A/N: Thanks for the reviews so far, please keep 'em coming, they make me happy! Here's the next part, hope you enjoy it. The song is by Westlife, and there's more bits but like, that was the only bit that really suited the chapter, lol!

Chapter Five

Two very different people

Too scared to get along

Till two hearts beat together

Underneath one sun

One very special moment

Can turn a destiny

And what some would say could never change

Has changed for you and me

"Pheebs, why are we even in here? In case you hadn't noticed, there's food and wine out there!"

Rachel was frustrated. For whatever reason, Phoebe had dragged her into the bathroom and now Rachel was itching to get back out and continue her conversation with Ross. True, she had been startled when he'd announced he was married, but that didn't stop him from being a nice guy. She was just going to have to curb her flirtatious behaviour and hope that they could be friends or something. She was tired of having hardly anyone besides Phoebe – wonderful as she was – to hang out with in the city.

"This party sucks!" Phoebe's declaration was forceful. "I'm sorry that I made you come. I thought it was gonna be full of, you know, hot-shot record people, but it's so boring!"

Rachel was about to argue that that didn't matter, when she realised that she hadn't exactly rejected the idea of meeting pop stars when the two girls had made plans to gatecrash. It just so happened that while things hadn't turned out the way she'd expected, Rachel would have been lying if she'd said she wasn't enjoying herself. She didn't want to leave straight away, and told Phoebe so.

"What? Oh, Rach, okay, I know you have the hots for that guy, which is why I left you alone with him, but come on! I've seen more action at a wake! If we're quick we can make it to the clubs before they start charging."

"Pheebs! I do not have the hots for him!" Rachel spluttered, exasperated. "Look, it's bad enough we barged right in without being invited, but if we just turn around and go, that'll be really rude. If you want to go, then fine. I'm staying here."

Phoebe stared at Rachel as if she thought those words were crazy. "You're really going to stay?" she asked doubtfully.

Rachel nodded. "I am really going to stay." She folded her arms.

Phoebe shrugged and stood up. "Well, if that's the way you want it, I'll just leave and…" She halted mid-sentence when she opened the bathroom door and came face-to-face with the Italian singer guy from the band. Up close, Rachel could see he was very good-looking, and it was clear why Phoebe had been rendered temporarily speechless.

"At last," he grumbled, as Rachel stepped past Phoebe into the main room. "Some of us really need to pee!"

Rachel gave him a disgusted look before yanking Phoebe's hand so that she stumbled, leaving the way free for the guy to get into the bathroom. "Ugh, Pheebs, it's probably a good thing you're leaving, or else --"

"Nu-uh, I changed my mind, uh, I'm staying," Phoebe said, a little flustered, and before Rachel was able to make any sort of comment, Phoebe had disappeared to the buffet table.

"For God's sake, I… Argh!" Rachel jumped when she realised the singer guy was standing right behind her. "Oh my God, what are you doing? You scared the crap outta me!" She placed a hand over her heart and attempted to calm her rapid breathing.

The guy looked mortified. "Sorry, I didn't mean to," he said quickly, stepping back a little. "I just came to apologise for barging past you guys. It was taking ages to get into the bathroom and I was desperate." He shrugged sheepishly, and Rachel nodded.

"It's okay, don't worry about it. You gave me a fright, that's all." She paused, wondering whether it would be rude to talk about the band, as if that was what she was interested in. She couldn't think of anything else to say, though. "Aren't you in the band with Ross?"

The guy grinned. "I sure am. Joey." He winked. "How you doin'?"

Rachel shrugged, knowing he was coming on to her but deciding to swiftly bypass the comment. "Nice to meet you, Joey. I'm Rachel."

"Cool. Hey, are you the girl Ross was going on about the other day?"

Rachel felt her stomach do a weird flip, and she had to work hard not to let a mad smile cross her face in response to this revelation. So, Ross had been 'going on' about her, had he? Despite the fact he was married and totally off-limits, she couldn't help feeling absurdly pleased. It was always nice to know she'd made a man go on about her.

She settled for another shrug. "I dunno. Maybe? We met at the club on Saturday night when you guys were playing, but we didn't speak for long. Is he the kind of guy who goes on about lots of women?" The question wasn't very subtle, and for a moment Rachel cringed, but if Joey had noticed he didn't show it.

"Nah, Ross is like the opposite of that," he said blithely. "He's been married for a couple of years and he's never even looked at another girl. I know they're having problems, but he wouldn't just abandon his wife."

Rachel tried to paint an 'interested-and-sympathetic' expression on her face, while inside she cursed herself for being so stupid. Of course Ross wouldn't look her way if he was married. He didn't come across as the play-around sort, and Rachel had met enough of them to become very astute at telling which was which. She didn't want to keep thinking about someone she couldn't have; it was just so infuriating that every guy she liked had an issue. Perhaps this was fate's way of proving she ought to have married the wealthy banker her mother had selected for her, and part of her was beginning to wonder if that would have been such a bad idea after all.

