Thanks again to you amazing people that keep reading and reviewing :o)
Monica couldn't keep from smiling as she hovered anxiously in the darkened living-room. The last two weeks had been amazing. Chandler had been so sweet and cute that she'd seen a whole other side to him, and she liked it! She lived for the little secret moments they shared- during the day it would be certain looks and subtle touches that sent shivers through her. Then at night they'd sneak over to one another's apartments to have the most amazing sex or just to hold each other for as long as they could risk.
It was now 3 am and Monica was practically buzzing from excitement as she waited for him. She felt so alive and couldn't believe how happy she was lately.
She held her breath as the apartment door opened quietly and Chandler crept in.
"Hey you," he whispered, a soft smile on his face, eyes sparkling.
"Hey yourself," she beamed back.
He walked over to her, dressed in his boxers and t-shirt and pulled her into his arms, sharing a passionate kiss.
"We've got to stop meeting like this," Chandler whispered against her lips.
She whacked his chest slightly chuckling as she rolled her eyes. She stepped away, grabbing his hand, "bedroom," she said simply.
"Ok," he agreed eagerly, letting her drag him towards the said room.
They were just a couple of steps away from safety when Rachel's bedroom door swung open. Moving faster than she thought possible at 3 am, Monica dropped his hand and shoved him away trying to put some space between them.
Rachel came out and took a couple of steps before realizing she wasn't alone, jumping at the sight of her two friends. "My god you guys scared the crap outta me!" she gasped, "what the hell are you doing? Chandler? It's like 3 am."
Her friends just stared back at her looking like deer caught in headlights.
"Um…" Chandler tried, desperately trying to get some blood to go back North so he could think of something.
"I, uh, I thought I saw a mouse in my room," Monica lied quickly, praying it sounded convincing, "I didn't want to scare you, so I went and got Chandler."
They breathed a sigh of relief as they watched Rachel's horrified eyes go to Monica's closed bedroom door.
"A mouse?" she pulled a face. "Get rid of it!"
She looked expectantly at Chandler, who looked around unsure, just standing there, "um."
"Well do something!" Rachel snapped exasperated before turning to Monica, "you couldn't have brought Joey?"
"I didn't think Joey would have been quite right for this job," Monica mumbled sharing a pointed look at Chandler who nodded quickly in agreement.
"I'll sort it," Chandler said in an exaggerated manly voice to which Monica grinned and Rachel rolled her eyes. He headed towards the kitchen where he dug around and grabbed a large pan.
It wasn't until Chandler got closer that Monica noticed which pan he'd selected, "Chandler that's my new Copper Core Elite sauce pan," she whined.
"And?" he asked looking as if she'd gone crazy.
"And it's not for catching mice!"
"I-" he didn't have words.
"I'll leave you guys to it," Rachel decided heading towards the bathroom.
"Ok," Chandler called, "we'll try to keep it down but there may be some banging noises."
He grinned cheekily at Monica wiggling his eye brows as she rolled her eyes and pulled him into her bedroom. Once the door had closed Chandler carefully placed what he suspected was an overpriced saucepan on her chest of drawers.
"So, how long do we leave it?" Chandler asked quietly.
"I'm not sure," she whispered frustrated, "she may come in to check on us."
Chandler sighed in disappointment, he'd been looking forward to this all day and it was frustrating not to be doing all the things he'd been dreaming about doing to her. Especially as he was standing in her bedroom in his night wear, with her standing so close to him.
"We can still make out though, right?"
"Oh yeah!"
They crashed together desperate for even just a kiss. It was passionate, full of longing and desire. Their small groans of pleasure turned to disappointment as they heard the bathroom door open and Rachel's footsteps as she walked across the room.
They pulled away trying to get in control of their breathing.
"How's it going?" Rachel called through the door.
"Um-" Chandler looked to Monica who suddenly smiled.
"I've got it," she whispered quietly, "play along." Chandler nodded curious but eager to do anything to get this going. "We've caught it!" Monica shouted through the door.
"Really?"
They heard Rachel approach and Monica quickly grabbed the pan and shoved it at Chandler. He snapped the lid on it just in time as the door opened.
