Thanks again to Talon for her ideas on this story. I am gonna head in a slightly different direction, but I am using a lot of her ideas...thanks again Talon!
The One With The Bachelor Party, Part Five
"Love Versus Marriage"
The room was dark, and empty, and it was bitterly cold. The ground was hard, and seemed to be getting harder by the minute. The noises that eminated from the distant, empty hallways filled the room with the sounds of pain and torture, and a promise of what was to come. Over the distant screams, he could hear gunfire, followed by more torturous screams of pain and desperation. His heart raced, as he opened his eyes, wondering if today was the day he was going to die.
His eyes began to focus, and Chandler realized that he was laying in a warm, soft bed, and that the sights and sounds were all in his head. It was a nightmare, the same nightmare that he had lived out for the past two years. He sat up, and realized that he was in a hotel room, and that his head hurt. He scanned the empty room, trying to piece together the events of the previous night. There were empty whiskey bottles scattered on the hotel floor--obviously the source of his headache. His mind wandered back to the events leading to the tremendous drinking binge. Monica. She was married. Married to Pete Becker, of all people. His heart began to ache, the way it had when he had found out about the marriage the day before. He had checked himself into a cheap hotel room, and tried to dull the pain with booze. But to no avail. He felt like he was living someone else's life. Like he no longer belonged in his own skin. Chandler Bing was dead. His spirit died months ago, thousands of miles from where he now lay. *They* had taken it from him. But his soul died last night, when he saw Monica, and realized that she no longer loved him.
****
Ross, Joey and Phoebe walked back into Monica's old apartment, exhausted and starving. They had spent the entire night trying to find Chandler. Soon after he had left last night, Monica had gone from being in total shock, into a total frenzy, insisting that they needed to find him, that she couldn't lose him again. Rachel had stayed behind to comfort Monica, while the others set out to find their old friend. Easier said than done. Had Chandler taken off two years ago, they knew where they would be able to find him; either at his office, a strip club, or Central Perk. When none of those options panned out, the three friends began to worry. Had they really watched Chandler walk back into their lives, only to let him walk out again? Why had it taken them so long to go after him? As the night melted into an early morning light, the trio began to give up hope, as they reluctantly made their way back to the apartment.
When they arrived, they were surprised to find that the apartment was empty. Ross wondered if Chandler had come back, and he and Monica had gone somewhere to talk.
"Ross," Joey said quietly.
Ross turned to look at Joey, who was standing next to the kitchen table, waving a note in the air.
"What is it?"
"Rachel took Monica to the hospital. I think we'd better get down there."
"Hospital?" Ross said, as he began to panic. A million thoughts raced through his head. What could have happened in the few hours since they had left to find Chandler? Ross silently kicked himself for leaving his cell phone at work yesterday.
****
Ross, Joey and Phoebe raced into Beth Israel Medical Center, and looked around the emergency room frantically.
"Can I help you?" and elderly attendant asked from behind the reception desk.
"Yes, I'm looking for my sister, Monica Geller, er, I mean Monica Becker."
The attendant scanned her computer, and punched a few keys on her keyboard.
"There is a Monica Geller on the second floor," she said to three retreating figures.
As they stepped off of the elevator, Phoebe spotted Rachel immediately.
"Rachel," she called out, as they rushed to meet up with her.
"You didn't find him?" Rachel said sadly.
Ross shook his head, "Rach, what happened? Where's Monica?"
"She's sleeping. After you guys left, she couldn't get warm, and she started to shake a bit. I got worried, so I called a nurse's helpline, and they told me that she was going into shock, and that I should bring her in. She is okay now, they are
just having her rest for a few more hours."
Ross, Joey and Phoebe sighed, relieved that it wasn't as serious as they had imagined.
"I'm gonna go see her," Ross said quietly, as the others took a seat in a tiny waiting room across the hall.
Ross walked into the room, and sat down in a large chair next to Monica's bed. Monica looked peaceful, so Ross did his best not to wake her. He rested his weary head on the edge of her bed, and listened to the faint beeping of her heart monitor. After a moment, he glanced up at her.
"Monica, I am so, so sorry," Ross whispered slowly. "I wish I could go back in time. If I could, I would have stayed in Thailand, and I would have tried to find him. I feel like I have failed you again, because I couldn't find him last night. I am so sorry, sis," Ross felt tears stinging his eyes, and he wiped them away quickly when Monica stirred.
"Chandler?" Monica whispered.
"No, sweetie, it's Ross."
"Ross, did you find him?"
