Okay, so I know that it takes me a really long time to update this fic. I apologize for that. Honestly, this fic is getting difficult to write, and I find myself writing total crap when I finally get something down (see the last chapter). I hope to wrap this fic up in the next few chapters, and really, the only reason I am even continuing is because I have loose ends I need to tie up, and I have gotten several e.mails/reviews asking when I am going to tie up the loose-ends, LOL.
Again, I am sorry for the delay, and I am sorry that this fic is slowly turning into....eh.
The One Where They Make It, Chapter Fifteen
"Obsession"
~New York City~
Janice sat in the empty coffeehouse, drumming her fingers anxiously on the tabletop. Her plans to ruin Chandler and Monica's relationship had not worked out as well as she had hoped. In fact, the two seemed even closer than ever. Janice picked up her copy of "In Style" magazine, and thumbed through the pages of celebrity families. The magazine almost automatically fell to page 98, since it was the only page Janice ever looked at. The photograph was taken inside Chandler and Monica's apartment, not far from where Janice was sitting at the moment. Chandler was sitting on a cream-coloured sofa, his arms wrapped around Monica. And Monica was holding their son in her arms. Chandler and Monica were laughing. They were happy, and they wanted to show the world just how happy they were. They wanted to show *her* just how happy they were. Janice slammed the magazine shut with a huff, causing the white-haired shop owner (the only other person in the shop) to jump, startled.
Janice's plan to show the world that she was carrying Chandler's child fell through when her pregnancy-the result of a one night stand with some guy she'd met in a bar-ended abruptly. In her own mind, she wanted to blame Chandler for the loss, since he refused to care about her. But the person she hated more than anyone was Monica. She felt her eyes fill with bitter tears, as the images from the magazine stuck in her head. She needed Chandler, now, more than ever.
He would love her again. He had to.
****
Chandler tapped his pencil nervously against his chin, as he and Howard, his sound engineer, sat in the mixing room, running through the album. Chandler had just layed down the final track to his solo debut, and was now fussing over the newly mixed tracks.
"Wait," Channdler said, sitting up straight and looking at Howard, "Go back to the bridge."
Howard, a burly, bearded man with a black Harley Davidson t-shirt and a tattoo of an eagle on his right forearm, nodded silently and hit a few buttons, getting the tape back to the exact spot Chandler was asking for.
"Okay," Chandler said, pointing his finger in the air, to puncuate the point he was about to make, "Did you hear that? That weird little riff? What was that?"
"Dunno. We can bring the session guys back in, have 'em lay down another take."
"Hmm." Chandler pondered the possibility for a minute. He knew he couldn't leave the track like that. No one would notice the flaw but him, most likely. But *he* would always know it was there.
"We may have another take already layed out, Chandler," Howard suggested, seeing Chandler's hesitance to bring the session players back in.
"Okay, lemme go through those," Chandler nodded, then sighed. "This is what I get for not doing this with Ross and Joey," he shook his head.
Howard chuckled, and began shuffeling through his tapes, "Karma will always come back to haunt you, man."
"Whoa, Howard, I had no idea you were one of those 'karma, dharma, new-age' folks," Chandler laughed.
"Yeah, well, don't go telling people," Howard laughed, as he pulled out the tapes he was looking for.
*
Chandler left the SoHo studio two hours later, satisfied with the track, but still unsure about the album as a whole. He decided to let it lay for a few days, figuring that he could probably use a second opinion on it. He made his way back to the apartment, careful to avoid the posse of paparazzi that had made the sidewalk outside of his building their permenant home. He bounded up the steps to the second floor, and walked down the hall toward the apartment. He pulled out his key, and was surprised to see that the door was already opened. He pushed open the door, and flipped on the living room light. His eyes widened, and his keys fell out of his hand, at the sight that lay before him. The apartment was completely thrashed. Dishes were broken, papers and food covered the floor. The sofa was torn up, the curtains pulled off of the windows. There was graffitti spray painted on the windows and walls, though Chandler could not make out what it said. His momentary shock subsided, and melted into panic.
