♡

THE ONE WHERE RACHEL FINDS OUT.
EPISODE TWENTY.

♡

"I can't believe you would actually say that," said Chandler, pointing at Joey. "I would much rather be Mr Peanut than Mr Salty."

"No way," Joey argued. "Mr Salty is a sailor, all right? He's got to be the toughest snack there is."

"I don't know," added Ross. "You don't want to mess with cornnuts. They're crazy."

Zara looked up from where she was buttering her croissant, raising a questioning eyebrow at Ross, who was smiling to himself. On the coffee table in front of Zara sat her laptop, where she was writing while hanging with her friends.

"Oh my God," said Monica. "Guys, you got to come see this. There's some creep out there with a telescope."

Horrified, Zara rushed to the window along with the others, where there was someone watching them through a telescope.

"I can't believe this," Ross complained. "He's looking right at us."

"Oh, that is so sick," said Rachel.

"I feel violated..." Chandler told them. "And not in a good way."

Ignoring Chandler's words, Zara flashed the peeper her middle finger.

"Why do people do that?" Phoebe questioned.

"If I ever see him, I'll have a few words to say," Zara told them as everyone left the window.

"Just words?" Chandler asked.

Zara smirked at him, but Phoebe had caught their attention again. "Oh, look! Ugly naked guy got gravity boots!"

They all hurried back, looking to see for themselves.

♡

It was the weekend as Chandler and Zara had gone out for the day together. Zara's book had started to take over lately, so she had spent more time writing than with Chandler, but he had been nothing but encouraging to her.

They had lunch together on the other side of the city (so no one could catch them together) before Zara wanted to do a little bit of shopping. It was strange to walk around so freely with the two holding hands, oblivious to the fact that they were together without confessing those words officially.

"Hold on," said Chandler as they were close to the coffee house, where his hands pulled on Zara's arm, causing her to stop in her step.

"Yeah?" Zara asked, smiling at him.

Chandler didn't say anything as his hand cupped Zara's cheek tenderly. The two shared a kiss with Zara's hands holding onto his shirt. A smile was on her face, where Zara was happy, having never thought she would feel like this again, but it still terrified her.

"Do I have to let go of your hand?" Chandler whined.

Zara laughed at him. "Chandler, everyone will suspect something if we walk in holding hands," she reminded him. "You can carry my bags instead."

"Oh, how sweet of you," said Chandler.

Of course, Chandler ended up carrying Zara's bags as the two headed towards the coffee house, where their friends were at. The two were no longer touching, back to being friends as Zara entered, greeting the four.

"Zara, I thought you had lunch with the guy you're seeing?" Monica questioned.

"I did," Zara confessed. "Then I did some shopping after and bumped into Chandler."

"And you made Chandler carry your bags," Ross scoffed. "Dude, really?"

Joey chuckled, earning a glare from Chandler.

Phoebe became curious. "What did you buy?"

Zara took the bags from Chandler, showing her friends the new dress that she had bought for work, which was a lilac colour with adorable little yellow flowers. It was the middle of spring, so Zara needed some brighter clothes for work.

"Oh, what's in that one?" Monica smirked.

"Nothing," said Zara, hiding it in her bigger bag. "Just a little something for Teddy."

Phoebe and Monica exchanged knowing smiles.

"What?" Chandler asked, having missed that while they were shopping, but Zara had taken advantage of him being distracted by a TV store showing a baseball game.

"Nothing you'll be interested in," Zara told him.

"Teddy definitely will be," Phoebe said, smirking.

Joey laughed at Chandler.

"What's so funny?" Monica asked him.

"Nothing," said Joey too quickly.

"Joey, you're being weird," Monica said.

"Are you not comfortable with me talking about lingerie?" Zara asked with a raised eyebrow, hoping for once that he would just say yes and not expose the fact that Chandler was Teddy.

"Uh, well..." Joey stuttered. "It's lingerie! And it reminds me of..."

Chandler frowned from where he sat on the armchair of the sofa next to Zara.

Ross looked to Zara, a little shocked.

Zara, however, was flushed. "Let's not talk about that."

"Agreed," Joey decided.

Everyone looked between the two, where Zara knew they were all curious about what exactly happened that night, but neither was up for sharing the full story. Instead, Zara forced a smile, giving Monica the desperate look to change the conversation.

"Chandler," said Monica quickly. "You haven't dated anyone in a while."

"Thanks for the reminder," Chandler replied, sarcastically.

"Yeah," Phoebe realised. "Why is that?"

