First chap up! Okay, now we're back to where the whole thing begun. Enjoy! And also, thanks for reading.
Disclaimer; I don't own Friends, they're to the belonging of Bright, Kaufmann and Crane.
Picking Up the Pieces
Chapter 1.
Rachel sighed and locked the bathroom door behind her.
She could swear that she heard the front door go, and that would mean he was home.
She really didn't have the strength to confront him right now.
He was probably drunk anyway.
When wasn't he, these days?
She sat down on the toilet seat and wished she was thousands of miles away.
If she could.
She listened intensely to any sound from the apartment outside, but couldn't hear anything.
Eventually she got up, and was about to go out, when she heard him curse.
She placed a hand on her forehead and looked into the big, expensive, gold framed mirror above the sink.
She sighed when she saw herself.
What was this that she'd become?
Some sort of weird looking woman, if you could even call her that.
She had a long scar down her left cheek from a bottle smashed into her face one time.
But right now, did a black eye steal the focus.
No wonder she didn't have the strength to even do the shopping.
She brushed a finger down her neck and to her breast, where he, just a few hours earlier, had laid, sleeping oh, so sweetly.
Freaky, that she could still see all the good stuff.
Suddenly, he started banging at the door.
"Rachel? Are you in there!?" he yelled.
"Yes." she said. She knew he knew anyway. Why waste time by lying?
"Could you come out here for a moment?" he questioned.
"I'm not feeling very well." Rachel tried.
"But if you're not feeling well, then you should come out here, sweetheart?"
"Okay." Rachel sighed, she opened the door and he was outside, waiting for her.
"What are you doing?" he asked.
She wrinkled her nose by the smell of alcohol, and answered, "I was just in there… freshen up, you know? 'Cause I knew you were gonna be home soon, and I made dinner, and…"
"Okay." he said, "Is Ashley home yet, or do we have time for…?" he continued, approaching her.
"She is in her room." Rachel said, "And we don't have any time for anything like that as long as you smell like this. You have to go take a shower before dinner is ready and you can talk to Ash."
"When have you become the boss of me?" he asked, his temper rising.
"I'm not your boss, I'm your wife, and I wont serve you dinner smelling like that." Rachel said.
"Watch out Rachel." he said, "I'm not sticking up with this, you know that."
Rachel flinched back by his sudden anger and closeness. She nodded, confirming.
"I'm only doing this today for you, because it's Ashley's birthday."
She sighed and got tears in her eyes, "Ashley's birthday was a month ago, freak, you missed it 'cause you were on that stupid business trip!"
Doing some big boobed woman, she finished to herself.
"You did not just call me freak, did you?" he asked, raising his hand.
"No, I didn't, I mean…" Rachel trailed of, not knowing what to say.
His hand hit her cheek with a flinching sound, which echoed in the whole apartment.
Rachel could swear she heard Ashley drop, whatever it was that she'd been holding, on the floor. She could hear everything through this unbelievable thin walls of this apartment.
Rachel closed her eyes and raised her hands to her left cheek which she was sure, was turning a light purple.
How could she be so stupid and say stuff like that? Why couldn't she control her temper?
She sighed. She knew why.
Whenever it had something to do with her precious Ashley, she couldn't control anything.
Never call him any mean things, she reminded herself, remember that now.
"Anything wrong?" he said, with an unbearable sweet voice.
"Will you get in the shower!" Rachel said, looking at him, "Dinner will be ready in 10 minutes."
--
"Did he hit you again, mom?" Ashley asked.
"Yeah, but it didn't hurt that bad, sweetie." Rachel said, smoothing the bed sheets.
"You're turning purple at your cheek." Ashley observed, "Did he hit you there?"
"Yeah, but I already told you it didn't hurt that bad." Rachel said, smiling at her daughter, "And what are you doing listening to us, huh?"
"Sorry mom." Ashley said, "But I heard dad come home, and I wanted him to see the model of Etna I've build to my project, but when I heard him smack you, I dropped it on the floor."
"No!" Rachel said, "Did it break!?"
"Yes," Ashley said, "A lot. It's tomorrow too, I don't think I have time to make it at least presentable."