"Monica?" Chandler yelled frantically. He ran from room to room, but found no sign of Monica or Andrew.
He felt his heart pounding, and a sharp pain ran through his temple. He moved to pick up the phone, just as it rang.
"Hello?" Chandler said into the receiver.
"Chandler? It's Ross."
"Ross, I can't talk right now...have you seen Monica?"
"Yeah, she and Andrew are here with us. We just called the studio, they said you left half an hour ago."
"Are they okay?"
"Yeah, they're fine. They weren't there when it happened. The police are on their way here. We told them we didn't want to make a scene at your place. They are sending someone over to take photos, but you should come over here. Oh, Monica wants to talk to you. Hang on."
Chandler heard the phone changing hands, then Monica's voice came on the line.
"Hey sweetie," Monica said calmly.
"Mon, thank God," Chandler sighed.
"I'm fine, Andrew's fine. But I don't think we should stay at the apartment."
"You're right. Lemme gather some stuff, and I'll meet you at Ross and Rachel's"
"Okay. Hey, can you grab Andrew's blanket from the crib?"
"Yeah. Anything else?"
"Just you," Monica giggled.
"Kay. I'll be there shortly. I love you."
"I love you too, baby."
Chandler hung up the phone, and gathered some essentials for him, Monica and Andrew. A few sets of clothes, toothbrushes and other toiletries, Andrew's blanket, extra diapers, and a stuffed toy Joey had given him. Chandler was about to leave, but paused, and rushed back into the bedroom. He pulled open his nightstand drawer, and dug to the bottom, pulling out the black velvet box he'd purchased three months ago. He opened the box, reassuring himself that the ring was still there. He dropped the ring into his jacket pocket, and headed to Ross and Rachel's.
***
Janice was arrested for breaking and entering, and willful destruction. While the police found plenty of evidence to place her in Chandler and Monica's apartment, they could find no connection between this crime, and the fire at Chandler's old place, nor could they find any reason to hold her for the previous attempts on the band's life. Janice was released on bail, and was issued a restraining order. She was not allowed to be anywhere near Chandler, Monica, or Andrew, and this frusterated her. How was she supposed to prove to Chandler how much she loved him, if she couldn't go near him?
***
~Three Weeks Later, NYC~
The man watched, as Chandler and Monica made their way out of the apartment building. He followed them closely, but not so close that he would be noticed. He watched them enter a small restaurant, and take a seat at a small corner table. He spyed for several minutes, before making his way down the street. As he passed an HMV, he saw a large advertisement for Chandler's new album. His eyes narrowed, and the hatred he had felt before came bubbling to the surface. He knew that he would probably only get one more chance for revenge. This time, he couldn't fail.
*
"Oh, Ross, look at Andrew!" Rachel cooed.
Ross looked up from his book and smiled. "He's making that face again," he commented.
"He is just so cute," Rachel sighed.
"Is this a hint, Rach? Cuz I was thinking we should have a wedding first," Ross smiled.
"Is that a proposal?" Rachel raised her eyebrow suspiciously.
"Uh--" The phone rang, interrupting Ross before he could reply. He sighed, relieved to have the distraction. He saw Rachel out of the corner of his eye, shaking her head and laughing, as he picked up the phone.
"Hello?"
"Ross, it's Joey."
"Hey, man, what's up?"
"I got a couple of Knicks tickets in the mail--you and Chandler wanna go to a game? We can try to get ourselves on 'Entertainment Tonight' again," Joey laughed.
"Yeah...well, actually, Chandler and Monica are out to dinner and a play. Me and Rach are watching Andrew."
"Oh. Well, can you go? They're playing the Lakers!"
"Hang on," Ross covered the reciever and gave Rachel his best puppy-dog look, "Rach, can I go with Joey to the Knicks game? I mean, you really don't need *my* help with Andrew, right?"
"Well, I don't know, I mean, you've been *so* helpful so far..." Rachel replied sarcastically.
"Rach--"
"Yes, go, go. We'll be fine. Won't we Andrew?" Rachel looked over at Andrew, as though she was expecting him to reply. Instead he just gurgled.
