Chapter 18: Just Desserts

"Thanks for a wonderful weekend, Ladies," Judy called as she stepped out of the car. She glances quickly up at the house, willing her husband to notice the car and come out to greet her. It would make the ladies in the car so jealous that she had a husband who would do such a thing. There was no movement in the house. She sighed inwardly and plastered a big smile on her face. "Bye for now." She shut the door and waved until the car was out of sight. As soon as she felt they were out of seeing range, she dropped the fake smile and rolled her eyes, mumbling under her breath. As soon as she stepped in the front door, she was yelling for her husband, knowing he was home because his car was in the driveway.

"Jack? I'm home. You were supposed to come out and meet the car! Oh, there you are," she said as he stepped out of the living room. "How was your weekend? Did you manage to eat anything healthy, or simply order pizza for every meal, honestly Jack, think of your cholesterol." She flung herself down onto one of the kitchen chairs, motioning for her husband to join her at the table. "Those women are so taxing to be around! They're all about appearances and brag constantly about every little detail in their lives, especially their kids. And I know we have the best kid, no one holds a candle to Ross, and I think they know that too, cause everything is a competition-"

"We have two kids."

Judy looked up in surprise. They had barely spoken of Monica since the year after she had left home. "Yes, of course, but we only have one kid to be proud of. Ross is perfect and Monica is just gone. I can't tell my friends about her, just think of what they would say." Judy brushed off the topic. In the past few years she had worked very hard to get accepted into a country club and keeping up appearances was part of the game. She, Jack and Ross were the perfect family in the eyes of the other members; a happy couple with a successful son. Jack had to know that's the way it had to stay. "They can't ever know about Monica. It would destroy us in their eyes…" She trailed off, finally noticing the pained expression of her husbands face. "What's wrong?"

Jack noticeably hesitated before speaking. "I've had an interesting weekend. Ross and Rachel came to see me yesterday. They had news."

"What kind of news?" Judy asked hopefully, misreading his expression and instead of expecting bad news, heard wedding bells in her head.

Jack sighed, knowing what he had to do. He looked up, meeting his wife's eyes, knowing he would have his answer as soon as he spoke his next few words. "They found Monica." Judy's eyes widened and her hand came up to her mouth to cover the gasp that had flown out. She looked away from his eyes and at that moment he knew. He knew without a single doubt that everything Monica had told them the previous day had been the truth.

"Oh, my. Is she okay? Where did they find her? Where has she been?" Judy said, trying to recover after her reaction.

Jack shook his head and looked away, ashamed to even look her in the eye right now. How could he have let her fool him for so long?

"Jack? Jack! Talk to me. What's wrong?" Judy demanded. Hoping he hadn't heard Monica's side of the story. Hoping there was still time for her to convince him otherwise.

"How could you do it? To your own daughter?" Jack asked softly, still not looking up.

"I-I don't know what you're talking about."

"Just give it up." Jack looked up at her and she was taken aback by the expression in his eyes. She had never seen it before.

Judy hesitated, trying desperately to come up with something to say, knowing she was running out of time.

"We've been married for more than twenty-five years for crying out loud! We have two children! How could you have done this?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," she repeated.

"Like hell you don't. She's your daughter. And you just kicked her out. Got rid of her so you didn't have to deal with her anymore."

"You don't know the whole story."

"I know everything you told me was a lie. I know she didn't run away. I know she didn't steal anything when she left. I know that she spent the last three years of her life thinking we all wanted her out of our lives. Is there anything else?"

"She was destroying our life!" Judy shouted. "She got in the way! I told you when I was pregnant that this was never going to work. I could just feel it. She wasn't what we needed. Think of all the time and money we wasted on her. That we should have spent on just the three of us. She screwed up all the time. She got fat. For Christ's sake, Jack! I did us all a favor."

"How could you think that? She's our daughter! We didn't waste one penny on one second on her. She spent her whole life trying to make you happy! And the only reason she put on weight was because she was depressed from never being good enough!"

"Jack," Judy began as calmly as she could. "Please don't be thinking what I think you may be. We don't need her in our lives. Think of what everyone's going to say? It would destroy us! After all the work we've done."

"So what? Your social life is more important than your family. Do you even hear yourself?" Jack voice had risen and he was angry.

Judy began to feel afraid, knowing she had been found out and wasn't going to talk herself out of it. "Jack, she isn't worth it. Please listen to me. If you go and bring her back into our lives, then I may just not be here anymore."

Jack was astonished at her words. "So what you're saying is; I have to choose between my wife and my daughter?"

