AN: Alright, I'm done exams. I am now officially finished grade 11, A-Woo-Hoo!

And what am I going to do now? Celebrate? Party in the summer heat? No. I'd rather sit alone in my bedroom and write a new story about Ross and Rachel. I guess I'm just not really in an upbeat mood, which kind of pays off for this story.

The only way I can explain the background for this story is that it will be a "what if" during TOW Chandler's Dad. But that's all I'm going to say, other than that small summary. I guess you'll just have to read on. ;)

Please enjoy and, of course, tell me what you think with a review.

Disclaimer: The characters and the lines from Friends do not belong to me.

Rachel happily drove Monica's Porsche. She felt relaxed and carefree with the wind in her hair. The sheer power of the car sent a refreshing sensation coursing through her body.

"God. I forgot how much I love driving. I have got to get my license renewed," Rachel commented as she propped her head in her hand. Ross whipped his head around to face her, a disbelieving look on his face.

"You don't have a valid driver's license? Okay that is it! Pull over right now!" Ross said, his voice was filled with rage and panic. He now felt even more terrified of Rachel being in the driver's seat.

"Oh Ross you're so tense. You just gotta relax okay? Just need to relax all right? Just need to relax…" Rachel said. Messing with Ross for being so uptight, she took her hands off the steering wheel and closed her eyes.

"Rachel!" Ross shouted in pure horror.

It all happened in a split second.

In a heartbeat.

Before Rachel or Ross could grab the steering wheel, the car hit a bump in the road and violently swerved to the right.

The Porsche smashed into the guardrail on the side of the road. Everything became a blur as the impact caused the car to roll over sideways.

Crashing. Crunching. Shattering.

Dust. Dirt. Gravel.

Scraping metal. Squealing tires. Breaking glass.

The car flipped as if it were a leaf caught in the wind.

And then, everything came to a stop; the car upright on its tires once more.

Ross opened his eyes, which had been closed tightly. He hoped it was all a terrible nightmare that he could wake up from.

He felt numb. His vision was blurry, everything was very dimly lit by the streetlights; it easily could have been a dream.

But it was reality.

He suddenly gasped for air, realizing he had been holding his breath for the entire time. His heart was pounding fast, his body was shaking violently. What he only hoped was a bead of sweat rolled down the side of his face. But, when he wiped it with his trembling hand, he discovered it was blood.

The air was filled with an eerie stillness. The only noises that reached his ears were the cars speeding by on the highway and his own laboured breathing.

His vision began blurring around the edges. His pulse throbbed hard enough for him to feel it in his ears. But he gradually took in the sight in front of him.

The airbag was deflated, sitting in his lap. His seatbelt was still on. When he carefully turned to his left he could just make out Rachel's figure slouched lifelessly against the steering wheel.

"Rach," Ross called. His voice didn't sound like his own. It was weak but frantic. With difficulty, he reached out his arm to touch Rachel's shoulder. He shook her gently, but she did not respond.

Ross feverishly willed his shaky arms unclip his seatbelt, freeing his body.

The more he moved, the more he noticed just how much he was injured. His head throbbed with unbearable pain, making him feel like he was still spinning. But he continued to push himself to make sure Rachel was alright.

Ross wearily pulled on the door handle, but the door didn't move. He hurled his shoulder against it, forcing it to open.

He swung his legs out of the car to stand up; however, he discovered an excruciating pain in his right ankle. Ross shouted in agony. It had to be broken.

But that still didn't stop him. He stood on his good leg and used the car to help him stand up. He then utilized the car as support, in order to limp to the driver's side.

Anyone watching would have thought he was crazy. He could have waited for help to arrive. But Ross had only one goal in his mind, and that was getting to Rachel.

The Porsche was mangled. Its front end was smashed in; its sides were crumpled like an empty pop can. There were shards of glass all over the ground and pieces of metal everywhere.

Ross' head was spinning fast; he was close to losing consciousness as he finally reached Rachel's car door. He didn't waste any time wrenching the door open.

"Rachel?" Ross whispered, completely out of breath and panting. She did not answer. Ross gently shifted her so she sat back against her seat, in order to undo her seatbelt. Then, he half lifted her, half dragged her from the car.

Ross sank to sit on the road; Rachel lay lifelessly in his arms, across his lap. Tears streamed down his cheeks, as he blocked out the rest of the world. Nothing else mattered; he just wanted Rachel to be okay. He wanted to see her eyes, hear her voice.

