chloe2007 asked me if I could make a chapter where Emma got sick with the flu and Ross and Rachel and the gang took care of her.I don't know if this is what you wanted, but I decided to accept the request. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter.
PLEASE, don't review to ask following chapter because I'm not going to update anytime soon.I'll be updating when I can, not before late September or October and I don't know when exactly, ok?I'll try to keep this on, but real life is as important as this!
"Joey, don't touch the cake!" Rachel shouted.
"Why do we always have to do this?" he retorted.
"This year I've got the perfect cake, I don't want anyone to taste it before Emma, ok?" Rachel pleaded.
"Ok, but I've got to tell you: you're becoming more and more like Monica!"
Rachel scoffed, and she exited the kitchen with a tray of canapés in her hands and Joey following her like a starving dog.
All the guests were waiting for Emma to wake up from her nap to start the party. Emma was turning three years old on the 4th of April, which was the following day, but Rachel and Ross had decided to celebrate her birthday on Sunday. Joey had flown from Los Angeles the former Friday and he'd been staying at Monica and Chandler's since then.
Mike and Phoebe were still trying to get accustomed to the thought that they would be parents soon, and the fact that Phoebe was in the phase of the terrible morning sickness - which still happened in the evening for her – wasn't very helpful.
Susan and Carol were sitting on the couch, talking nicely with Monica and Chandler. Ross's sister was still very fond of her ex-sister-in-law, which had been a huge part of her life and had given her the gift of her first nephew. Ben was playing with the PlayStation, obviously with the Jurassic Park game that Ross had bought for his son - even if Rachel knew very well that Ross loved to play to relax a bit after a long day of work, when Emma was asleep, and Rachel was having a shower.
"So, are we going to see Emma today, or this will be basically a repetition of her first birthday party?" Chandler asked Rachel. The woman glared at him.
"Fine, I guess everything's ready to wake up our little princess. Ross are you ready?"
Ross and Emma surfaced from the corridor, he looked very worried.
"Rachel, I think Emma's not fine..."
"What?" Rachel ran towards them.
"What's wrong with our baby?" Sandra asked, suddenly preoccupied for her granddaughter.
"Mommy, me not fine." Emma declared, hugging her father and leaning her head on his shoulder.
"Oh, Sweetie, what's the matter?"
"She's pretty warm, Rach, maybe she's got a fever. I think we should get her to the pediatrician." Ross murmured, leaning his cheek on Emma's head.
Rachel touched Emma's forehead and realized immediately that Ross was right, Emma was actually very warm.
"You are right, we'd better go...Oh, guys, I'm so sorry..."
"Honey, don't even think about it..." Monica said, looking at Chandler with Erica in his arms. "Emma's health comes first. I'm just sorry that this day won't turn out as you had planned."
Monica knew that Rachel was already upset for the fact that her sisters had decided not to come. She had really hoped that at least Amy would be able to be present to the party this time, but she had declared that she was too busy decorating her new boyfriend's apartment to lose an entire Sunday over a three-year-old's birthday. Jill, instead, had been very careful to plan a trip to Paris with her best friend Mia on the first week of April, just to be sure to have an excuse to miss Emma's birthday again.
Even if Rachel was used to her sisters' behaviors, she always hoped that they would change and grow up, because they were Emma's aunts. But after today, she was losing hope.
Rachel looked at Monica and shared with her a knowing look.
"We'll wait for you to come back; we can always let the party start a little bit later, if Emma gets better." Judy proposed, holding little Jack in her arms.
"Joey, you came all this way..." Rachel excused herself, while Ross put a jacket over Emma and walked towards the door.
"Don't worry, Rach, just think about Emma. And hey, while you are away..."
"No, you can't touch the cake!" Rachel screamed. "Monica, please, you are in charge!"
"And…suddenly we are back to two years ago!" Chandler pointed out.
Rachel sighed and said goodbye to the others, following Ross out of the apartment.
"I can't believe we are stuck here waiting for them, again." Phoebe exclaimed.
"Come on, it's completely different!" Monica tried to ease the tension.
"How is that?" Chandler wondered.
"Well, Susan, Carol and Ben are here. And so is Sandra, for example, and Mike!"
"The fact that more people are in jail doesn't change the rule that you still need to roll doubles on the dice to get out of it without paying 50 dollars!" Chandler quipped.
Everybody laughed, and Ben shouted, "Ehy, Uncle Chandler, why don't you all play Monopoly?"
