*A/N...this has been done to death, but I don't care.

God, I wish I was drunker right now. Then I would at least have a valid excuse as to why I'm going to ask Joey to sleep with me.

Just thinking about it makes me a little sad.

I shake it off and take another sip of my Scotch, hoping to make this seem like a good idea.

What has my life come to?

Am I so hard up that I need to have sex with Joey to feel better about myself?

Will I actually feel better about myself?

I'm a reasonably attractive woman. Should I have to go trolling to my—forgive me for even thinking it—sluttiest friend just to get a few moments of pleasure? To feel desired?

But Joey's a sure thing.

At least, I think he is.

I don't know that he's ever turned down sex, at any rate.

I wish I could stop thinking right now. If I think too much about it, I'll lose my nerve, and I can't lose my nerve. Despite how sad it is, I need this. I need something. No; I need someone.

I would rather have a boyfriend, but a one-night stand in London will have to do.

I just have to hope Chandler was right when he said, "Who wouldn't want you?"

I smile a little at the thought—it was such a sweet thing to say.

I realize I'm in front of Chandler and Joey's door; I knock before I can rethink this decision.

Moments later, Chandler is front of me, wearing ridiculous pajamas. I roll my eyes and make fun of him a little before I ask about Joey.

"Last time I saw him, he was headed out the door with a bridesmaid and a bucket of strawberries," he tells me, shrugging as he closes the door behind me. Naturally. It was pretty dumb of me to assume that Joey wouldn't have found a girl by now. I put my drink down on the desk and cross my arms over my chest. I suddenly feel really vulnerable and incredibly stupid.

I look up as Chandler asks me if I'm still upset about that guy thinking I'm Ross's mother, and am a little surprised to find no pity in his eyes—only sympathy for an upset friend.

"Wouldn't you be?" I ask defensively.

He surprises me, though—instead of commiserating with me about our mutually humiliating evenings, he tell me to let it go. "You were the most beautiful woman in the room tonight."

My heart skips a beat, then does this funny little fluttery-thing as I look at him in wonder. He said it so casually, as if it's just a given. "Really?"

"Are you kidding? You're the most beautiful woman in most rooms—" I don't let him finish that thought before I launch myself at him and kiss him. He stumbles back a little as I crash into him, but doesn't hesitate to kiss me back.

Maybe this is what I need. I never considered doing this with Chandler. Or rather, I never let myself consider it. He's not the one-night-stand sort, and he's my best friend. I wouldn't want to lose him or hurt him, but…this feels so much more right than just the thought of sleeping with Joey.

All of a sudden, a very confused Chandler pulls away from me. He doesn't seem upset or disgusted with me, just…confused. I don't know that I blame him for that, either. Less than a year ago, I flat-out rejected the idea of him and me, and now I'm shoving my tongue down his throat.

He looks at me suspiciously. "How drunk are you?"

"Drunk enough that I know I wanna do this; not so drunk you should feel guilty about taking advantage." Funnily enough, though, I don't feel drunk at all right now. My mind is perfectly clear and I know this is exactly what I want.

"That's the perfect amount." I guess that was the right answer because Chandler practically hops over to his bed and sits down on the edge, pulling me with him. Instantly, our lips are on each other's again. I grab his upper arms and brace myself, moaning into his mouth. This feels amazing, and so, so right.

I break away from him for a moment and look at him in wonder. "You know what's weird?"

He's breathing heavily, looking at me in the same way, a small smile dancing at the corners of his lips. "What?

"This doesn't feel weird."

"I know."

"You're a really good kisser." I hate that this shocked me, but considering how he's always beating himself up about being bad with women, I can't help but be surprised. Not only is he a good kisser, but I'm pretty sure he's the best kisser.

He smiles bashfully. "Well, I have kissed over four women." He kisses me again for a moment before asking, "You wanna get under the covers?"

Oh, do I ever. There's not a doubt in my mind that not only is this something that I want to do, but he wants to do it, too. "Mmmhmm!" I answer, not even sure if I could form an actual word at this point. We rush to jump under the covers and I begin tearing off my clothes. I am so ready for this that I can't stand it. I look over and realize that Chandler beat me and is already naked.

I can't help it; I'm a little impressed. "Wow, you are really fast." It's nice to know that I'm not the only one excited about this.

"It bodes well for me that speed impresses you," Chandler answers, but considering that I already know he's a master with his lips, I don't know that I believe this self-deprecating remark. Besides, even if it's true, I'm already so wound up that I don't think it'll take me very long, anyway.

"We're gonna see each other naked!" I exclaim. The thought is beyond exciting to me at this point.

"Yep!"

"Wanna do it at the same time?"

Chandler grins at me; I like that we're on the same page with this sort of thing. "Count of three?"

I nod. "One."

He joins in and we finish the countdown together. "Two. Three." Simultaneously, we dive under the covers to get our first look at each other.

I feel my heart speed up a bit, partly from nerves, but mostly from excitement. He is nothing like I expected, and I'm more than pleasantly surprised. I start to smile and bite my lip to hold in my excited laughter as we both pop back up. The stunned look on his face speaks volumes.

