AN: Thank you for your reviews! I started writing this out of the blue and I had no idea it would get such a response. As I said in the first chapter, this was supposed to be a three-chapter story, but some reviews gave me a few more ideas and I'm adding another chapter. I'm aware that the first chapter might have been a little harsh on Monica, but in my opinion she didn't have a good childhood and we've seen traces of that on the show. Keep in mind that I didn't write about all her birthdays. Some of them might have been better than the ones I decided to write about, but when you're a kid and most of your life hasn't been ideal, you can't always look at the bright side of things… I enjoy writing these birthday moments very much and I hope you'll enjoy this fluffier chapter, too.
Anissa – Thank you for what you said about the title! This story was title-less until a minute before I published it and it's nice to see that you think it's appropriate. And I believe that, too. A few people make all the difference. It doesn't have to be the same people every time and it doesn't have to be a lot of them. Just the right people in the right time and everything can change.
I didn't plan on posting the second chapter today, but since it's ready, it's a great opportunity for me to dedicate a birthday chapter to Franzi (soligblomma) whose birthday is today!
Monica is walking lazily towards the room she shares with one of her classmates from culinary school. She takes the longest route, enjoying the spring sun that warms her face.
She has been planning this evening for days.
It's her twentieth birthday, but noone knows. Maybe it's better this way.
She has claimed she had a class this evening in order to be left alone. She couldn't get out of dinner with her family the previous night though. It wasn't as awful as she expected it to be. The food was good and although she is now careful with her diet, she couldn't resist eating some of the chocolate frosted cake. Her mom wasn't as mean and judgmental as she usually is, but she thinks that it had probably something to do with the fact that Ross wasn't there.
Monica has to admit that she was a little disappointed at that. During the last year, she and Ross have become close, closer than they've ever been while living under the same roof.
She smiles at that thought. One of the reasons it has happened is Chandler. Chandler and his warm blue eyes, his teasing smile, the pain he hides inside, his big heart.
A couple of years ago, if someone told her that she would be best friends with her brother's best friend who had called her fat, she would laugh at their face.
Now their friendship is something natural, apparently for both of them, something so simple and yet so fulfilling.
Little did she know when she went to their dorm room to apologize about cutting his toe that they would end up having more in common than she ever thought possible. It took her months to take the courage to talk to him face to face, but that didn't change the fact that it has been an altering decision for her.
Her apology was about to end with a soft "it's okay" from Chandler when a drunk Ross stumbled through the door. They had helped him get into his bed before he started mumbling stuff about how beautiful dinosaurs looked.
Monica and Chandler had looked at each other and it was enough for a round of uncontrollable laughter to begin. They sat on the floor beside Chandler's bed and in between giggles, Monica managed to describe the last time she had seen Ross like that. Chandler started describing his own experience with drunk people ̶ his parents ̶ and without them realizing, they had shared personal stories noone else had known.
From that night, and after an awkward question from Chandler about whether they could hang out again some time, they found themselves together in more than plenty occasions. Rachel had already started to pull away and Monica spent a lot of evenings in the guys' dorm room watching movies with them. She quite liked that a friendship with her brother had already been forming as well.
Now he didn't even appear at her birthday dinner and she doesn't know what to think about this.
This is her first birthday without Rachel and noone else knows about it. She isn't sure she wants anyone to know. She's had enough unpleasant birthdays to expect something exciting from this day. Even last year's birthday party which was the best she could remember from her teenage years, wasn't something she would like to repeat. It was more Rachel's kind of birthday party than hers.
She decides to stop thinking about Rachel for now and go ahead with her plan of spending the rest of the day in the quietness of her room, along with the company of a good book.
She considers calling Chandler, but regrets it instantly. They've been friends for almost a year and she knows when his birthday is; if he cared, he would have asked about hers. Deep down she knows she's being unfair, but she prefers this than being disappointed when one more person doesn't remember what is considered to be her special day.
She realizes she has already passed her door and makes a full turn in the hallway.
She hears fussing behind her door and finds it weird, because her roommate is supposed to be away until tomorrow. She frowns and unlocks the door carefully.
"SURPRISE!"
She gasps audibly and her books fall from her hands. Her palm is covering her open mouth when Ross and Chandler envelope her in their arms in a loving group hug.
Her roommate is holding a cake with lit candles and they're all singing to her.
Ross and Chandler let her breathe and she looks at the faces around the room, her keys forgotten on the still open door. A few of her cousins and some classmates are there. She briefly wonders how the tiny room can hold fifteen people, but her thought is interrupted when the song ends.
She realizes she's been smiling the whole time and she finds it hard to diminish her grin in order to blow the candles.
