Circles Round The Moon
By Lucy Henson, teacherchez@hotmail.com
Disclaimer: I don’t own any of these characters. I also don’t own the song ‘Circles Round the Moon’ by Geri Halliwell. This started by centering on Chandler and Monica, but a lot of it involves Ross, Rachel and Ben, so I think there’s something for everyone. Btw, the facts in this are not necessarily true, as I know nothing about law or adoption.
Oh, and the name Hannah Louise is after an old friend of mine, who I miss deeply.
Monica and Chandler had been trying for a baby for nearly a year. Ever since Ross and Rachel’s daughter Jordana Rose Geller-Green, had been conceived, they had decided that they wanted a child. However, there was no luck yet. Monica had always believed that the moment she wanted a child, she would get one. It didn’t seem to be that way.
Babysitting for Ross’ two children, Ben (who was now nearing his ninth birthday), and six-month-old Jordy (whose parents weren’t dating), Monica decided that she was ready to take a pregnancy test. Her period was a day late, so she wanted to take advantage of this, and see if she was pregnant yet. She didn’t tell anyone about her idea, but told Ben to look after the sleeping Jordy for a few minutes, as she was going to the bathroom.
“Okay, Aunt Monica,” he said, engrossed in a Pokémon cartoon.
“Ben, did you just hear what I said?” Monica asked.
“Sure, you said to watch the baby,” he mumbled – he was now eating a pack of potato chips.
“Okay, just needed to make sure you heard me,” Monica replied.
She locked the bathroom door, and followed the instructions on the little leaflet. “Wait for three minutes,” she read. “Three minutes?”
She wandered around the bathroom, anxious. Why couldn’t it give the results sooner? Thirty seconds gone. She began to tidy up – a sock that was falling out of the laundry was put back in, Chandler’s rubber duck was put firmly away in a cabinet – one minute gone. Suddenly she heard Jordy begin to cry.
“Aunt Monica!” Ben called. “The baby is crying.”
“I can hear her, Ben,” Monica called back. “Look, can’t you just cuddle her or something?”
“Me?” Ben sounded horrified.
“Yes, you,” Monica replied. “Please Ben, just for a minute.”
“Okay,” Ben sighed. She heard him stomp over to Jordy’s little bassinet by the window, and then she heard him talk.
Ben stood, looking at his little sister. She was really small – although Aunt Rachel said she was quite a big baby. He didn’t know much about her, because he rarely visited his father. “Hi Jordana,” he said. “Please don’t cry.” She carried on screaming at the top of her lungs. “Aunt Monica will be back soon. Don’t cry, Jordy.” The baby stopped, but only for a second to draw breath. “I hope I never cried this much,” Ben said. “Oh, please stop, Jordy.”
“Pick her up, Ben!” Aunt Monica called from the bathroom.
“Do I have to?” Ben asked, but not loud enough for his aunt to hear. He reached into the bassinet, and picked Jordy up, the way Aunt Rachel had shown him. He held her carefully, supporting her head. She stopped screaming straight away. She gave a few last whimpers, and then cuddled into Ben’s t-shirt, falling asleep. He felt a sudden rush of love for his little sister.
Monica looked at the stick in her hand. She’d known all along what it was going to say. It was negative. She wanted a baby so much! And she couldn’t have one; she’d tried for six months. Six months, and Ross and Rachel got pregnant using protection. It was so unfair.
As she walked out into the living room, she saw Ben holding Jordy, and looking at her happily. She was so proud of her nephew. One day, he would make an excellent father.
Ben saw his Aunt Monica walking towards him. “She’s asleep,” he whispered. “Don’t wake her.”
“I won’t,” she replied, smiling. “Do you want to put her back in the crib?”
He paused. “I like holding her.” After a moment, he added, “I think I’d like to sit down, though. She’s heavy.”
“Give her to me for a moment,” Aunt Monica laughed. He did so. “Now go sit on the couch, and I’ll give her back to you.” This was soon completed, and Ben was sitting, holding his baby sister.
“She’s so tiny,” he said, quietly. “And she’s so cute.”
“She sure is,” Monica replied. “But you were much smaller when you were her age. Jordy’s a very big baby.”
Ben nodded, all his attention focused on Jordy. He was really going to miss her when his mommies made him move to California. He didn’t want to move – not at all. He’d rather stay with his dad and Aunt Rachel, or even Aunt Monica and Uncle Chandler. And Uncle Joey was fun – he let him watch cartoons, and play foosball. Aunt Phoebe let him eat lots of sweets and told him lots of scary stories. His mommies were stricter than his fun aunts and uncles and daddy. “I’m really going to miss Jordy,” he said.
“Why?” Monica asked, on the alert at once.
“When my mommies make me move to California,” he said, calmly. He didn’t know that his mommies hadn’t told anyone yet.
“You’re moving to California?” Monica asked. At that moment, Ross, Chandler and Rachel walked through the door.
“California?” Ross repeated, on hearing that sentence. “Who’s moving to California?”
“Me,” Ben told him. “But I don’t wanna.”
“Are you going with Carol and Susan?” Rachel checked.
“Yeah. There’s some, some, lesbian thing there.” Ben knew all about his mommies’ lifestyle. He had known it ever since he was a baby. “In, um, LA, I think.”
“They never told me,” Ross whined.
“Oops,” Ben mumbled.
“Do you want to go, Ben?” Rachel asked.
“No,” Ben shook his head. “I want to stay here with Daddy and you and Jordy and everyone else.”
Ross hugged his son. “I won’t let you go.”
“Ross, how are you going to stop Carol and Susan taking their son?” Rachel queried, slightly scornfully.
“I don’t know,” Ross replied. “But I will.”
“I’ll tell them I don’t want to leave,” Ben said. “But that doesn’t do any good, Daddy. I did it before.”
“You’re going to stay here,” Ross told him. “I don’t know how, but I’m not going to lose my son.”
Meanwhile, Monica had moved over to Chandler. “I took another test today,” she murmured.
“And?” He already knew the answer.
“Negative.” She paused. “Again.”
“I think we should go see the doctor again,” he said softly. “It’s been nearly seven months.”
* * *
Nearly seven months before, they had gone to the doctor. Dr Anthony had called them into his office, and asked what the problem was.
“We’ve been trying for six months, why hasn’t anything happened?” demanded Monica. Chandler, sitting beside her, nodded in agreement. “Can’t you do some sort of exam, just to check we’re both okay, and can actually have kids?”
“I’m sure you’re perfectly healthy, Mr and Mrs Bing, sometimes these things just take time,” the doctor insisted.
“We don’t want to wait,” Monica countered.
“Mon, we might have to,” Chandler tried to reason with his wife. She sighed.
“Okay, so much longer do you think it will take, Doctor?” she asked, sounding and looking annoyed.
