The dim lights of Ross and Rachel's apartment fended off the darkness of New York's nine o'clock. The apartment was nearly completely silent since its loudest occupant Emma was at her grandmother's for the next two nights. The only sounds audible within the living room were the air conditioner and the heavy breathing of two individuals, both on opposite walls.

Rachel fought to catch her breath as she pushed the hair out of her face and pulled her dress and bra strap back up. She rubbed the bruise on her shoulder in disbelief as she stared at the perpetrator across the room. Tears were streaming down her face as the realization of what just happened settled in.

Her lamp lay broken into a hundred pieces behind the front couch. Her memory struggled to sequence the events that took only ten minutes to pass: She was waiting for Ross to get home from a long jog in the park. There was a knock on the door and then there was Chandler in her doorway; broken and intoxicated.

He walked straight in and collapse onto her couch asking for Ross. Rachel went over to ask what happened, what was wrong, where was Monica. She turned on the light and blew out the candles around her as she sat down next to her friend of twelve years.

Chandler managed only to mumble something about bourbon, twins, and blame. In his dramatic verbal finale he spat out he and Monica were over. The smell of alcohol accompanied every word he uttered. Rachel remembered being overwhelmed and speechless.

She got a call earlier from Ross about his and Chandler's morning at the café but she didn't realize how bad it was between them. Monica never let it show. Her act of denial and dancing in suburbia was so perfect her best friend couldn't see through her routine. Rachel remembered reaching for Chandler's hand. She remembered Chandler taking her hand. Her clouded blue eyes meet his voided blue stare; and all familiarity in this exchange disappeared.

Chandler began to lean in for a hug, but as if at the last minute the vodka in him decided he wanted more. Rachel remembered his mouth roughly clashing with hers as she fell backwards off of the couch. Chandler's words rang through the living room as he screamed with a mix of tears and spit, "I just need someone, tonight…I can't do this alone."

Rachel had never ever seen this alcohol induced Chandler and it terrified her because it promised anything could happen. She remembered the strange combination of confusion, sadness, and fear manifesting within her as she backed into a wall, knocking off books and artifacts from the bookshelf.

Chandler clumsily followed Rachel to the floor and fell against her and pulled the fabric on her dress. Rachel felt the weight of this man she couldn't recognize pushing her into the floor. She struggled to fend him off, but Chandler's lazy weight was too much for her small frame. She screamed out for Ross, but her cries couldn't reach the trails of Central Park.

In desperation she focused all her efforts into reaching Chandler's sensibilities, as she held her dress down she looked into his vacant eyes and pleaded for him not to do this: "Chandler, I know you love Monica….please don't do this…Chandler…oh my god…think about Ross, he's your best friend… Chandler she's my best friend…please…"

The scuffling of feet and hands stopped as Chandler lay hovering over her. Then as if struck by the realization of his actions by a bullet he collapsed into the floor in loud sobs, trembling all over. "Oh my God, Oh my God, I…what am I doing" His words were slurred by emotion, or perhaps just the alcohol as he began to crawl backwards away from her until he was cowering in the shadow of an opposite wall.

Her dress was torn slightly but she had been able to keep herself well covered. Her shoulder throbbed in pain from were she had fallen onto the floor and her heart was rushing blood through her body entirely too fast. She felt every part of herself pulsing and trembling, afraid and shocked.

She was astounded that this happened and perhaps even more surprised at how quickly it stopped. Just as Rachel put together the sequence of events that transpired while she lay there taking in deep breaths and hearing shallow replies from the darkness across the room, she finally noticed the wide open front door. She realized that Chandler had never closed the door.

She then recognized for the first time that they weren't alone. The rhythmic sound of the air conditioner and breathing was interrupted by a breathless name from Rachel's mouth as she adjusted her eyes to the figure in the hallway, "Monica…"

"You know I would ask what the hell is going on, but I guess it's a little late for me to play the loving wife." Monica said dryly as anger laced every word.

Chandler who was barely aware of his surroundings anymore tried to stand up, but when he failed he sufficed with half of a question: "how did you…" Monica finished the question for him, "How did I find you here? I figured you were going to run to one of your best friends tonight, and since Joey's on a date…You know Chandler the funny thing is that I came looking for you because I wanted to apologize for the things I said earlier. I wanted to talk about us. But now…"

Monica couldn't even finish the sentence as her blue eyes swelled with anger. Rachel could see Chandler was frightened of what Monica may have seen, but he was even more so disgusted with himself. The vodka wasn't strong enough to suppress regret or embarrassment.

Rachel attempted an explanation , " Monica…he's drunk…judging by your speech I think you are too a little. This was all just a huge mistake…we can talk about it in the morning and you guys can crash here if you need..." Monica gave a small stifling laugh as tears invaded her fair face.

Rachel barely recognized her best friend when the shadows contoured her face. "I guess this explains why my brother used to be so jealous…you have a way of provoking male advances huh Rach." Rachel gasped desperately as if she was directing all her energy into not suffocating, " you think I wanted this?"

She looked at Monica stunned with betrayal. Monica met her question calmly behind tears with what seemed to be a new found clarity, " Rachel, do you think I wanted this?" She turned to Chandler and added, " Just so you know, you were right…I did still love you."

With that she glanced at Rachel's dress and tears, she then looked over at Chandler with contempt and regret. Monica sighed heavily suppressing all her hurt and shock and met her best friend's hurt stare for the last time, then she stepped out of the apartment making sure to close the door behind her.