Hello Friends Fans!

Here is my second version of the terrible Barbados Episodes.

Mostly for Roschel fans, of course. You know I hate Roey.

This is the second (and last) one shot, but should I come out with new ideas, I'll reopen this short fan fiction.

Enjoy!

"So, shall we?" Charlie asked Joey.

"Yeah." Joey replied, taking Charlie's arm under his.

After a round of goodbyes and good nights among the four of them, Ross and Rachel stared at Charlie and Joey walking away, both secretly feeling abandoned by their respective crushes.

Rachel was almost heading for her room, when Ross stopped her, "Got any plans for tonight?"

"Well…Monica and Chandler are having dinner with Phoebe and David, so I think I will go straight to bed."

"Oh."

Ross wasn't tired at all and for some reason he didn't enjoy the idea of being alone that night. Something that he couldn't quite define was telling him that Rachel felt just like him.

"Would you like something to drink?" he proposed.

Rachel pondered her options. She could go to her room on her own, probably spending the whole night worrying about Joey, or she could accept Ross's invitation. Yes, she was definitely up for a good Margarita.

"Ok." Came her response.

Ross's lips turned into a pleased smile, "Good, let's go. I've been told that the bartender downstairs makes the best Margaritas in the whole neighborhood."

Rachel flashed an amused grin at him, delighted to notice that Ross still knew when she was craving for her favorite cocktail.

When the rain calmed a bit, Ross and Rachel took their drinks and walked outside to have a sit in the hotel patio. There were a few other people around them, all mesmerized by the breathtaking panorama in front of them.

The sea was quiet, even if it was raining, and the smell of the ocean carried by a gentle breeze was titillating their senses.

"You know, I'm glad to be here." Ross politely said, holding the glass in his hand.

"Yeah, the view is just wonderful." Rachel commented.

"No, I meant, I'm happy that you're here, with me. I'm not in a very good mood tonight."

"Because of Charlie?" Rachel inquired with understanding.

Ross was a bit taken aback by her knowledge of his feelings. Maybe he hadn't been that subtle, after all.

"I still don't get it." Rachel grumped.

"What?"

"Why she's dating Joey." She explained.

Rachel had decided to go out with Ross to divert her thoughts from her crush on Joey. But it wasn't that easy.

Ross shook his head, exhausted by the hundreds of variables to consider in his situation. "I was sure that Charlie wanted to be with Joey, and I didn't want to get in the way. But after this afternoon…I don't know, I just have this feeling that Charlie likes me. And it bothers me, because Joey is my best friend, and I don't want to argue with him over a woman. It happened before…"

Ross suddenly realized what he had just said. He looked warily at Rachel, who nodded in comprehension.

"Well, I don't want that to happen again." Ross continued to speak. "We almost lost our friendship over it, I can't – I can't deal with that."

Rachel was caught off guard by Ross's words. Her thoughts immediately focused on the memory of the day of Emma's birth.

She was so hopeful to get back together with Ross, then.

What had changed in such a short time?

A few months and she had suddenly started to have feelings for Joey?

She recalled the way it had felt when Ross had finally admitted that he had been feeling...

§§§

'Then maybe, at least we can, we can talk about us again.'

'Yeah, maybe.'

§§§

She had been surprised but ecstatic, so happy to have a chance to get back where she belonged, with Ross.

And yet, the whole Joey's-non-proposal had become an issue, and Ross had lost his nerve. After coming back home with Emma, they had never really spoken about it, not until they had fought over Gavin and that stupid kiss on the balcony.

Rachel suddenly became aware of the fact that it was the first time since she had started fancy Joey that she thought about her relationship with Ross.

'Get a grip, Rachel.' She thought.

She shook her head slightly and listened to what Ross had to say.

"I can't help it. I think Charlie is very special. Or at least, she might be special to me. From my perspective, we have so much in common. Don't you think she should be with someone she could share her interests with?"

Rachel narrowed her eyes thoughtfully, "Well, you know, sometimes having so much in common isn't a good thing."

Ross raised his eyebrows in surprise, "Are you sure? When we were together, that was our main problem."

"What? Different interests?" Rachel asked, pushing her hair from her face.

"Yes."

"Ross, in spite of the circumstances that led to our split-up…well, every split-up…" she taunted him. "When we were together, we were actually good."

Ross couldn't help but let a wavering grin appear on his face.

"We had a complex relationship, of course, but the fact that we always tried to meet halfway made us involved in a very solid commitment. Sure, we didn't have many interests in common, and I never loved all those hours spent listening to your scientific lectures in freezing auditoriums. I guess tomorrow I won't understand half of your speech and I will probably laugh every time you mention one of the homos…"

"Cute, thanks." Ross whined jokingly.

"But when you told me things…Or when you tried and teach me something…" Rachel interjected him. "I saw how passionate you were about your job, and it was great to see you like that."