She is trying anyway and wishes that her heart will always be bursting with happiness as she feels it doing right at this moment.
There are so many people smiling excitingly at her, even strangers who are standing out the door and wishing her a happy birthday.
She doesn't know who to hug first.
"It was all Chandler's idea." Her brother says from behind her.
That's all she needs to know and she's hugging Chandler again, only him this time. He wraps his arms around her and buries his nose in her hair.
"Happy birthday, Mon." He whispers in her ear.
"Thank you." She whispers back and wonders how she got so lucky to have found a friend like him.
Rachel is always in the back of her mind and she's still afraid that everyone will end up hurting her.
That's what she's thinking while her friends are eating cake and chatting. Despite those thoughts clouding her mind, she takes her first spoonful of cake and lets herself enjoy her special day.
Monica feels free. It's the only word she finds appropriate to explain how she feels and she's not sure whether any of her friends would understand.
So, she keeps her thoughts hidden behind her wide grin and just savors the moment.
It's the first time she spends a birthday knowing that she has her own apartment and a job that makes her independent. A few months ago she moved to the cozy apartment her grandmother formerly lived in and her life seems to have taken the right way since then.
Just three weeks after she moved she found a roommate. She was a weird girl, but from the moment Monica saw her, she felt the need to accept her in the apartment and in her life. It turned out that she wasn't wrong, despite her brother's initial worries and doubts.
She watches them now, Phoebe and Ross, bickering about the origins of the birthday candles tradition. She rolls her eyes, the smile never leaving her face, and turns to Ross' other side where his wife stands.
Monica frowns for a moment, taking in the image in front of her. Carol's body is slightly turned away from Ross and she's staring at something absentmindedly. Monica follows her gaze and finds a group of women laughing at the back of the bar. She looks at Carol again and then at Ross being engrossed in his conversation with Phoebe. Sadly, she thinks that if she didn't know the blonde woman has been married to her brother for almost a year, she wouldn't have guessed so.
A pleasant laugh interrupts her train of thought and the smile returns to her face once she realizes it's Chandler's.
Her best friend is chatting with his roommate, Kip, and their fourth beer has obviously made their mood even brighter than before.
The remains of the cake they've greedily eaten are still on the counter in front of them. She cringes when she remembers that they all dug into the cake without putting pieces in separate plates, without even cutting it.
I should have made them give me the cake before we came here, she thinks, but instantly regrets it, because somehow the way they have carelessly eaten that cake symbolizes the freedom she feels.
Or maybe it's my fourth beer that just initiated that thought. She chuckles and Chandler glances at her curiously, a soft smile on his lips. She smiles back, unable to contain the feeling of happiness.
She looks past her friend, towards Kip. She feels a shiver run down her spine and a blush creeps up her cheeks.
Her neighbor has been flirting with her for weeks, but nothing more has happened between them.
She finds him staring at her. Beside her Chandler rolls his eyes and goes to where Phoebe and Ross are standing, leaving only a bit of empty space between her and Kip.
Her own eyes twinkle and she decides to make their night even more interesting.
"Shots for everyone!" She announces and gestures to the barman.
She's twenty two years old. She has been legally ordering alcohol for a year, but she still feels the remnants of a profound independence adding up to the exhilaration of freedom and joy.
She hears a loud applause from her friends and feels Kip's hand sliding to her back.
Her grin widens and she wishes she'll always be able to have such excitement on her birthday.
Monica lets out a scream as she falls heavily on the floor.
Oh, no.
It's not the floor. It's Chandler.
He lets out an "oomph" and she's worried he's hurt, but his arms circle her waist and he keeps her close as he begins laughing in her hair. He's lying on his back on the floor and her head falls on his shoulder. His laughter is infectious and now their chests are moving up and down together, having found a synchronized rhythm.
A few inches beside them Phoebe and Joey are also on their backs next to each other and there's noone in the room who's not laughing at the moment.
Apparently, playing Twister isn't such a good idea when you're tipsy.
Or maybe it's the best idea, because they're all having the time of their lives and Monica can see it.
It's not only her who's having a great time. All her friends are having fun and it's one of the best feelings in the world.
The four of them are finally able to regain some of their composure and they lazily pack the game before joining Rachel and Ross. Phoebe sits on the couch with them while Joey takes the seat at the other side of the coffee table. Only the armchair is left unoccupied and Chandler plops in it. Monica frowns and, unable to stand for long in her dizzy state, pokes at his legs and his arms, trying to make him get up. He's laughing again and instead of giving her his seat, he pulls gently on her hands until she falls on him once again.
They both squirm in the seat originally designed for one and when they finally get situated, their legs are tangled, her arm is on his chest, his on her waist and her head lies comfortably on his shoulder.
