Rachel woke up to find Phoebe staring at her. "OH MY GOD!!"
"Oh sorry Rach."
"Phoebe you don't just stare at people while they are sleeping!"
"Why not?"
"Because it's like-creepy."
"Yeah tell that to my friend April."
"Who is April?"
"A friend from a long time ago."
"Well what did she like people watching her sleep?"
"No she videotaped other people sleeping."
"Oh my God Pheebs you didn't find that weird?"
"Well she didn't do it to me! Duh."
"How do you know?"
"Well I don't cause I was asleep-Oh no." Phoebe suddenly realized that she probably videotaped her sleeping too. Rachel stretched. "Well what are you doing here watching me sleep?"
"Actually I just got here. Monica's here too. She's making you something to eat."
"Okay-why?"
"I don't know. Monica thought it would be fun to have a girls' day, so we're going shopping!"
"For what?"
"A new dress for you for your anniversary."
"Oh, well that's nice thanks Pheebs."
"Yes I know I'm just a nice person. Well get dressed! We'll meet you in the living room."
"Okay." Rachel went into the bathroom to take a shower and then realized that Ross wasn't there when she woke up. Maybe he went in to work today. I didn't think he worked on weekends but maybe he had some last minute grading to do for Monday. (A/N: Remember Ross was teaching at the University of New York when the show ended, not at the museum.)
Ross and Chandler were walking towards an old college buddy's mansion. "So why are we going back here again? Ricky was a L-O-S-E-R!"
"Chandler don't judge him until I tell you that that 'loser' is now a millionaire."
"Wha-how?"
"He invested money in a certain airline and got a bunch more, so he opened his own business and that's doing really well too."
"Oh ok. So why are we going there again?"
"Because he has a personal jet and I want to borrow it." Chandler bursted out laughing. "Ross, man, what makes you think he is gonna let you borrow his jet? IF he even remembers you?"
"I did him a favor, and he said one day he would return it, just to ask him. I'm using up my favor."
"Ok so how does this jet play into your proposal?" Ross whispered in Chandler's ear. "Oh! Wow man you're romantic."
"Not really, I just want to give her what she missed out on."
"Wow." Was all Rachel could say when she found her cocktail dress. Monica and Phoebe were speechless. It was long and red, but it looked like it was custom made for her. It fit her body perfectly, and accented her curves. "Do you think he will like it?"
"Um YEAH!" Phoebe shouted. "Yeah Rach he would love in anything, but this, WOW."
"You really think it's that great?"
"Yes", the two of them said at the same time.
"Ross? Chandler? Wow I haven't seen you guys in forever!"
"Hey Ricky, listen, I need to call in that favor."
"Oh certainly. Come inside." After about thirty minutes, Chandler and Ross came back out, smiling. "That went well. I can't believe he actually let you borrow his plane!" Chandler was surprised. "Okay Chandler, the girls are going to get Rachel all ready and meet us here at eight, I already called. Susan and Carol and Ben will be here also, I'll get Emma, and she will be here, but you Rachel can't know you guys are going to be there, so her and I will be flying in the cockpit with the pilot so she doesn't hear you. You got that?"
"Won't she see us?"
"No, remember she is going to be blindfolded."
"Oh right. Okay, I'm going to get ready and get the twins and Joey."
"And I'll be going to get the ring. I'll meet you all here at eight." Ross called for a cab and got inside. "The Village please". Chandler watched him drive off, then called a cab for himself.
"Okay Rach, we've got to go back to your apartment now so Ross can pick you up." Monica unlocked the doors to the SUV and the two other girls climbed in. This is so weird everyone is going all out. I wonder what Ross is planning. It's gonna drive me crazy! They got to Ross and Rachel's apartment and blindfolded her. "Hey Rach."
"Hey, so where are we going?" Ross was getting the ring out of the air vent. "I can't tell you that. It's a surprise." The air vent fell on Ross' head. "OW!"
"Ross honey what was that?"
"Um, that-that was the fan in the dining room, it uh, fell."
"Oh wow isn't that faulty? The company can get in trouble for that."
"Um yeah I'll take care of it."
"Well okay but…" Monica cut in. "Okay Rach we're gonna be going now. Have a nice time." Phoebe and Monica hugged her goodbye, but then just got back into the SUV and drove to the meeting place. Ross had already asked Rachel's parents to be a part of this, as well as his own. Sandra Greene was meeting the other parents there, and she had Emma all ready for this. Rachel still had no clue. "Okay Rachel, I've got a cab waiting downstairs, I'll walk you down. He put his arm out and Rachel grabbed it, feeling her way around, because of the blindfold.
Ross and Rachel finally got to the meeting place. Everyone else was already in the passenger part of the plane, so he walked Rachel into the plane into the cockpit, and instructed her to lean back and put on her seatbelt. She thought they were in another car, but then when the plane took off she knew she wasn't in another car. "Ross! Why are we in a plane?"
"Shh, you'll see, keep the blindfold on."
When the group got to their destination they all got their hotel rooms, got ready, and went up to the place where everything was going to happen. Rachel stepped out of the plane. "Wow Ross this music is so pretty. Where are we?" He wouldn't answer any of her questions. Everytime she asked him something, he just said "Shh. Keep the blindfold on."
"Ross when do I get to take the blindfold off?"
"Shh, just keep in on." Both of them were already dressed, so after getting their hotel room they took a shuttle to the place. Rachel still had no idea where they were, she thought maybe Las Vegas because there were lights all around her that showed through the blindfold, but that's all that she could see. She knew they were in an elevator, but that was the extent of it.
