"He's eight months old," Chandler told his mother as she cooed over Jackson three weeks later.
"I can't believe I have a grandson," Nora Bing gushed as she made silly faces at the baby. "I'm your grandma," she told him. "Aren't you a handsome one?"
"Well, like father, like son," Chandler muttered from the kitchen, where he stood next to Monica as she stirred the spaghetti sauce.
"I can't argue with that," she said with a grin as she reached up and pecked him on the cheek. He grinned back down at her, and sighed again as he glanced over his shoulder at his mother, who was entertaining Jackson.
"I think I should take him from her," he said aloud as he grabbed a piece of bread from the countertop.
"Why?" Monica asked absently as she looked intently at her sauce, debating about whether or not to add more pepper.
"Because... I have seen firsthand the damage that woman can do to children. Hell, I'm living proof!" Monica chuckled, but silenced when she saw his somber expression.
"Chandler," she said sighing, "it's going to be fine. Just try to have a good time this evening, okay? She is, after all, your mother. And either way, by midnight she'll be back at her hotel and tomorrow morning she'll be on her way to Paris." He sighed and buried his face in her neck as he wrapped his arms around her waist.
"I think," came the muffled voice, "that by midnight I'm going to be ready for some fun that will take my mind off of my mother." She grinned.
"Is that an invitation to stay overnight?" she asked coyly. He grinned, eyes twinkling, and leaned in to murmur in her ear.
"That's an OPEN invitation," he told her, and she felt a shiver run down her spine as he released her. As she regained her senses, she turned to look at Nora and Jackson.
"Well," she said after a moment, "it's not like you can blame her for being impressed with him. After all, he IS adorable." Chandler grinned.
"Yeah, he is," he agreed proudly, and walked into the living room to supervise his mother's entertainment of his son.
"Well, thank you for dinner, Monica, dear, it was wonderful to see you again," Nora said as Chandler helped her into her coat. "And don't you let my son give you too much trouble, you hear?"
"I won't, Nora," Mon replied, smiling. Chandler kissed her on the cheek and she was gone, ordering him to watch "that grandson of hers" as she walked away. He closed the door and leaned against it, sighing.
"Well, that was relatively painless," he said after a moment. Monica grinned, pulling him back to a standing position as she went behind him and began rubbing his shoulders. "Mmm... that feels good," he murmured, rolling his head to stretch out his neck.
"Why do you get so tense when she comes around?" Monica asked curiously. "I mean, I'm no stranger to parent-related anxiety, but she's really not that bad."
"No, I know she's not," Chandler agreed. "It's just that... I almost feel as though sometimes I'm more responsible than my own mother, and I just... I really don't like that feeling." She nodded sympathetically. "I guess..." He sighed resignedly. "I guess it's just that, especially now, when I see her, I remember how much I hated my childhood. And now that I'm the parent... I just worry that I'm going to screw up Jack's life. That's all."
"Oh, Chandler," she said softly. "You're not like your parents. You're going to give that kid a wonderful childhood, I know it." She paused, wondering whether she should continue, eventually deciding that she would. "And I fully intend on being around to help you do it." When he heard those words, he felt as though he could happily melt right there and then. He leaned in and kissed her lightly on the mouth, and as he pulled away she grinned. "Why don't you go over to your place and get Jack ready for bed. I'll clean up here and meet you over there, okay?" Chandler nodded, kissing her again and picking up his son.
"Come on, pal," he said. "We know when we're not wanted." Mon smiled and rolled her eyes as the two exited, turning to deal with the pots and plates.
As he finished changing Jack's diaper, he picked him up and walked into the living room, deep in thought. He placed the baby on one of the barcaloungers and knelt in front of him. "I promise you," he said gently as he looked into the baby's sky blue eyes. "I promise that I will do anything in my power to make sure you're happy," he vowed. "Anything and everything." Jackson smiled, reaching his hand toward Chandler's face.
