Chapter 4
1 Month Later.
The 7 survivors huddled around the small fire on the edge of the beach on the small island they had found themselves on. It was no more then 3 miles long and 2 across. A beach lined 3 out of 4 sides; the 4th being a cliff. The interior consisted of forest and field like areas. It was almost like an overgrown recreational park. They could not see land in any direction, but assumed which way the coast was as the wind was coldest from one direction, which they assumed was from the ocean. The other was obviously the coast. This was the side they 'lived' on. If you could call it living that is.
They slept in make shift tents, consisting of scrap metal, from the crash, and dead trees. They had nothing waterproof, other than a few small raincoats, found in the suitcases. Thank-god people thought it was rainy in England and packed accordingly.
Their meals consisted mainly of fish, if they caught any. They had become better at catching fish. Makeshift nets had been made, using string from clothing and plants. They had tried using spears, but it was a lot more difficult than the movies made it out to be. They also gathered fruits found on the trees, but many were rotten, unripe or inedible.
Monica sat in front of Chandler, leaning up against him. He had his arms wrapped tightly around her, in an attempt to keep her warm. The island had become very cold lately, as winter was fast approaching. He could feel Monica's ribs. She had lost a lot of weight, as they all had. They had very little to eat. He was terrified as to what the winter would bring. Would they all live through it? Would any of them live through it? He prayed every day to be found. It had been over a month since the crash. His cut had healed into a jagged scar. Monica's arm hadn't healed, or at least not well. Most of the time it hung uselessly at her side. She couldn't hold any weight and could barely use her fingers. On Daniel's advice, she often massaged it, in an attempt to keep circulation, so there would be hope for the arm, if and when they were rescued.
Monica sighed and leaned back, closer to Chandler. He responded and tightened his arms around her. She smiled faintly. She couldn't believe what their lives had been reduced to.
"They probably think we're dead," Lisa said, saying what everyone was thinking. "I bet they stopped their search and declared us dead. They'll never find us. They're not even looking anymore. We'll never get off this stupid island. Never." She trailed off, crying. They were all at the end of their ropes. Daniel, who was sitting beside her, pulled her into a hug. It was a little more than friendly, as the two had grown close over their time together.
"They'll find us," Daniel told her, comfortingly. "They'll find us." He repeated, louder, to everyone. We can't be far off the coast. Someone will spot us eventually."
Gordon nodded. "If my calculations are correct, we are further north than we were supposed to be, so it's just going to take longer. That's all."
"But how much longer?" Tanya asked. She and her sister Michelle were huddled together, shivering. "I mean, we've been here more than a month, which means it's now October. I don't want to be here for the winter. It's cold enough already."
"We won't know until they find us, but it will happen. It could be hours, days, weeks, months or even years, but it will."
"Years?" Amanda spoke up. "No way. A year? Could it really be a for them to find us?"
Approximately eleven months later.
Monica stepped out of her and Chandler's makeshift tent and saw all 6 other survivors yelling and cheering. There was a helicopter on the beach. She cheered and ran towards them. They all got on the helicopter and the doors closed. She frantically called out for them to open the door. For them to take her with them, but it lifted slowly off the ground, leaving her behind. The last thing she saw was Chandler's face, on the other side of the window, waving goodbye.
Monica jolted awake and sat up, squinting her eyes, in an attempt to focus on her surroundings. She began to cry, as she realized she was all alone on the island. Suddenly she felt Chandler's arms around her and his soothing voice.
"Shhh Sweetie. It's okay. It was just a dream. Shhh."
Monica through her arms around him, in relief, and buried her head in his shoulder. A few minutes went by.
"What was it this time, Mon?" She had been having bad dreams lately.
"Everyone left me," she said, "A helicopter came and everyone else got on it and left me behind.It was so real." She broke off crying again.
"Oh, sweetie, we would never do that. You know that. I would never, ever leave you. Ever. I promise." Chandler kissed her lightly on the forehead.
"I know," Monica answered. "It just seemed so real."
"I have an idea, let's get up and go for a swim, 'kay?"
"Okay." Monica said. She knew she wouldn't be able to get back to sleep.
