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Picking Up the Pieces

Chapter 16.

Phoebe stood in front of Ross' door, wondering why he hadn't showed up to their appointment at Central Perk a half an hour ago. After sitting there, waiting for him for 20 minutes, Phoebe had decided to go and look for him. Maybe something had happened?

She took a deep breath, and knocked on the door.

--

Rachel woke up in an unfamiliar bed in an unfamiliar room.

She looked around, and saw Ross sleeping in the other side of the bed.

She slapped her forehead, how could she be so stupid?

Joey had been understanding, but she was sure that Ross wouldn't be.

She lay there, pondering about things for awhile, until she heard a knock on the door.

"Shit." she mumbled, looking around for her clothes, "Ross get up, someone is at the door."

She bend down to wake him, but it was impossible.

Another knock.

She looked for her clothes again, but she couldn't find them. She wrapped the sheet around her instead, and went out to look through the peephole.

She bend down, and saw that it was Phoebe.

"Damn." she murmured.

"What?" Phoebe asked, from the other side of the door.

"Shit." Rachel said again.

"Let me in, Ross." Phoebe began, "You didn't show up at out meeting, can we…"

"Be quiet." Rachel said through the door.

"Rach, is that you?" Phoebe asked.

"Yes, two seconds." Rachel said, unlocking the door.

She opened it, and Phoebe came through.

"Oh my God!" Phoebe said, "Please tell me you didn't sleep with him?"

"Shh." Rachel said, silencing her with her finger, "He's still a sleep. Let's talk."

She and Phoebe went into the bathroom and closed the door.

"Oh well." Phoebe said, "So, you slept with him?"

"I'm not proud of it!" Rachel said.

"What are you gonna do now? Are you guys like in love? Or do you just like him?"

"I like Ross." Rachel said, "But not in this way."

"Oh Rachel," Phoebe said, "You dummy, he likes you. What were you thinking?"

"I was- he what… does – what?"

"He likes you, Rach. He's in love with you, per say."

"Oh my God…" Rachel wondered, "Did he tell you?"

"No, he told Chandler and Joey, and Joey tells me everything." Phoebe said.

"Shit." Rachel said, sitting on the toilet, "I'm such an idiot. What did I do?"

"Don't you like him?" Phoebe ask.

"No."

"Then why would you sleep with him?"

"You don't just sleep with people you like." Rachel said, "I needed the comfort."

"You're a really mean woman you know that?" Phoebe said, "So what are you gonna do? Talk to him?"

"You know what?" Rachel said, "No. I'm gonna let him do the talking. If he wants to continue this little… Fling/affair thing, I'll let him. I'll just go along… Pretend to like him and then… In a matter of months, I'll be feeling it too."

"You think?"

"I don't know." Rachel said, "But it's a possibility. And I'm gonna try it, 'cause I don't wanna lose Ross."

"Maybe it'll work" Phoebe said, "I mean, look at Monica and Chandler."

"What's with Monica and Chandler?"

"Oh," Phoebe remembered, "You don't know. You see, at Ross' wedding they slept together, and then they continued the affair, and then Joey found out, and then Emily, and me. Ross was the last, but before he figured it out, Chandler and Monica had realized that they didn't just want an affair, they wanted each other because they were in love."

"See?" Rachel said, "Maybe that'll happen. Although I doubt it."

"We'll give it three months." Phoebe said, "And if you're not feeling anything by then, I'll make you break it off."

"Okay, deal." Rachel said.

They shook hands.

"But I guess you guys will want me to keep quiet about this then?" Phoebe asked.

"I'd really appreciate that." Rachel said.

"Deal."

--

Rachel was watching TV when Ross finally woke up.

She'd been able to find her clothes, and she was making coffee.

"Hello." Ross said, when he saw her.

She turned around with a huge smile on her face, "Hi!" she said, "Grab a cup of coffee and come here sit."

Ross nodded and purred himself a cup. He went back to the living room and sat down next to Rachel.

"I called the police." Rachel said.

"Huh?" Ross didn't understand.

"Well, you know. I told them that we saw Barry yesterday. And then they got mad."

"Why?"

"Because I should have called yesterday. Then I told them that I couldn't. They didn't understand."

Ross chuckled, "Well… You were kinda… in the middle of something."

"Hmm..." Rachel smiled.

"Something quite good"

Rachel giggled and kissed him on the lips.

"What are we going to do about this?" Ross asked.

"I don't know." Rachel admitted, "I want you to decide if you want to make some thing out of this."

"I do." Ross quickly said, "But I think we should keep it to ourselves for awhile."

"Okay." Rachel said, "Good idea. You know, we'll just get together sometime again, right?"

"Yes." Ross said, "I can call you when I've got a day."

"Fine." Rachel said, sinking into the couch, "But right now we can just talk."

--

"Where's my mom?" Ashley asked, for the hundredth time, "Why isn't she here?"

"I don't know." Monica said, "I'm nervous."

"Oh." Phoebe said, realizing she had to say something, "She's at Ross' place. Something happened last night and she needed someone to talk to, she crashed on his couch."

"Oh." Monica was then to say, "She could have called."

"Yeah," Phoebe said, "But I think she was busy."

"But she has to read my thing through before I go to school!" Ashley said.

"Why does she suddenly have to do that?" Monica asked.

"Mrs. Paget says so." Ashley admitted, "She wants to make sure my mom knows everything."

"Let me read it." Monica said.

"Thank you." Ashley smiled, handing her a piece of paper with something written on it, "It's a poem. We had to write. Originally I wanted to let her read something I wrote a long time ago, but I thought it may have to be finished in a couple of years. When mom is better. It needs an ending."

"Okay, but I'll read this." Monica smiled.

She turned to look at the paper. She read the poem through and looked at Ashley with a smile.

"You're really good at poetry." Monica smiled, "When I think about the fact that you're only 9."

"10." Ashley corrected, "Soon."

"Yeah," Monica laughed, "But this is good."

"I love to write." Ashley said, "I wanna be a writer when I grow up."

"Really?"

"Yeah." Ashley said, "And I already know what I'm gonna write as my first book."

"What?"

"My memories."

--

"I got a job, I got a job, I got a job!" Rachel exclaimed, storming into the apartment.

"Really?" Monica exclaimed, "Where?"

"Central Perk." Rachel said, "I know it's not the best, but I have to start saving and paying and stuff. We need an apartment."

"Rachel, I really think you should get rid of your old apartment first. We can place all your things in my basement. And you'll probably want to get rid of some of it too, right?"

"Maybe you're right." Rachel wondered, "Yeah, you know what? I'm gonna contact at real estate agent. I'm gonna sell my home, Mon."

"Yes." Monica said, "Don't worry Rach. It can only get better from now on, right?"

"Yeah, it only can."

"By the way, Phoebs, Mike, Chandler, Joey and I are going out tonight, so maybe you Ross and Ashley should just eat together here?"

"Yeah." Rachel said, getting lost in her world, "Yeah… We probably should."

Then she was left wondering, what might happen after Ashley went to bed…

Okay, lousy chapter, I know, but I'll be back soon though. Leave a review. Thanks, Stessa.