"Well, I think it's safe to say that our friendship is effectively ruined."

"Eh, we weren't that close anyway," I tell him, both of us knowing it's a lie, neither of us wanting or able to turn back now.

"Eh!" he agrees and we collide once more. The feel of his naked body against mine is the most amazing sensation I've ever felt. His arms come around me, and he's so warm and hard and gentle all at the same time, I don't know what do with myself.

We're interrupted moments later by Joey and I dive back under the covers, pressed against Chandler's side, hoping that Joey remains oblivious to the world around him.

I can hear muffled conversation going on around me, though I can't make out the words over the sound of my heart pounding in my ears. I press my face into Chandler's side when I realize that I, once again, have the best seat in the house. Cautiously, I kiss his chest— the only part of him I can reach without shifting about under the blanket—and smile a little when I see the muscles there jump. I tilt my eyes down and see that he has his knee braced up slightly, which is probably for the best. If not, Joey would have very little doubt as to what Chandler was doing, or at least what he assumed Chandler to be doing.

My hand is already resting against his abdomen, so I let it skim slowly down his stomach, down to his hip, and am pleased to see other parts of his anatomy jump and twitch. The arm around my head tenses and I can feel him digging his fingers into my back. Throwing caution to the wind, I slide my fingers gently around his length—only for a moment, though. It was torture being so close but so far; I had to touch him, had to know how he feels. And it was good. But I don't want to push it too far and have Joey figure us out, so I remove my hand before Chandler's eyes bulge out of his head.

A moment later, I hear the door shut once more and Chandler flips the blankets back from my head, his eyes huge. I smile at him and shrug, no explanation.

"You're gonna pay for that," he tells me.

"Oh, God, I hope so," I answer.

He drags me across his body so that I'm on top of him and pulls my face down to his, kissing me hungrily. My head swims and it feels like the rest of the world is fading away. Nothing in my life has ever felt this…right. Who knew that kissing Chandler, being naked with Chandler, would be so wonderful? I'm already having a difficult time believing that it was Joey I originally wanted to find. He's a great guy, but I know for certain he'd never make me feel anywhere near as good as I do right now.

Abruptly, I pull back. "What did Joey want?"

Breathing heavily, Chandler answers, "Mind if we don't talk about Joey right now?"

I grin at him and run my hand through his hair tenderly. "I just want to make sure he won't be coming back."

"He came for a box of condoms. I got him to leave me one."

I raise my eyebrow skeptically, and already feel a little disappointed at the thought of only doing this once. "You sure one will be enough?"

He smiles at me happily before answering. "Well, someone distracted me a little while Joey was in here, so I wasn't thinking very clearly. But I'm pretty sure I have another box in my toiletry case."

"How sure?"

"Unless Joey found those somehow, completely sure. Those were actually the ones I packed for him because I knew he'd forget."

"What if they're gone?"

"Then I'll have to hunt down some more. Believe me when I say that I'll kill if I have to if someone stands between me and more condoms."

My heart clenches a little bit as I lean down to kiss him once more. He wants me as much as I want him—this is incredible. A few minutes later, I break away and grin down at him once more. "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's take that condom out for a spin!"

He smiles up at me softly and reaches up to gently caress my face. "We've got time, Monica. We've got lots of time."

It's the first time he's said my name since I walked through the door and for some reason, that's what makes all of this so very real. This Chandler. It's me and Chandler. There's no going back after this. My heart starts to hammer.

In one fluid motion, Chandler flips us over and is now resting between my thighs, his body pressing me into the mattress, his lips on mine, his hands roaming my body…it's exquisite. It's beautiful and perfect. Somewhere in the last few years, the line between friends and lovers started to get fuzzy—I can see that now. We've been so close both physically and emotionally for so long now that this moment now seems inevitable. Maybe I'm a hopeless romantic, but it just seems right.

Chandler's in no rush right now, either, which only serves to excite me more. The more excited I become, the more I moan and make noises I'm not sure I've ever made before. My increasing volume only serves to egg him on, and the foreplay alone is out of this world.

Suddenly, his body leaves mine and I've never felt so bereft. I whine in protest as I reach for him, then realize he's fumbling with the condom, his hands shaking. I put my hand on his and he looks up at me, and what I see there makes me stop breathing for a moment. His eyes are full of lust and need and want and unadulterated desire. It's a good thing I'm already lying down because I can feel my knees go weak. I put my hand over his and squeeze gently. "It's okay," I whisper. "I'm not going anywhere."

That seems to do the trick because he smiles and within moments, the condom is on and he is on top of me again. "You ready?" he breathes, running a finger over my lips.

I gently brush my hand across his forehead, wiping the sweat from his brow. "I'm ready."

He brings his lips down to mine once more, crushing me to him, and then he's inside of me and I gasp. My whole world implodes as I realize that this is what perfect feels like.

I clutch at his back as we start to move together and I know what it is that I feel.

Complete.