Disclaimer; I don't own Friends.
Picking Up the Pieces
Epilogue.
When the show was done, Rachel picked up Jason, while Ross took Annie.
Rachel found her way between chairs and people, and stood in front a the stage, waiting for Ashley.
Ross was right behind her.
"Mom!?" Ashley said, storming towards her.
"Hi honey!" Rachel said, embracing her as good as she could with her youngest child in her arms.
"Did you like it?" Ashley asked.
"Yeah, it was beautiful, Ashley. Thank you." Rachel smiled, tears in her eyes.
"Yeah, Ash, it really was." Ross said.
"Thank you." Ashley smiled, "Where's Ben?"
"I'm right here." Ben said.
"Oh."
"Daddy, daddy? I'm tired." Annie said, "I wanna go home."
"Yeah, we'll go home soon." Ross said, kissing the little beauty.
"Excuse me?" a voice said behind them.
Rachel turned around, to come face to face with a person she meant to have seen before.
"Rachel Farber?" the woman said, "It's me, Patricia O'Neal?"
"Oh," Rachel said, realising who it was, "Hi. Well, not Farber anymore. Now it's Geller-Green."
"Wow." Mrs. O'Neal said, "And this is Ashley?"
"Yeah." Ashley said.
"I know someone who has something to say to you." Mrs. O'Neal said.
A boy around Ashley's age came forward, "I'm sorry I teased you when we were younger." he said.
"Oh my God!" Ben exclaimed, "Steve O'Neal?"
"Steve?" Ashley asked, "Is that you?"
"Yeah." Steve said.
"Come here." Ashley said, giving him a hug.
"Wow." Steve said, "I thought you'd be angry."
"We were kids back then." Ashley said, "And I'm fine now."
"It was a good poem." Mrs. O'Neal said.
"Thank you." Ashley smiled.
"You know," Mrs. O'Neal said, turning to Rachel, "I'm sorry about all that back then. I didn't think it was that bad with you and your husband."
"Oh." Rachel said, "It's not like you could have done anything."
"Nah, but I feel bad." Mrs. O'Neal said.
"Okay." Rachel smiled, "Listen, do you want to have coffee sometime?"
"Yeah, I'd love that."
"Great."
--
"It was a good night tonight." Ross said, lying down next to Rachel in their big bed.
"Yeah." Rachel said, "I had no idea that Ashley was this… this influenced by all that with Barry. I know it bothered her, but I didn't know she wrote stuff and thought a lot about it."
"No." Ross said, "But who can blame her? I mean, all people would have been."
"Hmm," Rachel sighed, "This is really nice."
"What is?"
"I mean, look at all we've got! A big house, we've gotten two wonderful kids together. And I've gotten a job at Bloomingdales. I make my own money now."
"Yeah." Ross said, "I'm so proud of you."
"I'm kinda proud of me too." Rachel smiled, "And also all the help I've been giving other women. I'm really happy I made the right decision"
"When are you having a meeting again? Isn't it this week?" Ross asked.
"Yeah," Rachel said, padding his chest, "It's tomorrow, honey. I'll be home around 8. You can handle the kids by yourself, right?"
"Of course." Ross said, "I'm super-dad!"
Rachel giggled, "I love you, Ross."
"Hmm understandable." Ross joked, snuggling closer to her, kissing her neck.
"Ross?" Rachel asked.
"Yup."
"Did I ever say thank you?"
"Thank you for what?"
"For saving my life? For making me the happiest woman alive on this earth?"
"About a thousand times." Ross said, "But I can never hear it enough."
"Thank you, Ross." Rachel smiled, "And I mean it."
--
"What do you think it should be called?" Ashley asked.
"I don't know," Ben said, "Hmm, ´Memories of a girl´. No wait! That was crappy."
"Yeah, I think so." Ashley said, giggling into the phone.
"Listen," Ben said, "My mom says I have to go to bed. We're visiting grandma tomorrow so…"
"Okay. It's also alright with me, 'cause I have an early session with doctor Gyllenhall tomorrow. Say hi to both your mommies from me." Ashley said, "Night Ben."
"Night, night."
Ashley looked at the title she'd written minutes earlier and deleted it.
Why couldn't she come up with a good title?
Suddenly she heard padding feet coming into her room.
"Ash?" Annie pouted, "Can I sleep in your bed? I'm scared. There's a monster in my closet."
"Of course, Annie." Ashley said, "Just go to bed."
"Thank you." Annie said, crawling into the bed
"Goodnight," Ashley said, "I love you."
"Love you too." Annie pouted.
Ashley kept looking at her for a couple of minutes until her breathing became steady.
Then she turned back to her computer, suddenly with a very good idea to a title.
She typed it, and thought it looked good.
Yeah, she'd have to ask Ben about it someday.
--
"Hi, Ashley." doctor Gyllenhall smiled, "Take a seat, my dear."
Ashley took a seat in the comfy chair and looked at her shrink for 5 years.
"Did you do what we talked about?" he asked.
"Yeah," Ashley said, "It was yesterday. I read my poem in front of the hole school. My mom was so happy."
"Okay, good." doctor Gyllenhall said, "But what did you feel inside when you did it? Were you happy? Sad? Was it a good feeling?"
"It was wonderful." Ashley smiled, "Better than I've ever imagined it would be to tell people about it. I mean, I know mom does it, but she's older and experienced a whole other side of the story than I did, but it felt good for me too."
"What about your book?" he then asked.
"Oh..." Ashley secretly smiled, "I had some troubles with the title, but I think it worked out."
"Okay." doctor Gyllenhall smiled, sensing she wouldn't share, "But you know, I asked you if you felt ready to stop having these lessons with me, have you tought about that?"
"Yes." Ashley simply said, "And I'm positive. I want to stop seeing you. I need to get on with my life."
"That's a brave desicion, Ashley." he smiled, "But keep in mind; if you need me, I'm only a phone call away, okay?"
"Always okay, doctor G." Ashley said.
She looked at her shrink, her friend, her confident, for 5 years, and realized that she didn't need him anymore. That all she was ever gonna need was waiting for her outside. With the end of her lessons with doctor G (as she'd named him), she could move on completely.
And that was what she'd been waiting for since the death of her father.
A new life.
--
"So, I've finally finished my book." Ashley told her family, a few days later.
"Your book?" Rachel asked, "What book?"
"The one with my memories." Ashley said.
"Really?" Ross asked, "Did it get long?"
"A lot." Ashley said, "It's 356 pages long."
"What?!" Rachel exclaimed, "How can you write so much?"
"I love to write." Ashley said.
"But what are you gonna do now, then?" Ross asked.
"Probably try to get it published."
"You're really serious about this idea, aren't you?" Rachel asked.
"More than you'll ever know, mom." Ashley smiled, "I just hope you'll support me?"
"I'll always support you, Ash." Rachel said, "You're my little girl... Or, not so little."
"I love you mom." Ashley giggled.
"What did you call the book?" Ben asked, trying to change the subject. He wanted to know the title since she'd had so much trouble finding one.
Ashley smiled, looking at all of them, "Picking Up the Pieces."
Wow, that was the end :) Hope it was understandable enough, that you guys understood it was after the prologue? You did, didn't you? Anyway, thanks to all of you for reading, and for the support you all gave me. I hope to talk to some of you again sometime. Leave me a last review, please? Pretty please? Thanks, Stessa.