Joey started to grin, "You know what we could play?"
Chandler, Monica and Phoebe retorted in unison, "No Strip-Monopoly, Joey!"
After calling the pediatrician's assistant, Ross and Rachel had found out that he was at his office because he had been called by a few other parents and he'd decided to receive them even if it was Sunday.
"He's such a sweetheart." Rachel had commented, after terminating the phone call in the car.
"I don't know what we're going to do since he's almost getting a retirement."
"Well, you'll need to find a real doctor for sure!" Rachel laughed at him.
Ross glared at her for a second, "You know I already did!"
"Come on, I was just kidding!" Rachel then gazed at her daughter sitting behind her, "How you doin, Ems?"
"Mmm…tired, Mommy."
"We're almost there, honey."
Rachel and Ross were waiting in Dr. Gettleman's office lobby. There was another couple with a little boy waiting for their turn. Their son was younger than Emma, he seemed to be 3 or 4 months-old tops, and his name was Michael. During the waiting, Rachel stared intently at the dynamic of the couple and noticed that they seemed very nervous. The boy kept crying in his mother's arms and the father seemed to be really inexperienced.
So she couldn't help but thinking about her family. Emma was snuggling on Ross's lap, keeping her thumb in her mouth – a bad habit that she'd developed in the last months. Ross was trying to calm her with soothing words and he kept stroking her hair.
This man was such a caring father that there were times when Rachel still wondered how could she had possibly thought to take his daughter away from him.
"Is she still so warm?" Rachel asked Ross.
He nodded in answer. Rachel exhaled in anxiety.
"Uh…maybe it's just a mild flu, Rach. It happens often this time of the year. Don't worry too much." He took her hand and kissed it.
Rachel smiled tenderly at him to make him understand that she wanted to thank him for this little gesture of reassurance and she took a glance at the woman sitting at the other side of the lobby. She saw a little glimpse of envy in her eyes, and for the first time in her life, Rachel felt proud not only of her family, but of what her family represented to other people. Maybe they hadn't started in the more conventional way, and the first year of Emma's life she and Ross hadn't been together. But now here they were, the perfect family. She couldn't ask for more.
The door of the Doctor's office opened and a tall man with a boy in his arms came out of the room, a huge smile on his face.
"Thank you, Doctor, I'm so sorry for the trouble…"
"Only doing my job, Mr. Jones. Now…who's turn is it? Michael Livingston?"
While the couple sitting stood up and walked to meet the pediatrician, Rachel and Ross were still too shocked to utter a word.
"Oh my God! Ross, Rachel!"
Rachel was the first to come back to her senses, "Tag!" she screamed. She jumped from her chair and she held her ex-boyfriend, being careful not to hurt the little bundle of joy he was keeping in his arms. Tag couldn't help but notice how beautiful she still looked after all this time. He hadn't seen her in almost four years, but she was even more charming than he remembered. The fact that she was waiting inside a pediatrician's lobby with Ross could mean only one thing, and Tag wasn't really surprised. If they had told him a few years back that Rachel would get back together with Ross one day, he certainly would have bet a huge amount of money because everybody knew they were meant for each other. Everybody saw it, actually. Everybody but them.
"And who's this little sweetheart?"
"This is my Jeremy." Tag introduced his son.
"He's gorgeous Tag. So, you got married?" Rachel asked him.
"Yes, actually, I met Clarisse three years ago and we got married soon after. It was kind of love at first sight, you know? And…she's older than me."
Rachel laughed, "Old habits, die hard!"
Tag chuckled, "Only one year older than me. Jeremy was born six months ago. We are here because we've got a really bad cough and we couldn't sleep well, could we buddy?" Tag asked his son.
Ross watched the man interacting with the baby and smiled unconsciously. He stood up from the chair and moved closer to Tag.
"And where is your wife?" he asked. He was really surprised to realize that he was no jealous at all to see Rachel talking to an ex-boyfriend, he was actually curious to know something about him. Maybe he was really getting older. Or maybe he was just walking in a safe environment, seeing that Tag was married.
"She's home, actually. She's pregnant again."
"Congratulations!" Ross said, and Rachel smiled.
"Wow, our Tag, all grown up!"
"Well… and this little princess is…"
"Emma." Rachel smiled. "She's turning three tomorrow. We were having our birthday party today, but I'm afraid she's got a fever. Emma, say hello to Tag. He's an old friend of Mommy."
"Hello, Tag." Emma whispered.
