Hi guys!

Here's my latest installment for the One Shots.

I hope you like it ;)

Episodes: The One Where They All Turn Thirty (7x14)

While cleaning up all the mess after her birthday party, Rachel was still thinking about her life.

She was a thirty-year-old single woman, with a great job, good money, a nice place to live, awesome friends.

Sure, she didn't have a boyfriend anymore, but she would find someone else – hopefully soon. And this also made her realize she needed to find a new assistant, because Tag had previously told her that he would resign first thing in the morning, not willing to put Rachel – or himself - in an awkward situation.

She sighed at this thought, and she gave a look around.

The apartment was empty – they guys had left some time before, heading for the Coffee House. She had found an excuse to stay back, saying that she wanted to clean up, while in fact she really had felt the need to be on her own.

Why turning 30 was so damn difficult?

Why couldn't she handle this as everything else?

She'd been on her own for years, she'd managed to become and independent, strong woman.

And yet, something about that number kept disturbing her.

It felt so round, so…definitive.

The door opened all of sudden startling Rachel, who was still absorbed in her thoughts.

She put a hand on her chest, watching Ross popping up from the hallway.

"Ehy, Rach…aren't you coming? We're waiting for you, I got a little worried."

"Sorry, I was…getting ready."

Ross noticed that she was still wearing the pajama pants and the shirt of the party. She also still had the crown around her head.

Sensing that something was going on, he offered some help.

"Shall I help cleaning up, so that you can change?"

Rachel smiled with affection, "Yeah, thanks."

Ross took a bag in his hand, moving around the table to throw away the remains of the party.

Ross cleared up his voice with a cough, "So, uh…do you feel better, after breaking up with Tag?" he asked her, willing to distract her with casual conversation.

Rachel sighed, "Surprisingly…yes. I'm sorry, he is such a nice guy, and we had a lot of fun, but…how can I explain this to you…it felt like one of those relationships where you know you're playing around and you see that it…it won't go anywhere."

Ross nodded with comprehension, "Yeah, I believe I felt the same with Elizabeth."

Rachel waved his hand at him, "Exactly! When you go out with someone so much younger than you…and everything feels right, at the beginning, but then…you begin questioning everything, you spend all the time asking yourself if you stay with them because you really like them or just…you know, for the fun."

"Yeah, totally been there." Ross agreed. "And then you realize there's no future with them, and in the end, they throw a bunch of water balloons at you."

Rachel chuckled, glad that Ross could still change her mood like no one else.

"You think we're ever going to find that?"

"Find what?" Ross asked, moving his attention from the table to Rachel.

"The right one. That one single person to finally make plans, with. The one we're meant to be with."

Suddenly wishing he were somewhere else, Ross stared at her seriously, "You know…this reminds me of the night of Monica and Chandler's engagement. You asked me the exact same thing, and for a moment…I wondered if you were talking about…us."

Rachel was brooding, too. "I know."

Ross let go of the bag of trash, a silly smile on his face, "Would it be so terrible?" he finally asked her.

Rachel was caught a bit off guard, "No, not all. I just think that after all this time…things have changed. And we have changed." She moved her hand in the air, pointing first at Ross and then at herself. "We've moved on, haven't we?"

"Yeah, right!" Ross replied, faster than he actually meant.

Because he was thinking the very opposite thing. He'd never really moved on, from Rachel.

With a wicked smile on her face, Rachel asked him, "You still think about us?"

Ross sighed, "It has yet to come, the day I don't wake up looking for you by my side." He admitted.

Rachel looked astonished.

"It's a…habit…from when we were together."

"Seriously?" Rachel asked. "So, it also happens when you're dating other women?"

Ross smiled to himself. He knew very well that he woke up every day certain to find Rachel next to him.

Every. Single. day.

He remembered one epic time when he had opened his eyes, smiling as an idiot in the conviction of having Rachel in his bed, and being incredibly ashamed of seeing Emily by his side.

He knew that telling Rachel wouldn't do him no good; and yet, he didn't want to lie.

"Yes, actually." He confessed.