“Give it another six months, Mrs. Bing,” he replied.
“Six months?” she repeated.
“Well, come back if you haven’t conceived within six months,” he elaborated. Monica and Chandler left the surgery, both dissatisfied. They passed a mother, pushing a buggy with twins in it. Monica and Chandler were both reminded of the day Ben was born, when Monica had seen twins before.
“I want a baby,” Monica said, plaintively, looking longingly at the little family.
“I know sweetie,” Chandler whispered, kissing her head. “So do I.”
“What if we can’t have children?” Monica asked. This had been worrying her for a while now.
“Well, then, we’ll adopt, or use a surrogate like Frank and Alice did,” her husband comforted her. “Don’t worry.”
Monica smiled. “You are going to be the best dad ever.”
“And you’ll be the best mom,” Chandler replied.
“I know!”
* * *
So, now, nearly seven months later, they went back to Dr Anthony. He examined both of them, did several tests, and came up with a conclusion.
“I am afraid that you are infertile,” he explained to the couple. “There are very few chances that you will ever carry a child, Mrs. Bing.”
“You mean never?” Monica whispered. She felt as though all her dreams were being snatched away from her – and they had been so close.
“I try not to say never,” the doctor said, but his tone of voice gave him away. “I’m very sorry.”
“Why?” Chandler asked. He had never wanted children as much as Monica, but when a doctor told him that they would never have children, he realised how much he really would love a baby.
“It is a combination of several things, none of which are your fault. Neither of you are at fault, so do not blame yourselves, or each other.” He sighed. “You both have slight hormonal deficiencies. If you were with different partners, or if only one of you had this, then there would be no problem in conceiving. However, with these both working against each other, you have a very small chance of ever conceiving.”
“But, that’s still possible?” Chandler replied.
“You have a very small chance. It is possible, yes, but not likely, no.” He paused. “I would try not to get your hopes up. I think if you are serious about having children, you must consider adoption, some form of IVF, or surrogacy.”
As the couple walked out of the surgery, clutching several leaflets about each option, Chandler spoke.
“This is awful.”
“I know,” Monica mumbled. She flicked through one of the leaflets. “Y’know, we can’t afford any of these, apart from adoption. Cos raising a child costs a lot.”
“Well, we’ll look into adoption then,” her husband said, sighing.
“I wish we could have our own child,” Monica said.
“But we could help a disadvantaged child,” Chandler said. “I mean, if we adopt, we’ll be doing two good things. We’ll get a baby, which we both really want, and then we’ll help a baby that wouldn’t have parents otherwise.”
“Yeah… we’ll still be parents.”
* * *
Carol and Susan came to pick Ben up from Ross and Rachel’s apartment. They admired Jordy, and smiled at Ben’s long description of how much he liked his new sister. “And I want to visit Daddy lots more,” he finished. “Cos I want to spend more time with Jordy.”
“But Ben,” Susan whispered, hugging him to disguise her speech. “What about LA?”
“I can’t believe you want to take my son away from me!” Ross burst out, unable to handle any more.
“Ross!” Rachel hissed, scandalised. “Ben, can you take Jordy into her room, please?” she asked him, knowing that this could get messy. She didn’t want Ben and Jordy to see ‘Red Ross’. After the two children disappeared, the conversation resumed.
Carol looked worried. “We were going to ask,” she insisted.
“When would that be?” Ross asked, sarcastically. “After you arrived? ‘Oh Ross, you don’t mind that we’ve taken your son to the other side of the country and we won’t let you see him?’ I mean I’m his father!”
“We know,” Susan told him. “And, I mean, we would love for you to be a part of his life, but there’s this great lesbian community in LA.”
“We were going to tell you today,” Carol said. “And you would have proper rights to Ben – you would have him every summer for three weeks, and every other Christmas, we had it all worked out, Ross. We even spoke to our lawyer.”
Ross snorted. “And he—”
“She,” Susan put in.
“Right, yeah, she knows all about what it would be like for a little boy to travel from one side of the country to the other every summer?” Ross said, angry now. “She knows what it would be like for a father to lose his son? For a little boy to leave his father and his baby sister – whom he loves A LOT?”
“Ross, not so loud,” Rachel said. “You’ll wake Jordy.” She gestured to the baby’s room. It was a big apartment – Ross, Rachel, and Jordy all had their own rooms, and Ben slept in Ross’ room when he stayed. Rachel could tell why Ugly Naked Guy loved his apartment so much.
“Sorry,” Ross replied, quieter this time. “I don’t want to lose my son,” he said. “I don’t want my son to be unhappy.”
“He’s not unhappy,” Susan said.
“He doesn’t want to move,” Ross informed her. “He told me.”
“I’m sure he’ll like it when he gets to know he area,” Carol said. “I’m not leaving my son here.”
“He’s my son too, y’know,” Ross said. “And he has a sister here. He loves his life in New York. If he stayed with me, he could go to the same school, he’d still have all his friends, he’d have amazing aunts and uncles all around him. If I ever had to go away, he could stay with Monica and Chandler. He loves his sister, he loves me, he loves his Fun Aunt Rachel, why do you want to take him away from all that?”
“Because he’s our son,” Susan told him.
“He’s not your son,” Ross replied. “I mean, you didn’t provide the sperm, did you? You didn’t carry him in your uterus for nine months – unless I missed something? No?”
“Ross, if you want to get custody of Ben, then you should go through your lawyer,” Carol said. “I’m not going to listen to your arguments, and the only way I’m leaving my son here is if a court tells me to – which they won’t, not when he’s in a loving home.”
“I can provide him with a loving home,” Ross said. “I can provide him with a father, a sister, and a stepmother.”
Susan laughed. “You’re not even dating Rachel.”
“Rachel is his favourite ‘Aunt’,” Ross informed her. “And your idea of a loving home involves two mothers and no father? A boy needs his dad.”
“No he doesn’t,” Susan said. “I’m getting my son, and then we’re leaving. We’ll see you in court.”
“Ben!” Carol called. “Ben, sweetie, come here.” Ben emerged from Jordy’s room.
“Hush, Mommy, Jordy’s sleeping,” he whispered.
Susan grabbed his arm. “Okay, Ben, we’re leaving now. You’ll see Ross just before we leave for LA, don’t worry.”
Ben shook his head. “No.”
“No, what?” Carol asked. “Have you forgotten one of your toys? We’ll find it.”
“I’m not going,” Ben said, sitting down. “I’m not leaving Daddy and Jordy and Fun Aunt Rachel.” Rachel smiled.
“C’mon, Ben, we don’t have time for games,” Susan insisted. “Come on. You’ve got school tomorrow.”
“Auntie Rachel can take me.” He stuck his tongue out at Susan. “I’m not going.”