The two changed into bathing suits (thank god people took bathing suits to England) and headed towards the water. It was cold, but they were used to it, as they had been in the day before and the day before that and so on. They planned to be in the next day and the day after that, and so on. It was funny. Not long after their talk around the fire, they had begun to talk about 'tomorrows' and 'next weeks' on the island. They had realized they wouldn't be found anytime soon and had gotten used to their new lives. They still hoped and prayed about being rescued, but didn't expect it anytime soon.
Monica gently hit Chandler as she ran by him, yelling 'your it'. He broke into a run after her. She had a good head start, but as the water got deeper, he would get closer, as his legs were longer. They had discovered that this stretch of land, under the water, got no deeper than 4, or so, feet for a long distance. Monica glanced back and screamed when she saw how close he was. He was closing in fast. He dove forward and grabbed Monica around the waist as he went down, taking her with him. They came up gasping for breath and Chandler pulled Monica closer to him. She smiled and kissed him, long and hard. The couple loved this time of day. It was so peaceful and quiet. They could act like normal people, with normal lives. He ended the kiss suddenly and took off, after yelling 'your it'. Monica rolled her eyes and took off after him.
Half an hour later, both Monica and Chandler, completely exhausted, collapsed on the beach, not far from the water. Chandler glanced down at his watch, which he was thankful was still working, and saw it was 5 am. It then dawned on him. The date. One year.
"Wow," he said quietly.
"What?" Monica asked.
"It's been one year." He answered. "One year ago today our plane crashed."
"Wow," Monica said, echoing Chandler's wow. "One year. That's a long time. A really long time. How much longer do you think we'll be here?"
"I don't know, Mon. I really don't know. I wish I did."
"Do you think we'll be here a year from now? Or two?"
"I hope not." Chandler pulled Monica into a hug. They sat there together and watched the sun come up.
Back in New York.
Rachel lay awake in bed and glanced at the alarm clock. It read 5:00 AM. She sighed. She had barely gotten any sleep the night before. It was the anniversary of the crash. She had lost her best friends one year ago today. She sighed again and rolled over. She smiled slightly when she saw Joey sound asleep beside her. The two had grown close after the crash, relying on each other for support. It hadn't taken long for them to cross the line between friends and more then friends. They had officially been together for 10 months. It had surprised their remaining friends, but they had been glad that Rachel and Joey were happy. The loss of Chandler and Monica had hit them all hard and they had matured a lot. All of them. Following the death of his sister, Ross had thrown himself into his work. He was now a professor at the local college and taught many classes. He hadn't had a girlfriend for a year and didn't seem interested in having one. It was like he was afraid to lose her, even if he didn't have her. He had lost many people he loved in a short time and it had taken its toll on him. First Carol, then his Nana, Emily and now Monica and Chandler.
Phoebe had changed dramatically. For the first time in her life she had had stability and had been happy. She had great friends who she loved and who loved her. Even though they were not related they were her family. Her wonderful life had suddenly been thrown into chaos. She realized that no matter what she did, life would never be easy and good to her. She had lost that free spirit that made her who she was. She no longer sang those silly songs or told silly stories. She had matured well past her age. Her eyes, once full of life, now showed clearly the hell she had been through in her life. She would never be able to go back to who she was.
Rachel gave up trying to sleep and silently got out of bed. She walked over to the window ledge and sat down. She leaned up against the window and began to cry. This was all too much. She missed Monica so much. She had been like a sister to her for so long. Her best friend. Rachel regretted never letting Monica know how important she had been in her life. Rachel was independent from her father now. She paid her own bills and made her own decisions. She owed all of this to Monica. She felt the tears come faster now and she had no way of stopping them. Suddenly she felt a strong pair of arms around her. She knew it was Joey without turning around.
"I miss them so much," she said.
"I know, Rach. So do I." Joey Sat down beside her and pulled her into his lap. She buried her head in his shoulder and cried. Life could be so cruel, Joey thought. Why were their friends taken away from them? He sighed and hugged Rachel harder. He was so grateful to have her.
The gang had changed during the year. They depended on each other and clung together. They no longer sat for hours, drinking coffee. They didn't waist time anymore. Those days were over. They had died with Monica and Chandler. Some days were better than others. The last couple months were okay, but this was the first anniversary of the crash. It was sure to bring up emotions.
A couple hours later.
