I want to apologize for the delay, but I was on holiday.

From now on, please expect more belated updates because I'm going to study hard for some exams until September, so it's going to be a very intense month for me. I'll try to keep this as updated as possible, at least with a chapter a week, but don't get mad if I don't write asap.

I hope you enjoy this! As usual, sorry for my mistakes in the language.

Their weekend in Washington couldn't have been better.

They had spent the Saturday morning visiting the White House, then after lunch they had enjoyed the entire afternoon in the National Mall, walking from the Lincoln Memorial and the Capitol Building to the Washington Monument. Even if it was very cold, it was a lovely sunny day and they had a lot of fun.

Sunday, instead, had been devoted to the visit of the Smithsonian. Ross had been the perfect guide to Ben and Rachel, even if he had tried not to be too much boring. Rachel had been really impressed when she had noticed that the kid was actually interested in many of the things that his father was telling him. Ben had become really ecstatic when they had seen the room with the T-rex reconstruction.

Ross had been even more happy when they had visited the exhibition of the Hall of Fossils. Rachel couldn't help but smile when she had realized how genuinely content he looked. It was like being on a scholar trip with three babies instead of two.

Emma had been sleeping for the majority of the visit to the museum, with the result that when they went back to the hotel, she was awake and agitate, and she wanted to play with her dad.

Ross had promised to bring the family out for dinner to thank Rachel for the amazing Christmas gift, so he volunteered to take Emma to the hotel nursery and let her have some fun before going out.

Ben was watching TV while Rachel was getting ready. She'd chosen an elegant sophisticated outfit with a pair of black ballet flats. She'd decided to avoid high heels because she was very tired for the long walks of the last two days.

As soon as she was over, she sat next to Ben on the couch and she smiled at him.

"So, did you have fun this weekend Ben?"

"Very much!" he smiled at her. Rachel noticed how much that smiled reminded her of Carol's. Ben had definitely Ross's brown eyes, but his blond hair and his lovely smile were all his mother's.

"What did you enjoy the most?"

"Uhm…the T-rex, I guess."

"So" she questioned him "You really like all this paleontology stuff, like your father?"

"Well…not the rocks…" he laughed, and Rachel giggled, "But I really like the dinosaurs, since I watched Jurassic Park with him!"

"Are you happy that you came here with the three of us?"

"Of course. I'm always happy to spend some time with dad, Emma and you, Aunt Rachel."

Rachel smiled again at the sound of the usual way Ben used to address her. She actually liked the fact that Ben still called her Aunt Rachel, and yet she wondered if one day he would start to see her differently. Soon she would become his official stepmother, how would he be supposed to call her then? This was a very delicate subject.

"Can I ask you a question, Aunt Rachel?"

"Of course, Ben."

Ben stood better on the couch and turned off the TV.

"There's something I don't understand. I talked with my moms about it, and they told me that I should ask you, but only if you wanted to answer."

"Ok, then try and ask." Rachel replied, tenderly.

"You and dad are going to get married soon."

"Yes." She smiled.

"But…you remember the time I came to your apartment and you babysit me? The time you taught me all the pranks?"

"Yes! That was a very funny day!"

Ben continued, serious, "You told me that you and my dad weren't together anymore and then you came to my house and you explained to me that you two you had broken up because you didn't love each other anymore and you wanted just to be good friends."

Rachel was speechless. Ben was almost ten years. He was so young, and yet he was such a mature sensible boy. This was certainly due to the fact that he'd been grown mostly by two women and his family wasn't a conventional one. Ben had two mothers in his life and a father whose love life had always been a mess, with three divorces and a baby sister born out of wedlock. There was no doubt that Ben was smarter than other boys of his age because of his weird, yet amazing family. Rachel felt a huge amount of love for Ben at that moment. The kid had surely difficulties with his schoolmates, Phoebe had once mentioned something about quarrels with Sting's son. No, it wasn't easy to grow up as Ben Geller. But Rachel made a promise to herself to be there for this wonderful kid even more than before, from then on.

"Sweety, you must understand that your father and I have a very complex relationship. You were just a few months old when we got together for the first time. Ross and I loved each other very much. I used to spend a lot of time with you, too. I learned a lot about babies from you, you spoke your very first word when I had you in my arms!"

