PART FOUR... I KNOW YOU'RE SHOCKED THAT IT GOT DONE SO QUICKLY, LOL. :-) ANYWAY, THANK YOU TO THE PEOPLE WHO LEFT REVIEWS FOR THE LAST PART(S) -- THEY ARE MUCH APPRECIATED! PLEASE CONTINUE THE TREND... LEAVE ONE FOR THIS PART, AS WELL! ANYWAY... THE END IS NEAR... ENJOY!

Tomorrow. As she sat on the window seat looking through a photo album, Monica allowed the tears to roll freely down her cheeks, not bothering to fight them. Chandler, her Chandler, the love of her life, would be married tomorrow. Tomorrow he would promise to love another woman forever, and they would go off and start a life of their own. She ran her fingertips gently around the edge of one of the pages in her album, a page that had somehow managed to end up with only pictures of her and Chandler on it. The first one had been taken back when they'd all gone to Montauk to see Phoebe's birth mom -- it was of Chandler standing in the water with Monica on his shoulders. The second was from the night of one of Ross's museum benefits -- they were both dressed up and Chandler had his arm around her waist as they smiled, each with a glass of champagne in their hands. Her favorite, though, was the third one on the page. It was newer than the other two, and it was simply Chandler sitting on the couch and Monica had leaned over from behind him and draped her arms over his shoulders. She was grinning at the camera and he was grinning sideways at her. She felt another pang as she realized that, as much as anything, she missed that familiarity that she'd had with him. Underneath all of the passion and romance he had always been her best friend, and suddenly not only had she lost the love of her life, she'd lost her best friend as well. She sighed as she gazed at the pictures from so long ago. "If only I'd seen it earlier," she thought to herself as she looked at the photos of their younger days. "He never would have gotten involved with Kathy in the first place." She sighed. "If only I'd realized." As she heard a familiar song begin to play on the radio, she quietly leaned forward and turned up the volume, her tears starting once again as the relativity of the lyrics hit her.

It's time to let you go,
It's time to say goodbye,
There's no more excuses,
No more tears to cry.
There's been so many changes,
I was so confused,
All along you were the one,
All the time I never knew.

I want you to be happy,
You're my best friend.
But it's so hard to let you go now,
All that could have been.
I'll always have the memories,
She'll always have you.
Fate has a way of changing,
Just when you don't want it to.

Throw away the chains,
Let love fly away.
'Till love comes again,
I'll be okay.

Life passes so quickly,
You've gotta take the time.
Or you'll miss what really matters,
You'll miss all the signs.
I've spent my life searching
For what was always there.
Sometimes it will be too late,
Sometimes it won't be fair.

Throw away the chains,
Let love fly away.
'Till love comes again,
I'll be okay.

I won't give up,
I won't give in,
I can't recreate
What just might have been.
I know that my heart
Will find love again,
Now is the time to begin.
Throw away the chains,
Let love fly away,
'Till love comes again,
I'll be okay.

As the song ended, Monica glanced around the apartment, attempting to dry the tears that were still falling. She was glad that no one was around -- Ross and Joey were both at Chandler's bachelor party and Rachel and Phoebe had gone to Kathy's bash. Monica had been invited as well, but she was fully aware of the fact that she would undoubtedly be unable to contain her emotions while listening to Kathy's pre-wedding gushing and jittering, and so she'd told them that she wasn't feeling well. It wasn't entirely a lie -- after all, she DIDN'T feel well -- she had a broken heart and she felt like hell. All she could think about was that in less than 24 hours, Chandler would be someone else's husband, and they would be on their way to the Caribbean to celebrate their honeymoon. The idea of Chandler on a honeymoon with another woman made Monica feel physically ill, and she hastily pushed the thought away. Suddenly overcome by the desperation of her situation, she rose from the window seat and closed the album forcefully, placing it below the lid of the seat and then closing the bench and covering it with a blanket. She looked around at the apartment, ultimately deciding that cleaning would be the best thing to do -- it would minimize the reminders of Chandler and would give her something to concentrate on. She flipped through the radio stations until she found a more upbeat song, an old Springsteen hit that she loved, turned up the volume, and quickly began to vacuum.