Ross, Rachel, Joey and Phoebe made their way through the cemetery. Although their bodies had never been found, both Monica and Chandler's parents had wanted gravestones. The gang reached the graves and put down flowers. They all stood there for a few minutes, no one knowing what to say. Phoebe suddenly felt a lump in her throat and as much as she tried to stop them, the tears came. She broke down and collapsed onto the ground. Ross immediately sat down beside her and pulled her into a hug. He also began to cry. Rachel and Joey soon followed, joining their friends on the ground.
Joey decided he would start. "Well, hi guys," he said, addressing the graves. "How are you doing? It's been one year and we really miss you."
"A lot," Rachel finished. "I wish every day that you weren't on that plane. How different would our lives be? They'd be a lot better. That's for sure."
"Joey told us you were together," Ross said. " I wish we had known. I'm glad you were happy, both of you. I would have loved to have had you for a brother, Chandler."
"I'm glad you were happy, too. We all are." Phoebe said. "I'm sure you're happy and together wherever you are right now. We'll see each other again, eventually and until then. We love and we miss you and happy anniversary tomorrow."
The four began to cry harder and all joined into one big hug.
One year later.
As they had done the previous year, Monica and Chandler sat together on the beach and watched the sun rise. This time they were not alone. The other five survivors were sitting there with them.
"Two years," Chandler said.
"Do you think we'll be here in a year saying 'three years'?" Lisa asked.
"I don't know. I hope not," Chandler answered. " But, I said that last year and here we are. Still here."
"Sometimes I wonder if I even want to go back," Gordon said. Everyone looked at him, confused looks on their faces. "I mean what is going to be left for us, back home. I'm married, but how do I know my wife hasn't found someone else. I mean, she thinks I'm dead. What's stopping her?"
"I never thought of that," Daniel said. "I have two young kids. Are they even going to remember me?"
"I wonder how much has changed since we left? You know. Who's died? Who was born? Who was married? Who's in office? Who has my old job?" Monica added to the conversation.
"Hopefully we'll have answers to all those questions, very soon," Chandler, who had not added much to the conversation, said. He had been staring up at the sky. This caused everyone else to look up as well. What they saw amazed them. It was a small plane, traveling towards them.
1 Month Later.
The 7 survivors huddled around the small fire on the edge of the beach on the small island they had found themselves on. It was no more then 3 miles long and 2 across. A beach lined 3 out of 4 sides; the 4th being a cliff. The interior consisted of forest and field like areas. It was almost like an overgrown recreational park. They could not see land in any direction, but assumed which way the coast was as the wind was coldest from one direction, which they assumed was from the ocean. The other was obviously the coast. This was the side they 'lived' on. If you could call it living that is.
They slept in make shift tents, consisting of scrap metal, from the crash, and dead trees. They had nothing waterproof, other than a few small raincoats, found in the suitcases. Thank-god people thought it was rainy in England and packed accordingly.
Their meals consisted mainly of fish, if they caught any. They had become better at catching fish. Makeshift nets had been made, using string from clothing and plants. They had tried using spears, but it was a lot more difficult than the movies made it out to be. They also gathered fruits found on the trees, but many were rotten, unripe or inedible.
Monica sat in front of Chandler, leaning up against him. He had his arms wrapped tightly around her, in an attempt to keep her warm. The island had become very cold lately, as winter was fast approaching. He could feel Monica's ribs. She had lost a lot of weight, as they all had. They had very little to eat. He was terrified as to what the winter would bring. Would they all live through it? Would any of them live through it? He prayed every day to be found. It had been over a month since the crash. His cut had healed into a jagged scar. Monica's arm hadn't healed, or at least not well. Most of the time it hung uselessly at her side. She couldn't hold any weight and could barely use her fingers. On Daniel's advice, she often massaged it, in an attempt to keep circulation, so there would be hope for the arm, if and when they were rescued.
Monica sighed and leaned back, closer to Chandler. He responded and tightened his arms around her. She smiled faintly. She couldn't believe what their lives had been reduced to.
"They probably think we're dead," Lisa said, saying what everyone was thinking. "I bet they stopped their search and declared us dead. They'll never find us. They're not even looking anymore. We'll never get off this stupid island. Never." She trailed off, crying. They were all at the end of their ropes. Daniel, who was sitting beside her, pulled her into a hug. It was a little more than friendly, as the two had grown close over their time together.
