AN: Here's another update for all of you. I'm still having problems with my laptop, but I am finding time to work on this story for all of you. I hope you all like this latest chapter. PLZ R&R!

Disclaimer: See first chapter.

Chapter 10

Phoebe and Carol guarded the door to the restroom to make sure that no one came into the bathroom while Monica took the test. They kept watching the stall door waiting for when she would come out. She finally emerged and they saw devastation all over her face.

"Well?" Carol asked.

"It says that it's positive." She told them softly. "This can't be happening."

"Maybe it isn't." Phoebe told her.

"What do you mean?" Monica looked at her.

"Maybe it's a false positive. I've heard of that happening sometimes."

"Yeah, maybe you just need to take another test." Carol told her.

"I only bought one," Monica told them. "And I have no more cash on me. I spent all my money on that one."

"I'll go out and buy you another one at lunch." Carol told her. "Just try not to think about it for the rest of the day."

"That's easier said than done." Monica said as they heard the warning bell.

"We better go or we'll be late." Phoebe told them as they gathered their things and walked out of the restroom.

"There you are," Chandler came up to them. "Is everything all right?"

"We were just talking about girl stuff," Monica smiled at him.

"We better get to class," he told her as he handed her a freshly-baked cookie. "I got this for you just in case."

"Thank you," she accepted it as they parted ways with Phoebe and Carol and went to their Writing Composition class.

As the school day wore on, Monica tried to think of anything else than the pregnancy test that was in her book bag. She put on a smile and pretended that everything was all right to the people around her. Chandler had practice after school again and Monica and Phoebe decided to just go to Carol's house to hang out. Carol had gone out and gotten another test for Monica to take and the three of them met at her house after school. They would have plenty of privacy since both of Carol's parents wouldn't be home until at least six.

"Go on," Carol showed Monica where the bathroom was. "Take as long as you need."

"Thanks," Monica took the test box with her and read the instructions.

Out in the kitchen, Phoebe and Carol sat at the table as they snacked on chips, pretzels or cookies.

"So what do you think will happen?" Phoebe looked at Carol.

"I have no idea. If she is pregnant-"

"She'd make a great mom. I remember her always talking about the kids she would have."

"Yeah, when she finished school and had a stable job. But being a mom at this point in her life?"

"I know-" they looked up as they saw Monica coming into them. "Well?"

"It's negative," she told them.

"Ok so which one is right?" Phoebe asked.

"I don't know," Monica sighed as she sat down with them. "I can't go to the doctor's without a parent. And I don't want to tell Chandler anything unless there's something to tell. There's no reason for us both to be flipping out."

"You are wrong about that," Carol told her. "You need to let Chandler know what's going on. He can tell that something isn't right with you. If you let him in, he'll be there for you."

"I know that he would," Monica sighed. "I feel that if I tell him, then it will really start to feel real."

"But you need him with you in this." Monica nodded as she took a small handful of pretzels to munch on.

Chandler arrived home from practice and walked inside to see his dad and Terry talking with Joey and Phoebe at the kitchen counter.

"What's going on?" he asked them as he got a drink from the fridge.

"He's making us get jobs," Joey mumbled.

"It's either get a job or join some kind of school activity." Charles told them. "It doesn't necessarily have to be a sport."

"I'll leave you alone," Chandler started out of the room.

"Wait, when's your first game?" Terry stopped him.

"Next Tuesday at five," he told him. "It's a home game."

Chandler walked into the den and lay across the couch as he mindlessly flipped through the hundreds of cable channels. He stopped it on one of the music stations as his mind wandered to earlier that day. Monica had been acting weird all day; she had barely talked to him all day. It was almost as if she was mad at him, but he couldn't think of anything that he could have done wrong. She only talked to Phoebe and Carol and if he tried to talk to the three of them they all stopped talking sending them all into an awkward silence.

"What are you watching?" Phoebe asked as she and Joey came in and joined him on the couch as he slowly sat up to make room for them.

"Don't know," he mumbled.

"What's the matter?" Joey asked him.

"Something is up with Monica," he looked over at Phoebe sitting next to him. "You know what's up with her, don't you?"

"I do," she told him. "But I promised her that I wouldn't say anything."

"I just wish she would talk to me," he sighed. "She's not like thinking of breaking up with me, is she?"

"She hasn't said anything like that." Phoebe rushed to assure him. "I told her to let you in, just so you know."

"This is just so frustrating."

"Chandler, come set the table!" Terry called and he got up and went into the kitchen.

"So this thing with Monica," Joey looked at Phoebe. "Is it about what we were talking about this morning?"

"Yes," she whispered. "But I can't tell you any more than that."

"Got it," Joey nodded as Phoebe took out her cell phone to send a text message to Monica.