Ross wasn't aware of the help that had arrived. He didn't notice the flashing lights and screaming sirens of the fire trucks, ambulances and police cars.

He was beginning to feel disoriented. The ringing in his ears was getting more intense. His blurry vision had changed to black spots.

A couple of paramedics approached, getting down to his level, telling him something. But it was as if Ross was underwater, he couldn't understand what he was hearing as mumbled voices. They quickly took Rachel from Ross' frail arms.

Ross tried to fight back, or ask where they were taking her, or tell them he wanted to stay with her. But, his mouth wouldn't form the words. The ringing in his ears and the spinning were quickly overwhelming his senses. The black of unconsciousness filled his vision.

Ross had been strong, but he was not strong enough to overcome the merciless darkness.

…..

Monica went over her mental checklist of things she and Chandler needed for their trip. She was glad Chandler had agreed to go to Las Vegas to visit his dad. She knew Chandler would regret it, in the future, if his dad wasn't there to be involved their wedding. She only hoped everything would turn out right, and Chandler's dad would agree to come to their wedding.

Monica grabbed their passports, putting them in her carry-on bag, before entering the living room.

Chandler relaxed on the couch, the TV remote in his hand as he lazily flipped through the channels. When Monica entered the room he left it on the news.

"We're all packed," Monica stated, placing her small bag beside their other luggage. "Just let me call Ross. Maybe he can swing by and drive us to the airport in the Porsche."

"Alright," Chandler responded. He tried to distract himself with the TV as he waited, his nerves were becoming unbearable. With each passing second he became a step closer to seeing his father again, and he was feeling uneasy about the idea.

Monica exited to her bedroom. She called Ross at home, but after a few rings she was greeted by his answering machine. She figured he was still driving her Porsche around, so she tried his cell phone. Strangely, he did not answer. Monica tried again, to no avail.

Monica had an odd feeling in her chest. Strangely, she had a hunch that something was wrong. Ross always answered his phone.

She subconsciously called Rachel next, hoping she would know where Ross was. But, to Monica's disappointment, she was met with no answer from Rachel either.

She called Phoebe, who did pick up her phone. Phoebe was at the coffeehouse with Joey. She explained that she and Joey hadn't seen Ross or Rachel since that morning, when Ross borrowed the Porsche.

Meanwhile, Chandler was still sitting in the living room. He stared into space, not paying attention to the TV, thinking about the upcoming trip. However, he was quickly distracted from his worries by a breaking news segment that caught his eye.

"…traffic is slow due to a car accident blocking the right lane. Emergency vehicles are on the scene, and they will have it cleared shortly…"

Chandler watched with interest as the news reporter talked. But, his attention quickly shifted to Monica as she entered to room once again, looking completely flustered.

"Did you get a hold of him?" Chandler asked. Monica shook her head.

"There was no answer from him or Rachel. And neither Phoebe nor Joey know where he is," Monica stated. She tried not to let the panic, she was suppressing, enter her voice.

"Well, we should leave soon. This traffic will make it easier to get to the airport," Chandler commented sarcastically.

Monica shifted her gaze to the TV screen. She and Chandler watched as footage was shown of the aftermath of a big accident. The highway was packed with traffic, emergency vehicles surrounded the scene. The image on the screen showed the wrecked car being hauled away on a tow truck.

"…the driver lost control of the vehicle, hitting the guardrail, sending the car rolling. Witnesses of the accident were quick to call emergency services. Both the driver and the passenger were taken to hospital, both with injuries. Their conditions are still being determined at this point in time…"

The reporter continued to talk, but Monica was unable to make sense of her words any longer. She stared at the screen with suspicion. She couldn't get the strange feeling to leave her chest. In fact that strange feeling grew as she looked at the car on the screen.

It was a grey Porsche, the same as hers, and there had been two people inside of it.

Monica shook her head to try and clear it, deciding that she wasn't thinking straight. Her mind was playing tricks on her because she was concerned about Ross and Rachel not picking up their phones.

They were fine. Weren't they?

They had to be.

Yet, Monica couldn't shake the ominous feeling looming over her head. What if that was the reason Ross and Rachel weren't picking up?

Just then, the phone began to ring. Monica automatically answered it, although she was in a zombie-like state.

"Hello?" Monica answered hoarsely. Her heart was pounding with anticipation as she hoped to hear her brother or Rachel on the other end of the call.

"Hello. Is this Monica Geller?" A woman's voice asked. Her tone was very severe.