Chandler shrugged. "Have I not been?"

"Huh," said Ross. "I can't remember the last time you spoke about a girl," then his eyes fell on Joey. "Joey?"

"Don't look at me!" Joey cried out. "I don't know anything about Chandler's love life."

Phoebe pointed accusingly at him. "So, there is someone!"

"Who?" Monica and Ross demanded, looking at Chandler.

"Yeah, who?" Zara joined in.

"Zara has lingerie!" Chandler panicked under the spot, pointing an accusing finger at the bag she had hidden.

"Look, it's Rachel and Barry," said Monica, suddenly, sparing the two as everyone looked out of the door window. "No, no, no, don't everybody look at once!" 

Zara twisted around back in her seat, struggling to not look.

"Okay, what's going on?" Ross asked, not looking.

"Okay, they're just talking," Phoebe informed them.

"Well, does he look like he was just told to shove anything?"

"No," Phoebe answered. "No, actually, he's smiling, and... oh my God! Don't do that!"

"What, what, what?"

"That man across the street kicked that pigeon!"

Then, Rachel was entering the coffee house as they tried to act normal.

"And, basically, that's how a bill becomes a law," Chandler told them as they all agreed, acting naturally to see Rachel for the first time as they all greeted her.

"How'd it go?" Monica asked, having stood to speak to Rachel.

"It was actually really great," Rachel answered. "He took me to lunch at the Russian Tea Room. I had that chicken where you poke it and all the butter squirts out."

"Not a good day for birds," Phoebe commented.

"We took a walk down to Bendel's," Rachel continued as Ross moved to stand next to her. "I told him not to, but he got me a little bottle of Chanel."

"That's nice," said Ross. "Was that before or after you told him to stop calling and to stop sending you flowers? And to generally leave you alone?"

"Right," said Rachel. "Well, we never actually got to that. Oh, it was just so nice to see him again, you know? It was...it was comfortable, and it was familiar. It was just nice."

"That's...that's nice twice," Ross realised as Zara shot him a look that told him to be quiet.

"Rachel, what's going on?" Monica asked. "Isn't this the same Barry who you left at the altar?"

"Duh," said Joey. "Where have you been?"

"Yeah, but it was different with him today," Rachel argued. "And he wasn't like... 'orthodontist guy', you know? I mean, we had fun. Is there anything wrong with that?"

Ross slapped Chandler on the back, forcing him to speak up. "Yes."

"Why?" Rachel questioned.

"I have my reasons," said Chandler.

"Zara," said Rachel, looking at her. "If this was Derek, what would you do?"

Hearing his name, Zara froze, having forgotten about her ex for a while now. It made it even harder to know that Chandler's gaze was on her, adding pressure that felt like Zara might suffocate.

"Well..." Zara was lost for words, but she knew one thing: "Derek left me, so if he came back, then I wouldn't be able to trust him again."

Rachel thought about that, where for her it was the other way around, but Barry was seeing Rachel's best friend, so it was a lot more complicated.

"Yes, I suppose that's a different situation," Rachel realised.

"Okay, how about that he's engaged to another woman, who just happens to be your ex-best friend," Monica reminded Rachel.

"All right, all right, all right," Rachel exclaimed. "I know it's stupid. I'll go see him this afternoon and I will put an end to it."

♡

Later that afternoon, everyone but Rachel had ended up in their apartment. Zara had put her shopping away and had spent the last couple of hours working on her book.

"Look, look," Monica called their attention. "He's doing it again — yeah, the guy with the telescope."

"Oh my God," said Phoebe as the three girls headed over with Ross, Joey, and Chandler lingering behind them. Then, Phoebe started to wave in a gesture. "Go away! Stop looking in here!"

"Great," Monica said. "Now he's waving back."

"What a creep," Zara muttered.

"Man, we got to do something," Joey told them as Zara moved back to the kitchen, helping herself to a juice from the fridge. "This morning, I caught him looking into our apartment. It creeps me out. I feel like I can't do stuff."

"What kind of stuff?" Monica asked, grinning at him.

"Will you grow up?" Joey replied. "I'm not talking about sexy stuff but like when I'm cooking naked."

Zara scoffed at that, feeling very fortunate that she had not walked in on that sight.

"You cook naked?" Phoebe questioned.

"Yeah, toast, oatmeal, nothing that spatters."

So, when Zara left in the early hours this was what Chandler was left with. Realising that, Zara turned to look at Chandler, very aware that she wasn't the only one.