"They'll find us," Daniel told her, comfortingly. "They'll find us." He repeated, louder, to everyone. We can't be far off the coast. Someone will spot us eventually."
Gordon nodded. "If my calculations are correct, we are further north than we were supposed to be, so it's just going to take longer. That's all."
"But how much longer?" Tanya asked. She and her sister Michelle were huddled together, shivering. "I mean, we've been here more than a month, which means it's now October. I don't want to be here for the winter. It's cold enough already."
"We won't know until they find us, but it will happen. It could be hours, days, weeks, months or even years, but it will."
"Years?" Amanda spoke up. "No way. A year? Could it really be a for them to find us?"
Approximately eleven months later.
Monica stepped out of her and Chandler's makeshift tent and saw all 6 other survivors yelling and cheering. There was a helicopter on the beach. She cheered and ran towards them. They all got on the helicopter and the doors closed. She frantically called out for them to open the door. For them to take her with them, but it lifted slowly off the ground, leaving her behind. The last thing she saw was Chandler's face, on the other side of the window, waving goodbye.
Monica jolted awake and sat up, squinting her eyes, in an attempt to focus on her surroundings. She began to cry, as she realized she was all alone on the island. Suddenly she felt Chandler's arms around her and his soothing voice.
"Shhh Sweetie. It's okay. It was just a dream. Shhh."
Monica through her arms around him, in relief, and buried her head in his shoulder. A few minutes went by.
"What was it this time, Mon?" She had been having bad dreams lately.
"Everyone left me," she said, "A helicopter came and everyone else got on it and left me behind.It was so real." She broke off crying again.
"Oh, sweetie, we would never do that. You know that. I would never, ever leave you. Ever. I promise." Chandler kissed her lightly on the forehead.
"I know," Monica answered. "It just seemed so real."
"I have an idea, let's get up and go for a swim, 'kay?"
"Okay." Monica said. She knew she wouldn't be able to get back to sleep.
The two changed into bathing suits (thank god people took bathing suits to England) and headed towards the water. It was cold, but they were used to it, as they had been in the day before and the day before that and so on. They planned to be in the next day and the day after that, and so on. It was funny. Not long after their talk around the fire, they had begun to talk about 'tomorrows' and 'next weeks' on the island. They had realized they wouldn't be found anytime soon and had gotten used to their new lives. They still hoped and prayed about being rescued, but didn't expect it anytime soon.
Monica gently hit Chandler as she ran by him, yelling 'your it'. He broke into a run after her. She had a good head start, but as the water got deeper, he would get closer, as his legs were longer. They had discovered that this stretch of land, under the water, got no deeper than 4, or so, feet for a long distance. Monica glanced back and screamed when she saw how close he was. He was closing in fast. He dove forward and grabbed Monica around the waist as he went down, taking her with him. They came up gasping for breath and Chandler pulled Monica closer to him. She smiled and kissed him, long and hard. The couple loved this time of day. It was so peaceful and quiet. They could act like normal people, with normal lives. He ended the kiss suddenly and took off, after yelling 'your it'. Monica rolled her eyes and took off after him.
Half an hour later, both Monica and Chandler, completely exhausted, collapsed on the beach, not far from the water. Chandler glanced down at his watch, which he was thankful was still working, and saw it was 5 am. It then dawned on him. The date. One year.
"Wow," he said quietly.
"What?" Monica asked.
"It's been one year." He answered. "One year ago today our plane crashed."
"Wow," Monica said, echoing Chandler's wow. "One year. That's a long time. A really long time. How much longer do you think we'll be here?"
"I don't know, Mon. I really don't know. I wish I did."
"Do you think we'll be here a year from now? Or two?"
"I hope not." Chandler pulled Monica into a hug. They sat there together and watched the sun come up.
Back in New York.
