Two days later …
"Come on Ross!"
"No Rach, I don't think this is a good idea."
"Ross! You're a lot bigger than I am; I'm not going to drag you all the way up to the house!"
"Rachel, why can't we just send him an email, or a letter?"
"Stop being such a baby! You don't have to be so scared of him!"
"I am not afraid of him; let's just say I respect him a lot."
"Whatever you say dear, now let's get this over with!"
"Alright, fine, I'd do anything for you."
"Why thank you honey. I love you."
"I love you too. You don't happen to have a bottle of whiskey in your purse … I could sure use a drink right now."
"Ross, stop the joking and let's get serious!"
Raising her hand she pushed the doorbell. It took only a few seconds for the door to be answered. To Ross it felt like an eternity …
"Sweetpea, it's been a long time. I'm so glad to see you!"
Dr. Green's elation was short lived. As her turned to his left he spotted him, the man who had cheated on his daughter. He was not happy …
Ross had been spotted; he knew that he would soon be receiving the full brunt of his future father-in-law's condemnation and criticism. He raised his hand to shake her fathers' hand.
"Hello Dr. Green …"
"What are you doing here Gellar?"
Facing his daughter he asked … "Sweetpea, is he bothering you?"
"Daddy no, Ross is not bothering me. It's cold outside, can we come in?
"Sure honey come on in …"
As Rachel entered the house her father closed the door behind her, leaving Ross outside in the cold. It didn't take long for Rachel to realize that her fiancé was not with her …
"Daddy! Why did you lock Ross outside?"
"I don't want that punk Ross in my house!"
"Daddy, Ross and I need to talk to you and Mom. Please let him in!"
"Alright sweetpea, for you. But why you would even want to associate with him is beyond me."
Dr. Green opened the door to a glaring Ross. The two scowled at each other for a few moments until Rachel yelled from inside the house …
"Ross! Stop playing around and get in here!"
Hearing his daughter, Dr. Green decided to play along …
"You heard my daughter, get in here Dr. Wethead."
Uncomfortable. The word does not begin to describe how he felt at that moment. Four people occupied the room, only one really wanted to be there. Ross sat next to his fiancé, on the couch while Dr. Green took an armchair as far away from Ross and his ex-wife as possible. The whole thing was a mess and she knew it. She wondered how they would take the news …
"Mom, I want to thank you for coming here today, I really appreciate it."
Sandra Green was not happy to be there. Being this close to her ex-husband was not one of her favorite things to do. As uncomfortable as she was she was happy to be invited. She was even happy to see Ross.
"Of course Rachel, you're my daughter. I would do anything for you."
Rachel took Ross's hand and gently stroked it. Turning her head between her mother and father she began …
"Mom, Dad, you know that Ross and I used to date and that we broke up …"
Dr. Green interjected …
… Yeah, because he cheated on you with that tramp!"
Ross's face turned red. It had been years since the infamous "Chloe" incident. He wondered if he would ever forgive or forget the indiscretion that forever changed their lives …
Rachel knew Ross was upset. He loved her so much. He wanted to be there for her but her father was not making it easy for him.
"Yes daddy, we know about the history between us. Bad things have happened; we would like to forget them if possible."
For a moment Rachel fell silent, remembering how easy it had been at the Gellar house. Jack and Judy cried with happiness as they learned of the engagement and the double wedding, less than a week away. For a few fleeting moments the news seemed to be the cure that Judy had needed for her disease. She was so content and happy. She could now leave knowing that after her demise her children would not be alone. They would have spouses and children and grandchildren. She hoped that they would each have a dozen children, each of them having a dozen themselves. The only sadness she felt was that she would not be around to see them, any of them.
Rachel cried, on the inside.
She composed herself …
"Mom and dad, Ross and I have something to tell you … we're engaged."
She scanned her eyes from side-to-side. Her parent's faces contrasted sharply against each other. Sandra smiled. She was happy for her daughter. She had known for some time that there was something very special between the pair; she wondered why they had taken so long to act upon their feelings. On the other side of the room a volcano was about to erupt...
"WHAT!?!"
His face turned red, the color of a rose petal, his blood pressure soared. He leapt off the couch to confront the man who had cheated on his daughter and now was ready to steal her away from him …
"You're what?" He demanded.
"Daddy, calm down. We don't want you having a heart attack."
Dr Green would not be coddled …
"Rachel Karen Green, you are not marrying this cheating punk! I forbid it!"
Ross just sat there, remaining as calm as he could be. He was angry and frustrated but he didn't show it. He knew his name would be called. He waited patiently …
"Daddy, I am your daughter but I am not a child anymore! You cannot forbid me from marrying Ross!"
Dr. Green retorted, loudly …
"I am your father and I forbid it. If you choose to go through with this I will … I will cut you out of my will. Yes, that's what I'll do!"
"Daddy, I love you very much but you cannot stop me from marrying Ross. I love him and want to be with him."
"No!" replied her father, "I forbid it!"
She felt defeated, torn between the two most important men in her life. Tears formed in her eyes. She wept. Dr. Green thought that he would use this to his advantage …
"Ahh ... come here sweetpea. Come to daddy."
Embracing his daughter he lowered her head onto his shoulder. Turning his face towards Ross he fired another salvo …
"See what you've done? You've hurt my daughter again you punk!"
He had been patient, he had bided his time. He had had enough. He rose from the couch …
Dr. Green had fully expected Ross to exit the room and then his house, in frustration. He had miscalculated …
"Shut up!"
