A/N - I haven't finished posting the last couple of chapters to my other fanfiction yet, but I thought I'd go ahead and put up the first chapter of this one. I'm sure that a lot of people have used the idea that I based this one on - I think you'll see what it is once you start reading - but I wanted to give it a try myself. I just got this idea in my head, and I started writing. I thought that this would be a short one, but once I started writing, I didn't want to stop. So, yes, I have most of the whole thing finished (16 chapters of - most likely - 18), but no, I'm not putting it all up at once. I like keeping people in suspense... My title isn't very original, but I titled all of the chapters this time. Maybe that will make up for it... I categorized this as romance and drama. I usually write sappy stuff, and this has some of that, too, but I tried to add a little drama to make it a little more interesting. I hope you like it. Please tell me what you think.

Okay... Just a little information to get you started... This one begins a few years down the road, but you're going to have to start with a clean slate. Chandler and Monica never got together, but Ross and Rachel are married, and have a baby girl, Rebecca. They live in Ross' apartment - aka the former home of Ugly Naked Guy. Phoebe lives in her grandmother's apartment. Chandler and Joey still live in their apartment. Monica still lives in hers.

Disclaimer: I own none of the characters from Friends. They belong to their brilliant creators.

Sorry for the extremely long author's note. I'll try not to do that again... Let me know what you think, good or bad...

==========

The Gift

Chapter One - The Proposal

Knock! Knock!

Monica sighed when she heard the quiet knocking on her bedroom door. She'd made it through the entire day with no interruptions and now, at 11:48 - according to the clock on her nightstand - someone had dared to interrupt her day of sulking. Today was her birthday. Her fortieth birthday. And she wanted to be alone.

"Mon, it's Chandler. Can I come in?" he called quietly through the door. The entire gang - minus Monica - had just finished watching a movie. Although Monica had insisted that no one make a big deal out of her birthday, they had rented one of her favorite movies for the evening. But, regardless of how much they begged, she refused to come out of her room for more than a few minutes at a time. Chandler wanted to respect her wish for a birthday with no celebration, but now that the others had all gone home, he had to wake Monica.

"Yeah, come on in," she answered and pulled her blanket over her chest.

Chandler walked in and smiled slightly. "Were you asleep?"

"No, not yet. I still have twelve minutes of my birthday to celebrate," she said with absolutely no enthusiasm.

"Yeah... I know we all promised not to mention it, but happy birthday anyway," he grinned.

"Thanks," she smiled in reply. She motioned for him to sit down on the edge of the bed, and he did. "So, what are you still doing here at almost midnight?"

He took a deep breath before answering. "Well... For one thing, I wanted to say happy birthday."

"Well, you did that," she replied. "Was there another thing?" she questioned.

"Um... Yeah, there was. I kind of have a birthday present for you."

"Chandler, I said no presents. Today is just a depressing day. I just turned...well, you know...and I'm still alone. No boyfriend, no husband, no babies, nothing. I don't need presents to mark the occasion."

"What if I said I could help you out with one of those things?" Chandler said quietly, unable to look into her eyes.

"You wanna set me up with somebody? Because, at the moment, I'd be willing to go out with just about anybody," she laughed lightly.

"That desperate, huh?" he teased, looking up at her and smiling. He looked back down and continued. "Actually, I was thinking more along the lines of the baby thing."

"The baby thing?" she repeated, confused.

"Okay," he began nervously. "Look, Mon. Neither of us are getting any younger, and we're not involved with anyone right now, so..."

"Chandler, are you suggesting that you and I go out?" Monica asked, shocked. Chandler was her best friend. She hadn't expected to hear this from him.

"Not exactly," he replied, looking up at her. "Do you remember when Ben was born and I suggested that if neither of us were married by the time we were forty we could have a baby together?" She nodded. "Well, we're forty, and we're not married, so I thought..." He returned his gaze to his hands resting on his lap, allowing his sentence to go unfinished.

"You were serious?" she asked with wide eyes. "I just thought you were trying to cheer me up or something."

"Well, I was, kind of," he admitted. "But I know you still want to have kids and, as much as you hate to admit it, you're not getting any younger. And the longer you have to wait, the harder it will be to have a baby of your own."

Monica looked at him, not completely sure if she was hearing him correctly. Was he really offering to have a baby with her? "Listen, Chandler. When you said you had a birthday present for me, I was expecting a nice piece of jewelry or a new sweater. I didn't expect you to offer me a baby..." She reached over and tilted his chin up so their eyes could meet. "I think that this is the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me, Chandler, but I don't think you realize what you're offering. I mean... You can't be serious about this."

