The Elizabeth Effect

A Friends Fan Fiction

Notes: This canon divergent stand-alone story from Uncle Chandler I Love You focuses on Jennie in her freshman year at NYU discovering that Ross has been cheating on Rachel ever since dating Elizabeth in Season 6.

I'm about a month into my freshman year at NYU. It was a culture shock going to such a huge university after going to a high school in New Hampshire that had a student population of 1,500 students. Instead of living in a dorm I live in Uncle Ross's staff apartment, which is pretty spacious. It has two bedrooms and an office where he grades his papers. I rarely see him, since his first class is at 8:30am and mine is at 10:30.

In my Wednesday afternoon literature class my friend Adele looked at me.

"So, Jen, I hear that you're related to Dr. Gellar."

I nodded slowly. "He's my uncle."

She looked at me with pity. "He's a lecherous creep. I don't even know why he still works here. He's never been inappropriate with you, has he?"

My stomach turned over. "No, I don't know what you're talking about."

She looked at me in shock. "You never heard about how he dates his students?"

I nodded. "Of course I do. But that was a long time ago; I was in ninth grade." I was surprised that a fresh batch of students even knew about him and Elizabeth.

Adele sighed. "He's been dating a new junior paleontology student ever since then. I can't believe you didn't know that."

"He has a wife and daughter." I whispered.

"I feel bad for them. It's a shame your uncle didn't get the memo that he shouldn't date his students."

I was silent, unsure of how to respond.

"If I were you, I would get a single room in a dorm instead of living in his staff apartment."

I sighed. "Okay, I'll think about it. Thanks for looking out for me."

She gently patted my arm. "It's what friends are for, honey."

That afternoon, around dinner time, I heard Uncle Ross's key turn in the lock of the apartment. "Jennifer, I bought pizza for dinner and I've got someone I want you to meet."

I entered the hallway from my bedroom and glanced at the woman who was taking my uncle away from his wife and daughter.

The blonde girl smiled at me. "Hi, there. I'm Stacey. Ross has told me so much about you. It's so nice to meet you!"

It was one thing knowing that he was dating students, but when I actually saw her, it struck me how young she was. She didn't look any older than me.

I extended my hand. "I'm Jennie. It's nice to meet you too."

I shot Uncle Ross a look that said How could you do this to Rachel and Emma?

"Let's eat." Uncle Ross said.

"I can't. I already ate in the cafeteria. I have to go study in my room." I tried to keep my voice neutral, angry enough that Ross would know how mad I was, but not so angry that it would cause a scene in front of Stacy. It wasn't her fault.

I lost sleep that night because the thin walls allowed me to hear every moment of Uncle Ross and Stacey having sex in the room next door.

I went to the bathroom and vomited for fifteen minutes.

The next morning my bedroom eased open at 7:45. "Jennifer, are you awake?"

I mumbled sleepily. "Yeah."

Uncle Ross sat on the edge of my bed. "What do you think of Stacey, honey?"

I shrugged. "She's nice. Are you going to leave Rachel for her?"

Uncle Ross looked at the floor. "Probably."

I glared at him. "How could you betray our family like this Uncle Ross?"

"Jen….."

"Answer me, damn it."

Uncle Ross exhaled. "I'm sorry."

"What you're doing is so scummy. I can't believe you've been living a double life like this for so long. Oh, by the way, 'I'm sorry' does not answer my question."

"I'm not satisfied just existing in this co-parenting situation with Rachel."

"Do your marriage vows mean nothing?"

He didn't reply.

"Don't you love Emma?"I exhaled. "You are setting such a bad example for your kids. You are acting like Uncle Joey would."

"That really stings."

I looked at him squarely in the face. "It's the fucking truth."

There was an awkward silence.

"Are you going to marry Stacey?"

He nodded. "I'm going to ask Rachel for a divorce in a few weeks, and I'm proposing to her at Thanksgiving break. I'm sorry for springing this on you, but since we live together, and she has a roommate, there was no other way to see each other," he whined.

"Are you going to have a baby with her?"

"We're thinking about it."

"What about all the other girls you've been dating…"

Uncle Ross recoiled. "Who the fuck told you about that?"

I sighed. "My friend Adele. The whole campus talks about you. They think Mr. Stevens should have gotten you fired a long time ago."

Uncle Ross exhaled. Another awkward silence which was incredibly painful.

"Don't you love Rachel and Emma?"

Uncle Ross looked ashamed. "I told you I do."

"I don't believe you."