Ross stepped forward. “Bye-bye, off you go now,” he told the couple, almost pushing them out the door. “I believe I’ll see you in court.” He shut the door in their faces, and high-fived with Ben and Rachel, one on either hand.
* * *
The following morning, after his Fun Aunt Rachel had taken Ben to school, the gang gathered in Monica and Chandler’s apartment. There were several bits of news to give to people. Monica and Chandler went first.
“Our news is that we saw the doctor yesterday,” Monica said, sadly.
“Why?” Joey asked.
“Well,” Chandler began. “See, we’ve been trying for a baby ever since Jordy was born—”
“Really?” Phoebe exclaimed. “Are you pregnant? This is huge!”
“If you’d let me finish,” Chandler said. “Anyway, we haven’t had any luck, so we went to see the doctor.”
“We aren’t able to have children,” Monica explained. “Not unless we, like, adopt, or have IVF, or use a surrogate.”
Chandler sighed. “And we talked about it, and we don’t have enough money for IVF. Cos there’s a bit chance that it wouldn’t work, and then we’d have spent, like, twenty thousand dollars on nothing. And there’d be a lot of pain involved – I mean mentally.”
“And we don’t have enough money for surrogacy and raising a child,” Monica added. “Also, we don’t want to put anyone through all that. And, again, it might not work. Cos it’s only a twenty-five percent chance, isn’t it, Pheebs?” she asked, and Phoebe nodded.
“So, we’ve decided to adopt a child,” Chandler put in.
“Cos that way, we get to have a child, and help out some poor child as well,” Monica said. “We’re going to start making enquiries today.”
“We’re going to adopt one child now – well, as soon as we can, anyway – and then adopt another one in a few years,” Chandler finished.
“Wow…” Rachel began.
Phoebe smiled. “Some kid is gonna be so lucky to have you guys as parents.”
“Oh, speaking of parents,” Ross butted in. “I have some news.”
“Oh yeah!” Rachel added. “This is big news, you guys.”
“What about?” Joey asked.
“Well, about Ben, really.” He paused. “Um, okay, the thing is, this is the thing. Uh, Carol and Susan are moving to LA. They, uh, they wanna take Ben with them.”
“They can’t steal your son!” Phoebe said.
“Apparently, they can,” Ross replied. “Anyway, uh, Ben wants to stay here with Jordy, Rachel and I. Carol and Susan are really angry about this, so we’re going to, uh, take it to court.”
“What?” Monica asked.
“Court?” Joey repeated.
“Yeah, and until then, Ben is staying with us,” Rachel said, smiling. “I took him to school today. God, I love that kid. I really hope he can live with us full-time!”
* * *
That afternoon, Monica and Chandler went to see their lawyer. “We want to adopt a child,” Monica explained.
“I see.” The lawyer, Ms Watts, was very businesslike, even though she could only have been about thirty – younger than the Bings. “Are you unable to have children?”
“Yes,” Monica imitated Ms Watts’ businesslike manner, although inside this fact was almost killing her. “We don’t have enough money for IVF, and, um, we don’t want to go through all that heartbreak. So we would like to adopt a child.”
“Hmm.” The meeting went on for a long time, and was very boring. There were endless questions about their ages, their jobs, their annual income, and how long they had wanted children.
Then there were questions about the age of the child they wanted to adopt – young, preferably a baby.
Any preference of sex, colour, racial background, religion? No, all they cared about was having a child. Monica would have liked to have said that they wanted a child that looked like them, a child they could pretend was really their own, but she didn’t dare.
Only the outcome interested the Bings.
“Yes, I believe you are eligible to adopt a child.” Ms Watts smiled slightly at them. “However, I will not be able to do anything more today – you’ll have to come back tomorrow, I have a meeting with a divorcing couple in ten minutes.” She paused. “Ironic, really.”
Monica and Chandler laughed along with her, and each of them promised to themselves that they would never divorce. It was a promise they had made several times to each other in the past, and each and every time they had meant it. They arranged a time for a second meeting, which turned out to be the day after tomorrow, as Chandler had a meeting with Doug tomorrow.
When they returned home, they didn’t see any of their friends. This was lucky, as they were too hyped-up to have a normal conversation with people. They could only mumble incoherently about, “We’re gonna have a baby, we’re gonna adopt a child!” They couldn’t believe it. Their dream was finally coming true!
* * *
Two days later, Monica and Chandler returned to Ms Watts’ office.
“We have found a child that matches your specifications almost exactly,” Ms Watts greeted them, smiling at their excited faces. “His name is Jackson Cody Johnston, but everyone we know calls him Jacky. He’s six months old, and his parents were killed in a car crash, when they were taking him home from the hospital.”
“Oh!” Monica murmured, her motherly heart going out to the poor orphaned baby.
“I’m going to take you to meet him,” Ms Watts continued. “He’s currently living in a foster-home, with three other babies. Rachael Patterson is very good with babies, but she never normally has this many children. She’s been pushing us to get one of them fostered for a long time.”
“What are we waiting for?” Chandler said, excitedly. “Let’s go!” Monica gave him a curious look. Up until now, she had believed he was going along with this just to please her. Now she wasn’t so sure.
After that, things happened very quickly. Within two hours, they had met the child they were going to adopt, six-month-old Jackson Cody Johnston. They met him, and he took to them easily. Ms Watts smiled at the couple playing with the baby. They seemed so happy. Eventually she had to call them away.
“Mr and Mrs. Bing, I believe everything is in order. You will have to have a supervised visit with Jacky at your home, and sign some papers, but I believe within three months, you will be a family.” Monica and Chandler hugged one another, and they kissed the baby goodbye.
When they arrived home, the rest of the gang was already there, including Ben and Jordy. “Guess what? We’re adopting the cutest little boy!” Monica cried.
She and Chandler described every inch of Jackson’s dark brown hair, his dark eyes, even his cute little dimples when he smiled.
“I’m getting a cousin?” Ben asked.
Monica nodded. “Yep, his name is Jackson Cody Johnston, but we’re going to change his name to Bing, of course. Jacky Bing. He’s six months old.”
“I can’t wait!” Chandler added. “We’re going to be parents!”
“Wow, we’re all going to have big changes in our lives,” Rachel said. “I mean, you guys having a baby, Ross and I getting Ben, and then we’re going to move, of course…”
“What?” It came as a chorus from the gang.
“Well, when we have Ben, he can’t always sleep in my room, can he?” Ross asked, reasonably. “Rache and I decided today that well, y’know, we’re gonna need a bigger house.”
“A house?” Monica repeated.
“Yeah, we can’t stay in an apartment all our lives,” Rachel explained. “I mean, the apartment’s big, but, well, we’ve got one child, and Ben’s hopefully gonna live with us. We want to find somewhere on Long Island, maybe – not too far away.”
