Beyond Friends Episode 109 "Taking Care Of Business"

Usual suspects

The friends gang

Bruce willis as Wesley
Demi moore as Alison

It was Christmas day and the whole gang was over at Chandler and Rachels to celebrate. All except Greta and Joey who stayed away due to a weird strain of hong kong flu and Phoebe was with her own mom.
Rachel handed Chandler a gift.
"From you?" Chandler asked with a smile.
"Who else."
"Sure hell isnt me." Wesley said giving Alison some cookies. She had grown a bit since the last they had seen her.
Chandler unwrapped his gift. "A channel buddy! I been eyeing this in the sharper image catalogue for months now!" He said excited.
"He wouldn't put that catalogue down for anything!" Rachel said. "I started to worry about him once I found it in the bed the next morning."
"I would too." Wesley nodded.
"Ross was that way too, but then it was dinosaur stuff." Rachel said to Ross who was sitting with his new maion squeeze...what was her name again? Wendy.
"Yeah but that was all job related." Ross protested.
"You are the only paleontologist who took his work home." Monica said. "Its not like someone is gonna call and say that a t-rex is alive and willing to tell you everything!"
"Open my gift." Alison gave Rachel an envelope.
"What can this be?" Rachel said. She opened it up. "Two tickets. Wine tasting at Carnegie hall?"
"Yeah. My old friend at the governors mansion gave those to me. I loved to go to those. Course Wesley never enjoyed it." Alison smiled at him. "Never did like drinking anything and just spitting it out."
"Its a waste of good booze!" Wesley prptested. "It's like drinking Bud Lite a sip at a time."
"I'll go with you." Rachel smiled. "But can you have alcohol?"
"You don't swallow it Rach, I'll be fine." Alison assured her.
"Oh look at the time." Monica said. "I gotta go. Open the restaurant in the morning for the aftermath of christmas!"
"Me too." Ross said taking "Wendy" by the hand. "Night everyone." Wendy waved quietly and left with Ross, and the others.

"Wait." Rachel said and joined Monica in the hall. "Have you found out who your midnight balladeer is?"
"Yes." Monica said putting on her coat. "It is Steve."
"Wow." Rachel said. "Well does he want you back?"
"He hasnt said anything to my face, not yet. He's been singing his so called intentions at my window. I'm afraid to get thrown out."
"Why not invite him in?"
"He thinks I might reject him cause he ran off with Linda..."
"Bald Linda." Rachel corrected.
"Bald Linda but I'm over it. I don't know myself what I want yet." Monica said as Chandler stood in the hallway. "Well, looks like someone wants you." Monica exchanged a air kiss with Rachel. "Merry Christmas."
"Merry Christmas." Rachel waved. She walked over to the front door. She went to go by Chandler.
"Oh no, you can't come in yet." He said stopping her.
"Why not?"
"Mistletoe." He said gesturing to the greenery above the door. "You have to pay the toll." He kissed her on the lips.
"Hmm." Rachel said. "Can we go in now?"
"Yes." He said. "I forgot to give you something."
"What?" Rachel asked.
Chandler presented her with a small wrapped box.
"Go on. Open it." Chandler said.
"Ok." She tore off the wrapping paper, letting it fall to the ground. She opend the box to reveal a diamond bangle in it.
"How did you..."
"...afford it?" Chandler finished. "I've had this saved." He said while slipping it on. "I was gonna give it to you last yet, but we weren't together. So I saved it.I thought I could have given it to Ross to give to you, but I didnt want to." He kissed her on the forehead. "I wanted this to be for you, from me."
"I love it." Rachel said. "To bad we might have to pawn it if the business stinks."
"It won't." Chandler promised. "Wesley is a business shark."
"I hope so." Rachel said. "Hey christmas isnt over yet. "I left you some stuff in the bedroom."
"Really? What?" Chandler acted dumb. Rachel kissed him. "Oh."

