Chapter Three

Note: Flashbacks are written in italics! Enjoy!

Ross stood in the same hospital corridor from four years ago, but he couldn't help but to think how different his life was compared to today. Today, he and his wife had welcomed their second child together, a healthy and beautiful baby girl that instantly took his heart away theday he knew she existed.

Eight months ago, he was just coming home from an exhausting day at work when suddenly her first daughter, three-year-old Emma, barreled straight into his arms and showered him with wet kisses. He could feel his fatigue instantly melted away, especially when his wife decided to join them and welcomed him home with a kiss.

"Hi, you…" she welcomed him with their signature greeting, a soft smile playing on her lips, "I've missed you…"

"I've missed you too," he smiled, stealing another kiss from her.

"I went shopping today," she suddenly said, her smile brightened as she watched him kissing her daughter's cheeks, making the little girl giggle loudly.

Ross turned his attention away from his daughter to his wife and swallowed. To be completely honest, he was dreading the thought of Rachel shopping. The last time she went shopping, it didn't end very well. He was more than surprised when she came home with a dozen shopping bags towing behind her. She even had to tip the cab driver's extra money after the poor guy helped her carry her bags upstairs to their apartment. Their evening quickly turned into a huge fight after he found out how much money she had spent during those shopping sprees.

"Yeah?" he tried to sound interested, not wanting to start a fight with his wife tonight.

Did he mention how exhausted he was?

"Aren't you going to ask what I got?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

Ross sighed.

"What did you get?" he asked reluctantly.

He was expecting her to get a new set of clothes, or fancy shoes, or maybe a purse… He knew how much she loved those designer bags…

"I got Emma a new t-shirt."

"T-shirt? Just one? That's it?" he sounded puzzled.

"Uh-huh," Rachel nodded, and couldn't hide the smile on her face. "That shirt, the one she's wearing right now. What do you think? Isn't it pretty?"

This was weird. His wife didn't just go shopping and came home with just one thing.

"It's uhm, yeah. Pretty," Ross said, not even looking closely at the words printed on the purple t-shirt his daughter was wearing.

"You don't even look at it," she protested.

Ross sighed again, but still not looking as he said, "I did."

"Really? Then what does it say?"

Ross groaned inwardly, reluctantly pulling his daughter away so that he could read the words properly and when he finally did, he could feel his heart stop.

'BIG SISTER',the two words written in capital letters, covered with rainbow glitters.

He blinked a few times, reading the words over and over as his mind started to process what exactly was happening.

"Daddy!" his daughter whined. "Put me down! Down, now!"

Ross finally snapped out his trance and put his daughter down. Emma quickly ran in front of the TV and started to dance into the opening of her favorite cartoon. Ross then turned his gaze toward his wife, who now had tears in her blue eyes.

"Rach," he swallowed, feeling an enormous amount of happiness slowly building inside of him. "Wh-what. It says 'big sister'… A-are you? Y-you're pregnant?"

She nodded and her voice cracked when she spoke, "I am, we're having a baby…"

His smile turned bigger as he thought about that day. After putting their daughter to bed, the couple spent the rest of their night in their bed, where he spoke to their unborn baby for the first time. The feelings he felt that night had only intensified throughout the pregnancy and it reached its peak as he helped to cut the cord merely hours ago. As he heard her scream for the first time, as the nurse handed him his newborn daughter in his arms…

Feeling the sudden need to see his family, Ross twisted the doorknob open and entered the room.

"Hey, you…" Ross greeted his wife who was holding their baby daughter - swaddled in a pink hospital blanket, in her chest, "I brought you flowers."

They smiled at each other, obviously thinking about the similar things he had said almost four years ago.

Four years ago...

"Hey," Ross greeted her softly as he padded his way toward her hospital bed. "I-I uhm, I brought you flowers," he said lamely, feeling his heart beating faster and faster inside of his chest.

"Thank you," she flashed him a grateful smile, watching closely as he placed the bouquet of her favorite flower by the bedside table. "It's beautiful."

"Y-yeah, I uhm, I'm not sure if white lilies are still your favorite kind of flowers…" he trailed off as he sat by the edge of her bed, facing her.

"I still love them," she assured him, taking his hand off his lap and giving it a slight squeeze, winning a smile from him.

Ross could feel his shoulder relaxed when a soft smile gracing her lips, all whilst her hands stayed intertwined with his.

Silence fell between the two of them, both not knowing how to voice the thoughts inside of their heads. She had so many questions she wanted to ask him - about the ring, about their future, about them – but she didn't exactly know where to start. Meanwhile Ross… he wanted to tell her how he felt, but he simply didn't know where to begin.

"So, uhm, how's Emma? Did she eat well?" Ross was the one who broke the silence first. He figured if he didn't know where to start, asking her about their baby daughter would always be a safe topic.

"Yeah," she murmured as her lips broke into a smile. "She's finally getting the hang of it."

"That's my princess," Ross' eyes beamed with pride, looking over at the bassinet where their baby daughter was peacefully asleep.