Ross was left speechless, partly for her words, partly for Rachel's expression. Her eyes were sparkling with a nostalgic light.

"Or – or...remember how we used to argue about which program to watch? We fought over the remote, zapping between E! and National Geographic, and in the end you gave up only to please me, but I knew that you were actually boiling inside."

Ross kept gazing at Rachel, wrapped up in the familiar warm sensation that those kind of memories usually evoked.

"And sometimes we ended up watching nothing at all, just cuddling on the couch, in front of an old movie…And it felt…"

Rachel shook her head, a tender smile gracing her features. She eventually stared back at Ross, whose deep brown eyes were roaming all over her face.

Ross sighed deeply; regret resurfacing like it did every single time he thought about their break-up.

"Yes, but…look how we ended up because of my insecurities. I was so convinced that you cared more about your job than me that I got influenced by my fear. I didn't trust you and…in the end I was the one who betrayed your trust."

Ross took a sip of his drink, wondering if it was the alcohol or that gloomy mood that made him confess those things.

Rachel's voice took on a low whispering tone when she answered, "It was a long time ago, Ross. I think you grew up since then. You don't need a girlfriend to share every moment with, neither a woman that likes what you like. That's not your priority anymore."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Well, for starters you have Emma." Rachel smiled.

Ross chortled. "Yeah…she's the most important girl in my life, now."

Rachel waved her hand, "Exactly, and you know what? Maybe now you have a very different kind of fear. Maybe you are just afraid that you won't find someone to share the rest of your life with."

Ross gasped, "How do you figure?"

Rachel knew him too well, "You've always been looking for her, Ross. You need someone to be with, you're not very good on your own."

Even if years were going by, Rachel was still the person who understood him better than anyone, Ross realized.

"So you think that my being head over heels for Charlie depends on the fact that I'm afraid to die an old maid?"

Rachel chuckled, "No, you like Charlie, but…just the fact that she's with Joey should help you understand that she's not the woman you need. I know that she might break up with Joey, and this would make a difference. But it's a moot point, because she is with him."

Ross nodded in agreement, "You are right. And I wouldn't do anything to ruin their relationship."

Rachel smiled with satisfaction. They were being so honest and open with each other, maybe it was time to discuss her issue?

She knew that Ross would be broken, but she felt the need to spill her guts.

"Ross, I really need to tell you something. It's – it's…well, it's something very important, and it's wearing me out and you need to know, because I'm afraid that keeping this secret from you would make things worse."

Ross lingered on her words, a questioning look on his face.

"I want to make it clear that I won't act on this thing if I don't get your complete and genuine approval. I don't want to lose our friendship."

Afraid of what Rachel might have in store for him, Ross sighed, "You don't need to worry about that, Rach. Just tell me."

"Ok, here's the thing…" Rachel huffed to gather some strength. "In the last few weeks I've had these feelings for…a man."

"What kind of feelings? Are you in love with this someone?" Ross inquired tenderly.

"Not love, no!" She pointed out, astonishing herself, too. "I think I'm attracted to him, because I feel something when I see him, but I can't quite figure out what it is."

"Ok…"

"I mean, when I see this guy, I always want to make a move on him to find out what it is about him that captivates me instinctively. The problem is, that this man is dating someone else, and I'm afraid of what this whole thing could do to our friendship." Rachel explained, indicating Ross and herself to make him understand.

Ross squeezed his eyes, "Why are you so afraid for our friendship?"

Rachel stared at him without batting an eye, managing to make a small sorrowful smile. Ross recognized her, 'I think you know why' look.

He shook his head, the magnitude of that confession gnawing him from underneath.

"It's Joey." He stated sternly.

Rachel just nodded in response, closing her eyes with guilt.

Ross took another sip of his Margarita, incapable of stopping smiling in discomfort.

After placing the glass on the table, he rubbed his eyes. He sighed heavily and stood up from his chair, leaning his arms on the fence.

§

The name of Charlie that had filled up his thoughts for the last hours, abruptly disappeared from his mind.

Whatever feelings he ever had for Charlie – all of them, they were gone.

That was the essence of his relationship with Rachel.

Whenever Ross realized that he could lose her – was it because he was involved with another woman, was it because his current wife demanded him not to see her anymore – he couldn't think straight. The mere idea of having Rachel out of his life for good was unbearable.

Ross sniggered to himself, understanding how lame he actually was.

Since Rachel had come back into his life, he'd had a few girlfriends; whenever the bond between himself and those women got too serious, he always found a way to split up or get dumped.

Julie, Bonnie, Emily, Elizabeth, Mona.

Ross's epiphany almost destabilized him.

He was never truly in love with those women. Not even Emily. He just liked them, cared for them, but it was never love.

He had always tried to fool himself, especially with Emily, but the truth was that in his mind there had always been one constant thought.