Chandler was getting ready to take a shower and turn in for the night when he heard his phone going off. He turned it on to read the text message from Monica and his stomach dropped.

'Can you get away for a while? I need to talk to you. Meet me at our spot in five?'-MG

Chandler rushed down the stairs and found his dad and Terry cleaning up for the night.

"I just got a message from Monica. Can I please go meet her?"

"This late?" Charles looked at the clock.

"She's been acting weird all day. She's finally willing to talk to me."

"All right, but if you're gone more than an hour we'll be calling you."

"Thank you," Chandler rushed out the door and started down the street.

Monica was able to sneak out of the house while her parents were being distracted by Ross in the kitchen. When she received a text from Phoebe earlier telling her that Chandler thought she wanted to break up with him, she knew that she had to clue him in to what was going on with her.

She walked to the playground and saw him sitting on the merry-go-round. She approached him and he looked at her as she sat down beside him.

"I'm glad you could get out." She told him.

"So do I get to find out what's been bothering you?" he asked her.

"First I want to say that I am not planning on breaking up with you anytime soon." She looked at him. "And I'm hoping that what I'm about to tell you won't make you want to break up with me."

"What are you talking about?"

"Well I have a couple things to tell you," she sighed. "The good news is that I got the paperwork in the mail for my emancipation."

"They approved you? They said that it was a long shot. What made them change their minds?"

"I think your dads' situation with my parents might have influenced it."

"So is it official?"

"Not for another month. It still has to go through the processing stage."

"Well that news wasn't so bad." He smiled at her.

"I'm not done," she sighed. "My other news won't be easy to say or hear."

"Ok."

"All right, here goes," Monica took a deep breath. "I'm late."

"Late as in-"

"I missed my cycle. I'm two weeks late."

"Well could it just be stress?" he started to feel sick to his stomach.

"It could," she sighed. "I just haven't felt right these past few days."

"Well did you take a test?"

"I took two, but they were inconclusive."

"What do you mean?"

"One was negative and one was positive, so I think I need to go to the clinic for a definitive test. The problem with that is we'd need an adult to go with us."

"We could talk to Terry." He wrapped his arms around her. "He won't tell my dad until we're ready."

"So you'll go with me too?"

"Of course I will. This affects me too."

"Thank you." She mumbled. "The only one who doesn't know about this is Ross."

"Oh man, your brother's going to kill me when he finds out."

"He won't find out until there's something to tell." She assured him. "So when should we talk to Terry?"

"My dad's going to be at the club all day tomorrow." He told her. "We could make up an excuse to the school nurse so that we can come home in the afternoon."

"I guess so,"

"My dad's calling," Chandler felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. "They only gave me an hour tonight."

"I guess we should get back home," they both stood up. "I'll see you tomorrow morning."

They went their separate ways and Chandler made his way back to his house and walked inside.

"There you are," Terry came out of the den. "How'd it go?"

"We resolved some things," Chandler told him. "She got news that her request for emancipation was approved. It's just going to take a month for them to process it."

"That's great. So does she have a plan for after its official?"

"Not yet, but I'm sure she'll be fine."

"I'm sure she will. You'd better get ready for bed."

"Got it. Night," He started up the stairs and went to take a shower.

He lay in bed later on thinking about everything that Monica had told him earlier. He knew that there was a high probability that they were going to be parents. Sure they had both used protection, but he knew that nothing was a hundred percent.

If it turned out that they were parents, how would they both handle it? Within a month, Monica would be able to get out of her parent's house without them being able to stop her. But she didn't know what she would do once she was out of their house.

I guess it was just something they had to figure out once there was a reason to start worrying in the first place.

Monica arrived back at her house and walked in to see her parents watching TV. They looked back at her as she locked the door behind her.

"We thought you were up in your room," Jack stated.

"I needed a break, so I decided to take a walk." She told them.

"You were with that boy, weren't you?" Judy demanded.

"His name is Chandler. And even if I was, there's nothing you can do about it now."

"We are still your parents. If we think you shouldn't be around him too much, you still have to listen to us."

"Hopefully, it won't be like that much longer."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Jack stood up.

"You'll find out soon enough," she started upstairs and ran into Ross coming down the hall.

"I heard yelling again," he sighed. "Do you guys have to argue so much?"

"It's better than kissing their ass like you do." She glared at him before going into her room and slamming the door behind her.

She took a quick shower and got ready for bed. She lay back as she thought back to her conversation with Chandler a few moments before. She had a bad feeling about the next day. She could feel it in the pit of her stomach. No matter what the outcome, she knew that it would change her and Chandler's relationship.

All she could do now was try to get some sleep and not think about what the next day would bring; and try not to worry about whether or not it would ultimately define her future.

AN: So what'd you all think? I hope you liked it. PLZ R&R!