"What are you looking at me for?" Chandler replied, becoming uncomfortable. "I didn't know that."

The night had fallen as Zara was working in her room, trying to finish the latest chapter of her book. Everyone else was still over, but she wanted to concentrate for a bit. Having completed half of her book, Zara was ecstatic as she printed the pages out.

"Look, look, look," said Zara, holding the pages as she entered the living room. "I have half a book written!"

Everyone cheered for her, feeling just as proud as Zara was. Zara couldn't stop smiling as her eyes fell on Chandler, seeing his grin brighten at her joy.

"So, when can we read it?" Chandler asked.

"After I've checked it," Zara told them. "I need you guys to proofread it for me."

"You know we'll be happy to help," Monica said. "I'm so proud of you, Zar."

"Thank you," Zara smiled. "It's not finished, but I'm halfway there."

The front door opened then to Rachel as they all welcome her home. Zara's attention fell on her, wondering what had happened.

"How'd he take it?" Phoebe asked.

"Pretty well, actually," Rachel answered, removing her coat.

They were about to play Trouble as Zara sat down next to Chandler, joining them while Monica went to check in on Rachel. While they started to play, Zara had started to read the completed chapters she had, finding herself far too excited.

"You had sex in his chair?" Monica cried out.

Zara's head turned, eyes falling on Rachel, but she wasn't surprised.

"You...you had what?" Ross questioned, quietly.

"Sex in his chair," Phoebe confirmed.

Ross stood up. "What, uh, what were you thinking?"

"I don't know," Rachel defended herself. "I mean, we still care about each other. There's a history there. It's like you and Carol."

"No," Ross argued. "No, no. It's nothing like me and Carol."

"Please," said Rachel, walking towards where Zara and Chandler sat. "If she said to you, 'Ross, I want you on this couch, right here, right now', what would you say?"

Ross remained silent.

"If it helps, Zara and I could move," Chandler offered.

"It's a totally different situation," Ross claimed. "It's apples and oranges. It's orthodontists and lesb... I got to go."

"Where are you going?" Phoebe asked as Ross picked up his coat.

"I just have to go!" Ross shouted. "All right? Do I need a reason, huh? I mean I have things to do with my life. I have a jam-packed schedule. And I am late for keeping up with it, okay?"

Then the door slammed shut behind him as Zara started to laugh. "What a drama queen."

The phone started to ring then with Rachel picking it up, surprised to hear that Mindy was on the other end as they all listened to the conversation. During it, Rachel paced as Zara twisted her body, placing her legs over Chandler's lap.

After the call, Rachel started to panic, stealing Phoebe's seat.

"So, how's Mindy?" Chandler asked.

"Oh, she wants to see me tomorrow," said Rachel. "Oh, she sounded really weird. I got to call Barry..."

Though, calling Barry, resulted in Mindy picking up again.

♡

It was very early the following morning as Zara woke up in Chandler's arms. His hair was askew as Zara's hand moved up to brush it back into place.

"Good morning to you too," Chandler muttered.

"I have to go, Chandler," Zara told him.

"No," Chandler whined, moving his arm to pull Zara closer to him. His fingers found the thin material that still clung to Zara's body as his eyes widened, remembering last night. "You really can't leave now."

Zara chuckled at him, rolling over as she straddled him, where a flame sparking as his hands fell onto her hips. "Perhaps once more." 

"Or maybe I'll never let you leave," suggested Chandler, smiling at her.

While those words were terrifying to hear, Zara still found herself sinking into Chandler. Sharing one more time together had resulted in Zara pushing her luck with the time. Though, when Zara finally changed, the two left the bedroom to find Joey up and making himself toast. Seeing it, Chandler was quick to cover Zara's eyes.

"Joey!" Chandler complained.

"What?" Joey questioned. "Usually, Zara's gone by now."

"I'm still here," said Zara as her hands covered Chandler's, pulling them away from her face as her eyes fell on Joey. Fortunately, he was standing behind the counter, so she couldn't see anything.

"Zara's seen it before, anyway," Joey said, shrugging.

"Can you not remind me of that," Chandler told him.

The tone of Chandler's voice made him sound jealous as Zara pressed her lips together, having thought that this wasn't a problem between the three. After all, it had been a few years ago now.

"Well, what did you want me to do?" Joey argued. "The two of you woke me up early again, so I got hungry!"

"Maybe next time," said Zara. "Cook something that splatters, so then Chandler and I can have breakfast with you too."

"We could do that," Joey agreed.

