If Love Is All We Have, Part Three
"Don't Tell Me It's Not Worth Fighting For"
Chandler layed on his bed, hoping against hope that he would wake up and find that this was all one long, horrible dream. He often worried that his father would track him down, but by the time he settled in New York, he had transformed into someone else, and his life before he'd left Prague was all but forgotten. He had grown so comfortable in his life, that he let his guard down. He let them find him, and in the end, their determination was rewarded because he got lazy.
When he was 13 years old, he told himself that the only way to stay one step ahead of them was to keep moving.
And move he did. When he ran from the fortress that night, the night he saw his father kill another human being, he had no idea where to go, or what to do. He took a bus to London, and stayed in hostels, and, after lying about his age, worked at odd jobs around the city. The constant fear of being found by his father and his associates kept Chandler moving. Eventually, he ended up in Canada, where met an eccentric romance novelist, Nora Tyler Bing.
Nora was not much of a mother figure, but she was a good friend. She helped to legally change Chandler's name, and the odd duo moved to Los Angeles, where they eventually settled. Chandler stayed with Nora for two years, but feared that Nora's growing fame as a writer would attract attention to him. He moved to Las Vegas, landing a job in a casino through Nora's ex-husband, Charles. Charles helped get Chandler on his feet, but Chandler only lasted in Las Vegas for about a year. He hitchiked his way across the country, and landed in New York.
Once in New York, Chandler worked to get his high school diploma. Smart beyond his years, Chandler had no problem catching up, and, after forging some old transcripts, was able to talk his way into NYU. It was here that he met Ross, and here that his story as Chandler truely began. He told Ross that Charles and Nora were his parents, and that he was estranged from them. His story was so ridiculous that Ross bought it, and before Chandler knew it, ten years had passed, and he found himself surrounded by five people who loved him, and had every reason to believe that he was, in fact, Chandler Bing. The one thing that Chandler had not bargained on was Monica. Chandler had always used fear of committment as an excuse to stay far from love. Falling in love was something he could not afford to do. But with Monica, he couldn't help himself. She was everything he'd ever wanted, but never let himself have. When he finally let his guard down, on that magical London night, he gave himself to her, heart and soul.
All of his anxiety and worries seemed to melt away when she was with him.
And now the dilemma. If he told Monica the truth, he would risk everything. He knew that if she found out that his life was a lie, she'd hate him. They all would. He wondered if they were searching for him now. He knew one thing was certain-he had to talk to Monica. The only problem was, he didn't know how to do it.
***
Phoebe and Joey sat in the private investigator's office, trying to figure out exactly what they needed to say. They knew that the only real clues that they had was Chandler's strange behaviour just before he was abducted, and, of course, the unmarked van. They feared that this was not enough to go on, and that they would be wasting their time and money. It was then that they were called into the private investigator's office.
"Hello, Ms. Buffay, is it?" the tall, dark-haired man asked.
"Yes, I'm Phoebe, and this is my friend, Joey."
"I'm Mike Martinez. Please, have a seat." (AN: Hey, to those who have read "The Pact"...didja catch the crossover there? teehee.)
"You are looking for a friend of yours, correct?"
"Yes, Chandler Bing."
"I see. Do you have a recent photo?"
Joey nodded and pulled out a photo of him and Chandler at Rachel's last birthday party. It was one of Joey's favourites, because they were both smiling, but mostly because it was one of the last photos they took as roommates.
Joey peered at the photo, then reluctently handed it to Mike.
"Now," Mike said, looking briefly at the photo, before placing it in an unmarked file, "Tell me everything that you know."
***
Ross, Rachel and Monica sat around Monica's kitchen table, silently flipping through the few photos Monica had of Chandler.
"He always hated having his picture taken," Monica said sadly.
"This one isn't bad," Rachel said softly, pulling out a small photo, and showing it to Ross and Monica.
Monica took the photo, and looked at it, as she recalled the day that the photo was taken.
~One year earlier~
"C'mon, Chandler, just stand there for a second." Monica was facing Chandler, her camera poised to snap a photo.
The two of them were on the roof of their building, eating lunch.
"Mon, why do you need a picture of me? You see me, like everyday!"
"Well, I need a picture of you in case you have to go away sometime," Monica joked.
Chandler's face grew serious, and he seemed to be thinking about something intently. Finally, he looked up at Monica, and flashed a brief, but bright smile in her direction. Monica clicked the picture, and pulled the camera
from her face.
"Thank you," she grinned.
"No problem," Chandler muttered, "But just so you know, I'm not going anywhere."
"I certainly hope not," Monica laughed. She couldn't help but notice that Chandler seemed serious. She wondered if she had offended him somehow. She thought that maybe he thought she was eluding to the fact that his father had left him and his mother when he was a child.
"I'm sorry, honey, you know I was kidding about you leaving, right?"
"Yeah," Chandler said softly. He smiled unconvincingly.
"Chandler," Monica looked at him cautiously, "Are you okay?"
