by Tina
First of all, wanna thank you all for the reviews! I think it was the main thing that motivated me into writing this 3rd part...! I know this won't be like the best fic I've ever written, lol, but it's a good way to kill off some time! Also, it's nice to have people reading it and helping me improve at it! So... thanks! :)
The three of them stood by the door of Ross' apartment. His mind raced through all the possibilities of Isaak's visit and the possible consequences it could cause to his and Rachel's relationship. Of all the days in the year, why did he have to choose that one to show up?
"Hm, I'm gonna go finish getting ready then" Rachel said "Honey, don't forget we still need to pick up the coats in the dry cleaners"
"Oh, sure"
Rachel excused herself and entered the room again. Ross looked nervously back at Isaak, who was still looking down at the floor.
"What uh... What are you doing here, Isaak?"
"Okay, hm..." Isaak cleared his throat and paced around the room for a bit. Then he stopped and looked back at Ross. "It's a long story. Hm, do you mind if I sit down?"
"Oh, no, hm, go ahead"
Isaak sat down on the couch and Ross uncertainly sat on an arm chair near.
"Right, here's the deal... Chloe, hm" Ross cringed at the sound of her name. Isaak didn't notice, so he just went on "she passed away last week"
"What?"
Ross' heart seemed to stop beating for a moment. Isaak sighed.
"She was involved in a car accident and didn't make it"
"Whoa, I... I can't believe this"
Ross' mind wandered through memories of Chloe. The cheerful girl at the copy place, always jumpy and so full of life. How could a person just die like this?
And then... he wondered why Isaak had made his way to his apartment just to tell him that. It's not like they were friends. It's not like they had anything more than that one time when he was drunk. Not wanting to sound insensitive, Ross shook his head, still in a daze, and said with a soft voice...
"I- I'm very sorry, Isaak" Isaak simply disserted aswell, drying the corners of his eyes with his fingertips, inhailing deep. "But up... What, what do I have to do with this?"
Isaak looked thoughtful for what seemed to be a century.
"Chloe had a daughter, Ross. Your daughter"
"Hm, I'm sorry, what?"
"After that night you two got together, she found out she was pregnant. Nine months later... little Melissa was born. And now... now she has no one. She's been staying with me for now, but you're her father. So I wondered if maybe..." he trailed off.
Ross' mind raced faster and faster. It couldn't be his child. There was no way it could be his child. It was a known fact that Chloe was not exactly the sort of girl who saved herself for the "special guys". Plus, they had worn protection that night.
Right?
If only he could remember anything.
Besides, he didn't need that, not then. Not when things were working out with Rachel. Not when everything was falling into the right place, when they were going to get married and have children of their own.
Definitely, it wasn't his child.
"I'm sorry, Isaak, but... it's not mine"
"But it is, Ross"
"How can you say that?" Ross snapped. He then realised Rachel was just in the next room and calmed down. There was no need for her to hear what was going on. "Listen... Chloe and I have only been together once. And I'm sorry, but you of all people know how she... you know, didn't exactly wait for the right oportunities."
Isaak looked at Ross with nothing but tears and disgust in his eyes.
"You know what? Chloe was wrong about you"
With that, he sighed one last time and left. Ross stood there, alone, and hung his head, defeated. Hearing the door slam so hard, Rachel entered the livingroom again, now dressed up, but still with wet hair.
"What was that about?"
Ross looked at her and then looked down.
"Nothing. There are eggs in the pan and coffee on the machine, but uh I'm not hungry anymore. I'll go pack"
He left to the room and Rachel was left confused.
Rachel was looking out the window in the train. The landscape was now far different than the one they could see when they left New York. Being closer to Vermont by now, the high builtings were slowly replaced by leafless trees, covered with the white snow which had fallen on the previous night. She rested her forehead on the cold glass and saw Ross' reflection staring at her. She exhailed and the glass was covered with steam. Whipping it off, she turned around and looked at him.
