Chapter 6

A/N: Not that it matters, at all, but in an earlier chapter I said that Summer was Mega on the team. She's actually Wonder – Tucker is Mega Boy. I know this was sort of random, but I was rereading some stuff and noticed it.


Chandler held on to his fiancé, who was stumbling up the stairs. He felt her shaking, and the knuckles that were gripping the railing were white. "Honey, my offer still stands."

"I don't need you to carry me, okay?" Monica huffed, putting one determined foot in front of the other. "I can climb stairs by myself."

"If you say so," Chandler muttered, raising an eyebrow as she nearly tripped.

Monica glared at him. "I'm fine, really. Just a little stressed."

"A little…" Chandler sighed, deciding that it was best not to get her even more upset. "Never mind. Come on; we're almost there."

"It's times like these I wish my grandmother got an apartment on a lower floor. Wouldn't it be great if our apartment number was like, 5?" Monica rambled, keeping her concentration on the task at hand.

"Yeah…" Chandler smiled, then sighed when she became lost in thought. "Monica, for the last time, they'll get over it."

Monica paused, then sat down on the top of the stair case. "I know…at least, I think so. I just keep thinking that to them, this is the last straw. I've finally messed up so bad that they're going to…disown me or something."

"You know that's not going to happen," Chandler reassured her, sitting next to her on the stair. "They'll come around. Yeah, today was pretty bad, but they were in shock. Watch, by next week they'll call and invite you to lunch."

Monica gave a half-hearted laugh. "Yeah, right. My mom never invites me to lunch."

"You know what I meant," Chandler replied.

Leaning on his shoulder, Monica admitted, "I was so scared today. Just with the way they were looking at me, like I was the most horrible person in the world. And I feel like it, to tell you the truth. They have every right to be mad at me."

"Well, yes, they were mad," Chandler acknowledged, putting an arm around her shoulder. "But if it helps, I think, when we were about to leave, they were kind of…proud of you."

"I thought I saw that too, but I didn't want to get my hopes up," Monica breathed.

After a few moments of silence, Chandler kissed the top of her head. He stood, then held out a hand for her to grab. "You ready to tackle the Mount Everest that is the last two flights?"

Monica took his hand. "Oh yeah."

The two managed to reach apartment 20 within a reasonable amount of time. They were immediately bombarded by Phoebe, Rachel, Joey, and Ross (who had come over later), all demanding to know how it went..

"How did Mom and Dad take it…" Ross began, then noticed his sister was holding onto the wall. "That bad, huh?"

"Look, guys, can you come over later? Monica wants to rest," Chandler pleaded.

Monica put a hand on his arm. "Honey, why don't you go into Joey's apartment and explain everything? I'll catch up with you later."

"No way that's gonna happen. Come on, I'll help you into bed." Chandler knew she wanted some peace and quiet, but he wouldn't feel at peace until he knew she was in bed.

"No, Chandler," Monica insisted. "I promise you can take care of me later. But right now I need to be alone for a while."

"But…" Chandler trailed off, knowing he wasn't going to win this one. Reluctantly, he kissed her on the cheek and turned to go into the other apartment. "Get some rest, okay?"

The others gave their various forms of "feel better" and "talk to you later." When the hallway was empty, Monica let herself into the apartment.

Only she still wasn't alone. Stifling the scream she felt in her throat, Monica quickly closed the door behind her. "How did you get in here?"

Jack Shepard stood in the kitchen, leaning on the back of the couch. "Hello, Monica. Where have you been? Telling more people about us?"

"No! I was…" Monica paused, realizing that she had just been telling two more people about her identity. "I was visiting my parents, not that it's any of your business. What are you doing here?"

Jack got up from the couch back so he was standing straight. "We have something you need to know."

"Wh…" About to retort, Monica stopped as his words sank in. "We?"

From the shadows of the dark living room, Summer Jones (Wonder) and Dylan West (Houdini) came to stand on either side of Jack. Backing up a little, Monica stammered, "W-what's going on?"