"Monica, you ready?" Rachel was buzzing around the apartment, frantically searching for her earrings. "Mon?" Suddenly the door opened and Phoebe walked in. "Hey, Pheebs! Wow, you look so pretty!" Phoebe grinned. "Monica! Come on, Chandler wants us to be at the church in half an hour!" Mon emerged slowly from her bedroom, dressed and ready to go. "Aw, sweetie, you look great." Monica mumbled a thank you, closed her bedroom door, and walked toward them.
"You also kinda look like hell, though," Phoebe observed. Monica simply looked at her, not even surprised at Phoebe's bluntness. "I mean... you look upset... your clothes look great, but you look... upset. Are you okay?" Monica nodded.
"Just tired. Didn't get much sleep last night." Phoebe nodded, and then giggled.
"You should see Chandler. He looks like he didn't sleep a wink, but even so, I've never seen him so wired. I think he must have had, like, twelve cups of coffee already... the man is borderline hyperactive."
"Well, if Mr. Commitment-phobe were calm on his wedding day, we'd KNOW there was something wrong," Rachel commented, laughing.
Monica tried to hide her misery, hoping that both Phoebe and Rachel were too excited to notice her less than enthusiastic mood. While she wasn't about to do something dramatic in an attempt to stop Chandler's wedding, she had never felt so filled with dread in her entire life. Ultimately, regardless of what happened, she loved him enough to want him to be happy, and if marrying Kathy would do it, she wasn't going to ruin it for him.
"Mon?" Rachel's voice interrupted her thoughts and she frowned slightly when Monica jumped.
"Yeah?"
"You ready?" Monica nodded. "Sweetie, are you sure you're okay?" Rachel asked, concerned at her roommate's apparent despondency.
"I'm fine," Monica assured her. "Let's go." She grabbed her purse and exited the apartment, and after sharing a concerned look, Rachel and Phoebe followed.

As they entered the church, Monica sighed when she saw the flowers attached to each pew. She remembered how much time she'd spent trying to organize her and Chandler's wedding, and being in the decorated church suddenly brought it all rushing back. She felt her eyes mist and she quickly blinked, determined not to make a scene. She knew she had to get over him and allow him to be happy, and although she couldn't imagine that being possible, she knew that she didn't have a choice. Her reminiscing was interrupted by Phoebe's voice.
"Look, there are the guys!" Monica turned and followed her gaze, taking a deep breath to steady her ragged breathing when she saw Chandler. He was standing in between Ross and Joey, his best men, obviously undergoing a pep talk. The girls approached them smiling warmly, Monica trailing slightly behind Rachel and Phoebe. "Hey, Mr. Groom-to-Be," Rachel greeted him. He smiled nervously.
"Hey, guys. You all look great." The girls said their various thank-you's and Rachel was the first to hug him.
"Congratulations, Chandler, you guys are going to be so happy."
"Thanks, Rach." Phoebe followed suit, giving him a hug and advising him that if he carried the testicle of a bull in his pocket, it would make his marriage a fertile one. "Uh, thanks, Pheebs... if I'd have known I would have looked into that."
"Hey, I can see if my friend Fritzi can find you one before the ceremony... she's good at that kind of stuff."
"No, that's okay," he assured her quickly. "Rented tux." Phoebe seemed to accept this excuse and smiled once more, stepping aside to allow Monica to congratulate him. Chandler glanced at her nervously as she took a deep breath.
"Congratulations," she whispered as she hugged him and felt him wrap his arms around her gently.
"Thanks," he whispered back, and while she thought he hugged her a second longer than the others, she dismissed the feeling quickly, not wanting to make things harder than they already were. As she pulled away, she noticed the concerned look in his eyes and she suddenly felt guilty -- he was worried about her and it was supposed to be his special day. She tried to smile at him to reassure him that she was all right, and felt slightly better when he smiled back. "You look great," he said, not wanting their conversation to be so short and formal. She forced another smile.
"Thanks, so do you." And he did, his tux fitting him perfectly, the gray vest contrasting nicely with his clear blue eyes that held an undeniable sparkle. He grinned again.
"Thanks." Monica lowered her voice in an attempt to make the air less heavy. "Good call on the bull's ball... probably not exactly a fashion statement. Don't worry, though, I put some in the sandwiches for the reception." Chandler beamed, elated to hear her joking around.
"Sounds... delicious," he lied. She smiled once more, pleased with herself for managing not to let her depression dictate her words. "Okay," he said, addressing the group as he nervously rubbed his hands together. "Can you guys seat people? I mean, I know that those... usher-people are supposed to do that, but I'd... I'd just feel a lot better if you guys were helping out. Is that okay?" They all assured him that it was no problem and he smiled gratefully. "Thanks, guys. Listen, before this all turns into... well, chaos, I just want to say... thank you. You guys are more like my family than anything and... well... just... I love you guys." They all smiled warmly and Rachel hugged him again.
"We all love you, too," she replied. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I see that the first guest has arrived." She walked toward the doors of the church, greeting the arriving guests with a smile. Phoebe followed suit with Joey close behind. Monica smiled once more at Chandler before she turned to follow them. Ross went to fall in step beside her, but was yanked back by Chandler.
"Dude, stay here, keep me calm. I know Joey's my best man, too, but... well, y'know... he's Joey. I need... some words of wisdom." Ross nodded and Monica walked toward where the guests were beginning to trickle in at a steady flow. She smiled at the first couple who weren't being advised yet and approached them, trying to be cheerful despite the aching void that had taken over the space where her heart used to beat.

