Summary: Sequel to Our Future. Five years have passed since Monica and Chandler became young parents. This follows some of the events from the show as Monica and Chandler continue to adjust to not only having a child, but also to each other. And talk about possibilities of other children and their future plans.

AN: I decided to post the first chapter for everyone because I'm anxious to know what you all think of it. And you can give me some ideas for this story as well as feedback. Please R&R!

Disclaimer: I own no one. They all belong to Bright/Kauffman/Crane.

Chapter 1: TOW Daniel's Birthday

(Update)

"…Happy Birthday to Daniel, Happy Birthday to you…" the five friends were standing around the table at Monica and Chandler's place and clapped as five-year-old Daniel sat on a chair and blew out the candles on his race car birthday cake.

"Good job, buddy." Chandler smiled at him.

"Cake now! Cake now!" Daniel pounded on the table with his fork and everyone chuckled. "I want the toy car off the top!"

"I got it. Calm down."Chandler took the car off the cake and went to wash the frosting off it at the sink as Monica got out the plates and ice cream.

Monica smiled as Chandler gave the car to Daniel and he started running it along the table. He looked and talked like Chandler so much that they were practically twins. Daniel was so sarcastic that she sometimes mistook him for Chandler. But he was also a clean-freak like Monica. He had the cleanest room ever for a five-year-old.

It had been a tough five years, but they got through it. It was hard to schedule things because they had to figure out who would take Daniel for them and how long they could keep him. But the important thing was that they both finished college. Once Chandler graduated, he got a temp job to support them. He didn't like his work, but he kept it this long so that he could support the three of them. When Monica graduated a year after Chandler did, she got a job as a cook in a fancy restaurant downtown. She loved doing what she was trained for and enjoyed doing what she loved for a living.

They remained friends with everyone through everything. Ross and Carol got married after they graduated, but were currently in the middle of a divorce because Carol realized she was a lesbian and would be moving in with her girlfriend, Susan. Joey and Phoebe moved in across the hall from Monica and Chandler when Chandler told them about the vacancy. As much as she tried to stay in contact with her, Monica fell out of contact with Rachel. She was too busy with her new exciting life. They had heard that she was engaged and set to marry some doctor, but they hadn't been invited to the wedding.

Both sets of grandparents were still involved in their lives. Monica's more than Chandler's, but he wasn't really surprised. Both his parents were still doing their tours, but they stopped by whenever they were in town. Daniel loved to spend time with Nora because she spoiled him like crazy whenever she took him on shopping trips. And he loved spending time with Charles because he told him all kinds of interesting stories about his show in Vegas.

Monica's parents were the ones they really had the problems with. They offered to babysit Daniel all the time, but Monica didn't want him over there for too long because he would always come home upset. Chandler finally got it out of him that whenever he was over there, he would hear his grandmother say bad things about Monica. Chandler said they weren't allowed to be around Daniel when he was by himself. And Monica's relationship with her mother just continued to go downhill.

They had added onto the apartment a year ago so they could have more room. After getting permission from the super, Chandler with the help of Joey and Ross knocked down the one wall and added on two extra rooms. One was a playroom for Daniel, and the other was a guest room. There was a main area that had a foosball table, a TV with video games, a small couch, and a mini fridge that Chandler kept stocked with drinks and snacks. There was also another area that they made into a laundry room so they didn't have to keep going down to the building's laundry room to do their laundry at least once a day.

The rest of them were amazed that Chandler and Monica had remained together throughout this whole thing. They had some fights and arguments that seemed like it would be the end of them, but they always worked it out. They each got to go out once a week to hang out with friends and have no responsibilities for a night. They also set aside a date night at least once a month to keep the relationship alive. It seemed to work for them.

"Presents! Presents!" Daniel announced once he had finished his cake and ice cream.

"Go sit on the couch and wait for us while we get all this cleaned up." Monica told him and he ran off as Chandler helped her put everything away.

"I don't think he needs anymore sugar tonight." Chandler told her as he put the rest of the cake in the refrigerator.

"Definitely not," Monica smiled as everyone went to the living room and Chandler brought the presents out.

"This one is from Joey." Chandler gave him a flat, square box.

"Yay!" Daniel ripped it open and pulled out a Superman (his favorite superhero) cape and a video. "Thanks, Uncle Joey!"

"You're welcome, DC." Joey smiled at him as he called him by the nickname he always used with him; it was his initials.

"This is from me," Phoebe gave him a strangely wrapped present and he tore the paper off.

"A bear. And a book. Thanks, Aunt Phoebe."

"Dr. Seuss," Monica smiled at the book. "That's on your reading list for school."

"Here you go kiddo." Ross gave him a small box that when Daniel shook it, it rattled. Daniel opened it and found a book on dinosaurs (Ross was really trying to get him interested), and two car puzzles.

"Thank you, Uncle Ross."

"Now ours," Chandler and Monica brought out two presents. He opened up Monica's and saw a Hot Wheels garage play set with a collection of hot wheels cars. He opened Chandler's and saw a baseball bat, glove, and ball as well as a soccer ball.

"That's so we can play when we go to the park," Chandler told him.

"Thank you," he hugged them both.

"There's one more," Monica told him. "It's in your room, but you have to use it outside."

Daniel jumped off the couch and ran into his room and they all heard an excited yell. He came out riding on a two-wheeler bike.

"Let's go outside!" Daniel told them and they all followed.

"You forgot the helmet!" Monica ran into his room to get it and followed them out as well.

"You're not riding it down the stairs!" Chandler said as Joey picked him up off the bike and he carried the bike down the stairs and out onto the sidewalk.

"Helmet!" Monica caught up to them and fastened it on Daniel's head as he got back on the bike and started down the street with Chandler following close behind him.

Later that night, Chandler gave Daniel a bath and got him into his pajamas. He got him covered in bed, and started to read him a story. It was their nightly routine. No matter how tired he was, Chandler always read him a bedtime story. It started when he was only two months old; before Daniel could understand what he was reading to him. As he got older, Daniel looked forward to their nightly routine. On the rare occasions that Chandler was out of town, Monica would call him and he would read him a story over the phone.

Chandler silently walked out of Daniel's room after he was asleep and saw Monica lying across the couch exhausted.

"It was a long day," he sighed as he sat down beside her.

"Yes, it was." She slowly sat up and rested her head on his shoulder. "I can't believe that he's five already."

"The time went by too fast." He agreed. "I can't believe he's starting Kindergarten next month."

"I know," she sighed. "It makes me miss when he was a baby."

"You know," Chandler started.

"I know where this is going," she sat up and turned to look at him. "We've talked about this before. As much as we both want to have more kids, we can't do it right now."

"I know," he agreed. "But we can still talk about it even if we're not going to follow through with anything right now, can't we?"

"Of course. We can always talk about it." She yawned. "But we should get to bed. It was a long day and we both have early starts tomorrow."

"Ok." They both got up and went to their room and got settled into bed.

AN: So what'd you all think of this first chapter? I won't be able to update as often as I want because I have a lot going on with work, school, trying to get a car, and my favorite pastime of watching my cousins, nieces, and nephews. But still tell me what you think. Please R&R!