Sandra was shocked. She shifted her weight to get a better view of the battle. This was going to be good …
Rachel wasn't sure she had heard him correctly as she had laid her head on her father's shoulder. She raised her head and turned towards her fiancé …
Dr. Green was livid; he had heard what Ross had said. He prepared to fire another volley …
"What did you say to me Gellar?"
Ross was nervous. Ross was scared. He knew what he had to do. He had to stare down hiis future father-in-law if he would have any chance to be his son. He had to gain his respect …
"You heard me Dr. Green, I said SHUT UP!"
"What? How dare you talk to me like that in my own home! How dare you!"
In less than a minute Sandra had gained a world of respect for her future son. She had been married to Leonard for over 25 years. She had never seen anyone stand up to him before. She hoped that Ross would be successful in his confrontation with her ex …
Rachel, taken aback by her fiancés actions was speechless. She didn't know what to make of it or what to say …
Ross, preparing for what had to be done grabbed her arms and gently lowered her towards Sandra, safely out of the line of fire.
"Dr. Green, are you deaf? I told you to SHUT UP!
The room went silent …
Dr. Green had never, ever been talked to like this before. He kept quiet while glaring at his adversary.
Ross continued … he chose his words very carefully …
"Dr. Green, your daughter and I are in love, we have been in love forever. We are getting married next week. We want you and Sandra to come to the ceremony. We had hoped that you would give your daughter away …"
Ross let Dr. Green interject, while staying in control of the conversation. Dr. Green turned to his daughter …
"Why, sweetpea, why? He cheated on you. Then you got married and he divorced you. Why?"
Rachel looked at her father. He loved her so much, she could tell by the sadness in his eyes and the longing on his face. He needed to be told …
"Daddy, Ross and I have both made mistakes in the past. Ross sleeping with that girl was not the only reason we broke up … we were both responsible for it."
She dropped her gaze to the floor and continued …
"Ross and I did get married and we did get divorced, but there are things that you have never been told that you need to know now."
Dr. Green stared at his daughter's face. Rachel could feel it. She glanced up to confirm what she already knew. Her gaze returned to the floor. She continued …
"Daddy, I know that you hate Ross but the truth be told we were both responsible for the mistakes we've made." She garnered her strength and spat it out …
"It was my idea to get married in Las Vegas. It was my idea to get divorced. While we were married Ross was a fantastic husband. I divorced him! It was MY mistake."
Another uncomfortable pause prevailed over the group …
Dr. Green was humbled. He interjected …
"It was your idea?"
"Yes, daddy … "
She had another bomb to drop on him. She knew it would hurt …
"… and Ross didn't propose to me, I proposed to HIM."
He was beyond shocked. Many of his preconceptions about his future son had been wrong, based upon inaccurate information. While he no longer hated him … he still didn't like Ross all that much.
Ross had decided to cut in …
"Dr. Green, Rachel and I are going to get married …"
Dr. Green either couldn't or wouldn't look up at him. He looked down, at anything that wasn't a threat, at anything that wasn't tearing his world apart …
Ross continued, he had a lot to say and finally had the venue he needed to say it in …
"I can just imagine how much of a shock this must be to you. It's no secret how you feel about me. Believe me, I've hurt Rachel too many times and hate myself for doing it. But that was then and this is now. Rachel and I have had the opportunity to make just about every mistake that a couple can make, yet we've survived and learned from them. I share the same dreams for your daughter that you do. I want her to be happy and healthy."
Dr. Green fidgeted and moved his position on his chair, breaking Ross's concentration. Refocusing, he continued …
"I am not a rich man but I will do my best to take care of her and to never hurt her again."
Ross looked down and then back up at him again …
"Is it too hard to believe that I want the same things for her as you? I will try my best to make her happy. When the time is right we hope to make you happy …by having your grandchildren …"
Dr. Green looked up at him …
Ross continued …
"There will come a time very shortly that you and Sandra will be the only grandparents that our children will ever have … and the only parents I will be able to talk too. My parents are dying … I want Sandra and yourself to be my new mother and father. Why oh why can't you see that the old adage is true … you're not losing a daughter, you're gaining a son?"
Ross looked down, spent. He had exposed too much of himself to a man who hated him.
Dr. Green was a hard and bitter man. He was used to being hated and respected, but not loved. That emotion was reserved for only three people … his daughters. The last few minutes had completely broken him. It would be so easy to hate this man, the man who had hurt his eldest daughter. The man who was now stealing her away … but he couldn't, he believed his words. The emotions he felt were so alien to him. He was losing his Rachel to a man that he had loved to hate yet the truth had set him free. He could now see his future son in a new light. He was far from perfect, as he had made plenty of mistakes in the past, but he could tell that he loved her. He knew he would take care of her … forever.
Rising from the floor he uttered his first words in minutes …
"I need a drink …"
Ross interjected …
"I'll get you're drink. Scotch, neat, is it?"
"How did you know?"
"That's what you ordered a Rachel's birthady party."
"You remembered that little detail from four years ago?"
Ross could have answered this simple question simply, with a yes. He looked over at his soon-to-be-wife and mother and smiled. They smiled back in return. Turning towards Dr, Green he chose his words for maximum effect …
"A son will do just about anything … for the love of a father."
He stopped.
He considered his words.
He turned his head towards his daughter. He looked at her face and saw that she was happy. Looking to his ex-wife they momentarily forgot their past problems. They forgot their divorce and focused on their roles as parents. He looked at her, beseeching Sandra for confirmation. Returning his gaze she somehow knew what he was asking. Smiling, she nodded her head in the affirmative.
Looking again to his daughter he smiled, letting her know that he finally understood. Turning his face towards Ross he grinned …
"Follow me … son. We have a lot to talk about …"