The One Where The Lines Get Kinda Blurry

The One With Seasons And Reasons

It was a good thing that Jen's wedding had taken place early in the break between season six and seven, because again it gave David time to step away from her and climb more steps on his ladder to healing. And he surprised himself by hurdling a large number of rungs in one giant leap when he met Mili Avital on the set of the movie Kissing A Fool. Mili who quickly stole his heart, well the part of it that he left open to be stolen at least, and became first his friend, then his lover, and then his partner in quick succession.

By the time he returned to set for the seventh season of filming Friends, he was in a much happier place than when he had stepped away at the end of series six. Did he enjoy hearing Jen talk about Brad and the house they were refurbishing or the plans they were making? No. But the mere mention of his name didn't tear his heart in two like it had done previously, so he took that as a small win. And he was happy with Mili. He too enjoyed the freedom of actually being able to properly and officially date someone. Someone he was allowed to walk down the street with on a Sunday morning should he choose to do so, without having to check over his shoulder every ten seconds for fear of being outed; to take out to a restaurant whenever he wanted to without having to sneak in the back door; and who didn't have to worry about being seen at his home whatever the time of day or night.

And Jen, although she was married happily enough to Brad, couldn't help but feel a pang of something which felt an awful lot like jealousy when David had first talked to her about Mili, something he did out of respect to her and their complex relationship, and also as one of his closest friends. She knew that to be resentful of David moving on with a beautiful and apparently adorable girl was totally ridiculous and selfish, especially when she was the one who had taken that giant leap first when she had started dating her now husband. But regardless, she felt it and it disturbed her. Although her life with Brad was filled with glamour and luxury, there were many, many times when she longed for the simplicity of those days when she would sit on the barrier at the viewpoint, leaning her head on David's shoulder and talking about their plans for the future as the last rays of the sun filled the sky which turned from azure blue into a myriad of glowing oranges and reds before their eyes.

Part way through the season, the six Friends were called into long, drawn out discussions over a potential series eight. After a tense negotiation stand-off, they all finally signed on to do the extra season, however there was a strong feeling in the camp that this probably should and would be the last one. Therefore, Season Seven had a somewhat different vibe to the previous six. They were all determined to make the most of what time they had left as a team, and Jen and David, both now having significant others away from the show, found a slightly different routine and flow, still close, still hugely appreciative of each other, but with just that little bit more space in between them.

Towards the end of Season Seven, the producers pulled David and Jen to one side and informed them of their main storyline plans for Season Eight, an arc which would last the entire season and alter the direction of their characters' lives forever. Rachel was to fall pregnant and Ross would eventually be revealed as the father.

"Wait, does this mean you are getting them back together?" Jen asked, her heart filled with a mixture of hope and a little trepidation at the thought.

"No, not really, although it's something we may play with as the series develops" she was told.

"Well, I'm not being funny, but how is Rachel gonna end up pregnant if they're not back together?" David questioned, "I don't see them having some kind of sleazy one night stand, they've got too much history for something as casual as that surely?"

"We're thinking it will be more of a bonus night than one night stand....."

Jen had followed David down the corridor and into his dressing room following the discussion, closing the door gently behind her as she attempted to process the information she had just been fed. Her face must have reflected the bewilderment she was feeling as David gestured to her to sit down and grabbed her a bottle of ice-cold water from his fridge.

"Well, I was not expecting that" he said as he took a seat next to her, opening his bottle of water and taking a long drink. "I'm not quite sure how I feel about it all if I'm honest. Not only is Ross now three times divorced but he's also going to have two children yet not be with either of their mothers. That's going to make him look like a total and utter jerk."

"I can't believe I'm going to have your baby..... I mean Ross's baby" Jen quickly corrected herself but she could see from the flash in David's eyes that he was thinking exactly what she was thinking. Of little Lola. Of their distant plans for a future together where the on-screen story they were about to tell could have been their actual reality. A short silence fell across the pair as they cast glances at each other, continuing to process the news and also the dawning realisation that this would mean a huge increase in the number of scenes they had together again.

As season eight got underway and the scripts were handed out week by week, the interaction and storyline of Rachel and Ross's baby grew and grew. And alongside it, so did the connection between Jen and David, many of their long forgotten little routines and rituals creeping back in, and despite both of them being in long term relationships, the level of flirtation and body contact also ramped up a couple of notches too.

David, who was now sometimes directing as well as starring in the show, went back to spending hours in Jen's dressing room as they ran lines together and dissected their characters' innermost thoughts and feelings. And Jen, who was now being sought after by many of Hollywood's biggest movie producers, started to feel much more comfortable hugging and holding hands with David again on set, using Rachel and Ross as a way of conveying their love and adoration, as well as huge respect, for each other all over again. It may have been buried for a while, but there was no denying that their chemistry and connection was well and truly alive once more.

They had barely begun filming the eighth season, talk of a ninth series began to be heard. The six cast mates had quite strong and different views on whether or not it would be a good idea, as although the writing was overall still incredibly strong, some of the storylines were getting a little outlandish and they wanted the show to end on a high and leaving people wanting more, rather than fading away into oblivion. This was a discussion that carried on for months and the decision whether or not to continue was not something to be reached in a hurry.

It was an unseasonably cold and damp Wednesday morning when David stuck his head around Jen's dressing room door and found her curled up on her sofa, quickly wiping away the silent tears from her cheeks in an attempt to disguise her crying eyes.

"Oh shit, I'm sorry. Are you ok? Shall I come back later?" he asked, concern written on his face.

"No, of course not, it's fine, come on in...." she smiled, a weak smile that nowhere near filled her face.

David slipped into the room, gently closing the door behind him and made his way to the couch where he carefully sat himself down beside her. Jen instinctively scooted her body closer to his and invited herself in for a hug which he instantly opened himself up for.

"Is it something I can help with?" he asked, as the top of her head rested comfortably on his shoulder and he felt the silent tears continue to drip beneath his collar.

"I wish it was, but no, this is something I have to deal with. Thank you though. Thank you for caring and not just walking away."

"I could never just walk away from you, you know that" he smiled as she wiped away the last of her salty tears. "Well almost never...." he added, thinking back to that day when he had seen the engagement ring on her finger and wanted to turn heel run away forever.

Jen's fingers were fiddling with that ring right now, her thumb flicking and rotating it as her eyes looked out with something David could not quite give name to.

"It's Brad......" she muttered, her voice barely audible, "I'm not sure I'm making him happy anymore and I don't know what to do to change it."

"What do you mean you're not making him happy? Sorry to be blunt, but it's not your job to make him happy!" David could feel his hackles rising at the thought of Jen's distress being caused by something like this.

Jen didn't respond to his challenge, instead choosing to carry on relating some of the issues she was facing. "We don't seem to talk much anymore, and when we do I feel like I'm boring him. And all he seems to want to do is drink or smoke, and yes I can do that with the best of them, but I can't help but feel there's more to life." She lifted her head from its resting point high on David's chest. "I feel trapped in this rollercoaster of media attention and red carpet pretense......" she looked him squarely in the eye as she concluded, "I don't recognise who I am anymore."