oh, it was terrible" She cupped his face in her hands.

Ross forced a chuckle, "I'm ok now, it was just a really, really messed up dream" He rose from the bed and caressing Rachel's cheek said "I'm going to the bathroom. You go back to sleep."

Ross shuffled to the bathroom and once there, splashed his burning face with cold water. It had been the worst nightmare he'd had since he was a child and he had a feeling that it wouldn't be the last.

Despite his assurance to Monica that he would tell Rachel as soon as possible, he didn't.

In fact two months had passed since Ross had discovered the existence of his daughter and he'd hardly had a chance to tell his wife.

Ross had been seeing Aimee more and more, spending all the time he could with her to the point where he was almost leading a double life. He was constantly lying to Rachel about non existent meeting and working on his days off.

Ross knew in the back of his mind that he was betraying his wife but the in the onset of deep denial, he convinced himself that what he was doing was right and that everything would work out in the end.

It was an unusually chilly October day as Ross sat on a bench on Central park rubbing his hands together to keep warm. It was his day off, though he had told Rachel that he was covering another professor's class. As usual he was pushing feelings of guilt to the back of his mind. His mind was never quiet anymore, not even while he slept. His sleep was plagued with the recurring nightmare. He seemed to be endlessly debating with himself about telling Rachel, always beating himself up for not telling her before she became more preoccupied with moving house and the pregnancy. Though he looked, to any passer-by, like a man quietly minding his own business , enjoying the sights and sounds of Central Park in autumn, Ross was wracked with guilt and worry so intense that he felt he could spontaneously combust at any second.

He was soon shaken from his deep thoughts by the shrill ringing of his cell phone. Fumbling around in his deep pockets, he finally found the phone and answered breathlessly.

"Hello?"

"Hey Ross" came the familiarly chirpy voice of his sister,

He sighed with relief. Whenever his phone rang these days, he feared it being Rachel. "Hey Mon, what's up?"

"Nothing much, just wondered what you and Rach are doing at the weekend?"

"Uh, I'm not sure" he said. He lifted his head up to see Chloe and Aimee coming towards him. "Can I get back to you? I'm kinda busy right now"

"Thought you'd be relaxing on your day off" Monica asked sounding a little confused "Where are you?"

"Uh, Central Park" Ross kicked himself as soon as he'd answered the question. He should have lied, the truth invited more questions.

"Central Park? What are you doing there? It's freezing today"

Ross groaned as he got a fresh attack of guilt. "I'm meeting...someone"

Before Monica could ask more questions, she heard a voice and although it was unfamiliar, she knew exactly who it was.

"Hi Dad!" yelled an excited Aimee as she ran towards Ross and hugged him. Chloe approached too and seeing Ross was on the phone, greeted him with a wave.

Ross sighed silently as he heard his sister gasp in shock and disbelief. "Is that Aimee?" shrieked Monica. Of course, she knew it was but she just wanted to hear Ross say the words.

"Uh huh" Ross murmured

"Does Rachel know" Monica demanded. This she also knew the answer to. If Ross had told Rachel, Monica and Phoebe would have been the first to know. Hell, even Chandler and Joey would know by now.

Ross didn't answer, but he knew that his silence said it all.

"Ross! You promised me two months ago that you'd tell her! Are you stupid? She's pregnant for God's sake, you cannot do this to her"

Ross knew that Monica was right, she was always right!

"That's it Ross, I'm telling her, because you're obviously not going to. You know you can be so fricking selfish sometimes."

"No wait, you can't" Ross said quickly "It's my problem"

"Well you can't deal with it and you're going to break her heart, I'm not keeping your secret anymore Ross. I'm telling Rachel the truth."

Monica hung up before Ross could argue with her. Right there and then he wished that his nightmare would come true; that the ground would open and suck him into the void.