Note of the Author
Well, here we are. This is the last chapter of Close Encounters.
I think there might be an epilogue, but not yet. I will think about it – that's all I'm asking!
I feel that this story is over; Ross and Rachel already confronted each other about the main issues of their relationship. I believe that a fiction must be realistic to be mine.
And this story already had enough unrealistic scenes. To keep up with the reader's expectations and the kind of fiction that Friends has, when I started to write I based this story on the meetings with former boyfriends and girlfriends. In fact, the first intent of Close Encouters was to help Ross and Rachel discuss the problems in their relationship by the means of these encounters. I feel that within these 20 chapters they actually did, they grew up and their marriage is going to be healthy and awesome from now on.
I don't like drama and I don't want further drama, so, I'm sorry, but we're done.
I hope you keep reading my other stories, especially those that have yet to come.
I have so many ideas in my mind!
I will probably start with a cycle of Roschel one shots, but I also want to write a cycle of AU in Barbados and if I ever have time I will write an AU set in season 9.
Please, keep R&R, because that's what keep authors writing.
Thank you!
"This is the first time that I fly after a wedding that went well!"
Rachel unconsciously smiled at the memory of Ross and Emily's wedding ceremony. She had hated every second of it until Ross had said her name at the altar, and she had felt so lonely during that whole week she'd spent in Europe.
However, Ross had surely spent a worse time flying from London to New York on his own.
"Well, this is also the first time that we go on honeymoon together, Ross."
Ross giggled, "Yeah…I still think both of us should have taken advantage of that trip to Greece, though."
Rachel sighed, "Please, don't go over that."
"You should have seen Emily's face when she saw me ready to get on the plane with you." Ross chuckled.
"I don't need a mental image, thank you." Rachel retorted.
Ross grinned, a memory suddenly coming to his mind, "You had the cutest braid when you came back…You were incredibly beautiful."
Rachel secretly melted inside, "Well, you weren't so flattering when I came back from Athens."
"What do you know; I was trying to save an illogical marriage with an unreasonable wife who didn't even want to talk to me."
They both giggled for Ross's joke, and then they exchanged a slow tender peck.
"So, are we visiting the UK during this journey?"
Ross shook his head, "Joey conveniently excluded London from the legs of this trip."
Rachel chuckled again, "Smart move. Did Joey really planned our honeymoon?" she was a bit surprised.
It was Ross's turn to smile, "Nope, Monica and I did, Joey just paid for it."
The newlyweds kept smiling at each other even when the stewardess announced that they would be ten minutes late because they were still waiting for two passengers to board.
"You know what I'm still wondering?"
"What?" Ross asked her.
"If you decided not to see Emily anymore because you were afraid of still having feelings for her or because you were so angry that you didn't want bad memories to resurface."
Ross didn't need to think about it, "I DON'T want to see her anymore because she is the only person who ever tried to make me give up on the most important thing in my life."
Rachel shot him a lingering look and took his hands in hers.
"But the most terrible thing…the reason why I don't want ever to set eyes on her again…is the lame fact that she was the only person who actually almost made me do it."
Rachel nodded in comprehension, remembering those awful moments when Ross had confessed that Emily wanted him not to see her anymore.
"Fortunately I came back to my senses in time to figure out what I was doing and to kiss her off!"
"Yep, otherwise today we wouldn't be here doing this."
She leaned on to him to initiate an intense kiss. When she let go of his lips, Ross felt thankful for that precious second chance that Rachel had given to him. He was the luckiest man on Earth.
"Thank you, Rach."
"For what?" she asked with a soft voice.
"For everything. For being my friend, for being so forgiven, for Emma, for our baby growing inside you…and most of all, thank you for making come true the dream I had since I was 15... Thank you for marrying me."
Rachel was enthusiastic, "You won't believe this, but I've been dreaming of getting married since I was 10 years old, so this wasn't a good deed, just me being selfish."
They amiably chuckled while Ross leaned on his headrest.
"So, this was an interesting year, wasn't it? You think we deserve a vacation from the real world after meeting so many exes?"
"Totally, I mean…there was Julie…and then Charlie…"
"Tag..." Ross wanted to stress out the fact that they had also met one of Rachel's former boyfriends.
"…Janice…" she continued.