"Mrs. Bing!" Monica tried to maintain the false happiness that had successfully been her disposition for the past half an hour. Seeing Chandler's mother only deepened her feeling of loss -- she had looked forward to being her daughter-in-law, as she always got along with Nora better than her own mother.
"Monica, dear... Nora, remember?"
"Right, Nora," Monica agreed, nodding. "Would you like me to take you to see Chandler?"
"I'd love that," Nora agreed, smiling proudly. "Can you believe it? Chandler getting married."
"No, Nora, I'm not sure that I can," she replied honestly, fighting to keep her voice light. "Ross!" She grabbed hold of his jacket as he walked by them. "Where's Chandler?"
"Bathroom," Ross replied. "Those numerous cups of coffee are catching up with him." Monica nodded as he continued toward the guests to seat some more.
"Well, Nora... you look lovely."
"Why, thank you, Monica. You look beautiful... I love your hair up like that!"
"Oh, thanks," Monica said, nervously touching her twist. "My mother hates it when I wear it up."
"Oh, don't be silly, it looks wonderful," Nora assured her. Monica smiled and blushed, her expression suddenly changing when she saw the necklace around Nora's neck. It was, without a doubt, the same necklace that Chandler had given her the last time they'd been together. She swallowed the lump in her throat and tried to sustain her smile.
"That's a beautiful necklace," she said lightly.
"Oh, thank you. You know, this used to belong to Chandler's grandmother," Nora said as she reached up and touched the choker.
"Really?" Monica asked, trying to sound curious.
"Yes, Mr. Bing's mother gave it to me shortly before she died. It was one of her most valuable possessions, as well as one of her most prized. She seemed to think it was magical or something."
"Magical?" Monica repeated, now genuinely curious. Nora laughed slightly and waved her hand dismissively and tapped her head with her index finger.
"Yeah... I don't think old Granny Bing was all there, if you know what I mean. Still, she seemed to think it held some magical powers or some nonsense like that. Apparently it belonged to an older relative of hers who gave it to her on her wedding day, telling her some superstitious tale about how it could read thoughts and dictate them to life, or some such gibberish. Like, on wedding days, if the bride was unsure about marrying the groom, it would doom the marriage, but if she never questioned the union, it would be a blessed marriage." Nora shrugged nonchalantly. "I just wear it because I think it's unique."
"Yes, it is," Monica replied half-heartedly, deep in thought. "There's Chandler, "she said after a moment, pointing toward the back of the church.
"Ah, yes, there he is. Well, Monica, it was wonderful talking to you. I'm sure I'll get to speak with you at the reception." Monica nodded silently and watched as Nora approached Chandler and gave him a kiss on the cheek. Her mind was awash with Nora's words and the tale of the necklace. While she had never in her life believed in superstitions or old wives' tales, she suddenly found herself considering the possibility of the necklace's role in her current situation. If what Chandler's grandmother had believed held some truth, perhaps it was possible. She tried to push the thoughts away, dismissing them as absurd, but at the same time the entire situation was absurd -- suddenly waking up with her whole life in a mess was far from normal and if something as illogical as that could happen, surely a necklace could perhaps be more than just a necklace?

