Chapter 1 - New York at night
AN: Set after TOW The Birth Mother. Revised Chapter. Scenes divided by [-].
New York at night can be a dangerous place.
Chandler Bing walks down the street, it is late and he is returning from a late night at work. Chandler loves his new job in advertising and gives 100 percent; the only thing that bothers Chandler about late nights is spending time away from his wife.
He is humming as he approaches his apartment building, thinking about his wife and soon-to-be baby. After years of struggling with life, being unhappy, haunted by the fear of dying alone he was finally happy and all those fears where now distant memories.
He is so deep in thought he doesn't hear someone creeping up behind him.
He hums happily and adds a little skip in his step. He can see his building in the distance, one more block and he will be home. He can drown in his wife's arms and make sweet love to her, he….
BANG
Chandler is ripped from his thoughts by something hitting his head, he feels himself falling down. He hits the pavement and feels blood trickling down his forehead. "Don't move or I'll kill you." Chandler hears the voice through the fog of confusion. "What do you want?" Chandler whispers. His attacker doesn't reply, instead he starts to go through Chandler's pockets; he takes his wallet and grabs his watch off his wrist. He tries to pull Chandler's wedding band off his hand but it is stuck. "Get the ring off!" The attacker hisses in Chandler's ear. "Please don't take my wedding ring." Chandler begs. "You've got my wallet and watch please don't take my ring!" The attacker doesn't say anything; he just keeps tugging at the ring. "Don't be stupid." He hisses and aims a kick at Chandler's stomach. "Give it to me." "No!" Chandler utters in between breathes. "You stupid prick." He says and starts kicking Chandler more, after about half a dozen well aimed kicks he pulls a very dazed Chandler up and props him up against a wall. He tries to pull the ring off without success, he grunts in frustration.
Chandler is nearly unconscious, the blows he's received have been painful, but Chandler isn't going to help this guy take away the one thing that symbolises his love for Monica. His attacker stands back defeated, "You are going to pay for that." He growls and resumes his attack, this time punching Chandler in the face over and over. His eyes are pulsating, his jaw aches, and he doesn't know how much more he can take. He is about to give in to him when he hears a shout in the distance, he hopes that someone is going to come to his rescue, that is his last thought before his loses his battle with unconsciousness.
Phoebe is walking down the street towards her friends' apartment. She doesn't like walking through New York at night, although she knows how to take care of herself New York at night brings back some not very nice memories of her days on the streets. As she approaches the building she sees someone punching a figure slumped down on the floor. She yells and runs towards them, "Hey, leave him alone!" She yells. Chandler's attacker sees someone running towards him and decides to cut his losses. He picks up Chandler's wallet and watch, gives one last kick to Chandler's head, spins around and runs as fast as he could. Phoebe runs up to the slumped figure. "Hey are you ok?" She asks concerned. Then she catches a look at his face. "Oh my God Chandler!" She falls down next to him and tries to rouse him. She whispers his name and puts her face close to his. Slowly Chandler opens his eyes, he is really confused and his whole body is burning. He sees someone standing very close and it takes a few seconds before he recognises the figure as Phoebe. "Phoebe." Chandler whispers. "Chandler thank god! Are you ok?" "Could be better." Chandler moans as he tries to stand up. He cringes as he moves, feeling every little bit of pain his attacker has inflicted. "No don't move honey, I'm going to call for help." Phoebe tries to make him sit still. "No I'm fine Pheebs; I just want to go home." Phoebe looks doubtful, but slowly helps him get up. Chandler leans on Phoebe as they walk the one block to his apartment. That one block felt like a lifetime, Chandler is having difficulty walking because of his battered ribs. They finally get to the front door but the short walk exhausted Chandler. He drops to the front step and breathes heavily he feels himself falling into blackness again but he fights it off. Phoebe knows that there is no way Chandler is going to be able to walk up the steps so she buzzes the apartment.
Monica is in the bathroom getting ready for bed; she checks her watch and sighs. Chandler should be home by now; he had called from his office. She is getting worried, she was about to call his phone when she hears the apartment buzzer. She quickly leaves the bathroom and walks over to the front door. "Hello?" She asks. "Mon, it's Phoebe." "Hey Phoebe. Why didn't you use your key?" "Mon it's Chandler." Suddenly fear builds up in Monica's body, she feels herself tense, her gut instincts had been right, something is wrong. "What is it? Is he ok?" Monica asks getting into a panic. "Mon he was mugged, I caught the guy punching the crap about of Chandler. He's not in good way Mon and I can't help him up the stairs by myself…" Monica cuts Phoebe off. "I'm coming down." Phoebe sits down next to Chandler, who is getting drowsier. She touches his face lightly and he half-opens his eyes. "You have to stay awake Chandler." He nods lightly and leans his head on Phoebe's shoulder.
Monica and Joey come crashing down the stairs. They find Phoebe sitting on the front step with Chandler leaning on her. They walk around so they are facing their friends. "Oh Chandler." Monica says when she sees the state Chandler is in. He looks terrible, his eyes are swollen, he has a horrible cut on his forehead, his nose has been bleeding and a horrible bruise is starting to form around his jaw. "Mon." Chandler whispers and reaches out to her. "Oh baby." Monica says while tears start to stream down her face. She moves nearer so she can hold him in her arms. "It's not too bad." Chandler tries to reassure her. "Come on buddy; let's get you upstairs and into bed." Joey says as light-hearted as he could. Monica and Joey help Chandler up, he groans in pain with every step he takes. Phoebe walks ahead to open any doors while Monica and Joey help a very unsteady Chandler walk the few flights to their floor.
After what seemed like a lifetime they reached apartment 20, Phoebe opens the door and the others follow her in. They lead Chandler to his and Monica's bedroom and gently lay him down. Monica takes care of Chandler's injuries as best as she can and crawls into bed next to him. "Oh baby, you had me so worried." "I'm ok Monica, don't worry." Chandler says quietly, ignoring the constant ringing in his head. He leans over, not giving in to his screaming ribs, and holds Monica tightly in his arms.
New York at night can be a dangerous place.
But when he is with her, it becomes heaven on Earth.
AN: To be continued.