“Maybe we should move,” Chandler said. Monica looked at him. He elaborated. “Well, we’re adopting one child. Then in a year or so, we’re going to want to adopt another one, aren’t we? And maybe we’ll have another one after that. So, we’ll need to move sooner or later.”
“Okay!” Monica agreed. “I mean, this apartment is almost too small for just us and the baby.”
“Wait!” Phoebe said. “You guys can’t all move! What about Joey and I?”
“Joey can live with us,” Monica offered, after a quick exchange of looks with Chandler. “But, y’know, we might not move yet.”
“Pheebs can live with us,” Rachel proposed.
“Okay, then,” Phoebe returned, easily mollified.
* * *
Two nights later, after Ben and Jordy were in bed, Ross and Rachel began to discuss things. As usual, their discussion led onto the topic of “us”.
“I, uh, I think we should, uh, get back together,” Ross said, slowly.
“What?” Rachel gasped. She hadn’t been expecting that.
“Not, like, for real,” he added. “I mean, just for show. We should say we’re engaged.”
“For Ben’s sake?” Rachel asked.
“Uh huh.” Ross looked away. She wouldn’t agree to this. No way would she agree to this.
“Okay,” she replied, and Ross looked at her in surprise.
“Seriously?”
“Well, yeah, if we’re just pretending, then why not? And if it could help us get Ben, then I’m willing to do anything. Y’know, I think I’m falling in love with that kid. He’s really sweet.”
Ross smiled. “He is, isn’t he?”
“Must run in the family,” Rachel laughed, and she kissed him. It wasn’t a friendly kiss-on-the-cheek, either. It was a full-on, lover’s kiss. The kind of kiss that people share if they are dating, if they’re in love.
“Whoa, whoa, what was that for?” Ross stammered, pulling away.
“I, I thought that was what you wanted,” Rachel said, blushing. “Don’t you?”
“Well, kinda, but, nooo… Not in front of the kids,” he mumbled.
“They’re asleep, Ross, asleep,” Rachel told him. “We’d hear if Jordy was awake, and Ben would be in your room anyway.” She paused. “I like your idea. I just think we should take it one step further. I think we should get back together for real.”
“For real?”
“Yes. I mean, we live together, we have a child together, and we’re going to buy a house together, c’mon Ross! Whaddya say?” She took a deep breath. “If it helps, I, um, I think I’m in love with you, Ross.”
Ross paused, thinking. He really wanted to do this. But what if it all went wrong? He’d lose his best friend, maybe even his daughter as well. But what if it went right? What if he had that wonderful love he had had for those few months, many years before? He smiled, just thinking about it.
“I say… yes,” he whispered, and kissed Rachel tenderly. After just a few seconds he broke away. “I love you, too, Rachel Karen Green.”
Ben was watching from the doorway. He smiled as he saw this happening. Maybe now he’d have a better chance of staying in New York.
* * *
The next day, Rachel tried to wake Ross up. “Ross, Ross,” she said, softly. “Got an appointment with the solicitor at ten. Need to take Ben to school – for God’s sake, Ross, please get up!” When all else failed, she plonked baby Jordy down on top of her father. The baby laughed and drooled. Ross sat up like a shot, moaning and wiping spit off his nose.
“Ugh… I hate mornings,” he mumbled, but got up nevertheless. “Wow, I can’t believe we’re back together,” he added, looking at Rachel almost reverently in her short skirt and blouse.
“Yeah, me neither, now come on!” Rachel insisted. “It’s late, we need to hurry. You get dressed, I’ll wake Ben.” She raced through to her almost-son’s room, carrying the precious baby.
“Ben, c’mon, sweetie,” she whispered. “Time to wake up.”
“Are you and Daddy back together?” were Ben’s first words that morning. He scrambled out of bed, and raced into Jordy’s room to look at her.
“Mmm, yeah—how do you know?” Rachel asked.
“I heard you last night,” he said, smiling. “Does that mean you’re gonna get married?”
“Not just yet,” Rachel laughed. “But maybe, yeah.”
“Do you want to marry him?” Ben asked.
Rachel paused. “Um, yes. I think I would.”
“Why?”
“Because I think I’m falling for him,” she said, simply, forgetting that she was talking to an eight-year-old boy. “I think I have been ever since Jordy was born.” She smiled at Ben, who was cooing over Jordy. “Yeah, I think I’m in love.”
Ross, standing by the door, heard this. He snuck back into the kitchen, so that Rachel wouldn’t know he had heard this. However, when he stopped off at a jewellery store, and reappeared with a small bulge in his jacket pocket, on the way to visiting his lawyer, there was no doubt about whether he had heard her or not. Rachel didn’t know that, as she dropped Ben off at school and then met Ross at the lawyers.
The lawyer seemed to think that there was a good chance of Ross getting custody of Ben, especially if Ben wanted to stay with him. They filled in some forms, and arranged a date for a court hearing, to be sent to Carol and Susan also. Unlike the meetings Chandler and Monica had attended, this one was short and to the point. On the way back, pushing Jordy in her buggy, Rachel made a suggestion.
“We should go see Chandler and Monica.”
“Why?” Ross asked. “I mean, I like seeing them, but why just now?”
“Cos today’s the day that Jacky’s visiting,” Rachel said. “Remember? We could meet the newest addition to the gang.”
“Oh yeah,” Ross replied. “Yeah, let’s go.”
When they arrived, Monica and Chandler were thrilled with the little boy. He was about Jordy’s age, just three months younger. Monica picked him up, and he giggled and dribbled. “This is Jackson Cody Bing,” she introduced him.
“Mmm…” the baby babbled.
“Yes, that’s you, isn’t it?” Chandler cooed. Ross and Rachel stared at one another. Chandler, the commitment-phobic guy, was going gaga over a baby?
Jordy started wriggling in her buggy. Rachel picked her up. “Jackson Cody Bing, this is Jordy Ruth Geller,” she said, imitating Monica’s style of speech. Jordy wriggled and poked Jacky’s nose. He went cross-eyed for a moment as he tried to see where he had been poked, and then poked Jordy back. Rachel and Monica both laughed, as though they were conventionally happy mothers, with not a care in the world.
The babies were put down on a rug in the middle of the room, and they began to play with some blocks. Monica watched Jacky with the look of a proud mother, and Chandler was encouraging the baby to build towers with the blocks.
Rachel leaned forward to speak to Ross. “They’re going to make great parents,” she said. “Jack’s a lucky baby.”
“Yeah,” Ross replied. Suddenly he broke off, and spoke in a louder voice. “Rach, I’ve got something to ask of you.”
“Uh huh,” Rachel said. Her eyes widened in shock as Ross got down on one knee and took something out of his pocket. “What are you doing?”
