Hello everybody, I'm back after a long hiatus.
I'm sorry, but real life got in the way with a very important exam.
I've got to say I really enjoyed writing this chapter, I hope you like it! :) It was a bit rushed, so maybe you'll find more typos and grammar/lexical mistakes than usual.
As I promised, from now on we are in for a wedding ride.
I'm not sure this fiction will be very long after the wedding because I feel like I'm already reaching my initial goal with the wedding ceremony.
Well, we'll see.
NEW YORK – ONE DAY BEFORE THE WEDDING
9.00 a.m.
The JFK gate was full with people waiting to leave for the wedding.
Phoebe was almost at her sixth month of pregnancy and yet she couldn't feel better. She was strong and happy, looking forward to reach her best friends to celebrate the wedding they all had been waiting for. Mike was sitting next to her, in charge of controlling the bags on the cart.
"I want to see mommy, Aunt Bi-Be!" Emma shouted, pulling Phoebe's skirt with her tiny hands.
"I know, Sweetie. We have to get on this huge plane, and if you promise to behave, mom and daddy will be there to get you when we land."
"Promise?"
"Pinky promise!"
Emma laughed and intertwined her pinky finger with Phoebe, then ran towards Sandra, who was sitting in front of Mike and Phoebe. She said something to Ben, who was listening to some playlist on his iPod. After a couple of recommendations from Carol, the two siblings walked away hand in hand.
"I must say Ross and Rachel are doing a very good job with them. They seem to be very close."
Phoebe nodded, "Ben is a smart kid, always has been. I hate to admit this, but I feel like he may actually become like Ross."
"A pain in the ass?"
Phoebe chuckled, "Yeah, that too. I mean, Carol and Susan are very smart too, have you noticed how brilliant he is? I'm not surprised that he's so good at school. Moreover, he loves being the big brother. He's very mature and protective with Emma. I really hope that our son will be like him."
Mike smiled at his wife and gave her a quick peck on the lips.
Judy and Jack came back from the bathroom with Jack and Erica in their arms.
"Well, this wasn't easy." Jack confessed. His hair looked disheveled and he had big stains of water on his shirt.
"I thought you were accustomed to take care of them?" Mike asked.
"Yes, in our home, when we have everything we need at its right place!" Judy exclaimed, a little bit over the top.
Carol stood up to her rescue, "Judy, please let me help you."
"Oh, thank you Carol…" she exhaled.
Carol took Erica in her arms and made a big smile to the little child. Mike followed her lead and took little Jack from his grandfather's hands. The two Gellers sat down to relax a bit before boarding.
"Miss Buffay?" a voice called Phoebe.
"Oh, here you are. And please, Sam, call me Phoebe. Miss Buffay is my mother. Better, it was my mother. She killed herself when I was 14."
The young musician and his three sisters grimaced, almost petrified.
Mike coughed, "Too much information, honey."
"Oh, yeah, you already told me that."
One of the reasons Phoebe and Mike had scheduled to leave one day after Monica and Chandler was to escort to Honolulu the band that Ross and Rachel had hired for the wedding. Ross had felt that, musicians themselves, Pheebs and Mike were the best persons to entrust with this important assignment. Phoebe had been in touch with them for a week and they had met at the ticket-counter that very morning.
"Well, guys… try and remind me all your names, but I must tell you that my friend Joey has got seven sisters and after twelve years I can't distinguish them, yet."
Sam laughed, "Ok, I'm Samuel; these are my sisters Debora, Lidia and Rossella."
Next to them the bass player and the drummer of the band were coming, too.
"Those are Marco and Ivan."
"Ok. So you are all from Italy, uh? Joey is going to hate this; he doesn't speak a word of Italian!" Phoebe explained to Mike.
"All right. The instruments are on board? Ross told me that you were only asked to take your guitars, saxophone and double bass with you because you'll find drums in Hawaii."
One of the girls, Debora, nodded. "Everything's ok, we just wanted to tell you that we were thinking to book a shareable from the airport to the hotel, we don't want to bother you or Mr. Geller further." She said, looking at Phoebe's belly.
"Nonsense, Ross has already reserved a minivan that will take you to the hotel and will be at your service for moving the instruments. Everything's fixed, don't worry about it."
The group smiled at Phoebe's warm words.
They were starting to like these people more and more every day. This trip was becoming not only a matter of hiring for them, but also something personal. They usually enjoyed every concert and every private party, but they felt that this wedding would be very special.
