A/N: This is a new story that I have randomly come up with the idea for, but it is going to be a modern day AU Mondler set in 2018, when Jack and Erica are teenagers. It will basically be about their life, and that is all I know for the direction at this point. Assume that the characters are played by Matthew Perry and Courteney Cox etc., as I won't be stating this throughout the story as I had been doing to doubly make sure that I don't breach any Copyright or privacy regulations as I have unintentionally been doing before which I am so, so sorry about.

I also want to mention that this story will be part of a companion trilogy of books told from the perspectives of the three main endgame ships: Phike, Mondler and Roschel. They will be written simultaneously, and this is the first. Keep an eye out for the other two!

Please also review as this helps me to stay accountable with updating, and also allows me to engage with my readers.

On to the story:

Chapter 1 – Monica

"Are you sure that you both have everything you need for high school?" I ask Jack and Erica, as they are eating their breakfast.

"Mom," Jack says, "You made us check twice last night, and once this morning already. I think we're both going to be fine!"

I looked over at Chandler for support so he would make me sound less overprotective, but he continued to sip coffee and read his newspaper as if he wasn't sitting there. It did annoy me that he seemed completely oblivious to the fact that his son and daughter were starting high school, but I know that in reality that he most likely thinks that I am making a unnecessarily big deal out of it.

"Have you guys got your schedules yet?" I ask the twins.

Jack answers again. "We know the subjects, but we won't get our schedules until we are at school."

"That's really inconvenient for curious parents," I say.

"It's also so overprotective parents can't worry about their children to the point where they would have no freedom," Jack says, and I know that he directed that comment right at me.

"I'm not overprotective! And I wouldn't worry about you guys that much!" I say, indignantly. "I just don't want either of you to get into trouble."

Erica and Jack both finish their breakfast, and go upstairs to finish getting ready for school. I move to sit near Chandler.

"Bing," I say, and Chandler looks up.

"Yes, Geller?" he says, putting down his coffee mug and newspaper.

"Our babies are going off to high school," I say, feeling proud but sad at the same time.

"I've known that for about three days now," Chandler replies, "but yes, they are."

"Do you not feel even the slightest bit emotional about it?" I ask, sounding irritated.

"Geller," Chandler begins, "I am surprised you have to ask since you have been married to me for 17 years, and should know that I do not show emotions often."

I huffed a sigh. "Suit yourself." I start taking the plates from the twin's breakfast to the sink to wash up, but before I can start, I hear the twins walk down the stairs again.

"Don't think that you can leave without saying goodbye to me!" I shout, as I approach the staircase, and see Jack and Erica getting ready to walk out the door.

Jack rolls his eyes, but I know that he doesn't really mind. When I get closer to where he and Erica are, I hug him first. "We'll be fine," Jack says, "and I'll look after Erica for you, Mom." I smile, and thank him.

I move to Erica afterwards. I hug her, and she whispers, "I'm so nervous, Mom." I tell her that she will be fine, and that Jack will look after her and make sure that she doesn't get in trouble. She thanks me, and I hug her tighter. We break apart after 10 seconds, and she follows Jack out of the door. I stand in the doorway, and wave them goodbye until they are out of sight.

I walk back through the hallway and into the kitchen, trying to stifle the tears that I can already feel welling up. Chandler is still sitting at the table, but when I enter he looks up from his coffee cup. "Are you okay, Mon?" he asks me.

"Yeah," I say, really trying and beginning to struggle to stifle the tears. I think that Chandler can tell.

"You can't lie to me, Geller!" He stands up and wraps his arms around my shoulders in a tight hug, and somehow his magic works and I start to feel much better. "I've known you for far too long."

I smile, but roll my eyes playfully. It's true that we have known each other far too long to be able to get away with lying, but sometimes it still annoys me. "You have work today, don't you?" I ask Chandler.

"Yeah," he replies, detaching his arms from me. "Do you have to work today or do you just have manager meetings and stuff?"

"Manager meetings," I say. "So I'm not that busy. Those days are good but they suck when I'm in the mood to be busy."

"Wow," Chandler says, sarcastically. "I wouldn't have guessed."

I flash him a classic Geller death stare, and he shuts up. I start the washing up again, hoping that it will be the distraction I am in desperate need of at the moment. Chandler goes back upstairs to finish getting ready before he has to leave, and I'm left alone in the kitchen.

After what feels like no time at all, I am done with doing the washing and putting it away. I sit down on the couch. A book that I recognise as mine sits on the glass-topped coffee table in front of the couch. A shopping receipt that had been serving the purpose as a bookmark fell out as I lifted the book up, but I didn't care as I usually would have because I didn't honestly remember reading the book in the first place. I opened the first page, and started reading.

"Mon," Chandler calls from the hallway. "I'm about to go!"

I leave my book on the coffee table, and walk down the hallway to Chandler. We hug for what feels like forever, but I really needed it and I think Chandler realised that. "Have a great day, babe," he says to me. "I know that it feels like twins won't be back for years, but I promise you that it will start getting easier."

I nod, and start to feel a little better even just because Chandler is saying it and I completely trust him. "Have a great day, too," I say back. "Knock 'em dead with your puns!" Chandler is still creative director at the advertising company he works at.

Chandler walks out of the door, after rolling his eyes playfully after my comment on his work. I check my phone, and see the reminder that I must have set for myself about today's meeting at Javu. It says that I have to be there for 10am, so I calculate that I have just over half an hour to be there on time.