"Hi, little Bunny. The doctor is very good, he's gonna make you feel better, you'll see." Tag smiled, trying to make Emma feeling better.
"So where do you work now?" Rachel asked, a bit curious.
"Dolce and Gabbana."
"Wow, very masculine!" Ross laughed.
Rachel glared at him, but she noticed that Ross was actually joking, because Tag was also chuckling along.
"I must admit that Rachel's letter of recommendation did the trick, it really helped me with my career when I left Ralph Lauren. I've never thanked you enough for writing it for me."
Ross glanced at his wife-to-be with newfound admiration. This was something he didn't know about Rachel, actually he didn't know so much about Rachel's work life back at Ralph Lauren's. Though, he wasn't surprised; Tag and Rachel had broken up as friends, without unfinished business. Rachel had always been the most kind-hearted woman Ross had known, and it shouldn't amaze him to find out that she'd written a letter of recommendation to help her assistant to find a new job, even if he was her former boyfriend.
Rachel noticed Ross's glance and smiled at him, then she coughed a bit embarrassed and answered, "Well, you are welcome!"
"So, Tag, where do you live?" Ross asked, to hold the conversation.
"Actually we've moved to Long Island three months ago. We bought a house close to the Lincoln High."
Rachel and Ross grinned immediately, "We grew up there!" Ross exclaimed.
"Really?"
"Yes, we went to that school! Monica and I grew up together, I was the cheerleader, the Prom Queen and Ross was…well, he was a geek back then."
Tag laughed at Ross feigned hurt expression.
"What's a geek, daddy?" Emma asked, coming out of her state of numbness.
"Apparently something your dad used to be, honey, don't think about it."
"So that's why your son is Dr. Gettleman's patient, you live in Long Island…and was it difficult to move?"
"What, the change?" Tag asked. "It was a relief, actually. No more cabs, no more sounds to wake you up in the middle of the night, no more horrible smells…"
"Isn't it hard to be a commuter? Going on from house to work every day?" Rachel asked him.
Tag just shrugged, with Jeremy moving in his arms, "I'd do anything for him. He's so happy now, he has so much space for himself. And with a new incoming baby, it was only a matter of deciding if we wanted what was better for us or for them."
Ross and Rachel shared a knowing look and then they both stared at Emma, still leaning on her father's chest.
"Now, I really gotta go guys, it was so great to see you! And, I must say…I'm so happy that you too are finally back together."
Rachel and Ross smiled, and she suddenly realized how many people from their past they had been meeting in the last few months were sharing that thought. It was like a conspiracy.
"Yes, I know, it was time…" Rachel answered.
"We're getting married in July."
"Wow, congratulations, then!" he patted Ross's shoulder and gave Rachel a kiss on the cheek.
Tag was almost leaving, when he suddenly remembered something. He turned back towards the couple.
"Ross…I just remembered the last time we saw each other…outside Central Perk…"
"Yeah?"
"I thought you'd said that Emma wasn't your daughter…"
"What?" he asked, stunned.
"Yeah, you mentioned something about some Italian guy… for a moment I thought that Emma's father might have been Joey!" Tag laughed.
Rachel glared at Ross, completely unaware about what those two were meaning with that dialogue, "What?!" she shouted.
"What?" Ross screamed.
"What?" Tag replied, realizing he'd said something inappropriate.
Rachel's eyes went from Tag to Ross, but none of them spoke for a few seconds.
"Well…Jeremy and I really have to go now…Good luck for the wedding, guys!"
"Bye…" Rachel murmured.
Rachel waited for an explanation.
"Rach, believe me, I have no idea what he was talking about…"
"When was the last time you saw him?"
"It happened by chance, we were walking on the street and…oh, we were wearing the same red sweater, the one I had that night, you know?"
"That sweater." Rachel smirked.
"Exactly" Ross smiled, subconsciously kissing his daughter, "Well, we joked about the shirt, then Tag told me something about you, and then he asked me whose shirt was it, and I told him that I supposed it was of some Italian guy."
Rachel squeezed her eyes, "Mmm…I never actually understood Tag's humor. But if the shirt is involved and you met him outside Central Perk before finding out that I was pregnant, I'm pretty sure there might have been some misunderstandings."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, Tag was there because Joey had found your red sweater, then Phoebe remembered that Tag had the same shirt. She called him so that I could meet him, because she wanted me to talk with the father of the baby. She didn't know it was you, she thought Tag was Emma's father."
