May 1998-October 1998

Monica opened her eyes and a huge smile appeared on her face, she was still holding on to Chandler, her head resting on his chest. She could hear his heart beating and feel the warmth of his skin against her cheek. She felt glorious. It was as if something had been lifted off her chest, like she had broken through a wall, her wall. She looked up at him smiling back at her and moved up towards him, giving him a kiss.

"Hey," Monica said.

"Hey there...so, can I tell you about this really hot chick I scored with last night."

Monica let out a snort as Chandler's grin spread across his face. He was beaming as she squeezed him tighter.

"How come I never noticed just how cute you are?" Monica asked.

"I've been telling you that for years...I am very happy right now."

"Me too. I am sorry I kept saying how I would never date you," Monica said, still feeling a bit guilty.

"It's okay, Mon. Hey, I know I don't make it easy."

"No, but it's a hell of a lot more fun," Monica said as they kept looking at each other, stealing kisses and enjoying the quietness of the room. Joey was still out with his bridesmaid and while Monica knew they had only a little bit of time left, she wanted to stay there with him forever. She kept kissing him when suddenly they heard a key in the lock and Monica ducked under the covers. Monica heard her brother's voice yelling about his wedding and then racing out of the room. When Monica heard the door close, she peered out from under the covers.

"Do you think he noticed I was here?" Monica asked.

"No."

"How did Ross get a key to the room?" Monica asked.

"I don't know."

Monica shook her head as she leaned back against the headboard. Chandler leaned back as well, grabbing her hand and kissing it.

"It's going to be too hard, isn't it? You and me? I mean, to keep this secret...it won't work. We both have roommates and...Phoebe and Ross come over a lot and..."

"So you want this to be a one time thing?" Chandler asked.

Not at all. She didn't want this to be a one time thing but she didn't want it to be like Ross and Rachel's relationship. The entire group felt every moment of that relationship and this just felt too special to her and she knew it felt special to him.

"I don't know. If we tell everyone, it'll be a big deal and if it...I don't know. I just...I don't...if we just messed up our friendship then I don't-"

"Hey, Mon...you're never going to lose me as your friend. I can guarantee that. I might act like an ass sometimes, I may walk away instead of confronting things...but I've said it once and I will say it again, you are my favorite person that I've ever met in real life and you will never lose me as your friend."

"Okay...I should go. Thank you though...last night was amazing and it meant a lot to me."

She reached over and grabbed her dress off the floor. She leaned over to kiss him before getting up and walking into the bathroom. She stood in the bathroom, staring at herself in the mirror and she knew. With every single fiber of her being, she knew that she had just hooked up with her husband. She wasn't sure how she knew but this felt different, so different than it had been with Richard or Kip or Jason or Pete or even that dude in the coma, it just felt so right, so perfect. It made her heart practically leap at how perfect it was.

Leave it to the Ross and Rachel drama to put a damper in the mood she was feeling. Rachel had decided to fly out to London to tell Ross she loved him which pissed Monica off although at the last moment, Rachel decided not to do that and the wedding went as planned until Ross said Rachel's name at the altar. Chandler and Monica, as well as everyone else, stood there shocked and Monica and Chandler ended up spending the remainder of their time in London comforting Ross. Monica had thought about comforting Rachel but was a little annoyed by what Rachel had done. Rachel flying to London had put an end to anymore possible encounters she and Chandler could have had and maybe that's how it had to be. Maybe Monica had been wrong, what happened in London stayed in London….

Although, when they got back from London, she wasn't sure what she wanted. It had been so perfect with Chandler, so good but that drama, the Ross/Rachel drama...that scared her as they stood in Monica's apartment, alone wondering what to do next.

"It was a one time thing," Monica tried.

"Right."

"I mean, look at Ross and Rachel...all the drama that...if that happened to us-"

"It won't happen to us."

"Right, do you know that?" Monica asked. That would kill her if that happened.

"No. But...well, how about this...I'm still on London time and...well, okay that counts, right?" Chandler asked.

"That counts," Monica said as she walked towards him, wrapping her arms around him, kissing him. She grabbed his hand and walked him into her room, shutting the door. This wasn't going to end. They had both wanted it for so long. Sure, maybe keeping it secret would be hard but that's what they would need to do. They both wanted it to be perfect, wonderful and drama free. It was difficult and there were a few times where they had been caught, but they would play it off….make up excuses.

