Okay, here we have another chappy for you. I'm happy with how this is turning out so far, and am exicted to see what the next few months will bring me.
To all you guys who reivewed, thanks a ton. Support and comments on this are extremely helpful, considering that this is really my first all AU fic. I mean, "Love Actually" is AU and all, but this is sticking the 'Friends' cast in a completely different era and location. I need help.
Thanks agian!
Christmas Eve, 1990.
"What was the big deal about enlisting as a nurse, Gram?" Sarah asked, as she titled her head a little to the side in wonderment.
Monica smiled a little, "Things were different back then, Sarah. Woman didn't just leave their homes for adventures, we left because we were married. And when we were married we were expected to be the perfect housewives."
Aaron stood up out of his chair and walked over to the small table besides Monica's old rocking chair. He picked up the old photo album that lay open, and fingered through the pages loosely. "Are those people in here, Gram?"
Monica nodded and beckoned him to come closer to her, "Here, let me see that old thing."
Aaron walked back over to her, and placed it on her lap. "Hey, I've got a question."
"Shoot," Monica smiled, as she flipped carefully through the old pages so to not damage anything.
"You said one of you're friend's names was Phoebe, right?"
"Yes, Phoebe Buffay to be exact."
"Is she my mom's namesake?"
Monica smiled, "Phoebe was one of the most beautiful people I have ever met, and I couldn't help but to wish that beauty on my daughter." She flipped through a couple more pages, "Ah!" She exclaimed as she pointed at a small grouping of pictures, "Here we are!"
Annie and Sarah pulled in closer to their grandmother.
"Who's who?" Sarah asked, studying each of the yellow-ish pictures.
Monica pointed to a beaming blonde woman in the lower right hand corner. She was enclosed in the arms of an equally happy Italian man, their cheeks pinned together. "This is Phoebe Buffay." She pointed up to another picture just above that one of a woman, looking over her shoulder smiling. It was just of her face, and you could tell it was taken candidly, but she was beautiful, even the blind could see that. "And that's Rachel Green."
"Are they bothering you again, Ma?" Her daughter, Phoebe, walked into the room, holding a tray of cookies in her hands. "Because I warned Aaron on the way over here that if he continued to harp on you again this Christmas he wasn't gonna see New Years." She set the tray down on the small table besides her, giving her son a small glare.
"You're hilarious mom," Aaron deadpanned.
"Oh you think I'm kidding?"
Monica shook her head, "No, it's alright, honey, it's about time I told this story again."
Phoebe shot her son a quick glare, "You don't have to, you know that right, Ma? I know you went through some hard times."
"They didn't call us the greatest generation for nothing."
Phoebe smiled faintly and nodded, "Alright, but if they start to bother you, just say the word and I'll make sure they'll never bother you again," she winked playfully at her mother.
Monica shook her head a little, "It's alright, sweetie. I don't mind." She smiled faintly, "Besides I remember a little boy and girl that used to ask their parents to tell this story to them all the time."
"Ma! That was different!"
"Okay! So what happened next, Gram?" Annie interrupted, not caring to hear any more about their Aunt and father, "I mean, we know you went to Pearl, but what happened?"
"Well, I met up with Phoebe and Rachel later at the town hall, and we enlisted into the service. I remember that night my parents being so furious with me," she chuckled a little, "They were ready to disown me, but as much as they thought of me as a disappointment, they could never do that."
"You were a disappointment?" Sarah said more as a statement then a question, unable to picture her grandmother as anything sort of miraculous.
Monica nodded, "Well, it was no bother, I left within two weeks for Boston, where I under went a couple of weeks of training before I was given my orders."
"I thought you were a nurse, though. Shouldn't you get more training then a couple of weeks?" Aaron asked, looking quite perplexed.
Monica shook her head, "You have to remember we didn't even think we were going to war at that point. Why waste good money on something you'll never need?"
"I guess that makes sense," Annie commented, still not completely convinced.
"So how did you end up at Pearl Harbor, Gram?" Sarah asked, bringing them all back to the main point of the conversation.
"That's where most of the enlisted people were going, and that is where our orders sent us. I met a lot of good people down there."
"What was it like?"
"At first it was paradise. Our first day it felt like we were on a vacation from our lives, but still got money for every day we spent doing nothing."
Pearl Harbor. October. 1941.
"Can you believe it! Guys! We're in Hawaii!" Rachel squealed as she jumped up and down on the deck of the boat.
