The fall out

Meanwhile with the nervous bridegoom, there was chaos. The ring had gone missing.

'I can't believe it!' he exclaimed, as Chandler walked in, 'how can it be lost again?' From the way he said it, it was clear that he'd made this exclamation several times already. Seeing Chandler, Ross said, 'Chandler, look for the ring. Hurry, I'm running out of time.' Ross started rummaging through his already disordered things. 'This is your fault,' he told Joey, 'If you'd spent time paying attention to where things were instead of flirting with that girl.'

'It's traditional to flirt at weddings,' Joey said, turning out his pockets again. 'We'll find it man, don't worry.'

'I'll have to borrow a ring,' Ross moaned. 'It won't fit her. Either it will be too small or it will fall off her hand. I had that ring resized so that it's a perfect fit…' Chandler ignored them and instead sat in a chair. He had thought it over on the way here. There was a possibility that he could conceal the news from everyone until the wedding was over. He could just say that the plane was delayed or that Rachel had been late for the plane and missed it. But the idea of telling a lie that ought to have been true just froze him. It won't bring her back - and would anyone believe him, when what had happened would be there for all to see in his eyes.

'Hey, what is it?' Joey said. Ross stopped searching, and looked at Chandler. Both of them were reading the message in his eyes as Chandler looked from one to the other.

'Rachel's plane crashed on the way here.' Both Joey and Ross sat down, absorbing the news in silence.

'Y-you must have made a mistake,' Ross said at last.

'I did not make a mistake,' Chandler said wearily. 'Her name is on the passenger list of the plane that went down. I called Phoebe to make sure.' He shook his head at the memory. She had wailed, 'I knew something would go wrong when I realised I'd left the Queen of Hearts out of the pack.' He could not even contemplate asking her what the hell that meant. He had found the call harrowing and it had taken everything he had to persuade her not to call the others so that he could tell them first.

'But how…' Ross said. Chandler had bought a newspaper on the way back, wanting to know the 'how' himself. He had kept only the front page, folded up and tucked into the pocket of the jeans he had expected to be changing out of. He hadn't a thought to spare for changing into his tuxedo; he pulled out the page and unfolded it.

Ross and Joey seized the page.

'Engine failure. That could mean anything,' Ross said. They would find out when they went to the crash site though what they would be expecting to recover, Chandler didn't know. He pushed the page at Joey and went to the window and looked out, his face averted. You didn't need to make a noise when you cried.

'Have you told Monica?' Joey asked, his voice sounding harsh in the silence.

'Not yet,' Chandler said, his voice breaking slightly against his will. He could not bear to put it off any longer and he got up. 'I'll do it now.'

Monica was with Emily and the other bridesmaids. Chandler could hear through the door that it was a happy room and he regretted having to call Monica out of it all. With laughter, and jokes from the women that would have made him feel self conscious in other circumstances, Monica was allowed to leave the room. She looked so wonderful, Chandler thought, radiant and happy.

'I can't be long,' Monica said. Chandler nodded, and took her by the hand, leading her to the room he'd just left. 'And you, you haven't changed yet. You'd better hurry too.' But she was sensing that this was serious and said, 'What's wrong, where's Rachel?'

'Something happened to the plane,' Chandler said as he showed her into the room. Monica's eyes widened.

'What?'

'It crashed.' Her eyes flicked from Chandler to Ross who was still standing by the window. 'Ross?'

'It's true,' he said, not looking at her. Wordlessly, Joey held up the front page.

'No,' Monica whispered. Chandler took her into an embrace. They were joined by Joey. And then by Ross

They didn't know how long they had been like that, shielding themselves from the truth, until they heard someone clearing his throat behind them. They broke apart to see Ross and Emily's fathers looking at them.

'What's up?' Jack asked. 'You're not even ready.'

'Rachel died in a plane crash,' Ross said.

'Rachel is a good friend of ours,' Chandler said, seeing that the older men's faces were blank. 'We just heard. She was supposed to be here.' That should be enough of an explanation for them. The older men looked at each other, concerned only with the wedding. Emily's father said hesitantly.

'Does Emily know?'

'No,' Ross said, 'I'd better tell her.' He broke free of the others. 'She should know too.'

He walked straight to the room where Emily was getting ready. With just one warning knock, he walked in. She was seated in front of a mirror while her cousin Felicity adjusted something in her hair, in the kind of fussing that is done when a woman has been ready for a while but is being kept waiting. They both turned to look at him as he entered the room.

'Ross,' Emily exclaimed with a smile. She looked so lovely, Ross thought, feeling even worse. 'You shouldn't be here,' she laughed, 'It's bad luck – ' but she had seen the look on his face, and fell silent as Ross said to Felicity,

'Would you give us a few minutes please?' Felicity looked stricken, and with a glance at Emily, she left the room.

'What's wrong?' She stood up but he indicated to her that she should sit, and pulled up a chair for himself.

'I'm sorry Emily,' he said, to her suddenly very pale face, 'I've just had some bad news. I know you didn't know her well and wouldn't feel like I do. Rachel was coming to the wedding.' He couldn't continue.

'Was?' Emily prompted.

'The plane crashed.' Emily's eyes widened.

'Crashed? But how could that happen…' she broke off the unanswerable question. She hugged him and he held her for a while.

'I just…' he broke off as he released. 'I'm sorry Emily, I can't think about anything else at the moment, it's just too awful. I – I'll get married today if you want, but I don't feel in the mood for celebration.' They had been holding hands but she let his hand go. How could she marry him today after a statement like that? And even if he hadn't said anything, it was clear to her that a wedding in such circumstances would be tainted in their memories forever. A cold shadow passed over her and she had a sudden conviction that they would never get married – not today, not ever. She pulled the tiara off her head and started removing the pins that did up her hair. The rapidity of her movements disguised the trembling in her hands.

'It's all right.' She wouldn't cry until she was alone. The death of her relationship was something only she could be expected to mourn.

'I love you Emily,' Ross said.

'I love you too, Ross,' she said. It felt like goodbye, even though they weren't at the end of their conversation. 'So what will you do? I suppose you and Monica, and the others will want to go back to New York as soon as possible.'

'I hadn't thought,' Ross said.

'No, I suppose not,' Emily said.

'I'll see what Monica wants to do,' Ross said. They walked out together, where quite a few people were milling about. Emily left him to join her father in telling him what they had decided while Ross returned to his group of friends, as forlorn as they'd been when he'd left them.

'Emily's undone her hair,' Monica observed.

'We're not getting married today,' Ross said. 'We've decided to – ' but they hadn't decided anything yet.

'Oh,' Monica said, 'You guys didn't have to do that.' A tear rolled down her cheek.

'Yes we did,' Ross said.

'But Rachel wouldn't have wanted that. She was coming to see the wedding,' Monica said fiercely, 'You can't make her death for nothing. You have to get married today.'

'No,' Ross said as Emily approached.

'I'm sorry to hear about Rachel,' she said formally.

'You should get married, you should,' Monica insisted, 'It's what she would have wanted.'

'We will, but just not today,' Emily said. 'We can't get married today, it's just too sad.' Ross put an arm around her shoulder. They listened as Emily's father announced the cancellation of the wedding. 'I'd better get out of this dress,' Emily said, 'I'll see you at the hotel.' She neatly escape Ross's arm.

'Come on,' Chandler said to Joey and Monica, 'Let's go.'

Ross did not escape the clutches of his family so easily.

Next chapter: what Rachel does next…