Monica leaves an unintentional sigh and wishes Chandler hasn't noticed it.
This is normal for them. Sitting closely together, sharing their personal space. But she's slightly drunk and he is, too, and in her mind, this could lead to something else, something that could ruin their precious friendship. That's the last thing she wants. So, she just wishes he hasn't noticed that.
She is sure he has though, because the next moment he is squeezing her waist a little and his lips are on her hair.
She closes her eyes and fights with herself to not leave another content sigh as a result of the greatness of it all.
Everyone has calmed down and they're just sitting there, in a drowsy state, listening to the radio.
The silence gives Monica a chance to contemplate the events of the day.
It has been a good day. A few years ago, if someone told her that she would be surrounded by so many people who cared for her, she's not sure if she would believe it. But it has happened and there she is, having spent her day with all her favorite people.
It's the second year that Joey is here on her birthday and the first year that Rachel is back in her life. It was a little weird for her at first to have Rachel here, but soon they bonded again and Monica realized that she had actually missed her. Since Rachel had decided to change and take her life in her own hands, Monica knew she couldn't just stand and watch. She would help her. That's how it all started and now, months later, her life seems to be more complete with her old friend living with her. It felt like those six people were meant to be friends. That was what Phoebe had told them one day and although Monica found it hard to believe anything Phoebe said about fate, auras and horoscopes, she had to agree with her on that.
The time Monica spent with her best friends wasn't the only good thing that happened to her on her twenty fifth birthday.
She had lunch with her parents and Ross and it was one of the few times she had actually wanted to go to her parents' house. She has been quite busy at work lately and she ended up not visiting them for almost a month. She couldn't understand why, but she was looking forward to having lunch with them, despite the fact that she was dreading the possible disappointment she would feel afterwards.
Their lunch was great and her mother didn't have a lot of things to complain about. Other than the fact that she commented on Monica not having a boyfriend once again, she was generally nice and she was smiling fondly at both her children.
After they had eaten, Monica and Ross followed their parents to the living room. Their dad insisted on them staying a little longer, although Monica had told them they were in a hurry to get back to her apartment to prepare for the party she had planned.
Her dad took an envelope out of his pocket and handed it to Monica.
"My Little Harmonica, this is for your twenty fifth birthday." He told her and Monica was surprised to see his eyes were misty.
Her mom had a sincere smile on her face and Ross was eyeing everything with a knowing look.
Apparently, Monica was the only one who didn't know what was going on. With shaking hands, she opened the envelope and found an old bank book inside. Her eyes widened in shock and she was looking back and forth from her dad to her mom.
"It's the money we have been saving for you all these years." Her dad said like the bank book was self-explanatory. Actually, it should have been, but Monica couldn't let something like that sink in that simply. "It's yours now." Her dad continued.
Monica remembered that her parents gave Ross a similar bank book on his birthday a couple of years ago. It had never occurred to her that there was one for her, too. But of course there would be one. She was their kid as much as Ross was.
A smile formed on her face and her mom's hand reached her shoulder. "You deserve it, honey" She said and Monica realized she was getting a little misty-eyed herself. She hugged her mom and then got up and went to hug her dad.
Now she has found herself nearly asleep in Chandler's arms. She thinks there's nothing else she needs in her life right now.
Suddenly, Rachel's gasp breaks the calmness of the moment.
"I love this song!"
Monica has been so focused on her thoughts that it takes her a few seconds to figure out that the song is Always by Bon Jovi. Who doesn't love this song? she thinks.
She opens her eyes and finds her brother staring intently at Rachel who is swaying her upper body slowly to the music and mouths the lyrics. Monica rolls her eyes and glances at Chandler who's making a disgusted grimace. She chuckles silently and he looks at her. He instantly smiles and when she turns her head to Rachel and Ross again, she swears a little drool has left the corner of her brother's mouth, while Rachel is lost in her own world. She buries her face in Chandler's shoulder; she doesn't need to see this.
Suddenly, Chandler is singing along with the band.
"I'll be there 'till the stars don't shine
'Till the heavens burst and the words don't rhyme
I know when I die you'll be on my mind
And I'll love you always"
The song is almost over and she looks up at him. She thinks she sees something in his eyes, something different, while he's staring into hers. It must be the alcohol; she thinks and lays her head back where it feels the most comfortable place in the world.
AN: One more thing, I know there's a lot of confusion about birthdays in FRIENDS, so I took the liberty to make Monica turn twenty five in the first season instead of twenty six. That was the only way it fit in my mind. Other than that, I just have in mind that her birthday is somewhere in the beginning of April.