Rachel watched closely as he ran his hand gently over their daughter's head and that very moment, she felt tears pricking her blue eyes. Ross was a great father, she always knew that. She watched him be the doting father for Ben throughout the years. It was not something new to her, but still… This was different.

It was different when he was the father of her child.

Their daughter.

And she wanted to see more of this, she didn't want to miss moments like this in the future. She had to know. She had to know where this was going, she needed to know where their entire future stood. She owed it, if not for herself, then for their daughter.

"Ross?" Her voice was soft and shaky as she spoke, but it was enough to gain his full attention.

He looked up to find her eyes and was surprised when he saw the tears in them, "Rach? What's wrong?"

"This uhm," she took the small velvety box from the drawer and held it in her hands. "I think this fell from your pocket."

Ross' eyes widened as he recognized the box she was currently holding. His breath caught in his throat and it seemed like forever until he finally opened his mouth again, "D-did you?"

He didn't need to ask her the full question, she already knew what he was going to ask.

She sighed, nodding as she bit her lower lips, "I did."

"Oh," he mumbled rather numbly.

He didn't say anything else, just staring at the small object in her hand, not really sure how to react... until it finally hit him. She saw it. She saw the engagement ring and panic rose through his entire body. This wasn't how he planned this conversation to be. The ring was supposed to stay in the pocket. She wasn't supposed to know. How in the world was he going to explain to her why he was keeping an engagement ring in his pocket?

"Ross?" She pleaded, desperate for some answers.

"You weren't supposed to find this," Ross swallowed, still keeping his gaze away from her.

She nodded, feeling the lump formed inside her throat, "-but I did."

"You did," Ross sighed heavily before finally looking up to see her face and he felt instant regret when he saw the tears in her blue eyes.

She must be really confused and he didn't make it easier for her. He chided himself inwardly and finally chose to let her know the truth, the entire truth.

"Rach…" he called her name softly.

"I'm sorry," she sniffled. "I know I shouldn't open it; it wasn't my place and I should have…"

"Rach," he stopped her, squeezing her hand in order to stop her talking.

"Sorry," she mumbled, wiping the tears off her face.

"You have nothing to be sorry for," Ross murmured, handing her a pack of Kleenex, "here…"

"You're mad."

"No, I'm not mad," Ross assured her. "I-I'm just…" he ran his finger through his hair, "It's just not how I pictured this conversation would be," he laughed rather nervously.

Rachel stared at him, puzzled, and then he let out a smile.

"Rachel…" he began, "lately, these past few months... I've been feeling something for you."

Rachel let out a soft gasp at his revelation, but still too stunned to say something.

"-and these feelings, it was more intense than anything I've ever felt for anyone before, and it scares the crap out of me," he then continued. "It took so long for us to be where we are right now and I was afraid to risk it. I don't want to lose you,"

"I-I don't wanna lose you either," she finally found her voice.

"-but do you know what scares me more?" he asked, but never waited for an answer. "What scares me more is to let my fear stop me from even trying. To let my fear take control of my life and deprive me from my happiness... from you…"

He let his words sink before he continued, "I don't want to be afraid anymore, Rach. I'm so in love with you and I want to give us another chance. That is if you want the same thing too."

"I'm in love with you too," Rachel spoke ever so softly, her eyes brimming with tears – but this time it was tears of happiness. "-and I want to give us another chance too. I want us to become a family. You, me, and our daughter, Emma."

At this point, he was crying openly too and he didn't care. After years and years of uncertainty, he finally got everything he ever dreamed of. A family he always longed to have.

"Oh, Rach…" he murmured softly before finally leaning in to capture her lips into a kiss.

The kiss was soft and tender at first. She let out a happy sigh as she opened her mouth and they deepened their kiss. And when they finally broke apart, they leaned their foreheads into each other, the biggest smile playing on their lips.

"I do love you," she whispered, moving her hands to cup his face. "-but we have Emma to think about now and we can't afford to mess this up again, okay? This is it."

"This is it," he agreed, giving her another kiss before pulling away.

His heart felt so much lighter, but he knew he still owed her one more explanation.

The engagement ring.

"-and about the ring," he began rather timidly, afraid that he would ruin things before it really started.

"I don't want to get married," she suddenly blurted out, catching him off guard. She mistook his shock for disappointment and maybe hurt, so she quickly recovered and added, "I mean, I do wanna get married, someday. Someday in the far future, but not right away. I know we agree to get back together, but I just don't think I'm ready to be married yet."

Ross stayed quiet for a moment, but then he smiled, "I agree."

"You do?" Rachel asked, slightly puzzled.

"I am, Rach," he took her hand and squeezed them. "I've made the same mistake before and I don't want to repeat it, definitely not with you. I can't lose you, Rach. I want to do this right this time, I'm done messing around."

Rachel sighed happily, scooting over to make a room for him. He took the signal, and quickly put his arms around her as they cuddled in a small hospital bed.