"I'm sorry honey." Rachel said, "But I'll write a note to Mrs. Paget and explain everything, don't worry about it."
Ashley smiled and a tear slid down her cheek.
"What's the matter, Ash?" Rachel asked, stroking her daughter's cheek.
"Will dad ever be like other dads?" she asked.
Rachel's lips curled into a shy smile, "Don't count on it, honey. You want him to be?"
Ashley nodded, "A lot." she said, "The other kids make fun of me."
"They make fun of you?" Rachel asked, "Why?"
"Steve O'Neal said that his dad had seen my dad acting ´funny´ in the city with some blonde girl. He told everybody in the class. They started to tease me, and say mean things about my dad. And say stuff about you too. Apparently his mom had said a comment, something like;" Ashley changed her voice, "´I don't know why she let him do this to her and her daughter. She must be a terrible mother´." she changed her voice back, "And then they laughed again. I don't think you're terrible, mom. It's not just that easy, right?"
"Exactly," Rachel said, "It's not that easy."
Ashley gave her mom a hug, "Night mom. I love you."
"I love you too, princess."
Rachel kissed her daughter's cheek and turned off her bedside lamp.
She slowly crept out of the room and closed the door.
--
"What are you doing, Rach?" he asked, sneaking up behind her.
"Taking care of my daughter." Rachel said, keeping her mind on the paper Mache volcano in front of her.
"What?"
"She dropped this at the floor. I think it's a shame though, 'cause her version was prettier than mine."
"Are you telling me, that you're building you daughter a volcano 'cause she ruined the one she had?" he exclaimed.
"No, I'm just fixing hers." Rachel said, still not looking up from her project.
"But it's 2 o'clock." he protested, "Let that be what it is, and come to bed."
"No." Rachel simply replied, "I'm not gonna let her go up there empty handed tomorrow. She's my daughter and I think she had enough humiliation without getting more because of her mom and dad."
"Wha- what do you mean? What does we have to do with that?" he yelled, pointing at the volcano.
"She got a shock earlier and dropped it on the floor! It needs to be done tomorrow. Come on, it's not harming you to let me do this!" she argued back, afraid to wake their sleeping daughter.
"Yes it is, 'cause I need you in my bed with me!" he yelled, his temper rising once again.
"Calm down, or you're gonna wake her up!"
"I'm gonna go get drunk." he said, giving up.
Rachel's mouth fell open and she quickly stood up from her chair and followed him into the hallway, where he was already slipping on his shoes.
"You're not going now, it's too late!" she said, shooting him a killer-look.
"It's nothing you can decide." he said and pushed her into the wall, "I'll see you later."
He opened the door and went out.
Rachel was back there, standing with a hand on her heart, cursing inside.
Slowly, but surely, Ashley came creeping out in the hallway with tears streaming down her face.
"I'm sorry baby girl." Rachel said, getting teary eyed too, "I'm so sorry."
"Were you making my volcano?" Ashley asked.
"Yes." Rachel said, "It was my fault, and I want you to show off what you've done, 'cause it was the most beautiful volcano I've ever seen, Ash."
Ashley got closer, and hugged her mom around the waist.
She was very little for her age. In more ways than one.
"Come on." she whispered, "You and I are gonna go make my volcano."
She took her mother's hand and they went together into the living room, where they spend another hour, fixing the broken volcano.
--
Rachel looked at her sleeping daughter.
Her head was lying at the table, and she had a sting of brown paint on her nose.
Rachel stroke her fringe out of her eyes and kissed her forehead.
She loved that little girl so much.
She'd never thought it could be possible, but she really did.
She lifted her daughter into her arms, and gently got her to bed.
She sat there for about a half an hour, just looking at the beautiful creation she'd been a apart of making.
In the end, she gently secured the covers around her small body and went into her own bedroom.
She sat on the bed, and took the picture from her engagement night.
She looked at her smiling face.
And most importantly – his.
"Damn you, Barry," she said, tears streaming down her face, "Damn you for ruining my life."
Okay, this was this chapter. Let me know if you want me to continue this further, okay? thanks, Stessa.