The celebration was small, but lively.

Champagne had to be brought in from downstate, which, even after paying top-notch, was revealed to be of poor quality. However, Ross had no qualms of it, and, therefore, no one else did either.

Each congratulatory hug brought new meaning to the word 'friendship'. A change to each of their lives, all for the better. A shift in the paradigm, without an ounce of suffering. A more-than-welcome addition to a family within a family. They were now closer than they had ever thought possible as a group, and their bond burned hotter than a supernova.

In a single motion, their hearts were lifted. Each and every one of their spirits became awakened, and, as they sat in the living room, a calm and discerning smile came from their lips, and they were happy once more.

Less than a minute passed as Ross revealed his plan to propose.

Atypical for him, there would be no expensive or glorious locale. No extravagant dinner, with a cliché'd act of hiding the ring somewhere where Rachel would intentionally find. No feature on the jumbo-tron at a baseball game, in front of thousands of people.

No proposal at the planetarium, as he'd originally planned.

While his friends were initially surprised at his venture, they understood once he had explained everything. It was not in their place to judge. They learned just as much from the past weeks' events just as Ross did, albeit to a lesser degree. However, he knew, and this was enough. His way was better.

In fact, it was perfect.

Nothing meant more to Ross than the complete and total confession of his love for Rachel. He would give everything he had in one final push towards happiness, with her. No matter what, he would fight for her until the very end, just as he did the night they broke up. To Ross, walking to the ends of the earth seemed like child's play in comparison to this; a grander scale would not even come close. He had to make this proposal perfect, otherwise he'd never forgive himself.

After all, one perfection deserves another.

And Rachel was nothing short of that. She was everything he had ever wanted, and so much more. Never since his divorce to Carol did Ross think he would ever be this happy again. Even to this day, he kept it at the back of his mind that this was some twisted dream that just kept on going.

However, there was the small chance that it may be real.

If it was, then dreams do come true.

"Ross."

Dreams that come and go become forsaken and forgotten. A dream where every moment is unforgettable, however, is a dream worth clinging to for the rest of your life, even when reality begins to fade away.

"Ross!" Phoebe sat next to Ross, waving her hand in front of his face, in an attempt to snap him out of his funk. He was always in deep thought, but, this time, his eyes were beginning to slip to the back of his head.

"Huh?" Ross nearly jumped, and Phoebe pulled her hand away. His look darted around the room, but never caught the one person who was trying to catch his attention. Only after sitting back into the cushion did he see her.

"You okay?" She placed her hand on his shoulder, appearing genuinely concerned, even after his warm smile of alarmed relief came about. Phoebe usually saw right through peoples' appearance and into the pit of their soul that held their true emotions. While many people thought it to be creepy, she believed it was a gift.

"Yeah. Just uh, thinking." Ross waved his hand in an undecipherable gesture, having no idea how to explain his thoughts. Instead, he looked at Phoebe, hoofing his mouth to the side in indecision. He didn't want to reveal too much of anything until he knew what he was actually thinking.

"About?"

"Rachel, and stuff."

"Ooooh, what kind of stuff?" Ross's statement immediately piqued Phoebe's curiosity, and, as fast as he said it, he regretted it. He knew that she wasn't the ideal person to talk to, especially because of their often conflicting personalities and interests.

"Like," He blew out whatever air was left in his lungs as he cleared his mind. "what if she doesn't say yes?" It was hard to say. He choked up a bit as the words flowed from his tongue, and his mind rattled at what repercussions this would have. On the other hand, he was thankful he did say it at that moment; now, he could talk about it sensibly.

"What? That's crazy! Why wouldn't she say yes?" Phoebe was more than appalled when she heard this; it should be the last thing on Ross's mind. It certainly was the last thing on her's. For him to drop a bombshell like this, it made Phoebe a little angry. She didn't want to be brought down just as much as Ross didn't want to put her down.

"I don't know. It might happen. I mean, we just got back together, Pheebs."

"So? You love her! She loves you! You two have never stopped loving each other!" Phoebe's yells reached the rest of their friends, and their looked over to the capricious duo. After a quick glare to each of them, they all resumed what they were doing. As Ross remained speechless, she continued, her hand finding his shoulder again in a friendly squeeze.

"There's no reason for her to say no. You're just a-a paranoid paraplegic." She stuttered as she tried to form a hearty alliteration. It was all Phoebe could do to lighten Ross's mood, if even a little bit.

"I just- I don't want to mess this up again." His melancholy expression picked up a bit as he turned to face Phoebe. Ross would do anything to focus on something - anything - else. Everyone could see it now, and he didn't want to dampen their moods. They were happy, as they should be. They knew Rachel was going to say yes; why didn't he?

"So don't. How hard is it not to cheat?" Phoebe chuckled, her sarcasm apparent. Ross took offense to this, as would anyone else in his position. While she didn't mean it as such, Phoebe still knew what she said, and the gravity that was brought along with it.