“Rachel, I’ve never loved anyone the way I loved you, and, well, I’m pretty sure this is it,” Ross said, reciting the little speech he had taught himself whilst at the jewellers. “I heard what you were telling Ben and Jordy this morning, and, well, I feel the same. So, uh, Rachel Green, will you do me the honour of becoming my wife – again?” He held out the beautiful diamond and emerald engagement ring that he had bought that morning.
“Oh my God!” Monica whispered to her husband, who was standing frozen with shock. “Did you know they were back together?”
“Are they back together?” Chandler countered.
“They are now,” she quipped, as Ross slipped the ring onto Rachel’s finger, and they hugged and kissed.
* * *
Jackson Cody Johnston became Monica and Chandler’s son on the 6th September 2003, three weeks after his visit. His parents were thrilled with the new addition to their family, and he became a loved member of the gang. He got along well with Jordy, and Ben thought his new cousin was wonderful – although not as good as his sister.
Three days after Jacky was officially adopted, Ross and Rachel were looking at houses. Ben and Jordy were with them, but they weren’t doing much. Ben was pushing Jordy, and making faces over the handlebars. Jordy loved her big brother, and she giggled and clapped her hands as Ben did so.
After going round a lot of dull, small or expensive houses, the Gellars ended up in a pleasant road, with leafy trees shading the sidewalks. The house that the real estate agent showed them was perfect for a family of five (including Phoebe), and, the best part of all, over the street, there was another house, also for sale, also for the same price – which Ross knew Monica and Chandler would be able to afford.
Ross paid a deposit for the house straight away. Getting out his cellphone, he rang Chandler to tell him the news about the other house. Within twenty minutes, Chandler had arrived, rang Monica, and put down his deposit also.
“That was ridiculously easy,” Rachel said, as she, Chandler, Ross, Ben and Jordy began to walk home. “I always thought that buying a house was hard.”
“That’s moving house,” Chandler corrected her.
“Although it is generally harder than that to buy anywhere to live,” Ross said. “Remember all that struggle when I was trying to find somewhere to live, years ago?”
They all nodded. Chandler smiled. “Well, now Monica, Jacky and I have a house. I guess we’re a proper family.”
“And we’re gonna be a proper family too,” Ben piped up. “Me and Daddy and Fun Aunt Rachel and Jordy.”
* * *
The next few weeks were filled with trying to sell four apartments, trying to pack everything up, getting ready for a major court case, and getting used to having a new baby around.
Phoebe’s large apartment went easily. “I think that’s because my grandma’s up there trying to make people want it,” she confessed to Joey, who nodded seriously.
“Can you ask her to help me sell mine?” he asked.
“Oh, I know how to do that,” Phoebe said, smiling. “You just need to, um, tidy it up a little bit, and then clean it – or ask Monica to clean it for you,” she added.
“Okay,” Joey replied, and went off in search of Monica, who obligingly cleaned, tidied, and even sprayed air freshener around. The apartment was sold the very next day, and Joey was thrilled.
Rachel and Ross’ apartment was sold two days after Joey’s. The final apartment to be sold was Chandler and Monica’s. Monica was a little bit annoyed about this – her competitive side had kicked in once more – but she soon realised that the difference of one day meant nothing. Their apartments were all so nice that people wanted to pay quite large sums of money for them. Phoebe made a profit on her apartment, even allowing that she paid some of the price of Ross and Rachel’s new house.
Moving day was one week after the final apartment was sold. The gang was quite excited, and, thanks to Monica and Ben (who had inherited most of his aunt’s annoying traits), everyone was packed.
Joey arrived at apartment 20 at seven in the morning, to be greeted by a worried-looking Monica, who announced that Jacky had a fever. She was carrying the baby, trying to settle him. His face was bright red, and he was screaming.
“We’re still moving, right?” Joey checked.
“Yeah, but, um, I have to take him to the doctors,” Monica replied, trying to settle the crying child. “I hope he’s okay!”
“Relax, Monica, he’ll be fine,” Ross said, appearing at that moment with Rachel, Ben and little Jordy. “Ben and Jordy have had loads of fevers, they’re always fine.”
Rachel nodded in agreement, rocking Jordy who had been woken from a nap by Jacky’s crying.
“Hi you guys, am I late?” Phoebe asked, running into the apartment. “God, you’re all here, sorry!”
“Jacky’s sick,” Chandler said, pessimistically. “And we had no sleep cos he was crying all night.”
“Wow, he must be tired,” Rachel joked. “He can’t even make a joke about Phoebe being late.”
“I’m not just tired, I’m worried about my son,” Chandler snapped.
“Sor-ry,” Rachel replied. “Look, don’t worry about Jacky, just make him a doctor’s appointment or something.”
“Here, let me look,” Ross said, taking the baby from his mother. He looked in the child’s mouth, and smiled. “Monica, he’s only teething, don’t fret about it!”
“Teething?” Chandler repeated. “But, but he’s crying so much, and he’s so warm, and…”
“He’s warm cos he’s crying,” Rachel the experienced replied. “And they always cry when they teethe, Chandler.”
Monica laughed slightly. “But, I mean, how do I stop it?”
“You don’t,” Ross said, smiling at the horrified look on his sister’s face.
“Ross, please!” Phoebe said. “Tell your sister what she wants to know.”
Ross shook his head. “All mothers have to learn.” Monica glared at him, and he laughed over the sounds of Jacky’s screams.
“Ross!” scolded Rachel. “Okay, Mon, um, Jordy, she likes it if you just rock her gently, or if you put your finger over her little tooth point. Or, um, you could give him a pacifier, or put some cold water on the gums…”
“Thanks,” Monica smiled at her friend. Chandler went to get some water, and he gently tipped some onto his hand and rubbed the baby’s gums. Jacky gave a little whimper, and his cries subsided.
“Is that better?” he cooed to Jacky. He tried to move his finger, but the moment he did, the cried started again. “Crap,” he mumbled, as Joey and Ross giggled like schoolgirls. (A/N: that is SUCH a sexist saying!)
“You just hold him,” Monica said, trying to hide her grin. “We can carry the rest of the stuff.”
There were two removal trucks outside the apartment block, where most of the large furniture, such as the closets and sofas, had already been put. The removal men took the beds and final pieces of furniture, and then the trucks drove off. Phoebe, Rachel, Ross, Ben and Jordy piled into Phoebe’s cab, Chandler, Monica, Joey and Jacky got into Monica’s Porsche, and they all went off in search of their new homes.
In a matter of minutes, they were there, and within three hours, all the furniture had been unpacked. Jacky and Jordy were put down for naps, and Ben was asked to keep an eye on them as the adults began sorting out their new homes.
Phoebe immediately claimed a small attic room with a skylight as her room in number 187. “It has a great feeling,” she informed Ross. “I mean, I can so sense spirits in here – oh my God, I think that’s my mom’s spirit. Hi mom, hi!” She paused for a moment. “Nope, not my mom. And whoever-it-is is pretty pissed at me, oops.”
