A/N: So this is it, just before Thanksgiving, the final chapter of this Friend's fic. It was an intentional choice to stretch the story out for ten chapters, and I sure hope the finale is worth it. All the best - BroadwayBelle
Ross pulled out his daily word jumble at Central Perk, timing himself on completion, as Rachel raced into the building with Emma in tow.
"So sorry we are late, so sorry!"
Ross held up his hand for silence.
"Oh." Rachel knelt down to talk to Emma. "Daddy is working on one of his little word games – they are very important to him," she smirked.
"And done!" Ross said triumphantly, pumping his fist in the air. He turned to Rachel. "Laugh if you want to, but these games help with brain development."
"Here I thought your brain was already fully developed. Any more developed and it would fall right out of your skull," Rachel commented, hiding a laugh.
"Scientifically impossible," Ross said dryly. Turning to his daughter, "How's my little girl?"
"Invigorated after a day of shopping," Rachel replied, leaning into one of the sofa cushions.
"Invigorated, huh?"
"It was on your 'word of the day calendar'. I read it when I get bored," she shrugged.
"Did you two fit in a day of holiday returns to go with all of that shopping?"
"Ross, I am not a complete monster. I try not to return gifts until at least December 29th; I still have two days. I was in a rush to get here because Monica called all frantic."
"She's been like that ever since she got news that the adoption was going through," Ross admitted. Ross' sister Monica had always been someone to run on all cylinders, and with a baby coming in six short months, her list of tasks seemed to grow by the second.
Rachel signaled one of the server's to take her order. "I wonder how Chandler's keeping up?"
"If anyone can keep up with Monica, it's him," Ross assured her. "So are you returning all of the gifts you got for Christmas this year?"
"Ross, the patent leather shoes you got me were last season."
"I thought I would give shoes a try this year. You return all of the jewelry from over the years."
Rachel patted Ross' knee. "I appreciate the effort. Your gift was a lot better than the coupons for beer that I got from Joey. I've been living with him on and off for like three years now and he still doesn't have a clue about what I like."
"He's Joey, unless you're a type of food, I'm not sure if he pays much attention."
"New muffins!" Joey shouted, barreling in through the front door.
"I prove my point," Ross gestured to Joey with a smirk.
Rachel nodded. Ross wasn't the best judge of fashion, but he knew his friends well.
"Joey save some for everyone else!" Gunther scolded, swatting at Joey.
"What, I'm a paying customer!" Joey whined. He retreated dejectedly to his friends. "You point to a dozen muffins and suddenly you're unreasonable."
"You can have half of mine," Rachel offered, passing him a plate.
Joey grabbed the food, not bothering to say thank you.
Phoebe came in next, dragging in a Salvation Army bucket. "Guess who gets to be a bell ringer at Macy's again next year?" she squealed.
"They hired you back?" Ross asked dubiously. The gang remembered Phoebe's episodes as a bell ringer, attacking customers for putting trash in her tin, not donating enough, or as she called it 'not having enough Christmas spirit."
"Hey good guess," Phoebe complimented, pointing at Ross.
"So you're going to spread more Christmas cheer?" Rachel asked.
"I sure am. I just spread some cheer with the new floor manager, and he wanted a way to thank me," she winked.
Ross covered Emma's ears, not wanting her to get any early ideas. "Congrats Phoebe."
"So Pheebs, did you get a call from Monica too?" Joey asked.
"I did! Oh maybe she wants to congratulate me on my new job!" she squealed, clapping her hands.
As if on cue, Monica barreled into the coffee shop with Chandler trailing behind her. "Oh good, everyone's here."
"What's up Mon?" Joey asked.
Monica sat in an orange chair, crossing her legs. "Well, you guys all heard the news a month ago about the girl in Ohio and the baby that she's carrying."
"Monica and are I are going to meet here in two weeks," Chandler added.
"And with everything progressing so quickly, Chandler and I don't even know where we're going to be next year…"
"Wait, you guys are moving!" Joey interrupted, failing his hands and sending a plate to the floor.
"Joey!" Monica scolded, bending down to pick up crumbs.
"Joe, we are not planning on moving any time soon," Chandler said, patting his best friend on the shoulder. "But by this time next year, our group is going to be different."
"One extra kid," Phoebe shrugged. "We withstood Ben and Emma, we can handle one more."