He was blinded by the illusion that he and Rachel were meant to be.

For one blissful year, that had been his magic reality.

And after their horrible break-up, the question of 'us', as he once named it, had never been really off the table. In spite of all their quarrels and issues, he'd always hoped that one day they would get back together, if only for Emma's own good.

Ross knew that until he got a one-track mind, he would never give a real chance to any other relationship.

That was the reason why he had rejected Jill's advances; a motivation that also justifies the way Ross had bluntly stopped dating when a very pregnant Rachel had begged him to.

Now, discovering that she felt something for Joey, terrorized him. He knew too well that this could be the end of the whole Ross and Rachel saga.

Caught up in his thoughts, Ross didn't detect said woman approach him.

"Ross, please, say something."

Ross shook his head, he wasn't ready to speak, yet.

"Listen, if you say that this is unacceptable, I promise I won't do anything about it. it doesn't matter if I am attracted to Joey, it doesn't matter that he fell in love with me in the past and maybe he still feels something for me. I don't want to spoil our relationship; I'm NOT going to hurt you, I owe you at least that."

Ross nodded fast, internalizing her words.

"God, if I am annoyed by the way you talk about Charlie…then I can't imagine how much the idea of me and Joey together could piss you off."

Ross finally looked at her, still shaken. "True." He stated softly. "Rach, you've got to know this. We've talked about Charlie for ten minutes. But after what you told me…Well, basically I forgot everything about her. I think that for the first time in my life I really am speechless."

"This can't be the first time you don't know what to say." Rachel tried and tease him.

"Yeah, you're right." Ross commented. "There was one other time that I actually didn't know what to say to you, and it was when you told me, 'How come it is.'"

Rachel was overwhelmed by his statement, she shook her head, "Ross…"

"No, Rach…" he interrupted her. "This is huge. Please, give me a second."

Rachel nodded, trying to hold back the tears that were forming in her eyes.

It took Ross a couple of minutes to find his voice again.

"Rach, we haven't been a couple in like…six years. Oh my god, has it been that long?"

Ross's realization disturbed even Rachel, who simply nodded, "Yeah, I guess."

"Well, after what you just confessed to me, the only thing I can tell you is that I am…relieved…that you asked for my opinion before. God, I can't imagine what I would have done if I had found out about you and Joey after."

"What do you mean?"

"You know me…I would have overreacted, probably."

"Probably." Rachel smiled at him.

"I got to tell you, though. It'll take me some time to…get used to the idea of you and Joey. Can you cope with that?"

"Seems just fair."

"Also, I want to give you the same advice you just gave me. What we said before goes for you too, Rach. Joey and Charlie are a couple; you must wait for their relationship to be over." Ross then smiled wryly, "Even if we both know that you have this penchant for acting on impulse, when you like a man. You usually…find a way to let him know."

"I don't know what you're talking about." Rachel taunted him.

"Well, when I was with Julie you certainly did little to hide that you had feelings for me. Let's just say that it wasn't hard for me to choose you instead of her, stupid list of pros and cons aside."

Rachel felt Ross's fingers positioning on her hand as he said, "What did you expect me to do, after that mind blowing kiss at Central Perk?"

As the intoxicating memory of their first proper kiss kicked in, Rachel felt the familiar and yet renewed sensation of the butterflies in her stomach.

She tried to shook that thought from her mind, "Hey, I was drunk when I called to tell you that I was over you!" she justified her behavior.

Ross chuckled, "Ok, let's change the setting. Montaulk, Bonnie. You balded the woman for the love of god! You SO wanted me to break up with her!"

Rachel couldn't help but grin delightfully at that memory, and so did Ross.

"Would you call that acting on impulse to get your man back? I kissed her off that very night and turned to you instead."

Rachel's blush went unnoticed as she touched her stomach.

Butterflies, again. Recalling the incredible passionate kiss that they had shared that night was enough to affect her a lot.

Rachel realized that her mind hadn't been set on Joey for a while. The entertaining thought of her and her roommate together wasn't obsessing her anymore.

"Ok, ok." She admitted. "Bonnie was my bad. But I'm not always been that possessive over you!"

"Change of setting, it is. Jill comes to town, we go out. What do you ask me? Better, what do you beg me to do?"

Rachel rolled her eyes, then she stared guiltily at the ocean in front of herself, "Not to go out with my sister."

Ross kept listing, "You are pregnant with Emma, I meet that shop girl, uhm…Katie, at that baby furniture store. We go out for a coffee, what do you ask when I get back?"

"Not to date anymore." She whispered.

"When I was getting married with Emily?"

Rachel glared at Ross in scorn, pointing her little finger at his face, "Hey, I came to London but I didn't tell you that I was still in love with you!"

"Same difference! It was enough to see you there to make me say the wrong name at the altar!" he snapped bluntly.

