TOW Morning Reactions

Author Note: The framework came from David Crane and Marta Kauffman. Fluffiness abound and implied naughtiness in this chapter - everything Mondler should be!

The couple decided to keep Joey and Ross out of the loop for a while - Chandler had sat Phoebe and Rachel down after their fifth sneaky glance in his direction implying they knew. At the current moment, it was four days after the 'albatross' talk, and all the gang but Joey were at Central Perk. Monica walked up to Gunther to order.

"Decaf cappuccino, Gunther." she smiled. Gunther coughed. "What?" she asked.

"Not that it's my place Monica, but you've been ordering a lot of cappuccinos lately." he said, a trace of concern lacing his tone. Monica merely shrugged. "What's up?"

"Unemployment... I never figured it would be like this..." she murmured. Gunther nodded. He might spy on Rachel predominantly, but that means he's picked up on what's going on with the others too. Monica was clearly the mother hen, and she was at a crossroads. She sat back on the couch after being served her coffee.

"Mon...?" Chandler asked, tentatively holding her hand. Monica smiled weakly.

"Just bored without a job. Don't get me wrong, Moondance sucked, but it was solid."

"Then y'know what ya should do." Ross said. Phoebe and Rachel cautiously nodded. Monica drank her drink and then went to use in the phone in the back.

"Why?" Chandler murmured. Ross looked at him seriously, but a smile was cracking.

"Dude, I know you love her, but she said the Pete debacle is over. She said she'd take up his offer once it no longer felt uncomfortable." the dinosaur expert said. Monica came back into the central area beaming. It was contagious.

"Pete said he'd call and take me around the restaurant!" she beamed, bouncing.

"Aww, Mon, that's great!" Chandler said, hugging her fiercely. "And you're OK?"

"Why shouldn't I be?" she asked. Phoebe and Chandler gave her looks. "Oh, it's been a good while. Yes he had a crush on me, but that's bound to calmed. Right?" she pondered, suddenly looking worried. "Right?" she repeated, going shrill-pitched.

"Monica, I won't lie. But I will run." Rachel mumbled, doing just that.

"Phoebe?" Monica turned to her blonde friend. Phoebe had a calculating look.

"I... you know I talked to Pete - I'm sure it got into his head."

"That's good." Monica replied, calming down. The millionaire knew she loved Chandler, after all. After some time, Joey walked in, looking slightly dejected.

"Joe?" Chandler pondered, clearly concerned. Joey sat down. "Tell us."

"Cam. She just ended things. I thought... something was happening there." Joey breathed. Phoebe mumbled something about 'grey auras for sure'.

"Oh honey." Rachel said, hugging the Italian-American. "Can we bitch about her to make you feel better?" she asked. The others sans Joey gave her scandalised looks.

"Sorry, some of my sorority girls did it when it was called for. Especially my friend Melissa." the auburn-haired woman stated. Ross rolled his eyes at her.

"Enough of the college mentality. This is real life. Why did she break it off?" he asked.

"She... she was using me as a slow path to Chandler." Joey said, not looking his room-mate in the eye. Chandler groaned, as did Phoebe. Monica face-palmed.

"Never thought I'd see the day." Chandler chuckled loosely, trying to make light of the situation. Joey looked at him, realising quite soon what he meant, and tried to smile. "Tried to make you smile man." Chandler responded. Joey nudged him, appreciative. Later on, Monica knocked on the door of apartment 19. Chandler opened it, smiling.

"Hey Chan-Chan man." the chef giggled, nuzzling him. Chandler sighed contentedly.

"Monica Geller, you will be the death of me." he said teasingly. Monica whacked him.

"Let me in, you doofus." she laughed. He led her to the Barcalounger.

"Ah, my dream come true." the data analyser murmured as he tickled her.

"Ch-Ch-Chandler!" Monica laughed once more, her giggle very shrill.

"Shhh, you." Chandler responded, holding her close. Monica thought of something.

"What did you mean 'my dream come true'?" she asked. Chandler blushed.

"The night we got together... when you woke me, I'd been dreaming about you. You were in my arms on this chair, your lovely petite form all curled up. You were nuzzling me and I was tickling you in your worst places." he grinned. Monica's face melted.

"Awww, Chandler!" she breathed, unloading a torrent of kisses all over his face.

"My gut feeling was right - you're much, much better than Phoebe." he smiled. Monica's eyebrows raised, very intrigued indeed about that statement.

"Better than Phoebe?" she asked, an unfathomable light in her eyes.

"Pheebs was curled up in the chair with me when I was moping about you - thinking I wasn't going to get a chance." Chandler said. "She's too lanky to cuddle this way."

"Chandler Muriel." Monica said seriously, but enjoying seeing him cringe. "Why did you never think I would date you?"

"Because..." Chandler mumbled. "Because... Pete was perfect in the eyes of a woman like you, and you're perfect anyway, so you two fitted together like glue."

"More like he was rubber, and I was glue." Monica replied, looking at her other half with a worried expression. "I'll saviour the compliment later-" she met his eyes which sparkled with humour from knowing her too well "-but Chandler, you're perfect enough for me." the chef smiled, leaning into the crook of his neck and nibbling his collarbone. Chandler let out a contented sigh, which made him think moreso.

"Mon... someone could walk in... I appreciate this confidence booster, but- damn you Geller!" he shouted as she undid his shirt and flicked his third nipple. He then picked her up like a feather, carried her to his bedroom and locked the door. There was something pleasurable in who could be the quietest that night, as Joey still didn't know. Monica woke to the sound of Chandler's alarm, realising she'd slept in.

"Honey." she mumbled, throat still heavy. Chandler turned, grabbing her gently.

"Monica, my sweetheart." he croaked in his sleep, his eyes slowly opening.

"I'm here, don't worry." she grinned. "But I overslept. Rach and Joey will be pining for breakfast." At this news, Chandler smothered his head with his pillow and groaned.

"Aaaaagggh... we'll tell Joey today. Let me just check if he's up, and you can go if he isn't." he said, getting dressed, so some of his words were muffled. Monica smiled. It turned out Joey was still sleeping, so she tiptoed back to apartment 20. Rachel was sitting at the kitchen table, a smirk plastered on her face at the sight of the brunette.

"First Paul the wine guy, now our dear Chandler." the waitress declared with a laugh.

"I haven't got that smile on my face, have I?" Monica pondered airily. Rachel nodded.

"So... need I dare ask?" she questioned. Monica's whole body quivered. "Really?!"

"Rach... I'm starting to think I've been blind. It's not just the physicality... he's a wonderful talker too." the dark-haired woman breathed, bouncing on the balls of her feet. "Blame Pheebs, but he is my albatross. A true connection has been staring me in the face for a long time. After the passionate-" but this was cut off by a scream from Rachel and her going 'la-la-la' with her fingers in her ears. "OK, after... that, we connected on a truly soul-bonding level." Monica grinned, fumbling her pots and pans. "How we didn't hook up sooner will remain one of life's greatest mysteries."

"Monica Elizabeth Geller you are a pain in my rump." Rachel teased. Monica started whistling again. "Oh no. Not the whistling..." Rachel groaned in a comical manner. A few minutes later, there was a squeak of the door, and Joey walked in with a look.

"Care to explain Chandler belting in the shower at the top of his voice, Mon?" he asked. Monica ceased whistling at once and flushed crimson, holding her head in her hands and chanting 'no, no I don't care to' repeatedly as Rachel roared with laughter.

AN: A bit of cliffhanger, but the next chapter will have a good few twists and turns.