"Da," he said proudly, and yawned, rubbing his eye with one of his tiny fists. Chandler smiled and stood up, lifting the baby with him. He walked over to the stereo, scanning his CD collection until he found the right one, and placed it in the player. As the beginning chords of the song began, he laid down on the couch and placed the baby facedown on his stomach, lightly brushing his fine hair with his fingers. He smiled as he heard the baby heave a small sigh and closed his eyes.
Close your eyes,
Have no fear.
The monster's gone,
He's on the run,
And your daddy's here.
Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful,
Beautiful boy.
Before you go to sleep,
Say a little prayer.
Every day, in every way,
It's getting better and better.
Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful,
Beautiful boy.
Out on the ocean,
Sailing away.
I can hardly wait
To see you come of age.
But I guess we'll both just have to be patient.
'Cause it's a long way to go.
A hard row to hoe.
Yes, it's a long way to go,
But in the meantime.
Before you cross the street,
Take my hand.
Life is what happens to you
While you're busy making other plans.
Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful,
Beautiful boy.
Before you go to sleep,
Say a little prayer.
Every day in every way,
it's getting better and better.
Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful,
Beautiful boy.
Monica stood near the counter, gazing at the heartwarming scene with a small smile on her lips. She didn't want to disturb them, and she wished she had a photograph of the two of them, although she knew that it was a sight she wouldn't soon forget. As the lyrics died down, Chandler opened his eyes slowly and smiled when he saw Monica standing nearby. "Hey, you," he said in a low voice. She smiled back and nodded toward Jackson.
"He asleep?"
"I think so," Chandler replied after a moment, and gently stood up, trying not to wake the baby. "I'll put him in bed," he said softly. He walked toward what used to be Joey's room but had become Jack's when Joey had offered to move in with Ross to give them more room. Monica sighed, her heart still warm from the image of father and son dozing together. Chandler emerged and she smiled. He offered her a small one in return, and went back to his CD player, hitting some buttons until he found another song on the disc. As it began, he walked over to her and took her gently into his arms, smiling as she wrapped her arms around his neck.
All my little plans and schemes
Gone like some forgotten dream.
Seems like all I really was doing
Was waiting for you.
Just like little girls and boys
Playing with their little toys.
Seems like all we really were doing
Was waiting for love.
No need to be alone,
No need to be alone.
It's real love, yes it's real.
Yes it's real love, it's real.
From this moment on I know
Exactly where my life will go,
Seems like all I really was doing
Was waiting for love.
Thought I'd been in love before
But in my heart I wanted more.
Seems like all I really was doing
Was waiting for you.
No need to be afraid,
No need to be afraid,
It's real love, yes, it's real.
Yes, it's real love, yes it's real.
As she gazed up at him, basking in the happiness that had suddenly taken over her life, the song drew to a close and he bent down and kissed her lovingly. She kissed him back, treasuring the feeling of being with him. Everything about him... the way he held her, the way he kissed her, the way he made love to her... she couldn't imagine anything better, and as the kiss broke he noticed that she had tears in her eyes. He smiled, recognizing them as happy tears, and gently kissed her forehead. "I love you," he murmured, causing the tears to spill. She gazed up at him, finally feeling like her life was perfect.
"I love you, too," she told him, smiling at the broad grin that took over his formerly serious face and standing on her tiptoes to kiss him again.
"Well, Mr. Bing," she said, pulling back and looking into his eyes. "Whatever happened to that invitation?" He grinned and scooped her up into his arms.
"Your invitation awaits you," he said with a grin, carrying her into his room.
"Happy birthday, Jack," Chandler read off the cake Monica had baked. He grinned as he admired the bear Mon had drawn out of icing. "It's great, sweetheart," he said, kissing her gently. "You think he'll like it?" Monica asked nervously, picking up the cake and sliding in into Chandler's fridge.
"Are you kidding? I think we'll be lucky if he even registers that it's got anything on it before he's wearing most of it," Chandler mused. As Monica glowered slightly, he chuckled, pulling her into his arms. "I think he'll love it," he assured her. She smiled, and leaned in to kiss him as Ross and Joey entered with Jack.
"We're back!" Ross greeted as they closed the door.