Judy nodded, her jaw set firmly. "That's right."

Jack shook his head before looking back up at her, his gaze steady. "That very fact that you are asking me to choose tells me my answer." With that he got up and walked out of the kitchen.

"Where are you going?" She got up and followed him into the living room where he picked up a suitcase. "Jack, what's going on?"

"I can't even begin to believe that I was married to someone like you. I'm ashamed of myself. I really am. Obviously I've made a huge mistake, but you can bet I'm going to fix it." He picked up his bag and walked right by his wife. He closed the front door of the house behind him and got into his car.

Judy watched him go from the living room window, tears in her eyes. He wasn't ever supposed to find out.

xxxxx

Rachel groaned as the annoying ringing sound continued to interrupt her dream. She slowly became aware that she was in bed and the phone was ringing. She opened one eye and blinked sleepily at the alarm clock beside her bed. It was after midnight on a Monday night. She reached over to pick up the portable that was resting beside the clock.

"Hello?" She spoke through a yawn.

"Hey, its me. Sorry to call so late."

"S'okay. What's up?"

She heard Ross sigh on the other end of the phone. "My dads asleep on my couch."

"So?" Rachel's sleep deprived brain fought to make sense of what he was telling her.

"He showed up a few hours ago. He, uh…he just left my mom."

Rachel realized what he was talking about and she sat upright in bed. "Oh, sweetie, I'm so sorry."

There was silence on the other end.

"Are you okay? Do you want me to come over?"

"No, I don't want you out this late. If something ever happened to you I don't know what I'd do."

Rachel smiled at his words. He was always so concerned about her. "Are you okay?" She repeated.

Ross sighed again. "I guess I have to be. I mean she deserves everything that's happening to her. She caused it all. I guess I just didn't expect it to happen so soon. My dad can't even be near her right now. He's so mad. I still can't believe that she did this. She lied to everyone. And what kills me the most is that if I hadn't have bumped into Chandler, we would never have known."

Rachel paused a moment to take in his words. "I never even though of that."

"I still can't believe all of this is happening."

"Do you, uh, want to talk to your mom?" Rachel asked.

"I don't know. I want to know why she did everything she did, but I don't know if I want to hear what she has to say."

"I understand."

Ross sighed. "I think I do need to talk to her."

"Do you want me to come with you when you do?"

"Would you do that? I don't know if I could do it by myself."

"Of course."

"Thanks." Ross said. "I better let you go. It's late."

"Kay, I'll talk to you tomorrow. I love you."

"Love you to."

xxxxx

Judy sighed sadly and blinked back tears as she stepped in the front door and closed it behind her. She lingered in the front hall, leaning on the door for a few moments before straightening her posture and striding into the house. She had just returned from an important social event at the country club, which had been stressful, as she had been forced to put on a happy face and tell everyone that her husband was simply out of town on a last minute work trip. He regretted missing the event, but he was a very important employee. She knew she couldn't keep up the act forever, and she was already formulating plans in her head of what she could tell her friends. She was so focused on her possible social suicide that she failed to realize just how easily the lies were now coming to her.

As she was unpacking her day bag, she scowled at the clothes missing from the closet she had shared with her husband. Her expression turned to anger as she cursed her daughter for causing this problem. She always ruined everything. Judy had been denied a promotion at work because she had gotten pregnant. Being called away from lunches with friends because Monica was sick and called her from school. The embarrassment of her friends handing her pamphlets on fat camps prior to every summer. It never seemed to stop for Monica. She firmly believed she had done her family a favor, and she could only hope her husband would realize his mistake and return to her, sooner rather than later.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a vehicle pulling into her driveway. She glanced out her window and smiled at the sight of her son's car.

"It's about time," she said to herself. It had been two days since her husband left her, and she was sure he had gone to see Ross. She had expected Ross to rush over the day it happened, and when he hadn't shown up she had convinced herself it was too late and he was busy taking care of his father. When he hadn't shown up yesterday either, Judy had begun to become concerned.

She took her time walking down the stairs, and waited for a few minutes after she heard the knock to actually open the door. She did her best to rumple her hair and glue a depressed expression to her face. She needed the sympathy vote from Ross.

"Hi, sweetie," she said quietly, her voice wavering slightly. She was well practiced. "What did I do to deserve such a special visit from you two?" She motioned at Rachel as well.

Ross's expression didn't change. "Absolutely nothing." He said. "You have done nothing to deserve anything from me right now."

Judy cringed inwardly, realizing how upset her son was. "Ross, honey you have to let me explain." She reached a hand toward him.

