Monica and Chandler’s apartment, late at night. Ronnie walks into the kitchen in pajamas and finds Ross sitting at the table with a mug of tea.
(rubbing her eyes) "You always up this late?" She asked him
"Only when life gets... complicated. You okay?"Ross told her
"Couldn’t sleep. My brain won’t shut up." She said
(She pours herself water, then sits across from him.)
"Yeah. I know that feeling. (pauses) When I was your age, I used to obsess about the weirdest stuff. Dinosaurs, mostly. And rejection." He told her
" (half-smiles) You turned out okay, though. Nerdy, but okay." She told him
(grinning) "High praise coming from you.
(beat) You’ve been through a lot lately. I just want you to know... you don’t have to hold it all in. Not with me."he said
"I told them today. About the diagnosis.
BPD, bipolar... it's a lot. I hate labels." She said
"They’re not labels. They’re tools. Information.
Something to help you understand yourself, not trap you." He told her
"That’s... kind of smart." She said
" I have a PhD. I say smart things once in a while."
(They both laugh gently.)
"I like talking to you. It’s like, you’re this quiet grown-up, but you don’t treat me like a kid." She said
" I don’t see a kid. I see someone who’s learning how to survive with grace. That’s a superpower, Ronnie." Ross told her
" You’re not bad at this uncle stuff, Ross." She said
"I try."
(He raises his mug; she clinks her glass to it.)
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— Monica and Chandler’s apartment kitchen, very late at night. Ronnie and Ross sit at the table, clinking her water glass to his tea mug.
"You know… I didn’t really think we’d ever talk like this." Ronnie told him
" Like what?" Ross asked her
"Like you’re not just my older brother’s friend. Or the dinosaur guy.
(pause) I always thought you just… tolerated me." She said
(surprised)" Tolerate you? Ronnie, no. I always liked you. I just never knew how to talk to you." Ross told her
(nods)" Yeah… me neither. I think that’s kind of the theme of my life. People don’t know how to talk to me."she said
"Maybe they’re scared to say the wrong thing.
Maybe they don’t know how brave you actually are." He told her
(looks down, playing with her water glass) "It doesn’t feel brave. It feels like I’m one bad day away from blowing up everything again." She said
" You won’t. Because you’re not that girl anymore. You’ve changed." Ross told her
"But what if the people around me don’t change with me?"she said
(softly) "Then you keep changing anyway. You don’t wait for them. People catch up when they care. And believe me, you’ve got people who care." He told her
(eyes glassy) "Even you?" She asked him
"Especially me. Look, you’re my little sister now, like it or not.
(he nudges her gently) I’m invested." Ross said
(snorts) "You sound like you’re adopting a turtle."she said
(laughs) "You’re faster than a turtle. Slightly." He said
They share a warm silence. Ross gets up and pours her a little chamomile tea into a mug.
"This used to help me sleep after breakups. Or when Ben had colic." He told her
"I’m not a baby."she said
" No. But it’s tea. Calm down."
(He hands it to her gently.)
(accept it, then softly)" Thanks, Ross."
"Anytime. And hey—if the thoughts ever get too loud... you knock on my door. Even if it’s 3am." He said
(smiles) "You might regret saying that."she told him
"I won’t."
He ruffles her hair gently before heading toward the guest room. Ronnie sips the tea and watches him go, a small, real smile settling on her face.
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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