Rachel's eyes grew almost comically wide. Ross diverted his gaze from her, realizing at once that he'd just blurted out a secret he'd sworn he would take to the grave.

"What did you just say?" Rachel asked nervously.

"I meant, yeah like – like you said, if I had seen a circus freak, I would have said, 'I take thee circus freak.'"

Rachel was getting upset, "No, no, wait a minute, you never told me that before. Is it true? You said my name because you saw me there?" she asked, incredulous.

Ross shook his head, "No, I didn't." he lied.

Rachel took his shirt collar with her tiny hands, rage appearing on her face. "Stop it, Ross! This is too important, you never told me the truth about what happened in London!" she yelled at him. "You always said that it was a mistake, that it didn't mean anything! Someone would ask, and you answered, 'No, no, I was just nervous and it was a lapse.'" She said, imitating Ross's whining voice.

She let go of his shirt and Ross stared intently at her, considering every line, every curve of that face he loved so much.

Rachel's lip quivered, "When we came home and I told you that I was still in love with you, and you didn't reciprocate…your words suggested only that you wanted to save your wedding at any cost."

Ross shook his head slowly, devastated by those memories.

"And then you told me that you were throwing away your marriage because Emily couldn't trust you anymore, that the fact that you didn't want to lose me was just one marginal reason. You never, EVER told me that you still had feelings for me!" she shouted again.

Ross's eyes were expressing how sorry and desolate he really felt.

"What should I have told you, Rach, uh?" he argued. "I had just gotten married, for the second time, with the WRONG woman! I should have told you that seeing you raised all kind of doubts? That I wasn't sure anymore? That everyone was walking down the aisle with a smile on their faces, but I was a nervous wreck?"

Rachel just stared at him, her mouth opened in surprise.

"Then Emily walks down the aisle, and I get SICK. I keep getting a glimpse of you, sitting among the guests, and I wonder what I should do. I think, 'I am getting married to the wrong woman, Rachel is the one who is supposed to be here with me.'"

Rachel couldn't stand it anymore, she let the tears stream down her face freely.

Ross noticed her condition, but after all those years he needed to take everything off his chest.

"In my mind I keep having these visions where you are the one walking down the aisle, not her. And when Emily arrives in front of me, I finally smile because…the only face I am seeing, is yours. So, why do you think I said your name that day?" Ross concluded.

Rachel sobbed, trying to come to terms with what she had just heard. But what mattered more to her, in that moment, was the fact that the thought of Joey had just completely disappeared from her mind.

Like a cold, you can't really nurse it, you just need to get it out of your system. And it looked like she had just healed.

"Why didn't you tell me, Ross? This would have changed everything, this would…"

She was blathering pointlessly, and she knew it.

"It wasn't fair to tell you, Rach. It would have made things worse; I didn't want to hurt you more than I already had. I felt I had to save my marriage, but I was wrong. And when it was all over…you were the one over me."

"What do you mean, I was over you?"

"We got married in Vegas and you did everything you could to annul the marriage! I reckoned that wasn't the right time to confess that I still loved you."

Rachel was even angrier than before, "You should have, you big – IDIOT! Why weren't you honest? At least that day that you brought me the divorce papers to sign?"

Ross rubbed his forehead in exasperation, "Rachel, it was too hard! I was sure you weren't in that place anymore, you signed the documents, didn't you?"

Rachel kept crying softly, "All this time, Ross…we slept together, I got pregnant…we lived together for months and you never told me! You let Joey made that absurd non-proposal while you should have been the one to ask me!"

"For the last time, I didn't want to propose!" he lashed out. "I wanted to start things up again! Do you have any idea of how happy I was when you finally admitted having feelings for me? That you were willing to give it another try?"

Rachel couldn't believe this, "Then you should have listened to me and forget all that Joey-proposal-fiasco, we could have gotten together, we could have…"

She couldn't talk anymore, too much spent by that unbelievable conversation.

She had gotten out to have a drink with her best friend, hoping to forget about her stupid crush on her other friend. And now she was reminiscing about her past, trying to understand how twisted her relationship with Ross would be from then on.

"Too much happened, Rach." Ross explained. "And then…" he shrugged. "Our usual misunderstandings got in the way. We both behaved like fools, we weren't honest with each other and now…well, here we are. You, with feelings for Joey, and I, trying to find a woman to replace you."

Rachel hung on Ross's words, sensing that he wasn't over.

"But this isn't going to happen. Nobody can compare to you, Rach. Because…you have no substitute. No woman will ever take your place in my mind and heart."

Ross turned around, ready to disappear from her view, knowing that he had done the stupidest thing, telling her all this.

It took Rachel a couple of seconds to internalize everything, but when she did, she grabbed Ross's arm to make him turn around.

He looked at her with confusion and regret in his eyes, but Rachel's expression conveyed all other kind of feelings.