"There's the birthday boy!" Monica said with a smile as Jack grinned and clapped his hands. Although he didn't entirely register what was going on, he knew that he was getting lots of attention and loving it. "Okay," she said, turning to the three guys. "Why don't you," she said pointing to Joey, "find my camera. You," she said, pointing to Ross, "go get Rachel and Phoebe. And you," she said pointing to Chandler, "get him changed so that we can give him his cake and presents." As they all fanned out to complete their assigned tasks, Monica sighed as she cleared her frosting tools off the counter. Moments later, Chandler emerged from his room, carrying a freshly dressed Jackson.
"You know," he said thoughtfully, "I don't know why I bother putting him into clean clothes. They're about to get trashed anyway." Monica laughed.
"Because," she argued, "I want him to at least look nice for the before pictures." Chandler sighed, once again going along with what he was told. He had learned, oftentimes the hard way, not to argue with Monica when she had an opinion about something, and he trusted her especially when it came to Jackson.
Twenty minutes later, as anticipated, Jack was covered in icing and chocolate cake and was laughing as he played with the ribbon off of one of his gifts.
"You know," Chandler said dejectedly as he watched his son, "I thought that whole idea of kids' fascination with wrapping materials and boxes was a myth. I guess it would have been just as well to get him a cardboard box after all." Monica laughed and ruffled his hair lovingly.
"You're too cute," she said with a smile as she stood up to clear away the cake plates. As Chandler attempted to wipe at least some of the cake from Jack's face, there was a knock on the door. "Could you get that, sweetheart?" Monica asked, her hands immersed in soapy water. Chandler nodded and stood up, placing the frosting-covered cloth on the table. As he opened the door, he felt his heart leap into his throat and his breath catch in his chest as he realized that there, on the other side of his door, looking anxious and uncomfortable, was Kathy.
*I'LL CONTINUE IF PEOPLE WANT ME TO! LET ME KNOW! NOTE: BOTH OF THE SONGS USED IN THIS FIC ARE BY JOHN LENNON: "BEAUTIFUL BOY (DARLING BOY)" AND "REAL LOVE" THANKS FOR READING!*
"I can't believe I have a grandson," Nora Bing gushed as she made silly faces at the baby. "I'm your grandma," she told him. "Aren't you a handsome one?"
"Well, like father, like son," Chandler muttered from the kitchen, where he stood next to Monica as she stirred the spaghetti sauce.
"I can't argue with that," she said with a grin as she reached up and pecked him on the cheek. He grinned back down at her, and sighed again as he glanced over his shoulder at his mother, who was entertaining Jackson.
"I think I should take him from her," he said aloud as he grabbed a piece of bread from the countertop.
"Why?" Monica asked absently as she looked intently at her sauce, debating about whether or not to add more pepper.
"Because... I have seen firsthand the damage that woman can do to children. Hell, I'm living proof!" Monica chuckled, but silenced when she saw his somber expression.
"Chandler," she said sighing, "it's going to be fine. Just try to have a good time this evening, okay? She is, after all, your mother. And either way, by midnight she'll be back at her hotel and tomorrow morning she'll be on her way to Paris." He sighed and buried his face in her neck as he wrapped his arms around her waist.
"I think," came the muffled voice, "that by midnight I'm going to be ready for some fun that will take my mind off of my mother." She grinned.
"Is that an invitation to stay overnight?" she asked coyly. He grinned, eyes twinkling, and leaned in to murmur in her ear.
"That's an OPEN invitation," he told her, and she felt a shiver run down her spine as he released her. As she regained her senses, she turned to look at Nora and Jackson.
"Well," she said after a moment, "it's not like you can blame her for being impressed with him. After all, he IS adorable." Chandler grinned.
"Yeah, he is," he agreed proudly, and walked into the living room to supervise his mother's entertainment of his son.
"Well, thank you for dinner, Monica, dear, it was wonderful to see you again," Nora said as Chandler helped her into her coat. "And don't you let my son give you too much trouble, you hear?"
"I won't, Nora," Mon replied, smiling. Chandler kissed her on the cheek and she was gone, ordering him to watch "that grandson of hers" as she walked away. He closed the door and leaned against it, sighing.