Ross glared at her, but Rachel smiled and put her hands behind his neck with a charming expression on her face. Just when Ross was surrendering again to her spell, they heard a voice behind them.
"Ross…Rachel!"
Ross and Rachel were so involved in what they were doing that they hadn't noticed a man standing beside the two empty seats next to their own.
When they looked up at him, they couldn't help but greet the newly-arrived with a dazed look.
Paul Stevens was staring at them with a dumbfound expression, not believing his eyes.
Rachel and Ross looked at him and then back at each other, both incredulous for this umpteenth unexpected meeting.
Paul couldn't talk. He was still exhausted because he had been weeping for ten minutes at the gate when he had realized that the flight attendant reminded him of his wife when she was young.
"Daddy, did you find our seats?" a lively voice asked as a young woman made her way walking along the aisle.
"I found something better, sweetheart." Paul replied.
Elizabeth joined her father just in time to see him nodding at the couple already seated in front of them. Lizzie followed Paul's gaze and finally noticed Ross and Rachel still cuddled close to each other.
"Uhm…Ross…Rachel…" she mumbled, trying to avoid blushing for the embarrassment in front of them. "Well, you book a flight to reach the other side of the world and you find out that this is a small world after all!"
Rachel tried to ease the tension, "Talking about those six degrees of separation, uh?!"
Ross was astonished and his eyes almost fell when he heard his wife quoting Stanley Milgram's theory.
"What, you mentioned this at that seminar…"
Ross still kept his eyes on her.
"I was listening." She smirked.
"God, I never wanted you more than in this moment." Ross whispered to her.
Rachel smiled while she lovingly stroked his cheeks.
Paul and Lizzie were still staring at them, trying to figure out what was going on. Liz was the first one to notice that they wore wedding bands.
"You got back together!" she affirmed with a knowing smile.
Ross and Rachel coughed and tried to hide their discomfort.
"I knew it. Let me guess, did this happened right after you broke up with me, Ross?" she asked him, while a sly grin illuminated her face.
Rachel leaned her head and tried to speak so that only her husband could hear, "God, tell me we won't have to spend the next six hours to tell these two how we finally got back together."
Ross giggled at her. Paul was still watching them with an unidentifiable expression on his face. He hadn't uttered a word for a couple of minutes.
"Paul?" Rachel asked him. "Are you okay?"
"So…you are really…back together?" he questioned them, articulating every word.
Rachel nodded in total seriousness, "Yes."
"And this…happened after you left me?"
Rachel didn't know what to say, so she just nodded again. "I'm afraid so."
"And now…you are traveling together?"
Ross intervened, "Actually we are on our honeymoon…we'll make a tour of the most beautiful capitals of Europe."
"Ahw…" Lizzie smiled at them.
"We are just sorry that we had to leave our little one, she's still so young but…we didn't feel like taking her with us for the honeymoon, you know?" Rachel told them.
"Oh, so you have a daughter? What's her name?" Elizabeth asked.
Rachel grinned, noticing that Elizabeth looked genuinely interested, "Emma."
Paul was on the verge of crying. Lizzie began to look at her father with a concerned look.
"You really have a daughter?" he asked, holding on the sobs.
Rachel nodded again, now a bit uncomfortable. "Yes…"
At that moment, Paul began to cry totally out of control. Lizzie sighed and patted his back to soothe him.
"Oh my God, the gates are still open!" Rachel murmured to Ross.
Elizabeth snorted with annoyance, "We were late at getting on the plane because there was this woman at the gate who reminded him of my mother. He cried for ten minutes!" she explained.
Rachel tried to stifle a laugh.
"Rachel…he's been like that since you left him, and I had never seen daddy cry before that moment…What in hell did you do to him?!" Elizabeth had been dying to know this for years.
Ross and Rachel just shared another knowing look and smiled tenderly at each other while Lizzie excused herself and escorted her father to the toilet.
Ross took Rachel's hand and squeezed it, trying to convey every kind of feeling.
They knew this would be a long journey, as their whole relationship had been in the last 12 years.
But they wouldn't want it in any other way.
Note of the author
Credits for the storyline in this chapter go to the fabulous Babatomyfriends, who not only gave me the idea but was also a loyal reader – and advisor – while I was writing this fan fiction. Thank you!