Author's Note: This fic is basically describing Monica and Chandler's last night together and their goodbyes (they've been dating for a little while but not more, no marriage, they don't live together etc), when Monica gets a job opportunity she just can't pass up, but it unfortunately requires her to move to Washington. The title is based off of the song 'We've Got Tonight' by Bob Seger. I am so in love with this song. Like, seriously. Please, please listen to it, you won't regret it. Anyway, the story is just a longish one-shot because by the end it'll be pretty clear how it continues, and I have two other multi-chapter fics I'm working on and I won't do any more until I finish those two. Please check them out, by the way, 'You Belong With Me' (also a Mondler fic), and 'Life Goes On'. Okay, here's 'We've Got Tonight' for you guys. Review please.
Monica Geller rushed into Central Perk, where her five friends already sat on and around the orange couch, chatting amiably. She had basically run all the way there from work, and now she burst into the coffee shop, out of breath. She couldn't wait to tell her friends.
"Everybody listen up!" She got their attention, and they all turned to look at her expectantly, awaiting what she had to say. "I have exciting news!" They waited for her to tell them, now curious as to what it might be, but she had to catch her breath first. She gratefully took a sip of the water that Ross handed her. "Okay." She took another deep breath. "I got the most amazing job offer. It's a steady two-year job, and the pay is beyond belief, and it's at this apparently world-famous restaurant, and they want me to be head chef, but they want me there for a week at first to evaluate me, and if I do well I get the job and it's the most incredible opportunity and I really, really have to take it because this could mean big things for me and Mom and Dad already know about it and they say if I don't take it they just might disown me, they're kidding of course but I want them to be proud of me too plus it would be so great for me to have such a steady income and it would provide a lot of security and safety for me, so overall it would be so fantastic and everything but I don't know!" She brought out all in one breath, and immediately took another huge gulp of her water. Everybody else was astonished at how she could manage to say all that at once, but it was Monica so they decided to just go with it. She ignored the stares from the other customers; the six of them were used to getting stared at by now.
"That sounds great, Mon! But why are you unsure?" Chandler asked her, enthusiastic yet worried.
"Well…" She hesitated.
"Mon?" Now Rachel was worried too. "Monica, honey, what's wrong?" She asked in concern. Ross's brow creased, and Phoebe and Joey looked up from their thumb-wrestling competition to hear her answer.
"Okay, well, the job's not in New York. It's in Washington." She bit her lip and waited for their reactions, which were mixed.
Ross was initially shocked, bursting out with a "What?!", but then he thought about it and realized it was best for her, therefore encouraging her to do it. He would miss her, but he was proud of her. She was his little sister. Rachel started crying, but that wasn't rare in her case so nobody took all too much notice of it. Phoebe sunk back, deep in thought, and eventually agreed with Ross, though it broke her heart. Joey told her to do what she wanted, and Chandler just sunk back in his chair and didn't say anything for a long time. They all decided that she should at least go out to Washington for the evaluation week, and see from there, since she may not even get the job. She agreed to this, and looked to Chandler, but he still remained silent. After another few minutes, he finally spoke up.
"Yes. Do the evaluation week and we'll see from there." And with that he went back to chewing his nail. Monica put her arm around his shoulders, rubbing them comfortingly.
"Thank you, Chandler. This means a lot." He didn't say anything, so she added an "I love you." He smiled, tears appearing to form in his eyes, and he told her he loved her too. She smiled, but they were both sad.
A month went by, and everything remained normal. Then, finally, the time came for Monica to go to Washington for her evaluation week. Everyone wished her good luck, and hugged her goodbye, and when she left there was some silence for a while, but soon after things were normal again, since it was only for a week. The week was over before most of them knew it, but for Chandler it was one of the longest weeks of his adult life, since as a child there were too many to count. If Monica got the job, life would crawl by permanently. The simple thought depressed him, so he pushed it out of his mind.
Monica returned, and everyone was happy. Everybody was avoiding asking her the question of whether she got the job, because ultimately they all knew what the answer would be, and none of them needed that confirmation just yet. But eventually, they couldn't get around it any longer and so one day, when they were all at Monica and Rachel's, Joey finally came out and asked her. Everybody sat around in anticipation, waiting to see whether their suspicions were correct. Unfortunately for them, they were.
"I got the job. And… it starts in two weeks." She said quietly, looking around at everyone. As soon as she confirmed it, everything went quiet. Nobody said anything more. Rachel stopped reading her fashion magazine, Ross and Phoebe stopped squabbling about theories she didn't believe in, and Chandler and Joey just stood there, looking at their feet. Rachel's silent sobs rippled through the air, and Ross moved to hug her, letting her cry on his shoulder. Phoebe sniffled a little and began crying to, upon which Joey took her into his arms and rocked her comfortingly, almost crying himself. He really was a softie at heart. Monica moved over to Chandler, and took his hand, but he looked away. He hated being vulnerable. Just when he had found something amazing in his life, there had to be something to ruin it, he thought to himself, and for once, it wasn't his own doing.
He stood up and left, going over to his own apartment where he sat down on the bed and started crying, no matter how hard he tried not to. Suddenly he heard footsteps coming towards him, and he did his best to cover up the fact that he had been crying, but he couldn't. Monica just put her arms around him, causing him to start sobbing again, and she joined in soon after. They cried together and fell asleep on his bed, in each other's arms.
