Past Perfect, Chapter Four
"Love, Friendship, Destiny"
"Wow, uh, Chandler, I think introductions are in order," Phoebe said quietly.
"This is my daughter, Lucy. Luc, this is Phoebe and Joey and Ross," Chandler said.
"You-Your daughter," Joey whispered, still trying to recover from the shock.
Chandler went to the refridgerator to get some juice for Lucy, while the rest of the group took their places around the kitchen table. They all watched Chandler in silence for a minute, still in shock that he was back, and even more shocked he wasn't alone. Chandler turned and noticed this a minute later.
"I know I have a lot of explaining to do," Chandler sighed.
"Sh, ya think?" Phoebe said.
"Lucy, you wanna watch some cartoons?" Chandler asked, carrying his daughter to the couch. After situating her, he approached his friends again, and tried to look at his old friends.
He couldn't.
"I, uh, I guess I should start at the beginning, huh?"
"Makes sense," Rachel shrugged. She had been eager to hear this story all night.
"Okay. Uh, well, you all know what happened six years ago..."
~Six Years Ago~
"Look, I'm sorry! But there's nothing I can do, I think I'm in love with her!"
"Who cares?! You went behind my back! I would never do that to you!"
"You're right, I have no excuses! I was totally over the line."
"Over the line?! You-you're-you're so far past the line, that you-you can't even see the line! The line is a dot to you!"
"Yes. Yes! Right! And I feel horrible. You have to believe me!"
"Is that why you bought all this stuff?! Well, y'know what I will not watch your TV, I will not listen to your stereo, and there's a cinnamon raisin loaf in the new bread maker that I'm not gonna eat! You know why?!"
"Probably because…"
"Because it's all tainted with your betrayal. From now on this apartment is empty for me! And I'm not happy about you either!"
"Joey, please--"
"No, ya know what, I can't even look at you right now!"
***
~Present Day~
"Anyway, you know that Joey wanted to move out, and that I decided that I should be the one to move...so I ended up moving in with Kathy, until I could find a place. Well, I never really found a place, and before I knew it, two years had gone by, and I was still living with her. And then--"
"So that's why we never heard from you?" Phoebe asked.
"I knew I screwed up. And I knew I couldn't hang out with you guys without...tension. I never wanted to lose touch, it just...happened. And then I moved to California and--"
"California?" Monica asked.
"Kathy got a job out there. I quit my job, and went with her. We were miserable out there. Or rather, I was miserable. We broke up, and I moved back to New York a year later. Then, about a week ago, I get a knock on my door from Social Services. Turns out Kathy was pregnant when I moved, but she never told me. Then, about a month ago, Kathy collapsed and died...a brain hemmorage apparently. So, now I have a daughter," Chandler smiled as he said the last sentence, and looked toward the sofa.
"Wow," Ross muttered.
"So, uh, where do you live now?"
"Across town. I'm gonna try to get a new place, now that I have Lucy. It's not a very good neighborhood, and--"
"What about your book?" Monica asked.
"Oh! What time is it? I should probably go...Uh, Mon--"
"Of course I'll watch her--she'll be fine!"
"Thank you...thank you so much," Chandler kissed Monica on the forehead then made his way over to Lucy to say goodbye.
"What book?" Ross whispered.
"He wrote a book, isn't that great?" Monica said happily.
Ross shrugged. "I guess."
Monica's smile faded slightly. Why couldn't they all put it behind them? Was she the only one that was thrilled to have Chandler back in their lives?
***
Chandler left the Random House offices three hours later. He was eccstatic--he was officially going to be a published writer! He looked at the check again--the advance would certainly help get him and Lucy out of that dump they were living in. He stopped into the bank to deposit his check, a content smile lighting up his face.
His future was finally starting to take shape.
*
"Hey," Chandler greeted Monica as she opened the front door.
"You don't have to knock," Monica smiled.
"I, uh, I kind of feel like I should," Chandler smiled uncomfortably.
"Oh, okay," Monica shut the door quietly.
"Where is everyone?"
"Uh, they had to do...stuff. They're coming back for dinner."
Chandler nodded, "How was Luc?"
"She was perfect. She's taking a nap now."
"Okay."
"So...how'd it go?"
"Huh? Oh, it went great! They are publishing me, and they gave me my advance, which means I can officially quit the bar, and try to get a better place."
"The bar?"
"Yeah. I was, uh, bartending, up until Lucy came."
"Oh."
Chandler sighed and sat down on the sofa. Monica grabbed a couple of cups of coffee and joined him.
"I never thought my life would turn out like this," he said quietly.
"I know," Monica nodded.
"You know, up until I found out about Lucy, I was completely regretting staying with Kathy. I mean, I sacrificed my life to be with her...and in the end...it just...I lost everything for nothing."
"But now?"
"It still saddens me to think that things will never be the same with you guys...particularly Joey. But at least I have Lucy now. It makes all the pain more worth it."
"Joey never really got over your leaving. None of us did, but I think...deep down, he wants the same things you do. He wants your friendship back."
"I hope so. I really want that. I've missed you guys so much."
"We've missed you too," Monica smiled warmly. She was happy that he seemed intent on working things out with Joey, and sticking around. She really missed her best friend.
More than she thought she would.
*****
This one is short, sorry bout that. But the next one will probably be mostly Chandler & Joey. No, not like that, get your heads outta the gutter. sheesh. I don't know if this will turn into a Chandler/Monica thing as yet...I really haven't thought that far. So if you have ideas and suggestions, now would be the time to throw them out.