The next day

Rachel looked for a dress in her closet. Rachel had been keeping her extra fancy stuff in her "old" room.
"What do you wear to a wine tasting?" She asked Chandler as he came in.
"Anything that doesnt stain, I imagine." Chandler replied.
"Thats something Monica would say." Rachel noted. "Have you found a place for the office yet?"
"Nope." He said. "I have a nice place in mind."
"Where?"
"The old building next to Central Perk." He said.
"Is Central Perk still open?" Rachel asked.
"Oh no, Gunther closed it a year ago." Chandler said. "With all thats happening I didn't know that even it was gone till I passed by the other day."
"Wow. I had no idea." Rachel said. "I gotta go. Alison wanted me to help her pick out an outfit too." Rachel kissed him on the cheek and left, dragging her outfi behind her in a garment bag.


Downtown in an empty building

Wesley wedged open the door with carton pressed against it to keep it from swinging closed.
"It must be one of them older places." He said. "Why the heavy doors, I dunno."
"Must have been a bank. This place has been here as long as I can remember." Chandler said. "I never really looked over here."
"Right, you and your friends were high on a never ending coffee buzz. Who cares right?" Wesley snarked. "Sorry."
"Where did that come from?" Chandler asked. When Wesley didnt answer, Chandler decided to change the topic. "Okay. I talked to the realtor, and I did know the realtor...he was a regular in Central Perk. He said there is room here for like two offices. One if we want to combine, and enough space for a nice waiting area."
"I like the one office idea better." Wesley said. "We all worked in like little cages. I don't want to come and knock on your door. If I have an idea, I want to be able to tell it to you without walking a damn country mile."
"Too impersonal." Chandler agreed. "I totally agree with you."
"Okay, we got a good start." Wesley said. "Wheres the john?"
"There is none."
"Great. Then there will have to be one." Wesley said. "Be right back."
Chandler watched him go out the door. He looked around. "Yeah, this could be a lot of fun."

The Wine Tasting

Rachel and Alison stood in the middle of the room. They were at this wine tasting in Carnegie Hall that Alison had somehow managed to get tickets for. Rachel admittingly didn't know anything except you can get drunk on it if you drank a lot. Fortunately Rachel learned to not drink the wine, but she felt weird holding the small container they were to spit the wine into. It was beginning to smell really funky.
"I should have brushed my teeth before I came here." Rachel said.
"You're doing fine." Alison smiled.
"I dunno. I feel so stupid." Rachel sighed.
A waiter came by with two new glasses for them to sample. They both said thank you.
"Are we supposed to tip the guy?" She asked.
"I don't think so." Alison said swirling her glass. "Watch me this time ok?"
"Ok." Rachel said mimicking her movement. She swirled it then smelled it a little when Alison did so.
"Man this means so little to me!" Rachel thought to herself as she watched Alison. She took a sip.
"Oh look there's the mayor!" Alison cried.
Rachel did an awesome spit take. She sprayed bourdeau wine all over herself and Alison. Everyone looked at her. She raised a hand to her mouth.
"What kind of wine is this?" Alison said coming to Rachels speechless rescue. "Rasberry tart?" One of the waiters said.
"Oh, she's allergic." Alison said taking Rachels wine. "Can't even hold it in her mouth."
"Oh, so sorry!" The waiter appologized and walked away. Alison took Rachel by the arm and guided her down the hallway. Everyone looked at her. With the thick wine on her face, she looked like she had a bloody nose. Alison pulled her into the bathroom.
"Okay." She said making a mad dash for the sink. "If we act fast, it will not sink in."
"Thanks for doing that." Rachel said softly.
"No problem." Alison said. "It was my fault anyway." She dabbed water on it. "Can't do much here. Thank god you wore this one instead of a lighter color." she stood up and looked at her.
"I can always take it to Monica." Rachel said. "She can take any stain out."
"I can imagine." Alison mused. "Are all right?"
"Great." Rachel said. "Can we go? There are so many wine snobs in there I feel like I'm drowning in snooty!"
"We'll go." Alison said. "After all, what else could happen."
"Indeed." Rachel said leaving. She touched her arm. It was bare. Did she wear her bangle tonight? Nah, it must be home. Alison and Rachel headed to the front door and left.
"Do you remember if I wore my present from Chandler tonight?" She asked Alison as they descended the stairs.
"I don't remember. I hope you didn't lose that thing. It was beautiful."
"Me too."