"Uncle Ross kissed me on the forehead. "I have to get ready for work and you should get up soon and start getting ready for school."

"I'm sick. I'm not going to classes today."

He felt my forehead. "You do feel a little warm. I'll get you some Motrinand make you some toast."

I shook my head. "l'll get it myself. I hope you get fired. You fucking deserve it."

I went back to bed for three hours. When I woke up, I opened my laptop and started researching schools I could transfer to.

I still had the list of schools I applied to senior year, so I quickly sent a group text to Uncle Chandler and Auntie Monica.

My phone rang, it was Auntie Monica.

"Sweetheart, first of all, why aren't you in class?"

"Mental health day."

"Tell Mama what's wrong."

"Gossip about Uncle Ross."

"What kind of gossip?"

"How he's had a new girlfriend every year since he broke up with Elizabeth."

"Have you met his new girlfriend?"

"Yeah I have. She's nice but I can't get over the fact that he'd be so dishonest to Rachel."

I heard Auntie Monica exhale with frustration. "I cannot believe he is repeating the same behavior that he did when he cheated on Rachel with Chloe. The fact that he has a child now makes everything so much worse."

"I want him to get fired, but I don't think I could deal with the gossip. And if he doesn't get fired, I'd have to see him all the time. That's why I want to transfer."

"I hate your Uncle so much for doing this to you. We can discuss this more tomorrow, okay? Your father will pick you up around 3:00."

"Ok."

Twenty minutes later I got a text message from Adele.

"Hey, Jen, are you all right? You weren't in biology today. I have your notes. We have a lab report due in three weeks."

"I have anxiety because of the gossip about Ross."

"Meet me in the student Union cafe in 20 minutes. "

"Okay."

Twenty minutes later I sat across the table from her.

She glanced at me and noticed my pale face. "Have you eaten anything today?"

"Just some toast."

She pulled out her wallet. "You need something in your stomach, Jennie. I'll buy you a sandwich and some juice."

I nodded. "Okay."

She put her arm around me. "Did you sleep last night?"

I buried my face in my hands. "It's hard to do that when Uncle Ross and Stacey have very loud sex in the room next to mine."

Uncle Ross is abandoning his family to be with Stacey."

"Do you feel betrayed?"

I nodded my head. "Absolutely."

She pulled me closer to her. "As I said yesterday, he's a lecherous creep. There is a petition going around the school to get him fired."

My jaw dropped in shock. "Did you sign it?"

She shook her head. " I wanted to make sure you were okay with my signing it."

I nodded slowly.

"Are you going to sign it too, Jen?"

I exhaled. "Probably. He should have been fired for dating Elizabeth four years ago. The fact that he is consistently breaking the same rule shows that he did not even deserve to get tenure."

"Will he get mad at you if you sign?"

I looked at her. "I don't give a shit. He stopped caring about our family the moment he started sleeping around with other women. Rachel deserves so much better than him."

She squeezed my hand. "I met your family on homecoming weekend. Your little cousins are just the cutest."

I smiled through my frustrated tears. "They are my whole entire world. I miss them when I am at school."

"I'm gonna come visit you during Thanksgiving break okay? I want to take them to downtown Westchester with you to see the holiday decorations."

"I love you, Adele," I whispered.

"I love you too, honey."

The next afternoon Uncle Chandler picked me up after my last class.

He looked at the apartment and noticed clothes were strewn everywhere. It was all Stacey's dirty lingerie.

"I thought we taught you to always clean your room."

I glanced at him. "None of that stuff is mine." I whispered.

His eyes met mine. "Are you okay?"

I shook my head. "No, let's go. I'll tell you in the car."

"Do you have all your homework?"

I nodded.

Once we pulled out of the NYU parking lot, Uncle Chandler squeezed my hand gently.

"It's okay to be angry, Jennie.I am calling housing this week and having you moved into a single room in a dorm. I don't feel comfortable with you living with Uncle Ross and Stacey."

I nodded. "Okay. Thank you for protecting me."

"Anything for my best girl."

I sighed. "Can I transfer to another school? The options I sent you were all schools we considered anyway."

Uncle Chandler sighed. "Do you not want to be around him at all?"

I shook my head. "I can't go through multiple semesters knowing there's gossip. Everyone feels bad for me. I can't be known around campus as that girl who has the pervert as an uncle. They even have a petition going around to get him fired."

"Are you going to sign it too?"

