Hi, everyone. The next chapter is up. Thanks for the reviews. ;)
Disclaimer; I don't own Friends. Can I wish I did?
We've Had Our Story…
- But What Happened Then?
Chapter 4.
Surprise
"How long till they're here?" Erica asked.
"10 minutes." Ben said.
"Hey, you know?" Sophie said, coming towards them, "I feel like there something different about them. I can feel it already now."
"What do you feel?" Erica asked.
"I don't know." Sophie mumbled, "But it's definitely something big."
"They've probably bought a house." Gracie said, looking up from her book.
"Why would you think that?" Matthew asked.
"Well… Emma is becoming more and more like Ross, and… yeah, she wants to settle down." Gracie said.
"I don't think so." Sandra said, placing a couple of beers on the kitchen table, "They love it here. This apartment is so important to them."
"Yeah, but they can't live here forever." Mike said.
"Anyway…" JJ smiled, "I think we should hide, because I heard a car pull up."
"Oh!" Erica exclaimed, "Everybody; hide! Hide!"
They all found themselves a hiding place and waited for Emma and Jack to come in the door.
The door opened, and Jack was lifting Emma over the threshold.
"SURPRISE!"
All of them jumped up and Jack dropped Emma on the floor.
Gracie, JJ and Shelly cracked up, while the others looked stunned at them.
"Thank you, Jack!" Emma cursed, "I think you just broke my hip. No sex for you in a month!"
"Well thank you honey." Jack sarcastically replied.
Mike rushed to her and helped her up.
"You know this isn't good for me, Jack." Emma said, "Considered my condition."
"Your condition?" Matthew asked.
"Yeah, well… we're kinda…" Jack trailed off.
"You're pregnant!" Sophie exclaimed, "Oh my God, you guys! Congratulations!"
"How did you know?" Emma asked, pulling away from Sophie, who'd embraced her in a tight hug.
"It's true?" JJ said.
"Oh my God!" Gracie and Erica exclaimed, "I'm gonna be an aunt!"
They all went to hug Jack and Emma and say their congratulations.
"Aw man!" Shelly then said, "Ben, they did it before us!"
"You guys are just slow!" Emma said, "You've been married two years now! You should really get working. Ben, do you have slow swimmers?"
"I'm your brother!" Ben said.
"Oops, my mistake!" Emma giggled.
"When did you guys decide this?" Sandra asked, stunned,
"Just on the honeymoon." Jack said, "We wanted to start our family as soon as possible."
"Wow." Gracie said, "I can't believe that two years ago, you'd just moved over here, Ems. So much has changed."
"I know, sweetie."
"Oh, and guess what happened while you guys were gone?" Sophie said.
"What happened?"
"Matthew and I moved into our new apartment!"
"You bought an apartment!" Emma exclaimed, "Where?"
"Just across the hall!" Sophie smiled, pointing through the still open door, "We're gonna be like neighbours. You're not getting rid of us."
"Congratulations." Emma said, hugging her.
Erica looked at her friends and family and smiled.
So much had changed the last two years.
When Shelly and Ben had come home from their honeymoon, they'd decided to slow down and just enjoy life.
Sophie and Matthew had become a couple, and now they'd moved in together.
Mike, JJ and Sandra were soon done with collage, and after that they were going their own separate ways. Sandra didn't exactly know what she wanted to do. Mike was going for the piano and JJ was still dreaming of a plumber job.
Gracie had started collage last year too, but she was living home. She couldn't live alone. She still had a lot to do, but she was happy. She'd actually found a friend in school. Jane Clark, or something. They were still seeing a lot to each other – and Gracie was at some point also seeing a lot to her big brother – was his name Andrew?
Ross and Rachel had gotten married again. They hadn't had a big party, just done it at City Hall. They'd had their fair share of weddings now, and were leaving it to the kids.
Emma and Jack had moved in together right away. And a little more than a year ago, Jack popped the question. Emma said yes, and a month ago, the wedding was. Now they had been on their honeymoon and was expecting a baby.
What about Erica herself? What had she done?
That question was easy: - nothing.
She'd been doing absolutely nothing.
Her career as a chef was going nowhere. Her love life had hit rock bottom and she was living alone now. Could life get any better? (Sarcastically? Oh yes, I think so)
Erica snapped out of her own world, when JJ pulled at her arm and dragged her onto the balcony.
"What's wrong, JJ?" Erica asked.
"I have sort of a woman problem." JJ said.
"What?" Erica exclaimed, "You!?"
"Why is that so funny? Like I cant have…"
"Well…" Erica said, "I mean, everyone wants to be with you, honey."
"Yeah, but I don't want everyone." JJ said, slapping her arm, "I want the one I like. But she doesn't seem to notice me!"
"Who is this chick? Is she blind?" Erica said.
"I know her quite good." JJ said, "I've been spending a lot of time with her the past two years since we moved over here. She says she loves me so much and that she wouldn't know what to do without me, but the problem is that I want more than friendship."
"Wow," Erica said, "Do you want me to pound on her for you?"
"No!" JJ said, "I'm not telling you who she is. I just need an advise of what to do?"
"Well, if you really want to be with her, then talk to her. But if you think it's possible to forget her, find a new chick who likes you and get over her that way."
"Hmm," JJ thought about it, "Yeah, I really shouldn't have said anything. This is just confusing."
--
"Well, I should probably head home now." Gracie said, looking at her sister.
"What? Already?"
"Yeah, because someone has to drive all the way home to Westchester to spend the night in her room, plus she has a hot date with the machine who's keeping her numbers from going up." Gracie sarcastically replied.