"I'm there, dude," Ross said into the phone.
***
"Thank you, again for...well, everything tonight," Monica smiled, as she and Chandler made their way up to Ross and Rachel's apartment.
"Thank *you* for coming with me," Chandler grinned.
Monica wrapped her arms around Chandler's waist, as he keyed his way into the apartment. He turned and put his arm around Monica, and led her into the darkened apartment.
"I'm gonna go check on Andrew," Monica whispered, and headed toward the small nursery Rachel had set up for the baby. Chandler and Monica shared the adjacent room, and would be staying in the apartment for two more weeks, while the house that Chandler had purchased a week prior was remodeled.
Chandler nodded and headed toward the kitchen. He flipped on the light, and pulled a water glass from the cupboard. As he turned to the sink, he saw something out of the corner of his eye. He set down the glass, and walked into the dining room. The light from the kitchen shone into the dining room only slightly. Chandler flipped on the light, and was taken aback by what lay before him.
"Rachel?"
Rachel lay in a twisted heap on the dining room floor, and a broken chair lay just to her right. Chandler crouched down next to her, and turned her over. A large bruise was forming on her face, and there was a large cut over her right eye. Chandler cradled her head in his hands, and tried to rouse her.
"Chandler?" Monica yelled from the other room.
"In here!" Chandler yelled back.
A few seconds later, Monica made her way into the kitchen.
"Chandler, I can't find Andrew. Are Ross and Rachel here?" Controlled panic lined Monica's voice as she spoke. She walked into the dining room, and gasped. "Oh, my God, Rachel! Chandler, what happened?"
"I don't know. Where the hell is Ross?"
As though on cue, Ross walked into the apartment.
"Ross!" Monica made a beeline for her brother, "Is Andrew with you?"
"No, he's with Rachel. They're not here?" Ross asked.
Monica didn't reply. Her face paled, and she tumbled backward toward the wall. Chandler looked up, and upon seeing Monica's panicked state, knew exactly what had happened.
"Ross," Chandler called out, trying his hardest to keep his voice steady, "Call the police."
*
A/N: I promise to try really hard to get this thing going again. Thanks to Talon for her input.
REVIEW!
Again, I am sorry for the delay, and I am sorry that this fic is slowly turning into....eh.
The One Where They Make It, Chapter Fifteen
"Obsession"
~New York City~
Janice sat in the empty coffeehouse, drumming her fingers anxiously on the tabletop. Her plans to ruin Chandler and Monica's relationship had not worked out as well as she had hoped. In fact, the two seemed even closer than ever. Janice picked up her copy of "In Style" magazine, and thumbed through the pages of celebrity families. The magazine almost automatically fell to page 98, since it was the only page Janice ever looked at. The photograph was taken inside Chandler and Monica's apartment, not far from where Janice was sitting at the moment. Chandler was sitting on a cream-coloured sofa, his arms wrapped around Monica. And Monica was holding their son in her arms. Chandler and Monica were laughing. They were happy, and they wanted to show the world just how happy they were. They wanted to show *her* just how happy they were. Janice slammed the magazine shut with a huff, causing the white-haired shop owner (the only other person in the shop) to jump, startled.
Janice's plan to show the world that she was carrying Chandler's child fell through when her pregnancy-the result of a one night stand with some guy she'd met in a bar-ended abruptly. In her own mind, she wanted to blame Chandler for the loss, since he refused to care about her. But the person she hated more than anyone was Monica. She felt her eyes fill with bitter tears, as the images from the magazine stuck in her head. She needed Chandler, now, more than ever.
He would love her again. He had to.
****
Chandler tapped his pencil nervously against his chin, as he and Howard, his sound engineer, sat in the mixing room, running through the album. Chandler had just layed down the final track to his solo debut, and was now fussing over the newly mixed tracks.
"Wait," Channdler said, sitting up straight and looking at Howard, "Go back to the bridge."
