Come What May
"The greatest thing you'll ever learn is just to love, and to be loved in return."
-Moulin Rouge-
Christmas Eve. 1990.
It was cold. Bitter cold. The kind of coldness you don't forget– the kind rips right through your body and through your bones. That was all she really remembered of that place, though her grandchildren would hound her constantly for every miniscule detail she could possibly obtain. In fact, that was all she really wanted to remember of that place.
She was sixty-eight years old now. Though, her beauty had long faded, her face no longer smoothed to perfection, she never would wish to go back to her youth. She was all of nineteen years when it all happened, in her prime really. The world was different back then, everything was simpler, which made every moment all the more beautiful.
Then everything just got complicated, in a simple kind of way. And that's when the coldness set in. Where the memories started that she had worked long to forget. She had seen so many awful things, things that should tear a person apart. And they did, oh how they tore and tore on every person that she knew. Including herself.
"Oh, come on, Gram! You gotta remember more then that!" Sarah whined, "You still have all those old photo albums! You gotta remember those people in there!"
She flashed an amused grin, "Of course, I remember those people, Sarah."
"Then why don't you ever tell us what happened?" Aaron, the eldest of her grandchildren reasoned, "You always say you don't remember."
"Come on, please, will you tell us this Christmas?" Annie pleaded, sitting down in front of her chair, "You promised you'd tell us, Gram!"
She shook her head, "I'm getting too old for this," she moaned, motioning the three children to sit down around her.
"Thank-you!" Sarah yelled out, plopping down next to her sister, Annie.
Aaron smiled, "This is so gonna help me pass US History this semester!"
She closed her eyes for a moment, collecting her thoughts. It had been such a long time since she had revisited those old memories. For a long time, she dared not even sleep because those people would haunt her dreams. She had just wanted to forget, but it seemed that even with time, it was impossible to forget.
"It was nearing the end of the summer, everyone was in high spirits that day. My brother, Ross, had just enlisted in the army. Was gonna go off to fight somebody else's War, if the president commanded it. I remember my parents being so ecstatic about the whole thing....."
September. 1941.
A soft breeze blew by, rustling her dark mane out of its already messy placement. Everyone was in there, congratulating him and wishing him luck, and she was invisible to them. Again. Her parents couldn't be prouder, their son was going to go off too prepare for War. A war that hadn't even touched the United States yet. That probably was never going to bother the United States.
"Monica,"
She shook her head, bringing herself back out of her pit of self-pity and back to the real world. "Rachel?"
"Has he," she motioned inside, not wanting to finish her sentence. For Rachel Green, she looked terrible. To the rest of the world, she looked like a normal person. Her darker blonde hair was falling out of its once tightly bound bun, causing loose hairs to encircle her delicate face. Her pale yellow sundress, once ironed to perfection, was wrinkled here and there.
Rachel and Ross had been dating for several months, although Ross had been head over heels in love with Rachel since the day he met her years ago. It had taken him that long to finally admit his feelings to her. Their relationship was going surprisingly well, considering the people involved, and then he hit her with this blow. He was going to be gone for the next two years. And that was something that Rachel hadn't been expecting, and didn't react well too.
Monica shook her head, "No, you haven't missed him. He's in with my parents now, they are all still congratulating him."
She nodded slowly, "Is he still mad with me?" She asked timidly, in an almost child-like voice.
Monica smiled, "Rach, he's head over heels in love with you! He couldn't be mad at you for more then ten minutes if he tired!"
Rachel smiled broadly, "Head over heels?"
She nodded, "Go, my patience is wearing thin," she warned with mock seriousness.
Her grin increased, flashing Monica her pearly white teeth. "Thank-you, Monica!" She yelled, as she burst up the stairs, catching her friend off guard and giving her a quick hug before continuing through the door.
Monica turned her attention back to the street, after hearing the screen door shut behind her friend. Now her parents were really going to ignore her with Rachel thrown into the mix. The perfect girlfriend for the perfect son. Not that she resented Rachel or anything, in fact, any girl would have been perfect to her parents, expect her.
She sighed heavily, casting one last look inside to see Ross holding Rachel while their parents quietly exited the room to give the couple some privacy. Monica rolled her eyes in disgust, before turning her attention back out to the quiet street. She needed to get out of there.
With a gentle push, she lifted herself back off the ground and back onto her feet. Not even bothering to look back at her house, she walked lazily down her front lawn and onto the sidewalk, dragging her feet at her slow pace.
She shoved her hands into the front pockets of her white pants, hoping that she had left some money in there to go to the store with. If only she could have such luck, she was clean out of cash. With a shrug, she continued on her walk, now with no destination in mind.
The breeze picked up a little bit, blowing her hair into even more knots. She shivered at the sudden chill, wishing she had brought something to cover her bare shoulders with. For September it was unusually cold this year, the fall was setting in early.
She walked for a good half-hour, just around her neighborhood. Stopping and waving to a few neighbors, some whom she had babysitted for in high school, others who she had known her entire life, and some who were just the friendly type and would wave to anyone who happened to pass by.
Then there was Phoebe Buffay. A long time friend of Monica's, with long wispy blonde hair and an eccentric personality. Monica passed by her house to see the blonde laying out front, just staring up at the sky.
"Phoebe?" Monica called, amusement in her tone.
She sat up rapidly, causing her hair to giggle from side to side. "Monica? I thought your brother was leaving today?"
"He is."
"Is it really that bad?"
