Chapter 4

Two hours and three bottles of wine later…

Rachel couldn't stop laughing at Ross' lame story. He, on the other hand, was enjoying seeing her die of it.

"Stop it Ross!" Rachel managed to say in between tears, "It's not fair. I'm more drunk than you are… you can't just take advantage of me!"

"Who said I'm not as drunk as you are? Just because you snorted out the wine," he began laughing, "it doesn't mean…" and eventually, they both lost it.

Emma woke up with the noise and went out of her bedroom, holding a blanket on one hand and rubbing her eye with the other. She squinted and smiled upon seeing both her parents laughing. "Daddy?"

Ross and Rachel stopped and looked at their yawning daughter.

"Hi honey," Ross stood and scooped her with his arms.

Rachel let out a chuckle as Ross sat beside her. "Sorry for waking you up, sweetie," she said, gently brushing Emma's hair away from her face. With her head on her father's chest, the rhythm of his breathing slowly cradled her back to sleep.

Rachel couldn't help but stare at them in awe.. It was a beautiful sight.

Ross, then again, knew Rachel was looking at them. Little by little his eyes met the hers, reflecting the deep blue glistening color of the ocean. 'Damn are they beautiful,' he thought. He felt like he was in another dimension, lost in a paradise waiting to be discovered once more.

Rachel was enamored gazing at him, drifting into a trance Ross partook in. It was that certain moment they've shared too many times before and longed for… a moment of solace, passion and ardor only they can experience with one another. Intoxicated and in a daze, both got lost in a world away from reality.

Slowly their faces were drawing near without losing eye contact with one another. The heat was rising, their heartbeats were raising and their breaths were deepening. Ross and Rachel could sense what was about to happen… the consequences did not seem to matter… the intimacy connected them once more. He could feel her warmth nearing and so could she...

"Mommy?" Emma peered and shifted to another position.

The moment was ruined.

Brought back to reality, both Ross and Rachel sat straight and looked away from each other.

In a state of panic, Ross stared at the floor. What was he thinking? He had a girlfriend! And God, Emma was right there in between the both of them! He silently scolded himself, wishing Rachel would be too drunk to remember the next day.

Rachel was confused. It was something she did not expect. Emma reached for her and she immediately stood up and carried her back to her bedroom. 'Ross has a girlfriend you idiot!' she said to herself. Was she still that vulnerable after all those years?

True, what just happened took place many times before… but my gosh, wasn't she old enough this time to control herself? She wanted him but he was moving on… and so should she!

Rachel wanted to stay in Emma's room forever… but that would just worsen the tension. She was drunk, he was drunk… was that a logical reason for their behavior? 'Maybe he's too drunk to handle himself!' she thought… better yet, she wished.

Taking tiny steps from Emma's bed, her heart was pounding like an Energizer bunny. She couldn't breathe. She couldn't even look at where she was heading. The door pane was nearing and his figure was already seen. She felt like fainting!

Surprising Rachel, Ross was pouring the remains of their fourth wine in his glass. 'Is he that drunk?' she thought, thinking he didn't feel the tension of what just happened. 'Maybe he is…'

Although Ross' actions relieved her, little did she know that he wanted to get drunk enough to forget what just happened. On second thought, maybe she would forget about it too. "Would you like more?" Ross nervously asked.

She chuckled, believing that he WAS drunk. Shrugging off the edgy feeling, she gave her glass to Ross.

Not long after, they were back to laughing at each other… and with the shallowest jokes. It was getting late. Rachel could see that Ross was smashed so she offered her couch for him to crash in. Ross politely thanked her. Before she could return with his blanket, he was already snoring.

Oddly, she missed the distressing music of his sleep. So many times in the past she couldn't sleep because of the agonizing sound… she also remembered how embarrassed she felt when he snored during her fashion seminars. The memories of the past… locked up in the treasure chest of her heart.

I pray for time so that I can update this fic very soon )

I hope you enjoyed this chapter because I enjoyed writing it! Please don't forget to leave e review... they help me A LOT!