AN: So it's been awhile since I updated this story. Thank you to all of the people who have been waiting patiently for me to post again. A little note; in this story, Monica isn't fat. She used to be, but not in the chapters that I talk about her. So anyway, I hope you like this chapter. Tell me what you think. Please R&R.

Disclaimer: I own no one. They all belong to Bright/Kauffman/Crane. But I do own Sophie Grace Bing.

Chapter 6: Zoo Trip & New Friends

Chandler awoke on Saturday morning around eight o'clock. He climbed out of bed and went to get Sophie up. He changed her diaper and took her out to get her breakfast ready. As soon as he walked into the kitchen, she started screaming her head off.

"What a great day this is starting out to be." He mumbled as he finished heating up her breakfast and took it to the table and started feeding her.

By the time he finished feeding her, he needed to take a shower because she didn't want to eat. And when he tried to get her to take a bite, she threw it at him and it ended up all over his shirt. She seemed to calm down a little as he fed her a bottle. He carefully placed her in the swing and she drifted off to sleep as he went to take a shower and get dressed.

Chandler had a quick breakfast and quickly packed up Sophie's diaper bag and went to get her ready to go. She struggled the whole time he was getting her dressed and didn't want to get fastened into the car seat.

"Is it worth it to take you out today?" he looked at her as he grabbed her bag and took her out to his car to get her secured. He ran back into the house and grabbed the stroller and put it in the back. He got in and pulled away from the curb.

Monica Gellar walked away from her brother and his girlfriend after they started yet another major make out session. It was getting ridiculous. At least it was better than spending a boring weekend with her parents getting on her case. She reached the park and scanned the area for anyone that might look like the kid that her brother described to her.

Her eyes landed on a kid standing near a stroller holding a baby in his arms trying to calm her down as she cried.

"Hey," she went to him. "Are you Chandler Bing?"

"Yeah." He looked at her.

"I'm Monica Gellar. Ross' sister."

"Nice to meet you." He tried to give her a smile, but she could tell that he was exasperated. "Is Ross coming soon?"

"As soon as he finishes making out with Carol," she grumbled. "If you're going to spend the day with him, I'd get used to him doing that a lot."

"It's ok." He sighed as Sophie spit out her pacifier for the millionth time.

"Is she ok?"

"She's cutting teeth. I thought it was just one, but I looked and saw that it was two."

"There's a drug store down the street. I can go get some teething gel or something for you."

"That would be great. Thank you." He dug out a twenty dollar bill and handed it to her and she started down the street.

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Ross and Carol made their way to Central Park to find Monica, who they assumed had gone to find Chandler without them. They got to the park and spotted Chandler pacing a small area of the park as a baby cried in his arms.

"Hey," he spotted them. "This is Sophie Grace. She's a lot cuter when she's not screaming her head off."

"Rough day?" Carol asked.

"How can you tell?" he sighed as he tried to open the diaper bag with one hand while he still held Sophie.

"What do you need?" Carol took the diaper bag from him.

"The bottle of apple juice." He sat on a nearby bench as she dug out the bottle and took the cap off and gave it to him.

"My sister should be around here somewhere." Ross told him.

"I already met her," Chandler told him as Sophie refused the bottle. "She offered to go to the drugstore down the street and get me some teething gel."

"I got it." Monica reappeared with a small plastic bag and Chandler's change. "The pharmacist also suggested I get her Infant's Tylenol. So I did."

"Thank you." Chandler took the bag from her and got out the teething gel.

Sophie calmed down dramatically once Chandler gave her the recommended dose of Tylenol. She gladly took the bottle from Chandler and he lay her down in the stroller and got her buckled in.

"Ok. Now we can head to the zoo." He sighed.

Chandler paid his way in and waited for Ross to pay for Carol and Monica. They started walking down the first path and went to go see the polar bears, which Sophie really seemed to like. She sat up in the stroller as they passed the glass tank and tried to press her hands up against it. Chandler knelt down by her and smiled at her as she tried to go through the glass. Ross and Carol moved on to look at the next exhibit as Monica started snapping away some pictures.

A few hours later, they all decided to stop for lunch at a café. Chandler just got himself a small deli platter and got situated at a table for four. He got Sophie into one of the high chairs and got out a couple plastic containers that he had packed with baby food that morning.

"Ross is the slowest person I've ever met," Monica sat across from them with just a salad and a diet coke. "He and Carol are still deciding."