I looked my godfather straight in the eye. "Yes, I really want to. It is open for the whole school to sign. Will you and Auntie Monica be mad at me?"

He squeezed my hand again. "No, baby girl. We are so proud of you for taking a stand and protecting fellow students against Ross's creepy behavior."

I nodded. "I've made a real close friend in my literature class. Her name's Adele. She's the one who told me about Stacey in the first place."

"You'd miss her a lot if you transferred, wouldn't you?"

I nodded. "She said she'd come visit me, though"

Uncle Chandler nodded slowly.

"We'll talk to Monica tonight."

After dinner, when I was doing my homework, there was a knock on the bedroom door. It was Auntie Monica.

"Come on into our room, sweetheart. We should have a discussion about what's happening at school."

I nodded. "Okay."

Uncle Chandler had the phone in his hands.

"Are you going to call the head of housing?"

Uncle Chandler shook his head.

"No, we need to call Rachel first. She needs to know what is going on."

I was shaking.

Auntie Monica steadied my shoulder.

"Honey, there is no need to be scared. Rachel is not going to be upset with you. We promise."

"But Uncle Ross will be so mad that I told her."

Uncle Chandler looked at me sternly.

"Stop being ridiculous. Ross needs to grow some balls and realize how much he's hurt our entire family. Rachel needs to know this and you should be the one to tell her, since you have more details than we do."

I exhaled. "Okay."

Uncle Chandler dialed Rachael's number. She picked up on the first ring.

"Hey Rach, it's Chandler. Jennie has found out some real upsetting news. She wants to tell you herself. Here she is."

I took the phone from him. "Hey, Rachel."

"Tell me everything."

I exhaled. "Ross has been dating a new NYU student ever since he stopped dating Elizabeth," I blurted out.

"That doesn't surprise me at all."

Tears were streaming down my cheeks.

"He's divorcing you for his latest girlfriend. Her name is Stacey."

Rachel was sniffling on the other end of the phone. "Damn! Janice hit the nail on the head at the hospital. I will be raising Emma on my own. You'll have to do double duty on the babysitting, honey."

I smiled. "I'll always be your girl. You know that."

I handed the phone to Auntie Monica.

"Chandler and I will help you out too."

"I know, we cannot believe this either. We'll never forgive him for this either. Mom and Dad will be shocked to know that their prodigal son is not the perfect child they raised."

Auntie Monica was quiet as Rachel spoke.

"Probably. He deserves to after how he has gotten away with this behavior for such a long time. I bet we all wish Paul Stevens had gotten him fired a long time ago. We'll see you and Emma tomorrow okay? Hang in there."

"We love you, too."

Auntie Monica pulled me tight against her chest. "My poor baby. You should not be stuck in the middle of your uncle's affair. I'm so sorry you're dealing with this."

"Mama?"

"What is it?"

"Is it still worth it for me to use Uncle Ross's staff discount?"

Auntie Monica glanced at Uncle Chandler over the top of my head and then she let out a heavy sigh.

"We are taking you back to school on Monday to talk to the Dean of Students. We are going to have your staff discount to NYU revoked at the end of the year. That should give you plenty of time to fill out a transfer application to another school."

"I'm leaning towards The New School.I probably would have chosen it over NYU if I didn't have the staff discount. Plus, I really loved that literature class you Rachel and Aunt Phoebe took me to."

She kissed my forehead. "You were our little star and the professor loved you. I'm pretty sure he remembers you."

"What about the tuition?"

"Your grandparents are helping with that."

"Sounds like a good plan to me." I nuzzled my head into her chest.

"Daddy and I love you endlessly, Angel."

Auntie Monica kissed my forehead gently.

"I love you, too."

When we arrived at Rachel's the next morning, Emma barreled down the hall and entwined herself around my legs.

"Ennie." She squealed.

"There's my girl." I picked her up and held to my chest.

She turned her head to look at Rachel "Mama sad?"

I kissed her forehead. "Mama is very sad, and so are we. But it has nothing to do with you. Let's eat some breakfast, okay?"

"I love you."

"I love you too. So do Uncle Chandler and Auntie Monica."

Uncle Chandler pulled me close to him kissing Emma and I on the top of our heads. "My little princesses, you are my everything. I love you both very much."

"Love you too." I whispered.

Brunch was a little hectic, but somehow we were able to feed all three infants.

Rachel had dark circles underneath her eyes and looked directly at me from across the table.

"Is this girl, Stacey, pretty?"