At that moment, Leonard Green appeared from the corridor with his two daughters Amy and Jill in tow.
"Here they come." Sandra smiled ironically.
"Well, now the party can finally start! If we can call this a party, my daughter is marrying Wethead." Leonard declared in the middle of the room.
"Always the bad habit to make people recognize you, uh Leonard?" Sandra asked him.
Judy and Jack were too tired to start an argument with him, so they let it go.
Amy and Jill hugged their mother while Ben and Emma were coming back from their little walk with snacks in their hands.
"Look girls, your niece and nephew are coming back." Sandra smiled.
"Oh, God." Jill scoffed.
"Jill. You promised..." Sandra warned her.
Jill shook her head in a petulant way and Amy laughed, "Come on, Emma is almost cute. It looks like she didn't get Rachel's nose in the end. Oh, that would have been fun!"
The two sisters started to laugh and Phoebe looked up to the ceiling.
"Fine, but the boy isn't Rachel's real son. He already has two mothers; does he really need a third one?" Jill asked.
All the people who heard that sentence turned around to look at Jill. Fortunately, Carol and Susan were far from the Greens because they had walked towards Ben and Emma with Erica.
Phoebe stepped into the conversation, "Listen, you little class-a-bitch. I don't care what you think about Ross's former family. You should only be interested in two things. First, Rachel loves Emma because she's her daughter and Ben because he's going to be her step-son. And she loves him unconditionally, she's been there since day one, and believe me, he needs a third mom, if that mom is Rachel."
Jill, Leonard and Amy were looking at Phoebe with incredulity.
"Second, you can say whatever you want in private, while you do what you want in your pathetic lives. But if either of you "sisters", or you Dr. Green…say something to spoil this day for Rachel or Ross while we are there…you'll have to deal with me."
Dr. Green and his daughters seemed regretful, but Mike, Judy and Jack were looking at Phoebe with admiration. Sandra tried to appear nonchalant, but she was happy not to be the recipient of that telling off.
"So, are we ready to get on this plane?" Phoebe asked, smiling to everyone.
"As ready as I'll ever be." Dr. Green replied, smiling in response.
"Good, let's go folks!" Phoebe screamed.
"I think the pregnancy made her more evil." Amy whispered to Jill ear when Phoebe had walked away.
"You have no idea." Mike confirmed to the two sisters.
HONOLULU – ONE DAY BEFORE THE WEDDING
7.30 p.m.
The restaurant room was filled with white lilies and blue roses. Since the ceremony was in Hawaii, Monica's idea had been to choose the blue as the main color of the wedding and when Rachel had seen the combination of those flowers in the first bouquet, she had gasped for its beauty.
In order to respect the color code, the six friends were all dressing with something blue also for that dinner. Ross had a light blue elegant shirt over a pair of linen trousers, Chandler and Joey both wore jeans with a shirt. Phoebe had a lovely blue band through her hair and a long blue polka dot dress with white dots that enhanced her lovely belly. Monica wore an elegant long black gown and a set of blue accessorizes (earrings, necklace and bracelet).
They were all just waiting for Rachel to arrive at the rehearsal dinner.
The band was playing on the stage as they would do the following day for the wedding, the waiters were serving the food chosen by Monica as the menu for the wedding dinner.
Everything was perfect.
Monica and Chandler were chatting with Jack and Judy while monitoring their children movements. Erica was crawling behind her brother – who could already walk.
Phoebe and Mike were talking with Alex, Gina and Michael in front of the stage.
"So, how was the flight?" Phoebe asked.
"Nice, actually. It took us six hours, two hours of time zone…I can't complain." Alex answered.
"What a bitch!" Phoebe shouted.
Alex's face turned into a horrified expression, afraid to have said something that might have offended Joey's best friend.
"Hormones…" Mike explained, whispering behind Phoebe's back.
Michael and Gina nodded, both well accustomed to Gina's other sisters' pregnancies.
"It took us 12 hours to reach Honolulu and the kids drove me crazy! And with the time zone it's five hours of difference, which means that I'm so tired that all I want is to go to sleep, but I can't because I'm the stupid maid of honor!" Phoebe complained.
Michael, who was eating some food from a plate, offered one to Phoebe, "You want a grilled veggie skewer?"
Phoebe looked at him and took the skewer from his hand, starting to cry, "How did you know that I am a vegetarian?"
"Joey told me almost everything about his best friends." Michael smiled.
"Yeah, he can't keep his mouth shut about you guys, can he?" Gina laughed.