"Mon, just rest now, okay? Everything is going to be fine," Ross stood up, and kissed his baby sister on her forehead.
"Is he okay?"
"Everything will be okay," Ross repeated, though his heart felt heavy, filled with sorrow, guilt and regret.
****
Chandler sat on his bed, silently counting the money that he had left in his wallet. He had gone to the bank earlier, but had discovered that his account was no longer active. Of course it wasn't active, he had been dead for crying out loud. He put his remaining cash into his wallet, the cash that the embassy had given him to help get him home, and he realized that he was totally broke. He had no credit, no bank accounts, no stock options, no 401K. Everything that he had saved up was gone. He decided that he was going to have to bite the bullet, and call his mom.
"Hello," Nora Tyler Bing chirped into the phone.
"Mom, it's Chandler."
"Ch-Chandler? But you-aren't you--"
"Dead? Well, I thought I was, but it turned out I was just imprisoned in Thailand," he said, trying to sound upbeat.
"Oh, honey, I am so happy! Where are you now?"
"I'm in New York."
"Oh. How are you? Was Monica totally shocked to see you?"
"You could say that," Chandler said, his heart lurching at the sound of his ex-fiance's name.
"Sweetie, I'd love to chat longer, but I am supposed to be meeting my new husband for dinner," Nora sighed.
"Husband? You-you're married?"
"Almost a year now. And we have a new little one on the way!"
"What? Mom, aren't you a little old to be having babies?"
"You watch it, mister," Nora scolded.
"Sorry, sorry." Chandler said quickly, "Look, Mom, I was hoping you could help me out financially, you know, until I can get on my feet again?"
"Darling, you know I would, but I'm afraid I don't have much money anymore. One of my scheming exes took off with the majority of my money, and with the baby on the way--"
"I got it, Mom," Chandler said, becoming increasingly annoyed with his mother's self-absorbtion.
"Sweetie, I really want to see you, you have to fly out as soon as you can, okay?"
"Yeah, sure. Mom, do you know Dad's phone number? I can't seem to get a hold of him."
"Oh, honey. Of course you don't know..."
"Know what?"
"Sweetheart, you father died about six months ago. He had a heart attack in the middle of his "It's Raining Men" number."
"What? Are-are you serious?"
"I am so sorry, honey."
Chandler sat in shock. He had been estranged from his father for years. Monica had tried unsuccessfully to get him down to Las Vegas to work things out. She said she wanted to know her father-in-law. Chandler had flatly refused, and they had fought about it. In the end, Monica relented, and they never made the trip. Now Chandler would never have a chance to work things out with his father. He hated himself for not listening to Monica two years ago. The news of his father's death made Chandler feel even worse than he did when he picked up the phone. Talk about kicking a dog while it's down.
"Chandler?"
"Yeah, Mom, I'm here. I...I gotta go."
"Alright, honey, I am sorry," Nora said, as Chandler hung up the phone. He knew now that he was going to have to ask the one person he was trying to avoid. The one person he was trying to forget.
****
Monica was released from the hospital later that day, and her four friends helped her back to her old apartment. She knew that she needed to talk to Pete, but at the moment all she could focus on was Chandler. As soon as they entered the apartment, Monica began chattering about ways that they could track him down.
"Monica, calm down for a minute, okay? You've been through a lot, and I think you need to relax a bit," Rachel said.
"I can't, I can't. We have to find him, okay?"
Rachel's response was cut off by a sharp knock on the door. Monica practially flew toward the door, opening it quickly.
"Chandler!" Monica said, her reaction much more animated than it had been just twenty four hours earlier.
"Mon, I uh...I need to talk to you," Chandler said quietly, as he waked through the door.
"Chandler, I--" Monica looked at her friends, who were looking at Chandler like he was some kind of strange animal in a cage. Monica motioned toward her friends, and they took the hint, walking toward the door.
As Rachel opened the door, she smacked into Pete, who was getting ready to knock.
"Pete!" Rachel said loud enough for everyone, including Monica and Chandler, to hear.
"Hi, Rachel. I'm looking for Monica."
Before Rachel could come up with a viable lie, Monica appeared behind Rachel.
"Come on in, Pete," She said softly, and turned to face Chandler.
Pete walked in, and was floored by what he saw. "Chandler?"
"Hi, Pete," Chandler said, not looking away from Monica.
Monica pulled her gaze away from Chandler, and looked at Pete.
"Wow, Pete, you look like you've seen a ghost," Phoebe commented, without realizing the gravity of her statement.
The rest of the gang looked at Phoebe strangely, while Pete and Monica stared at each other, and Chandler stared at Monica.
