After watching the extended version of the episodes I'm starting to develop a whole new attitude towards Ross and Rachel. I think that I love them even more.

For this next chapter I had what I hope is a brilliant idea, so enjoy it.

Reviews are always appreciated!

RT

Ross entered Sandra Green's house and greeted his mother-in-law-to-be with a smile on his face.

"Good evening, Sandra!"

"Hello, dear!" she hugged him, back.

"How's Emma doing?"

"Wonderful, she woke up from her nap just a couple of hours ago and we went out for a walk. We went to the playground and she had fun with some friends."

"Oh, she has friends? Hi sweetie!" Ross exclaimed, seeing his daughter walking towards him across the leaving room.

"Daddy!"

Ross took her in his arms and kissed her forehead.

"Yes, there are a few friends of mine who took their grandchildren to the playground, so Emma usually plays with those kids."

"I'm glad she is bonding with other children, Monica's babies are so much younger than her and she loves Ben, but he's much older than Emma and he's more in the play station phase, you know?"

Ross took Emma's bag and headed for the door, anxious to get home to see Rachel after a long day of work.

"So, when are you bringing Emma again?"

"Uhm…on Thursday, I guess?"

"Right. Oh, I almost forgot. I've got something for Rachel." Sandra stopped Ross before he could leave. The woman disappeared into the house and came back a few seconds later with a videotape in her hands.

"What is it?" Ross asked her, with a questioning look on his face.

"Barry dropped by to deliver his invitation and gave me this."

"I can't believe he's getting married again. I think he could actually beat my record!" Ross joked, and Sandra smiled. With time, she had actually started to understand and like her future son-in-law's sense of humor.

"Well, when he asked me to deliver this to Rachel, he said you two might enjoy it."

"Ok…"

Ross wasn't very convinced, but Emma was starting to get tired of being in her father's arms, so he kissed Sandra goodbye and walked towards his car.

Rachel was already home when Ross and Emma arrived. The little girl walked to greet her mother with a hug and a lot of kisses.

"Hello sweetheart, did you have fun with grandma?"

Emma nodded while her mother held her in her arms and raised her from the floor. Rachel waited for Ross to lay the bag on the couch, then she walked towards him.

"Hey, you." She said, kissing him tenderly.

"Hi. Sorry it took us so long, the traffic was terrible this evening." Ross explained, caressing her back with his hands.

"It doesn't matter. I ordered Chinese for dinner." She smiled at him, while Emma was playing with her necklace.

"Perfect." He said, giving her another soft peck on the lips and taking Emma from her arms. "Honey, do you want to play with your toy blocks?"

Emma walked to her own spot of the living room. Ross and Rachel had assembled an open playpen to let Emma go in and out as much as she wanted. She could find all her favorite toys inside of it, such as stuffed animals, toy blocks, books and dolls.

"Oh, Rach, your mother gave me something for you."

"What's that?" she asked, looking at the VHS Ross was taking from the bag.

"She said that Barry gave it to her."

"Barry?" Rachel was surprised, "Why would Barry want me to have a videotape?"

Rachel took the videotape from Ross's hands to inspect it better, but it had no writings on it.

"Let's find out." Ross told her.

"Ok." Rachel wasn't certain she wanted to watch this video, but she was definitely curious.

As soon as the video started, a title appeared to explain to Ross and Rachel what the VHS was about.

Barry and Mindy wedding

16 May 1996

"Oh my God!" Rachel screamed.

"What the-" Ross was as astonished as she was.

"Is this supposed to be a joke? Why would he want me to have this?!"

"Apparently he told Sandra that we might enjoy this." Ross explained.

"Could we BE enjoying this more?!" Rachel snorted, imitating Chandler's tone and waving her hand in the air, pointing at the screen.

The video was very old; in fact, eight years had passed.

Rachel couldn't believe Barry's insolence. This was such an impudence.

The cameraman indulged himself with keeping the camera on the groom and then he started to shoot images of the bridesmaids walking down the aisle.

The last one was Rachel, with her awful Little Bo Peep pink dress. Of course, as soon as the cameraman noticed that her dress was bunched up in her underwear and her butt was showing, he zoomed to shoot the entire scene.

Ross started to laugh out loud.

"Ah-ah, very funny." Rachel commented.

"Come on, it really was! I didn't laugh back then, let me laugh at least now!" Ross said, grabbing her hand and kissing it.