She nodded, "You have no idea how badly I want out of there. I finally just left, but going back is going to be fun. Hell, two years with them is going to be a blast."
"Well nineteen years with them haven't quite seem to be a spring day in the Bahamas, huh?" She commented, obviously amused. The blonde had long been on the receiving end of many long rants from Monica about her family. But, she had yet to complain once.
"I want to leave so badly, I want to see the world!" Monica threw her arms up into the air, whirling herself around in a circle. "You know, live a little," she smiled walking over to her friend and laying down besides her, "But it's not like that at home. My Mom and Dad will probably be angry with me for leaving the house without their permission. And yet, Ross gets to go off and enlist in the army and get congratulated by my parents!"
Phoebe smirked, "Well," she stated in a very 'matter-of-factly' way.
"Well what?" Monica asked, propping herself up to see the blonde better.
"We could become nurses,"
Monica felt her jaw drop, "What?"
"Let me finish. What are the chances of us going to war? And this way, we can be on our own and see the world! Together! And there will be tons of guys! Isn't that what you've always wanted?"
"I don't know, Pheebs, I mean, I'm only nineteen."
"You only have to be eighteen to join, come on, Monica. If you don't go, then I'll go by myself. I'm going and enlisting this afternoon."
"What about my parents,"
"What about them? You said it, you wanted to get out of there! You want to see the world! This way you can, and on someone else's dime!"
"Pheebs, what about your house? If you leave, then you'll have to sell it!" Monica pointed out. The blonde had lived with her grandmother for several years, taking care of an elderly lady that nobody else seemed to want. She had died that summer, and the hole it left in the blonde's heart never seemed to be filled. She would always be lacking, always have one less sparkle in her eyes.
Phoebe's eyes turned to the street in front of her, growing distant, "This house isn't has homey as before. It will always be empty to me now."
"But is that really a reason in enlist as a nurse! Pheebs! Think about it! We could actually go to war!"
"Monica! Don't you see! If we do get to go to war, then we will be helping so many people! That is the one thing I've worked so hard for, but for all my efforts maybe a dog lives or an elderly couple won't have to rake their leaves in the fall! This way, I can help so many people!"
She watched her friend with gentle eyes, Phoebe always had a heart of gold. She wasn't afraid to stand up for what she believed in, even if she was the only one. Her lips curled into a bright smile, "I'm in." She stated simply, not even letting the blonde finish her rampage.
"What?" Phoebe asked, stopping midway through her point about animal rights or something. Monica hadn't really listened since her first point.
"I want to enlist with you, Phoebe Buffay. I want to see the world on someone else's dime. I want to help people. But most of all, I want to piss off my parents."
Phoebe smiled brightly, "You're the best, Mon!"
"I know," Monica smirked before laughing at her own joke.
"I can't believe it, maybe by this time next year we will be dating two gorgeous sailors! Or pilots! Or Marines! Oh! I can't wait!"
"What about helping people, Pheebs?" Monica raised an eyebrow, giving her friend an amused grin.
"Well, think of it as a bonus," she smirked, "And besides, one of your reasons was because you wanted to piss off your parents. Not the most noble choice."
Monica smiled, chuckling lightly at the point. "Whatever, Pheebs. You know what we should do?"
"What?"
"We should bring Rachel. She'll love getting way from here, and maybe we can even be stationed with Ross or something! She'd love that!"
Phoebe winced a little, "The rich girl?"
"Yeah, so? Pheebs, whatever happened to you liking all people no matter what?"
"Well," Phoebe said slowly, "I guess if she wants to come, I'll have no problems with it. I just really don't see her as a nurse, you know?"
Monica shrugged, "Who knows? People can surprise you, Pheebs. You have to stop giving her so little credit."
Phoebe raised her hands up in defense, "Hey, I'm just pointing out the obvious."
Monica rolled her eyes, "Don't worry, Pheebs. She will come."
"Just don't get your hopes up, Mon," Phoebe warned her, "Rachel may not come."
"Stop being so negative, or else I'm going to have to pluck your aura!" Monica warned with mock seriousness. Phoebe shot her a confused look, but Monica just chuckled at her own little joke. "I better be going, Pheebs. My parents are probably going to be pretty angry with me for leaving again."
"I'm enlisting this afternoon at city hall, meet you there about four?"
Monica nodded, "And I'll bring Rachel with me."
Phoebe gave her a look, "Mon,"
"I know, I know," she sighed, pushing herself back off the ground, "Don't get my hopes up." She flashed her friend a smile, then attempted to wipe off a few stray blades of grass before continuing back to the sidewalk.
"As long as we're clear."
"We are clear," Monica smiled brightly, "I'll meet you at city hall at four!" She gave her friend a little wave, then turned and headed back home, her pace slightly quickened then the one before. She knew her parents were going to be angry with her again. But at this point, did it really matter anymore?
I know. I know. I'm being bad and starting yet another fic!! I promise updates are comming along on both my in progess fics, I just had this idea and decided to go with it! Hee. Hee.
Anyways, feedback would be really appericated on this one. This is defitinally my frist AU fic ever, 'Friends' or LOTR's, I have never really brached out much (Granted on my LOTR's fics, I played with the rules a little, much to the dismay of others, but never went compleately AU). I really hope you guys like this format, it's sorta Titanic-like with an old Monica telling her story to others (although, my problem with Titanic is that we see things from Jack's POV as well as Rose's, yet Rose is telling the story. Screwy! I'm gonna avoid tthat, thank-you). Oh well, I'm done now.
Please Review.