"Okay honey." Emma said, "Say hello to mom and dad, but please don't tell them about the baby! Jack and I are going out there this weekend to tell his parents too!"
"Of course I wont." Gracie said, looking at her sister. She sighed, "Take care of yourself, Ems. Take care of my niece or nephew. I wont have anything to happen to it."
"I will." Emma said, hugging her, "Bye."
"Bye." Gracie said, and went out the door.
"Did you see the look in her eyes?" Emma asked, turning around to look at Sandra with tears in her eyes.
"I know." Sandra said, "But please don't feel bad, honey. It's not your fault."
"Then why do I feel bad?" Emma cried, her tears now falling freely down her cheeks.
"Shhh," Sandra said, embracing her in a tight hug, "It's not your fault. Of course you want a child, Emma. Everyone wants a child. You aren't doing anything wrong."
"No, but she's so determined not to do what dad did." Emma said, brushing her tears away, "Get married and have a kid to just lose it, and I know it's stupid. Mom knows it's stupid – even Gracie herself knows it's stupid. She's not gonna die so young. The doctors are better now. They can handle practically everything."
"Yeah, I know." Sandra assured her, "I know."
"I just feel bad, Sandy." Emma continued, "And I know Gracie don't mean for me to feel bad. She's like she always is, but it's bugging me. I cant stand to see her unhappy – I love her so much."
"I know," Sandra repeated, "We all love her Emma. No-one wants Gracie to suffer, but sometimes… Bad things happen to good people okay, she just has to learn how to fit in, okay? And it's not your fault."
--
"So, you've decided what to do after collage?" Matthew asked Mike.
Mike shook his head, "No, not really. The most important for me is not the work; it's just to be happy, you know? I want to find someone to love, which – considered my status as geek – is pretty tough."
"You're not a geek." Matthew said.
Mike looked at himself and then at Matthew, "If you say so. But please listen to this. I've never had a serious girlfriend before – and I'm in collage!"
"Okay, this does look bad, but you're not a virgin are you?"
"No, no, no." Mike said, "Don't worry, but I've… I just want to find her."
"Her?" Matthew questioned.
"The girl of my dreams."
"Okay, grandpa." Matthew said, getting up.
--
"So, you've really moved in with Matthew now, eh?" Shelly asked.
"Yes," Sophie said, "I mean – I would have loved if he could have asked me, but you know… I didn't want to wait any longer, and we've known each other for two years. It was time for change."
"Yes, but I think he's really insecure." Shelly explained, "He's always been that."
"Yeah, he seems like it." Sophie said, "But I guess it's just me wearing the pants in our relationship."
"Yeah." Shelly laughed.
"But I'm not proposing." Sophie said, "I'm putting my food down on that one. The proposal is for the guy to do. I don't care where or how, it just has to be the guy."
"I can understand that." Shelly said, "I would never had asked Ben, you know? Rather just not getting married. It seems so desperate for a woman to ask the man, doesn't it?"
"Yeah," Sophie said, "But a girl can still dream."
--
"Sooo..." Ben said, poking Jack at the shoulder, "I have a bone to pick with you?"
"What?" Jack asked, turning around to look at Ben, "What's up, dude?"
"I should probably have told you this before the wedding…" Ben begun, "But if you ever hurt my little sister or causes her any pain, I swear to God that I'll…"
"Hunt me down and kick my ass." Jack finished, laughing.
Ben laughed along; "Just felt like I need to carry on the family tradition."
"Like you could kick his ass anyway." Shelly said, wrapping her arms around him.
"I so could." Ben said, but he knew it wasn't true. Jack was much stronger than him.
"Well, sorry to breake up the party." Shelly smiled, "But I have work tomorrow, and I want to go home and go to bed."
"Okay," Ben said, "See you guys."
He took her hand and they left the apartment.
"We should probably head home too." Sophie told Matthew, "Can I stay at your place tonight?"
"Don't we live across the hall together?" Matthew asked.
"Yeah we do." Sophie smiled, "I just wanted you to remember it."
"Bye guys." Matthew laughed, dragging Sophie along with him, out of the apartment.
"I'll go too." Erica said, hugging Emma, "Congrats again, Ems. I'm happy for you."
"I know." Emma said, "And it'll happen for you too."
Erica just smiled and hurried out the apartment too.
"Well, a party soon becomes small, huh?" Mike said.
"Yeah," Sandra smiled, "But really. We have school tomorrow, we should go home. You coming now or later boys?"
"We're coming now." JJ decided.
"Thanks for having us." Mike said, shaking Jack's hand.
"Well, you were here when we came. We didn't have much choice."
"Haha." Sandra said, hugging both Jack and Emma.
The three of them went for the door; "Laters." they smiled and then they were gone.
Back, Jack and Emma were looking at a messy apartment.
"Oh God." Emma exclaimed, "We'll clean this tomorrow, right? I'm totally smashed out from the long flight, I just didn't like to tell the guys. They'd done so much planning this."
"Yeah, we'll do it tomorrow." Jack decided, "You should go to bed. A mommy needs rest."
Emma smiled, giving him a kiss, "Can you believe it?" she asked, walking into the bedroom.
"Believe what?" Jack said, following her.
"That we're actually gonna have a baby. We're gonna be parents."
"Yeah…" Jack whispered, "We're gonna be parents…"
Okay, so you did understand that this was 2 years after last chapter, right? Just leave me a review. They make me so happy, and if I don't get any, I'll be sad... Thanks, Stessa.