"Is that all you're eating?" Chandler looked at her meal. "If someone else was paying for me, I'd get the most expensive thing on the menu."

"Well, I used to be overweight." She looked at him. "It's been a little more than a year. You're eating a small meal, too."

"I have a good excuse. I'm trying to save the money that I have left to buy Sophie a stuffed animal before we leave."

"So were your parents supportive when they found out you were going to be a father?"

"Neither one of them were happy about it, but my mom helped me out a lot. I didn't get to do a lot of my senior year activities, but she helped me out a lot with everything. Made sure I graduated and got into college."

"What about your dad?"

"He wanted me to put her up for adoption. I barely saw him since my parents divorced when I was nine. I got to see him maybe once a year."

"I got to ask," Monica saw Ross and Carol come to their table. "I know your last name is Bing. Is your mom-"

"Yes, she's the famous romance novelist." He sighed.

"Really?" Carol sat down beside Monica and Ross slid in beside her. "Your mom is Nora Bing?"

"I used to be embarrassed by it," he finished feeding Sophie and took out a bottle of formula. "But I can't really complain anymore. She gave up over a year of touring and promoting so she could help me with Sophie."

"Do you mind us asking about Sophie's mom?" Carol asked. "What happened to her? Is she around?"

"Neither one of us were ready. Her parents were trying to talk her into adoption. But I didn't want someone else to raise her. Katie's never even seen her. She wouldn't hold her in the delivery room because she said it'd be too hard." He started to rock Sophie. "After graduation, she went to school in California. She said she needed a fresh start."

"So both your parents were supportive of your decision?" Ross asked him.

"No. My dad wanted me to put her up for adoption. Said it was the best thing for her. He even showed up at my graduation dinner to try to talk my mom into convincing me to do it. I haven't spoken to him since."

"That's kind of rough." Monica said. "You don't have any kind of support system, then?"

"Support system?" Chandler looked at her.

"Yeah. People you can call for help when you're about ready to lose it."

"Like you were this morning," Carol told him. "We can be your support system if you like."

"Definitely." Ross smiled at him.

"Ok." Chandler shrugged as he gave Sophie a pacifier and lay her down as he finally got to eat his lunch.

Sophie was sound asleep by the time they left the café, so Chandler could enjoy the rest of the zoo in peace. It started to get cold early, so they left the zoo around four o'clock. They walked into a coffee shop to get something warm to drink and saw a blond girl strumming a guitar and singing a strange song that she had obviously made up herself.

"It's better than walking back to campus," Carol looked at Ross, and they all scrambled for the couch that had just been vacated.

"Weird song," Chandler got Sophie out of the stroller as she still clutched the stuffed polar bear that Chandler had gotten for her at the zoo. "But the girl's got guts to get up there and sing by herself."

"Yes, she does." They heard behind them and turned to see an Italian guy sit in the chair that was by the couch. "Hi. Joey Tribbiani. That's my friend Phoebe Buffay up there."

They introduced themselves and continued to listen to the rest of Phoebe's set. When she was done, they all clapped politely as she joined Joey.

"I know you." Phoebe looked at Chandler. "You're always walking that little girl around the neighborhood."

"Yeah." He smiled at her. "I live a few blocks from here. Near the campus."

"So you're all college kids?"

"I'm still in high school." Monica told them. "I go to school in Long Island."

"I should probably get her back home." Chandler started to stand. "I think she's getting a fever from her teething. You guys want to come over? I have heat and plenty of snacks. But the TV doesn't get any channels in."

"It's better than spending a boring night in the dorm common room." Ross said and they all followed Chandler out and down the street to where he parked his car.

That was the most fun that Chandler had since he started college. None of them really judged him because he was a teen father. Once they got to his apartment, they were really considerate of him and Sophie. When he lay her down for the night, they got quieter so they wouldn't disturb her sleep. He really didn't want them to leave once it got late. But there was a campus curfew, and Joey was staying with Phoebe and her grandmother until he went back to his parents' house in Queens once the weekend was over.

He slowly closed and locked the door behind them as he finally felt at ease being here and doing it by himself. He cleaned everything up and got ready to go to bed. He checked on Sophie one last time, then went to his room and fell right to sleep.

AN: So what'd you guys think of this chapter? I was kind of rushed trying to complete it for you guys. I'm thinking of having a chapter about Sophie's first Halloween. Tell me your thoughts about it in your reviews. Please R&R.