Consequences

by Tina Chaves

—

Her heart was pounding.

Goodbye, Paris. Goodbye strolls along the Seine, shopping sprees on Champs Élysées and experiencing everyday a culture so different than her own.

Goodbye to so many things she never got the chance to live.

But of course she was giving that up for a good reason.

She thought about the night before and just how perfect everything had been.

She thought of the whole year she and Ross had spent together. It was never that wonderful with anyone else and God knows she had tried. Sex could be great with another man, sure, sometimes just as great as it was with him. But once it was over, no one compared.

He was always the one cheering the loudest at her accomplishments and trying the hardest to cheer her up when things didn't go her way. She remembered how he was there for her when her father had his heart attack and when she lost her job at Ralph Lauren. She thought of how he was a great father to her child, so present, nurturing and caring.

She hugged him tighter and sobbed.

God, Emma. She suddenly missed her daughter very much. She had to call her mother and tell her about everything, she needed time to cancel their trip. She needed to pick up Emma and bring her home. And what was home now? Where would they live? Should she move back with Joey or would she move in with Ross? Of course she couldn't move back in with Joey. Emma was getting big and need her own space.

Would her mom be disappointed with her decision?

"Are you OK?" Ross asked her softly.

"These are happy tears." She whispered.

He rubbed her back and let her cry and think.

Goodbye, dream job in the fashion capital of the world.

She closed her eyes and focused on the positive points. Her friends, her favorite people in the whole world, right next to her everyday. Her daughter getting all the love and attention only her father could give her, daily and in person. The amazing mess that was New York City. Getting to see the twins grow up.

Getting her happily ever after with the love of her life.

She broke their hug and looked at him. He smiled at her so broadly she couldn't help but right back, despite the tears that were still falling.

She thought of the boxes filled with her and Emma's things that had already been shipped. She thought of the cute little flat Louis Vuitton had rented her and the charming cafe she knew there was at the corner.

"My mind is racing." She told him. "I need to call my mom. God, I need to call my boss." She wondered briefly if she could still call her that. "Someone was supposed to pick me up at the airport." Her mind raced a bit more until another thought saddened her. She should call Mark too. She felt like she owed him an explanation and a big thanks for the opportunity, for the faith he'd always had deposited on her. But she was so overwhelmed she knew she would not be able to handle that right now. She would do that the next morning, she promised herself.

Ross kissed the top of her head and she realised her mixed emotions must be showing on her face. So she wrapped her arms around him and relaxed as much as she could into his sweet gesture. She had missed little affectionate gestures such as this.

"It will be OK." He said.

"Yes. I know." She replied with confidence.

A car honk broke their moment.

"Oh, God. It's my cab. I left him with the taximeter running because I couldn't bring my suitcase up by myself. And I was in such a rush." She smiled at that last part, winning a smile back from him.

"I'll take care of it."

"Thanks."

Naturally, they leaned into a kiss and Rachel's mind went a little blank for a moment, all thoughts replaced by a wonderful sensation of pure bliss. The consequences could be tough, but she was sure she had made the right decision.

"I'll be right back" He said before he left the apartment.

She watched him go and took a deep breath looking at the closed door.

OK, she should start getting down to it. She grabbed her cellphone, checked the time (9:26 PM, still a reasonable time to call someone) and found the number of her new boss. She had interviewed with her and they had hit it off so well. Gale was head of her department in Paris and had come to New York to interview for the position she had filled.

After the interview, which had happened over dinner with her and Mark, they had even had lunch once just the two of them to talk about the move and it was with Gale she had discussed the raises Ralph Lauren had offered. It broke her heart a little to have to make the call, she didn't know exactly what to expect.

As the phone told her the other side was ringing, she thought of the words she would use. "So sorry", "I hate to disappoint you", "family matter", "personal business"…

"Rachel?" Gale sounded puzzled on the other side.

"Hi, Gale, I'm sorry to be calling you so late."

"No, it's OK, I'm just confused. Wasn't your flight to Paris at 6:30?"

"Yes. It was. But then it got delayed and then… then I had something come up." Rachel paused briefly and tried not to stutter and to sound confident. "Gale, I'm so sorry to do this, but I'm not going to be able to take this job in Paris. And I wanna thank you, so much, for this incredible opportunity. But I had something very personal come up and I just cannot go to Paris anymore."