Howard, a burly, bearded man with a black Harley Davidson t-shirt and a tattoo of an eagle on his right forearm, nodded silently and hit a few buttons, getting the tape back to the exact spot Chandler was asking for.
"Okay," Chandler said, pointing his finger in the air, to puncuate the point he was about to make, "Did you hear that? That weird little riff? What was that?"
"Dunno. We can bring the session guys back in, have 'em lay down another take."
"Hmm." Chandler pondered the possibility for a minute. He knew he couldn't leave the track like that. No one would notice the flaw but him, most likely. But *he* would always know it was there.
"We may have another take already layed out, Chandler," Howard suggested, seeing Chandler's hesitance to bring the session players back in.
"Okay, lemme go through those," Chandler nodded, then sighed. "This is what I get for not doing this with Ross and Joey," he shook his head.
Howard chuckled, and began shuffeling through his tapes, "Karma will always come back to haunt you, man."
"Whoa, Howard, I had no idea you were one of those 'karma, dharma, new-age' folks," Chandler laughed.
"Yeah, well, don't go telling people," Howard laughed, as he pulled out the tapes he was looking for.
*
Chandler left the SoHo studio two hours later, satisfied with the track, but still unsure about the album as a whole. He decided to let it lay for a few days, figuring that he could probably use a second opinion on it. He made his way back to the apartment, careful to avoid the posse of paparazzi that had made the sidewalk outside of his building their permenant home. He bounded up the steps to the second floor, and walked down the hall toward the apartment. He pulled out his key, and was surprised to see that the door was already opened. He pushed open the door, and flipped on the living room light. His eyes widened, and his keys fell out of his hand, at the sight that lay before him. The apartment was completely thrashed. Dishes were broken, papers and food covered the floor. The sofa was torn up, the curtains pulled off of the windows. There was graffitti spray painted on the windows and walls, though Chandler could not make out what it said. His momentary shock subsided, and melted into panic.
"Monica?" Chandler yelled frantically. He ran from room to room, but found no sign of Monica or Andrew.
He felt his heart pounding, and a sharp pain ran through his temple. He moved to pick up the phone, just as it rang.
"Hello?" Chandler said into the receiver.
"Chandler? It's Ross."
"Ross, I can't talk right now...have you seen Monica?"
"Yeah, she and Andrew are here with us. We just called the studio, they said you left half an hour ago."
"Are they okay?"
"Yeah, they're fine. They weren't there when it happened. The police are on their way here. We told them we didn't want to make a scene at your place. They are sending someone over to take photos, but you should come over here. Oh, Monica wants to talk to you. Hang on."
Chandler heard the phone changing hands, then Monica's voice came on the line.
"Hey sweetie," Monica said calmly.
"Mon, thank God," Chandler sighed.
"I'm fine, Andrew's fine. But I don't think we should stay at the apartment."
"You're right. Lemme gather some stuff, and I'll meet you at Ross and Rachel's"
"Okay. Hey, can you grab Andrew's blanket from the crib?"
"Yeah. Anything else?"
"Just you," Monica giggled.
"Kay. I'll be there shortly. I love you."
"I love you too, baby."
Chandler hung up the phone, and gathered some essentials for him, Monica and Andrew. A few sets of clothes, toothbrushes and other toiletries, Andrew's blanket, extra diapers, and a stuffed toy Joey had given him. Chandler was about to leave, but paused, and rushed back into the bedroom. He pulled open his nightstand drawer, and dug to the bottom, pulling out the black velvet box he'd purchased three months ago. He opened the box, reassuring himself that the ring was still there. He dropped the ring into his jacket pocket, and headed to Ross and Rachel's.
***
Janice was arrested for breaking and entering, and willful destruction. While the police found plenty of evidence to place her in Chandler and Monica's apartment, they could find no connection between this crime, and the fire at Chandler's old place, nor could they find any reason to hold her for the previous attempts on the band's life. Janice was released on bail, and was issued a restraining order. She was not allowed to be anywhere near Chandler, Monica, or Andrew, and this frusterated her. How was she supposed to prove to Chandler how much she loved him, if she couldn't go near him?