Phoebe smiled, "Now this is paradise," she mused as she looked around, "The sand, the warmth, the guys, the palm trees, the guys, oh and did I say, the guys?"
Monica shook her head, "Let's see we have the entire Pacific Fleet with us, and there's only three beautiful woman from Long Island. That's gonna be some juggling act."
Rachel giggled, "I don't care about all the other sailors! I just hope Ross is here so that I can surprise him! He will be so happy to see me!"
"You still haven't told him, yet?" Phoebe asked, a little surprised by Rachel's remark. "How many letters have you sent him already?"
"Well, I just thought it would be better to do in person. You know, let him make the connection first."
"Rachel, he isn't going to care. He'll just be happy to have you with him," Monica rolled her eyes, growing old of the on going saga that was Ross and Rachel.
"Hello, I couldn't help but over hear, you three are from Long Island as well?" A tall blonde woman came over to them, smiling brightly.
Monica nodded, "Yes, I don't believe we've met before," she had to admit that she might have already met this woman, but she had met so many others in the past couple of weeks things were starting to faze together.
"No, I don't believe we have, my name's Carol, Carol Willick."
"I'm Monica Geller, how old are you anyways?"
"I'm twenty-one, just turned," she smiled.
Phoebe nodded, "Hi, I'm Phoebe Buffay," she made a small gesture towards Rachel on her left, "And this is Rachel Green. Monica apparently forgot about us."
"No! I just figured you'd introduce yourselves!"
"We're kidding," Phoebe laughed, "Only because we love you."
"So how old are you three?" Carol asked, trying to make conversation, "You three look like you barely made the cut off! Although, I've heard that there are a lot of girls around here who lied about their ages."
"We're all nineteen, and glad to be away from high school and no where near higher education." Rachel chuckled at her own joke.
"So do you have anybody or are you looking?" Phoebe smiled, nudging Carol in her side playfully. "Cause you know, me and Monica could use and third girl."
"What about Rachel?"
"Oh, I'm engaged," she smiled holding up her hand to show off the small ring around her finger. "I'm hoping to find him here," she admitted, "I can't stand the thought of being away from him for two years!"
"Oh, well, I don't have any one back home. In fact, I just broke up with my boyfriend a couple of weeks before I left." She sighed quietly, "My parents were not to pleased. They thought he was the one for me, you know? I had been dating him for a couple of years after all."
"Oh, I'm sorry," Rachel rested her hand on Carol's, "That must have been tough. I mean, break-ups are never easy, but being in a relationship for so long and then ending things is even rougher."
"Don't be, I was the one who ended things, anyways."
"Well good for you then!" Phoebe cheered her on.
"What happened anyways, did you just stop loving him?" Rachel asked, still not understanding how someone could just leave another person after so long.
Carol darted her eyes away for a moment, her lips opened as if to make a response, but nothing came out. She finally came out with, "I guess you could say that I changed, and he didn't fit in with that new change."
Monica looked at her perplexed, but she didn't say anything. It was more then apparent that Carol did not want to tell them any more then what she had divulged, which wasn't much more then flowery words combined in an attempt to covey something important.
"I think this is it," Carol smiled cheerfully, as she bent down and began to collect all of her numerous belongings from around her as the boat narrowed in on a small dock. "I guess I will be seeing you three around then?"
Monica smiled warmly, "Of course," she said as the boat jerked to a stop.
Carol offered a small nod and made her way off the boat, her baggage nearly weighing down her small build.
"She seems like a nice girl," Rachel commented as she collected all of her things, which was probably the most the military had ever seen from one nurse. Heck, it was probably the most Monica had ever seen Rachel pack, she didn't even know her friend had so many suitcases in which to hold everything.
Phoebe nodded slowly, "Something's bothering her, though. I can't place my finger on it, but something's definitely up."
"Whatda mean, Pheebs?"
She shook her head and shrugged her shoulders, "I don't know."
"Come on, gals, soldiers await," Monica grinned madly, her things already collected and draped around herself. "You know they won't accompany themselves!"
"Yes, Rachel, Ross could be waiting right at the end of that dock right now, you never know," Phoebe teased.
Rachel smiled happily, "Pick up the pace!" She practically yelled at Phoebe and Monica as she made a mad dash, or really a mad hobble, towards the end of the dock.
"Do you really think you should have gotten her hopes up like that, Pheebs?" Monica asked, barley being able to contain her laughter.
"No, but it's funny as hell!" Phoebe laughed, watching as Rachel continued to hobble down the dock, her hair flying around her madly as she continued to look all around her.