Summer couldn't quite make eye contact. "Monica…I'm so sorry. I tried, I really did."

"What's going on?" Monica repeated, her fear and panic rising.

Dylan stepped forward, anger in his face. "We know that you told your friends and brother about your identity, even after we suspended you from the team for telling Chandler and keeping secrets from us. It wasn't the greatest timing – we had almost thought you had learned your lesson and were about to let you back on the team."

"About to?" Monica echoed. "You're not here to tell me I'm not suspended anymore, are you?"

Jack sighed, his tone full of sorrow and sympathy. "No. After finding out about you telling everyone, we didn't have a choice but to…"

"No!" Monica gasped, knowing where he was going.

"Cut you from the team. Permanently," Jack finished. He had winced at Monica's gasp, and had lowered his head, unable to even look at her. Summer looked like she was about to cry, and Dylan maintained a stony façade.

"Jack, no!" Monica protested, nearly shouting. "You can't do that! What makes you think I told the others?"

"I rescued Chandler, and your friend Rachel, the other day. They had been on the way back to his office when they got caught in the crossfire of one of our fights with Volcano. After I saved them, I pulled Chandler aside to ask him about you…and Rachel let slip that she knew," Jack informed her, then added bitterly, "I believe that was when you disobeyed my orders again and came to a fight."

Monica just stared at them, too shocked to say anything. Finally, she cleared her throat. "I'm so sorry, to all of you. I-I guess there's really no excuse, but in my defense I only told my friends because they found out on their own, then cornered me…that doesn't really help my case, does it? But if it helps, they have no idea who you are – I always refer to you by your superhero name. Well, Chandler knows about you, Jack, since that first time you came to the apartment…but you knew that."

"That doesn't matter. We've all been able to keep out identities secret from our friends," Dylan remarked.

Monica put a hand on her hip. "That's because to you, they're just friends. To me, they're my family, my life. Without them, I'd be absolutely crushed…more so than not being on the team, in fact. I had to chose between my job, and them, and I chose them. And I'm not ashamed of it. So if you're waiting for me to get on my knees and beg forgiveness, you might as well get out of my apartment 'cause it isn't gonna happen."

"Monica, please, don't take this personally…" Jack began, walking towards her.

"I don't care." Monica stomped to the door and whipped it open, willing the welling tears to stay in her eyes. "Get out."


"Hey Chandler, is Monica here yet?" Ross walked into his sister's apartment without knocking, per usual.

On the couch watching TV, Chandler turned off the volume and looked at Ross. "No, she took the late shift at work. Why?"

Ross hesitated. "Do you mean, work at the restaurant, or…the other work."

"Work at the restaurant. Since she doesn't know how long she'll be suspended, she let management upgrade her to full time," Chandler informed him, switching off the TV all together and joining Ross in the kitchen. "What's up, man? You look a little worried."

Ross sat down at the table, massaging his temple. "I'm more than a little worried. Haven't you noticed Monica's getting worse?"

"I know what you mean," Chandler agreed, taking a seat as well. "Ever since we got home from her parents' house a week ago, she's been completely depressed. I'm trying to do everything I can to get her to talk to me, but she won't open up."

Sighing, Ross reasoned, "Something else must have happened. I know Monica – she wouldn't let an incident with our parents rattle her this much."

"Well, there's nothing I can think of," Chandler shrugged. "Maybe telling her parents just reminded her of how she was really missing the team…"

"I don't know, but whatever it is, she's kept it to herself long enough. I'm going to find out tonight," Ross promised.

Chandler smirked. "You came over here to interrogate my fiancé? Do you want me to play good cop, officer Geller?"

Ross rolled his eyes. They talked for the next few minutes, then Rachel, Joey, and Phoebe barged in. "She here yet?" Rachel asked, joining the guys at the table.