***
~Three Weeks Later, NYC~
The man watched, as Chandler and Monica made their way out of the apartment building. He followed them closely, but not so close that he would be noticed. He watched them enter a small restaurant, and take a seat at a small corner table. He spyed for several minutes, before making his way down the street. As he passed an HMV, he saw a large advertisement for Chandler's new album. His eyes narrowed, and the hatred he had felt before came bubbling to the surface. He knew that he would probably only get one more chance for revenge. This time, he couldn't fail.
*
"Oh, Ross, look at Andrew!" Rachel cooed.
Ross looked up from his book and smiled. "He's making that face again," he commented.
"He is just so cute," Rachel sighed.
"Is this a hint, Rach? Cuz I was thinking we should have a wedding first," Ross smiled.
"Is that a proposal?" Rachel raised her eyebrow suspiciously.
"Uh--" The phone rang, interrupting Ross before he could reply. He sighed, relieved to have the distraction. He saw Rachel out of the corner of his eye, shaking her head and laughing, as he picked up the phone.
"Hello?"
"Ross, it's Joey."
"Hey, man, what's up?"
"I got a couple of Knicks tickets in the mail--you and Chandler wanna go to a game? We can try to get ourselves on 'Entertainment Tonight' again," Joey laughed.
"Yeah...well, actually, Chandler and Monica are out to dinner and a play. Me and Rach are watching Andrew."
"Oh. Well, can you go? They're playing the Lakers!"
"Hang on," Ross covered the reciever and gave Rachel his best puppy-dog look, "Rach, can I go with Joey to the Knicks game? I mean, you really don't need *my* help with Andrew, right?"
"Well, I don't know, I mean, you've been *so* helpful so far..." Rachel replied sarcastically.
"Rach--"
"Yes, go, go. We'll be fine. Won't we Andrew?" Rachel looked over at Andrew, as though she was expecting him to reply. Instead he just gurgled.
"I'm there, dude," Ross said into the phone.
***
"Thank you, again for...well, everything tonight," Monica smiled, as she and Chandler made their way up to Ross and Rachel's apartment.
"Thank *you* for coming with me," Chandler grinned.
Monica wrapped her arms around Chandler's waist, as he keyed his way into the apartment. He turned and put his arm around Monica, and led her into the darkened apartment.
"I'm gonna go check on Andrew," Monica whispered, and headed toward the small nursery Rachel had set up for the baby. Chandler and Monica shared the adjacent room, and would be staying in the apartment for two more weeks, while the house that Chandler had purchased a week prior was remodeled.
Chandler nodded and headed toward the kitchen. He flipped on the light, and pulled a water glass from the cupboard. As he turned to the sink, he saw something out of the corner of his eye. He set down the glass, and walked into the dining room. The light from the kitchen shone into the dining room only slightly. Chandler flipped on the light, and was taken aback by what lay before him.
"Rachel?"
Rachel lay in a twisted heap on the dining room floor, and a broken chair lay just to her right. Chandler crouched down next to her, and turned her over. A large bruise was forming on her face, and there was a large cut over her right eye. Chandler cradled her head in his hands, and tried to rouse her.
"Chandler?" Monica yelled from the other room.
"In here!" Chandler yelled back.
A few seconds later, Monica made her way into the kitchen.
"Chandler, I can't find Andrew. Are Ross and Rachel here?" Controlled panic lined Monica's voice as she spoke. She walked into the dining room, and gasped. "Oh, my God, Rachel! Chandler, what happened?"
"I don't know. Where the hell is Ross?"
As though on cue, Ross walked into the apartment.
"Ross!" Monica made a beeline for her brother, "Is Andrew with you?"
"No, he's with Rachel. They're not here?" Ross asked.
Monica didn't reply. Her face paled, and she tumbled backward toward the wall. Chandler looked up, and upon seeing Monica's panicked state, knew exactly what had happened.
"Ross," Chandler called out, trying his hardest to keep his voice steady, "Call the police."
*
A/N: I promise to try really hard to get this thing going again. Thanks to Talon for her input.
REVIEW!