A/N

Okay I give! It's taking me forever to toil away at this, so I'm breaking up the finale into shorter chapters. TBD on the length. Hopefully this will be better for updates and my writing process, experimenting with formats and all that jazz

While the drama is high, no smut since our love birds are on the outs. For those of you with spice-loving hearts like mine, we'll just have to be patient~

--

Chandler sat in his apartment, staring at the door. How had he ever walked or moved at all? He felt glued down. He was going to remain frozen in that chair until the end of time. They'd stick him in the MET and call him 'Blink-y', his heart hollow, his stomach rolling. Slowly, his gaze drifted back to the wall across from where he was sitting, and his neck felt a pang of relief at the position change. It was the only hint that it'd been longer than a couple minutes since Rachel left.

"Chandler?"

"Rach-?" he asked eagerly, but it was Kathy, wrapped in a coat and looking embarrassed. He hadn't noticed her enter the room, but her gaze filled with understanding at Rachel's name. He heaved a sigh, hanging his head.

"I don't want to talk to you, Kathy. Please leave me alone," he said, but he could hear her slow steps to the table, then the chair scraping linoleum as she took a seat across from him.

"I think I misread some things, Chandler…" she said softly, and he scoffed. She paused, hesitating before continuing. "When you spoke with me about the girl that you secretly liked, that you couldn't see without hurting a best friend, I thought the girl was me," she was studying her fingernails when Chandler lifted his head to look at her. Her ears were pink, lips pursed with embarrassment. "I thought you lacked the confidence to ask, so you were hinting at me to take the initiative. And any doubts that I wasn't that girl you liked flew out the window when I saw what an absolutely touching birthday gift you got for me… But," she lifted her gaze to meet his, "it looks like I was wrong… It's Rachel, isn't it? The one who you'd lose a friend over if you dated her openly? The one who you might love?"

Of all the people he might have had this conversation with, he never would have imagined having it with Kathy.

He felt his cheeks flush, but he said, "Yes." I'm in love with her, almost came tumbling out after, but the words stuck, and a flash of Rachel's furrowed brow and watery eyes made his stomach roll.

Kathy nodded, looking thoughtful. Then she patted her knees with a sigh.

"Then I really screwed things up here. And I'm sorry. I screwed things up with me and Joey too…and I think I need to tell him that." She stood from the chair, and Chandler stood with her.

"I think I should-" he began. She raised a hand to cut him off.

"You can talk with him too. But I'm the one who did the betraying here, and I'll make sure he knows that. I need to tell him now. You focus on your own relationship." She smiled, looking sick. "We'll probably need the apartment."

Chandler was confused until he realized she meant to tell Joey immediately. He considered saying 'tough' and staying, but he had the overwhelming desire to see Rachel in that moment, and he'd tell Joey everything himself soon enough.

"I'll grab him."

When he reentered the Thanksgiving festivities, Rachel was missing from the table, and Monica, Richard Jr. (Timmy?), Phoebe, and Ross were making awkward table-talk.

"So you see, homoerectus used *wooden* tools-"

"Oh thank God! Finally one of them returns! No offense, Ross," Phoebe said, gesturing at him with a waving hand that had Ross gaping mid-sentence. "Are you gonna tell us what's going on?" she demanded, crossing her arms to glare at Chandler.

"Actually, Joe, can I talk to you in the hall for a minute?"

Monica eyed him, and he winced. So much for not ruining Thanksgiving.

"Come on!" Phoebe yelled. "I won't speak to you ever again if you close that-"

The door snicked shut.

"You alright, man?" Joey asked when they stopped in front of their apartment door.

"Not really. Something happened with me and Kathy, and Kathy wants to tell you about it herself. She's in there…" Chandler said, watching Joey grow uneasy. He crossed his arms, eyes narrowing.

"What happened?" It sounded a hell of a lot more like 'How hard am I going to have to punch you.'

Chandler prayed Kathy was as transparent and honest as she'd told him she'd be. He definitely needed to talk to Joey about it, but if he told Joey now and tried to place all the blame on her, it wouldn't sound honest.

"She wants to tell you herself first, but I promise I'm here for you, man. Whatever happens. You're my best friend and I'd never do anything to hurt you. Never."

It was rare they said anything that directly cheesy to one another, and Joey's posture softened. His arms uncrossed and his shoulders sank a little.