Ross and Rachel took the largest room in their house, with the room next to it as Jordy’s room. Ben took the room across from Jordy’s. “Cos this way, I’m close to Fun aunt Rachel, Daddy and Jordy,” he explained.
The remaining rooms would be a study and a guest room, it having been decided that Ben would need a room to do homework in, and Rachel, as she was sending in ideas from home, would need a place to email and phone from.
At the other house, number 186, Monica and Chandler chose the large room, with another fairly large room being put into use for the baby. Joey took the small room over the garage, as it was almost like a little apartment of it’s own – it had a bathroom and it’s own “front door”.
The next few weeks were hectic as the gang tried to settle into their new homes. On top of it all, it was Ben’s ninth birthday. Monica organised a small party for him at the Geller’s house, and invited lots of his school friends, the gang, Jack and Judy.
The party was small, but went off without a hitch. The children, Jack and Judy had just gone home when Susan and Carol turned up.
“Um, hi Ross, Monica,” Susan greeted them. “Hey, Ben, sweetie!”
“Go ’way,” Ben replied, scowling.
“Ben!” Carol scolded. “We just came to say happy ninth birthday to you, sweetheart.”
“You’ve said it, so bye-bye now,” Ross said, trying to manoeuvre the couple away. “And how did you find out we’ve moved?”
“Oh, simple,” Susan laughed.
“Are you gonna tell us, or do we have to guess?” Rachel put in her quota.
“Oh, we just asked that very nice lady who moved into your old apartment,” Carol said, airily. “She’s Susan’s sister, y’know.” The looks on the faces of the gang showed that none of them had known.
“Crap,” Ross mumbled.
“Did not see that one coming,” Monica added.
“Well, I just wanted to wish my son a happy birthday,” Carol said, smiling. She pulled a large parcel out of her bag, and gave it to Ben. “Happy ninth birthday, Benny.”
“Don’t call me Benny,” he replied, crossly. “And I don’t want a present from you, you’re mean!”
“Guess what it is?” Susan said, brightly, ignoring his angry looks.
“Don’t know, don’t care,” Ben said, turning away from his mommies. Ross smiled. “That’s my boy,” he whispered.
“It’s what you’ve wanted for ages,” Carol continued.
“But we always said we couldn’t afford it,” Susan added.
“A PlayStation 2?” Ben cried. His mommies looked at one another and nodded, smiling. Ben kept up the excited face for a second, and carried on speaking. “Wow, I can’t believe you bought me a PS2.” Suddenly his face changed with an almost comical attitude. “But I’m still not taking it – and I’m not going back to live with you either, you can’t bribe me!”
“He’s a clever kid,” Chandler said, loud enough for everyone to hear. Ben carried on shouting at his mommies.
“I won’t go and live in LA with you, I don’t care what you buy me, cos I wanna stay with my family! They wouldn’t make me move across the country, they love me, and they’re not strict like you,” he added. “And if I stay here, there’s lots of kids I know, all my friends, and my sister.”
“But Benny,” Susan began, but was checked by his look. “Ben,” she corrected herself. “Look, if you come to LA, you’ll have another sister there, Ben. We’re thinking about adopting a little girl, you won’t be an only child any more!”
“I’m not an only child,” Ben said. “And if you’re so desperate to have a son again, then why don’t you adopt one? Cos there’s no way I’m coming back to live with you!”
“He’s good,” Ross muttered to Rachel, and she nodded.
“Guess what?” Ben continued, shouting louder than ever. “I feel sorry for the little girl you adopt, and I hope I never see you again, ever! And it’s not as though I won’t have a mommy any more, either, cos I’ve got Rachel, she’s going to be my new mommy, she’s marrying daddy.”
“Ben, we’re your mothers,” Susan tried to reason.
“You aren’t.” Ben was certain on this point.
“But I am, Ben, sweetie, and I love you, I love you so much,” Carol said, almost crying with frustration.
“You’re not my mom either,” Ben announced. “If you loved me, you wouldn’t try and drag me across the country. Rachel is my mom. Not either of you two, I hate both of you, do you hear me?” At this, Rachel and Ross burst into applause, an example that was followed by the rest of the gang. Carol and Susan left, angrily.
As soon as they had gone, Monica and Chandler left to take Jacky home, as he was asleep. “I can’t believe we have him,” Monica whispered as they stood looking over the baby in his crib. Eight months old, Jacky was a large baby, and he could now crawl. Each day, Monica hoped to hear some words come from his tiny mouth, but she was always disappointed.
“You say that every night,” Chandler replied to Monica’s words. “But I know what you mean. I love him so much, he’s not even our own child.”
“That doesn’t matter,” Monica said softly. “We love him as if he was. He doesn’t have any biological parents, so we’re just helping.”
“What’s he going to call us?” asked Chandler. “I mean, is he going to call us mom and dad, or Monica and Chandler, or what?”
“Neither, he can’t speak,” Monica quipped. “Seriously? I have no idea.”
“Do you want him to call us mom and dad?” Chandler queried.
Monica paused. “Um, yeah, I think so.” She looked anxiously at him. “Why? Do you?”
He nodded. “I want him to think of us as his real parents.”
“When are we gonna tell him the truth?”
“We should just bring him up telling him,” Chandler replied. “I mean, like, every day, tell him that he’s not our child, but we do really love him.”
Monica nodded. “He is our baby, anyway.”
* * *
That same night, Ross and Rachel lay awake in their bed, talking. Jordy slept through the night now, unless she was ill, and Ben never disturbed them. The topic of conversation was the wedding, set for three weeks time, and now totally planned. Joey was to be the minister, Chandler the best man, Phoebe was going to play her music at the reception and be a bridesmaid (Monica’s plan for bridesmaids had been scrapped), and Monica was going to be maid of honour. Ben was even going to be ring bearer, and eleven-month-old Jordy, who could just about take a few steps now, was going to be a little flower-girl.
“Can you believe it’s coming so soon?” Ross asked.
“I know, it’s great that it’s before the court hearing next month, as well,” Rachel suggested. “Cos then, y’know, we can say that Ben has a secure family here, with his dad and step mom and two little half-siblings.”
“One little half-sibling,” Ross corrected, absently, not looking at Rachel’s face, which had a mischievous grin on it, and one hand was placed on her stomach.
“Uh, Ross?”
“OH!” Ross shouted, suddenly.
“Shh… you’ll wake Ben and Jordy,” Rachel said, grinning.
“You’re pregnant?” Ross questioned, quieter now. Rachel nodded. “Oh my God, that’s great, we’re having a baby?” He gingerly put his hand on Rachel’s stomach.
“You won’t feel it yet,” Rachel said, laughing. “I’m only about two months along – I think.”