"Yep," he grinned, wiggling the pan slightly for emphasis.
"Wow, that was quick work Chandler, well done," Rachel praised.
"Thanks," he was glad that Monica had never said those words to him in this room. "I better go throw this out the window," he gestured towards his own apartment, praying Rachel wouldn't question him.
She didn't, eager to get it as far away from her as possible.
"Night Rach," he started walking out of the bedroom, holding the pan out in front of him. "Mon, can you grab the doors?"
"Sure," Monica ran out in front of him and opened the apartment door, closing it behind her boyfriend so Rachel wouldn't witness their exchange. She pulled him to her kissing him fiercely, "god this is so frustrating," she groaned against his lips, "I want you."
"I want you too," he hurriedly whispered back still planting kissing on her. "Should I come over in a bit?"
"I guess but she's a light sleeper," Monica complained.
"Can you sneak over to mine?" he asked. "I'll leave everything unlocked."
"Ok," she nodded, placing one last firm kiss on his lips.
With a regretful sigh, she opened the door to her own apartment and walked in. She resisted another sigh as she saw Rachel still stood in the living-room.
"Did he get rid of it?"
Damn, she sounded anxious. Anxious was not going to help Rachel go back to sleep. And if Rachel didn't go back to sleep she couldn't sneak over to the boys' apartment.
"Yes," Monica reassured her, "it's gone so don't worry about it. Everything's fine."
She headed for her room.
"What if it had a family in there?" Rachel asked nervously, "what if there's more? I mean yours is the cleanest room ever…what if they're living in mine and got through a hole in the wall?"
"Rach, there's no hole in the wall. There was only one mouse and it's been thrown out of the window. It isn't coming back so go to sleep. I need to sleep."
"Ok," she didn't look convinced but tentatively walked into her own room.
Twenty minutes later Monica quietly opened her bedroom and snuck her head out for a quick peek. Seeing no sign of Rachel, she silently tiptoed out of her room and gently shut her door behind her. She sneaked across the living room and pulled opened the apartment door, when she heard a noise behind her.
"Monica? Where are you going?"
She resisted biting back a frustrated growl. She should have waited longer, she knew she should have but she'd been too impatient.
"Um, to get my saucepan," it sounded crazy even to her but she hoped it sounded Monica crazy and that Rachel would buy it. "I couldn't sleep thinking of it being left on the boys' floor or something."
"Oh, ok," Rachel agreed easily to which Monica smiled. The smile turned into a frown as she watched Rachel walk further into the living-room and settle herself at the kitchen table. "I'll give you some company while you wash it up. I can't sleep anyway."
Drat. Why did everyone have to know how OCD she was? Washing up a pan that had been used to catch a mouse is definitely something she would do.
"Great thanks," she tried to sound enthusiastic.
She kept the fake smile on her face as she turned and left. Quietly she entered the boys' apartment, instantly spotting the pan on the foosball table. She quickly sneaked into Chandler's room, praying she wouldn't wake Joey. One conscious roommate was enough right now.
"Hey," he greeted, having waited up for her.
"Hey, I'm sorry but I can't stay."
"What?"
She sat on the side of his bed, running a hand through his hair and onto a cheek.
"I woke Rachel up and now she thinks I'm getting the mouse pan. She's waiting for me to wash it up."
"Oh," he sighed leaning into her caress, "so it's probably a no go for tonight, right?"
"I guess so," she sighed pulling him in for a sweet kiss.
"I don't suppose you could take say 15 minutes to find the pan?" he groaned as the kiss broke apart.
"I wish I could," she confessed, "but she'll probably walk in here any minute now to see what's taking so long."
Reluctantly, he nodded, agreeing with her. Damn these roommates. He watched as she regretfully stood up, leaning down for one last kiss, "good night."
"G'night, Mon," he sighed wistfully as she left his room.
It was just one night, he told himself. They could survive one night without each other.
A/N – Ok, quite a short chapter and not the most original...but I thought it would be fun to have Rachel catch them instead of Joey. I figured she'd be much harder to be fool than Joey was. Let me know what you thought :o)