Chandler wanted to do something comforting, because sad Joey looked a hell of a lot like a kicked puppy.

"After whatever happens in there, and after we talk or you hit me, whatever you want, I'm getting us beer and courtside Knicks tickets."

Joey perked up a little at that, although the "hit me" portion of the sentence earned him a weird look.

"I'll hold you to that," Joey said. "Assuming we're still gonna be talking sounds pretty optimistic."

But his eyebrows were quirked in a way that let Chandler know he wasn't serious.

"Alright then," he turned the door handle and entered their apartment.

~~~

Phoebe was an expert at reading people. Auras surrounded her friends, and the universe told her things. She did a lot to not be Karma's bitch. She couldn't say the same for her friends though.

She saw herself as a shaman of sorts, guiding the unenlightened in an alternative, aggressive sort of way. Her way.

That was why she meddled. The Universe.

Of course Chandler's aura had been all off, and the dark energy coming from Rachel's room, plus his constant eyes-darting towards it, was letting her know that he'd pissed her off somehow.

So, when he had the audacity to steal Joey, after making Rachel cry and luring away the weird, pervy Kathy, Phoebe knew that it was up to her to save Thanksgiving.

"Let's play a drinking game!" she declared, pounding the table.

Ross raised his head and looked at her blankly.

"Um…" he pointed to himself, like a question.

"Yeah, I guess it's just us…" she groaned, rolling her napkin into an interesting shape.

"Well I'm not bad company… it's not just…. -you're mean."

"Grow up, dinosaur boy," she teased, patting his head. Ross scoffed before slouching in acceptance. "Where are Monica and her step-son, I mean date?"

Dr. Timothy Burke sprinted through the kitchen at her words, as if she'd summoned him.

"Uh," he looked between the two of them as he grabbed his jacket from the back of his chair, face slightly queasy. "It was nice to meet you. Bye."

He was gone like a ball from a cannon.

"Another one disappears into the mysterious hallway never to be seen again! Don't you find it weird?" Phoebe asked Ross, eyes narrowing.

"Yes, Pheebs. It's weird," Ross admitted, eyes drifting from Rachel's door to the hallway. "Almost like they're…planning something."

"Like what?" Phoebe asked softly, leaning in. Ross huffed, staring at the ceiling with his legs splayed out and his arms crossed thinking about recent events that could have caused this.

"Do you think it's about secret santa partners?" his tone sounded like he himself didn't buy that one. Phoebe sighed.

"Nah, Chandler and I already did that," she said, slouching back in her chair.

"Oh? Who did you want?"

"No one, Chandler wanted Rachel though." Something went 'click' in Phoebe's head and she realized what the slammed door might mean.

Well, if Chandler had shot his shot and Rachel had wised up or vise versa, there wasn't much she could do. Her shoulders slouched at the weight of it. Dark auras all around.

She missed the frown creasing Ross's brow that cleared so quickly it might never have been there at all.

"Ah!"

Both of them jumped as Monica entered the living room from the balcony window with a yelp.

"Please, never speak of this," she said with a shudder. She looked like she might be sick on the floor.

Save Thanksgiving, save thanksgiving, Phoebe's blood chanted.

"Hey, why don't we watch some tv?" she asked.

Both Gellers nodded with relieved agreement. Phoebe grinned. Mission successful. She looked at Rachel's door and winced, amending that to: Mission somewhat successful.

And that was the famous holiday the friends refused to talk about years later, their collective worst Friends-Thanksgiving.

~~~

Chandler had been seeing a lot of Monica lately. He was starting to hate that dark bob. On impulse, he wanted to reach out and yank on the short strands, to break her out of the shiny plastic smile, or from her pitying looks.

He would knock on the apartment door and Monica would answer him. He would arrive at Central Perk and before he could get to Rachel, Monica would materialize in front of him. He was glaring at her now while sipping his coffee. With an exasperated sigh, Monica plopped her mug down and met his stare. The two were alone now, Joey and Ross having just left to catch a movie.

"You can hate me all you want, but I'm not the one instituting the ban," Monica said, crossing her legs and arms and leaning back on the couch.

"But you're enforcing it," he said. Monica tilted up her chin.

"And?"

"Please, Mon. I just need to talk to her."