"Gee thanks Phoebe," Ross muttered, nuzzling Emma to let her know that not everyone shared Phoebe's sentiment.
"Oh you know I'm kidding," Phoebe insisted.
"So you guys were going to say something?" Rachel asked, wanting to move the conversation along.
"Right," Monica said, collecting Joey's crumbs into a neat pile.
"Mon, this isn't even your house," Phoebe criticized.
"No reason why I can't keep it tidy," Monica said defensively.
"Sis, the news," Ross pushed.
"Right, right, right. Well we'll probably still be in the apartment," she nodded at Joey to keep him from throwing another fit. "But Chandler and I won't be just a married couple any more. The whole apartment, the whole dynamic will be different."
"And when she talks this way, I get really excited," Chandler joked.
Monica sent her husband a 'silent' look. "So I want to throw one last party, just us friends, on New Year's Eve."
"Mike too," Phoebe piped in.
"Yes, of course Mike too, we can all bring dates. I'm thinking, a redo of our disaster New Year's Eve nine years ago."
"And what a disaster that was," Joey muttered. "Stupid single mom had to bring her kids and ruin everything."
"Kids don't ruin everything," Rachel whined.
"Hers did," Joey shot back.
"That was the night that David the scientist guy left," Phoebe recalled.
"But you wound up with Mike nine years later, so that all worked out," Monica reminded her.
"Janice and Fun Bobby didn't make things very merry," Chandler pointed out. "They are not invited this year."
"I don't know; I didn't New Year's nine years ago was so bad," Ross said, looking at Rachel.
"What are you talking about?" Monica asked. "You whined about being dateless and fought with your monkey Marcel."
"I think things turned around around midnight," Rachel whispered, looking at Ross. They had shared a sweet kiss on the balcony right as the countdown was finished.
"You mean when Joey kissed Chandler?" Phoebe asked. "That was hilarious."
"That is not happening again," Chandler and Joey said together.
"That wasn't what you were talking about," Ross whispered into Rachel's ear.
Rachel giggled lightly. "But they don't need to know that just yet."
"Just between us," Ross agreed.
"You two whispering about babysitters?" Monica asked. "This is an adult's only party."
"Best kind!" Joey said, pumping his first in the air.
"Mom would be happy to watch Emma," Ross said.
"Dates are optional or mandatory?" Rachel asked. "Monica and Chandler are together, Phoebe has Mike…"
"I've got a new extra I'm trying to get to know," Joey smirked. "Don't worry, she's over 18 and very single."
"And very pretty?" Chandler asked.
"She's an extra on Days of Our Lives. Being hot is a requirement."
"So that leaves two," Monica said, pointing at Ross and Rachel. "You can bring a date if you want. I'm inviting a few colleagues from work, the apartment complex, it'll be great."
"Great," Ross and Rachel said together.
"So are you bringing anyone to Monica's thing tomorrow?" Ross asked casually, dropping Emma off after an afternoon at the park.
Rachel shook her head, taking off Emma's coat. "I have been so busy with work lately and Emma, trying to keep up with everything. The last person I tried to date was…," she pointed to the bedroom next to hers.
"Say no more," Ross said, not wanting to dwell on Rachel and Joey's brief relationship any longer than he needed to.
Rachel nodded, not wanting to make things awkward for Ross. "And you…" she ventured. Charlie Wheeler, Ross' colleague at the university, had unceremoniously ended things with him last month when her old boyfriend came back into her life.
"Single and staying that way," Ross affirmed. "Still kind of stinging from Charlie leaving me for her crazy ex-boyfriend. I mean she was perfect for me: we liked all of the same things, worked at the same place. If she isn't the one for me…I'm starting to wonder who is."
Rachel hung up Emma's coat and crossed over to Ross, reaching for his hand. "She's out there, I know she is. I, I never knew you to give up on love, or anything else."
Ross squeezed Rachel's hand. "I'm not really giving up," he promised. "Just feeling a bit down this season."
"Let's be down together!" Rachel blurted, pausing when she heard what she said.
"I get it," Ross said, a smile forming on his mouth. "It will save us both the humiliation of coming alone. And it may be what certain people are expecting…"
"You mean like Monica? She has been dropping a hint or two recently – she's really got to mind her own business," Rachel laughed.
"She makes everything her business, but she will have more on her plate in a few months."
"You're going to be an Uncle."