Glancing at Ross, Chandler raised an eyebrow. "Did you think she wouldn't come quietly or something?"

"Just thought I could use a little back up." Realizing he was only helping Chandler's joke, Ross huffed, "Shut up. You of all people should know how stubborn she can be. You're engaged to her."

"Though this is my first time being engaged. Say Ross, does getting to know someone become easier the second or third time?" Chandler retorted.

Ross was about to snap back, but the door banged open, and Monica stormed in. "This is why I became a superhero! So I wouldn't have to deal with idiotic people who don't know how to run a business?"

"Hey honey, how was work?" Chandler quipped, kissing her in greeting.

Kissing him back, Monica noticed for the first time that her friends were in the room. "Hi everyone."

"Mon, we need to talk," Ross began, indicating her to take the last available seat at the kitchen table.

Confused, Monica did so. "Sure, what's up?"

"Sweetie, we're worried about you…again," Rachel replied. "For about a week you've been so…"

"Bitchy?" Monica snapped.

That hadn't been the word Rachel was about to use, but she'd been thinking it. "Some might say bitchy, I'd say…ok, yeah, bitchy."

"What she means is, you haven't been yourself," Phoebe clarified.

Joey leaned forward in his seat opposite her. "Come on, you know you can tell us anything. What's the matter?"

"Nothing! Nothing's wrong! It's just…can't a girl have her time of the month in peace?" Monica lied, jumping up from the table.

While the guys backed off, as she thought they would, Rachel and Phoebe followed her into the living room. "You, missy, do not have your period!" Phoebe exclaimed. "I lent you a pad at the bathroom at Central Perk only two weeks ago!"

Back in the kitchen, Chandler commented to Joey and Ross, "Clearly, this has become a testosterone-free conversation. You guys up for coffee?"

"She's not getting away that easily. I lived with her when we were teenagers – I've been to hell and back!" Ross retorted, getting up from the table and joining the girls. "All right, Monica! What's going on with you?"

'I got fired, okay?" Monica spat, folding her arms across her chest. "I'm not a superhero anymore! Jack was waiting for me in the apartment when we got back from Mom and Dad's house. He told me there was no way they could trust me again, because he found out that I told all of you!" Not seeing the guilty glances Rachel and Chandler shared, she flopped down on the couch. "Now you know! I'm a horrible person who can't be trusted! There – you happy?"

"No, of course not," Joey responded, sitting next to her and wrapping her in a hug. "I'm so sorry, Mon."

Chandler sat on Monica's other side, and took her in his arms when Joey let go. "Me too, and you are not a horrible person. Why didn't you tell us?"

"Because…because I was humiliated, okay? I couldn't keep my big mouth shut. I thought…you'd all be disappointed in me or something. I don't know," Monica sobbed, burying her face into Chandler's shoulder.

"What? That's crazy," Rachel assured her.

Sitting on the coffee table, Ross put a hand on his sister's knee. "Yeah, how could you even think that we'd want you to go through this alone? I thought we all had kind of a silent agreement that we could tell each other anything."

"Yeah, but…I think I've just gotten used to keeping everything to myself," Monica admitted.

Chandler hugged her tighter. "Honey, I hate to tell you, but that's one habit you're gonna have to break."


Days later, Monica stopped at her apartment during her lunch. The restaurant was so hectic that she'd needed to get out of there, if just for an hour. She had to admit, however, that life as an ordinary civilian was much easier, and safer, than fighting crime. It was nice to be normal for a change.

Though, she had levitated to reach a pan in a high cabinet when nobody was looking. She'd made a mental note to relearn how to use a stepladder.

She sighed as she entered her apartment to find Joey at the kitchen table. "You know, I wish I could remember a time when I walked into my own apartment when there wasn't someone in it already."

"Hey Mon," Joey replied, unfazed. He was using Chandler's laptop, and had barely glanced up when Monica walked in.

