ALTERNATE MONDLER – THE ONE AT THE BEACH

Basically this is an alternate Monica and Chandler hookup scenario and it takes place at the end of season 3 at the beach house. There is no tension between Ross and Rachel…..This is my first ever fanfic so…Enjoy!

CENTRAL PERK: MONICA, CHANDLER, JOEY AND RACHEL ARE THERE.

Rachel sat in the green arm chair, an expression of frustration etched upon her face. She put down her coffee mug and sighed heavily as her eye wandered upon the counter.

There, a couple were in the queue for their drinks, but not paying attention to the white-haired man offering them. Instead their eyes were caught up in one another's as they dreamily thought about the other one.

"Ugh, I hate it when people just flaunt in your face what you haven't got…I mean it's so frustrating!"

The other three were slightly taken aback by Rachel's unforeseen outburst but they followed Rachel's stare and soon caught onto what was bothering her so much.

"C'mon Rach they're just in love. Be happy for them" Joey reasoned, but then again, this was Joey. He literally had a woman everyday and never had to complain about not having that special someone, not that it even bothered him. He wasn't any help, but he didn't see that.

"Yeah but that's easy for you to say Joey" Monica put in. Monica as well longed for that feeling. Yet she didn't just want some guy to share her love with. She wanted one guy in particular. But she knew that he would never requite her love though she never gave up the hope, that one day he might see her in a different light.

"Yeah, you had sex yesterday" Rachel reinforced, determined that she would "pull a Monica" and win the conversation with Joey.

"Hell yeah I did!" Joey exclaimed not realizing the impact of what that meant on his input in the conversation. He was content with sleeping with women; he didn't crave more, and knew he wouldn't for a while anyway.

Monica sat pensively, in the middle of the orange couch, sipping her coffee. She knew, in her heart what she wanted, but she didn't know quite how to string it, without incurring a million questions from Rachel or sarcastic comments from him.

Him.



Who she really wanted. Above anything else. But she knew she couldn't let that show. She just knew. However it was too late, for her to think about what she was saying as she had already partially formed a sentence. "Ugh, I-I, I just want a…" She paused trying to save herself from what she was about to face, and hoping no-one would have heard her begin to string her muddled words together. But it was too late.

Chandler sat next to her. He liked it this way. That had always been the way – Monica and Chandler on the orange couch with Monica in the middle and Chandler on her left, nearest the green armchair. He realized how lucky he was to have her as a friend, yet he wanted more.

More.

Something he knew he would never get, and there was not even a hope in him trying. He figured that if he began to hit on her or ask her out, their friendship would be ruined forever and he shuddered at the thought.

No Monica.

It seemed devastating. But he was at least grateful that in the "seating arrangement" at the coffee house that had become so second nature to the six of them, that he was sat next to Monica, where he could subtlety breathe in her natural scent and feel her when she leaned against him. And for that, he was grateful.

But Chandler knew his ultimate let down. Other than his incapability at getting a girlfriend not least settling down with them, he knew that he made too many jokes. No-one thought Chandler knew this, but he knew it inside. But it was his way of breaking the tension or lightening the mood when things got a bit serious for him. And before he knew it, he had done it again.

He heard Monica begin to ramble and before he knew it, he had registered his input.

"Ugh, I-I, I just want a…"

"Words, with which to speak?"

He interjected, but immediately realized that this wasn't the time or the place. And he felt awkward. Mainly because of his growing feelings for her, which he desperately tried to maintain but feared ultimately that she would see through his façade and expose him. So when he did make a joke at her expense he felt awkward as he figured that she would realize he was hiding something and eventually wheedle it out of him, resulting in the end of their friendship. And that, could never happen.

Subsequently he incurred a glare from Monica and his head was furious with him. 'Oh great, she's glaring at you now. Way to go Chan. She probably won't speak to you now, and then what will 

happen….You had to open your big mouth didn't you.' He inwardly cursed himself a few more times, before timidly smiling back at her.

'Great, now he's guilty with you' Monica thought to herself. 'Why did you have to glare like that? You know you can't pull of mock or sarcastic glares, and you end up making a fool of yourself…Good one' She sighed as he smiled back to her and immediately felt a whole lot worse. 'And now he thinks you're mad at him. Great. Just what I need.'

She smiled back at him, and began to reconstruct her sentence. "I just, I just wanna boyfriend". There, she had said it. Now what would happen? She hoped nothing much, but nothing prepared her for the reply she was going to get.