Chandler then escorted Zara to the door, being quick to block her view from seeing anywhere below Joey's waist. He kissed her, smiling joyfully at her before checking to make sure it was all clear in the hallway. Then, Zara left, carrying her bag as she opened her apartment door.

"Zara, you are home," said Monica, smirking. "Did Teddy like his surprise?"

"Oh, he certainly did," Zara replied.

In her bedroom, Zara changed for the day with a red shirt and her hair up in a high ponytail When she left, Chandler was already sitting at the kitchen table as he turned to see Zara joining them.

"Hey, Zara," greeted Chandler. "Good night with Teddy?"

"It was incredible," Zara told him, honestly.

"I think Zara's falling for Teddy," Monica added, smiling. "I haven't seen you glow like this for a while, Zar."

That caused Zara to laugh awkwardly, not looking at Chandler as she focused on getting breakfast for herself. Feelings were terrifying for Zara to face, where even acknowledging them was a promise of ending up hurt.

"He's back," Joey announced, entering the apartment dressed. "The peeper's back."

Rachel exited her room, finding Joey crouching at the fridge. "Get down!"

"Get down?" Rachel questioned.

"And boogie," Chandler added, finger pointed towards Rachel.

"Thanks, but I got to go get my eyes scratched out by Mindy," Rachel told them, heading to the front door as she reached for her coat.

"Relax," Monica advised. "She may not even know."

"I haven't heard from her in seven months, and now she calls," said Rachel. "I mean, what else is it about? She was my best friend, you guys. We went to camp together. She taught me how to kiss."

Joey grinned at that. "Yeah?"

Zara slapped his arm, causing Joey to groan.

"Now, I'm like the other woman," Rachel continued. "I feel so..."

"Naughty," Joey finished, earning a slap from Monica this time.

"All right, I'll see you guys later," Rachel told them.

"Hold on, hold on," said Joey, following Rachel. "Rach, when she taught you to kiss at camp, were you wearing any kind of little uniform...?"

But Rachel had slammed the front door in response.

"That's fine, yeah," said Joey, opening the door to leave.

On that Sunday, Chandler and Monica ended up helping Zara sort through her chapters. They highlighted mistakes that Zara had made, but had also laughed at the jokes she had put into her work (the character based on Chandler) and was impressed with how the characters and world had been built

"I'm so proud of you, Zara," Chandler told her.

Zara smiled at him, touched that it had come from him the most.

"Thank you," said Zara, entwining her fingers together as she longed to reach for him, but Monica was in her bedroom for a second.

Under the table, his hand found hers, where Zara's heart stilled for a moment. Then, Monica joined them as the two let go of each other, where Zara's best friend was oblivious.

♡

EPISODE TWENTY-ONE

♡

On a Saturday morning, Zara had returned home as Chandler and Joey had headed down to get coffee together. Zara had planned on working on her book, but she found Monica sitting at the kitchen table.

"Where's Rachel?" Zara asked.

"Doing the laundry," Monica answered. "You not out with Teddy today?"

"I wanted to focus on my book," Zara confessed. "What are you doing?"

"Making calls," said Monica as her voice sounded shrill.

"Okay, then," said Zara, reaching the fridge as she helped herself to the orange juice. As she reached for a glass, Rachel returned with Phoebe, greeting the two.

"Hi, uh, yes," Monica spoke on the phone. "This is Monica Geller. Um, I believe I'm taking some classes with you, and I was wondering what they were."

Zara paused, turning to Monica as she laughed. "Mon, really?"

"What are you doing?" Phoebe questioned.

"All right," said Monica, talking to whoever was on the other end of the phone. "Great. Thanks a lot," then she was smiling, proud of herself. "I'm going to tap class."

"What, so you can dance with the woman that stole your credit card?" Rachel asked in disbelief.

"This woman has got my life," Monica argued. "I should get to see who she is."

"Go to the post office," Rachel exclaimed. "I'm sure her pictures up." 

"I hope you're planning on confronting her," Zara said.

Monica looked down at that, not saying anything.

"Okay, Monica you know what, honey, your kind of losing it, here," Rachel told her. "I mean, this is really becoming like a weird obsession thing."

"This is madness," said Phoebe, grasping onto Monica's arms. "It's madness, I tell you! For the love of God, Monica! Don't do it!"

Zara's eyes popped wide, having not expected that.

"Thank you," Phoebe appreciated their reaction.

From there, Zara didn't manage to get a head start on her book that day as the four ended up going to tap class together. This was far from being something Zara would enjoy (maybe for the children but being here for Monica was pushing it).

