Hi! :-) I recently saw the episode TOW Heckles Dies, and this short C&M scene came to mind. If this has been done before, I apologize for any duplication. I don't know if I'll continue this, but I wanted to write this particular scene.

Thanks for reading!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to "Friends".

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A C&M Scene From TOW Heckles Dies

The next morning, after having spent time the previous day in Mr. Heckles' apartment with the rest of her friends upon learning of his untimely death, Monica entered his apartment once more and was surprised to see Chandler sitting on the sofa.

"This is where you've been all night?" she asked, silently questioning her friend's state of mind.

"Yeah," Chandler replied, self-consciously rising from the couch. If the truth were known, Monica was the last person he wanted to see. Especially in his current frame of mind. "I wanted to look at more of Heckles' things," he hastily explained. "We had a lot in common. Unfortunately."

"Like what?" Monica asked, feeling somewhat afraid for Chandler because of how sad he looked.

"Check this out and tell me I'm not going to end up like Heckles."

Monica jumped when Chandler thrust a box containing photographs of women Heckles had dated at her. Unflattering comments had been written on the backs of each photo. Puzzled, Monica accepted the container and began reading what Heckles had written.

"Okay," she said, shrugging to conceal her discomfort at having read something so personal written by a man she had hardly known and liked, "so you both tend to find fault with the women you date. Big deal. It doesn't mean you're going to end up like him."

"Yes, it does," Chandler insisted. "I'm going to grow old alone, Monica. You guys are all going to move on with your...your fascinating lives, and I'm never going to find anyone to be with. Ever. I'm going to be alone and miserable. It's all so clear to me."

He looked around the nearly empty apartment.

"It's all too clear to me now."

Dejected, he sank down on the sofa and flung one of the pictures onto the floor.

A heavy wave of emotion engulfed Monica. She had never realized how much Chandler meant to her. She didn't take him for granted; she merely thought of him as her witty friend who lived across the hall. But seeing the unmasked pain etched so deeply on his otherwise adorable face nearly broke her heart. She couldn't bear the thought of Chandler feeling so despondent about his life and his future.

Without bothering to consider the consequences of her action, she set the box on the coffee table, moved so she was standing mere inches from her friend, and in a heartfelt gesture, bent down and placed gentle, loving hands on his thigh.

She gazed into his clear blue eyes and whispered her plea. "Tell me what I can do to help."