There was a brief pause before Gale would say anything, which felt like an eternity for Rachel.

"Wow. OK. Did Ralph Lauren offer you another raise?"

"No. No, it's a, well, like I said, it's a personal matter. It has nothing to do with money, Gale. I'm sorry."

"Well… I'm sorry too, Rachel. We all felt like you had great potential in that position." Rachel brought her hand to her forehead and felt a rush of feelings she couldn't even describe herself. "I'll let them know in the Paris office."

"Thank you. And, again, I'm very sorry."

"It's OK, Rachel. Things happen. I know how excited you were, I could see it."

"Yes."

Another brief pause followed.

"Listen, call me in my office on Monday afternoon. Are you going to stay in New York?"

Rachel's heart started pounding a bit again. Was there a hope for another job?

"Yes. Yes, I'll be here."

"Well, call me. I'll talk to them here and, who knows? I mean, I don't even know if you're looking for another job, but…"

"That would be great, Gale. I can't do Paris, but I can totally do New York."

"Just don't get your hopes up, OK? New York is not really my territory. I don't know how things are here exactly."

"I understand. But any help is now welcome. Thank you."

"No problem, Rachel. You take care. And good luck with whatever it is you have going on there."

"Thanks, Gale."

They hung up just as Ross was entering the apartment with her stuff.

"You really don't know how to travel light, do you?" he teased her.

She smiled and helped him bring her two large suitcases and carryon inside.

"Well, this time I have the excuse it wasn't just for a few days…"

They looked at each other and Rachel could feel he was scanning her face, maybe trying to find in it traces of regret. In response, she approached him and kissed him tenderly.

"I just spoke to my boss. Or ex-boss, I don't know. She told me to call her again on Monday afternoon, I think she's going to try to find me something here."

"Really? That's great!"

The enthusiasm in his voice was real and it made her smile wider. She kissed him again, she had missed this kind of physical contact with him so much. It felt so natural she didn't understand how they'd gone by so long without it.

"You should call your mom before I get too caught up on all the things I wanna do with you…"

Rachel giggled.

"Alright. I'll hold you to that."

Rachel laid in bed next to Ross, lazily stroking his arm while he was falling fast asleep. She too was tired, but also much too electric to sleep. She curled her toes, took a deep breath and turned to face him. He was so irresistible to her, her heart filled with adoration and passion. She kissed his shoulder and saw him smile.

The talk with her mom had been alright. Of course she had the feeling they would only really get to talk and go into details when she stopped by to pick up her her daughter, the next day. She could feel her mom was disappointed, but she also knew it was mostly because she had to cancel her own trip to Paris.

Lost in her thoughts, Rachel almost startled when a quiet hum filled the room.

"What is that?" Rachel whispered.

"Must be my cellphone."

Ross opened his eyes, still hazy with sleep.

"What time is it?"

She looked at the clock on the bedside table next to her.

"Just past 11PM. Wait, is this a booty call? We need to start spreading the word that you're a taken man now."

Ross laughed and left the bed to look for his cellphone among their clothes scattered on the floor. It stopped ringing before he could find it. When he did, he looked at the screen and smiled.

"It was Monica." He played with it for a few seconds. "Wow, she's called me four times and Chandler has sent me a couple of texts."

"I guess they're worried you couldn't live without me."

He joined her in bed again and kissed her neck.

"Sounds like a genuine concern."

Rachel chuckled.

"Don't call her back, let's surprise them tomorrow. It'll be fun."

He nodded and pulled her closer to him, closing his eyes again. She smiled.

"You're really tired, aren't you? It's Saturday night, just past eleven. Are we going to be one of those old couples now?"

He opened his eyes again and laughed.

"No, I promise. I'm just so tired from last night."

She smiled.

"You fell asleep shortly after we finished."

"But after you left I couldn't sleep anymore." He stroked her arm. "I missed you in my arms. I couldn't stop thinking about what had happened."

Her smile widened.

"I can't believe this has finally worked out." He smiled back at her, sleep showing in his eyes. "OK, sleep."

They kissed softly one more time. Still in his embrace, she felt his body and breathing slowly getting heavier, until she was sure he was out.

Rachel untangled herself from his arms and looked around the room for something she could wear. She put on his sweater and boxers, feeling comforted by him scent, and went into the living room to find her suitcases. She needed to at least remove her make up and brush her teeth.