It wasn't until Joey waved a hand in front of her face that Rachel realised she'd been staring right past him while thoughts overtook her. She shook her head and blinked.

"You okay?" Joey asked.

"Yeah, I'm great. Look, I'd better go. If you see Ross, can you say --"

"Say what?"

Rachel spun around at the familiar voice behind her and saw Ross standing there, smiling good-naturedly at her. For a moment she couldn't speak, realising how close he was and how gorgeous his eyes were. Why the hell did he have to be married?

"Oh, nothing, I was about to leave…" She found her voice, but had lost the ability to move. Frozen, she tore her eyes from his face, watching as Joey wandered across to a flustered Phoebe and started a conversation.

"Oh." Ross sounded undeniably disappointed, and when Rachel forced herself to look at him again, she saw how his face had dropped. Immediately, she wanted to hug him. He seemed so vulnerable, and in someone so tall and strong-looking, it had a magnified effect.

"Yeah," she said, at length. "I mean, it's silly of me to be here. I don't know you guys." It sounded logical, but it felt ridiculous. She didn't want to leave. She wanted to stay and hug him, or just touch his arm. That would be lovely.

Ross startled her by moving suddenly and letting out a breath. "God, I am so stupid. I haven't even introduced you to Monica! Come on, you might as well meet and then you can stay a while longer." He led a reluctant Rachel over to where a dark-haired girl was arranging a few scattered coasters. "Mon? This is Rachel."

Monica looked up, smiling when she took Rachel in. "Oh, hi Rachel! I was wondering when I was gonna get to meet you!"

Rachel shot a confused look at Ross, who practically squirmed on the spot.

"Mon," he hissed, and Monica's eyes widened.

"Right, sorry. Anyway, welcome to my birthday! Help yourself to food and stuff. I'll be back, I just need to sort some stuff out…" And with that, Monica retreated into another room, which Rachel assumed was her bedroom, and shut the door.

"My sister is weird," Ross shrugged, by way of explanation. "I've given up trying to figure what goes through her head. Would you, uh, like another drink, Rachel?"

"Sure." She handed him the glass and waited while he went to the kitchen area. Staring out of the window, Rachel could see the twinkling city lights below and realised now what Ross had meant before about the views from this apartment. They were amazing, and at that moment Rachel wished she lived here rather than in the scabby old building she and Phoebe had to suffer.

"Here you go." Ross was back with more wine, which Rachel accepted gratefully. The two of them stood in what Rachel thought was a rather awkward silence for a good couple of minutes, while Rachel continued to watch the scene from the window. It wasn't until Ross spoke again that she snapped out of her reverie. "You ok?"

Rachel looked at him, and felt her stomach flip just from locking eyes. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine. I just… I feel…" She didn't know what she felt, and what's more, she wasn't sure she wanted to confess to a strange man, no matter how attractive she found him. His face showed concern, however, and her resolve was slowly melting.

"It's pretty noisy in here," he said quietly. "Do you want to come outside for a bit?"

Rachel found herself nodding, and then he was leading her out through the side window, out to the balcony-area. From here, the view was even more incredible, and as the refreshing wind hit her, Rachel couldn't help letting out a gasp of delight.

"Oh, wow," she breathed, and beside her Ross smiled.

"Yeah, it is pretty amazing, isn't it? Monica got this apartment from our grandma."

"What about you? Didn't you want to live here?"

"Nah. This place is great but it's definitely more suited to her. She's got Joey and Chandler right across the hall and it's in a good location for her work. I live nearby." He shrugged.

"With your wife?" It was said before Rachel could think it through, but luckily Ross didn't look particularly bothered.

"Yeah, with my wife. We're not really getting on at the moment." By the look on his face as soon as he'd said it, Ross hadn't planned to reveal quite as much either.

Rachel felt sympathetic, she really did, because he seemed so nice and she knew it must be difficult to go through marriage problems. There was a smaller part of her, however, that couldn't help feeling glad.

"Aww, I'm sorry. That must be hard."

Ross nodded, staring into his glass. "It is. It's horrible. I don't even know what I did. She… She never talks to me. It's like we're strangers. I just… I can't figure it out." He sounded so utterly helpless that Rachel's instinct was again to hug him. She settled for laying a hand gently on his arm, which caused him to jump a little.

"Oh God, sorry, I didn't mean…" Rachel stepped back, mortified.

"No, it's okay," Ross said quickly. "Honestly. Too busy thinking. I'm sorry. Thanks for caring, but it's not worth it."

"Well, I think it is," Rachel said kindly. "Of course it is. You obviously still love your wife, and you're upset. I totally understand. I've never been married, but I imagine it can't be fun for you."

Ross glanced at her. "Never been married, huh? You're lucky."

