One quick note to Haley J...I consider it an honour to be on anyone's official fave author list! Thank you!
And to Ash...this fic is officially "Kathy-free" for your protection, LOL.
A
~*~*~*~*~*
The Letter, Chapter Three
"What They Saw"
~London, England, one week before Chandler's wedding~
Gatwick International was packed, making it nearly impossible for the five friends to keep track of each other, much less find Chandler. Once they had negotiated their luggage, they fumbled through customs, and wandered to a set of red plastic chairs.
"Rachel, you do know that we are only staying for a week, right?" Ross said, as he put down another one of Rachel's bags.
"Yes, Ross, I know, but I thought you could use the excersize," Rachel mused, and received an icy glare from Ross, followed by his now infamous "Geller finger".
"Ross!" the voice came from the crowd, cutting into Ross and Rachel's "great luggage debate".
Monica turned to see Chandler walking toward them, a giant smile on his face. Her heart raced. He looked amazing. Had he always looked that good, or was it just that she hadn't seen him in so long? Or was it something else? No, he had definitely changed. His hair was lighter. He had put on a few healthy pounds. And he was dressed differently. He had replaced his khaki's-and-sweater-vest look with dark slacks, a thick grey turtleneck, and a long wool overcoat. He looked--good. Monica shook her head, trying to wipe away these strange, totally inappropriate thoughts. But they returned with a vengence when Chandler leaned down and kissed her cheek, and enveloped her in a giant bear hug. Before her body and mind had time to adjust, he had let her go, and had moved on the Rachel. Monica shook her head again, trying desperately to concentrate on the conversation taking place.
"How was the flight?" Chandler asked.
"Good. Where's the uh, future Mrs. Bing?" Ross asked.
"Wrapping some wedding stuff up. She's gonna meet up with us later. Man, it is so great to see you guys!"
"It's great to see you to, man!" Joey said, hugging his friend again.
"Mon, where's Richard?"
"Oh, um, he...uh, couldn't make it," Monica said, shooting a warning glare to the others.
"Oh. Well, I'd love for you guys to stay at our flat, but we have family coming out of our ears at the moment. Bonnie's sister and brother-in-law are staying with us, and frankly, her brother-in-law is more like two people," Chandler laughed.
"Oh, that's alright man," Ross said.
"Well, I've booked you some hotel rooms, and it's pretty close to the church and all, so I think it'll be good. Shall we get your stuff and head out?" Chandler asked.
"Yeah, I'm starving!" Joey exclaimed, "plus, I've been waiting all day for a chance to get my hands on another Boddington's, baybee!'
Phoebe rolled her eyes, and picked up her bag, "Let's just go," she laughed.
***
"Man, this pub is great!" Ross observed, as the group of six sat at a corner table an hour later.
"Yeah, it's like, a thousand years old or something like that," Chandler said.
"So, Chandler, tell us about Becky," Rachel said.
"It's Bonnie, and I'll let her tell you all about her--hey babe," Chandler stood up to greet a tall, stunning brunette.
"Hello! Wow, these must be the friends that I hear so much about!"
"Yep, that's Ross, Rachel, Joey, Phoebe and Monica. This is Bonnie."
"Hi," the group replied.
"So, you are gonna be Bonnie Bing?" Joey asked, then started giggling uncontrollably.
Chandler rolled his eyes, and Bonnie smiled.
"Well, I'm actually hyphonating. I'll be Mrs. Bonnie Goodwin-Bing," she said proudly.
"Oh," Joey said, obviously disappointed.
"Okay, I'm going to run to the loo, then I'm stopping by the bar--do we need another round of Boddington's?"
"Yeah, baybee!" Joey yelled. After Bonnie left, Joey turned to Chandler. "Man, she is HOT!"
"And your Bonnie has a full head of hair," Ross noted, referring to his bald ex.
"Yeah, how'd you manage to land such a cutie, Chandler?" Phoebe joked.
Chandler shot Phoebe, Ross and Joey a knowing glance, then sighed as he sat back down.
"She is great, isn't she? We met at tennis match last summer. She actually had a boyfriend at the time, and I was...uh, still adjusting to the area, so we were just friends for a few months. Then, one night, it just happened. We've been together ever since."
"Wow, how great is it to fall in love with your best friend?" Phoebe said, glancing at Joey.
"Yeah," Chandler said, and he looked at Monica, who seemed to be preoccupied with her own thoughts.
"Man, it is great to be back in London," Joey said, as he gulped down his beer.