Chandler suddenly seemed to snap out of his strange mood, as he wrapped his arms around Monica.
"Babe, you know I am anything but okay," he laughed, and kissed her softly.
Monica smiled, happy that he seemed to be himself again. While she was still concerned that she had somehow offended him, she pushed her concern to the back of her head, and enjoyed the rest of the day.
*
"Mon? Is that picture okay for the service?" Rachel's voice brought Monica back to the present.
"Yeah," Monica nodded, and continued thumbing through photos. She sighed, struggling to fight back more tears.
***
Chandler once again refused to eat dinner, and simply sat on his bed, gazing up at the stars. You couldn't see the stars in New York. But he'd give anything to be up on that rooftop again. With Monica. He recalled the lunches that he and Monica used to share up on the rooftop. They started doing it when they first got together, as a way to hide from the others. But it became a sort of routine, and he found that he enjoyed it as much as anything else they did together. He remembered that one time, Monica had made some crack about him leaving her. it was an innocent comment, but Chandler found himself in a tailspin, as he struggled to decide whether or not he should tell Monica The Truth. He'd actually pondered telling her that very day, at that very moment, but in the end, he just wasn't willing to risk losing her. Now he regretted his decision not to tell her. He sighed heavily, and layed back on the bed. There was a knock on his door, and Chandler rolled his eyes. He was in no mood to be pestered by his father again.
"Yeah?" Chandler finally said, after the second knock.
"Hey," a young man entered, and closed the door quickly.
"Hey. Who are you?" Chandler asked.
"I'm Thomas. You're Peter, right?"
"Chandler, actually."
"Oh, right. Dad said something about that."
"Dad?"
"Yeah, that's the other thing. I'm your brother. Well, half brother, I guess."
"Really?"
"Yeah. Dad remarried right after you left, I guess."
"Oh. Where's your mom?"
"Good question. She left a few yeas ago. At least that's what my, er, our Dad says."
"You don't believe him?"
"Not really. I just think that if she woulda left, she woulda taken me with her. We were really close."
"I'm sorry."
"What happened to your mom?" Thomas asked.
"She died giving birth to me...apparently. I never knew her."
"Oh. So, you are the 'heir to the throne', so to speak?"
"Unfortunately," Chandler sighed.
"I take it you aren't very excited about being here."
"Well, I was taken from a life where I was totally happy, and brought back to a life that I risked my life to run away from 16 years ago. Yeah, you could say I am being held against my will."
"What was your other life like?"
Chandler sighed. "It was perfect."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
REVIEW PLEASE!!!!
"Don't Tell Me It's Not Worth Fighting For"
Chandler layed on his bed, hoping against hope that he would wake up and find that this was all one long, horrible dream. He often worried that his father would track him down, but by the time he settled in New York, he had transformed into someone else, and his life before he'd left Prague was all but forgotten. He had grown so comfortable in his life, that he let his guard down. He let them find him, and in the end, their determination was rewarded because he got lazy.
When he was 13 years old, he told himself that the only way to stay one step ahead of them was to keep moving.
And move he did. When he ran from the fortress that night, the night he saw his father kill another human being, he had no idea where to go, or what to do. He took a bus to London, and stayed in hostels, and, after lying about his age, worked at odd jobs around the city. The constant fear of being found by his father and his associates kept Chandler moving. Eventually, he ended up in Canada, where met an eccentric romance novelist, Nora Tyler Bing.
Nora was not much of a mother figure, but she was a good friend. She helped to legally change Chandler's name, and the odd duo moved to Los Angeles, where they eventually settled. Chandler stayed with Nora for two years, but feared that Nora's growing fame as a writer would attract attention to him. He moved to Las Vegas, landing a job in a casino through Nora's ex-husband, Charles. Charles helped get Chandler on his feet, but Chandler only lasted in Las Vegas for about a year. He hitchiked his way across the country, and landed in New York.
Once in New York, Chandler worked to get his high school diploma. Smart beyond his years, Chandler had no problem catching up, and, after forging some old transcripts, was able to talk his way into NYU. It was here that he met Ross, and here that his story as Chandler truely began. He told Ross that Charles and Nora were his parents, and that he was estranged from them. His story was so ridiculous that Ross bought it, and before Chandler knew it, ten years had passed, and he found himself surrounded by five people who loved him, and had every reason to believe that he was, in fact, Chandler Bing. The one thing that Chandler had not bargained on was Monica. Chandler had always used fear of committment as an excuse to stay far from love. Falling in love was something he could not afford to do. But with Monica, he couldn't help himself. She was everything he'd ever wanted, but never let himself have. When he finally let his guard down, on that magical London night, he gave himself to her, heart and soul.
All of his anxiety and worries seemed to melt away when she was with him.
And now the dilemma. If he told Monica the truth, he would risk everything. He knew that if she found out that his life was a lie, she'd hate him. They all would. He wondered if they were searching for him now. He knew one thing was certain-he had to talk to Monica. The only problem was, he didn't know how to do it.