"What did I say?" Ben asked, curious.

"Just Hi. But it was really exciting!"

"Then what happened?"

Rachel didn't want to get into details, "Well…something really bad happened to destroy the bond between Ross and me. Something that you can't understand now, because you are still so young. Maybe your father will explain this to you one day, okay?"

"Okay!" Ben nodded.

"Anyway…Ross and I broke up. And since then everything became very different. Your father also got married, you know?"

"Yes, he told me, with Emily, the English lady."

"Right. You remember her?"

"Not really, I saw her a couple of times and mom says I was too little to go to the wedding to London. Dad doesn't like to talk about it."

Rachel was secretly glad that Ben didn't remember anything about Emily.

"Well the wedding lasted so little that I'm not surprised that you don't remember her. And between you and me, I never really liked her."

"Of course you didn't, she wanted to take dad away from you." Ben joked and smiled.

Rachel thought again that this kid was getting even cuter than she thought he would ever be.

"But why didn't you and dad get back together after Emily went back to England?"

Rachel sighed. "You know what, Ben? I guess we were just…two stupid people who were in love with each other but were too stubborn to admit it. And we made a lot of mistakes in the years that followed." She thought about the wedding in Vegas. "However, one day, something really magical happened to change everything."

"My little sister was born."

"What did your father tell you when I got pregnant, Ben? And what did your moms think about it? Can you tell me?"

"Well…Mom told me that you were waiting for Emma and I was going to have a little sister. Mom…I mean, Susan, was so amused by the news. She kept saying that you would finally get back together. They also bet about it!"

"Really?" Rachel thought about Carol and Susan, betting about her and Ross's relationship. They knew them pretty well.

Ben nodded, "I thought too that you and dad were back together. But when I spoke with him about it, he explained to me that you were not. He told me that you were having a baby because you knew that I wanted a little sister or brother so badly and my moms couldn't make me one."

Rachel giggled, "Yes, this seems like an explanation made up by Ross. You know what, Ben? You're almost ten and you have the right to know the truth. Your father and I weren't together as a couple when we decided to make Emma. But you can be sure of one thing: when we made her, we really loved each other."

"But you lived together when you were pregnant, didn't you?"

"Yes, sweetie. And we were very much in love at that time, but we were too afraid to confess our feelings. I don't know if you can understand this."

"I think I do, Aunt Rachel."

"When Emma was born, I was so glad that she had an older brother, you know?"

"Why?"

"Because I didn't have any. But I saw your father and your Aunt Monica and I knew that they cared about each other so much and Ross is always so protective and he is such a wonderful brother for her. I know that you'll always be the same for Emma. A caring amazing brother who will always love her and help her, even if she has a different mother than yours."

"I will, Aunt Rachel." He replied, very serious.

"And I hope that even if I'm not your real mom, now that I'm becoming your dad's wife, you will love me as a mother, too."

"Of course! I really wanted to tell you, I'm so happy that you are marrying dad! I was hoping for you two to get back together all these years!"

"Really?"

"My moms taught me that the most important thing in life is being with the ones we love. When I used to visit dad for the weekends and we were alone, something weird often happened."

"What?"

"He talked about you all the times! He took me to a place and said, I went there with Aunt Rachel. Or we watched a movie and he said, Aunt Rachel really likes this. And since Emma was born, it got even worse! I knew that even if dad wasn't with you, you were with him."

"Oh, Ben!" Rachel was stunned by this revelation.

"So that time that dad took me to see you and we spent the day together I was happy to finally know you better. I realized why dad loved you so much. I mean, you are funny, Aunt Rachel!"

"Thank you, Ben. You are too." Rachel answered, on the verge of crying.

"When Emma was born, I hoped that you and dad got back together. And now that it happened, I am very happy!"

Rachel's tears streamed down her face. "Come here, Ben." She hugged him, tenderly. "You are amazing, kiddo. Are you sure you are only ten?" she sniffed.

"Nine and a half!" he replied.