"And you know she'll make you an honorary Aunt," Ross assured her. "So it's a date, so-to-speak for tomorrow night."
"A date," Rachel agreed, sealing the deal with a handshake.
Ross walked away triumphant. With any luck, he would be able to recreate the balcony kiss from nine years ago, and this time keep the momentum going.
Apartment 20 was hopping with people, many of whom were last minute guests invited by Monica, who wanted to live up to her hostessing duties once more. "Remember Chandler, this is our last grown up New Year's party so it needs to be epic!"
"Last party? We're having a kid, not becoming Amish," Chandler joked. "Your parents don't mind babysitting one more next year do they?"
"No, they won't mind," Monica smiled, sharing a pre New Year's kiss with her husband.
Ross and Rachel stood at the bottom of the steps, waiting to go in. "You can tell Monica that I made us late," Rachel offered.
"You did make us late. You changed your shoes five times, and you only live across the hall," he chided.
"I was having trouble matching something to this outfit."
"You know last season's patent leather shoes might have worked," Ross joked, earning a swat from Rachel.
"I do not take fashion advice from paleontologists," she smirked.
"Fair enough." Ross and Rachel let themselves in and slipped into the scene.
"Bout time you're here," Joey said, tugging at Ross' arm. "Take a look at her, by the TV."
"Wow Joe, she's really….tall."
"Yeah, she's part of some WNBA storyline or something, and boy is she something."
Rachel sauntered over to Monica while Joey chatted with Ross. "Enjoying your role as hostess?"
"Always," Monica smirked.
"Is this everyone?" Rachel asked. The clock on the microwave read 9:45.
"I think Mike invited someone, some kind of cousin or something. Hey, would you mind working with Ross on the music for the party? I'm trying to make sense of Chandler's collection and am at a bit of a loss."
"Me and Ross?"
"Well you guys have similar taste in music…"
"No we don't and you know it," Rachel countered. "He's classical and quiet, I'm pop and upbeat."
"But you complement each other well," Monica said with a raised eyebrow.
"I knew it." Rachel lowered her voice. "You are trying to fix me back up with Ross."
"The timing is perfect," Monica said. "You are both single, Emma's a year old, so you got the parenting dynamic down. There's no reason not to try."
"I don't want to blow this," Rachel said. "I am waiting for just the right time, and I think he is too."
"Ross feels the same way," Monica said pointing to Ross and Chandler. Monica had instructed her husband that his 'job for the night' was to make sure that Ross and Rachel were closer to getting together.
"You think so?"
"He was devastated by you and Joey this year."
"He was. I don't want to rush into things like I did with Joey. One bad move and we ruin things, and we have such a good dynamic now. If I ruin things…"
"You won't. You two are tied together for life because of Emma. And your bad history, it's in the past."
"I think now it really is," Rachel said slowly. "Pardon me while I go make some music with Ross."
Rachel grabbed a drink from the counter and made her way to Ross and Joey by the stereo. "Chandler, don't tell me you are on music patrol tonight?" she teased, handing Ross a drink.
"I was going to leave that for you two," Chandler said. "But do not mess with my musical theatre collection – it was gifted to me by my Dad."
"Got it," Ross said, smiling at Rachel. "So where do we start?"
"Something that will get people dancing," Rachel said, flipping through a CD catalog. She pointed at a winner and pressed play on the CD player.
"Sounds good to me," Ross said, bopping along.
"Try it like this," Rachel suggested, swirling her hips lightly. Ross followed her lead, both losing themselves in each other. Neither one noticed the latest party guest coming in.
"Oh my gosh Ross!"
A very familiar voice made Ross freeze in his tracks. He was so struck that he didn't notice a look of disgust now forming on Rachel's face. "Who invited her?" Rachel hissed the first one to speak. She pulled away from Ross and stormed to the balcony.
"I didn't…" Ross called after her, but she was already gone, and he had a feeling it wouldn't be wise to follow.
Monica looked on from the kitchen, seeing Rachel storm off. "Who is that and what is going on?"
Chandler grimaced, gripping a glass for support. "That would be…"
"Hey Chloe you came!" Mike Hannigan hugged a tall woman with spikey brown hair.
"Your cousin is Chloe from the copy place?" Phoebe said, her eyes looking for Rachel.