Ross, shocked, covered Emma's free ear with his hand. "How could Phoebe possibly think that?!" He silently screamed "I thought everybody knew that I was Emma's father before me!"
"Yes, but only after you came back to the apartment, informing them that the red sweater was yours."
Rachel smiled. Monica had told her how the scene had happened, and Rachel had always felt sorry that she hadn't been there to see her friends' reaction to the news.
Ross tried to recall that moment in his mind and he remembered that he'd found his sweater on a table in Monica and Chandler's apartment. So that had been the exact moment when the guys had found out.
Rachel waited a couple of seconds, then she took Ross's face in his hands, trying not to disturb Emma, "Sweetie, I've always known that you were Emma's father. I hadn't slept with Tag for months when we got together that night. I never had any doubt, it doesn't matter what Phoebe thought, ok?"
"I know, I know. You've always told me, Rach. By the way, that's just water under the bridge, the only thing that matters is our little angel, I just want to know what's wrong and take her home."
"Yeah…" Rachel stroked Emma's hair.
The door of the Doctor's office opened and the couple exited much more relaxed, with the little boy in her mother's arms. The woman glanced at them and Rachel tried to convey a reassuring look to make her understand that everything would be fine. The woman made half a smile and walked away, while Rachel and Ross entered the Doctor's office.
Joey was enjoying a round at Jurassic Park with Ben. He was glad that he could play Playstation with him, pretending that he wanted to keep the kid company while he really liked playing the game.
Susan and Carol were chatting with him on the couch, trying to decide whom between Joy and Ben was a better player. Obviously, Joey wasn't losing a chance to put dirty jokes in their conversation to help them decide.
The grand-parents were in the kitchen, having a coffee.
Monica and Chandler were sitting around the table with Phoebe and Mike, while the twins played with their toys on the floor. The four of them were having a deep conversation about babies.
"I thought you were already accustomed to babies, Pheebs." Monica told her best friend.
"Well, I thought so too. Then I realized that I am very accustomed to the delivery part. You know, I had three of them."
Chandler nodded and recalled in his mind the day when Phoebe had had Frank's triplets as one of the best in his life.
"But I am actually scared about the whole…being a mom part, because…I don't have such good examples to catch up on."
"Meaning?" Mike asked her.
"Well, my birth mom abandoned me and Ursula. I met her only when I was 29. And I like her a lot, but she's not the motherly type, she's mostly like an older friend…"
Monica nodded, trying to follow her friend's speech.
"And my adoptive mom…well she was sweet and tried to prevent us from pain and sadness, until she committed suicide."
Mike sighed heavily.
"So, what kind of mother will I be? I am so afraid to become like them."
Monica had tears in her eyes. She loved Phoebe so much and she was so sorry to know that she felt like that. She wasn't sure how to help her. But as usual, it was Chandler who came to her rescue.
"This is ridiculous, you are going to be an incredible mother, Phoebe!" Chandler encouraged her. "Won't she, Mon?"
"Of course, you will! This isn't some gift that you are born with, or that you inherit. It's something that you learn, day by day. I mean, look at us." She pointed at herself and Chandler.
Phoebe scoffed, she thought that Monica and Chandler, like Ross and Rachel, were terrific parents.
"Well, we found ourselves with twins. Yo-ho, TWINS!" Monica screamed. "Were we scared? Of course. Did anyone tell us how to behave?"
"Nope." Chandler guaranteed. "And if you're looking, there's no handbook, guys. Rest assured, I've checked on the Internet, everywhere." Mike smiled.
Monica looked at her children, "I mean, if Chandler can handle two of them, I think you can handle one, can you Pheebs?" Monica asked her friend.
"Thank you, honey." Chandler replied, in an acid tone.
"Weren't you afraid when you held them for the first time?" Phoebe asked Monica.
Monica grinned. "No. No I wasn't. I felt they were mine for the first moment the nurse put them in my arms. And you know what? The fact that we didn't make them in the usual way makes me feel even more responsible towards them. Because they are a gift and I feel that I have to take care of them in every possible way and love them more than anything in this world."
Chandler looked lovingly at his wife and kissed her forehead. Mike felt the urge to take Phoebe's hand in his.
"Have you guys heard from Erica lately?"
Chandler shook his head, "Not so much, this year we called to greet her for her birthday."
"She's very happy, her life is great. But she asked us not to call so much, she thinks it's better this way." Monica told Phoebe.