"What do you think?" Monica asked the three of them.

"Lots of things," Phoebe answered.

"Which one do you think she is?" Rachel questioned.

"If you're gonna steal a credit card, why buy tap classes?" Zara shook her head. "If it was me, I'd buy a holiday to Hawaii."

"Why Hawaii?" Rachel asked.

Zara shrugged. "I don't know, why not?"

"May I help you?" Someone asked the four.

"Oh, no, thanks," Monica answered for them. "We're just here to observe."

"You don't observe a dance class," the woman replied. "You dance a dance class. Spare shoe spare over there."

The four looked down, eyes falling on the mountain of spare tap shoes.

"What does she mean?" Rachel questioned.

"I think she means you dance... a dance class," Phoebe replied, standing. "Come on. Come on."

Rachel looked terrified. "Really?"

"Okay," said Monica. "You see anybody you think could be me?"

"You see anyone who knows me?" Zara asked, finding a pair of tap shoes for herself. "I don't want to be caught tap dancing."

"People," the teacher cried out. "Last time, there were some empty yoghurt containers lying around after class. Let's not have that happen again."

"She could be you," Rachel suggested.

Zara scowled down at her shoes, not liking that she could every step she took. "I don't like this."

"Zara, you teach kindergarten," Monica told her. "Stuff like this should be fun for you."

"Let's get started," the teacher suggested, clapping her hands together as the four were quick to join the class. "Five, six...A five, six, seven, eight—"

The sound of tapping escalated as the class followed the teacher with Zara not knowing where to look. Her feet tried to keep up, but she didn't know the steps until they were already done.

"Okay," said Monica. "I'm not getting this."

"I'm totally getting it," Phoebe decided, doing her own thing.

Zara threw her hands in the air, starting to keep up with the class.

"Do you ever just feel like sometimes you are so unbelievable uncoordinated?" Monica asked them.

However, both Rachel and Zara had picked up on the steps, falling into sync with the class as Zara had a massive grin on her face. The two finished, sharing a look, which then followed with a high-five before they faced Monica again. 

"What?" They both questioned.

"You just click when they click," Rachel advised.

"All right, people," said the teacher. "Now everyone grab a partner."

"Zara!" A woman cried, catching Zara's attention, who was suddenly horrified to realise that there was someone here who she knew. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, Betty," said Zara, seeing her friend from work. "I'm trying out with a friend."

"Come partner up with me," Betty decided.

Before Zara could even look back at her three friends, Betty was pulling her away by the hand, not letting Zara have a choice about the matter. Remembering that Betty knew Zara's secret, Zara was suddenly eager to keep Betty away from her friends.

"That's all right," the teacher said. "You can come up to the front and dance with me."

Looking back, Zara realised that the teacher was talking to Monica.

"Sorry," Zara mouthed to Monica, feeling guilty.

"Why don't I just take off my clothes," said Monica. "And have a nightmare?"

Then, slowly, Monica walked towards the front of the class most likely feeling humiliated. It got to the point where the teacher had to meet Monica halfway, dragging her towards the front of the class.

"It's okay, it's okay," a loud woman rushed into the dance studio. "I'm here. I'm here. I'm so sorry I'm late. Okay, here I am," then her eyes fell on Monica. "So, who's the new tense girl?"

"She's your partner," the teacher replied.

"Hi," the woman offered her hand. "I'm Monica."

"Oh...Monica," said Monica, looking from Zara to then Rachel and Phoebe, who stood together. "Hi. I'm Mon...Nana."

Zara had to cover her mouth to hide her laughter.

"Monana?" The fake Monica questioned.

"Yes," Monica agreed. "It's Dutch."

But for Monica, it only got worse. For Zara, though, she and Betty had a rhythm together that made Zara grin, enjoying the tap-dancing class more than she thought.

Apparently, Zara had made plans to make the tap-dancing class a weekly occurrence with Betty, and she wasn't that bothered about it. If Zara picked up a few things, then she could pass them on for the children in her class.

"Hey," Phoebe greeted the guys at the coffee house. "We found her; we found the girl."

"What?" Chandler exclaimed.

"Did you call the cops?" Joey asked.

"Nope," said Rachel. "We took her to lunch."

"Ah, your own brand of vigilante justice," Chandler said as Zara sunk down on the sofa next to him.

"What? Are you insane?" Ross questioned, looking at his sister. "This woman stole from you! She...she stole! She's a stealer!"