I remember that, in my haste to get Chandler and the twins fed, I forgot to get changed out of pyjamas and my bathrobe. I rush straight to the bedroom, and get into my chef's whites. I tied my hair up in a sloppy bun, and then go to the bathroom and finish getting fully ready there.

I check my phone again, and I have about twenty minutes left. I can't take the car, I sigh, because Chandler had to take it himself. Regretfully, I resign to the fact that I'll have to catch the subway, and risk being late.

When I finally get on the subway on my way to work, I start to feel more relaxed again. I don't even need to call in to say that I might be a little late. I get to Javu with a few minutes to spare, and I go straight to the staff area behind the main counter. As I am hanging up my coat and putting my bag in my locker, the sous-chef Barry sees me and we start chatting for a bit.

"How was your weekend, Monica?" Barry asks.

"Pretty good," I say, turning the key in the lock on my locker. "Kinda stressful though, because the twins started high school today and I spent a lot longer than I expected to help them get ready. What about you?"

"That does sound stressful," Barry says, sympathetically. "It will be worth it though. My weekend was pretty good, me and the Mrs and went to a fancy restaurant the other day to celebrate our 50th wedding anniversary because they were showing Love Actually."

I smile. "That sounds so sweet," I say, "and congratulations to you both."

Barry was one of the older members of staff here, but he was also one of the friendliest. I really, really hope that Chandler and I end having as strong, stable and loving a relationship as Barry and his wife do. My favourite stories that Barry shares are when they include his wife or their kids, who are fully grown up, but still make the effort to see their parents. I think I probably love them so much because I definitely want Jack and Erica to end up like them when Chandler and I are much older and need looking after.

I hate to interrupt Barry halfway through our conversation, but I know that I really have to be making my way to the meeting now. "Barry," I say, "I would love to talk more with you, but I have a management meeting now."

Barry is cool about it. "See ya then, Monica," he says, as I walk down the corridor right back to the secret meeting room.

I get there just as I see my other colleagues entering the room. When I walk through the door, I see that there is a tray with tea bags, a kettle, a miniature pitcher of milk and coffee strainer laid out, and a plate filled with cookies.

I take my seat next to the one of the two head chefs who isn't on shift right now and one of our waitresses, who is here to represent for all our waitresses that we employ.

"Hi, Monica," the head chef, Maria, says. "How was your weekend?"

"Good," I reply, helping myself to a cookie in the hope that no one is going to be bothered by it. "It was a little stressful, however, since the twins start high school today."

"Ooh exciting," Maria replies. "But don't worry about them – I'm sure that they will settle right in."

"I'm trying," I say. "They were just kind of a miracle for Chandler and I, so it's difficult to let them out of my care."

Maria nods in understanding. I realise that it's my turn to lead the meeting, and so I start talking, even though I am nervous and don't have any kind of speech that I practised or anything.

"So, fellow colleagues," I start, "I've called you guys here for a meeting for two reasons. The first is regarding the next health and safety inspection that is coming up that we need to start making plans for, especially since there will be no way that we know when it will happen until the day. The second is that I have been looking around at the design of the customer dining area specifically, and I think that we need to have a bit of an update. Everyone understand or got any questions before we continue?"

Everyone nods at me, and so I carry on. "Let's discuss the inspection first, then, to get the boring part out of the way. What are you guys going to do in preparation for it?"

Maria answers immediately. "I will carry out a risk assessment to make sure that the other chefs are up to date with what is required of them in terms of health and safety in the kitchen."

"Good," I say to Maria, and then continue to look around. "Anyone else got any other ideas?"

Brandy, the head of the waitressing team speaks up next. "I'll make sure that the waiters and waitresses are wearing appropriate clothing for their job, and that they are handling the food correctly and not being polite and friendly to our customers."

"Anyone else want come forward to the group?" I say, trying to encourage people to speak up. "If you don't want to, that's fine, but it means that you guys have my trust to make sure that you are all going to contribute something to make sure that our business continues to stand out. Enough on that, so do you guys have interior design ideas to modernise the diner areas?"

Brandy speaks up again. "I think that we should keep the rustic look, but perhaps update some of the posters so that they're more familiar with customers?"

"Interesting idea," I say, writing it down in the notepad that I had just remembered that I had packed in handbag last night. "Anyone else?"

One of the waitresses whose name I had forgotten started talking. "I think that we should buy couches and have more coffee table, for the people that don't want to sit and have a proper meal."

"That's a good idea," I say. "I really like it, and it will mean that the kind of customers that we are appealing to will become even greater. Any more suggestions?"

I looked round at my colleagues and no one answered, so I decided to wrap the meeting up. "All right then," I started to say, "that's the end of today's meeting. Thank you so much again for all your contributions, and I hope that you will share the information on the health and safety inspection with the rest of the staff that couldn't be part of this meeting. I'll also be taking suggestions for ideas for the décor if anyone wants to let me know whenever."

Everyone thanks me as they leave, and I pick up the tray that had the food and drink on, and walk out the room to the kitchen area. I leave the tray in the washing up area, and walk out to get my bag and coat and leave Javu to get back home. I'll probably make a stop to get coffee on my journey back, as I won't have anyone needing me to be back home immediately. I heave a sigh of relief, because I honestly haven't felt this free to do whatever I want in a long time.

A/N: That's a wrap on the first chapter! I hope that you like what I have done with the characters and plot, so make sure to leave your thoughts in the reviews! Once again, I would like to put emphasis on the fact that this story is entirely fictional, and all rights to any of the characters or places used in the book that are from the original story for Friends go to Marta Kauffman and David Crane. Please enjoy, and remember to keep an eye out for the other two books in the trilogy that will be appearing soon!