She did feel bad about lying to Rachel and Phoebe and there were times she wanted to reveal all but when she lay there in his arms, him holding her tight there was no place else in the world she wanted to be and all that other stuff seemed to just melt away.

"So...okay, Phoebe or Rachel?" Monica asked.

"Whose hotter?"

"Yep."

"Giving it to Rachel because well, Phoebe is pregnant."

"Another question."

"What?"

"Have Phoebe and Joey ever...you know? Done it?" Monica asked.

"No," Chandler said, quickly.

"Chandler."

"Why are you asking?"

"Because Rachel and I think that Joey and Phoebe hooked up before London because Phoebe was getting really horny and stole an Evander Holyfield cutout from a Foot Locker-"

"Seriously?"

"Yeah and...that stopped suddenly and she was saying how amazing of a friend, Joey was."

"I can't...I...he is an amazing friend," Chandler said.

"Chandler...come on."

"No, I can't...I...no, sorry."

"Fine, I still think they did it."

"Let me ask you a question?" Chandler asked.

"What?"

"Phoebe or Rachel?"

"Whose hotter?" Monica asked.

"Yes...'cause you can't pick between Ross and Joey in that game, that's gross and if it's between me and Joey, I would hope there's only one answer," Chandler said.

"Joey?"

"Of course."

"So...do you think the others know?" Monica asked.

"I think they're suspecting something...Ross maybe not. He's still trying to call London."

"Oh, I feel so bad. His second marriage...this is so not going to end well. Can you tell me now what you put in those scones?" Monica asked.

"Bugs."

"Ewww...why?"

"'Cause...Rachel hates Emily and I kinda hate her too and we were talking and we came up with the idea."

"Scary...you two together."

Chandler laughed as he held her closer to him. They continued kissing, enjoying each other. It was a whole new world, the two of them could explore together. They really felt like the only two people in the world.

She loved truly getting to know Chandler, talk to him, get to know him. Sure she knew stories. She knew the extremely painful moments of his childhood, but there were also some fun ones. Ones that made her laugh and smile, she also told him stories of her life. She told her about the secret friendship contract Rachel had once made Monica sign telling her that they could only be secret friends, which Chandler found amusing. They talked about everything and she loved it. This relationship was so much better than it had ever been with Kip or Richard or Pete. It felt right.

Keeping it a secret though became a little more difficult when Phoebe had the triplets. Rachel had decided that she wanted to set herself and Monica up with two hot male nurses and Monica really wanted to get out of it. She kept trying get out of it and was trying until Chandler told her they were just messing around. When he said that, she was crushed. It made her briefly wonder if she had been completely wrong.

"So you're really gonna go out with him?" Chandler asked, approaching her after she had talked with the hot nurse man.

"Well...if we're just messing around...why not mess around with him?" Monica asked.

"Okay...look...um..okay," Chandler said, taking Monica's hand and leading her to one of the beds where they sat, "I don't know if you've looked up messing around in the dictionary but I-I have and the technical definition is two friends who have great sex and...just want to get to know each other better but if you have this dictionary that gets you mad at me...then we need to get you my original dictionary. G-d, I'm so bad at this."

Monica smiled at him, "I think you're better than you think you are."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"Mon, I don't want you messing around the hot nurse. I don't want you messing around with anyone else...I wanna...I wanna be with you. I wanna...to be near you and...I just...you're it for me."

"Really?" Monica asked, loving that his feelings for her were mutual.

"Yeah."

"Wow...I don't think I've ever...okay, I'll cancel. I'd rather go out with you anyway," Monica said as the two shared a kiss. Monica jumped off the bed and headed off in search of the hot guy to cancel the date.

Phoebe gave birth to triplets, a boy and two girls. There was Frank Junior Junior, Leslie and Chandler who was supposed to be a boy but a mistake in the sonogram turned out that the boy Chandler would be a girl Chandler. Monica had known about how Chandler had tricked Phoebe into naming one of the babies after him, it had been one of their late night conversations and now that Baby Chandler was a girl, Chandler was visibly upset that Phoebe was not changing the name.

"Karma's a bitch, isn't it?" Phoebe asked as the group sat in Phoebe's hospital room.

