Cold Open – Chandler’s Apartment
Monica is furiously cleaning Chandler’s apartment while Chandler just paces.
"Why are you pacing?! I vacuumed the vacuum. This place is sterile." She screamed at him
"Because Ronnie’s coming back! And I don’t know if she’s gonna walk through that door and hug me or punch me." He said
"If she punches you, just say it was group therapy." Joey told him
Everyone’s trying to help — in their chaotic Friends way.
"I baked banana bread! It’s emotionally safe, right?" Rachel asked them
"Unless she has unresolved banana trauma." Phoebe said
They all look at her.
"...What? It happens." She said to them
(Cue theme song.)
---
– Chandler’s Apartment (Later That Day)
The door opens. Ronnie walks in. She’s wearing a hoodie and carrying a duffel bag. Her hair’s a little longer, her eyes calmer but cautious.
(quietly)
"Hey." She said to him
(standing, heart racing)
"Hey..."
They just look at each other for a second. Then she drops the bag, and for the first time in forever, she walks into a hug. A real one.
"Your shampoo still smells like nervous breakdown." Ronnie told him
(smiling through emotion)
"Yup. Still me." He says
---
– Monica and Rachel’s Apartment
The group surprises Ronnie with a mini welcome-back spread: snacks, music, a "YOU STILL EXIST!" banner that Joey wrote in marker.
"This is... weird. cool. But weird." She said as she saw the apartment
"We aim for emotionally unstable but snack-friendly." Joey told her
'I made you a bracelet. It’s got real moonstone and one cursed marble." Phoebe said to her
Everyone laughs. Ronnie smiles — small, but real.
---
– Chandler and Ronnie’s Apartment (Later)
Ronnie walks into her old room. Everything is the same — too much the same. She closes the door and sinks to the floor, breathing hard. The familiarity feels overwhelming.
(O.S.):
"You okay?" He asked
(through the door)
"I don’t know. It’s like... I’m back, but I’m not the same. And everything here stayed still."
"You don’t have to be the same to belong here."he told her
---
– Central Perk (The Next Day)
Ronnie walks in slowly. Jake is sitting on the couch. Their eyes meet.
"Hey." He said
"Hey."
Beat.
"So... how’s the mental health journey?" He asked her
(wryly)
"Still walking. Fell in a ditch once or twice." She said to him
"Want help out of it?" He asked her
Ronnie sits beside him. No hug. No kiss. Just stillness.
"Let’s start with sitting." She told him
---
– Chandler’s Apartment That Night
Ronnie sits on the couch with Chandler, watching old cartoons.
"I thought coming home would fix everything. But... it’s just another beginning, isn’t it?" She asked her brother
"Yeah. But this time, you’re not starting alone." He told her
---
– Ronnie’s Journal (Open on Her Desk)
(She writes:)
“I came back. I stayed. Today, that’s enough.”
YOU ARE READING
After The Silence
Fanfiction(season 1-10) --- Ronnie Bing was never supposed to be noticed. But after a breakdown, an overdose, and a silent goodbye, she's learning what it means to stay alive. This is her story - the quiet kind of survival. Mature contact s6-7-8-9-10