"I think we all need to talk," Monica said quietly.
The One With The Bachelor Party, Part Five
"Love Versus Marriage"
The room was dark, and empty, and it was bitterly cold. The ground was hard, and seemed to be getting harder by the minute. The noises that eminated from the distant, empty hallways filled the room with the sounds of pain and torture, and a promise of what was to come. Over the distant screams, he could hear gunfire, followed by more torturous screams of pain and desperation. His heart raced, as he opened his eyes, wondering if today was the day he was going to die.
His eyes began to focus, and Chandler realized that he was laying in a warm, soft bed, and that the sights and sounds were all in his head. It was a nightmare, the same nightmare that he had lived out for the past two years. He sat up, and realized that he was in a hotel room, and that his head hurt. He scanned the empty room, trying to piece together the events of the previous night. There were empty whiskey bottles scattered on the hotel floor--obviously the source of his headache. His mind wandered back to the events leading to the tremendous drinking binge. Monica. She was married. Married to Pete Becker, of all people. His heart began to ache, the way it had when he had found out about the marriage the day before. He had checked himself into a cheap hotel room, and tried to dull the pain with booze. But to no avail. He felt like he was living someone else's life. Like he no longer belonged in his own skin. Chandler Bing was dead. His spirit died months ago, thousands of miles from where he now lay. *They* had taken it from him. But his soul died last night, when he saw Monica, and realized that she no longer loved him.
****
Ross, Joey and Phoebe walked back into Monica's old apartment, exhausted and starving. They had spent the entire night trying to find Chandler. Soon after he had left last night, Monica had gone from being in total shock, into a total frenzy, insisting that they needed to find him, that she couldn't lose him again. Rachel had stayed behind to comfort Monica, while the others set out to find their old friend. Easier said than done. Had Chandler taken off two years ago, they knew where they would be able to find him; either at his office, a strip club, or Central Perk. When none of those options panned out, the three friends began to worry. Had they really watched Chandler walk back into their lives, only to let him walk out again? Why had it taken them so long to go after him? As the night melted into an early morning light, the trio began to give up hope, as they reluctantly made their way back to the apartment.
When they arrived, they were surprised to find that the apartment was empty. Ross wondered if Chandler had come back, and he and Monica had gone somewhere to talk.
"Ross," Joey said quietly.
Ross turned to look at Joey, who was standing next to the kitchen table, waving a note in the air.
"What is it?"
"Rachel took Monica to the hospital. I think we'd better get down there."
"Hospital?" Ross said, as he began to panic. A million thoughts raced through his head. What could have happened in the few hours since they had left to find Chandler? Ross silently kicked himself for leaving his cell phone at work yesterday.
****
Ross, Joey and Phoebe raced into Beth Israel Medical Center, and looked around the emergency room frantically.
"Can I help you?" and elderly attendant asked from behind the reception desk.
"Yes, I'm looking for my sister, Monica Geller, er, I mean Monica Becker."
The attendant scanned her computer, and punched a few keys on her keyboard.
"There is a Monica Geller on the second floor," she said to three retreating figures.
As they stepped off of the elevator, Phoebe spotted Rachel immediately.
"Rachel," she called out, as they rushed to meet up with her.
"You didn't find him?" Rachel said sadly.
Ross shook his head, "Rach, what happened? Where's Monica?"
"She's sleeping. After you guys left, she couldn't get warm, and she started to shake a bit. I got worried, so I called a nurse's helpline, and they told me that she was going into shock, and that I should bring her in. She is okay now, they are
just having her rest for a few more hours."
Ross, Joey and Phoebe sighed, relieved that it wasn't as serious as they had imagined.
"I'm gonna go see her," Ross said quietly, as the others took a seat in a tiny waiting room across the hall.
Ross walked into the room, and sat down in a large chair next to Monica's bed. Monica looked peaceful, so Ross did his best not to wake her. He rested his weary head on the edge of her bed, and listened to the faint beeping of her heart monitor. After a moment, he glanced up at her.
"Monica, I am so, so sorry," Ross whispered slowly. "I wish I could go back in time. If I could, I would have stayed in Thailand, and I would have tried to find him. I feel like I have failed you again, because I couldn't find him last night. I am so sorry, sis," Ross felt tears stinging his eyes, and he wiped them away quickly when Monica stirred.
"Chandler?" Monica whispered.
"No, sweetie, it's Ross."
"Ross, did you find him?"
"Mon, just rest now, okay? Everything is going to be fine," Ross stood up, and kissed his baby sister on her forehead.