***
Phoebe and Joey sat in the private investigator's office, trying to figure out exactly what they needed to say. They knew that the only real clues that they had was Chandler's strange behaviour just before he was abducted, and, of course, the unmarked van. They feared that this was not enough to go on, and that they would be wasting their time and money. It was then that they were called into the private investigator's office.
"Hello, Ms. Buffay, is it?" the tall, dark-haired man asked.
"Yes, I'm Phoebe, and this is my friend, Joey."
"I'm Mike Martinez. Please, have a seat." (AN: Hey, to those who have read "The Pact"...didja catch the crossover there? teehee.)
"You are looking for a friend of yours, correct?"
"Yes, Chandler Bing."
"I see. Do you have a recent photo?"
Joey nodded and pulled out a photo of him and Chandler at Rachel's last birthday party. It was one of Joey's favourites, because they were both smiling, but mostly because it was one of the last photos they took as roommates.
Joey peered at the photo, then reluctently handed it to Mike.
"Now," Mike said, looking briefly at the photo, before placing it in an unmarked file, "Tell me everything that you know."
***
Ross, Rachel and Monica sat around Monica's kitchen table, silently flipping through the few photos Monica had of Chandler.
"He always hated having his picture taken," Monica said sadly.
"This one isn't bad," Rachel said softly, pulling out a small photo, and showing it to Ross and Monica.
Monica took the photo, and looked at it, as she recalled the day that the photo was taken.
~One year earlier~
"C'mon, Chandler, just stand there for a second." Monica was facing Chandler, her camera poised to snap a photo.
The two of them were on the roof of their building, eating lunch.
"Mon, why do you need a picture of me? You see me, like everyday!"
"Well, I need a picture of you in case you have to go away sometime," Monica joked.
Chandler's face grew serious, and he seemed to be thinking about something intently. Finally, he looked up at Monica, and flashed a brief, but bright smile in her direction. Monica clicked the picture, and pulled the camera
from her face.
"Thank you," she grinned.
"No problem," Chandler muttered, "But just so you know, I'm not going anywhere."
"I certainly hope not," Monica laughed. She couldn't help but notice that Chandler seemed serious. She wondered if she had offended him somehow. She thought that maybe he thought she was eluding to the fact that his father had left him and his mother when he was a child.
"I'm sorry, honey, you know I was kidding about you leaving, right?"
"Yeah," Chandler said softly. He smiled unconvincingly.
"Chandler," Monica looked at him cautiously, "Are you okay?"
Chandler suddenly seemed to snap out of his strange mood, as he wrapped his arms around Monica.
"Babe, you know I am anything but okay," he laughed, and kissed her softly.
Monica smiled, happy that he seemed to be himself again. While she was still concerned that she had somehow offended him, she pushed her concern to the back of her head, and enjoyed the rest of the day.
*
"Mon? Is that picture okay for the service?" Rachel's voice brought Monica back to the present.
"Yeah," Monica nodded, and continued thumbing through photos. She sighed, struggling to fight back more tears.
***
Chandler once again refused to eat dinner, and simply sat on his bed, gazing up at the stars. You couldn't see the stars in New York. But he'd give anything to be up on that rooftop again. With Monica. He recalled the lunches that he and Monica used to share up on the rooftop. They started doing it when they first got together, as a way to hide from the others. But it became a sort of routine, and he found that he enjoyed it as much as anything else they did together. He remembered that one time, Monica had made some crack about him leaving her. it was an innocent comment, but Chandler found himself in a tailspin, as he struggled to decide whether or not he should tell Monica The Truth. He'd actually pondered telling her that very day, at that very moment, but in the end, he just wasn't willing to risk losing her. Now he regretted his decision not to tell her. He sighed heavily, and layed back on the bed. There was a knock on his door, and Chandler rolled his eyes. He was in no mood to be pestered by his father again.
"Yeah?" Chandler finally said, after the second knock.
"Hey," a young man entered, and closed the door quickly.
"Hey. Who are you?" Chandler asked.
"I'm Thomas. You're Peter, right?"
"Chandler, actually."
"Oh, right. Dad said something about that."
"Dad?"
"Yeah, that's the other thing. I'm your brother. Well, half brother, I guess."
"Really?"
"Yeah. Dad remarried right after you left, I guess."
"Oh. Where's your mom?"
"Good question. She left a few yeas ago. At least that's what my, er, our Dad says."
"You don't believe him?"
"Not really. I just think that if she woulda left, she woulda taken me with her. We were really close."
"I'm sorry."
"What happened to your mom?" Thomas asked.
"She died giving birth to me...apparently. I never knew her."
"Oh. So, you are the 'heir to the throne', so to speak?"
"Unfortunately," Chandler sighed.
"I take it you aren't very excited about being here."
"Well, I was taken from a life where I was totally happy, and brought back to a life that I risked my life to run away from 16 years ago. Yeah, you could say I am being held against my will."
"What was your other life like?"
Chandler sighed. "It was perfect."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
REVIEW PLEASE!!!!