Last Time...
"Are you going to the airport?" She asked.
"Why?" Rachel asked. "He's going."
"Yes, but why would he put the time of departure in his goodbye letter if he didnt want you to come to the airport?" Greta pointed out. "Hes calling out to you hon! All you have to do is answer the call!"
"You really think so?"
"I know so." Greta said.
"What time is it?" Rachel asked suddenly in a rush.
"Almost seven." Greta responded.
"I got something to do." Rachel said.
"What about....?"
"I know, but if I don't do this one thing, it will bug me forever." She said dialing a phone. "Hi, I need a cab and fast!"
A few minutes later
Rachel hopped onto the street and waited for the cab to arrive. She nervously checked the watch she swiped from Chandlers apartment. She needed to get something done before she could go where she wanted to go. It didnt make sense to her what that meant. She had to get to Ross's place before he went to the weekly seminar he taught at the university. He had to know. She knew it would be hard on him. Hell she wasn't even there and she knew it will be hard for them both. But how much more for him than her? Has she already resigned to being finally separated from Ross? Yes? No? She'll know in a few minutes as the cab arrived.
"Central Park West." Rachel ordered the cabbie. "And please hurry!"
The airport
Chandler dialed his home phone number. He hummed to himself as he waited for it to be picked up by the machine. He was planning to check his messages. Maybe the trip would be called off. He was about to punch in his personal machine code when the line unexpected picked up.
"Hello?" A female voice. Obviously Greta.
"Greta?" Chandler said. "It's me."
"Oh my god!" Greta said. "She found your letter?"
"Really?" He said, a smile instantly coming to his face. "How did she react?"
"I don't really know sugar. That girl is so hard to read." She shook her head.
"Is she coming?" Chandler said looking at a clock.
"To be honest, I don't know." Greta said. "She left in a god awful rush. Didn't even wait for me to offer a ride. I have no idea where she went."
Rachel paid the cabbie and got out of the cab and ran up the stairs to the apartment. She tried to keep herself from slipping off her heels as she rushed the elevator. She pressed up and after waiting 20 very tense seconds she hopped on. Ross's lecture was in half an hour. She hoped he hadn't left yet.
The door opened on her floor she looked up and stopped herself from getting off the elevator.
"Hello." She said.
"Hi." Ross said looking at her. "I been looking for you."
"Thats funny. I was gonna say the same about you." Rachel said. "Can you spare a moment?" She asked. "Never mind I know you can't but this is very important." Rachel intercepted him.
"This class is very important..."
"This is more important than a bunch of ratty, grubby smelling old bones. They will still be there when you get there! Too bad you can't say the same about me!" She said angrily.
Ross looked at her, speechless. He set down his case. She got off the elevator. The door had been trying to close for a few minutes. The door closed after she got off.
"It's funny I said we need to talk. But there is no we anymore is there?" She asked.
Ross sighed. "No." He sat down. "I don't think there has been anything close for years."
"Except maybe when we met those times on top of the empire state building." Rachel said.
"Yeah but you fell for Chandler." Ross said. "It should have been so obvious. The beginning of the end and it was right there in front of us. Even then I wondered how much this new feeling would last between us." He said. "I guess we know now."
"So what do we do?" Rachel said.
"Me? You? Thats all there is now. Just me and you." He said tearing up. "We were so right for each other years ago but with all the stumbling blocks and things between us through the years made it impossible for us to stay together long. Stupid things. Crazy things. Me for example. I should have known it was beyond the point of return when I tried to have to you marry me again."
"Yeah." Rachel said agreeing. "It's hard to get excited about a wedding when the bride to be is less than thrilled about it."
"Going back to the other question, I don't know what I will do now." He said. "But I do know what you should do."
"What?" Rachel asked.
"You know the answer to that Rachel. Go to him. He's the one for you now. For all we know, it was probably meant to be that way."
"He's going away." Rachel said. "Chicago. He's flying out."
"Then what are you waiting for?" Ross smiled at her. "Go!"
"Thank you." She said and kissed Ross on the cheek.
"No, thank you. You've given me a lot of memories. The whole experience hasnt been for nothing, I promise you." Ross said hitting the button. He hugged her tightly."I'll see you later." He said as she boarded the elevator.
"You too. As friends."
"As friends." Ross said as the door closed.
The Airport
Chandler sat in his chair trying to read a time magazine. He had just thrown it aside when an announcement came over the speaker system.
"Flight 607 to Chicago has been delayed. We will keep you posted."
"Delayed? For how long?" He asked someone next to him.
"Could be an hour. Could be all night." He said getting up. "I'm gonna be in the bar."
"Great." Chandler said. "If Rachel is coming, then she has more of a chance of getting here on time!" He got up and looked out the window. It was slowly getting dark. "Come on Rachel. Prove me wrong and show up!"
Some main road somewhere
On some main road the cab broke down. Rachel was not a happy camper.
"This is the all time suckiest thing to happen to me right now!" She said to the cabbie who couldnt even speak broken english. "I just barely got closure from my old love and I'm on my way to a new one!" She screamed in frustration as the cabbie chatted with someone on his cb. "I should have KNOWN BETTER and taken a BUS! No, even worse, there could be a bomb on it that blows if it goes over 50! UGH!" she thought for a second as angry motorists passed her by. "Same to you buddy! Do you kiss your mom with that mouth! No I didn't mean that was your mom, I'm sorry ma'am! Sir! Sorry again!" Rachel wringed her hands. "Thats it. You can pussy foot around with this damn car, but I gotta go." She said.
"What?" the man asked.
"Money." Rachel shoved a twenty in his hand. "Yours."
She looked at him for a second. "Man hes not there at all." She sighed in frustration and darted among the cars. The airport should be at the next exit, she reasoned as she ran.
Chandler looked outside at the runway strip as it started to rain. Why didn't he pack an umbrella?
"This day is getting better and better." Chandler said as he turned.
"Hello." Rachel said, slightly wet.
"Rachel?" He said. "What are you doing here?"
"What do you think? A certain letter jog your memory? I came to see you off." Rachel said.
"You're right but only about half right." Chandler said.
"I'm not here to see you off?"
"No." Chandler said coming closer. "I was hoping you would join me."
"You did, eh?" Rachel said.
"Will you?" He asked.
"Oh Chandler do you even have to ask?" She said as he pulled her closer to him.
"I wanted to hear you say it." He said kissing her on the forehead.
"I'll go with you whereever you plan to go." She said as they shared a long kiss on the lips.
"I'm ready when you are. They moved the flight up and now we're leaving in five minutes." He said.
"I don't have any clothes." Rachel said as they headed to the gate.
"Thats ok. I'll take care of you." He said kissing her again, more passionately. "I been wanting to take care of you for a long time."
Rachel smiled and took his hand. They walked up to the door that lead to the plane.
"One more for Chicago." Chandler said looking at Rachel. "First class."
They got to the plane and settled in. Rachel looked at the ground as the plane left the runway. Here she was with Chandler, finally, heading into a future where they didn't know what would happen.
She could hardly wait.
