Thanks for reviewing, keep doing it! Here's the next part. Sorry it took longer then usual, I had a test in every subject and my SATS. I swear the teachers get together and schedule all the tests on the same day. Its a conspiracy!
Disclaimer: They don't belong to me. Wipes a tear away.
"So she just left?" Phoebe asked. Monica nodded exhausted after the night that she just had. Claire had cried all night and didn't fall asleep until well after three. She had eventually woken up Michaela who was now miserable. Chandler had had to get up early and leave for work, and Monica was supposed to help the chef work on the menu.
"I know," Monica said.
"What are you going to do?" Phoebe knew the answer, but it was still a fair question to ask.
"We're going to take care of Claire," Monica answered. "We're going to fix up the extra bedroom this weekend for her." Phoebe nodded.
"We can take her," she told her friend.
"No, we have plenty of room here," she assured Phoebe. They had a large Victorian house that they had spent a few years fixing up. (Author's note: I know they always seem to have a Victorian house, but that's because that's what my house is. Its really old and big and my brother used to tell me that it was haunted. Its really spooky around Halloween, my mother goes all out.) Monica sighed again as she stirred her coffee. The realization that her friend was gone hadn't quite sunk in yet. Phoebe looked around the house.
"Where is everyone?" She asked.
"Well, Chandler is at work, and Elena is at school, Jonah is at preschool, and Claire and Michaela are asleep," Monica said. "Speaking of, I have to go pick Jonah up. Do you want me to get Charisma while I'm there?"
"Sure, thanks," Phoebe said. "I'll be at home, I have a client in an hour, so I'll set up." She hugged her friend tightly and waved as she walked out the door. Monica sighed again when their housekeeper, Mrs. Williams came in. She was a sweet old woman in her sixties who Monica had reluctantly hired before Michaela was born. She had been with them for about a year, and Monica was sure that she had made a good decision hiring her. Monica had always been so particular about her apartment and house, that when Chandler had surprised her with the restaurant, he had been afraid to approach the subject of a housekeeper. She was coming home from nights at work ragged and tired and she had been pregnant and it wasn't easy to have a five-year-old, a three-year-old and one on the way and work as a chef and at the same time try to start your own restaurant. She finally agreed that she couldn't do it all by herself, and they had found Mrs. Williams. She helped watch the kids and clean for them. She even did some cooking sometimes, but usually that was left for Chandler or Monica. She was only usually there two or three times a week when they needed her. Her husband had died two years ago and she had no kids and so when the young couple approached her she had jumped at the opportunity. She also helped watch their friends' kids from time to time as well. Monica thought of her as a mother since her relationship with her own mother hadn't improved that much even with the help of grandkids. Ross was still the prince. He had married a fourth time to a woman named Rene, and they had a baby on the way. He had moved to San Francisco so they didn't see much of him anymore, but they were coming once the baby was born to the big opening of Monica's restaurant. She smiled when Mrs. Williams came in.
"Morning deary," she said to Monica.
"Good morning Mrs. Williams," she said in return.
"Why are you so glum this morning?" She asked.
"Long story," Monica said. "Listen, you know Claire? My friend Rachel's daughter? Well, she'll be staying with us for awhile."
"Is that why you look like the weight of the world is on your shoulders?"
"Probably. I have to go pick up Jonah and Charisma, but Michaela and Claire are still sleeping. We all had a long night."
"I see," Mrs. Williams nodded. Monica grabbed her keys and made her way to the car. They would have to buy a mini-van, she thought. They had been trying to avoid that, but now they had four kids to lug around and they wouldn't all fit in her SUV or Chandler's car. She pulled into the preschool's parking lot and got out. She waved to other mothers that she knew and smiled when Jonah came running towards her.
"Hi Mommy! Look what we made!" He held a picture for her to see.
"Great honey, we're taking Charisma home with us too," Monica said waving to the little blonde girl who came running over.
"Are you taking me home Aunt Monica?"
"Yes I am. Your mommy had a client," Monica explained. Charisma nodded. They got into the car and drove back to Monica's house leaving a message for Phoebe that Charisma was with them and that her and Joey should come over for dinner tonight, per usual. Greg and Rachel often ate over as well. Greg would tease his wife that it was because she couldn't cook and Monica could. Monica wiped a tear from her eye as she walked into the house. Mrs. Williams gave her a hug.