After a long hard look, she pulled Ross towards herself and she placed her lips on his, tentatively at first, but getting more confident when she noticed that he was answering her kiss.

Ross's mind was a roller-coaster of thoughts, but the first that made him stop kissing Rachel was the memory of Joey. He suddenly pushed her away, gasping for air.

"Rachel, what does this mean? We can't stick to something that doesn't exist, we must be serious, we have Emma to think about."

That was Rachel's cue to finally understand how much Ross had really matured.

He wasn't putting his happiness at the first place. Neither Rachel's, nor theirs.

Emma was his first thought, their beloved daughter.

And this little detail made Ross irresistible to Rachel. Her eyes roamed over his face, admiration clearly visible in her expression. She kissed him with such fervor and passion, that Ross had to let himself go, forgetting all about his previous predicament.

It lasted a few seconds, though, because he tried to stop her again, "Rach, you just told me that you have feelings for Joey, what the hell are you doing?" he inquired softly, tracing his fingers down her face. "If you are looking for comfort, you know I can't give it to you."

She shook her head vigorously, "I'm not looking for a rebound, Ross. Forget what I said before. I did tell you that I hadn't quite figured out what kind of feelings I had. Now I know." The soft touch of her hand became a full caress as Ross leaned his cheek into her palm. "It was just a silly crush, maybe it was because I haven't been with a man for months, since our bonus night."

Ross was incredibly thrilled to find out that Rachel hadn't been with any other man since she'd gotten pregnant.

"It was just this stupid dream I had…god, I'll tell you everything about it, but…I needed to feel something again, you know? Emotion, excitement…and talking with you tonight made me feel much more than anything else."

Ross felt a tear forming to the corner of his eyes; he couldn't believe that this was actually happening.

"I realized what I should have understood months ago."

"What, Rach?" he asked, hopeful, as his hands came up to rest possessively on her hips, their favorite spot.

She stroked his cheeks, again. "That I still love you, Ross. Always have and always will. In spite of all our flaws, in spite of the fact we drive each other crazy, in spite of how challenging it is to be with you, because I know, there will be fights. And even if to other people it looks like we are not compatible, I don't care. I love you. God, I've loved anyone but you."

This time Ross, encouraged by Rachel's words, initiated the kiss.

"And…what about Charlie?" she cautiously asked, breathing to catch her breath.

"Charlie who?" Ross taunted her, causing Rachel to giggle wryly.

When their laugh subsided, Ross answered seriously, "Rachel, whatever it is that I ever felt for Charlie, it was enough to hear you saying those things tonight to make me forget it. Remembering what we said before? The ball is always in your court. Whenever you wanted me, you only had to tell me those three magic words to make me come back. There's nothing I can't do about it."

Rachel blushed slightly, grinning from ear to ear.

"You say you've never loved anyone but me; I say that I was born to love anyone but you."

Rachel's memory went back to the fateful night when she had watched the prom video with her friends.

"This is why you were ready to take me to the prom? Even if I went there with another guy?" she tenderly asked.

"This is why I would have taken you to the prom." He reassured her. "And this is why I promise I'm not going to betray your trust ever again, if you forgive me for what I did. It took me six years to get your trust back; I won't waste my second chance, Rach."

Rachel nodded, crying again. "Actually, that would be your third chance." She teased him, trying to ease the tension.

Ross chuckled, "And I swear, Rach. You won't hear me say that we were on a break anymore, for the rest of our lives."

Rachel burst out laughing through the tears, "Oh, honey. This is the perfect deal."

THE MORNING AFTER

Monica caught sight of Rachel as she walked in front of the buffet table, serving herself with bacon and eggs.

She'd been looking for Rachel in her bedroom, but after knocking for a minute, Monica had desisted, finally convinced that she wasn't there.

Monica noticed the smile on her friend's face, indicating that she was in a very good mood.

"Morning, Rach!"

"Hey! Morning to you too." Rachel returned, grinning delightfully.

Rachel's smile was almost contagious.

"Why the smiley face?" Monica asked, curious.

"Nothing, I'm just in a good mood."

When Rachel hummed a tune, though, Monica decided to figure out what was going on with her.

"What's the matter with you? Last time I saw you like that was – oh my god!"

"What?" Rachel asked cautiously.

"You had sex tonight!" Monica almost yelled.

"Shhhhh!" Rachel tried and silence her.

Even if Monica wasn't completely right, Rachel knew that something had happened that night.

"This is why you weren't in your room before?"

"Yes." Rachel conceded, nodding with enthusiasm.

"So, who were you with?" Monica inquired.

Rachel squeezed her eyes and shrugged, "I'm not sure I can tell you, yet."

"Come on, I'm your best friend!" Monica prodded her.

"Well, I don't know if I can tell you this." Rachel explained.

Monica's face turned white, "Oh my god, you slept with Joey, didn't you?"

