A/N - Thank you for your reviews, again. I hope you like this chapter...

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The Gift

Chapter Twelve - An Expected Surprise

Monica was admitted to the hospital for the night, but the doctor told her that the babies seemed to be perfectly healthy. However, he didn't want to take any chances with either her health or the babies' health. Better safe than sorry.

Rachel had already left with Rebecca once she discovered that Monica was going to be okay. She had promised to send Ross over later to check on her. Chandler refused to leave Monica's side.

"Chandler, please go home and get some rest. The doctor said that everything was fine. I can survive one night without you," she tried to reason with him.

"You can? Well, maybe you can, but I can't survive one night without you," he teased. He was holding her hand and stroking it gently. He raised it to his lips and kissed it tenderly.

"You are so full of it," she laughed.

"Only for you, babe," he grinned. "Why don't you try to get some sleep?"

"I don't know if I can," she replied. "I've got too much on my mind."

"Monica, please don't worry about this. You're going to be fine, and our babies are going to be fine. This is just a precautionary measure. You heard the doctor."

"I know that, but that's not what I was thinking about... Where are we, Chandler? I know men hate to hear that question, but I need to know. Are we really going somewhere with this or is this just because we're having children together?"

"No, Mon, that's not what this is about," he assured her. "I love you - more than I ever thought I could love anyone. I want to be with you for the rest of my life. The fact that we're having babies together is just icing on the cake," he smiled.

"Really, Chandler? Is this really what you want?" she asked doubtfully.

He could see how much she needed to know that he really was serious about this. The pregnancy hormones had completely altered her views on a lot of things lately. This was one of them. "Yes, this is what I want... Monica, I didn't want to tell you this here. Not now. But... I was going to propose tonight."

"Propose? Really?" she asked with wide eyes.

"Yes, really. I had this wonderful night planned for you. I even have a real engagement ring this time," he smiled, recalling his hasty proposal in Las Vegas. "I wanted this time to be special for you."

"Chandler, asking me to spend the rest of my life with you is pretty special - no matter how you do it," she said with tears in her eyes.

He reached up to brush her tears away with his fingers and then kissed her cheek. "You deserve everything you've always dreamed of, Monica. I love you so much. I just want you to be happy."

"I am," she assured him. "So, are you going to do it now?" she asked anxiously.

"What? Propose?" he asked.

"Yeah. What else would I be talking about?"

"But I don't have the ring with me. It's in my nightstand in our bedroom. Is it okay if I wait until we're home again?"

"Of course it's okay," she responded.

"The only problem with this is that you're going to know it's coming. It's like...an expected surprise," he smiled.

"I'm sure it will be wonderful," she assured him. "Now, will you please go home and get some sleep?"

"Honey, I'm not leaving you here alone tonight. I want to be here."

She simply smiled at him. "Thank you," she said quietly. "I love you."

He returned her smile and kissed her again. "I love you, too... Now get some sleep so you'll be ready to go home tomorrow."

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When morning came, the doctor did another exam and discovered that Monica and the babies were still doing well enough to go home. Dr. Walker told her that she needed to get plenty of rest, and that she shouldn't take on any unnecessary activities. Chandler promised the doctor that he would make sure that she abided by the rules, and took her home.

"You really need a shower," Monica said, wrinkling her nose, as Chandler unlocked the door to the apartment.

"Do I really smell that bad?" he laughed.

"Yes, you do. That's what happens when you won't go home, take a shower, and get some sleep," she responded.

"I'm sorry... I promise, I'll take one soon," he chuckled and helped her inside. He heard Monica gasp when she saw the living room.

"Chandler, this is beautiful," she said quietly. The apartment was filled with red roses, and tiny white Christmas lights were hung all around the room. "How did you do this?"

"Oh, I have my ways," he grinned.

She smiled at him and he helped her into the living room to sit down in the armchair. "Really, Chandler. How did you do this?"

"I had some help," he replied simply, then got down on one knee in front of her and took out a ring box, then opened it so she could see what was inside.

"Oh, Chandler," she uttered almost inaudibly.

"Monica, I love you. I can never say that to you enough, because there was one point when I thought I would never get to say that to you the way I mean it now - and know that you returned the feeling," he added with a grin. "We've been through a lot together. At first we were just friends, and that was incredible. I knew that you'd be there for me when I needed you, and I hope that you knew that I was always there for you. Then, when we decided to have a baby together, I felt so much closer to you. I don't think you'll ever know how much I really wanted that - and still want that... And then, finally, we crossed that line from friends to lovers, and I don't think anything has ever made me happier. I loved you then, and I love you even more now - if that's possible. We've been through a lot together - especially over the last year and a half - and I think that all of those things have made us stronger... I want to spend the rest of my life with you, Monica. You're the love of my life, and I can't imagine spending one second without knowing that we belong to each other forever... Monica Geller, will you marry me?"