"Because I lied and pretended I hated my name, you're gonna keep it?" Chandler asked.

"Yep."

"That's not fair," Chandler said.

"No, it's perfectly fair," Phoebe said, sounding angry. Monica did feel sorry for him. Ever since that Yemen thing, his relationship with Phoebe was slowly changing and Monica knew how upset Chandler was about that.

"You know, Chandler is a pretty name for a girl," Rachel mused.

"Yes, yes it is," Phoebe said. "I still love you Chandler Bing. Even though you're a liar...although, you aren't lying to me about anything else...are you?"

Chandler jerked his head up and suddenly looked at Phoebe and then at Monica.

"I-I-I have to go to the bathroom," Chandler said, running out of the room.

"I'll be right back," Monica said as she walked out and grabbed Chandler by the elevator.

"Chandler."

"She hates me."

"She doesn't-"

"No...I just lost my best friend. I know it...it's just when Phoebe moved in, I felt like...I don't know."

"Talk to her. Come back tonight when everyone else is gone and talk to her. Phoebe does think the world of you Chandler, she's just...mad. You did go to Yemen on her birthday...come on."

"I know."

Chandler smiled as Monica gave him a kiss before they walked back into Phoebe's room. They would make up, Phoebe and Chandler would, she knew that but she now looked at those babies, those three precious were gorgeous. She sat by Phoebe's bed as she peered at one of them.

"This is gonna be hard," Phoebe said, looking at Monica with tears in her eyes.

"I know, sweetie….can I?" Monica asked. Phoebe nodded as Monica picked up one of the babies.

"That's Leslie," Phoebe said.

"How can you tell already?" Monica said.

"I can tell," Phoebe said.

Monica smiled as she looked at Leslie, sleeping in her arms. Her heart hurt for Phoebe, knowing Phoebe would have to give them up. She began to tear up as she could feel herself starting to cry. Life was going well now, she had the boyfriend she was meant to have but this….a baby. That would make it all okay, she wanted that.

That night, with Chandler making a visit to Phoebe at the hospital, Monica retreated to her room looking at her wedding book. She reached in one of her drawers and pulled out a Baby Name book and began to glance through it and as she read through it, she paired each name in her head with the last name Bing.

"Why did you cancel with the cute Nurse man?" Rachel asked, appearing in her doorway. Monica jumped and closed her wedding book and placed it over the baby name book. Rachel was looking at her curiously.

"Oh, I changed my mind," Monica said.

"Monica, what is going on?"

"Nothing...I was just looking at my old wedding book and laughing at some of my ideas," Monica tried.

"Are you hooking up with Chandler?" Rachel asked.

"No."

Rachel walked into Monica's room and sat on the bed. Monica hated lying to her but she really wanted to keep it all a secret.

"Mon….come on, you're both acting weird and at the hospital today, Chandler got very nervous that I had set you up and…"

"I'm seeing a guy from work," Monica said, immediately.

"Really? What's his name?" Rachel asked.

"Matthew."

"Seriously?"

"Look, it's brand new….all of this is so brand new and I don't want to mess it up and when there is something to tell….I will tell you but right now, I want to enjoy this and I want to keep this close to me. Is that okay?"

Rachel let out a sigh, "yeah, your secret boyfriend won't tell me anything either. Okay, fine. I do approve."

"Thank you."

Monica and Rachel shared a hug and when they were done, Rachel began to glance through Monica's wedding book, looking through each page.

"Rachel, how are you?" Monica asked, it was something she had been meaning to talk about ever since they had gotten back from London. Ross' marriage was in shambles and he kept trying to call Emily and track her down. Rachel had ended up on Ross and Emily's honeymoon and then made her way back, sad and upset. Rachel looked at her.

"I screwed up, didn't I?" Rachel asked.

"You did."

"Thanks."

"You should not have gone to London and he should have said Emily's name but….Rach-"

"Yeah…..this isn't all my fault."

"No, no but….look, what do you want from Ross?"

"I don't know. Part of me loves your brother so much and I want us to be together but he can be so jealous and he...he still...the we were on a break thing….and maybe….even though you won't admit it, you and your secret boyfriend are doing the right thing. I don't know. I don't know what I want. I love him and I hate him and I don't want him to date anyone else but I don't want to date him."