Monica sighed. "No way. I'm sorry things blew up between you, but Rachel isn't looking to put things back together."

Chandler's heart shattered.

"Please, Mon… If she won't even talk to me, how do I fix it?"

She stared at him. He watched a war take place in her expression, but when it came to a close, he knew he hadn't won.

"Chandler…" she began, but he was up from his seat and pushing out the door. He knew what she was going to say. She didn't come after him.

He took the stairs two at a time, climbing to his apartment. The words she'd said were echoing in his head. Had he really made her feel dirty? Hidden? She was the most beautiful and precious woman in his life and he didn't understand how he'd fucked this all up so completely.

He didn't realize there were tears on his cheeks until the last stairs blurred and he had to grip the banister. He rounded the corner to their apartments and his breath wooshed out of his lungs.

She was wearing a blue-grey coat, black gloves, hair falling golden around her shoulders, hiding her face as she jangled her keys in the apartment door.

He wasn't sure what to do. When she turned towards him they both froze, her blue eyes widening. She looked so good, golden skin almost glowing. There were bags under her slightly-red eyes, and a slight stiffness to her movements, but she was breathtaking anyway. Shit. If you could catch a flu in 2 seconds he just had.

The word 'secret' swirled unspoken in the air between them.

With a choking noise, he dropped his eyes. Realizing how he looked standing in the hallway with tears on his face, and Monica's voice ringing in his head. *'Rachel isn't looking to put things back together.'*

"Sorry," he said gruffly, wiping his cheeks and moving forward without looking at her. He opened his own apartment door while she remained still in the hallway behind him. This was the first time since their break that he hadn't tried to talk to her, hadn't sent her running. He didn't check to see if she was still in the hall when he closed the door with a 'click.'

He had royally fucked up. Fresh tears flowed now, and he let them, leaning his head against the door and watching them form a small puddle on the linoleum. Then he shook himself, drying his face. She didn't want to talk? He could do that. But first he would try something to make things right. He hadn't really thought about what she'd said when the split happened.

He'd thought loving her was enough, but of course it wasn't. It wasn't a gift he was bestowing on her, it wasn't a chain to make her stay. His love was a fact that did nothing to change the complaints she had about the relationship. They had treated each other like a secret, and now that he knew she didn't want that, he would need to make changes if he wanted her back.

Back in his life. Back in his bed.

He had the briefest image of her golden hair splayed out in his bed, her golden skin under his lips, the playful scrunch in her nose when he made her laugh, her soft breath tickling his neck while she dozed beside him… He almost doubled over.

Fuck.

He sat down and drew up a plan.

~~~

Rachel was panicking. This must be what a heart attack feels like. Why did she get a broken heart AND a heart attack?

Shit, her vision blurred, pain blooming behind her eyes. This was the very least convenient time for her to be feeling stressed or sick. She should be glowing with health, but the truth was she'd barely been able to keep anything down.

She looked awful, she hadn't eaten, her face was numb and Chandler… she couldn't even think his name. Seeing him had been a rend in her fragile heart. The moment she saw him she felt breathless.

What was she going to do?

What was she going to do???

She barely noticed Monica and Phoebe on their way up to the apartment when she passed them on the stairs.

~~~

They have to work it out themselves, Monica tried to remind herself. Rachel had looked awful since "the incident" and if that wasn't enough, she was barely hungry anymore. Monica was her best friend. It was like seeing family grieving, awful, with nothing she could do except hold her hand on the couch and watch bad movies.

Monica sighed, placing the new movie rentals on the table, having exchanged the old ones she and Rachel had watched the night before.

"You wanna do a girls night?" she asked Phoebe as the blonde entered her bathroom.

"Oh my god!!" a shriek came from the bathroom.

Monica ran in after the cry, searching for blood. Phoebe never shrieked like that.

"Monica, you-?" Phoebe said, trailing off, her blue eyes wide where she stood in the center of Monica's bathroom, looking a little lost.

Monica was confused.

"Pheebs, why are you waving that tissue around?" she asked, worried her friend had gone crazy.

Phoebe scrutinized her face, leaning in and squinting before she said, "Okay I believe you. But if you don't know what I'm talking about then… Rachel…"

Phoebe's hand covered her mouth. Monica finally looked closer at the tissue and her stomach dropped.

Phoebe was holding a pregnancy test. And it was positive.