AN: Here's anew chapter for you guys. PLZ R&R!

Disclaimer: See earlier chapters.

Chapter 10

A few months later...

Aidan is now a little more than six months old. He wasn't just on formula now; he now got baby cereal and baby food a couple times a day. He stayed awake longer and Chandler welcomed the extra time he got to spend with him. That's not to say that he didn't still need help from everyone else still.

He depended on Monica and Joey so much to help him out when he felt he needed a few minutes. They were more than willing to take him for a bit, and Phoebe helped when she could. Things were finally back to normal between Ross and Rachel and the rest of the group again. Things just seemed to keep going uphill after they called their meeting to make things right with all of them. There were still a few snide comments from the both of them sometimes, but for the most part everything was back to normal.

Monica walked into her apartment late one afternoon with Aidan in his car seat, the diaper bag, and a bag of groceries. Phoebe and Rachel were there and went to her as she set the car seat down on the floor in the kitchen.

"Where's Chandler?" Phoebe asked her.

"He had a late meeting. He called me as I was leaving work and asked me to pick up Aidan from daycare."

"So I guess going to the movies is out." Rachel looked at her. "We were all going to go."

"Sorry, guys. Joey is going to be out late, and I promised Chandler."

"Would you be horribly offended if we went without you?"

"Not at all." She assured them. "You guys go and have some fun."

Monica got Aidan situated in the spare baby swing they had and went to start making her supper. Phoebe glanced back at her one last time before she followed Rachel out of the apartment.

Chandler rushed up the stairs towards his apartment anxious to see Aidan before he passed out for the night. He dropped his things off at his place before rushing into Monica's apartment. He saw her setting up the baby seat on the coffee table as she got out a small jar of baby food.

"Hey," he greeted. "I'll do that."

"That was a long meeting." She looked at him.

"Sorry. Doug-you don't want to know." He sighed as he put the bib on Aidan and opened the small jar. "Was he all right for you?"

"He was a perfect angel." She smiled as she watched him start to feed him the jar of strained peaches. "He's always so good."

"So where's Rachel?" he looked at her.

"She and Phoebe went out to the movies."

"So how long do you think we got?" he smiled mischievously.

"Might I remind you that your son is still awake?"

"He looks about ready to pass out any minute."

Monica smiled at him as he finished feeding him and went to go get him a bottle. For the past several months now, they both got closer to each other. After their date, Phoebe and Joey kept trying to push them together. It's just too bad that they haven't figured out yet that they didn't need to try anymore. They decided to keep their relationship secret for awhile to see how close they wanted to get.

Chandler came back into them with a bottle and settled in next to Monica as he started to feed Aidan. She smiled at the sight of the two of them as Aidan started drinking greedily from the bottle.

"How about a movie?" she asked him. "And I'll make us some popcorn after he falls asleep?"

"Sounds good." He smiled at her. "Just nothing too sappy."

"You always say that, and then we end up watching a tear jerker anyway."

"I never can say no to you." He saw that Aidan had finished his bottle and sat him up to burp him.

A few hours later, Rachel returned to the apartment after her girls night with Phoebe. She spotted the blue screen on the TV meaning that a movie had ended. She walked in further and smiled at the sight that greeted her on the couch. Chandler was laying with his head resting on the armrest, Aidan was sleeping on his chest, and Monica was resting her head against Chandler.

Rachel carefully covered them with the blanket from the back of the couch and went off to her room for the night.

Monica awoke in the early morning and saw Chandler and Aidan next to her. She slowly sat up and Chandler opened his eyes and looked at her.

"What time is it?" he asked

"Early. We fell asleep here last night." She carefully lifted Aidan off him as he sat up. "I think Rachel may have seen us last night."

"Oh," he sighed.

"I'll take care of it." She assured him. "Go ahead and get Aidan ready for the day."

"All right. I'll see you later." He grabbed the car seat and diaper bag and went across the hall.

"Hey." Joey swiveled his recliner around. "Where've you been?"

"We fell asleep at Monica's last night while watching a movie."

"Really?"

"Don't even start." Chandler lay Aidan down on the changing table and started to get him dressed. "We're friends."

"Why can't you open yourself up to the possibility of you and Monica? It's so obvious that you like each other."

"I don't have time for this." Chandler lifted Aidan into his arms. "I need to feed him and get to work."

"Ok. I'll let it go. For now."

"Thank you." Chandler fastened Aidan into his high chair and started to make up some cereal for him.

"Hey, guys." The door opened and Phoebe came in.

"Hey, Pheebs." Chandler glanced at her before turning back to feed Aidan. "What's going on?"

"Would you guys like to go to the beach this weekend?" Phoebe started to tell them about an old picture she found of her parents with another woman.

"I'm in." Joey told her.

"Me, too." Chandler told her as he started to clean off Aidan after he finished his cereal. "Aidan will have fun on his first visit to a beach."

"Great!"Phoebe smiled at Aidan. "We'll meet downstairs tomorrow morning?"

"Sounds good." Chandler glanced at his watch. "Can one of you give him his bottle while I get ready for work?"