"Hi, Mom," Chandler greeted Nora as she approached him.
"Hi, sweetheart," she replied as she kissed him on the cheek. "You look so handsome."
"Thanks," he replied. "You look... very nice." He noted gratefully that she was wearing a dress that covered almost everything. "I like the necklace."
"Oh, thanks," she answered. "I was just telling Monica the story."
"Story?" Chandler repeated.
"Sweetheart, I'm sure I told you this one." He shook his head, encouraging her to continue. He could use a good story to take his mind off of the pending nuptials. "It was your grandmother's," she reminded him.
"Oh, yeah, that's right. I never heard the story, though."
"Oh, well, Granny Bing, gave it to me on the day that I married your father. She said that it was a special necklace, and that her family believed that it held special... powers, I guess you could say."
"Powers?" Chandler asked skeptically. Nora laughed.
"I know it sounds bogus, but it's a good story. She said that it all had to do with the power of the mind, especially the mind of the couple getting married. If one or both of them was questioning their marriage or their love, it would jeopardize their marriage, but if neither of them ever let themselves wonder, things would all go smoothly."
"Wow... sounds like there's a good reason you and Dad lasted so long, huh?" Chandler joked. "Must have been the necklace... forget about his... homosexual tendencies."
"Don't remind me," Nora said, rolling her eyes. She was silent for a moment before she reached up and touched the necklace thoughtfully. "Come to think of it..." She trailed off as she reached behind her neck and undid the clasp that held it together. She extended it toward him and smiled. "I think it's time for the necklace to make another transition." She placed it in his hand and smiled.
"Mom, I can't take this from you... Granny Bing gave it to you, you should keep it."
"Oh, Chandler, don't be silly. I have plenty of things to remember her by, and besides... I know that she would have wanted your bride to have it."
"Are you sure?" he asked, looking at her doubtfully.
"Of course I am," she assured him. "I think it will look lovely on Kathy." Chandler nodded in agreement and put the necklace carefully in his pocket. "Thank you, Mom." Nora nodded and smiled as her son leaned in to hug her.
"Congratulations, Chandler." He grinned as he pulled back from the hug.
"Thanks. You ready to watch your son get married?"
"As ready as a mother can be," she said with a smile. He grinned back and took her hand to lead her to the front pew. As he indicated for her to sit down, he smiled once more and told her that they'd be starting in about ten minutes. She nodded and waved for him to go get ready. As he headed back toward the back of the church to find Ross, he spotted Monica sitting alone in the back row, seemingly lost in her own thoughts. He quietly approached her and slid into the pew next to her.
"Hey," he said softly.
"Hi," she responded, slightly surprised at his sudden appearance.
"How's it going?" he asked, hoping that she knew his question was a lot deeper than it implied.
If she recognized it as such, she chose to ignore it as she answered simply, "I'm fine thanks." He looked at her carefully and sighed. He'd known her for years and despite the fact that things had changed dramatically in the past few weeks, he could still read her emotions fairly well, and that moment was no exception. While she was doing her best to hide it, he could see that she was upset and was hurting, and he wished with all his heart that he knew what to do to make her feel better. He took another deep breath as he leaned back against the back of the pew.
"Monica, I'm sorry," he said quietly. She turned to face him, puzzled.
"What for?" she asked. He looked at her carefully, trying to articulate the thoughts that swam around in his mind.
"I'm not entirely certain," he admitted. "But basically I'm sorry that you're hurting and that I can't make it better. I wish I knew what it was that I'd done... I'd fix it in a second, you know that." He paused and sighed. "I'm just... I'm sorry that you're upset and that it's apparently my doing. Monica, you're my best friend, and you know I would never do anything to hurt you."
"I know, hon," she said in a small voice. "I know. Listen, I'm fine, honestly. Don't worry about me, I'm just... thinking. I was actually thinking about the catering for the reception," she lied. He looked at her skeptically as the minister appeared before them.