“Two months and you didn’t tell me?”
“Well, I wasn’t sure the first month, cos, well there was all the stress of moving house, and they say if you’re stressed you might miss one month,” Rachel explained, still with that happy smile. “And then I thought I might be this month, so I took a test while you were putting Ben to bed tonight.”
“I’m going to be a daddy again?” Ross stammered.
“Mmm-hmm,” Rachel murmured.
“But how?” Ross asked. “I mean, I’m really happy and all, but how?”
Rachel smiled. “I can remind you if you want,” she said, smirking.
Ross looked appreciatively at the naked woman in front of him. “Just a second, Rach,” he checked her. “I mean, um, we, we’ve been careful, right? We, uh, we used protection, didn’t we?”
“Apparently it doesn’t work with us,” laughed his fiancée. “If you remember, Jordy was conceived using protection.”
“Ben wasn’t planned, either,” confessed Ross. “Maybe my sperm are just powerful.”
“Maybe they have tools,” said Rachel absently, recollecting that unhappy time at Monica’s wedding. She looked around and smiled. “Y’know, Ross, when I first found out I was having Jordy, I was so upset.”
“I wasn’t thrilled when you told me,” Ross replied. “Remember the condom company thing?”
Rachel laughed lightly. “Yeah. Just, I mean, who would have thought one baby could do so much for us?”
“One baby and one little boy,” Ross corrected. “Cos, y’know, a lot of it is down to Ben.”
“But if Ben hadn’t fallen in love with Jordy so much, then he wouldn’t have wanted to stay…” Rachel began, then stopped as she realised what she was saying.
“You’re saying my son wouldn’t have wanted to live with his father?” Ross asked, slightly angrily.
Rachel thought, wildly. “I mean, of course he would, but, um, this way, there’s two reasons, cos…” she trailed off as she saw Ross’ grin. “You bastard!” she said. “You were joking?”
“’Course,” Ross laughed. “It’s funny seeing you panic.” He kissed her, and soon they were heavily making out on the bed.
* * *
“You’re getting married tomorrow!” Phoebe wailed. “Oh God, I’m still single!”
“Hey, Pheebs,” Joey smirked. “How you doin’?”
The whole gang were present, including Ben, Jordy and Jacky. Rachel and Ross still hadn’t said anything about the baby, because of fear of Monica and Chandler’s reaction.
Phoebe looked at Joey. Suddenly she smiled. “In good time, my love.” She paused. “A few years left yet.” The rest of the gang all gave her odd looks, apart from Joey, who smiled and nodded.
“Anyway,” Ross said, shaking his head. “Um, I think we should tell them our news, Rach.”
Rachel nodded. The sonogram she had attended the previous day had in fact ascertained that she was nearly four-and-a-half months gone. Indeed, if you looked closely, it was possible to see her bump, even when she was wearing baggy clothes. Soon, the gang would be able to tell anyhow.
“Ooh, news?” Phoebe asked. “Spill, spill!” The rest of the gang echoed her request.
“Um, Ross and I are, uh, having another baby,” Rachel announced calmly. “I, uh, we didn’t plan it, but we’re so happy about it!”
“But Jordy's only tiny,” Monica said.
“She’ll be sixteen months when the baby comes,” Ross told her.
“I’m nearly four-and-a-half months gone,” Rachel added. “And, um, we asked the doctor, and it’s another girl!”
“Why didn’t you tell us before?” Chandler asked.
“Cos I wasn’t sure, and it was a surprise for me when the doctor said I was so far gone,” Rachel replied. “I mean, I was having—” she broke off, remembering Chandler, Joey and Ben, and changed direction. “I thought I was only about eight weeks.”
“I’m having another sister?” Ben yelled. “Woo-hoo!”
“Shush, Ben, cos Jordy’s asleep,” Phoebe said. Since living with the Gellars, she had begun to act like another mother for Ben.
“But I’ll definitely, definitely be able to stay in New York now,” Ben said, softly. “Cos if they see I’ve got a whole real family here, they’ll see that you guys are better for me than two lesbians.” He pronounced the last word as though it was a rude word.
“Ben, you shouldn’t be ashamed of Carol and Susan’s sexuality,” Ross rebuked his son, as Joey tittered.
“You said sexuality,” he giggled like a little boy.
“Grow up,” Monica said, not amused. Joey saw Monica’s face, and complied.
“You okay, Monica?” Rachel asked, concerned.
“I-I’m fine,” Monica mumbled. Inside, she was hurting that Rachel was having a baby of her own – again, when she hadn’t been trying. “Sorry, I was just being selfish. You’re having a baby, and it’s great.”
Later that day, when Rachel and Monica were alone, after Ross had been taken away for his bachelor party, Rachel tackled Monica on the subject again.
“Mon?”
“I, it’s just I think it’s unfair that you can get knocked up twice while you’re using protection, and Chandler and I are infertile,” Monica replied. “I know I’m being selfish, and I should be happy that I’ve got Jacky, but it, it just, it hurts, Rachel! I want to have a child that’s mine – a child I carried for nine months and then sent out into the world. A child that was mine and Chandler’s, is that too much to ask for?” All the grief she had bottled up for months suddenly came out in a rush.
Rachel looked at her best friend. She saw how much Monica wanted a child, something she had seen for a long time. “I’m so sorry,” she whispered.
Monica laughed weakly. “Don’t be sorry – you’re having a baby, you’re getting married, you should be happy. I’m just selfish, I should be congratulating you – congratulations, Mrs. Geller!”
“Not yet,” Rachel cautioned. “I’m not Mrs. Geller yet.” She paused. “Can’t wait ‘til I am, though! Mrs Rachel Geller, mother of Jordana and Hannah Louise Geller, stepmother of Ben Geller.”
“Hannah Louise?” Monica repeated.
“Well, yeah, that’s what I wanted to call the baby,” Rachel confessed. “I mean, last time, Ross liked the name Hannah, it’s Jewish, and it means ‘God has favoured’. I mean, He’s certainly favoured us. And then Louise goes so nicely with it!”
Monica smiled. “It’s really sweet. Hannah Louise Geller.” She paused. “I’m so happy for you, Rach!”
* * *
The following morning, the whole gang – with the exception of Rachel – met in the hallway of the hotel where the wedding would take place. It was the same place as where Monica and Chandler married, as Rachel had liked it there.
A simple ceremony, with only a few family members invited, it was all the more poignant for that reason. When Jordy tripped whilst carrying the flowers, she didn’t cry, but just got up and carried on. The sweetest moment was by far when Ben picked his sister up whilst the vows were taking place.