"I'll do it." Phoebe took him from him and sat in the other recliner beside Joey's and started to give him his bottle.

"Thanks. I'll be fast." Chandler went into his bedroom and Joey swiveled around to face Phoebe.

"He slept at Monica's last night." He told her softly.

"Really?" she smiled.

"He said they fell asleep while watching a movie."

"I guess that's plausible."

"Yeah, but-"

"We need to step up our plans." She told him. "This weekend."

"Agreed." He nodded as Chandler came out of his room in one of his work suits and the packed diaper bag.

"All right." Chandler took Aidan from Phoebe and fastened him into the car seat that he had left sitting on the counter. "I'm already late, so I better get going."

"See you later!" Joey called as he left the apartment.

The next morning, everyone gathered on the sidewalk in front of Central Perk with all their things. They started to load up Phoebe's cab and another cab; Chandler, Monica, and Aidan would be taking a separate cab because Aidan required a lot of equipment just for a weekend. Monica told the others that she would go with them to help Chandler if he needed it, but three out of the four of them saw right through it.

"All right." Chandler got Aidan's car seat secured in the back of the cab as Monica finished loading up all their things. "I think we're all ready to go."

"We'll meet you guys there." Phoebe handed the address to the beach house to their cab driver.

"Have a safe trip." Monica told them as they all started the trip.

They all met at the beach house at dusk that night. The other four pulled up as Chandler was still unloading all of Aidan's things.

"Man that kid needs a lot." Joey commented as he helped him get the rest out of the cab and Chandler paid the driver.

They all walked into the beach house and saw that Monica had set up the extra playpen in the kitchen and Aidan was sitting in it with some of his toys.

"This is the only place I could put it because of all the sand." She told them. "But I moved all the hazards away from the edge of the counters so he can't pull them down by accident."

"Thanks." Chandler smiled at her as he saw that Aidan was content as he babbled to his stuffed animals. "I'm going to go set up the other one in the room I'll be using."

"I'll help him." Monica helped him take his things upstairs and the other four looked at each other.

"I told you." Phoebe told the other three. "They like each other."

This had been the topic of conversation between the four of them the entire car ride here. Ross immediately dismissed it, still upset that Phoebe had set them up on the blind date all those months ago. Rachel told him about the night before when she found the three of them asleep on the couch together, and Joey and Phoebe told him about all the little instances that they've witnessed throughout the past few months.

"You guys are being ridiculous." Ross told them.

"Would it really be so bad if they got together?" Rachel asked him.

"Yes. It's my best friend and my sister."

"Exactly. Your best friend and sister. At least you would know that he would treat her right."

"He's still going through a lot right now. I don't think he's ready for a big commitment right now. And he has his son to think about." Ross looked at all of them. "And Monica is still getting over her big breakup with Richard. I don't think either of them are ready for this."

"I still think they'll end up together." Phoebe told them.

Monica and Chandler came back down as Aidan started to fuss. Chandler set up the baby seat on the counter and fastened him into it as he found the baby food jars.

"Ok. I'm going to go talk to the woman who knows my mom." Phoebe started for the door. "Just make yourselves at home. I'll be back in a couple hours."

Everyone started making themselves something to eat as Chandler fed Aidan a bowl of cereal mixed with some peaches. Monica made up a bottle for Aidan and Chandler took it from her as he sat at the counter to feed him with one hand while he tried to eat his sandwich with the other hand.

"Need any help there?" Ross asked him. "I can feed him for you while you eat if you want me to."

"That'd be great. Thanks." Chandler handed him over to him as he went to make himself another sandwich.

Phoebe returned a little bit later to tell them all about the woman that she thought knew where her dad was. They stayed up a little late playing a strip version of a Happy Days game that they found, but Chandler had to turn in early because he knew that Aidan would wake him up early in the morning.

Monica went to bed not long after that and snuck into Chandler's bedroom and climbed into bed with him.

"Hey," he whispered. "Did anyone see you?"

"They're all still downstairs." She assured him. "I just wanted to fall asleep next to you."

"We need to tell everyone soon."

"I know." She sighed. "I'm just not sure if I'm ready for that yet."

"I know." He held her to him "We'll tell them when we think the time is right."

The next morning, everyone else was up except for Monica, Chandler, and Aidan. Joey was making plans to go down to the beach for the day and wanted everyone to come along. Ross and Rachel were off doing something by themselves; he assumed that they were arguing about something again. Phoebe was getting ready to go to the other Phoebe's place for dinner tonight.

"Have you seen Monica?" Phoebe came downstairs. "She's not in her room. It looks like she hasn't slept in it."

"I was just going to check on Chandler and Aidan. Maybe Chandler knows where she is."

"Let's go." They walked back up the stairs and knocked briefly on Chandler's door before walking in.

"Oh my god!" Phoebe gasped as she spotted the scene before her.

Chandler and Monica were entwined in each others arms as they were slowly coming awake. They both bolted up in the bed as they saw them standing in the doorway.

"You guys-"

"I think it's time that we told them." Chandler looked at Monica and she nodded.

AN: So what'd you all think? PLZ R&R!