Joey was looking at the scene from a safe distance, talking to Ross.
"Where is Rach?"
"You know her, she's always late." Ross chuckled, watching Emma trying to become familiar with her two aunts Jill and Amy, who were not particularly appreciating her effort.
"So, how's everything going with the Greens?"
Ross nodded, "Surprisingly well, actually. I don't know what happened before the flight, Mike mentioned that Phoebe spoke with them to make things straight. I assume if everything goes well I'll have again something to thank her for."
Joey grinned, thinking about the crazy run to the airport with Phoebe's cab that had leaded Ross to this very day.
"And I'm glad that you eventually decided to come with Alex. Chandler and I like her a lot, you know."
"Guys…I already told you, she's a friend, ok? Even after that night we spent together…I don't feel like changing our relationship, we are neighbors. No, we are friends!"
"Yeah, yeah…like Chandler and Monica were neighbors AND friends. Like Rachel and I were friends." Ross smiled and patted his friend back. "Just think about it."
Joey turned around in time to see Alex staring at him. She quickly diverted her gaze, but Joey smiled to himself.
At that moment, Rachel appeared in the room and of course, she enlightened it. All the people who noticed her started to smile.
Ross wasn't looking at the entrance because he was talking with Chandler, so Joey patted his shoulder.
The band started to play My Girl by The Temptations and Rachel flushed when she recognized the song.
"Well, she might be late, but you can't say she doesn't know how to make an entrance." Chandler told his friend.
"You are one lucky bastard." Joey laughed.
"I SO am." Ross chuckled along with them.
Rachel was marvelous, indeed.
She had chosen a short dark navy blue dress with spaghetti straps that had a lovely décor that showed her wonderful back.
Ross watched her walking slowly towards him, stunned by her beauty.
"Well, I haven't seen you looking at me like that in a while." she said, hugging him.
"I always look at you like that. But tonight you are just…wow!" he whispered.
Rachel giggled, "Well, if you think I look perfect today, I can't wait to hear what you're going to say tomorrow when you see me in a certain dress, honey."
Ross chuckled, "God, It's true! But could you BE more perfect than this?" he asked.
Chandler got closer to Monica and quipped, "I should have patented that way of speaking, and I would be a billionaire today!"
"Oh, believe me, I can." Rachel promised Ross. "And remember that in a few months I'm going to look like a whale again, so enjoy this view until you can".
Ross took her hands, "You were at your absolute greatest in my eyes when you were pregnant and I could talk with Emma in your belly."
"Really?" she asked, with teary eyes.
"You were my eighth wonder." He concluded, kissing her.
The people in the room were looking at them in awe.
Even Dr. Green couldn't help but make a little smile when he saw them holding like that. He was sitting next to Sandra.
Things between the two of them had gotten better since he'd had his heart attack.
They had started to see each other again; there were times that they could even stay in the same room. Sandra was not as judgmental as she used to be ten years before; Leonard had learned that living without a wife could be stressful and…boring.
When Sandra had found out that Leonard had promised to pay for the flights and the hotel, she'd been very impressed and she had also called her ex-husband to thank him for the gesture.
"Is my mommy beautiful grandpa?" Emma asked Leonard.
He looked at his granddaughter and then at Sandra.
"Of course she is, sweetpea. She's the most beautiful mommy in the whole world." He answered.
"And my daddy, grandma? Is my daddy cool?"
Dr. Green grimaced and Sandra stifled a laugh, "Well, Emma. Ross is…very nice!"
Amy and Jill were looking at Rachel with envy in their eyes, but they tried to hide it, "That dress makes her ankles look fat." Jill pointed out.
"I think you two should stop talking about your sister like that. You are both as beautiful as she is, sometimes I'm just afraid that they lack in the intelligence department." Sandra said this last sentence so that only Leonard could hear her. They both nodded in acknowledgment.
After the first two courses, Monica and Chandler were talking in the restaurant lobby.
"Are you ready for your speech?" she asked him.
"Well, it's not my first time with Ross." He smiled.
Monica punched him, "Chandler! What did I order you?"
"No jokes about the divorces…"
"And if you want to have sex again, you are going to respect this rule!"
"But without them it won't be fun!" Chandler complained.
"I don't care! You can joke about something else!"
"Ok, I'll just make do with the we were on a break thing."
Monica glared at him.
"It never gets old." Chandler smiled.
At that moment, a well-known voice erupted in an infamous sentence behind them.
"Oh…My…God!"