"We're ready to start, Mr. Bing," he informed them.
"Thank you," Chandler replied absently as he looked sideways at Monica. While she looked up at the minister and said something about wedding ceremonies, he allowed his mind to wander back to when he used to have a crush on her. While he'd never told anyone, not even Joey, he'd had quite the crush on her before Kathy. He'd even gone as far as posing a hypothetical relationship to her, and he'd been annoyed when she'd apparently found it funny enough to laugh. As the minister walked away and Monica lowered her gaze and looked at her hands, Chandler looked at her thoughtfully as he absently ran the pearls through his hand, which was buried in his pocket. He found himself wondering what could have happened if he'd ever had the courage to tell Monica the truth about how he felt, and he speculated on what could have been. He'd dreamed of being the man who captured her heart, but deep down he'd known that she would never go for someone like him -- after all, she deserved better. Lately, while there was no doubt in his mind that he loved Kathy and would marry her, the old thoughts had returned, and while he wasn't in love with Monica, he still found himself wondering what could have been. "What if?" he wondered silently as Monica suddenly rose from the pew.
"Well, you'd better get up there," she told him, forcing her voice to be light. Chandler rose sadly, wishing for the thousandth time that he could fix her.
"Yeah, it looks that way," he said softly. Monica nodded and, not trusting herself to speak anymore, she hugged him quickly and made her way toward one of the pews near the front where Rachel and Phoebe were sitting. Chandler watched her go for a moment and then turned to see Ross and Joey standing next to him.
"Okay, dude, let's get this show on the road!" Joey said with a smile, grabbing his arm and leading him toward the front of the church. He stood at the altar, smiling as he nervously fiddled with the string of pearls that was still in his pocket. He silently thanked his mother for giving him something to toy with -- if she hadn't, he would surely be wringing his hands and looking how he felt -- like a man on death row. He watched with a small smile as the ring bearer, the flower girl, and Kathy's bridesmaids walked slowly toward the front of the church. He suddenly felt funny, almost as though something were wrong. He felt Ross inconspicuously touch his arm, which he realized had been moving greatly as he worked the choker. He shot him a grateful smile and removed his hand from his pocket and then folding them gently in front of him. During the momentary lull in the ceremony just before Kathy appeared, he scanned the crowd and his gaze inadvertently fell on Monica. He allowed his gaze to pause on her for a moment and he felt something in his heart trigger as he stared at her. Her face was a combination of false happiness and pain, and he blinked, trying to clear the haze that had suddenly clouded his vision. He shook his head and returned his stare toward the doors at the back of the church that had opened, revealing Kathy and her father. He smiled when he saw his bride-to-be and tried to swallow the lump that had formed in his throat. He could see her smile from where he was standing and he smiled again. His smile faded as she began to walk toward him, and his mind was racing. He knew he'd feel nervous, but suddenly it was more than that. He was suddenly enveloped in the hazy confusion that was always present when he woke up from a deep and detailed dream, and he shook his head slightly, trying to erase the feeling. As Kathy neared, he found that he was feeling more and more disoriented, and he silently scolded himself for being so nervous. He'd known that getting married would make him anxious, but this was ridiculous. Kathy was suddenly right in front of him, and as her father kissed her on the cheek, Chandler swallowed nervously. She joined him on the altar and he forced a smile, not wanting her to know how unsettled he was feeling. She smiled back and he began to feel suffocated as the minister began to deliver his oration. As he stared at Kathy, he was suddenly overcome with a new type of fear that he found he couldn't push away. While not ten minutes ago he'd been certain that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her, he was out of the blue struck with the inkling suspicion that she wasn't the woman he was supposed to be with. He suddenly thought of the necklace in his pocket and the tale his mother had told him. He silently scolded himself for buying into such garbage, but deep down almost wondered if it held any meaning. WAS Kathy really the woman he was meant to spend his life with? Unable to help himself, he snuck a look past Kathy and glanced at Monica, whose facial expression still gave her true feelings away, despite her best efforts to hid them.