Monica was sobbing quietly by the time Chandler finished his speech. She wiped away her tears and cupped his face in her hands. "Yes, Chandler, I'll marry you," she said quietly.

He smiled brightly and reached up to kiss her. Once they broke the kiss, he pulled away and took the ring from its box, then placed it on her finger. Well, tried to place it on her finger. "Uh oh," he said quietly when it wouldn't quite fit. "I must have gotten the wrong size."

"No," Monica replied. "My hands are a little swollen," she laughed through her tears of happiness. Any other time she would have been devastated, but she didn't care that it didn't fit. All that mattered to her was the fact that the man she loved was willing to spend the rest of his life with her. "I'll put it on a chain to wear around my neck until after the babies are born - and my hands are back to normal," she said and took it from him to get a closer look. "It's beautiful."

"I'm glad you like it," he replied and kissed her again. "Do you still think I stink?" he teased.

"Actually, yeah. I do," she laughed. "You should probably take a shower now," she suggested.

"All right. But only because my fiancee asked me to," he grinned.

"Then do your fiancee a favor and hand me the telephone. I'll make some phone calls while you're in the shower."

"You have to spread the news, huh?" he asked, smiling.

"Of course," she laughed.

He handed her the telephone and kissed her tenderly. "I can't wait until you're my wife."

"And I can't wait until you're my husband."

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The next afternoon, the six friends met in Central Perk. Although all of them had busy lives of their own now, they still managed to meet once a week in the familiar coffeehouse where they had spent so many wonderful times together.

"How are you feeling, Mon?" Ross asked. He knew that she probably shouldn't even be out of her apartment at the moment, but this was something she refused to miss.

"I'm fine, Ross. Chandler's taking really good care of me," she answered smiling at her fiancee.

"Good," her brother smiled, then turned to look around at the rest of the group. "So, what's new with everybody?" he asked. "Anything exciting?"

"Well, actually Joey and I have some news," Phoebe grinned. She was sitting in her husband's lap in the armchair. "We're gonna have a baby!" she exclaimed excitedly.

"Oh, Pheebs, that's great!" Rachel said happily and got up from her spot on the couch to hug her friend. "Congratulations, you two."

"I'd hug you, too, Pheebs, but I can't get up," Monica laughed. "I'm so happy for you guys," she said sincerely.

"Thanks," Phoebe replied, smiling brightly, then kissed Joey. "We can't wait."

"We're gonna have a lot of kids around here to spoil," Ross said, looking at Rachel. "You know, the aunts and uncles do a lot of the spoiling. We'll have our work cut out for us with baby Tribbiani and the Bing twins."

"Then we'll just have to make sure Becca is covered really well," Chandler teased.

"I'm sure you will," Ross laughed. "So... Anything new with you guys?" he asked, looking at Monica and Chandler.

"Actually, yes. There is something new with us," Monica smiled and looked over at Chandler. She hadn't been able to reach Rachel or Phoebe the night before, and now she was more than ready to share her good news. "We're engaged!"

"Wow! Congratulations!" Rachel said and got up to hug her friend, just as she had done with Phoebe.

"Oh! You're getting married and we're having a baby! This is so exciting!" Phoebe exclaimed and followed Rachel's lead.

"Yeah, their engagement is exciting, but our baby news is better," Joey interrupted. "I already knew he was asking her to marry him," he added, gesturing toward Chandler.

"You knew?! You knew and you didn't tell me?!" Phoebe yelled. "Joseph Francis Tribbiani, you're supposed to tell your wife everything!"

"Hey! Don't be mad at me!" he replied. "Ross knew about it, too!"

Rachel looked at Ross angrily. "You knew, too?! I cannot believe that you didn't tell me about this! You should have known that I would want to know!"

"Hey, we only knew because Chandler needed our help." Ross tried to defend Joey and himself, but he wasn't successful.

"We could've helped, too," Phoebe responded and looked at Chandler. "Why couldn't we help, too?"

"Um..." He looked at both angry women nervously, then looked at Monica. "Mon, help me out here," he pleaded.

"Oh, no, Mr. Bing. You got yourself into this one, and you can get yourself out of it," she said with a smirk.

"Oh brother," Chandler sighed. "A pregnant woman and an uninformed gossip. What's a man to do?"

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A/N - I hope you liked this chapter. The proposal got a little long, and a little sappy, but I couldn't help it... And, in response to one of the reviews... No, I'm not that cruel. lol Please let me know what you thought.