"I also go by Chloe Morgan," she said, laughing lightly to diffuse the tension. "Is that Ross Geller?" she asked. "I couldn't quite tell and I didn't see who he was dancing with but she sure took off in a hurry."
"Chloe, great to meet you," Monica said, injecting herself into the conversation with gritted teeth. "When Mike mentioned a cousin, I didn't know you were her."
"Small world."
"Very small." Ross came next to Monica's side. "Chloe it's been…"
"Around six years." Chloe approached Ross for an awkward hug. "I'm guessing you're getting your copier needs met somewhere else?"
Ross offered a stiff reciprocated hug. "You look, the same."
"You grew your hair out," Chloe complimented, reaching up to touch it, only for Ross to pull away.
"Good to see you," he said quickly, excusing himself.
"Right," Chloe said quietly, offering a small wave.
"Have I missed something?" Mike asked, joining the conversation.
"Oh Mike, you have no idea," Phoebe said, pulling him aside to briefly explain how one Ross and Rachel's original demise came to be.
"Chandler, why don't you grab our newest guest a drink," Monica suggested in a commanding tone while she went to look for her brother. She didn't have to look far, finding him in the guest bedroom, formerly Rachel's room. "You know Chandler and I are going to turn this into a nursery."
"It'll look great," Ross said quietly. "You know I can't even go out and talk to her. I don't know what to say. I'm just as surprised as she is."
Monica nodded. "I think we all learned more about Mike's family tree tonight."
"And the worst part of it is, I thought tonight might be my real shot with Rachel, after all of this time. We're both single, Emma's a year old."
"You both fit so well. Those were some pretty great dance moves out there."
"I was following her lead. Now I feel if I follow her, she'll push me over the balcony."
"No, she wouldn't do that, then she'd be raising Emma alone," Monica said, trying to make a joke.
Ross shot her a tired look.
"No good? Well they can't all be winners," she shrugged. "Let me go out there first and try to suss out the situation," she advised. Monica meandered through the throng to the balcony, relieved to find it relatively empty, with most of the party goers staying inside where it was warmer. "Hey," she called out.
"Is she pretty?" Rachel asked, her arms crossed. "That woman, I can't even say her name."
"Too manic pixie," Monica critiqued. "She isn't even Ross' type."
"She was his type in 1997."
"For like a minute, a really drunk minute," Monica pointed out.
"Seeing her there, it brings everything back. How can I move forward with Ross when people like 'her' are still out there?"
"Isn't Mark still out there?"
Rachel stood up, glowering at Monica. "Whose side are you on! I never even slept with Mark, I couldn't do it. But Ross…."
"Regretted it the minute it happened."
"And then spent hours covering it up. And wouldn't take responsibility for what happened…"
"Tell me you are not going to rehash the break up and the letter," Monica begged. "It is New Year's Eve – this is supposed to be romantic. And more importantly, a time for fresh starts," she emphasized with a raised index finger.
"Can't get a fresh start with remnants of the past everywhere."
"Then how do you expect to move forward?" Monica challenged. "Or go onto the next great thing if you're so stuck living with past memories. Is that what's been keeping you from Ross for the past several years? Because if it is then you are cheating yourself out of something great. But the thing is, you're cheating more than yourself – Ross and Emma want a happy ending too."
"And you think Ross and I could be really happy? Happier than my parents – who divorced, happier than my sisters Amy and Jill and all of their random boyfriends? Happier than every other miserable person in this too big city with people showing up everywhere?"
"Yes I do. Ross is not the same person he was back then."
"Oh he still has a jealous streak," Rachel countered, recalling the missed messages and half of the arguments between them.
"And you still have your issues," Monica reminded. "Always returning gifts, taking things that don't belong to you…"
"When have I done that?"
Monica raised an eyebrow at Rachel. "Do you want me to pull out the inventory of the apartment and show you everything missing over the years?"
"No," Rachel said quietly. "Point taken, everyone has their issues." Rachel peeked in through the window. "Last year I was afraid to make a move, Ross and I were in such a good place, new parents with Emma. This year we've seem to really hit our groove, and we just got over the awkwardness of everything with Joey and Charlie."
"Are you really going to wait until the next 'Joey or Charlie' come between you two?" Monica playfully punched Rachel's shoulder. "Act now."
"Oww," Rachel moaned. "You know you're stronger than you think."
Monica brushed off her shoulder. "I am, aren't I?"
"What do you think they're talking about in there?" Rachel asked.