"Well, that was relatively painless," he said after a moment. Monica grinned, pulling him back to a standing position as she went behind him and began rubbing his shoulders. "Mmm... that feels good," he murmured, rolling his head to stretch out his neck.
"Why do you get so tense when she comes around?" Monica asked curiously. "I mean, I'm no stranger to parent-related anxiety, but she's really not that bad."
"No, I know she's not," Chandler agreed. "It's just that... I almost feel as though sometimes I'm more responsible than my own mother, and I just... I really don't like that feeling." She nodded sympathetically. "I guess..." He sighed resignedly. "I guess it's just that, especially now, when I see her, I remember how much I hated my childhood. And now that I'm the parent... I just worry that I'm going to screw up Jack's life. That's all."
"Oh, Chandler," she said softly. "You're not like your parents. You're going to give that kid a wonderful childhood, I know it." She paused, wondering whether she should continue, eventually deciding that she would. "And I fully intend on being around to help you do it." When he heard those words, he felt as though he could happily melt right there and then. He leaned in and kissed her lightly on the mouth, and as he pulled away she grinned. "Why don't you go over to your place and get Jack ready for bed. I'll clean up here and meet you over there, okay?" Chandler nodded, kissing her again and picking up his son.
"Come on, pal," he said. "We know when we're not wanted." Mon smiled and rolled her eyes as the two exited, turning to deal with the pots and plates.
As he finished changing Jack's diaper, he picked him up and walked into the living room, deep in thought. He placed the baby on one of the barcaloungers and knelt in front of him. "I promise you," he said gently as he looked into the baby's sky blue eyes. "I promise that I will do anything in my power to make sure you're happy," he vowed. "Anything and everything." Jackson smiled, reaching his hand toward Chandler's face.
"Da," he said proudly, and yawned, rubbing his eye with one of his tiny fists. Chandler smiled and stood up, lifting the baby with him. He walked over to the stereo, scanning his CD collection until he found the right one, and placed it in the player. As the beginning chords of the song began, he laid down on the couch and placed the baby facedown on his stomach, lightly brushing his fine hair with his fingers. He smiled as he heard the baby heave a small sigh and closed his eyes.
Close your eyes,
Have no fear.
The monster's gone,
He's on the run,
And your daddy's here.
Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful,
Beautiful boy.
Before you go to sleep,
Say a little prayer.
Every day, in every way,
It's getting better and better.
Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful,
Beautiful boy.
Out on the ocean,
Sailing away.
I can hardly wait
To see you come of age.
But I guess we'll both just have to be patient.
'Cause it's a long way to go.
A hard row to hoe.
Yes, it's a long way to go,
But in the meantime.
Before you cross the street,
Take my hand.
Life is what happens to you
While you're busy making other plans.
Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful,
Beautiful boy.
Before you go to sleep,
Say a little prayer.
Every day in every way,
it's getting better and better.
Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful,
Beautiful boy.
Monica stood near the counter, gazing at the heartwarming scene with a small smile on her lips. She didn't want to disturb them, and she wished she had a photograph of the two of them, although she knew that it was a sight she wouldn't soon forget. As the lyrics died down, Chandler opened his eyes slowly and smiled when he saw Monica standing nearby. "Hey, you," he said in a low voice. She smiled back and nodded toward Jackson.
"He asleep?"
"I think so," Chandler replied after a moment, and gently stood up, trying not to wake the baby. "I'll put him in bed," he said softly. He walked toward what used to be Joey's room but had become Jack's when Joey had offered to move in with Ross to give them more room. Monica sighed, her heart still warm from the image of father and son dozing together. Chandler emerged and she smiled. He offered her a small one in return, and went back to his CD player, hitting some buttons until he found another song on the disc. As it began, he walked over to her and took her gently into his arms, smiling as she wrapped her arms around his neck.
All my little plans and schemes
Gone like some forgotten dream.
Seems like all I really was doing
Was waiting for you.
Just like little girls and boys
Playing with their little toys.