Ross pulled away violently, "don't touch me!" He exclaimed.

Judy jumped at the volume of his voice and motioned for Ross and Rachel to come inside. She didn't want to make a scene. Once they were all seated in the living room she tried again.

"Ross, you have to understand. What I did was for the best. We all benefited from it."

"Explain to me how I benefited from losing my sister, or how dad benefited from losing his daughter, or how Monica benefited from being kicked out at eighteen?"

"Ross, sweetie, you just don't understand-"

"No, mom, I really don't. I don't even know why I'm here. There's nothing that you could say that would make me understand why you did this." With that Ross went to stand up, but was stopped by a hand on his knee. Rachel gently pulled him back down beside him, knowing he had to do this. She stayed silent, not wanting Judy to think she was supporting her, rather than supporting Ross.

Ross sat back down and sighed as he wrapped his hand around the one still sitting on his leg. He even allowed himself a small smile as Rachel gave his hand a comforting squeeze. Ross took a deep breath and looked up at his mother, meeting her sad eyes. He motioned for her to continue.

Judy took a moment to organize her thoughts, knowing one wrong move and she may lose her son forever. She just hoped she wasn't already past that point. "Sweetie," she began, deciding to lay on all the special names that she could. She had to remind him of all the special treatment he had gotten during his life. "Your sister didn't belong with us. She was different and we all knew it." She paused for a moment and took her son's silence as a cue to continue. "After we had you, I didn't want another child, and when I found out I was pregnant again, I just had this feeling. It was a bad time, and I knew right away that another child wasn't a good idea, but your father refused to accept this. I agreed to have the baby and I did a damn good job putting up with her for as long as I did. I gave her a good chance, I let her finish high school, but then it was time to move on." She paused again, giving Ross time to absorb what she had said. He had to understand. "I did it for the three of us," she finally said when Ross continued to be silent.

Ross looked up at her, an expression on his face unlike any she had ever known. "No, you didn't do this for us, you did it for you." He said in a steady, even voice, no emotion evident.

"No, sweetie, I did it for us. It gave your father and I more time to spend with you and each other."

Ross shook his head. "Mom, I was already at school, and you don't spend time with dad as it is."

"Well, not that you see, but I've spent a countless amount of time over the past few years putting your father and I into a good spot socially."

Ross scoffed at this and even laughed aloud. "Do you really think I buy that you're doing that for both of you? Dad hates the people at the country club, and we both know that. Everything you've been doing there is strictly for you. You're a selfish person. I don't know why I didn't see it before."

Judy felt anger well up inside her. "Don't you ever call me that." She scolded, her voice rising. "Especially not in this house. I gave you a great life, you got everything you ever wanted."

"And you almost destroyed you own daughter in the process!" Ross yelled back, sitting up straighter on the couch.

"I didn't hear you complaining! You loved the way you got treated growing up, don't deny that. You gloated and held it over her for your entire life with her. You didn't care that she didn't get things like you did. You didn't care how she was treated. The more we gave you and the less we gave her, the happier you were."

Ross shook his head. "Only when I was young, when I didn't understand what was going on." He paused for a moment to lower his voice. "How could you be so horrible to her?"

"You were part of the problem, Ross." She said, beginning to get mad at her son for his attitude towards her. "I didn't everything for you. So you'd have a better life. And you never tried to stop me."

"Hey," Rachel said, finally speaking up. "That's not fair."

Judy glared at her. "You stay out of this, it's none of your business."

Rachel felt her blood pressure rise quickly and she too sat up straighter on the couch. "Not my business? Not my business! She was my best friend! Don't think I don't know all the horrible things you used to say to her, you used to do to her. All she ever wanted was you approval and your love, and you never gave it to her. I hate you for what you did to her!" Rachel stood up, going to step towards Judy, but Ross held her back.

"Don't, Rach, she's not worth it," he said quietly, almost as if to himself as well as her. "Lets just go."

Judy stood up, as if to block their exit, but one look from Ross and she knew she had to let them go. She had lost.

Ross pushed his girlfriend out the door in front of him and turned back for one last word. He nodded sadly. "Goodbye." With that he stepped outside into the daylight and pulled the door shut silently behind him.

AN: So sorry it took me so long, but I had huge writers block as what to do about everyone's reaction to Judy. I guess I never really thought this far ahead from the beginning of the story. In my mind I never got passed Ross and Rachel finding Mon at the wedding. So I have some ideas about what other people are going to say to Judy. I don't want to be too harsh, but I know there's a demand for her to get what she deserves.I'll get the next chapter up as soon as I can. Thanks for continued support.