Some Things Are Meant To Be

Chapter 1

Chandler Bing placed the last of the luggage next to his front door, ready for the shuttle that would transport him and his four-year-old daughter Adrianna Nicole Bing to the San Francisco International Airport. They had a plane to catch for their non-stop flight to New York City. When he turned around, he found the petite girl with the bouncy chestnut curls and big round eyes the color of the sky smiling up at him. Returning her smile, he knelt down in front of her.

"Are you ready for our big adventure?"

She nodded excitedly.

"Uncle Joey!" she practically screamed, clapping her hands with glee at the prospect of seeing her favorite uncle who always bought her chocolate chip ice cream. On a waffle cone.

"That's right. We're going to pay a visit to your uncle Joey."

And see what the rest of the gang has been up to as well.

Once the excitement of being on a plane for the first time had worn off a bit, Adrianna settled into her seat and fell asleep while clutching her favorite Barbie doll. Chandler took the opportunity to allow himself a few moments to lean back and let his mind wander for the first time since he'd decided to take this trip. So much had happened in the past six years, and so much had changed from the life he thought he had been destined to live.

He'd never forget that fateful night when Monica Geller had rushed into the apartment he then shared with his best friend Joey Tribbiani and announced that she and the supposed love of her life, Dr. Richard Burke, had gotten back together after a breakup that had left her heartbroken and searching for answers. He recalled how he and Joey had exchanged questioning looks. Chandler had just been telling his friend that he'd wanted Monica to know how he felt about her. He'd never been good at relationships or commitment, but he knew he could no longer deny he had feelings for Monica. He'd found himself seeking ways to be near her, to spend more time with her, to talk with her. His roommate and friend had tried to be supportive but also practical, something that did not come easily to the struggling actor.

Not sure why he'd felt as though Richard was going to break his friend's heart again, Chandler nevertheless had decided to tell Monica how he felt about her. Maybe she would see that Richard wasn't the only man who'd wanted her. He'd thought maybe, with time, she could grow to feel the same way about him, and then she would be able to put Richard behind her and move on with him. That turned out to be his fantasy, but it certainly had not been Monica's.

Crushed at her immediate and hurtful rejection of his affections and knowing that he had now put his friendship with the others at risk, Chandler had begun to make rash decisions without thinking through the consequences. One of the main decisions he'd made, as he'd watched Monica and Richard's relationship blossom once again, was to leave New York City and start over in a new town. Across the country. In San Francisco. He'd asked the publishing house in Manhattan, where he had been working for the past few years as a senior editor, for a transfer. They'd accommodated his request almost immediately.

During his transition period, he'd worked closely with a woman who'd resembled Monica, both in looks and in personality. Inexplicably attracted to each other, they had begun dating; and going against everything he'd thought to be true, he'd asked Stephanie Miles to marry him a month later. She'd agreed, and they'd eloped at Lake Tahoe a few weeks after that. Chandler had known he would come crashing down to earth, but he'd also been enjoying his very different lifestyle. Two months later, when Stephanie had announced she was pregnant, Chandler had found the news to be exhilarating. He was going to be a father, and that thought truly did not make him want to run away and hide.

Since he'd made his big move to San Francisco and then to a nearby suburban area known as Walnut Creek, his attempts to keep in touch with his friends on the East Coast had proven futile, with the exception of Joey, who had been terrified for his friend. He'd thought Chandler was going to end up bitter and alone, just as his friend had predicted when a neighbor of theirs had died. Joey did not want that for his pal. Not at all.

Much to Joey's surprise and relief, Chandler had seemed to be living a fairly productive and happy life. Until Stephanie died in a head-on car crash on the Golden Gate Bridge.

When Joey had heard the news, he'd raced to be with Chandler and Adrianna, who had just turned three. Too young to fully grasp what was going on, she knew enough to realize her mommy was never coming back and that her daddy was incredibly sad. Chandler knew he could never repay Joey for staying with him and supporting him during one of the darkest periods of his life. The others had called and sent their condolences, but Joey had been with him. Had helped him take care of his fragile daughter. Had found ways to encourage him to keep going when he thought he couldn't make it through another day.

With the passage of time, Chandler vowed to get into a new, albeit frightening, routine. Knowing Joey couldn't stay with them forever, he'd hired a young woman by the name of Nancy Wilcox as a caretaker for Adrianna. His precious daughter, still confused about her mother's death, had clung to Joey and missed her uncle something fierce when he'd left, but she'd slowly warmed up to Nancy and now she liked her. But all Adrianna could talk about was her Uncle Joey.

Except, lately, Joey had been keeping his distance, too. Chandler did not know what was going on, and when his boss urged him to take a much-needed vacation, Adrianna had supplied the idea for this trip. She wanted to see her Uncle Joey.

And Chandler did, too.