The video included parts of the ceremony, with the I dos and the first kiss of Barry and Mindy as husband and wife. Then there was a cut to the reception with images of the best man's toast.

"Oh no." Rachel sighed, hiding her face in her hands.

The best man was one of Barry's best friends, John. Rachel knew him because she used to hang out with him and his girlfriend when she was Barry's fiancée.

"I remember when Barry got home from his first date with Rachel...What, you hired the same band I can't use the same speech?"

Ross stared at Rachel as they heard the drummer playing to accompany the man's joke.

"Thank you, thank you very much. Anyway, I wish you both a wonderful life together. And Rachel..."
"What?" she asked, still feeling humiliated.
"No, no, no now in all seriousness, it's not a lot of women would've had the guts to come back here tonight, and even fewer, who would do it with their asses hanging out!"

Rachel looked back at Ross as the video continued, "Such a nice guy."

"Can't you see why your father would prefer you to marry a man of that status rather than me?"

Rachel giggled and watched back at the TV, because the cameraman had shot also Ross's speech.

"Most of you don't know me, I'm Rachel's boyfriend."
"Oh dear God…" Rachel sighed.
"Ross, uh and uh, I'd just like to say that it did take a lot of courage for Rachel to come here tonight. And, uh, for the record she did not run out on Barry because she had syphilis."

When the drummer played again, Ross glared at him, "What are you doing I'm serious. Uh, the reason she walked out on, on Barry is simply that she didn't love him, which incidentally worked out pretty well for me…"

Ross looked at the drummer, waiting for the da-doom-chesh to go with his joke, but the man didn't follow his lead.

"Uh...so to review: Rachel... took a lot of courage... doesn't have the syphilis... and wound up... with me. Cheers!"

"I don't know if you did improve my situation with your speech, honey. But you certainly were my hero when you stood up in front of those people to defend me."

"I know, you told me later."

Rachel smiled and leaned over Ross to kiss him.

The videotape continued and showed Rachel while she ran towards the door and Barry making the awful joke about her leaving again from the wedding.

Then the cameraman followed Rachel until she reached the stage and the microphone.

"Ya, know what Barr, I'm not gonna leave. I probably should, but I'm not, see 'cause I promised myself that I would make it through at least ONE of your weddings"

That line got a well-deserved da-doom-chesh from the drummer and laughs from the guests.

Ross and Rachel looked at each other, smiling. Ross remembered how proud he'd been of her in that moment, he was mesmerized by her beauty and her courage. And today he was actually reliving that memory all over again. He didn't know why, but he took Rachel's hand in his one.

"See now, tonight, all I really wanted was to make it through this evening with a little bit of grace and dignity. Well, I guess we can all agree that's not gonna happen."

The cameraman indulged for a couple of seconds to shoot the guests and he captured a few frames of Monica and Richard, who were sitting at the table next to the stage, laughing at Rachel's joke. Ross gave a sad look to Rachel, because he remembered what had happened soon after those moments of fun.

"There's nothing really left to say except..."

And then Rachel started to sing, soon joined by the band who startled her by starting to play.

"Her name was Lola. She was a showgirl. With yellow feathers – feathers in her hair, and a dress cut down to there. She would..."
Seeing that she wasn't remembering the lyrics, Ross helped her, "Merengue."
"Merengue – thank you honey - And do the cha-cha. And while she like to be a star, Tony always tended bar. At the, wait, wait, everybody!"
"Everybody!" Ross screamed. All the guests started to sing along, while Ross took a pink rose from the bouquet on the wall and reached Rachel on the stage to give it to her.
"At the Copa, Copa Cabana! The hottest spot north of Havana. At the Copa, Copa Caba-na, music and fashion were always the passion, at the Copa…they fell in love…"

As soon as they sang this last sentence, Ross kissed Rachel and all the people in the room started to applaud. The band stopped playing and the cameraman turned back to shoot images of Barry and Mindy, who were now up from their chairs, applauding too.

People in the room started to shout, "Kiss! Kiss!" to the newlyweds, so the groom and the bride kissed each other.

Ross was still holding Rachel's hand and was very touched by what they had just seen. He was silently thanking Barry for the idea of giving Rachel this video. They really had to call him to thank him for the gesture. Ross had never actually spoken with him, he was one of Rachel's ex-boyfriends and he didn't particularly like him. But now he had realized that Barry was capable of doing amazing things. Giving this video to Sandra for Rachel was an enormous gift, especially considering that he hadn't seen Rachel for years.

