A/N: All of these characters are owned by Bright, Kauffman, and Crane, the writers of the show, and NBC and its affiliates.
I do not own them. I am just a big fan.
PROLOGUE
"You think I need a new walk?" That was Joey, breaking the silence in Monica's bedroom, where he, Monica, Phoebe,
and Chandler had been trapped for hours now, while Rachel and Ross were fighting. The other three turned to look at him.
"What?" Chandler asked, giving Joey a look. Their friends were out there in the living room, breaking up, and
Joey was asking asinine questions like this. Perhaps the leg wax was getting to him.
"Well, you know, I've been walking the same way since high school," Joey said. "You know...you know how some guys,
they walk into a room and everyone takes notice? I think I need a take-notice walk." Chandler continued to stare at him,
dumbfounded.
"Are you actually saying these words?" he asked. Joey looked at him and shrugged.
Meanwhile, in the living room, the argument was still going strong. It was now three in the morning and Ross had not
given up. Sitting in the chair, he turned to face Rachel, who was sitting on the couch, a pleading look in his eyes.
"What, now you're not even talking to me?" he asked as he moved to sit on the coffee table in front of her. "Look,
Rachel, I'm, I'm sorry, okay? I'm sorry, I was out of my mind. I thought I'd lost you, I didn't know what to do. Come on!
Come on, how insane must I have been to do something like this? Huh? I, I, I don't cheat, right, I...that's not me! I'm not
Joey!"
At this point the four in the bedroom were leaning against the door, eavesdropping, and heard what Ross had just said.
"Whoa-ho-ho!" Joey exclaimed defensively, looking at Chandler. Chandler, in return, gave him a look that said,
"Come on." Joey nodded. "Yeah, okay." Monica glanced at the clock.
"Hey, it's three in the morning! They don't know I've come home yet! You notice how neither of them
are wondering where I am," Monica said, turning to see the other three staring at her.
"Yeah, you know, people can be so self-involved," Phoebe said. The gang went back to eavesdropping.
"You know what? You know what? I'm, I'm not the one that wanted that, that break, okay?" Ross continued as Rachel
stared blankly past him. "You're the one that bailed on us. You're the one that, that ran when things got just a little
rough!" Rachel's eyes darted to his face, a scowl on her lips, fire in her eyes.
"That's..." she began.
"That's what?!"
"That is neither here nor there."
"Okay, well here we are," Ross said. "Now we're in a tough spot again, Rach. What do you want to do?
How do you want to handle it? Huh? Do you wanna fight for us, or do you wanna bail?" On the verge of tears,
he sat down next to her and took her hand in his. "Look, I...I did a terrible, terrible, stupid thing. Okay?
And I'm sorry. I wish I could take it back, but I can't. I just can't see us throwing away something that we both
know is so damn good, Rachel. I love you so much." As she continued to stare straight ahead, Ross began kissing her
shoulder, then moved his way up her neck, to the side of her face. Her eyelids began to flutter, her breathing became
labored; it felt like it used to. He almost kissed her on the lips when she realized that the fight wasn't over and she
pushed him away, jumping up from the couch and standing in front of the television.
"No, Ross! Don't! You can't just kiss me, and think you're going to make it all go away, okay? It doesn't work
that way! It doesn't just make it better! Okay?" Ross put a hand up to silence her yelling.
"Okay, okay, okay," he said softly. He looked up at her as she blinked back tears, and as the words he never
wanted to hear came out of her mouth.
"I think you should go," she said, almost in a whisper. Floored, Ross looked up at her, trying to catch her gaze.
"What?"
"I think you should go," she repeated. Ross jumped up from the couch and stood in front of her.
"Okay, okay. This morning, you said there was nothing so big that we couldn't work past it together.."
"Yeah, what the hell did I know!"
"Look, look, there's got to be a way to work past this," he said, the tears stinging at his eyes.
He took her arm and held it as he spoke. "Okay. I can't imagine, I can't imagine my life...without you." H
e began to get choked up, and watched as a tear ran down her cheek. "Without...without these arms, without this face,"
he said as he touched her face, and moved down to touch her chest over where her heart would be," without this heart.
Your good heart, Rach." He sunk to his knees and wrapped his arms around her waist, hugging her, while she stood,
staring straight ahead, and crying.
"No, I can't, you're a totally different person to me now. I used to think of you as someone who would never
hurt me, ever." She took a breath and continued. "God, and now I just can't stop picturing you with her, I can't."
Ross stood up and backed away a little, so he could see her face, her beautiful face, which was now stained with tears.
All he wanted to do was take her in his arms and hold her, but he couldn't. She'd put up a barrier between the two of them.
"It doesn't matter what you do or what you say, Ross. It's just changed everything. Forever." Staring at her in disbelief,
Ross blinked away tears as he struggled to say something.
"Yeah, but this can't be it, I mean..." Ross paused and placed his hands on his hips, then dropped them down
to his side as he looked at Rachel, who was openly crying at this point. She took a breath.
