Rachel stared at Phoebe, who had just finished telling her about the way Rachel bribed Steve to buy Monica flowers so she wouldn't be crushed on Valentine's Day.

"I...I realize this is all so crazy," Phoebe went on. "But it's true. Nana lives here too with Pop Pop, and sometimes Mr. Heckles visits."

"Oh my God," Rachel said, putting her hand to her mouth.

"Joey sneezes all the time because Chandler keeps putting his hand through his head. When you pass through a ghost, you sneeze," Phoebe explained.

"That...that sounds like something Chandler would do," Rachel nodded. Chandler and Monica were here. As ghosts. This was just getting weird.

"They really want you to believe me," Phoebe said gently. "Monica feels bad that you're upset so much and she can't comfort you. Chandler discovered that Joey puts his spoons back after using the-wait, what?! Ew!"

"Are they here?" Rachel asked, looking around.

"Yes. Chandler, that's disgusting. Remind me to never use Joey's cutlery ever again," Phoebe said, wiping her tongue with her hand roughly.

"How come you can talk to them?" Rachel asked.

"I don't know. I guess I have a better connection to spirits and ghosts. Remember the lady who inhabited my body after she died?"

"Yes. She was mean."

"Exactly! She disappeared because she finished her business. Monica and Chandler are still here because they don't know what their unfinished business is."

"So, when they find out, they'll be gone?" Rachel questioned. She felt like she was going to cry again.

"Monica says apparently it's a choice. Her Pop Pop is too scared to go, so that's why Nana is still here. To be with him."

"That's so sweet," Rachel cried. She felt fresh tears fall down her cheeks. Then she sneezed violently.

"Monica says sorry. She put her arm around you," Phoebe explained. Rachel choked out a laugh.

"Thanks, Mon," she whispered. She looked at Phoebe. "What are we going to tell Joey and Ross?"

"I think we should keep it to ourselves," Phoebe answered. "They might not take it so well like you did."

"You're right. I feel bad, though, keeping this secret," Rachel went on. "I mean, we can talk to them through you. They're still here."

"Chandler doesn't want to give up having fun making Joey sneeze," Phoebe said matter of factly.

"Fine. I'll keep quiet," Rachel huffed. She wished she could see or hear them. She was feeling jealous of Phoebe in that moment.

...

"You think she'll keep it to herself?" Monica asked Chandler. They had stepped into the kitchen for a moment.

"I doubt it. She cracks pretty easily," Chandler replied. Nana entered just then.

"Good news!" she exclaimed. "Heckles has moved on."

"What?" Monica asked, shocked.

"Yes. He made friends with some other ghosts, and he was gone."

"Nana," Monica said slowly. "Do you really get a choice to stay?" Nana twisted her fingers for a moment.

"No," she answered finally.

"But...Pop Pop said..."

"Spending time with the girls is not his unfinished business," Nana cut her off.

"Then why does he think it is?" Monica asked.

"I convinced him it was. I also told him it was a choice to stay or go. It's not. You are here until you figure it out, then you're gone. Most people figure it out quickly, some take a long time, but everyone goes eventually."

"So, what is yours then?" Monica asked. "Pop Pop said you knew, and you said you hadn't figure it out when we first saw you." Her mind was racing. Someone was lying here.

"It's not important," Nana dismissed.

"You're staying here for your husband," Chandler said, getting it. "You're letting him think it's a choice so he thinks he's choosing to stay here and you're staying for him."

"Nana, you need to do your unfinished business," Monica urged. "You need Pop Pop to do it too so you can go together."

"He won't do it," Nana said.

"Why not?"

"Because. He had a heart attack at work, yes, but he died in the hospital because the nurse left him there without checking his vitals again by accident. She had been called to attend a bigger emergency in the ICU. He has to forgive her for that. He won't."

"Oh, Nana," Monica said sadly. Chandler was sad for her too. Then he figured it out.

"Yours is to tell that nurse off, isn't it?" he asked. "You were angry for her neglect because it cost you your husband." Nana looked away. Monica realized this was the truth.

"You have to do it together," Monica told her. "Please. Don't stay here forever."

"It's terrifying, Monica," Nana said sharply. "Not knowing where we go after this. I can't think about it. I can't stand it."