"Oh, yeah!" she wiped the tears away with a hand. "Anyway…I want you to think about me as you want. I know that I'm going to be your stepmother, but from now on I can be Aunt Rachel, or a big sister, or a mom, whatever you want, Ben. I don't want to put pressure on you, ok?"

"So…I don't have to call you mom? Because I already have two moms and the idea of having a third one is a bit too much, even for me. I don't know what my schoolmates would think about it!"

"No, sweetie. You can go on and call me Aunt Rachel, if you wish."

"But you are not my Aunt anymore. I can call my Aunt Monica like that, or Aunt Phoebe. What if I call you just Rachel?"

Rachel smiled, "That's my name. You can use it. Also Rach, if you want to."

Ben grinned, "Cool! And why do you often call me and dad sweetie or honey?"

"Because that's how you name someone that you love very much."

"Dad calls you that."

Rachel nodded.

"He loves you very much, like my moms love each other."

"Yes, Ben, he does. He always has."

"And you love him too, really?" Ben questioned her.

"Wanna keep a secret? In spite of everything that has happened between Ross and me – and as I promised you, we'll talk about it one day when you are a lot older over a pitcher of real margaritas – I'm pretty sure that I'm in love with your father even more than he loves me. I'm so looking forward to marry him."

Ben seemed satisfied by her answer, "You know, Rachel. I'm very happy that you are marrying dad! Now I am sure; dad, Emma and I can keep you!"

"Well, thank you, Ben!"

She was almost standing up, when she thought of another little thing.

"Honey, your father and I are discussing a little subject these last days. We are thinking about…having another baby." Ben looked at her in silence. "How would you feel about it?"

Ben stared at her for a couple of seconds.

"I think it would be amazing!" he screamed. "Can it be a boy this time?"

Rachel chuckled, "Let's see, Ben. We can't decide in advance, I'm afraid!"

Rachel thought again to the wonderful conversation she'd just had with Ben. She remembered the days they had spent together when he was a toddler and his first words.

She recalled the day when Monica had made him jump and hit his head over the wooden beam across the ceiling. She smiled to herself and realized that maybe having a boy wasn't a bad idea at all.

"Ok…but about the names…"

"No, Ben! We have already talked about this. We can't give Marvel superheroes names to your siblings!"

"Actually I was thinking about a girl name."

"Which one?"

"Isabella."

Rachel was surprised. "Did your father tell you that name?"

"Nope. But I like it. I read a book with a girl named Isabella and I liked it."

Rachel remembered that Isabella and Delilah were the last names she and Ross had chosen before she realized that they didn't suite their baby girl. Hopefully, Monica had revealed the name she'd picked for her baby and they had decided to call their little one Emma.

But if she thought about it now, Isabella was a wonderful name. And it also reminded her of another dialogue she'd had with Ross the year before.

They were at Monica and Chandler's with Amy when Rachel had received the call from their babysitter Molly, informing that she couldn't keep Emma because she was sick. Seeing that none of the guys could watch Emma, Amy had volunteered to take care of the baby on her own.

Ross had dragged Rachel by her arm to the other side of the room, "Well, can I talk to you for a sec?"

"Yeah?"

"Um, I do not want her baby-sitting our child."

"Why not?"

"Well, for one thing, she keeps calling her Ella!"

Rachel had tried to defend her sister, "Wha.. well, Ella's a nice name!"

"Fine, we'll call the next one Ella!"

Rachel had looked shocked, "Wha... the next one!?"

The look between them had lasted only a couple of seconds because Ross had changed argument. He was still with Charlie at that time, and they weren't in that place. And yet, that sentence had meant a lot to Rachel. Ross had seemed confused after those words, he'd spoken about Amy and forgotten what he'd just said. But the simple fact that he had implied to have another child with Rachel, even if unconsciously, had driven chills down her spine.

Ella's a nice name.

Fine, we'll call the next one Ella!

And it reminded her of Isab-ella.

"You know what, Ben? I think your father may enjoy the name Isabella very much."

Ben grinned and hugged Rachel.

PS: I know that Ben is only 10, but as a son of 2 mothers and with his family status, I believe that he might be very mature for his age. And he is very smart as a son of Ross (who has a phd) and Carol (who is a teacher), so is pretty believable that he talks pretty well - at least that's what I think.