"With Emily, too?"

Ross blushed unashamedly, realizing that Rachel had read his mind.

"Wow." She murmured.

Ross coughed to ease the tension, "Yeah, maybe saying your name at the altar wasn't the worst thing."

Rachel chuckled along with him, but she knew very well how much that thought still tormented him.

"Listen, Rach…I know we never really talk about it, but…I want to tell you that I'm really sorry for everything that happened between us. And I'm so glad that we are still friends. That you are still such an important part of my life."

Rachel stared at him with incredulity for this unexpected confession. She'd never listened such words coming out from Ross's mouth.

"I'm sorry if…your plans didn't turn out as you wished when you were younger…If things with us hadn't ended up like that…maybe your plan of having three kids…I mean, maybe…"

"Yeah, maybe." Rachel interjected him. She couldn't hear more of this, she was already starting to cry.

"When we were together…I really believed we would get married. Where was it that you wanted to move with our kids, Scarsdale?"

Ross scoffed, "Yeah, when we'd been together for six weeks and I let my mind travel too much. I kept scaring you with my plans for our future."

Rachel walked towards him, taking his hand in hers. She invited Ross to sit on the couch with her.

"No, Ross…it's not that you scared me, it's just…I wasn't ready for that. Now I know that I didn't reassure you enough…but I was secretly happy that you felt our commitment was important. You always knew that we would be together…I wasn't so good in reciprocating your feelings. But…" Rachel sighed. "God, I felt so safe…because you were the strong one. I'm so sorry that I couldn't make you feel trusted."

Ross didn't move his eyes from the floor during her speech.

"Especially when I got the new job…"

That was the moment Ross turned his head towards her, in complete disbelief. He would have NEVER imagined hearing Rachel saying such things.

"Hey, it looks like we just solve the major issue of our relationship…in the day you're turning thirty! I should be the one to make you a present, not vice versa!"

"Maybe…we both did. We just forgave each other for our past mistakes, uh?"

"That's what is seems like. And yet…this doesn't totally feel right."

"Why?" Rachel wondered, with disappointment.

"I've always thought that the day we would finally make peace with the past…we would also get back together."

Rachel smiled sadly, she knew what he meant.

"Yeah…" she sighed, turning her gaze away from his eyes, dangerous territory.

She waited a few seconds before speaking again.

"This doesn't feel like…our moment, you know? You believe you're still in that place?" she asked him, secretly hoping for a positive answer.

Ross sighed deeply, "Frankly, I don't know."

Rachel nodded, "Neither do I. But until we find out…remember that you're still my best friend."

"And you're mine." Ross concluded, squeezing her hand.

They smiled and hugged, more relieved that they had ever felt in the last couple of years.

After letting her go, Ross noticed that Rachel was already wearing the earrings he had gifted her.

"So…you won't exchange them, this time?"

"Of course not. You picked them from the list." She slyly replied.

Ross chuckled, using his hand to tenderly move her face so that he could watch better the earrings.

And that was the moment when Rachel's eyes found his ones.

Very dangerous territory.

Ross realized they hadn't been so close in such a long time.

Rachel was still the most captivating human being he'd ever laid eyes on.

Of course, he still felt something for her.

Of course, he was in that place.

He imperceptibly moved his head, sure that Rachel was expecting a kiss just as much as he wanted to give in to that temptation.

"Why is this taking so long?!" Joey's voice startled them.

Both Ross and Rachel moved back, letting some space between themselves on the couch.

Losing eye contact had never hurt so much, before.

"We're hungry, I am hungry!" Joey yelled.

Then Joey noticed the silence, the awkward tension in the room, the light blush on both their faces. He looked at his friends with curiosity, sure that something weird was going on.

"Sorry, Joey, we were just…trying to…fix some things."

"Ok, did you fix them already?" Joey asked.

Ross gazed at Rachel with a new look in his eyes.

A look of hope.

"You know what?" Rachel said. "I think we just did."

"Yeah." Ross nodded, with a delightful grin on his face. "I think we'll be just fine."

She simply smiled in return.