AN: Thank you to the people who left me the reviews. I appreciated them all. So here's another chapter for you guys. Please R&R.
Disclaimer: I own no one. They all belong to Bright/Kauffman/Crane.
Chapter 1: Chandler Found?
Ross and Rachel were sitting in the coffee house not really talking. They both knew that the other was thinking about Chandler. They were always thinking about Chandler. It's been six months since Chandler left, and there was no trace of him. The only sign of him was that there was always a deposit into Monica's bank account on the same day every month. But they couldn't trace it back to the original source.
They had tried to call his cell phone the day that he disappeared, but he had left it laying on the ticket counter at the airport. They had rushed down there and shown Chandler's picture to everyone there, but no one remembered seeing him. So they tried calling both of his parents to see if they knew anything. His dad didn't know a thing, but when Monica talked to his mom she got the feeling that she knew more than she was telling.
After a few months of searching and coming up with all dead ends, Joey hired a private investigator to try to find him.
"Hey," Joey came in with a thick folder. "I think I have good news about Chandler's whereabouts."
"You think?" Ross sat up as he opened the file.
"There are no actual pictures of him," he pulled out a hand-written note. "Now, according to her fan site, his mom was on a book tour when he left. But she cancelled it a few days after. And she hasn't been on one since even though she has written another book since then."
"So she did know something." Rachel said.
"That's not all." Joey told them. "His dad took time off from his show a week after Chandler left. He only does weekend shows now."
"Anything else?"
"Yeah. About a month after he left, his mom purchased a house in Chicago. And there has been work done to it. An entire wing is filled with medical equipment. And a private nurse and nutritionalist were hired."
"It sounds like he's there." Ross said. "But I don't want to get Monica's hopes up if it's another dead end."
"So we'll tell her we're going for another reason." Rachel said. "I'll say I have a business trip for Ralph Lauren."
"Where is Monica?" Joey asked.
"Phoebe took her to her doctor's appointment."
"There they are." Ross sat up as they came into the coffee house. "Hey, Mon. How'd it go?"
"I found out that I'm having a girl." Monica told them.
"That's great." They all hugged her and she smiled at them. But the smile didn't reach her eyes.
"You're happy, right?" Joey asked.
"Of course I am." She assured them. "I was just thinking that she would probably be a daddy's girl if-"
"I know." He held her. "We haven't stopped looking for him."
"It's obvious that he doesn't want us to find him." She stated.
"Or maybe he does."
"What do you mean?" she looked at him.
"Maybe he does want us to find him. Maybe it's like a test of our friendships. See how much he means to us. Whether we can find him or not."
"I never thought of it like that." Phoebe spoke up. "And it does kind of sound like something that Chandler might do."
"That doesn't make any sense." Monica told them.
"Let's take our minds off Chandler for right now." Rachel said. "Do you think you can get a few days off work, Mon?"
"Probably. Why?"
"I have to go to Chicago for work. Maybe you all can come and we can sight see when I don't have to work."
"I think that'll be great." Monica told them. "I can still fly. I'll be right back. I have to use the bathroom again."
"Ok. What's really going on in Chicago?" Phoebe asked them once Monica had walked away.
"We think Chandler is there, but we don't want to get Monica's hopes up in case it's another dead end." Joey showed her the file.
"You're right." She agreed. "We shouldn't tell her until we see him for ourselves."
"Ok." Monica came back out. "I'm going to go start packing."
They all followed her out and went back to their places to also start packing up as well.
The next morning, they all met in front of the coffee house to catch a cab. They arrived at the airport and boarded the plane. As soon as they were settled, Monica fell back asleep. Ross and Rachel watched her from across the aisle and Ross sighed.
"It'll be ok." She assured him.
"I know there's a good chance that this could be Chandler," he looked at her. "But I'm not sure I even want to see him."
"I know you're mad at him for leaving. We all are." She told him. "But he's also sick. May also be dying. He needs our sympathy. Our support."
"It might take me a few days."
"I think that's understandable. As long as you try to forgive him. And be there for him because he needs us all. No matter what he tries to tell us or himself."
"Ok. I'll try." He sighed as they settled in for the trip.
They reached Chicago a few hours later and went to go collect their bags. They walked outside and went to grab a cab.
"I kind of want to see the city now." Joey told them. "Do you guys mind taking my bags to the hotel for me while I take a walk?"
"Not a problem." Rachel told him.
"I'll go with you." Monica said. "I'm refreshed after my nap."
"Ok. We'll see you guys in a while." Phoebe told them as they started down the sidewalk.
"So how are you doing?" Joey looked at her. "We hardly get to talk without the others being there."
"They're just worried about me. You all are. But I do like to be by myself sometimes. Not that you guys let me."
"Well, I'm sorry about that." He looked at her. "I just want to talk to you alone like we used to."
"I miss that, too." She smiled at him. "So this place is nice."
"Yes it is." They started down a path through the park. "They have some pretty good shows here."
"To watch or to star in?" she looked at him.
"Maybe a little of both."
"I think you'd be good in any of them."
"Thank you." He smiled at her as he spotted two people farther up the path arguing with each other. "Oh my god."
"What?" Monica looked where Joey was looking. "Oh my god. Is that Chandler?"
AN: So what did you all think about this chapter? Please R&R.