At that moment, the door of the apartment opened. Ross and Rachel were back with Emma. The girl was still securely held in her father's arms.
Sandra, Judy and Jack came from the kitchen as soon as they heard the sounds coming from the living room.
"Hi sweetie, so, how did it go?" Sandra asked.
"I'm sorry guys, we must postpone the party…Emma's got the flu." Rachel explained.
"Oh my god…" Monica immediately thought about her babies too.
"Dr. Gettleman said it's a very mild flu, it should pass in a couple of days, but Emma has to be in bed, stay warm and have a lot of rest."
"So, what's the difference between her first birthday and this one?" Chandler questioned.
Rachel just ignored him, "Anyway, the best thing is for you two guys to leave, I hope she didn't infect the kids as well. You too, Pheebs, I don't want you to get sick."
Phoebe nodded, still worried for Emma's health.
Ross disappeared with Emma into the corridor.
Monica saw Rachel's face and noticed the cake on the table. She didn't want her friend's daughter to lose another birthday party like that, because she probably would remember this one.
"Mom." She called Judy. "Would you please take Jack and Erica back to your house, so that we can stay here with Rachel and Ross?"
Rachel stared at her friend.
"Of course honey."
"Just call me if you notice anything weird." She asked her.
"Sandra, do you want a ride home?" Jack asked his old-time friend.
"Thank you, Jack, dear. Rachel, will you call me tonight and let me know how's Emma?"
"Of course mom, thank you for coming…" she kissed her goodbye.
As soon as the parents had left, Rachel hugged Monica, "Thank you for staying."
"That's what sisters are for." She whispered to her. Rachel smiled and hugged her again. Only Monica knew about her inner turmoil caused by the absence of her biological sisters. She loved her so much.
Rachel then noticed there was still a kid in the room, "Carol, do you want to leave too?"
"Oh, please mom, can we stay? Who cares if I get sick?" Ben asked her.
"I care!" Carol replied.
"I can always go to school and infect Mrs. Watson!"
Susan laughed at her son's remark, but Carol sighed. Every day he was getting more and more like his uncle Chandler and like Joey. Hanging out with them so much maybe wasn't such a good idea.
Ross was stroking Emma's hair before tucking her in.
"Honey, you don't have to worry. Your aunts and uncles are here."
"And Benny?"
"Yes, Ben is still here too."
Rachel and Monica surfaced from the corridor to watch the scene.
"But you and mommy don't go away?"
Rachel felt her inside melt, she wanted to cry. Why was Emma afraid to lose her parents?
"Of course not, honey! We are always here with you, always!" Ross kissed her forehead, her cheeks and her nose, and Emma smiled.
"Ok."
"Is there anything we can do to make you feel better?"
"I want Aunt Bi-Be…"
Ross chuckled, Emma still couldn't say Phoebe properly, "Well, Aunt Phoebe it is. Why do you want her, honey?"
"She sings Smelly Cat! Makes me laugh…" Emma explained.
Rachel and Monica shared a look that spoke millions. Monica had a gut feeling that this could be a perfect coincidence to help Phoebe to chase away some fears.
Ross saw them on the door and silently asked them to call Phoebe.
Monica went looking for her in the living room.
"Honey, Emma asked of you…"
"Me? Why?"
"She wants you to sing for her…" Monica told her.
Rachel appeared from the room, "Phoebe, don't feel obliged, I know that you are pregnant, maybe you don't want to get sick…"
"Oh, come on, it's just some stupid flu, Emma asked of me!" Phoebe screamed, getting up and walking towards the bedroom.
Mike and Chandler smiled at each other.
Emma saw Phoebe arriving in the bedroom and smiled at her.
"Hey, sweetheart…what do you want me to sing?" she asked her, sitting on the bed with her.
Ross stood up and put his arm around Rachel's shoulder, watching the scene with sparkles in his eyes.
Rachel and Monica were soon reached by Chandler and Mike.
"Smelly Cat…" Emma asked.
"Ok, honey…"
Phoebe gently caressed Emma's cheeks while she sang.
"Smelly cat, smelly cat, what are they feeding you? Smelly cat, smelly cat, it's not your…"
"…fault" Emma finished the sentence.
Rachel had tears in her eyes as she embraced Ross, who tenderly kissed her head.
"Thank you, Aunt Bi-Be…"
"You're welcome, honey."
Mike smiled when his wife looked at him. Phoebe stood up from the bed and walked towards him, "I love you, Bi-Be." He told her.