I rolled my eyes. "No, she's super basic, freshly manicured nails, designer clothes, probably a complete snob." She'd seemed nice enough, but I wasn't about to tell Rachel that.

Rachel sighed. "I want to take you back to school on Monday and give him a piece of my mind. He has been treating me like shit for so long."

Uncle Chandler cleared his throat.

"Ross should've lost his job after he dated Elizabeth. The fact that it's taken so long for students and faculty to take a stand against his actions is quite frankly shocking. I'm glad they're finally doing something about it."

Rachel's eyes grew wide in surprise.

"What are you talking about Chandler?"

"There is a school wide petition in circulation from Paleontology department students, alumni and parents to get Ross fired."

Rachel stood up and picked Emma up out of her high chair.

"Mama?"

Rachel kissed her daughter's head. "What is it sweetie?"

"Where's Daddy?"

Rachel smiled sadly.

"He's not here Emma. He's at school."

"Coming home?"

Tears were in Rachel's eyes. "That's why Mommy is very sad. I don't think he's coming home."

Emma screamed. "I want Daddy here!"

Rachel glanced up at Uncle Chandler and Auntie Monica. "What do I say?" She whispered.

"Our Little Em, come see Auntie Monica." Auntie Monica whispered.

Rachel handed Emma to her.

"Daddy met a new girl honey."

Emma looked at Auntie Monica, her lip was quivering.

"At school?"

Auntie Monica blew her bangs off her forehead. "Yes baby, at school."

"He doesn't love me and Mama anymore?" She whispered

There was silence. None of us knew how to answer her.

Uncle Chandler stood up and walked over to Auntie Monica's chair and knelt down in front Emma.

"Your dad wants to be with Stacey but that doesn't mean he will stop loving you.. okay Emma?"

"What about Mama?" Emma whispered.

"Mama stopped loving Daddy a long time ago." Rachel whispered.

"Does he love you?"

Fresh tears were in Rachel's eyes. "Not anymore, lovebug."

"Uncle Chandler, will you be my daddy instead?" Emma whispered.

His eyes misted over. "I'm always here for you, okay?"

She nodded. "I love you."

"I love you too."

Auntie Monica stood up. "Is someone ready for a nap?"

Emma nodded and laid her head down on her shoulder.

Once Auntie Monica was headed upstairs Rachel exhaled.

"Are they really getting together? Permanently?

"Uncle Ross is proposing to her at Thanksgiving."

"Bastard!"

Uncle Chandler wrapped Rachel in a hug. "We're all pissed off at Ross, believe me."

"He never ever cared about us."

"I'm right here, let those tears flow."

Rachel took off her wedding ring and placed it on the kitchen counter.

"I'm officially filing for a divorce from Ross. I think I am going to get a restraining order against him too."

It was my turn to give her a shocked look "Restraining order?"

Rachel nodded. "I don't want my daughter to be around Ross or that whore Stacey. I am not sure yet if I want Emma to have a relationship with their child either."

On Monday morning Rachel drove me back to campus around 7:30 am hoping to talk to Uncle Ross before his first class. When we pulled into the parking lot of Uncle Ross's staff apartment we noticed it was dark inside. I was a little shocked because it was Monday and Uncle Ross's first class was supposed to be on campus for his first class at 8:30. We saw a campus police car parked in front. An officer stepped out.

"Jennifer Millias?"

"What can we do for you, officer?" Rachel asked

"Are you her mother?"

"I'm Rachel Green, 's ex-wife. I'm close friends with her mother, Monica Gellar."

The officer extended his hand. "Nice to meet you, M'am."

"Is Ross home?" I asked

The officer extended a folded piece of paper to me. "I'm sure you have heard about this petition that has been circulating to get him fired."

I nodded slowly. "Did he get fired?"

"Yes. Miss Millias, housing wants you out of here. There's an opening for a single room in the Southern Park dorm. We'll be happy to assist you with moving your things over there."

I nodded. "Thank you, officer."

The officer let out a long exhale. "A Miss Erickson left you a note, Miss Millias."

I gingerly took the paper from him gingerly and opened It.

Dear Jennie,

If you are reading this note you have already seen the cop outside of Ross's apartment. He was finally fired for all the disgusting behavior he has done in the past couple years. You won't see me around campus anymore either because my parents have forced me to transfer to another school and I've left NYU. I am very sorry for all the pain that I have caused Rachel and the rest of your family. While you may never forgive Ross for his actions I hope you at least forgive me and we can be friends in the future.

Sincerely,

Stacey Erickson