Chandler and Monica's eyes almost exited from their orbits when they heard Janice's voice shouting in excitement.
"You guys!" she ran towards Monica and she hugged her vehemently, then she held Chandler and kissed him on the cheeks. "What are you doing here?!"
"Vacation!"
"Seminar!"
Chandler and Monica stared at each other, shocked for the fact that they had chosen a different lie to provide. Janice was confused.
"Actually, we attended a seminar but now we are on vacation!" Chandler told her.
"Yeah, we needed to catch a break from the babies and…"
"Babies?" Janice questioned them.
Chandler glared at Monica, who put her hands on her face in disbelief of her own stupidity.
"Wow, you guys had babies?"
"Did we? Really?" Chandler screamed at his wife, his eyes still wide open.
Monica nodded pathetically, "Yes, last year we adopted twins."
"Wow… congratulations you guys. So, it looks like there WAS some problem with your guys down there, uh Chandler-Bing-a-Ling?"
Janice erupted in an obnoxious laugh in front of them.
"AH AH AH HA AH AH HA HA HA HA AH AH AH AH!"
Monica ignored her sentence and Chandler covered his ears with his hands.
Rachel and Ross chose that moment to walk out of the room hand in hand; they were smiling tenderly at each other.
"Hey, here you ar...JANICE!" Ross shouted.
"Ross!" Janice jumped. "Rachel!"
"Oh my God!" she exclaimed, surprised.
"That's my line!" Janice chuckled. "What are you doing here, are you on vacation too?" she asked.
Chandler and Monica waved their hands behind Janice's back, so Ross and Rachel tried not to answer. However, Janice was faster. She noticed Rachel's ring at once and she realized that all of them were too elegant to be out for a casual dinner.
"Oh…my…God…When Chandler called me last month he said that you two were getting married. This is your engagement ring! Is the wedding here?" she screamed.
Ross and Rachel laughed nervously and Chandler slapped his front twice.
"When Sid told me to go to Hawaii for our family vacation I wouldn't have imagined finding you all guys here for your wedding! This can't be real!" Janice laughed again, making all of them startle.
"And yet somehow is true! AGAIN!" Ross shouted.
Joey appeared from the room looking for Chandler, "Chan, it's time for the best man toast! What are you doing here guys—AH!" he screamed, pointing his finger at Janice.
Janice smiled at him, then she kept talking, "Janice must absolutely come to the wedding!"
"Of course, you can't miss it; we invited also seals and sea lions." Chandler replied, scarcastically.
Ross and Rachel looked at each other in fear. What could they tell her? She seemed so happy and willing to come to the ceremony.
Rachel eventually sighed, "Of course you've got to be there!"
"Your invitation must have gotten lost through the mail, we sent it months ago!" Ross exaggerated.
He took a card from his pocket with all the information about the location of the wedding and gave it to her.
Janice was so happy that made one of her incontrollable laughs again.
"I can't believe that tomorrow I'll be a guest to the wedding of the golden couple! I'm so excited! Oh, but I do not have a present for you…oh, well, I'm going to sing a song, then! See you tomorrow!"
While Janice walked away, Ross and Rachel opened their eyes wide, "Oh…my…God!" they almost yelled in perfect unison.
"Oh, My…when she looks for the microphone tomorrow, please be sure that the sea lion sings at her place!" Joey asked Chandler in all seriousness.
Chandler stared at his friend with incredulity, and then he waved his hand at him mimicking a scratch movement.
Ross looked very sorry, "I thought we could avoid her this time…"
"Well, it's no Caribbean without a curse. But I must admit I'd rather have Captain Jack Sparrow as uninvited guest to our wedding…" Rachel confessed, smiling.
Ross put his hands around her tiny waist, "Oh, yeah? You'd rather marry Johnny Depp, wouldn't you?" he gave her a soft peck.
"Oh, well…"
The two kissed passionately in front of their friends. Monica just smiled, but Chandler couldn't help himself and coughed, "Uhm…Get a room!"
"Shut up, we are happy." Rachel replied. She gave Ross another kiss, and then she waited for him to stop caressing her cheeks.
"Ok, let's go and make your stupid toast!" Ross said to his brother-in-law.
Rachel and Monica walked away holding each other, but Ross stopped Chandler before he could move on.
"Oh, and Chandler…"
"Yeah?"
"Any mention of the break and I cut you off the wedding."
Joey watched as Ross walked away and patted Chandler's back.
"There's no more respect for the king of sarcasm, I swear."