Monica glanced at the laptop screen while she grabbed a soda from the fridge. She wrinkled her brow in confusion when she saw that Joey was on eBay. In truth, she was a little surprised Joey knew how to use eBay. "Okay, so I have a couple of questions. One – what are you buying that you need eBay. And two – did Chandler say you could use his computer?"

"I'm curious to see how much the Zoom comic books are worth," Joey explained, "And, ah, to answer your second question…can we keep this little internet session between us?"

Laughing, Monica sat down next to Joey and popped open the soda can. "Okay, but why do you want to know the value of the comics? If you're low on cash, Chandler and I could always lend you some."

"I don't really need it. Like I said, I was curious. There was this thing on TV about how some comics can sell for big bucks," Joey informed her.

Monica's eyes widened as Joey searched for some of the titles in the Zoom collection. "Wow! That's a lot! Maybe I should have given them to you!"

"You want them back?" Joey asked. "I mean, they are kinda yours – you collected 'em."

"No, it's ok, I was kidding," Monica assured him.

The two browsed the internet for a few minutes, then a pop-up ad for Superman comics reminded Joey of something. "Um, do you mind if I ask you a personal question?"

"Depends on what it is," Monica answered.

"Okay, well, a while ago Phoebe, Rachel and I were talking about how most superheroes either came in contact with some chemical or…weren't human," Joey started, somewhat hesitant. "And we couldn't help but wonder what your story was."

"Oh," Monica cleared her throat. "Well, there isn't really an explanation for my powers. I talked with my parents about it, once they recovered from the shock. I'm definitely human, no doubt about that. Many of my relatives were there in the hospital the day I was born."

Joey let out a breath. "Whew, that's a relief. For a while there I thought that one of my best friends could be an alien…though, I gotta admit that would've been pretty cool."

"Sorry to disappoint you, but apparently it's inherited. My father called up his mother to check, and she said how my grandmother had powers too, the same ones I have in fact," Monica explained.

Joey stared at her. "Does that mean that Ross could…"

"No," Monica assured him. "My grandmother said that it's only girls, and even then it often skips generations – very few women in my family have it. No one has any idea how or why it's in our family; it's one of those things that's been there forever and nobody questions it."

"Whoa, that's awesome. I wish I had a family secret," Joey pouted.

"Maybe you do, and you haven't been told it yet," Monica joked, then held back a chuckle at Joey's panicked expression. Patting him on the shoulder, she carried the soda can in one hand as she went over to her answering machine. "Joey, did anyone call?

"Not while I've been here," Joey replied.

The small screen indicated that there was one message. Monica pressed the button. "'Hello, Hurricane. Or should I say, Monica Geller'" Monica gasped, on her way to becoming terrified. "'I'm sure you recognize my voice; we've come in contact on many occasions. But in case you were too busy fighting me to notice, it's Volcano."

At that, Joey leaped out of his seat and was by her side in a manner of seconds. "That's…that's…"

Monica shushed him, wanting to catch every word.

"'Now, please take note that I know your true identity, and you do not know mine. You're probably wonder how that is possible. You see, Monica, it's actually a little ironic of how I stumbled upon this highly valuable information. After months of trying to figure out the identity of at least one of the Zoom members, I was going nowhere fast. Then, I happen to check the security tapes from the warehouse I had been using. And guess what they catch? That's right – Hurricane, flying into an alley across the street to meet two civilians. It was only a matter of using the right tools to use that footage to track you down.'"

"'I trust you realize the dangers of a super villain such as myself knowing your identity. And I'm afraid that for you, one of those dangers has become a reality. At precisely midnight tonight, a limo will pull up to the building for you. If you do not get in and go wherever the driver takes you, my newest captive Chandler Bing will be fatally shot the minute the chauffer calls to inform me of your absence. The choice is yours, Monica – your powers, or your fiancé. See you at midnight…at least Chandler hopes to.'"

Monica fainted before the automated voice could say, "You have no more messages."