"Excellent use of words, Dr Geller," Zara complimented him sarcastically.

"You know what?" Monica replied. "After you're with this woman for ten minutes, you forget all that. I mean, she's this astounding person with this amazing spirit."

"Yeah," Ross agreed. "Which she probably stole from some cheerleader."

"Take off their hats," Chandler cried out.

"Popes in a Volkswagen," Phoebe continued. "I love that joke."

♡

By the end of the following week, Zara was exhausted from work as she yawned while she carried on writing her book. Monica had just returned with the fake Monica, eager to tell them about what she had gotten up to.

"No way," said Rachel. "No way did you do this."

"Manana was very brave," the fake Monica confessed from where she cooked at Monica's stove.

"It was so wild," Monica told them while buttering a baguette. "We told them we were the Gunderson's in room 615 only to find out that the Boston Celtics had taken over the entire sixth floor."

"So, when they caught on to the fact, you know, that we're... short and have breasts..."

"They threw us out," Monica finished, impressed with herself. "I was thrown out of a hotel — me!"

"Go, Monana!" Rachel exclaimed before standing. "Well, you ladies are not the only ones living the dream. I get to go pour coffee for people I don't know. Don't wait up."

"I'll still probably be up when you get home," Zara announced. "I've set myself deadlines."

"Oh, by the way," said the fake Monica as Rachel left. "Tomorrow, we're auditioning for a Broadway show."

"A Broadway show?" Zara repeated, laughing.

"Excuse me?" Monica replied.

"There's an open call for Cats," she explained, sitting down in the seat where Rachel had just been sitting. "I'm thinking we go down there, sing 'memories', and make complete fools of ourselves. What do you say?"

"Sounds like you, Monana," Zara pointed out, smirking. "On that note, I'm gonna go work over at Joey and Chandler's place."

Closing her laptop down, Zara was quick to unplug it before heading across the hallway, believing she'd find some peace from the crazy adventures of Monica and Monana. Though, opening the door, she found the two with pizza and beer.

Both Joey and Chandler turned around in their seats, eyes falling on Zara.

"Oh, no," said Zara. "Am I interrupting guys' night?"

"It's Baywatch night," Joey told her.

"Is it, really?"

"Yeah, Zara," Chandler told her. "It's a Friday night."

"You want a beer?" Joey offered her one.

Zara grinned at that, leaving her laptop on the counter as she accepted the beer from Joey before making herself comfortable on Chandler's chair. There wasn't space for Zara, but she was perfectly comfortable on Chandler's lap.

"So, uh, Yasmine or Pamela?" Zara questioned, having never been invited to their Baywatch night before.

"Pamela," the two answered.

Zara shrugged at that. "Each to their own." 

"What?" Joey looked over at her, scoffing. "You don't think Pamela's hot?"

"Oh, she's hot," Zara agreed. "But Yasmine's, like, ridiculously hot."

As if to aid Zara's point, Yasmine's character Caroline came on the television screen with a rescue buoy in hand as she ran along the beach, heading towards the sea in slow motion to save an innocent life.

"See what I mean," Zara told the two.

"Oh, we know," Chandler answered.

Zara sipped at her beer before taking a slice of Chandler's pizza, knowing she didn't stand a chance at sharing with Joey.

♡

The next day, everyone was gathered in the living room of Zara's shared apartment. Having fallen behind on her writing the previous night, Zara was now catching up as she had her laptop on her lap while still being with her friends.

"Oh, God," Ross announced to his monkey. "We didn't get into Scranton. That was like our safety zoo. They take like dogs and cows." Marcel ran off, only making things harder for Ross. "See? I don't know this is harder on — me or him."

"I'd say that chairs taking the brunt of it," Phoebe said.

"Marcel! Marcel!" Ross shouted. "Marcel, no!"

Then, Marcel jumped up onto the back of the sofa, sitting close by to Zara's shoulder.

"Good boy," said Ross. "See? How can nobody want him?"

"Oh, somebody will," Rachel reassured.

The front door opened then with Joey appearing. "You know there already is a Joseph Stalin?"

"You're kidding," Chandler replied, sarcastically.

"Apparently, he was this Russian dictator, who slaughtered all these people," said Joey. "You'd think you would have known that."

"You'd think I would've."

"Joey, honey," Zara looked over at him. "You know, you could join my class sometime if you want."

"Phoebe, what do you think a good stage name for me would be?" Joey asked his friend instead.

Phoebe sat up straight, thinking. "Flame-boy!"

