The sun peeked in the windows as the morning came. Rachel laid in the hotel bed with a sheet draped over her. She laid her hand on her now flat stomach. Life. Life was in her. Her and that man laying next to her had created it. It may have started out as sex, but just as in the past, their love ruled out in the end. Her dress laid on the floor next to his tuxedo. She just rolled over and stared at Ross sleeping. His hair was smashed to the pillow and his mouth was wide open as he snored loudly. Anyone else would have annoyed her, but not Ross. Suddenly he began to stir, Rachel fashioned a covering over her shoulder as she propped herself up on her elbow. Not awake yet, he slowly opened his eyes and fluttered his eyelashes to wipe the sleep still left in his eyes.
"Good morning." She sang . It was a slow movement as he held the sheets around his own naked body. It didn't cover much as his muscular arms poked out as he leaned over to kiss her.
"We've got to stop this, or people are going to think things." Ross said jokingly.
Rachel stopped at that comment. Is that so bad? She had forgotten what Ross was like in bed. Her "bonus night, " had reminded her of that. He was soft and tender , yet he could find the spots to excite and bring her to throngs of passion. No man had ever been able to do this, not Barry , not Paolo and Tag was nice to look at it, but he didn't have that maturity that Ross did. Ross was two years older than her, yet he could act like a teenager or act like a spoiled child if he didn't get his own way. Everything was changing.
"Right or your sister will excuse me of trying to steal her thunder again." She laughed and then looked down at the watch on her wrist.
"Oh my, we should be getting up. Check out is in an hour."
"We aren't going anywhere until noon. I have this room until then. In fact, do you want breakfast. It's on Chandler." He laughed.
"I am hungry Dr. Geller, but not for food. " she looked at him savagely. "Can't waste a hotel room, can we?" She leaned on him and then pushed him back onto the bed , kissing his lips fiercely.Ross wrapped his arms around her as then began to kiss her neck as she wrapped her legs around his waist. They were startled by a knock at the door.
"Hey Ross! Check out is in an hour." Yelled Chandler. "And I am not paying for another night." Rachel and Ross seized their lovemaking. "Oh my God, I am in with Phoebe and she is probably wondering why I didn't come back to the room." Rachel began to panic. She grabbed the sheets and her dress as she began to put it on. "Where are you going?" Rachel turned to him and cried. "We can't let anyone know this happened. Not yet at least. " She thought of the secret she shared with Phoebe.
"Okay well is this going to be another bonus night or are there some things we need to talk about?" Ross asked as he went to his suitcase and pulled out a pair of jeans.
"We will talk soon, I promise." Rachel said as she zipped up her bridesmaid's dress. "Bye lover." She kissed her finger and put it to his lips. After she left, Ross got dressed and busied himself with the business of going into the bathroom and taking as much of the hotel and stuffing it in his suitcase. Soon there was another knock on the door. "Chandler, I still have another half hour." He yelled as he opened the door.
"Gina?" he asked surprised. "You said that you would take Michael to the museum today. I hope I wasn't being too pushy, but Joey told me what a nice guy you were and Michael is looking forward to it. He really doesn't have a brother or a father figure to look up to. It seemed last night that you genuinely interested in him." She said sincerely. "Michael hasn't had much of a male to influence him and the only male he has is Joey."
"Well Gina, I usually don't check out of a hotel before checkout, but if Michael wants to go, I guess I did make a promise to him." Ross sighed .
"I'll go get him, you don't know how happy this will make him." Gina said as she ran down to Joey's room. Within a few seconds, a teen aged boy was standing at his door. "This is going to be so cool. " exclaimed Michael. "Thanks Doctor Geller for taking me."
"Please just call me Ross. " he said. "I just have to get my suitcase and then we can go. I'll send this stuff home with Joey and get it later." Ross and Michael left Joey 's room. Joey could spend the day with his sister before they were going to fly back to LA.
The museum visit was such a great experience for Ross. He realized that Ben was still very young, but this is what he had always dreamed of , taking a son to this very museum and explaining his love of paleontology to him. Michael was not bored at all, he was fascinated and even laughed at the jokes that Ross had made that usually went over the heads of his friends. But Ross also had the events of last night on his mind as well. He couldn't stop thinking about her. When she said they would talk, what did she mean by that?
Rachel walked back to her room. Phoebe was sitting on the bed with her arms folded. "Okay missy talk!" she commanded. "I know where you spent the night."