"Then how come it is?"
I do not own them. I am just a big fan.
PROLOGUE
"You think I need a new walk?" That was Joey, breaking the silence in Monica's bedroom, where he, Monica, Phoebe,
and Chandler had been trapped for hours now, while Rachel and Ross were fighting. The other three turned to look at him.
"What?" Chandler asked, giving Joey a look. Their friends were out there in the living room, breaking up, and
Joey was asking asinine questions like this. Perhaps the leg wax was getting to him.
"Well, you know, I've been walking the same way since high school," Joey said. "You know...you know how some guys,
they walk into a room and everyone takes notice? I think I need a take-notice walk." Chandler continued to stare at him,
dumbfounded.
"Are you actually saying these words?" he asked. Joey looked at him and shrugged.
Meanwhile, in the living room, the argument was still going strong. It was now three in the morning and Ross had not
given up. Sitting in the chair, he turned to face Rachel, who was sitting on the couch, a pleading look in his eyes.
"What, now you're not even talking to me?" he asked as he moved to sit on the coffee table in front of her. "Look,
Rachel, I'm, I'm sorry, okay? I'm sorry, I was out of my mind. I thought I'd lost you, I didn't know what to do. Come on!
Come on, how insane must I have been to do something like this? Huh? I, I, I don't cheat, right, I...that's not me! I'm not
Joey!"
At this point the four in the bedroom were leaning against the door, eavesdropping, and heard what Ross had just said.
"Whoa-ho-ho!" Joey exclaimed defensively, looking at Chandler. Chandler, in return, gave him a look that said,
"Come on." Joey nodded. "Yeah, okay." Monica glanced at the clock.
"Hey, it's three in the morning! They don't know I've come home yet! You notice how neither of them
are wondering where I am," Monica said, turning to see the other three staring at her.
"Yeah, you know, people can be so self-involved," Phoebe said. The gang went back to eavesdropping.
"You know what? You know what? I'm, I'm not the one that wanted that, that break, okay?" Ross continued as Rachel
stared blankly past him. "You're the one that bailed on us. You're the one that, that ran when things got just a little
rough!" Rachel's eyes darted to his face, a scowl on her lips, fire in her eyes.
"That's..." she began.
"That's what?!"
"That is neither here nor there."
"Okay, well here we are," Ross said. "Now we're in a tough spot again, Rach. What do you want to do?
How do you want to handle it? Huh? Do you wanna fight for us, or do you wanna bail?" On the verge of tears,
he sat down next to her and took her hand in his. "Look, I...I did a terrible, terrible, stupid thing. Okay?
And I'm sorry. I wish I could take it back, but I can't. I just can't see us throwing away something that we both
know is so damn good, Rachel. I love you so much." As she continued to stare straight ahead, Ross began kissing her
shoulder, then moved his way up her neck, to the side of her face. Her eyelids began to flutter, her breathing became
labored; it felt like it used to. He almost kissed her on the lips when she realized that the fight wasn't over and she
pushed him away, jumping up from the couch and standing in front of the television.
"No, Ross! Don't! You can't just kiss me, and think you're going to make it all go away, okay? It doesn't work
that way! It doesn't just make it better! Okay?" Ross put a hand up to silence her yelling.
"Okay, okay, okay," he said softly. He looked up at her as she blinked back tears, and as the words he never
wanted to hear came out of her mouth.
"I think you should go," she said, almost in a whisper. Floored, Ross looked up at her, trying to catch her gaze.
"What?"
"I think you should go," she repeated. Ross jumped up from the couch and stood in front of her.
"Okay, okay. This morning, you said there was nothing so big that we couldn't work past it together.."
"Yeah, what the hell did I know!"
"Look, look, there's got to be a way to work past this," he said, the tears stinging at his eyes.
He took her arm and held it as he spoke. "Okay. I can't imagine, I can't imagine my life...without you." H
e began to get choked up, and watched as a tear ran down her cheek. "Without...without these arms, without this face,"
he said as he touched her face, and moved down to touch her chest over where her heart would be," without this heart.
Your good heart, Rach." He sunk to his knees and wrapped his arms around her waist, hugging her, while she stood,
staring straight ahead, and crying.
"No, I can't, you're a totally different person to me now. I used to think of you as someone who would never
hurt me, ever." She took a breath and continued. "God, and now I just can't stop picturing you with her, I can't."
Ross stood up and backed away a little, so he could see her face, her beautiful face, which was now stained with tears.
All he wanted to do was take her in his arms and hold her, but he couldn't. She'd put up a barrier between the two of them.
"It doesn't matter what you do or what you say, Ross. It's just changed everything. Forever." Staring at her in disbelief,
Ross blinked away tears as he struggled to say something.
"Yeah, but this can't be it, I mean..." Ross paused and placed his hands on his hips, then dropped them down
to his side as he looked at Rachel, who was openly crying at this point. She took a breath.
"Then how come it is?"