Rachel smiled at Ross during her vows. “Ross, we first met when I was in kindergarten and you were in second grade. However, I don’t think you’ve matured that much.” There was a general laugh about this. “Sorry, of course you have. I think you’ve really grown since I met you, and I don’t just mean height-wise. You’ve matured, and you’re the most wonderful man in the world, and, for so long, you’ve been the only man I could ever imagine spending the rest of my life with. I love you, Ross, and I can’t wait to be your wife and have your baby.”
Joey almost cried during this little speech, but managed to pull himself together enough to say, “And Ross?”
“Rachel Karen Green, I have loved you ever since I met you,” Ross began. “I think I always knew, somewhere, that we would end up together, it was fate, I’m sure, that led us to being together. We just took the long way around, we would always end up together. I remember our first kiss in Central Perk, and our first night together at the museum. I remember the night Jordana was conceived, a night I had thought would never happen. I remember how elated I was when you accepted my proposal, and how I vowed to myself that I would never let you go again. I am never going to do anything to hurt you, and I promise you that I am the one you will spend the rest of your life with.”
Rachel’s eyes were full of tears, but she still managed to hold Ross’ gaze. The rings were exchanged quickly, and then Ross and Rachel Karen Geller left the building, happy as anything.
* * *
They didn’t have a honeymoon, as the court case was coming up. They had booked a family holiday to Disneyland though, a holiday for the whole gang, set for three days after the court hearing – a celebration of getting their son, or a goodbye that he would remember.
“Please be seated,” the judge boomed. “Thank you. We are here today to discuss the custody arrangements of one Benjamin Geller-Willick, or Ben. The contenders for his custody are the child’s father and stepmother, Mr Ross Geller and Mrs. Rachel K. Geller, and the child’s mother and,” the judge paused, looking at his notes. “And the child’s mother’s lesbian life partner, Ms Carol Willick and Ms Susan Bunch.”
Ross and Rachel looked at each other, nervous. “We’ll be fine,” Rachel murmured.
The judge was speaking again. “Now, as I take it, the child has lived with Ms Willick and Ms Bunch for the first eight years of his life, is that correct?”
Carol and Susan’s lawyer stood up. “Yes your honour. However, Mr Geller had regular visiting rights to his son, and my clients were on very good terms with Mr Geller.”
The judge nodded. “Duly noted. However, for the last few months, the child has been living with Mr and Mrs. Geller and their daughter, am I right?”
Ross and Rachel’s lawyer stood up. “Yes. My clients took their son in after Ms Willick and Ms Bunch told him that they wished to move to LA. The child did not want to leave, so my clients took charge of the boy that they both consider to be their son.”
The judge nodded again. “Now, Ms Willick, why did you try to take your son away from his father?”
Carol looked very nervous, but spoke resolutely. “My wife and I wished to move to LA to be part of a large lesbian community. My ex-husband and I always had a good relationship, and we agreed, when Ben was born, that I should have primary custody of the child. We have always got on very well, until we decided to move, and Ross began making his absurd claims. Ben was very excited to be moving, until he visited his father, and then I was told that he would rather stay in New York.”
“Thank you,” the judge replied. “And Mr Geller, what is your side of the story?”
Ross took the stand. “I simply refuse to believe that it is in my son’s best interests to be forced to move to the other side of the country, away from his father, his two half-sisters, his stepmother, and all his friends. He doesn’t want to move, and I gather that the child’s wishes are the main component of these sort of cases?” The judge nodded, impatiently, and Ross continued. “My wife and I will do anything we can to keep our son, because we love him, and he loves us. He has a sister here, and my wife is currently pregnant, and we want Ben to be involved in the baby’s life. I want my son to be allowed to have a free choice. If he chooses to live with my ex-wife, then I will respect that choice.”
The judge nodded, smiling. Two hours later, he had also spoken to Rachel, Susan’s sister, Monica, Chandler, Carol’s parents, and Ben, and court was reconvened to hear the decision. Ross and Rachel held hands, nervous and smiling.
“I have heard all sides of the story, and I have made my decision,” the judge announced.
Carol and Susan shook with nerves.
“The child is to live with and be taken care of by Mr and Mrs. Ross Geller,” the judge said.
Ross and Rachel jumped up, screaming. Ben raced towards them, and they hugged. “We’re a family!” Ben shrieked.
Ross looked incredulously at Rachel, smiled, and began jumping up and down again. The rest of the gang piled onto them, all yelling and shouting happily.
Ross and Rachel returned those screams. Rachel suddenly leaned over to her husband, and whispered in his ear, “We WERE on a break.”
* * *
I get a feeling, morning and evening
Baby, when you get home
I got a vision, my superstitions gone
Baby I’m shining, you got me flying,
Throw me a silver line,
Pull me down slowly
Kiss me and hold me tight
We can’t hide it; we can’t fight it
Just to feel as you believe
* * *
I put a spell on my heart for ya
Wishing on a little star for ya
Kind of magic in everything we do
I live and I’d die for ya
Get a little bit high for ya
Forever couldn’t come too soon
Running circles round the moon
* * *
I’m moving over; you’re getting closer
Heaven is in your eyes
Mystical wonder, flowing into our lives
Spirits are waking, to love that we’re making
Angels are on our side
Watching and waiting, catching the joy we cry
* * *
I put a spell on my heart for ya
Wishing on a little star for ya
Kind of magic in everything we do
I live and I’d die for ya
Get a little bit high for ya
Forever couldn’t come too soon
Running circles round the moon
* * *
Out of my mind
Chasing circles of love just to find
Every lifetime
It’s always you
* * *
I put a spell on my heart for ya
Wishing on a little star for ya
Kind of magic in everything we do
I live and I’d die for ya
Get a little bit high for ya
Forever couldn’t come too soon
Running circles round the moon
Thirteen-year-old Ben arrived home from high school to find his family all at Monica and Chandler’s house, across the road from his own. He was late home, as he’d been to basketball practice, and he found his cousins, his sister, and the adults, all lounging in the back garden. Well, the adults were lounging.
Six-year-old Jordy Geller was chasing her five-year-old sister, Hannah Louise, the four-year-old twins, Alissa and Kristen Bing (or Lissie and Krissie, as Joey and Chandler called them), and their eighteen-month-old brother, Thomas, around the garden with the hose. The twins’ six-year-old adopted brother, Jacky, was trying to sneak up on Jordy and tickle her.
As for the adults, Monica was sitting on Chandler’s lap, both of them looking happy and deliriously in love, thrilled with their lives. Thomas wasn’t an adopted child, he was their actual son, something that neither of them had believed could happen. Rachel and Ross, just back from their second honeymoon, were sitting cuddled up together, also looking deeply in love. Phoebe and Joey, a relationship of only one year, were sending each other secret smiles and holding hands, cradling their newborn son Tiger.
As they noticed Ben, shouts went up for him to join them. He smiled, raced to put his bag down, downed a glass of lemonade, and joined in the fun. This was what life was meant to be like.
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