Thanks!
"Love, Friendship, Destiny"
"Wow, uh, Chandler, I think introductions are in order," Phoebe said quietly.
"This is my daughter, Lucy. Luc, this is Phoebe and Joey and Ross," Chandler said.
"You-Your daughter," Joey whispered, still trying to recover from the shock.
Chandler went to the refridgerator to get some juice for Lucy, while the rest of the group took their places around the kitchen table. They all watched Chandler in silence for a minute, still in shock that he was back, and even more shocked he wasn't alone. Chandler turned and noticed this a minute later.
"I know I have a lot of explaining to do," Chandler sighed.
"Sh, ya think?" Phoebe said.
"Lucy, you wanna watch some cartoons?" Chandler asked, carrying his daughter to the couch. After situating her, he approached his friends again, and tried to look at his old friends.
He couldn't.
"I, uh, I guess I should start at the beginning, huh?"
"Makes sense," Rachel shrugged. She had been eager to hear this story all night.
"Okay. Uh, well, you all know what happened six years ago..."
~Six Years Ago~
"Look, I'm sorry! But there's nothing I can do, I think I'm in love with her!"
"Who cares?! You went behind my back! I would never do that to you!"
"You're right, I have no excuses! I was totally over the line."
"Over the line?! You-you're-you're so far past the line, that you-you can't even see the line! The line is a dot to you!"
"Yes. Yes! Right! And I feel horrible. You have to believe me!"
"Is that why you bought all this stuff?! Well, y'know what I will not watch your TV, I will not listen to your stereo, and there's a cinnamon raisin loaf in the new bread maker that I'm not gonna eat! You know why?!"
"Probably because…"
"Because it's all tainted with your betrayal. From now on this apartment is empty for me! And I'm not happy about you either!"
"Joey, please--"
"No, ya know what, I can't even look at you right now!"
***
~Present Day~
"Anyway, you know that Joey wanted to move out, and that I decided that I should be the one to move...so I ended up moving in with Kathy, until I could find a place. Well, I never really found a place, and before I knew it, two years had gone by, and I was still living with her. And then--"
"So that's why we never heard from you?" Phoebe asked.
"I knew I screwed up. And I knew I couldn't hang out with you guys without...tension. I never wanted to lose touch, it just...happened. And then I moved to California and--"
"California?" Monica asked.
"Kathy got a job out there. I quit my job, and went with her. We were miserable out there. Or rather, I was miserable. We broke up, and I moved back to New York a year later. Then, about a week ago, I get a knock on my door from Social Services. Turns out Kathy was pregnant when I moved, but she never told me. Then, about a month ago, Kathy collapsed and died...a brain hemmorage apparently. So, now I have a daughter," Chandler smiled as he said the last sentence, and looked toward the sofa.
"Wow," Ross muttered.
"So, uh, where do you live now?"
"Across town. I'm gonna try to get a new place, now that I have Lucy. It's not a very good neighborhood, and--"
"What about your book?" Monica asked.
"Oh! What time is it? I should probably go...Uh, Mon--"
"Of course I'll watch her--she'll be fine!"
"Thank you...thank you so much," Chandler kissed Monica on the forehead then made his way over to Lucy to say goodbye.
"What book?" Ross whispered.
"He wrote a book, isn't that great?" Monica said happily.
Ross shrugged. "I guess."
Monica's smile faded slightly. Why couldn't they all put it behind them? Was she the only one that was thrilled to have Chandler back in their lives?
***
Chandler left the Random House offices three hours later. He was eccstatic--he was officially going to be a published writer! He looked at the check again--the advance would certainly help get him and Lucy out of that dump they were living in. He stopped into the bank to deposit his check, a content smile lighting up his face.
His future was finally starting to take shape.
*
"Hey," Chandler greeted Monica as she opened the front door.
"You don't have to knock," Monica smiled.
"I, uh, I kind of feel like I should," Chandler smiled uncomfortably.
"Oh, okay," Monica shut the door quietly.
"Where is everyone?"
"Uh, they had to do...stuff. They're coming back for dinner."
Chandler nodded, "How was Luc?"
"She was perfect. She's taking a nap now."
"Okay."
"So...how'd it go?"
"Huh? Oh, it went great! They are publishing me, and they gave me my advance, which means I can officially quit the bar, and try to get a better place."
"The bar?"
"Yeah. I was, uh, bartending, up until Lucy came."
"Oh."
Chandler sighed and sat down on the sofa. Monica grabbed a couple of cups of coffee and joined him.
"I never thought my life would turn out like this," he said quietly.
"I know," Monica nodded.
"You know, up until I found out about Lucy, I was completely regretting staying with Kathy. I mean, I sacrificed my life to be with her...and in the end...it just...I lost everything for nothing."
"But now?"
"It still saddens me to think that things will never be the same with you guys...particularly Joey. But at least I have Lucy now. It makes all the pain more worth it."
"Joey never really got over your leaving. None of us did, but I think...deep down, he wants the same things you do. He wants your friendship back."
"I hope so. I really want that. I've missed you guys so much."
"We've missed you too," Monica smiled warmly. She was happy that he seemed intent on working things out with Joey, and sticking around. She really missed her best friend.
More than she thought she would.
*****
This one is short, sorry bout that. But the next one will probably be mostly Chandler & Joey. No, not like that, get your heads outta the gutter. sheesh. I don't know if this will turn into a Chandler/Monica thing as yet...I really haven't thought that far. So if you have ideas and suggestions, now would be the time to throw them out.
Thanks!