Rachel scoffed, "No, Monica! How can you possibly think that? Joey has a girlfriend!"

"So? Has that ever been an obstacle for you before?" Monica asked, thinking about all the times Rachel had chased Ross even if he was with another woman.

Rachel pondered her words, "You know, I'm afraid that's a popular opinion."

Monica chuckled, patting her friend's arm, "Come on, Rach, tell me."

Rachel's face suddenly lightened up at the sight of somebody entering the room. Monica followed Rachel's gaze until her own eyes met the source of the change in her best friend's look.

It was none other than her brother.

And Ross was glowing too, or at least as soon as he realized that Rachel was in the room.

Both of them were radiating that kind of warmth that they only manifested when they were together.

Monica was used to these expressions of affection between them. Whenever Rachel entered their apartment and Ross was already there, he always greeted her in a very different way than what he usually did with Phoebe or herself.

And for her part, Rachel always smiled secretly every time that Ross made fun of himself in front of them. She also had a soft smile plastered on her face every time that Ross held their daughter in his arms.

Thus that morning Monica wasn't surprised to see Ross and Rachel's demeanor change completely at each other's presence.

What gave it away, though, was the fact that her brother was staring at his former girlfriend with heart eyes and that Rachel was blushing like a teenager who's eyeing her school crush.

Monica turned around to look better at Rachel, who had an amused grin on her face.

"You and my brother?" Monica silently screamed.

"Yes!" Rachel admitted.

"Oh my god! This is so exciting!" Monica touched her chest to emphasize her surprise. "I mean, it's great, it's huge, it's…it's unbelievable!"

"Yeah, it really is." Rachel agreed.

"What – what does it mean? Are you getting back together?"

Rachel nodded with the sweetest smile on her face, "Yes. We spoke all night long, willing to overcome our past differences and problems, and…it was awesome, you know? We talked 'til dawn, then we had a walk on the beach, we saw the sun rising..."

"You guys stopped the rain!" Monica taunted her gleefully.

"It was like a sign…like the sun is shining again on our relationship."

Monica was touched by Rachel's words, she almost started to cry just as a beaming Ross approached them.

"Hi." He whispered.

"Hi." Came Rachel's response.

"Did you sleep?"

"Almost an hour." Rachel stated quietly. "You?"

He shook his head, "Not so much."

"Won't you be tired for your speech?" Rachel asked with gentle concern.

"It was totally worth it." Ross returned with a dreamy smile on his face.

Then he finally acknowledged his sister's presence, looking at her for the first time that morning. She had an almost dumb expression on her face.

"What's up, Mon?" he wondered.

"She knows." Rachel interjected.

"What? You didn't manage to keep the secret even for two hours?"

Rachel was almost responding, but she was interrupted by Chandler approaching them. He had a stupid smile on his face, too. He looked at Rachel, then at Ross.

Then at Rachel, and then at Ross.

He was almost gloating.

"You told Chandler!" Rachel scolded Ross.

Ross chuckled, "Oh, well, they were meant to find out sooner or later."

The four of them kept giggling for a moment.

"I'm so happy." Rachel confessed.

"Me too." Ross couldn't agree more.

They shared a tender kiss before walking away, headed towards one of the tables.

As he watched his friends walking away, Chandler tried to ignore his wife's hair, still huge because of the humidity.

"Can you believe this?" he asked Monica.

"No." She confessed. "I'm still shocked. But this might be the most wonderful thing happening since Emma's birth."

Chandler nodded, "We really needed a joyful news like that, uh? Take our minds off things."

"You're right." Monica smiled tenderly. "God, I can't believe they are really back together after all this time. I've hoped for this, dreamed of this …and now my wish came true!"

Chandler kissed her on the cheek, "You're so sweet caring about them so much."

"I just want Emma to grow up in a happy family, like the one Ross and I had."

Chandler noticed that Monica was again thoughtful, so he immediately intervened to soothe her. "We'll have our family too."

Monica smiled sadly, wiping a tear from her eye.

"I know." She whispered, hugging her husband.

Chandler then took a glimpse of Ross and Rachel, sitting and talking amiably at the table. He shook his head, "I still can't believe those two!"

"How you think Joey is gonna take this?"

"I think we are about to find out." Chandler replied, nodding towards the entrance of the room.

Joey and Charlie had just arrived, followed by Phoebe and Mike, all of them looking very relaxed.

"Mike?" Rachel almost yelled when she saw him.

"Oh, right, you don't know yet." Phoebe stated bluntly, dragging Mike closer to Ross and Rachel's table. "Mike and I are back together!"

"What about David?" Ross wondered.

"Back in New York." Mike explained. "He took a flight over night."

"Yeah…it turned out that he wasn't the right person for me." Phoebe flashed a tender smile at Mike, which didn't go unnoticed by Ross and Rachel.