"Yeah it is," Phoebe said
"Pheebs, you weren't with us last time," Chandler pointed out.
"Yes, but I've been to London before. I used to live here, ya know."
"What? When?"
"Uh, around the turn of the century. The uh, 15th century," Phoebe smiled.
"Whatever," Chandler laughed, as Bonnie returned with a handful of beer bottles.
"Wow, thanks Bonnie," Ross said, and the others followed suit.
"Well, I hate to just run off like this, but my mum just paged me, so I have to go. Something about the caterer backing out at the last minute or some awful thing," Bonnie said, as she fumbled through her bag for her cell phone.
"Oh, sweetie, do you need me to come with you?"
"No, no, don't be silly. Stay with your friends, and I'll see you later tonight," Bonnie replied, before kissing Chandler and running out the door.
"So," Chandler turned to his friends, "What do you guys wanna do?"
****
One hour, and several large beers later, the gang had loosened up quite a bit, and Monica was starting to gather some of the courage that she had lost when she had first seen Chandler. She was determined to let him know how she felt, mostly because she wanted to do to him what he had done to her before skipping off to London. So, when a moment of silence fell on the group, Monica decided to make her move.
"You know, Chandler, after I got your letter, I was gonna come out to the airport to stop you from leaving."
"I'm sorry, what?" Chandler furrowed his brow.
"You know, that letter you left on my bed. If you woulda stayed in town, I probably woulda called off my wedding," Monica looked at Chandler intently, while Ross, Rachel and Phoebe looked utterly confused, and Joey looked nautious.
"Monica, what the hell are you talking about?"
"Are you saying that you weren't in love with me? Do the words, 'You haven't spent a day outside my heart' ring a bell? Or how about, 'I hope you're smiling when, he turns around and says I do'? Is it all coming back?"
Chandler's face turned a ghastly white, as he began to comprehend what was happening.
"How did you get that letter?" he whispered.
"What are you talking about? You left it on my bed!"
"No, I didn't!"
Chandler thought for a minute, then looked at Joey, who was studying the thick wooden table intently.
"Joey!"
"What? Look, you were never gonna say anything, and I thought once she knew the truth--"
"Joey, there was a REASON I never told her, okay? She was marrying Richard!"
"Well, maybe I just didn't want you to be miserable! I saw how you looked at her, Chandler, even before you told me about London."
"You told him about London?" Monica's jaw dropped.
"I had to talk to someone. Who was I supposed to talk to, Ross?"
"What happened in London?" Ross asked, as he eyed Chandler.
"Wait, we're in London right now. Did this just happen? And what happened?" Rachel rambled.
"At Ross' wedding. Chandler and I slept together the night before the wedding," Monica said.
"Monica!" Chandler backed his chair away from Ross.
"What, I thought we were telling secrets!"
"Wow! This is huge! So, how come you started dating Richard then?" Phoebe asked.
"Because we decided to keep it in London," Monica said.
"Actually, YOU decided to keep it in London," Chandler retorted.
"What?"
"I wanted to date you. But you came up with that damn 'not-New York' rule," Chandler grumbled.
"Well why didn't you say something!"
"Because I thought that's what you wanted! You said yourself I wasn't boyfriend material!"
"When did I say that!" Monica yelled.
"In Montauk!" Chandler yelled back.
"Oh!"
"Wait, lemme get this straight," Ross cut in. "You asked to be her boyfriend in Montauk, and she said no, then you sleep with her at my wedding, and she cuts it off when you get back, then you write her a letter, and skip town before she gets married?"
"Yes, but I was never gonna give her the letter!" Chandler said.
"Dude, are you in love with my sister?" Ross asked, wide-eyed.
"I was," Chandler said, his eyes softening.
"Wow," Phoebe said, her eyes wide.
"Yeah," Rachel chimed in.
"Are you still in love with me?" Monica asked softly.
"Even if I were, it wouldn't matter. You are married. And by the end of the week, I will be too."
"Actually, I'm not married. Richard is dead," Monica said.
"What? Oh, Mon, I'm sorry."
"It's okay. We weren't really very happy."
"Oh. Well, there is still that other minor detail."
"Bonnie?"
"Yeah," Chandler nodded.
"Ah, dump her," Joey said.
"I think you've interfered in my love life enough, Joe," Chandler said.
"Sorry."
"And the thing is, I do love Bonnie. And she loves me. That's more that I could have asked for."
"Well, there is one more thing," Monica said quietly, letting the alcohol get the better of her.
"What?"
"I love you too."