"You need to figure it out because here's the thing….there are now casualities. Julie, Bonnie...I'll even add Joshua, that actually might have turned into something had you not been so crazed and now Emily...people's feelings are now getting hurt."

"I know. I know. I need to figure it out."

"Quickly. Also, here's the other thing, I love you to death, you know that. You're like my sister….but Ross is my brother and I will always put him above you."

"I know that too."

"So what you pulled….not cool, Rach."

"I know."

Rachel nodded as she looked back at the wedding book. Monica noticed her sniffling and wiping tears away from her face. Monica felt bad that Rachel was crying but felt maybe it needed to be said. The Ross/Rachel drama was becoming too much to bear and now it was threatening her brother's second marriage.

It was Halloween weekend and Monica and Chandler had come up with the perfect idea for a get away weekend in Atlantic City. The idea was to get away from all the drama and also to stop hiding and pretending. Ross was still trying to deal with the fall out from what happened with Emily and Emily was giving him all sorts of crazy demands to make their marriage work and so Monica and Chandler decided to make up reasons to go to Atlantic City so they could actually act like a couple without the others but that first weekend turned into a disaster. Chandler was way too laid back, caring more about a car speed chase on television than a perfect room. It angered her that he didn't care about the quality of the room they stayed in considering it was his money that paid for it.

"Great," Monica said, "this one is good enough."

"Thank G-d," Chandler grumbled.

"Why are you upset?" Monica asked.

"Why wouldn't I be? You made that poor bellhop carry our luggage to ten different rooms. The first one was fine."

"The first one was filthy," Monica said.

"I paid for the room."

"Isn't this supposed to be our weekend, come on...I want this to be perfect."

"We're here...together, it is perfect. Who cares about the room?"

"I care. If it's dirty, I'm not going to be able to enjoy myself."

"Okay, let's enjoy ourselves," Chandler said, collapsing onto the bed.

"Aren't you going to unpack?"

"Why would I unpack? We're here for two days."

The tension between them kept rising and fighting increased. She realized that while she had been on a vacation with Chandler before, they had always been with other people. She even wondered if maybe she had made a mistake, they were too different. He didn't seem to care at all if things were neat.

When they got back from Atlantic City, the tension was still there. Monica and Chandler were still arguing and on top of that, Emily had a final demand for Ross to make their marriage work. Ross could no longer see Rachel anymore. There was a part of Monica that felt like she just wanted to take a trip on her own, without everyone.

"Yeah, but...Chandler, you told me you flew a toy plane at Kip's head," Rachel said, sitting in the big chair at Central Perk. It was after that failed Atlantic City weekend and Rachel was complaining to Joey, Phoebe, Chandler and Monica about how she would now be phased out of the group like Kip had been when Monica and Kip had broken up.

"I'm not going to do that to you. Rachel, it's different now. I swear," Chandler said. "Besides...Joey broke my plane. He flew it into a tree."

"Dude, get over it," Joey argued.

"No," Chandler said.

"Look, Rach...we're older now. We did handle that all wrong. We were young and...he dumped Monica on New Years Eve and-"

"Why did Kip get phased out in the first place? Is was because Monica and Kip broke up, right?" Rachel asked, cutting Phoebe off.

Monica let out a sigh as she looked at Chandler. It was complicated. Yes, she and Kip had broken up but there was a lot more to the story.

"Tell her," Monica said.

"You can't tell me what to do," Chandler said.

"Yes, I can," Monica said.

"What is wrong with you two?" Phoebe asked.

"Nothing," both said together.

"Wait...tell me what?" Rachel asked.

Chandler sighed, "I told Kip that...that I liked Monica. I'm not fond of her now-"

"Bite me," Monica said.

"Yeah, I would but you'd probably make me do it ten times before I got it right," Chandler said.

"Guys...what-" Joey said.

"Nothing," the two said again.

"Chandler," Rachel said.

"Okay, I told Kip that I liked Monica and then Kip started to date her. I was kinda mad at Kip. He wasn't phased out just because Monica and Kip broke up."

"Yeah, 'cause G-d knows I wish I had that kind of power...you know, to have all my friends phase out whoever pissed me off," Monica said, glaring at Chandler.

"Can we get back to me, please?" Rachel asked.