"Ross?" she called his name as she felt his lips on her forehead.

"Mmmhh?"

"If you don't plan on proposing, why do you have the ring?"

"My mom gave it to me," Ross explained. "She wanted me to propose to you. She wanted us to get married."

"We will," she squeezed his hands. "-just not right now."

Ross' eyes sparked with so much love and joy as he stared at the love of his life.

"One day," he promised.

One day, he was going to get down on one knee and asked her to marry him.

One day, they were going to have their wedding.

One day, he was going to call her his wife.

He'd make sure of that.

"One day," she repeated with a smile, looking up just in time he leaned in to kiss her.

Like theirbaby girl wanted to make her presence known, a soft whimper interrupted their moment, and the newly rekindled couple shared a smile as they broke apart.

"Looks like someone is feeling left out," Rachel whispered.

"Let me get her," Ross said as he kissed Rachel's forehead and then got up to take baby Emma in his arms. "Hey, baby girl," he cooed softly as the baby opened her eyes, showing her deep blue eyes to her father. "Oh, look at you. You have your mother's eyes. It's so beautiful. She's so beautiful, just like her mommy," Ross murmured, moving his gaze now to Rachel, his eyes shone with unshed tears.

"She has your nose," she whispered softly, watching as he walked toward the bed and then sat next to her. "Hi, baby girl," her fingertips delicately brushed against the baby's cheeks, "We love you so much and no matter what happens, we're going to make sure you'll always be our number one priority."

"Daddy is going to make sure nothing bad is going to happen to us," Ross whispered, "I'm going to love you and your mommy forever."

Rachel looked up, her heart beating loudly inside of her chest, "Promise?"

"With all my heart," he said before leaning in to kiss her.

Ross smiled softly as he caught a glimmer of her engagement ring and wedding band shining under the bright hospital as his wife held their baby daughter in her arms.

Life was great.

Life was amazing.

Ross and Rachel had gotten engaged just shortly after ten months into their rekindled relationship. He had been planning it for a couple months before and even made a detailed plan on how he was going to propose. But his plan quickly changed when one day, Emma came home from the daycare with a flu and they spent the next couple days taking care of their sick baby. They both took a leave of absence, but Rachel never left their baby's sight. Ross was in complete awe as he saw her exhausted girlfriend finally fall asleep in their bed, holding their daughter - who had been getting a lot better, in her arms. These past few days, watching her, he fell more in love with her and suddenly he couldn't wait another day not being engaged to her. He wanted to make things official,as soon as possible.

After a while, he then decided to join them in bed and when he turned around to face her, Rachel's eyes fluttered open. She welcomed him with a soft smile and that was when he couldn't hold it any longer. He looked straight into her eyes and he whispered the words, "Marry me?"

It didn't take long for him to get his answer. She said 'yes' almost immediately. A week later, after making sure their daughter was completely healthy and well taken care of, the couple took a weekend off. In a bed and breakfast in Vermont, they finally celebrated their engagement properly.

The next Summer, Ross and Rachel had gotten married on a beach by her father's property in Southampton, surrounded by their friends and loved ones. He never thought he could love her more than the day he married her. But it turned out, he was wrong, because Ross was more than sure he fell more in love with his wife everyday, especially after today.

"Mommy," Emma looked at her mom and then back to the baby, a frown on her forehead.

Their daughter, Emma, was now looking curiously at her new sibling as she sat next to her mother. It was the first time the little girl met her new baby sister and the parents were rather anxious for her reaction.

"Yes, sweetheart?"

"My baby?" the little girl asked, pointing her finger at the baby in her mother's arms.

"Yes, that's your baby sister," Rachel murmured, feeling so emotional.

"Hi, baby," Emma whispered, her hand seemed like she wanted to touch her sister, but then she hesitated and pulled her hand away.

Noticing this, Ross encouraged her, "That's okay, pumpkin. You can touch her, just be gentle, okay?"

"Like this?" Emma brought her tiny fingers and carefully ran it to the baby's hand.

"Just like that, honey," Rachel whispered, her voice cracked as the first batch of tears fell out of her eyes.

"Don't cry, mommy," Emma said as she noticed the tears on her mom's cheeks.

"Oh, it's happy tears, sweetie. Don't worry,"

Ross exchanged a meaningful look with his wife as Emma leaned in to kiss her baby sister's in her cheeks. He then leaned in to kiss his beautiful wife and whispered in her ears the words, "I love you."

"I love you too," she whispered back.

Right this second, he had everything he had ever wanted.

His dream had finally come true.

The End

A/N

Hi! I know I've been pretty much MIA these past couple months and I have no excuse rather than the fact that I've been busy, but I hope I make it up to you with this ending. This story was meant to be a one-shot, but when I started writing it, I realized I can't fit it into a chapter, so here we are. Oh, and I took a different approach with this chapter with the flashbacks, but I hope it's not too confusing.

Last but not least, I hope you are all enjoying it and as usual, let me know what you think!