"I think it's a risk worth taking," Monica said quietly. "I think you'll be fine."

"What if we get split up? I couldn't bear it," Nana said, breaking down now. Monica hugged her tightly, crying as well. She looked at Chandler.

"What if you don't?" she asked.

...

Rachel was sitting at the table looking at the bills. They were daunting. She sighed. She had no idea how she was going to afford this place. Joey came in then, and he looked excited.

"What's up?" she asked him.

"I got a roommate," he answered. He crossed his arms and flashed a wide grin at her.

"What?"

"Yea! I figured, I need the extra money, and I'm lonely. It's the perfect solution," he told her.

"Maybe I should get a roommate too," Rachel mused. "This place is a fortune to keep."

"Hey, Joey," a man said, poking his head in the door. "You gonna help or what?"

"Yea! I'm coming. Eddie, this is Rachel. Rachel, Eddie."

"Nice to meet you," Rachel smiled, waving.

"You too," Eddie said. Then he was gone.

"I'll see you later. I promised to help him move. He has a fish!" Joey said excitedly, racing out the door. Rachel raised a brow at his receding back. Oh how nice to be thrilled over a fish. She realized she didn't tell him about Chandler and Monica. She would have to tell him later.

...

Chandler was lying on his bed when a man came in and dumped a box right onto his stomach.

"Hey!" he shouted, sitting up through it. "Watch it!"

"Your old roommate never took his stuff with him?" the man asked Joey, who was lugging another box.

"He...he didn't," Joey answered. Chandler stared at him. He didn't tell the guy the truth!

"Can you get it out of here?"

"Yup. I'll work on it right now," Joey nodded. The man left, and Joey started packing up Chandler's things.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Chandler yelled. "That's my stuff!"

"I'm sorry, buddy," Joey said, as if he'd heard him. "Eddie lives here now. I had to move on. I know it's hard and hurts, but I need the rent money."

"Of course," Chandler nodded. "I understand."

"Joey?" Phoebe asked.

"In here!"

"Phoebs!" Chandler cried, relieved. "Help! He's packing up my stuff!"

"Whatcha doing?" Phoebe asked, ignoring Chandler.

"I gotta clean out Chandler's room for Eddie," Joey answered.

"You sure?"

"Yea. He can't live with a dead person's things, Phoebs. That's just weird."

"Don't throw it away," Chandler begged. "Those magazines are still useful. The covers of them anyway..."

"Ew," Phoebe said, wrinkling her nose.

"What?" Joey asked.

"Throw those out," she gestured.

"Phoebe!" Chandler shouted.

"No way. I'm keeping them," Joey chuckled. Chandler sighed in relief.

"So, is this kind of therapeutic for you?" Phoebe asked, helping Joey pack.

"What is?"

"Cleaning out his room? It's like saying goodbye," she finished. He furrowed his brow.

"I never thought of it like that," Joey said, stopping what he was doing. "Huh."

"I know you miss him," Phoebe said softly.

"I do. I really do," Joey said, tearing up. "He's my best friend." Phoebe put her arm around him and let him rest his head on her shoulder.

"I miss him too," she said sadly. Chandler couldn't watch anymore. He had to get out of there. It was too sad. As he made his way to the door, he was hit by a barrage of images.

Looking at Monica sideways as they ran and laughing.

Seeing the car come out of nowhere.

Opening his mouth to scream.

Blackness.

"Whoa," he said, halting his tracks. He shook his head. What was that? Was that how he died? He hurried over to Monica's. She was sitting at the table looking glum.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"I'm sad about Nana and Pop Pop," she sighed. "How can we get them to do their unfinished business?"

"I think it's up to them," Chandler said, sitting across from her. "Hey, Mon? Did you ever get any...flashbacks?"

"Of what?" she asked. Her face was guarded, which answered his question.

"How we died," he answered. She paled, which was odd since she was already pale as a ghost. No pun intended.

"Did you?"

"Just now. It was quick, and I didn't really see much, but it was still something."

"I did too."

"What was yours?" he asked eagerly.

"Just a car coming towards us and me falling," she answered.

"Oh," he said, disappointed. Monica didn't tell him about the other flashback she had that day. She needed him to figure out his unfinished business first because she had just figured out what hers was and what she had to do, and she didn't want to go on without him.