Monica looked back at him, not allowing herself to hope that she would ever win him back. After all, she was at his wedding, watching him get married to another woman. She sighed and felt her heart continue to crumble but forced herself to maintain the plastic smile that she'd been wearing throughout the day. She stared at Chandler as she felt her entire life's happiness, a happiness that she knew was wrapped up in him, dissolve and fade away. As the seconds ticked by and the minister droned on, she was losing him to another woman. In ten short minutes he would belong to Kathy, and she would be forced to get on with her life as best she could. She silently bade him goodbye and forced herself not to unleash the tears that were raging behind her forced smile.
He felt Kathy squeeze his hand, pulling his attention back to the ceremony. As the minister continued to speak, she gave him a concerned and nervous look, silently asking if he were okay. Chandler ignored the look and turned his attention toward the priest, trying to push the doubts out of his mind. Surely these were just pre-marital jitters that would disappear as soon as he said, "I do." After all, he wanted to spend the rest of his life with Kathy. Didn't he?
He was jerked back from his thoughts as the minister announced that Chandler and Kathy had written their own vows and would be reciting them. Chandler tried to ignore the increasingly severe doubts and the haze in his mind and focus on Kathy as she began to speak.
"Chandler, I love you," she began. He forced a smile and listened as she continued. "It feels as though I've loved you forever, like you're the one I'm supposed to be with. You've made me happier than you know, and I hope I've made you feel the same. The day you asked me to be your wife was the happiest day of my life, and I know that every day I spend with you will only get better. When I first met you while I was with Joey, I thought that you would turn into a great friend, but you became so much more. I guess it's true what people say: Love is friendship caught on fire." As soon as the phrase left her mouth, Chandler felt as though someone had slapped him across the face and he stared at her. The expression had triggered something in his mind and, unable to stop himself, he looked past Kathy again and stared at Monica. He suddenly found himself remembering the feeling of kissing her, and while he tried to dismiss it as a memory of a dream, the haze began to clear and he suddenly felt disoriented. He felt as though it should be Monica standing next to him on the altar, and he shook his head slightly, trying to make sense of his thoughts. He could distantly hear Kathy whisper his name and feel her squeeze his hand, but he was too lost in his thoughts to acknowledge her. As he looked at Monica once again, it hit him like a ton of bricks and literally took his breath away. His gaze was locked on her, and memories began to trickle back into his brain at first, but then they turned into a rush of thoughts that he couldn't dismiss. London -- their first night together. Vegas -- they almost eloped. His proposal -- when he thought he'd lost her to Richard. He suddenly felt lost, almost as though he'd just woken up from a coma and his entire world had changed on him. How the hell had this happened? What was going on, and why was Kathy on the altar with him instead of Monica? He looked at Monica for one more second as she stared sadly back at him, and he instantly hated himself for causing the pain that was evident in her eyes. He felt Kathy squeeze his hand again and he tore his eyes from Monica and stared at her, feeling his desperation and his fear mount as he realized what was happening. In that second, he knew he had to make a decision: he was either going to have to make good on his promise and marry the woman in front of him or break her heart.

PROBABLY JUST ONE PART LEFT.... PLEASE LEAVE A REVIEW! IT MAKES US WRITER-PEOPLE FEEL LOVED, LOL. THANKS FOR READING! LET US KNOW WHAT YOU THINK! PART FIVE COMING SOON!!