Rachel sighed. "Yeah. I coulda been, though. My mum had this guy for me. She'd found him somewhere… A dinner dance or maybe a club. And he was a banker and really rich, and if I'd done as she wanted and married him, I'd be living a completely different life now."

"So why didn't you?" Ross sounded puzzled, even though to Rachel the answer was blindingly obvious.

"Because I didn't love him. I didn't even like him. Course, to my mum, that was hardly the issue. I came to the city and met up with my friend Phoebe, and we moved in together. It's not the best place, but it's almost my own, you know?"

Ross nodded again. "I know. I understand." They exchanged shy smiles. "Hey, I'll be back in a minute, I'm just gonna go to the bathroom." He set his glass down on the wall and went back inside, leaving Rachel on her own. She closed her eyes and took deep breaths of fresh air, and became so engrossed in that that she nearly screamed when she heard a woman's voice behind her.

"Rachel?"

As it was, Rachel jumped and spun around to see Ross' sister Monica there, looking slightly apprehensive.

"What is it with people creeping up on me?" Rachel wondered aloud, regretting it when she saw Monica's expression change to horrified.

"I didn't mean to scare you, I'm sorry," she said. "I just wanted to say hi while Ross was away. Erm, you don't remember me, do you?"

Rachel frowned as she racked her brains, trying to think where she might have seen or met Monica before, other than Saturday night at the club and now here at the party. There was no occasion which stood out straight away, but then Rachel knew she was rather forgetful sometimes and she wouldn't have been surprised if she'd simply put it out of her mind. Then again, Monica was starting to look familiar in some way, much like Ross had done back at the club.

"I have a feeling I should do," she ventured, "but I'm sorry, it's not coming to me. Is that terrible?"

Monica smiled. "No, not terrible at all. I don't blame you. We went to the same high school, but we didn't hang out or anything. In fact, I think we spoke three times in all the years we went there."

Rachel clapped her hands over her mouth as a memory flooded back to her; she recalled seeing a younger, much plumper Monica standing by her locker nervously, being spoken to by a tall boy…

ROSS!

"Oh my God!" Rachel exclaimed, before laughing. "I do remember! Well, vaguely. And I remember Ross, too. Why didn't we ever speak?"

Monica blushed and looked away. "I had problems," she said meekly. "We both did. We kept ourselves to ourselves in the first instance, and then you were so popular and I really wasn't. I'd never have had the courage to go over to you and start a conversation, but I always thought you seemed nice."

Rachel felt a pang of nostalgia and something like longing in her chest. She briefly wondered what their problems had been, but that was quickly replaced by a sense of shame that she had never once made the effort to get to know more people in her year. Everyone had been so easily categorised in high school that Rachel had just gone along with it, thinking that being popular wasn't exactly the worst tag to pick up. Now, though, she felt a bit guilty.

"I'm sorry."

"No, don't apologise," Monica said quickly, holding up her hands. "Like I said, I don't blame you. It's not like I'm bothered about it now. I wanted to get to know you, see if maybe we could end up friends anyway. It's totally cool if you say no, but…"

"Yeah?" Rachel was excited already, and she didn't even know what Monica was about to say.

"Well, would you like to come down to our gig tomorrow night? We're playing a few songs and afterwards we were gonna go for some coffee. We always do that." She grinned sheepishly. "It sounds really sad, but once you've played in clubs and stuff it's so much nicer to wind down with caffeine."

Rachel laughed along with Monica. She couldn't believe someone could be so nice to her with no real reason other than a very casual acquaintance in high school. Maybe that wasn't a bad thing, she mused, and maybe it would be good to make some new friends.

"I would love to come," she nodded enthusiastically. "Would it be okay if my friend Phoebe came along too?"

"Oh, of course! I spoke to her inside, she seems lovely."

"She is, she's my best friend. She'll be happy; she thought you guys were great."

Ross returned then, and Monica explained to him about inviting Rachel and Phoebe along. He seemed pretty pleased, even going so far as to place a hand on Rachel's shoulder as the three of them headed back inside together. The unexpected contact made a tiny shiver run down her spine.

It was as Rachel and Phoebe were walking home half an hour later, after saying goodbye to their new friends, that Rachel told Phoebe about the gig and coffee, and said she was welcome to come too.

"Oh, that is so great, because Joey asked me anyway!" Phoebe replied excitedly. "He's really cute, and I think he likes me. Yay Rach, we have a social life!"

Rachel couldn't help smiling at that as they ascended the stairs to their apartment, and when she thought about Ross, she smiled even broader.

A/N: So I had to have them know each other somehow, it just makes things easier and moves it along a little. But since none of them actually knew each other properly, there's still plenty of scope AU-wise. And what do you reckon to Joey and Phoebe? Should I make them a couple? I can't decide right now. In order to answer that question, you must review! So press the button and go ahead! ;)