...

"Hey," Ross said, coming into the apartment. Rachel looked up.

"Hi."

"I just wanted to come apologize," he said.

"For what?"

"For being mean to you, saying those things. I was a jerk."

"It's okay," she said. He sat on the edge of the couch, looking at her.

"Are you all right?"

"I'm sad, Ross, but you know why."

"Because I'm engaged?"

"Oh my God! No! Because Monica and Chandler are dead! What is the matter with you?!" she shouted, throwing a pillow at his face. "Why can't you admit that they are gone and you're sad too? Why are you in such denial about this?!"

"Because!" he shouted. "If I accept it as reality then my heart is broken...shattered. I lost my sister..." He broke down into heaving sobs.

"Ross..."

"My sister! And my best friend! I can't think about them being gone because then I can't breathe or move. I'm crippled with grief, Rachel, if I accept they are really gone."

"Ross, it's okay to feel that way," Rachel soothed. He buried his head into his hands. She rubbed his back slowly.

"I miss them so much," he whispered.

"So do I. So does Phoebe and Joey. We're all in this together, Ross," she told him. He looked at her finally.

"You're right," he nodded. "You're right. I'll stop pretending and work through this grief with you guys."

"Thank you."

She looked at him then. Really looked at him. This was the man she thought she could be in love with, who had been in love with her. She felt nothing.

"Does Julie make you happy?" she asked.

"Yes," he nodded. "She really does."

"Good," she said. "I'm happy for you." And she meant it. Maybe in another life they could have tried having a relationship. Maybe if Monica and Chandler hadn't died, she would have told him she knew about his feelings. Maybe if none of this had happened, she would be going on a date with him right now. But she wasn't, and they wouldn't.

"Hey," Joey said, coming in. Rachel looked at him and felt a flutter. "You guys okay?"

"Yea, Joe, just talking about Monica and Chandler," Rachel answered.

"Phoebs and I did that earlier," Joey nodded. "It's so hard."

"It is, but we've got each other," Rachel said, reaching for his hand and squeezing it hard. He squeezed back. Maybe, just maybe, if Monica and Chandler hadn't died, she wouldn't be realizing that she had feelings for Joey instead.

...

Monica was pacing her room. She could hear the gang out there talking, but she had no interest. She was too busy thinking about her flashback. She closed her eyes.

She was running. Chandler was making some smart ass comment about how running was stupid. She was admiring his butt in those pants and thinking that he was kind of cute actually. She had started to notice him the past few weeks to be honest. The way his eyes twinkled and his smile lit the room. Then, a car came screeching into view.

"No!" Chandler shouted. He shoved her hard out of the way, but it was too late. They were both struck, and it all went black.

Monica opened her eyes. Chandler had tried to save her. Chandler had tried to push her out of the way but was too late. The past while being with him made Monica realize even more that she was fonder of him than she originally thought. She had feelings for him. She realized earlier that telling him she was in love with him was her unfinished business. She started thinking hard. The only other thing she could think for Chandler was his father. The man had left him and his mother when he was young and had hurt Chandler very badly. That had to be it.

"It's my father," Chandler said, bursting into her room suddenly. She jumped, startled.

"What?"

"My father is my UB. I'm going to talk to him tomorrow."

"You are?"

"Yea. Mon, I really think this is it," he said. He stood there looking at her.

"Oh," she swallowed.

"That means...that means I'll move on, and you'll be left here," he said, realizing this.

"That's right," she nodded.

"Have you figured yours out yet? I mean, I'd love to move on with you," he said. "I don't want to leave you behind."

"I...I don't know," she answered carefully.

"Well, maybe I will wait until you do," Chandler said. "Then we can go together."

"No," she said sharply. "You should go. It's okay. I will figure it out soon."

"Mon..."

"Talk to your father, Chandler. Please. For me," she begged. He swallowed.

"Okay," he nodded. "I'll tell him tomorrow. I guess we should tell Phoebs tonight that I'm leaving so I can say goodbye."

"Right," Monica agreed, fighting back her tears. The one burning thought in her mind was: if Chandler left before she got to tell him how she felt, would she really be trapped here forever?


I realize most of you probably saw that coming. Anyway, thanks for reading! I hope you continue enjoying the story. I believe we are getting closer to the end :)