Medical Center.
After Emma was born, visitors started pouring in nonstop.
When Leonard found out Rachel picked Adam to be Emma's godfather—her first granddaughter—he practically redefined "beaming with pride."
"You guys always say I favor your big sister Rachel," Leonard said to his daughters, full of energy. "But look at what she's done—can you really blame me for playing favorites?"
"What's the big deal?"
Second daughter Amy rolled her eyes. "It's just a godfather, not like it's some huge thing…"
A godfather compared to a real dad? Pfft. Her kid's dad was gonna be a billionaire someday! She just didn't feel like bragging about it.
Emmm… Okay, fine.
She was also a little scared that if she did, her dad might literally slap her face for it. So she kept quiet.
"Rachel can do it, so can I!"
Little sister Jill, being the simple soul she was, blurted out her plan to copy her big sis. "When I have a kid, I'll make Adam the godfather too!"
"Dream on!"
Amy shot her down. "You think just anyone can snag Adam as a godfather? Rachel's got the advantage—she's his good friend, and Dad's his mentor. You? Don't even think about it."
"I'm Dad's daughter too!" Jill huffed, not backing down. "I could totally be his good friend!"
"Heh."
Amy smirked. "You're so naive, you might as well just ask Adam to adopt you as his goddaughter instead."
"Hey, that could work!"
Jill's eyes lit up.
"Enough!"
Leonard's mouth twitched—he couldn't handle his two troublemakers saying anything else that might give him a heart attack. "Let Rachel rest. We're leaving."
He said a few words to Rachel, then dragged his daughters out.
By evening, Rachel—proving Western women are built tough—barely seemed fazed by labor. She scooped up Emma, headed back to the apartment, and threw a celebration party for all her friends and family to meet the baby.
Bed rest? Postpartum recovery? Nah, not her style.
Adam, as the heavyweight godfather, had no choice but to clear his schedule and show up. This party wasn't just a welcome bash—it doubled as the godparent ceremony.
He couldn't help but feel a little helpless inside. This is basically me accidentally becoming a dad.
Helpless or not, Rachel shoved Emma into his arms, and with Joey eyeing him jealously, Adam worked the room, showing off the baby.
Luckily, even among friends and family, people had their cliques. After the initial excitement, everyone split into little groups to chat, leaving Adam with just his usual crew—Chandler, Joey, and Phoebe.
"Hey, the baby's over here!"
Amy strutted over, all fired up.
"Listen, I just had an amazing idea!"
"Stop!"
Rachel threw up a hand. "We don't need amazing ideas."
She knew her sister too well—Amy was a loose cannon. The more "amazing" her ideas, the less you should listen.
"Ugh!"
Amy pouted. "I'm Emma's aunt—don't I get a say?"
"Go ahead," Adam said, desperate for a mental break.
Being swarmed by people cooing over Emma in his arms was starting to make him feel like he was the dad. He needed something—anything—else to focus on.
"Alright, hear me out!"
Amy clapped her hands, eyes gleaming. "I was thinking—if you guys died right now, I could take the baby. It'd be like a movie plot!
At first, I'd be totally clueless.
Then, at just the right moment, I'd turn it all around.
I'd get married, settle down, and live happily ever after!"
"Great movie!"
Joey nodded, smirking. "Maybe you'd raise her with Emma's godfather—me, Joey. We'd clash a ton at first, but then sparks would fly…"
"Stop!"
Amy cut him off. "This isn't Days of Our Lives, and you're not wearing that much makeup, so zip it. Now, if it was Godfather Adam… maybe a slim chance. But still just a slim one."
She ignored Joey's darkening expression and turned to Rachel and Ross. "Anyway, back to the point—if you're dead, you can't stop me. I'd start by changing her name. I'm not a fan of 'Emma.'"
"Enough!"
Rachel frowned. "If something happens to me and Ross…"
She and Ross both knocked on the table at the same time.
In the West, that's a good-luck gesture—canceling out bad vibes after saying something grim.
"…you're not getting the baby," Rachel finished with a smile.
"What?! Then who would?"
Amy couldn't handle it.
"Uh, we haven't officially talked it out," Rachel said, exchanging a look with Ross. "But we'd want it to be Monica and Chandler."
"Really?"
Chandler and Monica lit up, honored.
"Of course it's real," Adam chimed in. "Who's better than you two? You've got a solid relationship, Monica'd be an amazing mom, and Chandler, once you ditch that baggage, you'd be a great dad too.
If it were me?
Say I had a kid someday and—God forbid—I didn't make it…"
Knock knock!
Adam tapped the table too.
It's a Western superstition, sure, but when in Rome, right? Plus, with all the weirdness of (time-travel) and systems in his life, a little caution couldn't hurt.
"I'd want Chandler and Monica to raise them," he said. "Or maybe Matthew and Lily."
The obvious first pick would've been the grandparents—Dad Bob and Mom Amy. But by then, they'd be old. Raising kids is exhausting, and while they'd shower the grandkids with love, Bob's parenting skills were… questionable, to say the least.
Adam wasn't about to bet on an aging Bob still diving to catch a kid he'd tossed in the air like back in the day.
Emmm… Yeah, he didn't catch me that time.
Among his siblings, only Teddy, the second oldest, was semi-reliable. But compared to Chandler and Monica or Matthew and Lily, Teddy was still a kid himself back then.
Sure, Adam had considered his best friend Juno too. He trusted she'd pour her heart into raising a kid. With her dual mastery of psychology—theory and practice—she'd be the perfect mom and buddy, guiding them to success.
But Juno and Karen's vibe? Not exactly kid-friendly. Even if they tried to hide it, a child raised there might pick up some… quirky traits. What if they ended up in a Little Red Riding Hood outfit at the drop of a hat? Without Juno's knack or Adam's system, that'd be a mess.
So Juno was out first.
As for Peggy and the rest? Forget it. Leonard's cautionary tale was still fresh.
In the end, it boiled down to Chandler and Monica or Matthew and Lily.
Stable relationships? Check.
Solid values? Check.
Maternal instincts? Check.
Patience? Check.
Family vibes? Check.
They had everything it takes to build and sustain a happy family—hands down the best choice for giving a kid a great life.