Rachel lay awake in bed and glanced at the alarm clock. It read 5:00 AM. She sighed. She had barely gotten any sleep the night before. It was the anniversary of the crash. She had lost her best friends one year ago today. She sighed again and rolled over. She smiled slightly when she saw Joey sound asleep beside her. The two had grown close after the crash, relying on each other for support. It hadn't taken long for them to cross the line between friends and more then friends. They had officially been together for 10 months. It had surprised their remaining friends, but they had been glad that Rachel and Joey were happy. The loss of Chandler and Monica had hit them all hard and they had matured a lot. All of them. Following the death of his sister, Ross had thrown himself into his work. He was now a professor at the local college and taught many classes. He hadn't had a girlfriend for a year and didn't seem interested in having one. It was like he was afraid to lose her, even if he didn't have her. He had lost many people he loved in a short time and it had taken its toll on him. First Carol, then his Nana, Emily and now Monica and Chandler.
Phoebe had changed dramatically. For the first time in her life she had had stability and had been happy. She had great friends who she loved and who loved her. Even though they were not related they were her family. Her wonderful life had suddenly been thrown into chaos. She realized that no matter what she did, life would never be easy and good to her. She had lost that free spirit that made her who she was. She no longer sang those silly songs or told silly stories. She had matured well past her age. Her eyes, once full of life, now showed clearly the hell she had been through in her life. She would never be able to go back to who she was.
Rachel gave up trying to sleep and silently got out of bed. She walked over to the window ledge and sat down. She leaned up against the window and began to cry. This was all too much. She missed Monica so much. She had been like a sister to her for so long. Her best friend. Rachel regretted never letting Monica know how important she had been in her life. Rachel was independent from her father now. She paid her own bills and made her own decisions. She owed all of this to Monica. She felt the tears come faster now and she had no way of stopping them. Suddenly she felt a strong pair of arms around her. She knew it was Joey without turning around.
"I miss them so much," she said.
"I know, Rach. So do I." Joey Sat down beside her and pulled her into his lap. She buried her head in his shoulder and cried. Life could be so cruel, Joey thought. Why were their friends taken away from them? He sighed and hugged Rachel harder. He was so grateful to have her.
The gang had changed during the year. They depended on each other and clung together. They no longer sat for hours, drinking coffee. They didn't waist time anymore. Those days were over. They had died with Monica and Chandler. Some days were better than others. The last couple months were okay, but this was the first anniversary of the crash. It was sure to bring up emotions.
A couple hours later.
Ross, Rachel, Joey and Phoebe made their way through the cemetery. Although their bodies had never been found, both Monica and Chandler's parents had wanted gravestones. The gang reached the graves and put down flowers. They all stood there for a few minutes, no one knowing what to say. Phoebe suddenly felt a lump in her throat and as much as she tried to stop them, the tears came. She broke down and collapsed onto the ground. Ross immediately sat down beside her and pulled her into a hug. He also began to cry. Rachel and Joey soon followed, joining their friends on the ground.
Joey decided he would start. "Well, hi guys," he said, addressing the graves. "How are you doing? It's been one year and we really miss you."
"A lot," Rachel finished. "I wish every day that you weren't on that plane. How different would our lives be? They'd be a lot better. That's for sure."
"Joey told us you were together," Ross said. " I wish we had known. I'm glad you were happy, both of you. I would have loved to have had you for a brother, Chandler."
"I'm glad you were happy, too. We all are." Phoebe said. "I'm sure you're happy and together wherever you are right now. We'll see each other again, eventually and until then. We love and we miss you and happy anniversary tomorrow."
The four began to cry harder and all joined into one big hug.
One year later.
As they had done the previous year, Monica and Chandler sat together on the beach and watched the sun rise. This time they were not alone. The other five survivors were sitting there with them.
"Two years," Chandler said.
"Do you think we'll be here in a year saying 'three years'?" Lisa asked.
"I don't know. I hope not," Chandler answered. " But, I said that last year and here we are. Still here."
"Sometimes I wonder if I even want to go back," Gordon said. Everyone looked at him, confused looks on their faces. "I mean what is going to be left for us, back home. I'm married, but how do I know my wife hasn't found someone else. I mean, she thinks I'm dead. What's stopping her?"
"I never thought of that," Daniel said. "I have two young kids. Are they even going to remember me?"
"I wonder how much has changed since we left? You know. Who's died? Who was born? Who was married? Who's in office? Who has my old job?" Monica added to the conversation.
"Hopefully we'll have answers to all those questions, very soon," Chandler, who had not added much to the conversation, said. He had been staring up at the sky. This caused everyone else to look up as well. What they saw amazed them. It was a small plane, traveling towards them.