Upon seeing sadness in his eyes, she asked:
"You okay?"
"Yeah", he lied.
"What hm, what did that guy Isaak want?"
Ross looked at her, torn. He didn't want to hide anything from her, but he also didn't want to ruin their aniversary. And he was sure that would do it.
"Nothing, it was nothing, sweetie. Just some... boring business things"
Rachel nodded, though she knew he was lying. Things were getting awkward again, she couldn't believe it. They were doing so well, improved so much. Up untill that morning after they made love things were perfect. How could that visist from that stranger change everything? And most importantly, why couldn't he tell her why?
She turned around and looked out the window again, closing her eyes. That would be a long weekend.
Rachel was flipping through the channels in their suite, under thick, soft layers of blankets. She could hear the sound of the shower running competing with the sound produced by the t.v.. Ross had left the door to the bathroom open and it was making it hard for Rachel to actually distinguish the noises. But she didn't care. She wasn't paying atention to anything else other then her feelings. The so familiar feelings.
The day had finally come. Three previous years she and Ross had gotten together, at last. After the list fiasco, they had found comfort in each other's arms after watching the prom tape together. Knowing the things Ross would put himself through just to please her made her feel warm.
Not that morning though.
That morning only reminded her of two other days that happened to share the same date as this one. The day Rachel had proposed their break. And their second aniversary.
The last seemed to be echoing back into her present. The same feeling of obligation, of doing things out of habit rather than wish. The sex instead of love. The complete awereness instead of the blur it usually felt when they were together.
Hopefully, it would pass again. And they would be back to normal, just as they were a couple of weeks before. It would be worth it, it always was. She had never regret giving him a second chance. This time would be no different.
The shower stopped running and after just a few minutes Ross stepped out of the bathroom in his boxer shorts. He quickly joined Rachel under the blankets, seeking for warmth.
"Oh, that's better" Ross said at he moved closer to Rachel and bushed his hand across her naked stomach. She startled and couldn't help but giggle.
"Jesus, you're cold!"
"Hey, I took a hot shower"
"Doesn't change the fact that you're cold!"
Ross smiled at her and she smiled back. He wrapped his arms around her despite her protests and both looked at the t.v. screen.
"So, what are we watching?"
"I have no idea"
They just cuddled for a while.
"What do you say we go out to grab some breakfast?"
"Sure. I'm just gonna go and take a shower"
"But don't take too long, it'll only be up for another half an hour"
Rachel shot him a look as she got up, wrapping one of the blankets around herself.
"Or... we could grab something to eat somewhere else"
She smiled and entered the bathroom, closing the door after herself. Ross stood there, watching the closed door.
Since his talk with Isaak, two things couldn't leave his mind. Rachel and the baby Isaak claimed to be Ross'. What if it was his after all? There was a possibility after all. He didn't want to be the sort of father who abandons kids he helped creating along the way. If it was indeed his child, then it was his responsability now. Hundreds of consequences filled his mind, from complexed ones to irrelevant decisions for the time being, like what school should the baby go to?
But how would Rachel react? Would it only bring bad memories or would she be able to see past this and grow to love this baby as if it was her own? Would things still be okay? Would they have to go through another round of rough readjustments?
Either way, Ross had decided he coudn't keep on being selfish. He would go after Isaak as soon as they went back to the city and try to find out if the baby was in fact his. If it turned out to be positive, he'd have to swallow down his pride and face the consequences. If that meant he would lose Rachel, let it be. Not that he ever wanted it to happen, but it was who he was. He wouldn't bear his consciense reminding him what a terrible person he was for turning his back to a little child.
To his little child.
A child that, so young, had already lost the most important person in her short life.
If Rachel loved everything about him, she would accept it. If not, then he was about to lose the most importat person of his life.
This is is for now :) Review and I might write a new chapter later on tonight ;) Please leave me reviews!! :)