"Can you believe how embarrassing that was?" Rachel asked Ross, hiding the tears forming at the corner of her eyes.

"I think that was astounding, just like everything you do." Ross replied, making a nod in the direction of their daughter who was still enjoying her toys in her playpen.

Rachel blushed and squeezed his hand a little bit more.

But the video wasn't over yet.

The images were now focusing on the bride and groom dancing on the slow and tender notes of Someone To Watch Over Me, they seemed to be very in love. Rachel thought that it was a pity that their marriage didn't work out. Again, the cameraman moved his shot and got a perfect frame of Ross and Rachel, who were dancing not far from Barry and Mindy. The pink rose that Ross had gotten for her was now in Rachel's hair. They looked happy and so in love with one another.

Rachel thought that they looked invincible together. That had truly been one of the best days of their lives. Ross was saying something in her ear and Rachel was laughing.

The two of them looked at each other, thinking about that moment that seemed lost in time.

...

There's a somebody I'm longin' to see
I hope that he turns out to be
Someone who'll watch over me

I'm a little lamb who's lost in the wood
I know I could always be good
Someone who'll watch over me

Ross and Rachel were swaying slowly, following the rhythm of the music. The band was playing a tune as old as time, Someone to watch over me. The attention of the guests was focused on the bride and the groom, but Ross and Rachel were too involved in their dance to notice anyone in the room at that moment. Rachel's head rested delicately under Ross's chin, her right hand was grabbed in his left while he carried out their movements on the floor. She felt the luckiest woman in the world.

Barry and Mindy were doing the same thing a few inches from them and Rachel couldn't help but thinking that if she hadn't found the courage to run away the day of her wedding, the woman dancing with Dr. Farber might have been her.

And Rachel was so relieved that she was instead held in Ross's arms.

Today, after all the support he had demonstrated, all the love he had showed when he'd told all these people the true reasons why she had left Barry and after he had sung with her on the stage, she had eventually realized that she would never let him go.

He was the love of her life. He was her everything.

"Rach?" Ross called her back from her reverie.

"Yes, honey?"

"What do you think they are talking about?"

Ross made a hint with his head towards Monica and Richard, who were dancing next to Barry and Mindy. They seemed to be involved into a deep serious conversation and Monica didn't look calm as usual.

Rachel stared back at Ross with a sad look on her face.

"Should I worry?" he asked her.

"Well…Monica spoke with Richard about the fact that she wants to have babies and they didn't have the same opinion about it…"

"Oh my God…Rach, this could kill her." Ross said, now very worried for his sister.

"I know…I guess this is something they need to figure out before it's too late."

Although he may not be
The man some girls think of as handsome
To my heart he carries the key
He carries the key

Ross nodded and Rachel caressed his face, "You know, I love the fact that you and Monica are still so connected to each other. I think it's one of the thing I love the most about you. You are such a caring brother."

Ross chuckled, "Thank you…But it's not something I can actually take credit for, Monica is just the most amazing and lovely human being. It's so easy to love her."

"Yeah, I know." Rachel smiled.

"Rach…" Ross kept dancing, "I know that you got scared the first time we talked about our future together and…moving out of the city…and having babies."

Rachel nodded and stared intently at him.

"But…I've got to tell you. I still think about all those things. And I can't wait for them to happen."

"You know what?" she answered, remembering her former epiphany about Ross being the true love of her life, "Those things don't scare me as much as they did before. I mean, it's times like these you learn what you really need. Today you stood by my side, I mean, you also got on the stage with me to sing that ridiculous song!"

Ross laughed and Rachel stopped their movements to take his face in her hands.

"I'll never love anyone like I love you right now, Ross. You are my soul mate. And whatever happens, this is never going to change."

Ross didn't waste another second to kiss her and to start dancing again.

Won't you tell him, please, to put on some speed
Follow my lead oh, how I need
Someone to watch over me

He moved his lips to her ear to tell her, "One day we are going to dance Copacabana together at our wedding."

Rachel burst out laughing and Ross saw sparkles in her eyes that made him understand that she was in love with him just as much as he was in love with her.

The song was over and the guests started to applaud, but the smile on Ross and Rachel's faces didn't last long. Richard moved past Barry and Mindy to reach Ross and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Ross, please, take care of your sister."