"Oh, Pheebs…I'm so happy for you guys."

Mike and Phoebe kissed and sat down, just as Charlie and Joey were approaching them.

"So, you heard the good news?" A grinning Joey asked. "I'm so glad that these two lovebirds are finally back together!"

Chandler heard this remark while walking towards his friends, "Oh, so you told them?" he asked, addressing Ross and Rachel. "You took it well."

"Of course, I'm thrilled!" Joey stated.

Chandler smiled, noticing how much his best friend had grown up. "It's the best thing for Emma, too."

Ross and Rachel shared a worried look; Joey's expression turned into a baffled one; Charlie squeezed her eyes, sure that she might have misunderstood Chandler's words.

But then she noticed Ross and Rachel's behavior. They were sitting together; their chairs were too close to be a coincidence. She realized much faster than Joey what was going on between them, a knowing smile brightening up her face.

"What about Emma?" Joey asked.

Realizing his terrible intrusive mistake, Chandler almost stammered in response, "Uhm…I…"

Monica put a hand on his shoulder, "I think you just pulled a Chandler."

"I think so too, hon." He screamed, nervous. "I think I'm going to bury myself under the sand."

He walked away slowly, leaving Joey with his previous doubt.

"What was he talking about?" he inquired directly Ross and Rachel.

Ross stared at him with anxiety, not knowing how to broach the subject. "Uhm…yesterday Rachel and I talked and…we decided to…uhm…give it another try."

"To what?" Joey asked, a dumb expression appearing on his face while Phoebe started to grin from ear to ear.

"To us." Ross kept talking.

Joey shook his head, still oblivious.

"We are back together, Joe!" Ross eventually dropped the news.

Cheerful greetings could be heard all around the table as Phoebe and Mike congratulated the couple.

Joey now knew why his two friends had been worried about his reaction and he had to admit that he was a bit taken aback by this revelation.

Was it because he still had feelings for Rachel or because seeing the two of them like that, holding hands and smiling to each other, felt familiar and…definitive?

Like something that should have happened sooner?

Yes, he might have had feelings for Rachel, at one time. But that was the moment he understood that they were gone.

"Actually…this was the smartest decision we could have made." Rachel was telling Phoebe.

Joey couldn't agree more.

'It's supposed to be that way', he thought.

He looked at them both, a relieved smile appearing on his face.

"About time too!" he shouted, dragging them both in a bear hug.

Charlie felt a bit out of place, but she wanted to express her thoughts, too.

"Congratulations, guys. I think it's very nice for Emma to have her parents back together."

Rachel nodded, "Yeah, we think so, too."

Ross moved away from the girls, who had started chatting friendly. He took Joey to the side and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Are you sure you are all right about this?"

Joey chuckled, pleased for his friend's concern. "Yeah, Ross. I must say, I've never been so excited in the last couple of years. This is pretty amazing!"

"I know!" Ross chuckled along.

"Listen…" Joey reassured him. "I know I've had feelings for Rachel in the past, but I'm completely over her. Just seeing you two together reminded me of how much you're meant for each other."

Ross was getting emotional, "Thanks, man."

They shared their mutual bro fist, then they hugged, both relieved for each other's reaction.

Rachel observed them from where she was standing, still grinning for how things had turned out.

LATER THAT NIGHT

"How did you manage to stay awake during your speech?" Rachel wondered.

"I think it was due to all the adrenaline in my system, you know, for everything that happened in the last 24 hours…And hey, even if I had fallen asleep, I would have just kept company to at least 15 people in the audience!"

Rachel chuckled gleefully for Ross's self-mocking humor.

After a very long day, they were watching the sunset in the same spot they had been the night before. They were casually leaning on the patio fence, both exhausted but too content to just surrender to sleep.

"This was definitely the most important day of my life after Ben and Emma's birth." Ross stated quietly, his eyes set on the sky in front of them.

"I'm glad you feel like that too, Sweetie." Rachel agreed.

She sighed for the wonderful view, "It's so beautiful."

"It really is."

Ross gazed back at her, noticing how focused she was. He smiled, sensing that might be the right moment to ask her.

"Rach, I know that technically we've been together for less than one day, but…there's something I want to discuss with you."

"Ok." She said, a bit worried.

"I want to ask you here, because this is the place where I found out that miracles happen."

"I thought this was the place you found out that Joey can put little cocktail umbrellas up his nostrils."

Ross chuckled, "Yeah, that too."

While Rachel's giggle subsided, he got serious again. "In my life…I've never thought that I would be so lucky to have a second chance with you. But you are the strongest woman I know, and you decided to give me another shot."

Rachel nodded, caressing his arms.

"Well, I already told you that I'm going to make you happy and I'll try to – no, I will become a better person. I will never stop showing how much I love you."

"Oh, Ross." She muttered, leaning her forehead on his.