Seems like all we really were doing
Was waiting for love.
No need to be alone,
No need to be alone.
It's real love, yes it's real.
Yes it's real love, it's real.
From this moment on I know
Exactly where my life will go,
Seems like all I really was doing
Was waiting for love.
Thought I'd been in love before
But in my heart I wanted more.
Seems like all I really was doing
Was waiting for you.
No need to be afraid,
No need to be afraid,
It's real love, yes, it's real.
Yes, it's real love, yes it's real.
As she gazed up at him, basking in the happiness that had suddenly taken over her life, the song drew to a close and he bent down and kissed her lovingly. She kissed him back, treasuring the feeling of being with him. Everything about him... the way he held her, the way he kissed her, the way he made love to her... she couldn't imagine anything better, and as the kiss broke he noticed that she had tears in her eyes. He smiled, recognizing them as happy tears, and gently kissed her forehead. "I love you," he murmured, causing the tears to spill. She gazed up at him, finally feeling like her life was perfect.
"I love you, too," she told him, smiling at the broad grin that took over his formerly serious face and standing on her tiptoes to kiss him again.
"Well, Mr. Bing," she said, pulling back and looking into his eyes. "Whatever happened to that invitation?" He grinned and scooped her up into his arms.
"Your invitation awaits you," he said with a grin, carrying her into his room.
"Happy birthday, Jack," Chandler read off the cake Monica had baked. He grinned as he admired the bear Mon had drawn out of icing. "It's great, sweetheart," he said, kissing her gently. "You think he'll like it?" Monica asked nervously, picking up the cake and sliding in into Chandler's fridge.
"Are you kidding? I think we'll be lucky if he even registers that it's got anything on it before he's wearing most of it," Chandler mused. As Monica glowered slightly, he chuckled, pulling her into his arms. "I think he'll love it," he assured her. She smiled, and leaned in to kiss him as Ross and Joey entered with Jack.
"We're back!" Ross greeted as they closed the door.
"There's the birthday boy!" Monica said with a smile as Jack grinned and clapped his hands. Although he didn't entirely register what was going on, he knew that he was getting lots of attention and loving it. "Okay," she said, turning to the three guys. "Why don't you," she said pointing to Joey, "find my camera. You," she said, pointing to Ross, "go get Rachel and Phoebe. And you," she said pointing to Chandler, "get him changed so that we can give him his cake and presents." As they all fanned out to complete their assigned tasks, Monica sighed as she cleared her frosting tools off the counter. Moments later, Chandler emerged from his room, carrying a freshly dressed Jackson.
"You know," he said thoughtfully, "I don't know why I bother putting him into clean clothes. They're about to get trashed anyway." Monica laughed.
"Because," she argued, "I want him to at least look nice for the before pictures." Chandler sighed, once again going along with what he was told. He had learned, oftentimes the hard way, not to argue with Monica when she had an opinion about something, and he trusted her especially when it came to Jackson.
Twenty minutes later, as anticipated, Jack was covered in icing and chocolate cake and was laughing as he played with the ribbon off of one of his gifts.
"You know," Chandler said dejectedly as he watched his son, "I thought that whole idea of kids' fascination with wrapping materials and boxes was a myth. I guess it would have been just as well to get him a cardboard box after all." Monica laughed and ruffled his hair lovingly.
"You're too cute," she said with a smile as she stood up to clear away the cake plates. As Chandler attempted to wipe at least some of the cake from Jack's face, there was a knock on the door. "Could you get that, sweetheart?" Monica asked, her hands immersed in soapy water. Chandler nodded and stood up, placing the frosting-covered cloth on the table. As he opened the door, he felt his heart leap into his throat and his breath catch in his chest as he realized that there, on the other side of his door, looking anxious and uncomfortable, was Kathy.
*I'LL CONTINUE IF PEOPLE WANT ME TO! LET ME KNOW! NOTE: BOTH OF THE SONGS USED IN THIS FIC ARE BY JOHN LENNON: "BEAUTIFUL BOY (DARLING BOY)" AND "REAL LOVE" THANKS FOR READING!*