So said, he squeezed his shoulder and, tears forming at the corner of his eyes, he left the room. Ross and Rachel looked at each other without understanding what was happening, but when they saw Monica sitting at her table crying on her own, they realized that the worst thing possible had happened.

"Honey, what's going on?" Rachel asked her best friend.

"It's…it's over." She replied, reaching for Rachel.

"Ross…" Rachel implored him, while holding Monica in her arms.

"I'm going to call a cab…"

...

Rachel and Ross noticed that the video was over because the TV screen was now black.

They both had been lost in their thoughts, probably recalling memories of that moment and what it had meant to them.

That had been the first time that Rachel had actually revealed to Ross how much she really loved him. And it had also been the first time that Ross had mentioned his intention to actually get married to her. And yet, so many years had been wasted.

"Oh, Ross…" Rachel murmured.

"I know." Ross whispered.

She shook her head, "But I meant everything I said that day."

Ross took Rachel's hand in his and they stood up from the couch.

"I'm still your soul mate?"

"You've always been." She assured him.

Ross smiled, "Fine. Because I meant what I said too." He grinned.

Ross waved his hands to ask Rachel to wait for him and walked towards the closet where they kept the CDs. After one minute, he took one disc and ran towards the stereo to put it on.

He selected the track he wanted to play and raised the volume.

A very well-known tune began to play and Rachel smiled as soon as she recognized it.

She laughed out loud, "What are you doing?"

Ross moved the couch back to make some space in the room, then he offered his hand to Rachel.

"You said we would dance this to our wedding!"

"I know" Rachel put her hands in Ross's, "But there's the rehearsal!".

Ross dragged Rachel to him and they looked at each other, trying to get serious as Barry Manilow began to sing.

Her name was Lola, she was a showgirl
With yellow feathers in her hair and a dress cut down to there
She would merengue and do the cha-cha
And while she tried to be a star
Tony always tended bar

Ross and Rachel were dancing in rhythm and every now and then he would make her twirl. They sang together and it didn't take them long to start laughing.

Emma watched the scene with curiosity; she'd never seen her parents dancing and she started to laugh as well.

Across the crowded floor, they worked from eight til four
They were young and they had each other
Who could ask for more?

At the copa, Copacabana (Copacabana)
The hottest spot north of Havana (here)
At the copa, Copacabana
Music and passion were always the fashion
At the copa
They fell in love

When Ross listened to this sentence, he took Rachel in his arms and he almost dropped her to the floor and kissed her.

Emma laughed even more when she saw her father doing this and she called him, coming out from her playpen and walking towards her parents.

"Honey, you want to dance too?" Ross asked her, taking his daughter in his arms.

The three started to sway all together in rhythm and Emma kept laughing and screaming excitedly. As the song went on, though, Rachel realized something.

"Ross…But for Lola and Tony it didn't end very well, you know?"

Ross smiled, "But Rach, we followed Barry Manilow's last advice; we didn't fall in love AT the Copa, and besides…who cares about the lyrics anyway?"

Rachel laughed again, watching her little daughter having fun.

"Ok, you win…As long as we have With or Without for the cake cutting." Rachel instructed him, still twirling around with Emma who was now in her arms.

"And Wicked Games for our first dance as husband and wife." Ross announced, keeping the rhythm and moving his head in time with the music.

"But after those…It's Copacabana time, fellas! At least the guests will have a funny tune to do the conga with!"

Emma laughed out loud when Rachel threw her in the air, immediately catching the little girl in her arms. Ross's smile grew when he heard the wonderful sound of his daughter's laughter.

"And maybe we will also ask the DJ for Sir Mix-a-Lot's Baby got back for our Emma, won't we honey?" Ross asked Emma, taking her from Rachel's hands into his and hugging her tenderly.

Rachel giggled, "And that's the moment all the remaining guests will leave the party due to our insanity!"

"Well, if they didn't think we were insane when we had a daughter out of wedlock but we lived together even if we weren't actually in love" Ross said this making the quote marks with his fingers, "I think we already covered any eventual issue about how much crazy we have possibly been in the past, sweetie."

"That is so true." Rachel agreed. "And by the way, it's up to the bride and the groom to choose their favorite music, isn't it? Who cares what the others think."

"That's the spirit honey."

Songs:

Copacabana (Written by: Barry Manilow)

Someone To Watch Over Me (Written by: George & Ira Gershwin)