"Hey! I didn't cheat! We were on a break!" He pointed a dejected finger at Phoebe, scolding her in such a way that only made her laugh. Everyone else noticed this, but she promptly averted them again. This was but a game to her, and she was having fun. Ross, on the other hand, was not; therefore, she chose to go in a different direction.

"You're still breaking the same eggs, Ross. Now you're just poaching them instead of scrambling them." Phoebe poked Ross's nose, which taunted his confusion to unknown levels.

"Phe- wait, what?"

"Y'know. You're calling it a he-hem-hemmuloosaurus instead of a, uh, huffigalasaurus!" Even she knew that those weren't names of actual dinosaurs. Combined with years of hatred for Sesame street and Ross's incessant babbling about them, Phoebe's face lit up as she managed to form fake dinosaurs to prove her more-than-real point.

"...What?" Ross was now completely waylaid.

"Pay attention, Ross! I thought doctors were smarter us common folk?" Phoebe lightly slapped him on the shoulder, trying to make him understand her plight. It was a tough venture, seeing as Ross almost never understood her quirks.

"Common folk?"

"Well, I'm smarter than most. But seriously, Ross, come on! Don't you get it?" Again, her yelling caught the attention of their friends, but this time, they thought it more of a game Phoebe was trying to play; one that would put Ross as the poor, disadvantaged victim. Fortunately for her, however, he conceded easily.

"Fine! Fine. I get it, Pheebs, alright?. Whatever you say." Ross chose not to pursue this any further; any argument with Phoebe would result in a grudge, and that was the last thing he needed to deal with. He couldn't lose anyone else, even momentarily, in something as trivial as this.

"Alright. Look, just don't do anything stupid and I promise you will never, ever lose Rachel. Got it?"

"Yeah." Ross gave her another solemn look, except that this time, his eyes burned with a fire of optimism. They both saw that he understood now, thanks to Phoebe's unorthodox method. Seeing this, she smiled, and gently patted his head as if he were a dog.

"Good. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to take those breadsticks away from Joey."

Ross chuckled, and felt himself smile at his friends' antics. Everything was falling into place so smoothly, and everyone was now back to their normal selves, with improvements all around. He knew that he had made it through all of this, thanks to the much needed support he had gained from his friends, and from Rachel. He couldn't thank her enough for everything she had done.

Twiddling with the ring, which was buried in cloth, Ross sat back into the couch. His eyes surveyed the room, finding nothing short of paradise. Granted, he wished that he was back in his own apartment, but that was not at all the reason he was so gleeful right now. He was happy because everything he could possibly need was right in front of him; and, about six feet behind him, asleep.

He smiled to himself, and looked up toward the ceiling, finding a still-unfamiliar sight. For a week, Ross was free of the harsh fluorescent lights that buzzed him; yet, it still felt strange. So many revelations occurred since that night, and all of them took place in one bed. It was where he found himself; where Rachel found herself. Whether or not this was good or bad, Ross could not tell. However, he did know one thing.

He would never forget any of this.

He could only live with it. In time, Ross would learn, especially with his friends' support. However, the poison in his body would remind him for weeks to come. No matter how small the injury may be, it will never heal completely. The curse of spinal cord injuries; they would implant a scar that concealed a tragic memory.

It still pained Ross to think about it. He knew he should've been over this, by now. It was a time for celebration. It was a time to cherish all that he had, and more, thanks to Rachel. There was no need to feel this way in such happy times. Mood swings weren't supposed to be part of their daily agenda anymore.

Ross was done being sad; he would no longer accept it.

Even in this brief moment of sorrow, he chose to think happy thoughts. Despite believing that it never truly helped anyone, and that it only blinded their feelings which desperately needed to come out, Ross didn't have any other choice. He was stuck in a rut that he needed to be dug out of.

So, he thought about none other than Rachel.

Her angelic voice trumped through his ears, bringing him closer and closer to his goal of gaiety. She kissed him, her lips softer than Athena's robes. She wrapped her arms around his neck, taking in as much as possible, and giving it back with the warmth he so desperately craved. It was an amazing feeling; euphoria like this only came once in a lifetime for most people, and yet, Ross felt it every time he thought of her.

If this wasn't love, nothing was.

Soon, however, his thoughts fluctuated. No longer were they of Rachel, but instead of Monica and Chandler, who sat across from them. They occupied a special spot on the loveseat, and in his heart; one that would remain there forever, even if they broke up. Both of them were so special to Ross. They seemed so happy, together. They smiled more. They laughed more. Even though it was a little weird, Ross knew he'd get over the deviation that his best friend was now dating his little sister, eventually; the only question was when.

During his late-night romps with Rachel, Ross had accepted the fact that Chandler and Monica would eventually have sex. For him, this was an accomplishment bigger than the atom bomb. However, just because he had accepted it, didn't mean he liked it. It was his role as the big brother to dislike whomever she was with; and, the closer Ross and Monica's suitor were, the stranger the entire situation was.

Unfortunately, Chandler now filled that position.

Ross didn't think much of it now, but, then again, he couldn't think of much else when he felt the lips of an angel on his head.