"Look, okay...and Rach, I phased out Kip because I was never close with him. I was closer with Chandler and Monica so I automatically sided with them. I'm closer to you than Ross. You're not getting phased out," Phoebe said.

"It's just...ugh, I hate this," Rachel said. "I'm gonna go. I have...this awful."

"Rach," Phoebe said.

"No, I have to go shopping," Rachel said, getting up and walking out of Central Perk, leaving Joey, Phoebe, Monica and Chandler alone.

"What is going on with you two?" Phoebe asked.

"Nothing," both Chandler and Monica said together. Phoebe and Joey exchanged a look. Monica knew they were making it too obvious, but she didn't care.

"Poor, Ross though...I couldn't imagine giving up any of you," Phoebe mused.

"I could," Monica said, looking straight at Chandler.

"Great. I'm gonna get coffee," Chandler said, getting up. Joey immediately stopped him.

"Wait, man...it's on me. My treat," Joey said.

"Dude...are you sick?" Chandler asked, very worried.

"No, no...just...I remembered...it's been twenty months, right?"Joey asked. Chandler was taken aback by that.

"Yeah. Yeah, it has. You remembered?" Chandler said.

"Of course," Joey said, patting Chandler on the back as they walked towards the counter. Monica looked over at Phoebe, confused.

"Twenty months?" Monica asked.

"He's been clean for twenty months. No drugs."

Monica's face suddenly softened as she looked over at Chandler. She suddenly felt absolutely awful. "I have to go," Monica said as she got up and walked out of Central Perk and back up to her apartment.

He had been clean for twenty months and she had forgotten. She had been so crazed about clean hotel rooms that she had forgotten something more important, her boyfriend had made it twenty months without using. That was amazing to her. She needed to do something for him, anything.

"So this is over?" Chandler asked, walking into her apartment about an hour later. She was sitting on her couch, trying to read but instead thinking about Chandler.

"What?" Monica asked, confused, getting up and looking at him. Where had that come from?

"What we had...it's over right?"

"Why?" Monica asked.

"'Cause last weekend and the fight-"

"It's not over...we just had a fight. Okay, look, I know I'm difficult and I'm sorry about making us change rooms but I don't wanna end this," Monica said as she placed her arms on his shoulders and he gently held her.

"Really?"

"Do you?"

"No...I just thought..."

"Chandler, you don't end a relationship because of one fight."

"We're in a relationship?"

"I'm afraid so."

"Good," Chandler said as they shared a kiss.

"And...as your girlfriend...I have to apologize for something else. I forgot. It was twenty months. It's the second time you've been clean for over a year," Monica said.

"It's fine, Mon."

"No, I wanna celebrate that. I wanna celebrate you. I'm so proud of you and I'm so happy...to be with you."

"Thank you...you're amazing, Mon."

"You too," Monica said as they kissed again, they were officially in a relationship and a few days later, the group minus Rachel were having dinner to celebrate Chandler's sobriety and also to help cheer up Ross. It was a joint party and when Rachel finally arrived after having gone shopping and having gone out to dinner with a guy who lived downstairs, she immediately walked into her room, despite the pleas from the others for her to stay.

"Emily would be furious if she knew I was here," Rachel said.

"I'll take the fall for it," Chandler said. "It's partially a dinner for me."

"You?" Rachel asked.

"He's been clean for twenty months, we all forgot," Phoebe said.

"Oh my G-d," Rachel said, covering her mouth. "I forgot too. Chandler, I'm so proud of you. I wish I had bought you something. Do you like capri pants?"

"Shockingly enough... no, seriously, Rachel, I want you here. If Emily finds out then I will explain it to her," Chandler said.

Rachel let out a sigh and nodded her head. She walked towards Chandler and gave him a hug. The good times did not last though as the phone soon rang and it was Emily. They had tried to play it off that Rachel wasn't with them but Ross gave up and told Emily that Rachel was with them. Emily did not sound too pleased.

"Do you want me to talk to her?" Chandler asked after Ross had taken Emily off speaker phone to talk to her.

"No, man. I'm not-this isn't your battle. You already fought yours. Twenty months ago. This should be your night and I don't want you taking the fall for this," Ross said as he grabbed the phone and walked out on to the balcony only to come back with the news that his short lived marriage was indeed over.