"Love you too."
Chandler and Monica silently walked out of the room and shared a look full of love, aware that Phoebe wouldn't be afraid of becoming a mother anymore. They hugged and walked back in the living room, followed by the others. Emma had fallen asleep.
"Guys, I want to thank you all for coming, really. I'm so sorry for the way things turned out…"
"I'm sorry Emma is sick, Rachel." Ben said, walking towards her to hug her. Rachel smiled at her step-son and she strengthened in the sensation of this embrace while Carol and Susan admired their bond. In the last few months they'd become so close, and they were very happy to see Ben so attached to both Rachel and Emma. It meant the world, to Ross.
"Well, I'm sorry I had a 3000 miles flight and we still had no cake!" Joey shouted.
"We could eat it anyway, couldn't we, dad?" Ben asked his father.
"Way to go, Ben, taught you well!" Joey exclaimed, patting the kid on the shoulders.
Everybody laughed, then Rachel looked at Ross, "Well, ok, let's eat the damn cake!"
"Ok, I'll get a knife." Ross told her.
"Don't worry too much about Emma, Rachel…I remember the first time Ben had a flu…just keep her warm and change her often, she's going to sweat a lot."
"Oh, and keep her forehead fresh." Susan added.
"Thank you, guys…I'm just worried, it's the first time she's got such a high temperature…"
Ross came back from the kitchen, "Here we go. So, I assume Joey's gonna have the first piece, am I right?"
That evening, when everybody had gone away, Ross and Rachel were sitting on both sides of Emma's bed, Rachel was on the blanket, Ross on a chair next to the bed. Rachel took a wet rag from Emma's forehead while Ross was taking the thermometer from under her shoulders.
"I feel so powerless…" she confessed.
Ross checked the temperature, "It has lowered!" he exclaimed.
"Oh, thank God!" Rachel smiled, sighing in relief.
Ross took his daughter's hand and kiss it.
Rachel, feeling that she could breathe again and think again properly, shared a feeling with Ross. "You know; it was really surreal to meet Tag like that."
"More surreal than meeting Charlie or Julie?" he asked her, chuckling.
"No, I mean…he's younger than me, and yet he's already married, he has a son… he lives out of the city…"
Ross smiled, "So…"
"So I started thinking that whenever we want to see Mon and Chandler we have one-hour trip to go to Westchester or they have to do the same to come here. Our parents live in Long Island and we always have to travel to ask them to keep Emma for us…"
Ross secretly smiled to himself, because Rachel was starting to realize something that he'd been thinking for a very long time.
"Maybe having a house out of the city is not such a bad idea…and with the wedding and the idea of having another child…"
"Are you serious?" Ross was grinning.
"I guess so."
"Really? Because I've been thinking this kind of things for a few months by now…but I was afraid to tell you because I thought that you might have freaked out."
"Why?"
"Well…hello…remember Scarsdale, two kids, complaining about the taxes?"
Rachel chuckled.
"I thought you could think this was too much too soon, that you would accuse me I was pulling a Ross, as I used to at the good old days…but since I asked you to marry me, I've been wondering if we were ready to buy a house."
Rachel was grinning, Ross could make her laugh as nobody else, she loved him so much. That was one of the reasons she loved him most; he completed her in a way no other man could. Yes, she liked Chandler's jokes and she enjoyed Joey's naïve sense of humor and the way he couldn't get things. But Ross's way of telling funny things was the way it was supposed to make her laugh, the way she loved to laugh. Like it was meant for her.
"Want the truth?" she asked him.
"Of course."
"I've been talking to Monica in the last few days. She told me that there are a few houses on sale in their block. Wouldn't it be amazing if we bought one of them and became neighbors again? Isn't it a nice idea?"
Ross looked at Rachel in awe. Like he probably did the first time he saw her. Like he did the night he turned around and saw her in his apartment after getting off the plane.
"I think it's an amazing idea."
"Really?" Rachel smiled, emotion evident in her voice.
"Yes…we can afford it, and there's no better idea than Emma growing up with her cousins and the two of us going back to live next to my sister and our brother-in-law."
Rachel nodded, "So…we are going to do this?"
Ross nodded, too. He stood up and walked around the bed to meet Rachel's gaze, "I think it's the best idea you've ever had. Well, only after getting off the plane. And after leaving Barry at the altar."
Rachel squeezed her eyes and stood up to hug him, "Better than Scarsdale?"
"Much better!" Ross chuckled and kissed her.