When they stepped out of the elevator, she could hear the wind rustling by, but other than that, quiet. Everything was quiet. Ross walked her to the edge of the tall building and then instructed her to take off her blindfold. She took it off and was amazed. "Oh my god Ross." She looked ahead of her and noticed that the place that she was standing was the very tip of the Eiffel Tower in Paris. "Oh wow Ross why did you take me here? This must have cost you a fortune."
"I know that you didn't get to go to Paris because you chose to stay with me. I just wanted to give you what you didn't get. I want you to have everything, because I love you, more than I ever loved anyone else." Rachel was speechless. Tears formed in her eyes. She kept thinking "Oh my God" in her head, over and over. Tears started falling from her cheeks, and then she turned around and saw all of her friends and family, dressed up nicely, staring at the two. "Guys what are you doing here? Mon, Pheebs, why are you crying? Mom? Why are you crying? Ross look, Chandler is crying too."
"AM NOT!" Chandler managed to say while balling tears. Oh my God what is going on?
She noticed the setting. The entire rooftop of the most romantic spot in the world was lined with candles and her favorite flowers. Rachel knew that something was up, but she wasn't expecting what came next. Ross knelt down on one knee, and Rachel followed his hand as he reached into his pocket, and pulled out a small, felt, black box. Rachel's eyes kept following the box, and Ross opened it, revealing the most beautiful ring she had ever seen in her life.
Then, she knew what was going on. She looked scared, but she was only shocked, and happy. Very happy. She started tearing even more now, so much that she thought her eyes were going to fall out of the sockets. I can't believe this is happening. She froze as Ross grabbed her left hand and kissed it. She looked at her friends and family, and now every single one of them was crying, Chandler was crying on Monica's shoulder, and she smacked him. "Chandler, pull yourself together, you're supposed to be quiet!" Rachel let out a small smile, amidst the gallons of tears running down her face.
She looked at Ross, she looked into his eyes, as he looked into hers, they both took in the moment. It was awhile before Ross finally spoke up. "Rachel," Oh my God he is really doing this! He kissed her hand again, then started to tear himself. She had only seen him cry once, and that was when he was begging her to take him back and she wouldn't. She had seen him mad, sad, hurt, but never crying, except for that one time. He must be flooded with emotions. She then thought to herself the only times she had ever seen him cry was the times when it had to do with her.
He began again, "Rachel, I have known and loved since the ninth grade. I dreamed of being with you since the very day I met you. I have always loved you, but things never worked out in my favor. In high school, I knew I would never have a chance with you, you were the most popular girl in school, and the prettiest, every guy wanted you. So I forgot about it, but I NEVER, EVER forgot about you.
And since you came back to the city, I have tried over and over again to ask you to be with me, but everytime I tried something got in the way. And everyone, including myself, subconsciously, told me that it was never going to happen. So again, I gave up, and TRIED, and I emphasize TRIED, to move on, and I found Julie. But I never loved her as much as you, and that day, I even remember the day, it was November ninth in 1995." He paused for a moment to kiss her hand and look into her eyes again. Her mouth was open, her eyes were wide, her face and the top of her dress was soaked with tears, as was his tux, soaked with his own tears.
He looked into her eyes when he began again, "That day, when I decided coincidently to check my messages, and I found out, my heart stopped. I felt sick. I felt like I was dying, and I have never felt that way at all before. But it wasn't a bad sick, it was a kind of sick where my happiness consumed and fed of my whole body, and all of my heart, and left me weak in the knees. And to think, if you had not been drunk after Monica set you up on that date, you may never have left me that message, or when you completely sobered up, you would have realized that you sent me that message, and erased it off my machine. But for some reason, I don't know what, I decided to check my messages at that moment. And finally, finally, after so many years, I began to feel that fate was on my side, after so many years of betraying me, and that I WAS meant to be happy.
But I didn't know what to do, I left with Julie to get the cat, because that was, after all, the right thing to do, because you don't just break up with someone because someone that you would rather have wanted you. But I couldn't go through with it, I loved you one hundred thousand times more, if not, even more than that. And you know I'm a nice guy, but the way I felt for you was too strong to hold in for any longer, I had to be with you, so that's why, especially after I saw you crying in Central Perk, I wanted to be with you, and no one else, EVER.
That year was the happiest year of my life, it still is. I remember every little detail that had to do with us that year. And that's why I got on my knees, begging you to take me back, because I knew that what I did was stupid, and the last thing I would ever want to do is hurt you, I would rather die.
But then I figured that fate changed its mind again, and I tried again, to move on. I found Emily, and she made me very happy. But you made me happier, and I loved you SO MUCH MORE. I was picturing YOU standing up there on that altar, not her. And that's why I said YOUR name up there. I said it didn't mean anything, but it did, Rach, it really did. Because I could NEVER picture myself being happy without you by my side.
And ever since we broke up that horrible night, everything that was fun or good for me was never AS fun or AS good, without you by my side. And Because I could NEVER EVER picture me spending my life with anyone else, or loving anyone else, or even thinking of anyone else in that way, because YOU are my angel, my love, the one I want to be with, forever. Rachel Karen Greene, will you marry me?" Rachel couldn't believe what she just heard. Everything that he ever did that hurt her was gone, and she knew that he meant everything he just said, she could see it in his eyes. She looked straight into his eyes, and said, "Ross Geller, I will."
Wow, I thought I sucked at writing, but I think that was good. Lemme know what you think. Chapter 11 will be up soon.