~*~*~
Man, I am so evil.
And to Ash...this fic is officially "Kathy-free" for your protection, LOL.
A
~*~*~*~*~*
The Letter, Chapter Three
"What They Saw"
~London, England, one week before Chandler's wedding~
Gatwick International was packed, making it nearly impossible for the five friends to keep track of each other, much less find Chandler. Once they had negotiated their luggage, they fumbled through customs, and wandered to a set of red plastic chairs.
"Rachel, you do know that we are only staying for a week, right?" Ross said, as he put down another one of Rachel's bags.
"Yes, Ross, I know, but I thought you could use the excersize," Rachel mused, and received an icy glare from Ross, followed by his now infamous "Geller finger".
"Ross!" the voice came from the crowd, cutting into Ross and Rachel's "great luggage debate".
Monica turned to see Chandler walking toward them, a giant smile on his face. Her heart raced. He looked amazing. Had he always looked that good, or was it just that she hadn't seen him in so long? Or was it something else? No, he had definitely changed. His hair was lighter. He had put on a few healthy pounds. And he was dressed differently. He had replaced his khaki's-and-sweater-vest look with dark slacks, a thick grey turtleneck, and a long wool overcoat. He looked--good. Monica shook her head, trying to wipe away these strange, totally inappropriate thoughts. But they returned with a vengence when Chandler leaned down and kissed her cheek, and enveloped her in a giant bear hug. Before her body and mind had time to adjust, he had let her go, and had moved on the Rachel. Monica shook her head again, trying desperately to concentrate on the conversation taking place.
"How was the flight?" Chandler asked.
"Good. Where's the uh, future Mrs. Bing?" Ross asked.
"Wrapping some wedding stuff up. She's gonna meet up with us later. Man, it is so great to see you guys!"
"It's great to see you to, man!" Joey said, hugging his friend again.
"Mon, where's Richard?"
"Oh, um, he...uh, couldn't make it," Monica said, shooting a warning glare to the others.
"Oh. Well, I'd love for you guys to stay at our flat, but we have family coming out of our ears at the moment. Bonnie's sister and brother-in-law are staying with us, and frankly, her brother-in-law is more like two people," Chandler laughed.
"Oh, that's alright man," Ross said.
"Well, I've booked you some hotel rooms, and it's pretty close to the church and all, so I think it'll be good. Shall we get your stuff and head out?" Chandler asked.
"Yeah, I'm starving!" Joey exclaimed, "plus, I've been waiting all day for a chance to get my hands on another Boddington's, baybee!'
Phoebe rolled her eyes, and picked up her bag, "Let's just go," she laughed.
***
"Man, this pub is great!" Ross observed, as the group of six sat at a corner table an hour later.
"Yeah, it's like, a thousand years old or something like that," Chandler said.
"So, Chandler, tell us about Becky," Rachel said.
"It's Bonnie, and I'll let her tell you all about her--hey babe," Chandler stood up to greet a tall, stunning brunette.
"Hello! Wow, these must be the friends that I hear so much about!"
"Yep, that's Ross, Rachel, Joey, Phoebe and Monica. This is Bonnie."
"Hi," the group replied.
"So, you are gonna be Bonnie Bing?" Joey asked, then started giggling uncontrollably.
Chandler rolled his eyes, and Bonnie smiled.
"Well, I'm actually hyphonating. I'll be Mrs. Bonnie Goodwin-Bing," she said proudly.
"Oh," Joey said, obviously disappointed.
"Okay, I'm going to run to the loo, then I'm stopping by the bar--do we need another round of Boddington's?"
"Yeah, baybee!" Joey yelled. After Bonnie left, Joey turned to Chandler. "Man, she is HOT!"
"And your Bonnie has a full head of hair," Ross noted, referring to his bald ex.
"Yeah, how'd you manage to land such a cutie, Chandler?" Phoebe joked.
Chandler shot Phoebe, Ross and Joey a knowing glance, then sighed as he sat back down.
"She is great, isn't she? We met at tennis match last summer. She actually had a boyfriend at the time, and I was...uh, still adjusting to the area, so we were just friends for a few months. Then, one night, it just happened. We've been together ever since."
"Wow, how great is it to fall in love with your best friend?" Phoebe said, glancing at Joey.
"Yeah," Chandler said, and he looked at Monica, who seemed to be preoccupied with her own thoughts.
"Man, it is great to be back in London," Joey said, as he gulped down his beer.
"Yeah it is," Phoebe said
"Pheebs, you weren't with us last time," Chandler pointed out.