"Is he okay?"
"Everything will be okay," Ross repeated, though his heart felt heavy, filled with sorrow, guilt and regret.
****
Chandler sat on his bed, silently counting the money that he had left in his wallet. He had gone to the bank earlier, but had discovered that his account was no longer active. Of course it wasn't active, he had been dead for crying out loud. He put his remaining cash into his wallet, the cash that the embassy had given him to help get him home, and he realized that he was totally broke. He had no credit, no bank accounts, no stock options, no 401K. Everything that he had saved up was gone. He decided that he was going to have to bite the bullet, and call his mom.
"Hello," Nora Tyler Bing chirped into the phone.
"Mom, it's Chandler."
"Ch-Chandler? But you-aren't you--"
"Dead? Well, I thought I was, but it turned out I was just imprisoned in Thailand," he said, trying to sound upbeat.
"Oh, honey, I am so happy! Where are you now?"
"I'm in New York."
"Oh. How are you? Was Monica totally shocked to see you?"
"You could say that," Chandler said, his heart lurching at the sound of his ex-fiance's name.
"Sweetie, I'd love to chat longer, but I am supposed to be meeting my new husband for dinner," Nora sighed.
"Husband? You-you're married?"
"Almost a year now. And we have a new little one on the way!"
"What? Mom, aren't you a little old to be having babies?"
"You watch it, mister," Nora scolded.
"Sorry, sorry." Chandler said quickly, "Look, Mom, I was hoping you could help me out financially, you know, until I can get on my feet again?"
"Darling, you know I would, but I'm afraid I don't have much money anymore. One of my scheming exes took off with the majority of my money, and with the baby on the way--"
"I got it, Mom," Chandler said, becoming increasingly annoyed with his mother's self-absorbtion.
"Sweetie, I really want to see you, you have to fly out as soon as you can, okay?"
"Yeah, sure. Mom, do you know Dad's phone number? I can't seem to get a hold of him."
"Oh, honey. Of course you don't know..."
"Know what?"
"Sweetheart, you father died about six months ago. He had a heart attack in the middle of his "It's Raining Men" number."
"What? Are-are you serious?"
"I am so sorry, honey."
Chandler sat in shock. He had been estranged from his father for years. Monica had tried unsuccessfully to get him down to Las Vegas to work things out. She said she wanted to know her father-in-law. Chandler had flatly refused, and they had fought about it. In the end, Monica relented, and they never made the trip. Now Chandler would never have a chance to work things out with his father. He hated himself for not listening to Monica two years ago. The news of his father's death made Chandler feel even worse than he did when he picked up the phone. Talk about kicking a dog while it's down.
"Chandler?"
"Yeah, Mom, I'm here. I...I gotta go."
"Alright, honey, I am sorry," Nora said, as Chandler hung up the phone. He knew now that he was going to have to ask the one person he was trying to avoid. The one person he was trying to forget.
****
Monica was released from the hospital later that day, and her four friends helped her back to her old apartment. She knew that she needed to talk to Pete, but at the moment all she could focus on was Chandler. As soon as they entered the apartment, Monica began chattering about ways that they could track him down.
"Monica, calm down for a minute, okay? You've been through a lot, and I think you need to relax a bit," Rachel said.
"I can't, I can't. We have to find him, okay?"
Rachel's response was cut off by a sharp knock on the door. Monica practially flew toward the door, opening it quickly.
"Chandler!" Monica said, her reaction much more animated than it had been just twenty four hours earlier.
"Mon, I uh...I need to talk to you," Chandler said quietly, as he waked through the door.
"Chandler, I--" Monica looked at her friends, who were looking at Chandler like he was some kind of strange animal in a cage. Monica motioned toward her friends, and they took the hint, walking toward the door.
As Rachel opened the door, she smacked into Pete, who was getting ready to knock.
"Pete!" Rachel said loud enough for everyone, including Monica and Chandler, to hear.
"Hi, Rachel. I'm looking for Monica."
Before Rachel could come up with a viable lie, Monica appeared behind Rachel.
"Come on in, Pete," She said softly, and turned to face Chandler.
Pete walked in, and was floored by what he saw. "Chandler?"
"Hi, Pete," Chandler said, not looking away from Monica.
Monica pulled her gaze away from Chandler, and looked at Pete.
"Wow, Pete, you look like you've seen a ghost," Phoebe commented, without realizing the gravity of her statement.
The rest of the gang looked at Phoebe strangely, while Pete and Monica stared at each other, and Chandler stared at Monica.
"I think we all need to talk," Monica said quietly.