When Chandler woke up the next morning and saw Monica asleep next to him, his heart immediately warmed. Then he remembered the news of last night, and became instantly sad again. He resolved to make those two last weeks they had together the most memorable ones in their relationship. He planned a date for every day; some days they would go out and do things like rollerblading, seeing a movie, going to the theater, and others they would stay in and just hang out at home, cooking together, watching TV together, he even helped her clean everything one last time, because she knew Rachel wouldn't clean the apartment in her absence. Of course, she spent just as much time with the other four. She was going to miss them all terribly. She couldn't believe it by the time her last day rolled around.
The six friends spent all day together. They had lunch, went to the park, played some games (and they all let Monica win), and then, for tradition's sake, they hung out at Central Perk, on their signature couch in the center of the coffeehouse, to have their last coffee as a six for a while. Even Gunther was a little sad about Monica leaving, although she could be rather loud and disrupt other customers. It wasn't sure whether the job was permanent yet, but she had signed for two years to begin with, the shortest amount of time she could get, in case it didn't work out for her. After coffee, they all went up to Monica's and she cooked them one last dinner.
"I can't believe you're going to be serving this kind of stuff to Washington people for God knows how long!" Rachel exclaimed. She was very sad about Monica leaving, as were they all, but Rachel was always emotional. Reluctantly, however, she agreed to spend the night at Joey's so that Monica and Chandler could have their last night together alone, just the two of them.
By the time everyone else left, Monica was close to tears again. She turned to Chandler, who was lighting candles around the room, and spoke.
"Chandler, I have never loved somebody as much as I love you. You have been the best thing in my life for so long, and I'm so lucky to have you. I promise I will never forget you. And when I leave tomorrow–" She couldn't finish the sentence. The thought made her sad.
"Shh, it's okay." Chandler hugged her. "Don't think about that now, okay, Mon? We should be happy now, not sad. Forget all about leaving, forget all about tomorrow. We've got tonight." He said in a sultry voice, dripping with emotion. She nodded, sniffed, and parted her quivering lips to accept his kiss. Chandler was worried that she'd find a better guy in Washington, but pushed away those thoughts. All that mattered was now. He deepened the kiss, moving in closer to put one of his arms around her neck, and using his other hand to gently play with her hair and rub her head. She put her arms as far around his back as they would go, and rested them there, gladly accepting his warm embrace. They both savored the taste of the other, since it would be a while before they got to taste it again, enjoying the feeling of the other's soft lips and gentle caress.
They made their way to the bedroom where they lay down on the bed, positioning themselves so Chandler was on top, and continued kissing. They started undressing each other, but they took their time. They were going to have sex, but none of it was rushed and restless like usual. It was their last time for who knew how long, and they wanted to bask in it, and cherish every second. They were moving in a kind of a slow motion, treasuring every kiss and relishing every touch. It was love, plain and simple, not the craving, lustful kind of sex that is so typical. In everyone's frenzy, they forget what it is truly about. But not for Monica and Chandler, not this time. The desire for each other remained constant, not increasing, not becoming pressured. When they reached their peaks, instead of being loud and animal-like, they were filled with emotion and feeling.
That one night meant more to both of them than they could ever imagine possible.
When they woke up together the next morning, it would be the last time for a while.
Monica's flight was around noon, and everyone was gathered at the airport to see her off. Most of them were crying. Rachel was full-on weeping. Everybody was comforting each other. The flight was called. Monica stood up, along with everyone else. She tried to remind Rachel to take care of the apartment, and wished them all good luck, but they shushed her, reminding her that they needed to be saying goodbye. So instead she pulled each of them in for a long-lasting hug, and each hug was filled with emotion. It was a tearful goodbye, a moving moment for everyone. Last of all, she turned to Chandler. By now, both of them were on the verge of breaking down. She moved in and kissed him one last time, gently, passionately, full of feeling. Both of them cried into the kiss, shivers going through their bodies. The final call for Monica's flight came through the speakers, and they had to move apart. She said one final goodbye, and turned and hurried away, before she had a chance to get any sadder.
Once she was outside, she looked back and smiled a sad, tear-jerking smile. They all waved at her, arm in arm, and stayed there until they couldn't see her plane anymore, and then they finally left, and tried to get a feel for the new normal. But none of them were ready to move on just yet, so they all just went home.
A couple of weeks later, they were starting to get used to things the way they were, and were all gathered at Rachel's when they heard a knock on the door. Chandler, who was closest to it, moved to open it, assuming it was the pizza delivery guy. But when he saw who it was, his heart stopped.
"I couldn't do it. I just couldn't. And I want no protesting, this is so much more important to me. And I don't care what my parents think. I love you." They all heard Monica's familiar voice, and everyone started grinning.
Chandler kissed her forcefully. It was the happiest they'd ever been.
"No more last nights, no more goodbyes." She whispered, and he smiled into the kiss.
Author's Note: There you go, review! I worked really hard on this, and I'm pretty proud of it… As I'm sure you can imagine, life just goes along normally now, in the Friends storyline, with them moving in together, then getting married etc. And they're all really happy. Tell me your thoughts!