"Well, if you really want….I could be your boyfriend!" The words tumbled out of his mouth before he could even stop them, and he lowered his head, in shame of what he just said. He was mortified to the bone, and if only he had a card which could turn back time – for he would use it. And to make it worse, she had started laughing. 'Geez.' He knew he was out of line, but the laughing still hurt. Thank hell he had said it in a light mannered voice. He prayed they would just think of it as another Chandlerism that nobody got. Shit.

'Why the hell was she laughing? She thought to herself. Don't laugh. DON't laugh,' but instead she laughed harder. 'Geez.' Now what would he think of her. This was her chance. It was given to her on a plate, almost and there she was throwing it back in his face. And yet she was still laughing. What was her goddamn problem? She stopped laughing, as she desperately tried to think of a reason to backtrack or at least explain her laughter. She had dug herself even deeper into the whole she had already dug. God, what was she going to do now?

"Whoa man?" Joey was slightly stunned by Chandler's suggestion. Monica and Chandler were friends. And if anyone was going to ask out Monica, it would be Joey – not because he liked her, I mean god was she hot, but that would be crossing the line and he fiercely stuck to the line. Well it was because Joey was the "womanizer" not Chandler and if anyone was going to ask out any woman it would be Joey, as Chandler would clam up and come up with some lame joke or overly sarcastic comment which would confuse and subsequently scare off the potential dates. But Joey being Joey didn't think about it any more than needed, and got back to his third cookie of the hour.

"Are you being serious?" Monica asked, both scared and excited at what his reaction would be, although inevitably she knew that he would explain the joke the rest of them had missed and that would be that.

Although her feelings for Chandler had been growing day by day, the hope that he would at least have feelings for her, and then even act on them were diminishing day by day.



Rachel, not one to ever miss out on the latest feelings or romances, or even any gossip, suddenly became very attentive and her eyes sparkled as she also asked Chandler whether he was being "serious" or not.

Chandler knew what was coming and was dreading it. Sure, what he had said had been an impulse thing, but he was terribly anxious of the barrage of "you serious?" remarks and inquisitions he was about to face. When faced with them, he did what he did best. No, he did what he did second best which was to clam up and act all defensive when under pressure.

"What? What? Am I not boyfriend material or something?" He replied, sensing his voice becoming higher pitched as he spoke.

It was Rachel who first broke the ice as Monica stammered, once again to construct a sentence. "Or something" she replied somewhat meekly, as she actually tried to figure it out for herself. No. This was Chandler – he was like an older brother to her, who comforted her when relationships broke down or when job offers weren't coming her way.

Monica, then spoke up, although she was still half contemplating whether to even speak at all, so again her words were jumbled and made no sense at all.

"Well, um, no…."Monica inwardly screamed at herself when that two letter word came out. How could she be so stupid? Immediately she tried to backtrack, "Actually what I mean is, I guess you, er, could be or something but I , I er…"

Immediately she was cut off mid sentence as the door came bounding open and in skipped an excited Phoebe who was dancing and shrieking and a slightly embarrassed Ross, who was slightly uncomfortable with Phoebe's open ways of expressing her joys in public. Also distracting Monica from her speech was Joey, who looked elated as he saw his two friends coming in, and the yellow traditional New York taxi, standing, waiting outside Central Perk.

"Hey! Its Pheebs and Ross! Hey you guys! And the taxi! Cool!" To say Joey was excited was an understatement. He loved his friends dearly and the time they spent together as a six was wonderful. But Joey also loved going to the beach, and so having the two combined was like a godsend. Admittedly not quite as good as girls on bread, but it would certainly do for that weekend.

Chandler sat there, wondering what Monica exactly meant. "You could be or something"…What did that mean? Or was he just over analyzing what she was saying. Besides she was under a lot of pressure when she was saying that, and he knew she didn't have feelings for him – she couldn't. It was just be too good to be true.



He reluctantly shrugged it aside as he knew that Phoebe would detect something in his "aura" or something and he certainly didn't want that happening. Besides people were beginning to stand as if to head for the taxi, and he didn't want to seem different or abstract from them so he followed suit.

Monica was stunned. Stunned that he had even said that in the first place – that they had even had that conversation. And stunned at what she had said. What she was trying to say. She had no idea where to go from here except she knew she didn't want to seem weird to the other 5 or 4 at least. Thoughts still plaguing her brain on the subject, she grudgingly got up with the others and followed them out to the taxi, when at least then, she could feign tiredness and really think properly about that period at the coffeehouse.

So that's the first chapter! There are more chapters to come, but please review first – it will make me so happy! Thanks, Rosie