That night, Zara had decided to sneak Chandler into her apartment while she worked on her novel. It didn't quite go to plan as Chandler was rather distracting, but he was also helpful too as he read over her shoulder as he typed.

Chandler's head rested on her shoulder as Zara sat upright on her bed. "How many words have you written so far?"

"Today or in total?" Zara questioned.

"In total?"

"I think like fifty thousand so far," Zara admitted. "It'll need cutting down when I'm finished."

"Fifty thousand in four months," said Chandler. "That's impressive."

Zara turned her head, causing Chandler to sit up as he met her gaze. "You really think so?"

"Anything you do is impressive," Chandler told her.

Zara smiled at him, leaning forward as her lips brushed against his for a soft kiss. His hand cupped her jaw, fingers tangling with her hair as the kiss deepened. Pausing for a second, Zara closed her laptop before reaching to put it on the side as she found herself climbing onto Chandler's lap.

"You didn't want me to distract you anymore," Chandler said, looking guilty.

"Too late now, Bing," Zara replied.

Chandler's hands gripped Zara's waist, holding onto her as their lips crashed together again ready for things to escalate between them.

For a few moments, everything was blissful.

"Zara, have you seen—"

The bedroom door had opened, causing the two to spring apart as they pulled sheets up to cover themselves since Zara's top had already been thrown across the room. Rachel, however, stood frozen in shock with her mouth hitting the ground.

"Rachel, wait," Zara pleaded, needing her to be quiet.

"Oh my God," Rachel squealed, hands covering her mouth in shock.

"No, don't do that," Chandler told her.

"You..." Rachel was speechless as she met Zara's horrified gaze before her eyes snapped to where Chandler sat under Zara's covers, where he was fortunately still wearing clothes. "And you? Oh my God. This is unbelievable."

Not sure what to do with herself, Rachel sunk down on the mattress with her back now facing them. Both Zara and Chandler exchanged a look, where they were both clueless on what to do. They needed Rachel to be quiet before Monica ended up joining them too.

"I can't believe this," Rachel repeated herself and then her head whipped around, eyes landing on Zara. "What about Teddy?"

"Chandler's Teddy," Zara confessed.

Once again, Rachel's mouth opened wide. "Oh my God."

"Please be quiet," Chandler told her. "Monica can't find out."

Rachel's eyes popped wide. "Monica! That's why I came here before..."

"Why? What's wrong?" Zara asked, becoming concerned.

"Monica hasn't come home," Rachel admitted. "I'm worried."

Zara frowned, becoming concerned herself. "That's not like Monica."

"Have you tried calling her?" Chandler asked.

Rachel nodded. "It keeps going to voicemail."

"Where did she go?" Zara questioned.

"Out with fake Monica," Rachel answered. "She never said where."

Zara sighed at that, knowing that news was reassuring but also concerning too.

♡

The following morning, Zara tried sneaking out Chandler but was met with a smug Rachel in the morning. Seeing her, Zara frowned as she muttered for Chandler to come out quickly.

"Monica's not back yet," Rachel reassured them.

"That's not exactly reassuring," said Zara.

"I'll go quick," Chandler suggested. "But please call once you hear from Monica."

"I promise I will," Zara said as her hand cupped his cheek before the two met halfway for a sweet, quick kiss that was interrupted by Rachel squealing again.

"I still can't believe this," Rachel exclaimed.

"You have to talk to her," Chandler told Zara.

"I will," Zara promised.

Then, Chandler left as Zara sunk down on the sofa next to a grinning Rachel, who was all too eager for the gossip.

"So," said Rachel. "What's different with you, Zara?"

Zara sighed, rolling her eyes. "Rach, what you saw—"

At that, Rachel laughed again, still trying to wrap her mind around what she saw. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry," Rachel twisted her body, facing Zara. "Tell me everything! When did it start?"

"The night Chandler's mom came to visit," Zara confessed.

"That long ago?" Rachel questioned in shock before she ended up laughing again. "Zara, is this serious?"

"No," Zara was too quick to deny it as she avoided Rachel's gaze.

"So, you're just sleeping together?" Rachel guessed.

"Not exactly that either," said Zara. "Chandler and I are... just us. We don't want any labels as we don't want any reason to have to run."

"Oh, honey," said Rachel. "That's so... oddly sweet."

"Is it?" Zara questioned.

"Yeah," Rachel nodded with Zara looking towards her, seeing that Rachel was struggling to hold back her tears. It became even more surprising as Rachel leapt forward, wrapping her arms around Zara. "I'm so happy for you."

