What if Monica changed her mind? Set at the end of TOW Monica and Richard are just friends.
Richard swallowed. He wanted to be Monica's boyfriend again. He wanted everything she'd just suggested. Wanted them to be together, wanted to share his life with her, wanted to marry her. However, he still didn't want kids. It was true she hadn't had that in her list of what they should do, but he knew how she felt. She wanted to be a mom, and he couldn't give her that.
He looked up at her. She was on his lap with hope in her eyes.
"You know we're back where we were? Honey, I would love to do all that. But nothing's changed."
"Thant's not true." She gestured to his face. "You don't have a moustache." He laughed slightly.
"Okay, okay one thing's changed." He held her close for a moment before looking at her again. "But we still want different things and you know how this is going to end." Monica seemed to think for a minute.
"You know what." She got up from his lap. "The way I see it, one of two things is going to happen here." She turned to him and spread her arms in front of her. "Either, we go our separate ways while you look for a woman who wants what you want and I look for a man who wants children or, I do what I should have done before." Richard frowned.
"What do you mean?"
"Richard, I love you. It took me six years to find you and I don't think I can wait another six years to find someone who wants what I want." She started to pace and Richard just sat and followed her with his eyes. "Recently I've been thinking about my life and how great it is. And about a month ago it struck me." She stopped pacing and turned to Richard. "I don't want a baby." Richard blinked then sighed.
"Yes you do Mon."
"No. I don't. I love my life. I love being organised; I love my apartment being clean. I like things tidy and clear. I can't have a baby it would be messy, and dirty and loud. When I picture myself with a baby, I go crazy. When I picture myself with you…" Monica knelt in front of Richard and looked into his eyes. Needing him to understand. "When I picture myself with you, the bassinet isn't there anymore, and I'm happy." Richard swallowed hard. He took Monica's hands in his own.
"Listen, Monica. I love you more than anything. I want to be with you. Live with you. Marry you and grow old with you. Even though I'm already kinda old." He smiled and Monica laughed. "But, I need you to really think about this. I don't want children Monica, I'm a grandpa. I need you to be sure about what you want. If you don't want a baby that's great, we can be together. If you do want a baby someday, we can't be together. I can't take that dream away from you. I'd only end up making you unhappy." Monica nodded.
"If you want me to be sure, paint a picture for me. Look five years into the future if we stay together and tell me what you see." Richard looked up for a moment.
"Okay. I see us eating breakfast together. Talking about what we're going to do. My kids are gonna come over with their kids and we're going to spend the day with them." Richard looked down at Monica. "You'd be a stepmom Monica. Two grown up kids, one you used to be friends with. They have kids. Can you see them and not wish you had one?" Monica smiled.
"I know it sounds weird, But I think I'd rather be a grandma then a mom. I see it that, this way I get to have grandkids and fun with them, but I get to give them back and have you to myself. I can have all the fun of being a grandma without having to be a mom. I love that idea." Richard pulled her up and looked into her eyes.
"Really Monica?" He was hoping against hope. "Can you really do this? If not tell me now."
"I can do It Richard." She shook her head and smiled, "But more than that, I want to." She wrapped his arms around his neck and kissed him. Richard smiled and said softly.
"Okay." Monica pulled back to look at him.
"Okay?"
"Okay. Let's do it. Let's be together. Let's be…exclusive friends." He grinned. She grinned back and hugged him.
"I love you Doctor Burke."
"I love you Monica Geller."
A/N Not sure I like how this worked out. Any thoughts? I may continue if people want, but for now it's a questionable one- shot.