"Yes, I-I'm Monica," Monica stuttered. There were knots in her stomach and a lump in her throat. She had a very bad feeling about this.

"I'm calling from Beth Israel Medical Center. I'm sorry to inform you that your brother, Ross Geller, and your friend, Rachel Green, were involved in a car accident this evening. You were listed as both their emergency contacts," The woman explained.

The phone trembled in Monica's hand.

She was right about the accident.

"I'll be there as soon as I can," Monica stated, before hitting the button to end the call. She didn't want to waste any time. She fumbled with the phone as she put it back in its stand.

Chandler glanced back at her with an amused look on his face. But his smile slowly faded when he saw the glassed-over stare Monica was giving him. Her eyes were full of tears. Chandler could sense she had just received bad news, it was obvious.

"What's wrong?" Chandler asked, extremely concerned.

"It's R-Ross and Rachel," Monica whispered, her lip trembling. Her body felt numb.

Chandler stood up from the couch, after turning off the TV. He then walked over to Monica to pull her into a hug. Monica held onto him tightly as sobs shook her body. Her tears fell onto his shirt, as Chandler stroked her back soothingly.

"Everything's going to be okay," Chandler whispered. He didn't know for certain what was going on, or if they really would be okay, but he still reassured her.

"They got in a car accident. We have to go to the hospital," Monica sobbed.

"Shhh, it's okay. We'll go right now. I'll call Joey and Phoebe on the way," Chandler stated. He gave Monica a kiss on the head before pulled her against his side, so he could lead her out the apartment door.

The weather seemed to match the mood the evening had taken on. It was raining, it was cold, and it was very depressing.

Monica and Chandler shortly got into a cab, Chandler immediately instructed the driver to bring them to the hospital.

Monica leaned against Chandler's shoulder as he phoned Joey and Phoebe. He spoke softly as he told them both the serious news. Monica couldn't stop the tears that rolled down her cheeks as she listened to the conversations. It was quiet enough for her to overhear Joey's utter shock, and Phoebe's tearful reaction.

The rain kept falling, running down the cab's windows. The ride felt like it stretched on for days, instead of minutes. The tension in the air made the backseat of the cab feel claustrophobic.

The four friends hoped with all their heart that Ross and Rachel would be alright.

…..

The bright, white light from the florescent bulbs was blinding. Rachel had to blink tears from her eyes in order to see clearly.

She was shocked to find an oxygen line across her face, an IV in her arm, along with many other wires. Her breathing was shallow and rough as she rapidly looked around. The machine beside her began beeping faster as her heart rate sped up.

She struggled to sit up, but winced as the room began to spin. Rachel was quickly stopped by a nurse's soft hands on her shoulders.

"Just lay down, sweetheart. You're okay," The lady said kindly. She had greying hair which was swept up in a loose bun. The soft lines on her face made her look gentle and wise. "Do you know where you are?"

Rachel listened to the nurse, relaxing against her pillow. She swallowed painfully; her throat was very dry.

"In the hospital," Rachel answered, her voice was barely audible. The nurse soothingly rubbed her shoulder.

"Yes, that's right. You were in a very bad car accident. You hit your head pretty hard and were out cold for a couple of hours," The nurse explained.

Everything came rushing back to her, in disturbing and chilling flashbacks. She remembered the car swerve; she remembered it hitting the guardrail. She winced as she remembered the car flipping over, but that's where the darkness had swallowed her.

Rachel wearily reached up to feel her head. There were a few strips of gauze wrapped around it. It hurt to touch.

"Your doctor will come and talk to you shortly," The nurse stated. She checked Rachel's IV fluids before leaving the room.

Rachel sat alone, her head pounding with the worst headache imaginable, her body ached from head to toe. But, her aloneness was short-lived as a man entered, wearing a white lab coat. He was medium height with sandy-brown hair; he had a serious look on his face.

"Hello, Rachel. I'm Doctor Arnold," The man greeted. He glanced down at the clipboard he held. "We're going to have to keep you here for a few days. You've sustained a severe concussion. I had them call your emergency contact, she'll be here shortly. Until then, let us know if you need some pain medication and just get some rest," Doctor Arnold finished. "I'll be back later."

As her doctor began to leave, a thought crossed Rachel's mind.

"Wait, Doctor Arnold," Rachel spoke, her voice rough.

"Yes?" he questioned, spinning around to face her bed. Tears began to stream down Rachel's face as she spoke.

"I-Is Ross okay?"