"I know!" Monica burst out laughing, as she and Phoebe made their way slowly down the deck, following the small herd of new nurses.
November. 1941.
Monica hurried through the large, open hospital as quickly as her heels would let her. They had just brought a young man in, a pilot maybe, who had quite possibly broken his arm falling down the steps from his plane.
It was her first real assignment since she had gotten there almost a month ago. Every other day was spent either treating a bad sunburn, or sitting on the empty beds playing cards and wondering how much longer it was going to take before the new shift arrived.
"Ms. Geller, my tools?" Doctor Stevens asked, rather impatiently, holding his hand out waiting for the tray of the tools he had requested.
"Oh, right, yes, here you are Doctor Stevens," Monica said hurriedly, placing down the small metal tray on the cart besides him.
"Thank-you," his annoyance came through in his tones, "Had this been a real crisis, I would rather you not take your time, as it was it took you nearly ten minutes to get the tools I had requested."
"I'm sorry, Doctor Stevens, I'm still not quite used to where things are located, seeing as how we really don't use them all that much."
"And you should thank God every day for that, young lady!" He snapped back, pointing as fatherly finger at her.
"Sorry," she breathed out, "It will never happen again, Doctor."
"Good, now go and talk with his friend that brought him in, he seemed rather worried about his friend." He looked down at the clipboard at the end of the bed, "Bing, that's his name, Bing. Go and tell them that his friend, a Mr. Tribbiani has dislocated his shoulder, he should be up and out in a couple of weeks at most."
"Alright, Doctor Stevens." Monica said dejectedly, having her first big accident involvement being going and getting a tray. Something told her that she should be getting used to that.
She walked slowly through the corridors, listening to the dull click of her heels against the tiling. She walked out into the main room, where there were only two people. The nurse who acted as a receptionist, apparently she had some sort of background, and a man sitting in a waiting chair.
"Mr. Bing?" She called out to the man.
He jerked his head up, "So how's he doing?"
She smiled subconsciously at his face, or really more so at his eyes. He was a handsome man, without a doubt, but his eyes, his face paled in comparison to their striking blue orbs. "Erm-yes, Mr. Tribbiani has dislocated his shoulder, so he'll have to wear a sling for a little while, but he should be fine in a matter of weeks."
"Alright then," the man smiled, "That's good, I guess, Miss," he paused waiting for her to say her name.
"Geller, Monica Geller."
He nodded slowly, and extended a hand, "Nice to meet you, Monica Geller, my name's Chandler, and yes I know it sounds and awful lot like Chandelier, but, thank God, it isn't."
Monica chuckled a little and shook Chandler's hand firmly. "So are you a pilot?" She asked, remembering how Doctor Stevens had said the man in the room was a pilot.
He nodded, "I have been my whole life it seems like," he smiled, "How did you know anyways? I mean, we haven't worn our uniforms since the day we got here."
"Doctor Stevens said that your friend was a pilot, I just assumed."
"Good guess, then," he chuckled, "By the way, are you related to a Ross Geller?"
"Yea, he's my brother, I'm sad to say. How do you know him? I don't think they'd let him be a pilot, let alone near any planes."
Chandler chuckled, "You're right about that, you know. Actually, I really don't know what he does exactly, something smart, I reckon. But I met him a while back, he was collecting our information, you know, for dogtags and such."
Monica shook her head when she heard about his job, "No doubt he's going to glorify that when he tells my parents."
"Miss Geller!" Doctor Stevens called her back from inside the recovery room, "Would you mind not flirting for one moment and come here and do your job!"
Monica hung her head at this, trying to hide the redness in her face. "Look, I've, erm-got to go, it was nice meeting you, Chandler!" She said as she turned around and made another mad dash for the recovery room.
Chandler held up his hand, "Wait! Would you be interested in," but she was gone before he could finish his sentence. Actually, she was gone before he had said wait, but he had hoped that she might turn around and come back. After that point, he had found it useless to say anything else.
"Tough luck," the nurse at the desk said, "She's a good catch, that one."
"Erm-thanks?" Chandler said, confused as to why the receptionist was talking to him, let alone listening in on and looking at his conversation with the nurse.
"Anytime."
Okay, I promise the next chapter will not bounce around as much as these past few have. I just need to set things up, obiviously a lot is going to happen in November, and I will have to stick to the past time for that, catch my drift? I'm really sorry that I do bounce around though, cause I know it's kinda annoying, but next chappy is getting to the good stuff, I promise!
Updates up as soon as possible.
Please Review.