AN: I know, I leave the worst cliffhangers.
I'm sure all of you figured it out.

Oh well.
Enjoy.

The shaking of the cab as it practically hovered over the speedbumps was unbearable. Joey and Monica urged Phoebe to take the back seat for once, but, like usual, she didn't listen. While it actually belonged to her grandmother, Phoebe treated it as if it were her own; thus, no one could even come near it without her consent. This usually wasn't a problem, but when your life was in the hands of a ditzy new-age spiritualist, most people were rightfully scared for their lives if they asked to go longer than a couple blocks.

None of them had ever believed they would get to the hospital alive.

"We're here!" Phoebe yelled that to herself more than Joey or Monica. After slamming her foot onto the brake, which violently lurched the three of them forward, she fixed the now-dislodged rearview mirror and saw the heads of her friends clenched against the front seat .

"It's over?" Joey's voice was that of a scared child.

Phoebe ignored the question and hopped out of the cab, bouncing happily as Joey and Monica took their time. For no reason, this irritated her to no end. She nearly opened the door and dragged them out, much like her and Joey did with Chandler the day before. There was no explanation as to why she was in such a hurry, but it was decided that since it was Phoebe, none had to be given. It was but a simple perk of being her.

When they first walked through the double doors, something felt different. The atmosphere felt strange, but not in a bad way. The foreign air that usually encroached and surrounded them simply flowed through the room, and it felt like they were inside a living, breathing creature. It almost felt natural, as if they were beginning to get used to being here.

Whether that was good or bad, only time could tell.

The brisk walk through the common area and the hallways above seemed to take longer than usual. It didn't occur to them, but they didn't walk as though they were visiting a patient; they were walking as though they were government agents. It drew attention, but, like usual, none of them cared. Besides, most of the people they went past were much older patients; they were probably just jealous that they couldn't walk that way anymore, or so Joey figured.

Ross's room looked exactly like it always did: Bright, airy, and spotless. Monica herself couldn't have cleaned it better.

After waving at Ross, who in turn was talking to Chandler, the trio walked in. As if it were second nature, Monica promptly plopped herself next to Chandler, but not before they gave each other an awkward kiss. Joey and Phoebe took to the fridge, which was re-stocked this very morning to their delight. They fixed themselves breakfast, and began to enjoy the start of the day.

Meanwhile, Rachel laid in Ross's bed, contemplating the various things she had heard earlier that morning. Were they really true? So many things ran through her head that she couldn't recall a single word without feeling the slam of the emotions associated with it. To Ross, they were mere pieces of a larger puzzle, but to Rachel, they were pieces of her life. She did not have enough information to figure out every little detail. It was hard enough to think about, let alone try to make whatever fantasy she could muster into a reality. Nothing was certain, at least for now.

She hadn't even realized that the rest of her friends had arrived; Ross's bedroom was more than soundproof.

"Hey, Ross." Joey sat down next to Ross holding a hot dog, complete with every fixing he could possibly find: ketchup, mustard, relish, onion, and what appeared to be mayonnaise. Ross didn't know whether to be disgusted or not, but since it was Joey, he didn't really care.

"Hey."

"Where's Rach?"

"In the bedroom. I think she's asleep."

"That sucks."

"...Why?" A strange word choice. It wasn't a bad thing that Rachel wasn't currently with them, but, from what Joey implied, it was. While Ross kept his suspicions to himself, he couldn't help but wonder if Joey knew something that he shouldn't.

"Dunno. Just does."

"Sure thing, Joe." Ross rolled his eyes in submission as he watched Joey take another bite of his hot dog. "Say, where'd you get that? There aren't any hot dogs in the fridge." He stared warily at his friend; while he couldn't imagine how he had a hot dog since he didn't walk in with one, Ross tried to remember that this was Joey, after all. He was basically a walking pantry.

"Oh yeah, I know. I brought it." Joey figured that Ross didn't really care about where it came from, so long as he didn't have to eat it. Too many toppings on anything made him sick, and while the guys thought this was because he was weak, it was really because he didn't need it.

"I didn't see you come in with it."

"That's 'cause it was in my pocket." Joey smiled, patting his right front pocket. Ross was a little more than shocked by this, but, he kept telling himself that this was Joey he was talking to, even though it was quite a stretch, even for him. Without thinking it through, Ross voiced what was on his mind.

"That's... gross."

"Hey. With that attitude, you're not gonna get any." Joey took another bite; this time, a drop of mustard found it's way to his chin. Thankfully, Ross was the only one who noticed. After a quick tap on his own face, Joey promptly took the mustard and licked it off of his finger. Ross smiled a bit, but his voice turned hoarse.

"I don't want any."

"C'mon Ross, don't be a prude." Joey raised his eyebrows in false triumph as he took another bite; Ross had never heard Joey said the word 'prude' before. It was something Chandler or Rachel would say to Monica or himself.

"I'm not being a prude, I'm being sanitary."

"Ha. Sanitary."

With his mocking tone still intact, Joey finished his hot dog and propped his feet up on the coffee table to match everyone else. While Ross, Joey, and Phoebe were talking, most of their eyes were focused on the newest couple, Monica and Chandler. It was cute, although for Ross, it took some getting used to. Seeing his best friend holding his sister's hand wasn't exactly an original Picasso, and for some reason, he hoped it would stay that way.

For a while, it seemed as though Rachel really was asleep. No one bothered to check on her, out of respect. In reality, however, she was simply painting her own mind with images of what would become her and Ross's wedding. He had such an elaborate plan, so thought through and sketched by the strongest mind she knew of. This blew Phoebe's right out of the water with a one-ton depth charge. It was complex, but great at the same time. This was everything Rachel had been hoping for.

This marriage would be their one and only.

It was no surprise when she heard Ross tell Chandler that he was going to propose on their anniversary. That was the entire point of their conversation earlier. That was what he was trying to tell her out of anxiety, which was nearly tearing him apart. It made sense, for once. There were no longer any secrets between the six of them. Life was now good, and they could continue on their journey of happiness.

Within minutes of uninterrupted thought, Rachel fell asleep, now in tune with Ross's excuse.

In the living room, the rest of the gang decided it would be fun to watch reruns of Tres Destinos, despite none of them knowing a word of spanish. However, they made their own dialogue, and yelled at the television in hopes that whatever they hoped would happen would actually happen. It didn't work all the time, but when it did, a smile came across each and every one of their faces.

And Ross was worried that they would be bored.

After an hour of anticipating the almost unbearable soap opera clichés, the five of them began talking. While they started on Monica and Chandler, it soon came to where Chandler winked at Ross repeatedly enough that everyone took notice. It seemed like Chandler was more excited than Ross, which didn't seem right, at all.

It would be beautiful, however. They would be under the luminous glow of the sunset, under an arch made of the finest oak, laced and adorned with cherry blossoms. As he took her hand in his, the silken skin he had felt so many times in his would never be so distinguished as it would be at that moment.

Ross's thoughts began to take over, and he was home again. As much as he wanted to think about how perfect it would be, he didn't want to get a headache. He also didn't want to expect more than he could give, which was ultimately the downfall of many things, near and far.

"What's going on?" Monica darted between Chandler and Ross.

"I'm, uh, wow. Okay." Ross took a deep breath. "I'm going to ask Rachel to marry me." With a smile brighter than the sun, he spoke. His voice was straight and true, like the greatest arrow. A weight was lifted off of his lead-ridden chest, and he was home again.