"Its okay sweetie," Mrs. Williams said. "It'll be okay." Claire was television in the living room when Monica came in.
"Hi honey," she said to the little girl. She looked up at Monica and smiled a small smile.
"Hi Aunt Monica," she said in a small voice.
"Sweetheart," Monica sat down. "I'm taking the kids to see Santa tomorrow, do you want to come?" She nodded. "What are you going to ask for?" The minute she asked the question, she knew the answer. Somehow she knew the answer. There would be only one thing that Claire wanted. It wasn't toys. It wasn't a doll. It was her mother. So it was no surprise to Monica when those words came out of Claire's mouth.
"I want my mommy."
"Oh Chandler," Monica said later on that night while they were getting ready for bed. "She seems so sad. Its so unfair."
"She is sad," Chandler commented. "She misses her mother and her father. She's five years old and she's been pulled out of her home and her parents are gone. Everything about this is unfair. But Monica, you are doing everything that you can. You're being amazing about this and I'm so proud of you." Monica fell into his arms and cried. She cried for Claire, she cried for her friend, she cried because she didn't know what else to do. Chandler pulled her into bed next to him. He reached over and turned out the lights when the door opened. Expecting to see Elena, because she had recently told her parents of her fear of the dark after watching a movie on television, they were surprised to see Claire standing there.
"I had a bad dream," she said softly.
"Come here," Chandler said as he patted the bed. She came over and climbed onto the large bed.
"You can stay here with us tonight," Monica told her.
"This is what my mommy used to do," Claire said as she snuggled under the covers.
"This is what we do when Leni or Jonah has a nightmare too," Chandler told her. She nodded.
"They teach you that in parent school," she said wisely. If they have parent school, Chandler thought bitterly, Rachel must have been absent often. She missed the number one lesson, you don't leave. He said nothing though and smiled at his wife before falling asleep. He awoke and found Claire and Monica still sleeping and he found that he was hungry. He slid out of bed and snuck to the kitchen where he was making a sandwich when he heard his cell phone ringing. Wondering who was calling him on his cell phone in the middle of the night, he answered it.
"Chandler?"
"Rachel?"
"I was hoping that you would have a midnight craving as Monica puts it," Rachel said.
"Monica knows?"
"Monica knows everything that goes on in that house," Rachel told him.
"Rachel, where are you?"
"Is Claire okay?"
"She's holding up," Chandler said. "She's crying for you. She misses you."
"Don't tell me that! I can't come back," Rachel said.
"Why did you leave?"
"I have to get everything together and organized."
"Can't you do that without leaving your friends and daughter?" Rachel was hurt by this last statement.
"I need to do this."
"And Claire needs you," Chandler said suddenly only caring about that sweet little girl who missed her mother.
"Chandler, I'm no help to her like this."
"She doesn't care!"
"No." That was it. The conversation ended there and Chandler sighed as he hung up the phone and finished his sandwich and headed back to bed. She wasn't coming back anytime soon. He knew this.
Two weeks later, Rachel had still not returned and Monica knew that they were in the long haul with Claire. It was mid-December, and Monica had decorated the entire house so that it looked like it belonged in a magazine. Claire went back to school and Monica's heart broke for her when they were supposed to bring their mothers in for a Christmas party.
"I'll go," she offered. Claire brightened at this idea and Monica went to the party. She knew the teacher because Elena had had her last year. She had talked to her about what was happening with Rachel and Claire. The opening of the restaurant was due in a week and everything was crazy. Ross's wife had had her baby and they named him Jonathon. They were supposed to arrive that day. They were going to stay with Joey and Phoebe because the Bing house was packed and crazy. Monica had made cookies in the shape of Santa Clause and for the first time in a few weeks, she got an actual smile out of the little girl.
"Thanks Aunt Monica! These are great! Jodie Booker always thinks that hers are the best and that's not true at all! Hers taste like feet." Monica laughed and almost said, "So did your mother's trifle." But she stopped herself remembering that Claire was actually smiling and happy and mentioning Rachel might ruin that. She kept her mouth shut instead.
"Is that your mommy? Is that your sister?" A new little boy in the class asked. Claire shook her head.
"This is my Aunt Monica and my cousin Michaela," she said proudly. "She made Santa cookies! My aunt, not Michaela."
"With icing?" Claire nodded, her brown eyes glittering.