Before she could get to that, a thought came up and approached the window. She could see all the boxes ready to be taken by the movers the next day, to Westchester. Wow, she hadn't really thought of that. She was going to stay, but Monica and Chandler were not. So they weren't going to be that far (certainly not as far away as in Paris), but they weren't going to be across the hall, across the street or at at the coffee place everyday anymore.

She woke up the next day with a fumbling noise and turned to see Ross moving things around his closet.

"Hey, what are you doing?"

"I'm clearing up some space for you." He answered, beaming at her.

She smiled.

"Aw, are you giving me a drawer, Geller?"

"No."

"Oh?"

"I'm giving you half a closet. Well, technically I know you'll need more space than that, but we can talk about getting a bigger closet later."

Rachel sat up, a little taken aback, but still smiling.

"We're getting a closet together now? Since when?" She joked.

"Since last night, when you said this is it." He sat next to her in bed and took her hand. "You and me. Remember?"

She nodded.

"Yes. You and me."

He kissed her.

"Good morning."

"Good morning, you too."

"I'll help you unpack if you want."

"Wow." She chuckled. "I like this new confident version of you."

"Rach, what you did last night…" He paused briefly. "I mean, I know it takes a lot to give up what you did and I want you to know just how much I appreciate it. I'll never forget that. And everyday I will try my best to show you that you've made the right decision."

She smiled wider, with tears starting to show in her eyes.

"I already know I did."

"So that's a yes?"

She smirked.

"I thought you didn't need another yes."

He laughed and kissed her. Rachel wrapped her arms tight around him and pulled him down to bed with her. There would be time for unpacking. There would be time for breakfast and telling the others the big news. This was time for making up for the lost time.

Until her ringtone filled the room and broke their moment.

"Mmm, let it ring." He whispered.

"I can't, it could be something with Emma." She answered, her breathing already starting to become shallow.

He couldn't argue with that, so he let her go and she reached for her phone on the bedside table.

"Crap, it's Mark."

Ross nodded, understanding it would be hard for her to talk to him.

"Alright, I'll take a cold shower and make us some breakfast."

"No, no. This won't take long, I'll meet you in the shower."

He smiled at her.

"Alright, then I'll make it a hot one."

She smiled back and hit answer before the phone would stop ringing.

"Hello?"

"Rachel, hi. Is everything OK?"

"Yes, hi. Everything's fine, Mark."

"I mean, Gale called just now and told me you had something personal come up and can't go to Paris anymore. I mean, I got worried, you sure everything's OK?"

"Yeah. I just… I just couldn't do it, Mark. I mean… Yes, I was very excited. And I'm also so thankful to you and to her for this opportunity, it would have been amazing… But I was also giving up so much. And Emma, I was taking her away from her whole family… I mean, her father, her grandparents, her aunts… And Ross and me… I mean… I still love him, Mark. We've decided to try and make this work again."

"Wow. OK." She could hear the disappointment in his voice and it stung a little. "I hope you and him are very happy."

"Thanks." She answered, even though she couldn't tell if he was being honest or not. "And I'm sorry. For what it's worth, I'm very sorry I've let you down. But this is what's best for me."

She heard him sigh.

"I'm sorry too. I don't mean to sound like an asshole."

"You're not. Maybe we can have dinner one day and talk?"

"You're sure Ross will let you?" He only half joked and, again, Rachel felt a little sting.

"He doesn't have to let me do anything. I'll call you when things are more settled, OK?"

"OK. Bye, Rach."

Rachel hung up and help her phone close to her heart. OK, it could have gone a lot worse. She heard the shower running on the bathroom and smiled. Time to cheer up.

—

I don't know the regulations for suitcases traveling alone in the US, but sometime tells me they would have made Rachel get her suitcases back for security reasons. I know that would have taken a long time and she probably would not have arrived in the apartment just after Ross, but bear with me. Maybe he and Phoebe took some time somewhere talking? Also, for me, the day Rachel was leaving was Saturday. Everyone was so present, no jobs or anything. I mean, I know that's typical Friends, but still.

Anyway, what I mean is: let's not get too caught up in the details :)

Yes, I'm writing again! Don't know if it'll last, just know I wanted to do it and I had these ideas and why not? I still get reviews on my old e-mail and it warms my heart. Also, I miss "Friends" and this is a way of feeling close to them again. This won't be long and it'll be mostly fluff 3 Hope you all enjoy it!