"I know that this might feel a little rushed, but there's something I've got to ask you."

"Well, shoot." She smiled tenderly.

"Would you move in with me again? You and Emma? And not on a temporary basis, but permanently."

Rachel grinned from ear to ear, "Really?"

"Of course, Rach. I don't want to be without you anymore. We are done being stupid, and it's not like we didn't live together before…and it was great! This is just the most logical thing to do, now that we are a couple again."

"Emma's gonna have her own room? I won't have to share it with her anymore?" she asked, excited.

Ross squeezed his eyes at her, "Actually, I was going to offer you the couch."

Rachel chuckled and smacked his chest jokingly, "Silly! I won't move in, if I'm not sharing a bed with you."

"That's a condition I could deal with." He kidded, putting his hands on her waist, starting to sway slowly.

"We kind of have to make up for the lost time." Rachel purred. "And for what did not happen last night."

"I'm sorry, sweetie, we had so much to talk about. But I promise, as soon as we are back home, I'll make it up to you. I'm going to make sure that our three hundredth time is memorable!"

Rachel chuckled delightfully, then they hugged.

"You know; I don't remember being this happy the first time we got together." Ross admitted guilty.

"Me too." Rachel agreed. "Perhaps it's because it's not just you and me, this time. We've got Emma too. And I can't wait to see her!"

"You think she'll notice?" Ross wondered.

"She's just a baby, I don't think so. But sending our Christmas card as a family is going to be amazing this year!" Rachel said fervently.

As soon as she mentioned this, Rachel's mind cooked up a very stupid yet amazing idea.

'Why not?'

That was what she'd been wanting for almost ten years. Since she'd listened to Chandler blabbering about that crystal duck.

"Ross." She whispered.

"Yeah?" he asked, gently caressing her hair.

"What would you think if we sent our Christmas card as the Geller family?"

Ross kept holding her, her head still carefully leaning against his chest. "Sure. I just need to ask my parents and Monica."

Rachel chuckled, "No, no. I meant…what would you think if I were part of the Geller family in the Christmas card?"

Ross finally let go of her, a hopeful expression on his face. "Do you really mean what you just said?"

Rachel smirked, "It depends on what you think about it."

Ross's sly smile was all he conceded before putting a hand in his pocket to pull out a blue velvet case.

"You guess what I think about it now?" he challenged her.

Rachel gasped, putting her hands on her cheeks. "Oh my god! Where did – how did you – when?" she blabbered.

Ross shook his head fast, "After our walk this morning, when we got back to my room I couldn't sleep. So I went out and I found myself in front of this jewelry store and… somehow this ended up in my pocket."

Rachel opened the case, still held securely in Ross's hands.

The ring was the finest piece of jewelry she'd ever laid eyes on. With a diamond and a blue sapphire, she fell in love with it at first sight.

When Rachel looked carefully at Ross again - on the verge of crying – he stared back at her seriously.

"I was sure that once we decided to do this, I would have made the best proposal ever." He complained.

Rachel sighed, recalling the story that Ross had told in Massapequa during his parents' anniversary celebration.

"Yeah, I remember."

"This is no planetarium, and there are no lilies, but…we are in Barbados. Remember what happened here?"

Rachel didn't immediately catch up, "What?"

"Our fake wedding." he clarified.

Then Ross started to hum a tune. "Isn't she lovely? Isn't she wonderful?"

Rachel laughed for Ross's lame imitation of Stevie Wonder. She was touched, tough, because he still remembered the details of that night even if they had only pretended to be married.

She glimpsed again at the ring, then she focused on Ross.

"So, shall we do this the old-fashioned way?"

Rachel nodded, with tears of joy already trailing down her face.

Ross kneeled down, lifting the opened case before her.

"Rach, will you marry me?"

"Yes, absolutely!" She managed to answer between the sobs.

Ross stood up and put the ring on her left hand.

"It's perfect." Her lip was quivering, her voice draped into little more than a whisper.

"It wasn't my first time, you know." Ross joked.

"It was the first with me, though. Even if we already got married once." She reminded him.

Ross didn't want to think about their drunken wedding in Vegas, "Let's pretend it's also our first time."

"Deal." Rachel smiled, kissing him passionately.

Ross sighed, glad that he'd finally find the guts to do this. "You were SO worth the wait." He stated, emulating Chandler's typical inflection.

Rachel chortled, "I know!" she yelled, imitating Monica.

This exchange made them chuckle cheerfully. As their laugh subsided, they both secretly hoped that their relationship would get back to be as perfect as Monica and Chandler's bond.

It had taken them a while to be in that place again.

Their relationship had always been crazy and full of highs and lows.

But now they were on again, and they wouldn't want it any other way.

Author note:

I may be a little biased, but I sincerely think that this might have been a much better ending for Season 9 than the original one. =)