"Great!" the boy practically pulled the cookies out of Monica's hands. After the party, they walked out to Monica's SUV. Monica strapped Michaela in and then Claire and they drove to preschool to get Jonah. Elena was going to take the bus home with her friend Halley. Monica pulled into the driveway to see a car that she didn't recognize. She got the three kids out and walked into the house.
"Ross!" She ran and hugged her brother. He smiled and kissed her on the cheek and looked into the baby carrier in her arms.
"Hi Mickey!" He kissed the baby's nose. "She's gotten so big!"
"What about me Uncle Ross? Did I get big too?" Jonah threw himself onto his uncle.
"Why? Are you Jonah?" Jonah nodded excitedly. Ross laughed.
"Where's Ben?" Monica asked.
"He's with Susan and Carol this Christmas. They went to Colorado." Monica nodded.
"Where's the new baby?"
"In the living room with your husband," Ross told her. Then he spotted Claire. "Hi there."
"Hi, Uncle Ross," she said shyly. She didn't really know him very well. She what her mother had said.
"Claire? Look at you! You're going to break hearts," Ross teased giving her a hug. "Just like your mother." He didn't see Monica behind him giving him the cut it out signal. Claire surprised her though by smiling and running to the living room to tell her uncle. Monica hugged her brother one more time and took Michaela into the living room.
"Hey Gorgeous," Chandler said hugging his wife when she entered the room. He took Michaela out of her carrier and kissed her. Monica saw Rene and the two women shrieked and hugged each other. Monica saw her new nephew and smiled.
"Look how tiny he is! Oh, he's so beautiful," Monica gushed. "Reminds me of my kids at that age."
"Yeah," Chandler whispered to Ross. "Seeing as Michaela is only seven months old." Ross laughed. Monica shot a dirty look over to Chandler and he acted innocent.
"Chandler?"
"No," he told her.
"You didn't even know what I was going to say," Monica said.
"The answer is no," he repeated.
"What was I going to ask then?"
"You were going to ask to have another one." She looked surprised for a minute and then placed her hands on her hips and stared defiantly at him.
"But I want one!" She whined.
"No."
"Please?"
"No." Rene giggled at the sight of the two of them fighting. They didn't do it often and it was never serious.
"Welcome to Délicieux ," the waiter greeted the group. Monica grinned. It was opening night. (Author's note: It means delicious in French, if you don't like that name for the restaurant tell me please and I'll change it!) The adults were out and they had gotten Monica's parents to watch the kids for them. The babies would be asleep anyways, Jonah and Charisma would go to bed soon and only Elena and Claire needed to be watched. And all you had to do was stick a movie in and they were good to go. They were seated at their table and Monica asked the waiter, Henry, how things were going.
"Things are going great, Mrs. Bing," Henry assured her and she smiled as Chandler took her hand in his.
"Great," he repeated kissing her neck.
"Dude! That's still my sister," Ross said. "I don't care how many kids or years you've been married." The group laughed. Monica looked down at her hands.
"What's the matter?" Chandler asked.
"Nothing, I just thought that Rachel would be here for this," she said.
"Want to dance?" He asked hoping to get her mind off of Rachel. She nodded and they danced for awhile, her head resting on his shoulders. Then they went home and found their way to their bedroom.
***Here's the words to the song:
Don't go standing there
blocking my view, and spoiling my night
you know will hear
she's an old flame, I'm trying to light
and if beauty sleep can really work
she must have just woken up
so rub your eyes cause seeing is believing
never a day goes by without something
stopping me haunting my tracks
I could be happy and I'll never know it
so never a day comes back
if words alone sound cheap
when I come around
you want to be out
I want that window seat
if I'm going down
I want to see out
and She's happy now
I'm going home
another day
another cruel reminder
never a day goes by without something
stopping me haunting my tracks
I could be happy and I'll never know it
so never a day
never a day goes by without something
stopping me haunting my tracks
I could be happy and I'll never know it
so never a day comes back
could be a song on the radio
could be that feeling from long ago
could be that accidental photo I find
when I'm looking for something else
but I found you
never a day goes by without something
stopping me haunting my tracks
I could be happy and I'll never know it
so never a day comes back
never a day goes by without something
stopping me haunting my tracks
I could be happy and I'll never know it
so never a day comes back
****Okay so now that I look at the words, they don't really fit, but I love the song so I'm keeping the title. Please review and tell me what you think. I have serious writer's block on where to go from here *****
