The One Where The Lines Get Kinda Blurry

The One With Kisses And Near Misses

When all is said and done, an on-screen kiss and love scene is not something that most actors are a huge fan of.  It can be awkward, mechanical, and let's face it, down right embarrassing.  But today's end scene when filming of The One Where Rachel Is Late filled both Jen and David with more excitement than dread.  It had been quite a significant amount of time since they had had the pleasure, and to them it was always a pleasure, of sharing on screen kisses and closeness, with the very brief exception of the one very short and mostly hidden kiss in the Monica's thunder episode.  They had been rehearsing their lines all week as usual and blocking things out for the cameras, but today was live audience day and that meant they got to run the complete scene, no stopping and talking things through, but real actions and no doubt with them, real feelings.

Although they were both now in committed and happy..... well, happy enough at least.... relationships away from each other, neither of them could deny a little buzz of nervous energy in their stomachs as the last scene was set up and they found their markers.  The comedy of the scene had the audience roaring with laughter, especially the ketchup bottle line and Rachel's sorry attempt at seduction with the dropping of the fork and the struggling to bend over to collect it from the floor.  But the part of the scene that drew the most reaction, from the audience and its protagonists, was the end of the scene, where Rachel's waters break and she shared a moment of precious connection with Ross as they were about to leave for the hospital.  Both Jen and David reveled in that moment, enjoying once again the closeness they were able to share together, and also the thought that if things had taken a different turn for them personally, this scene could so easily have been their very own life story.  The part where they gazed into each other's eyes, thinking about the life changing even that was about to occur, was partly Ross and Rachel, but in bigger part Jen and David.

And that strong bond and connection between them carried them both through the next two weeks of filming too.  So many precious little moments where they got to live out their sliding doors life through their characters, easily imagining that momentous minute in time when baby Emma entered the world and believing that it so easily could have been their very own little Lola.  The kiss Rachel and Ross shared after their daughter was born had been entirely their own idea, spawned from all the years of David kissing Jen on the head when it was the only way he felt able to show his feelings for her without being too obvious, and the many occasions where Jen had wanted to lift her face and meet his lips with her own, but unable to do so for fear of being outed in her feelings for him.  Playing out that scene for the cameras had felt so real and emotional for both of them, neither wanting to tear their eyes away from the other as they got to play out their own very special alternate reality.

The season eight wrap party, held at an exclusive restaurant in the heart of Los Angeles, was the first time that David and Mili had been at the same event as Jen and Brad.  It was a little strange and although not completely uncomfortable, it wasn't entirely effortless and relaxed either, both the Friends frequently casting gazes over at their on-screen counterpart and observing the chemistry and interplay between them and their real-life partner.  Their significant others, Brad and Mili, had also been doing the very same, checking out the chemistry between the other pair and hoping it was hotter than the on-screen chemistry they had to witness on a weekly basis.  And when it came to saying goodbye at the end of the evening, both David and Jen were extremely careful and cautious in their approach to each other, not wishing to create any tension by being overly demonstrative even though that was their preferred way of being together.

Season Nine begun with a huge discussion and disagreement over the writer's plans for the main story arc for the season, which was to see Rachel learning to be a great mother, with Ross's help although they wouldn't be getting back together, however it would also see her developing a crush on Joey and wanting to take things further with him, something which none of the six Friends believed was in any way the right decision, for their characters or for the show.  They all declared that this was not what they had signed on to do and the first few days were uncomfortable to say the least as they all talked things over and the writers convinced them to trust in their vision, assuring them that it would just be a physical crush and not the intense kind of love affair that was shared between Rachel and Ross, or the friends to lovers' direction that saw Monica and Chandler hook up then remain lovingly entangled.

Matt tapped on David's dressing room door, and made his way inside.  "Dude, I just gotta say, I feel so damned uncomfortable about this whole thing.  I mean the Joey fake proposal was already pretty crappy since everyone knows that you two are made for each other....... Ross and Rachel, I mean" he added quickly correcting himself, although he wasn't entirely sure the Freudian slip would go un-noticed, ".... but the thought of Joey and Rachel actually having some kind of relationship just feels so wrong to me.  I've not had chance to speak to Jen yet, but I will and I will be telling her exactly the same."

He was interrupted mid speech by another knock on the door and Jen's head poking round.  "Hey you" she started, before noticing Matt's head sticking up over the back of the chair, "Oh hey LeBlanc, I was going to come and see you in a minute too.... mind if I join you or is this a boy thing?"

"Hahaha, no it's not a boy thing, come on in" David laughed as Matt grinned widely at her too.  "We were just talking about this crazy love triangle, crush thing that the three of us are apparently destined for."

"Yeah, well that's kind of what I was wanting to talk to you both about too.  I am so uneasy and confused by it all. How can Rachel have Ross's baby one minute, and then be all over Joey the next?  It makes no sense to me at all.  And nothing against you Matty, but I just don't see Rachel going for someone like you when Ross is right there." Jen finished her mini rant, hoping she didn't come across too harsh on Matt.

"That's what I was just trying to say to Schwim, that you two are totally made for each other and I don't want to be the one getting in the way of that."  He noticed Jen's sudden jolt and raised eyebrow, "I mean your characters, not you two as in you two...." he gestured between them both, "although I am sure you guys would have been pretty great together too" he teased, fake wincing as David gave him a not-so-subtle punch on the shoulder.

The filming of Season Nine finally got underway, the writers and producers promising to take note of everyone's misgivings about their plans, and assuring them that they would treat all their characters with respect and care since they too loved and adored them all, and genuinely wanted the best for their show.  And there were many laughs and many iconic moments in the first few months, not least the guest appearances of Freddie Prince Junior and the awesome Cristina Applegate who was sensational as Rachel's other sister, and the hilariously inappropriate use of Baby Got Back to make Emma laugh, something which David and Jen had oh, so much fun filming together.

This week saw the filming of the episode where Rachel was going out on a girl's night with Phoebe, and Jen was all set to wear an incredibly sexy and revealing dress.  She'd had her final fitting for it yesterday and even though she was proud of her body and used to showing it off, she felt slightly exposed but also intrigued to see David's face as he noticed her 'girls' being so on show.  He had declared that he wanted to wait and see her for the first time when the cameras were rolling, similar to back in Season Three and the green dress reveal, in order to capture his genuine reaction.

"And action........"  Jen walked out from a behind scenes part of the set where she had stood hidden from view, parading over towards where David was stood and waiting for him to acknowledge her presence.  His face was an absolute picture as he did a noticeable double take, his eyes firmly on her exposed prize assets, before meeting her eyes with a look she hadn't seen in a long time.  Pure, animal, carnal lust. Her eyes couldn't help but reply with the same look, both of them having to fight hard to remain in character and recite the written lines, and both of them feeling more than a little overwhelmed with the sudden urges that were coursing through them.

"Stop looking at me like that! Last time that happened, that happened" Jen was fully embracing her character and the flirtation right now and she was starting to really enjoy it.  How the hell did David still have the power to drive her crazy with one simple, suggestive look?  That cute little, tight lipped, half smile that he seemed to reserve just for her.  Right now, just in this moment, they had re-discovered long buried David and Jen feelings, and were channelling hard through Ross and Rachel, and once again wishing things had turned out oh so differently between them.