"Yes, but I've been to London before. I used to live here, ya know."
"What? When?"
"Uh, around the turn of the century. The uh, 15th century," Phoebe smiled.
"Whatever," Chandler laughed, as Bonnie returned with a handful of beer bottles.
"Wow, thanks Bonnie," Ross said, and the others followed suit.
"Well, I hate to just run off like this, but my mum just paged me, so I have to go. Something about the caterer backing out at the last minute or some awful thing," Bonnie said, as she fumbled through her bag for her cell phone.
"Oh, sweetie, do you need me to come with you?"
"No, no, don't be silly. Stay with your friends, and I'll see you later tonight," Bonnie replied, before kissing Chandler and running out the door.
"So," Chandler turned to his friends, "What do you guys wanna do?"
****
One hour, and several large beers later, the gang had loosened up quite a bit, and Monica was starting to gather some of the courage that she had lost when she had first seen Chandler. She was determined to let him know how she felt, mostly because she wanted to do to him what he had done to her before skipping off to London. So, when a moment of silence fell on the group, Monica decided to make her move.
"You know, Chandler, after I got your letter, I was gonna come out to the airport to stop you from leaving."
"I'm sorry, what?" Chandler furrowed his brow.
"You know, that letter you left on my bed. If you woulda stayed in town, I probably woulda called off my wedding," Monica looked at Chandler intently, while Ross, Rachel and Phoebe looked utterly confused, and Joey looked nautious.
"Monica, what the hell are you talking about?"
"Are you saying that you weren't in love with me? Do the words, 'You haven't spent a day outside my heart' ring a bell? Or how about, 'I hope you're smiling when, he turns around and says I do'? Is it all coming back?"
Chandler's face turned a ghastly white, as he began to comprehend what was happening.
"How did you get that letter?" he whispered.
"What are you talking about? You left it on my bed!"
"No, I didn't!"
Chandler thought for a minute, then looked at Joey, who was studying the thick wooden table intently.
"Joey!"
"What? Look, you were never gonna say anything, and I thought once she knew the truth--"
"Joey, there was a REASON I never told her, okay? She was marrying Richard!"
"Well, maybe I just didn't want you to be miserable! I saw how you looked at her, Chandler, even before you told me about London."
"You told him about London?" Monica's jaw dropped.
"I had to talk to someone. Who was I supposed to talk to, Ross?"
"What happened in London?" Ross asked, as he eyed Chandler.
"Wait, we're in London right now. Did this just happen? And what happened?" Rachel rambled.
"At Ross' wedding. Chandler and I slept together the night before the wedding," Monica said.
"Monica!" Chandler backed his chair away from Ross.
"What, I thought we were telling secrets!"
"Wow! This is huge! So, how come you started dating Richard then?" Phoebe asked.
"Because we decided to keep it in London," Monica said.
"Actually, YOU decided to keep it in London," Chandler retorted.
"What?"
"I wanted to date you. But you came up with that damn 'not-New York' rule," Chandler grumbled.
"Well why didn't you say something!"
"Because I thought that's what you wanted! You said yourself I wasn't boyfriend material!"
"When did I say that!" Monica yelled.
"In Montauk!" Chandler yelled back.
"Oh!"
"Wait, lemme get this straight," Ross cut in. "You asked to be her boyfriend in Montauk, and she said no, then you sleep with her at my wedding, and she cuts it off when you get back, then you write her a letter, and skip town before she gets married?"
"Yes, but I was never gonna give her the letter!" Chandler said.
"Dude, are you in love with my sister?" Ross asked, wide-eyed.
"I was," Chandler said, his eyes softening.
"Wow," Phoebe said, her eyes wide.
"Yeah," Rachel chimed in.
"Are you still in love with me?" Monica asked softly.
"Even if I were, it wouldn't matter. You are married. And by the end of the week, I will be too."
"Actually, I'm not married. Richard is dead," Monica said.
"What? Oh, Mon, I'm sorry."
"It's okay. We weren't really very happy."
"Oh. Well, there is still that other minor detail."
"Bonnie?"
"Yeah," Chandler nodded.
"Ah, dump her," Joey said.
"I think you've interfered in my love life enough, Joe," Chandler said.
"Sorry."
"And the thing is, I do love Bonnie. And she loves me. That's more that I could have asked for."
"Well, there is one more thing," Monica said quietly, letting the alcohol get the better of her.
"What?"
"I love you too."
~*~*~
Man, I am so evil.