"Phoebe , it was just one night." Rachel tried to reason with her.
"No this makes two nights, and have you told him yet?" Phoebe asked anxiously.
"I am not going to tell him until Monica and Chandler have left for the Bahamas ." Rachel argued. "I am stealing no body's thunder. I still don't know how he is going to react to all of this, I mean when Carol told him about Ben he was in shock."
"That is so totally different. You think he will be angry when he finds out you are having his baby? Hell missy, he will be on cloud nine to know that the woman he loves is pregnant with his kid." Phoebe confidently explained.
"You really think so?" asked Rachel.
"You guys are lobsters and so meant to be together. Hello , the man said your name when he was marrying another woman. That's fate." Phoebe said as she sat jumping on the bed and holding Rachel's hand.
"I just thought it was Ross." Laughed Rachel as she tried to hide her nervousness.
After an afternoon at the museum, Ross and Michael showed up at the Tribbiani house. Gina met them at the door Michael ran inside and hugged his mother. "I had the best time with Ross. We saw all sorts of prehistoric creatures and fossils and then Ross let me touch some of the exhibits." Gina was smiling. This was another sign that she could tell Ross. He and her son were bonding so well. Joey came out of the kitchen.
"Did ya have fun kid?" Joey asked as he stood with a spoon in his hand.
"I sure did, Uncle Joey, your friend is the best." Michael smiled.
"I could have told you that. He is a great friend." Joey put his arm around Ross' shoulder. Ross broke it off and then started for the door. "I was going to let you have your family gathering , so I'll go now." Gina stopped him. "No Ross, it would be great if you could stay for dinner." She wrapped her arm around his. Joey was seeing the signs now.
"Yeah Ross, you haven't lived until you have had an authentic Italian meal at the Tribbianis. And Gina is an excellent cook." Joey bragged.
"If you want me to stay." Ross asked as he looked over at Michael.
"You bet. " cried Joey.
"Okay." He said as he sat back down on the couch. Michael sat down beside him. Gina looked over and then she returned to the kitchen.
"Hey Gina. I think he really likes you." Said Joey as he put a lump of ground beef into his hand to roll into a meatball.
"I must admit , he certainly gets along with Michael." Gina smiled. "And he really isn't that bad looking." Gina kept wondering when she would have the little talk she wanted to have. Things seem to falling into place. Gina stirred the sauce as she thought. "Hey ! now , those tomatoes are burning.!" Said Joey as he went to turn off the burner.
"I guess my mind was on something else. " Gina blushed. "Or someone else." He giggled.
"That meal was incredible." Ross said as he finished his dinner. "I really mean it, I mean my sister is a chef , but that was the best pasta I ever ate." Gina took a mock bow. "I wish I could take credit for it all , but it is nonnie's recipe." Ross looked over at Gina and saw how she had a certain sparkle in her eye. He had been with Rachel though, but once again she made it clear she didn't want to rush into things. Well maybe Gina would be nice to spend some time with.
Joey offered to do the dishes with one of his other sisters since Gina had someone to visit with. Her and Ross sat on the porch on the swing.
"Just like at my house, well until my sister broke it." He laughed.
"You have a sister?" Gina said surprised.
"Yeah Monica, you went to her wedding?" Ross said unsure.
"Oh yeah. I forgot. I want to thank you for taking Michael to the museum today. Science isn't really my thing." Gina confessed.
"That's okay. I was glad to do it." Ross smiled at Gina. "He's a great kid."
"You know you seem great with kids. Do you have any?" Gina asked.
Ross pulled out his wallet. "As a matter of fact , I do, I have a son who is almost eight. His name is Ben and he lives with his mother." Ross stopped there not wanting to elaborate the whole tale of his and Carol's divorce. Gina took the wallet and noticed the picture next to it. It was a picture of the girl from the wedding and he had his arm around her. If he wasn't going to tell her about that woman, she wasn't going to ask. "Maybe someday I will find the right woman and then I will have another." Ross added sadly.
Gina knew this was her moment. She took Ross' hand in hers and then cleared her throat.
"Ross, there is something I wanted to tell you. I didn't know how to say it at first, but now that I have gotten to know you a little bit better.I think I can say this. Ross, you and I slept together a long time ago after some dorm party and after that night , I found out I was pregnant." Ross dropped his hand and then looked unbelievingly at Gina . "You mean?" he asked.
"There is a very strong possibility that you are Michael 's father." Ross mouth was wide open and his eyes glazed.