"Why not?" he asked, acting as if his offer to father her child was the most normal thing in the world.

"Because," she said simply. "It would be weird, don't you think? You and me, having a baby together?"

"Why? Ross and Rachel have one," he reasoned.

"Yes, but they're married, and in love. We've never even dated."

"But I do love you, Monica. You're my best friend... Just don't tell Joey," he grinned. "I'd do anything for you. You know that, don't you?"

"Yeah... And I feel the same way about you, Chandler, but this is a life altering decision."

"I know," he agreed. "I'm sorry that I brought it up. I just thought... Well, I don't know what I thought. I just know that the idea of having a baby with you has started to grow on me. I know you were dreading this day - your birthday - but I've been thinking about it for awhile now, so I could talk to you about this."

Monica didn't speak for a minute, just trying to take in everything that she was hearing from Chandler. She sat there, trying to list the pros and cons of the situation in her head. If she did do this, she'd finally have a baby. And it would be with Chandler, a man that she actually enjoyed spending time with. But he was her best friend and it just seemed a little strange. "Chandler, if we did this, wouldn't it be weird when we, um...when the, uh...when the baby was conceived?" She could feel her cheeks burning.

"Well, we wouldn't actually have to...do it ourselves. There are ways around that," he answered. He couldn't even look at her. Maybe she was right. Maybe it was too weird.

"You've really thought about this, huh?"

He smiled sheepishly. "Yeah, I really have."

She sighed. "I have to think about it, Chandler. A lot. This isn't just something we can jump into, but you're absolutely right. I'm not getting any younger. My biological clock is ticking," she smiled. "And I do want to have a baby... I just need some time to think. But I'll seriously consider it. I promise."

He smiled at her and leaned over to kiss her forehead. "Take all the time you need," he said as he stood, ready to leave. "Just remember, your biological clock is ticking," he teased and grinned at her before leaving her bedroom.

==========

"Thanks for breakfast, Mon. See you later," Phoebe said as she exited the apartment to head off for work.

"Bye," Monica called after her and continued cleaning up the breakfast dishes. She yawned as she put away the last glass. She hadn't gotten any sleep the night before, thanks to her conversation with Chandler. When he left, she had stayed up half the night trying to figure out if he was really serious about having a baby with her, and if she wanted to actually do it if he was serious. She had to admit, it was the best - and only - offer she'd had in a long time

"Hey, Mon." Chandler's voice interrupted her thoughts when he entered the apartment.

"Hey," she said quietly, absent-mindedly wiping the countertop with a sponge.

"Earth to Monica. What's going on?" Chandler asked, waving a hand in front of her face. "You're not worrying about what I said last night, are you? Because you really shouldn't stress out about it. I didn't mean to upset you."

She looked up at him and shook her head. "No, Chandler, you didn't upset me. I was just... Nothing. Nevermind."

"What is it?" he asked curiously.

"I was thinking about last night," she admitted. "I just got this image in my mind of you with a baby. Your baby."

"A good image? Or was I using it as a football?" he laughed, recalling Ross' problems with that nightmare right before Ben was born.

"No, it was a good image," she assured him. "It just seemed so right," she said quietly. They were both silent for a moment before Monica continued. "I wanna do it, Chandler. Let's have a baby together."

"Really? Are you sure?" Chandler asked.

"You know what, I am sure," she answered, a little surprised herself. "Shouldn't I have at least one of my dreams come true? I've always wanted a baby, and you're just the kind of man I'd like to have one with. You're the sweetest, most caring, loving man I know, Chandler. You'd have to be to offer me this," she chuckled. "You'd make a wonderful father to any child. Why not mine?"

"Are you really sure about this, Monica? I don't want you to do this just because you think I want it. I -"

"Wait a minute. Because I think you want it? Don't you want it, Chandler? If you don't, we don't have to do this. I don't want you to be doing it just because you feel sorry for me."

"I'm not. I'm doing this because you want a baby, and I want a baby. I'd like to have a son or daughter of my own, believe it or not. I've been thinking about it for a long time now. I just haven't been able to find the right woman to do it with, and I don't want to be eighty when my kid graduates from high school. Then I realized that the perfect woman was already in my life."

"So I guess that means Phoebe said no, huh?" Monica teased.

"Yeah... I was really disappointed," he grinned, playing along with her.

She simply smiled at him. "So you really want to do this?"

"Yes, I really want to do this," he assured her. He smiled at her, and she returned his smile with another of her own. "Okay. I can't give you a marriage proposal, so how's this? Monica Geller, will you have my baby?" he grinned.

"You're so crazy," she laughed. "Yes, I'll have your baby, Chandler."