"Thanks, Rach," said Zara, hugging her back. "But you have to keep this quiet. Right now, what we have is good because no one really knows."

Rachel pulled back, trying to be serious. "I can keep it a secret."

"You can?" Zara questioned, wishing she could believe her.

"I can," Rachel promised.

Though, while Rachel promised, Zara couldn't help but feel worried that their secret might not remain a secret for much longer.

Fortunately, to save Zara from any more awkward questions, the front door opened with Monica practically falling through. Both Rachel and Zara stood, unimpressed with how Monica was only just coming home without checking in with them.

"Where the hell have you been?" Rachel demanded.

"Monica and I just crashed an embassy party," Monica replied.

"You are drunk," Zara accused.

"No!" Monica exclaimed, proving Zara's accusation. She looked around before walking towards the two with a finger to her lips as her voice dropped to a whisper: "I'm lying. I am so drunk..."

"Oh, God," Rachel's hand wafted the air in front of her. "Great, Monica, you know what? You could have called. I've been up worried..."

"Monica!" Zara snapped in frustration, watching as Monica placed her head under the tap to drink. "You're being unfair."

"Ah...water rules," Monica said instead.

"Yes, yes, it does," Rachel agreed. "Okay, look. The restaurant called again today. They want to know if you'll be showing up for work?"

"Nope," Monica decided, walking past the two. "I'm going to the Big Apple Circus today."

"You are unbelievable," Zara told her. "You're going to lose your job soon."

"This is not you," Rachel added.

"No, it is me," Monica argued. "I'm not just the person who needs to fluff the pillows and pay the bills as soon as they come in. You know, when I'm with her, I am so much more than that. I'm...I'm Monana."

The phone rang then with Rachel being the one to get it.

"Hello?" Rachel answered, unimpressed. "Yes, she is. Hold on a second, please," then she covered the speaker, handing the phone to Monica. "Monana, it's for you. The credit card people."

"Hello?" Monica answered in a sing-song tone of voice, but her smile soon vanished. "Yes? Oh, my God. Thanks."

"What?" Rachel and Zara asked.

"They've arrested Monica."

"Oh, that's such a shame," Zara muttered sarcastically.

♡

While the fake Monica had finally left their lives, Zara was not ready for Marcel to leave too. Now, Zara stood next to Phoebe, stroking Marche's tiny head as she tried not to cry.

"Okay, good-bye little monkey guy," Phoebe told him. "I wrote this poem. Okay, but don't eat it till you get on the plane."

"Thank you, Aunt Phoebe," said Ross for Marcel.

Phoebe placed a hand to her heart. "Oh..."

Then, Zara couldn't quite hold back her tears. "I'm going to miss you so much, Marcel," said Zara. "So are the children from my class. They made you this card."

Zara held up the card, where each child had drawn themselves with Marcel. Inside, they had helped Zara write a message for Marcel, sharing how much they were going to miss him. Ross took the card for Marcel as Zara stroked the monkey's head for one last time.

"Okay, bye, Champ," said Chandler, being next to say goodbye. "Now, I know there's going to be a lot of babes in San Diego, but remember, there's also a lot to learn."

Joey then stepped forward, wrapping an arm around Ross' shoulders. "I don't know what to say, Ross. It's a monkey."

"Just say what you feel, Joey," Ross advised.

"Marcel, I'm hungry," Joey told the monkey.

"That was good," Ross decided.

"Marcel," said Rachel, holding her Curious George monkey. "This is for you. It's, uh... just, you know, something to, uh... do on the plane."

Then, Ross faced the group of friends. "If you guys don't mind, I'd like to take a moment just me and him."

The five agreed, not realising Ross meant alone until he gave them that look for them all to scatter. They watched Ross' last moments with Marcel before it ended with the monkey being taken on the plane. Zara's heart broke watching, feeling her eyes burn with tears.

"Is Zara Ellison crying?" Joey questioned, laughing.

"Shut up," Zara snapped at him. "I don't cry."

"You are so crying," Chandler teased her.

Zara frowned at him. "I am not."

"It's okay, Zar," Chandler reassured her, pulling her into a sideways hug as you would with a friend.

But Zara's eyes had fallen on Rachel, knowing that she was watching with them with a smile that she couldn't hide. There was no way Rachel was going to keep this quiet.

♡

The chances of Rachel keeping their secret? I can't believe season 1 is almost done!! Would anyone be interested in hearing where the story goes? I'm not sure if you guys will be happy with my plan or not haha!