"Well if Chandler is doing is job…," Monica warned.
Back in the apartment, Joey and Ross were doing their best to hash out the situation.
"Wow that Chloe hasn't aged a day," Joey said, closing his eyes. "I gotta start losing my scripts and making extra copies at her place."
"Start losing your scripts?" Chandler replied. "Like you aren't doing that already?"
"Yeah," Joey relented.
"Hey, back to me," Ross waved. "What am I supposed to do?"
"Get ready to rehash the 'break' conversation again?" Joey asked,
"NO!" Ross and Chandler shouted.
"Look, you and Rachel, it's obvious to everyone but you two," Chandler said, sitting next to Ross on the bed.
Ross put his head in his hands. "Hey, I have had feelings for Rachel since high school, I know that."
"Do you know what's keeping you two apart all this time?"
"Well I bet I could make a list," Ross grimaced.
"Why don't you save the jokes for me?"
"Yeah, that's the one thing Chandler's good at," Joey added in an attempt to be helpful.
Chandler ignored Joey's remark. "Stop the waiting, you both want the same thing. One of you just has to say it first."
"You don't think she'd turn me down?" Ross asked.
"Did you see how angry she got when Chloe got here? If she felt nothing for you, she wouldn't be upset."
Ross lifted his head slightly.
"I am good at other things besides jokes," Chandler added, bumping Ross' shoulder.
"I'll see if I can find her outside." Ross opened the door, coming face to face with Chloe.
"I was just going to say goodbye; I can spend my New Year somewhere else," she offered quickly.
Ross shook his head. "Stay and have a good time. Try some of Monica's appetizers."
"You gonna work things out with Rachel?"
"It's a bit overdue," Ross agreed, with a small wave.
Joey watched Ross head for the balcony. "Hey Chloe, how you doin'?" he smirked.
"You came here with someone else, Joe!" Chandler hissed.
"Doesn't mean I have to leave with her," Joey whined as Chandler pulled him back into the bedroom for a conversation.
Ross knocked on the door to the balcony, beckoning to Monica.
"Sounds like someone wants to talk," Monica said to Rachel, crossing her fingers for luck. "Keep in mind, it's only twenty minutes till midnight."
Rachel nodded, offering Ross a small wave. "Before you say anything, let me go first?" she asked.
Ross nodded, taking a seat on the edge of the balcony.
Rachel sat down next to him. "I overreacted over Chloe, and I know that. All of those memories came rushing back."
"I didn't know she was coming, or that she's Mike's family."
"If she's Mike's family, does that mean we need to see more of her?"
"Well, Monica and I have cousins that we usually don't see too much of so…"
"I mean I don't even see a resemblance between Mike and Chloe. Maybe they're distant cousins."
Ross glanced at his watch, now twenty-two minutes till midnight. "Rachel, we have spent nine New Years together, and we were only a couple for one of them."
Rachel narrowed her eyes at Ross. "Is this your way of saying you don't want to try things between us ever again?"
"No!" Ross said quickly, throwing his hands in the air. "It's…those feelings that I had for you in high school…they never went away. Not when you were dating Paolo, not when I made a stupid list, or when I got crazy jealous, or when I married Emily, or even…"
"When we had Emma," Rachel finished.
"They were stronger than ever when we had Emma. I was all set to tell you the day we took her home from the hospital but…"
"Joey," Rachel finished. "Something or someone has always gotten in our way."
"Well I'm tired of that. I just want to be with you. Every New Years, every Valentines, every Christmas, every…"
Rachel cut him off with a kiss.
"It's not midnight yet," Ross interjected in between kisses.
"Consider this a pre-New Year's kiss," Rachel suggested. Ross leaned into Rachel, reveling in a moment that was years in the making.
"So does this mean you feel the same way?"
"It does."
"So we feel the same way about each other, at the same time."
"And no one else matters. Not that copy girl Chloe, not Mark, no one but us."
"I really like the sound of that."
"Me too."
Monica hollered a five-minute warning from inside, warning all couples to find each other for the midnight moment.
"So do we go back inside?" Ross asked.
Rachel shook her head. "Let's recreate what we did nine years ago – but this time, we get to go home together after."
"Sounds good to me." Ross swept Rachel in another pre New Year's kiss, the pair ignoring the party going on just inside. It had been a long wait, but they were finally ready to get it right.