The One With The Trip To London
Chapter Eight
Continued From: 'TOW Pete, Joey's Hole, & Kathy'
By: Jana~
*****~*****
--Rachel had always wanted to get married in London… since she was a seven year old playing bride with Monica, a pillow case hanging off the back of her head. Ross would deny her nothing, so London was where they would wed.
--"Why not just honeymoon there?" Phoebe asked sadly… "I can't go see you get married cause I'm carrying this frickin litter!" She rubbed her stomach…
--Phoebe was originally against her little brother marrying someone twice his age, but his bride-to-be seemed incredibly nice… and they were truly in love. They were sincerely made for each other. When trying to get pregnant failed for them, and tests showed her as unable to conceive, they turned to Phoebe for help.
She struggled with whether or not she could be the surrogate mom, carry a baby, then give it away. But, after much thought, she decided to make her brother and sister-in-law's dream come true. They hadn't planned on her carrying multiples, but that sometimes happens with the procedure she underwent… in vitro fertilization.
--So, because she was carrying triplets for her brother and his wife, she couldn't fly anywhere. She couldn't fly to London… and she couldn't see two of her best friends get married.
--"I'm sorry Pheebs, but, this is what Rachel wants." Ross apologized…
"Can't you wait, like, 2 months till I have the babies?" Phoebe asked…
"The church she wants to get married in is being torn down. If we wait, it'll be gone." Ross explained… "Sorry."
Phoebe groaned and turned to walk away…
"We'll bring you back the video!" he called out to her, she just dismissed him with a wave of her hand and kept walking.
*****
--"Passport, check. Camera, check, Traveler's checks, check…" Monica put each item away as she crossed them off the list in her head…
"Who are you saying check to?" Rachel asked as she too packed her stuff for the trip.
"Myself…" Monica replied… "You remember what's on the list, you have it, so, you check it off."
Rachel chuckled as she shook her head… "I can't believe we're gonna be sisters-in-law…"
Monica huffed… "You say that like it's a bad thing!"
Rachel dropped her carry-on bag and hugged her… "No. It's an excellent thing."
"Hey guys!" Ross exclaimed as he entered Monica's apartment… "We all set to go?"
"Yep!" Monica replied… "Got the tickets?"
"Yep! Check!"
Rachel chuckled as she wrapped her arms around her soon-to-be husband… "You guys are so alike, you're almost interchangeable. Maybe I should marry Monica!"
Ross' smile dropped… "Don't even joke! One lesbian ex-wife is enough, thank you!"
--With both front doors open, Chandler could hear the conversation in Monica's apartment from his apartment…
"More than enough I would think!" Chandler added with a smirk as he continued packing his carry-on bag…
"You guys ready?" Ross asked as he stood in his sister's doorway, looking across the hall and addressing Chandler and Joey.
"Yep." Chandler patted his bag after zipping it up.
"London baby!" Joey announced as he walked towards the door, indicating he was set to go…
"Joe? You remember your passport?" Chandler asked…
"Yeah! It's in the top drawer of my dresser!" Joey replied… "Don't wanna be losing that!"
Chandler looked at him expectantly, and immediately Joey realized he was forgetting something by the expression on his face. After a moment, he gasped and ran for his room…
Chandler rolled his eyes… "There ya go."
--After receiving directions on how to feed the chick and the duck, Phoebe hugged all her friends and wished them a safe and fun trip…
"Don't forget to bring me back something!" she called to them as they disappeared down the hall… "And not some lame mug either!"
She sighed as she walked into Monica's apartment and shut the door… "I don't get to go…" she muttered to herself… "Least you can do is bring me back a half-ass decent souvenir."
*****
--Rachel walked out of the dressing room, looking so incredibly beautiful in her eloquent wedding dress that Monica started to cry… out of joy for her friend, and out of sadness for herself…
"Rachel…" she gasped… "You look perfect!"
Rachel beamed… "Thanks."
Sandra, Rachel's mom handed Monica a tissue, then retrieved another one from her purse for herself… "Simply stunning, dear."
"Thanks Mom."
"After the whole 'Barry fiasco', I never thought this day would come…"
"Mom, please, let the 'Barry' thing go, k?"
"Sorry."
Monica smiled to hide her frustration. Her and Rachel were the same age, and yet she'd had two marriage proposals… two weddings, even though the first one she didn't go through with… when was it her turn? When was it Monica's turn? When would she be the one standing in front of family and friends in a gorgeous white dress, the man of her dreams standing beside her?
"Mon, you ok?" Rachel's question brought Monica back to the present…
"Yeah, sorry. Just zoned out a bit." She shrugged… "Jet lag."
*****
--All the arrangements were checked and double checked… and everything was right as scheduled. Rehearsal dinner went off without a hitch, except for Monica's mom's constant nagging…
"Your brother will be married for the second time…" Judy Geller droned on… "Not that I'm condoning divorce mind you, but you haven't even had a proposal. Maybe you're doing something wrong? Ever think about that dear? You have to lure a man and keep him if you ever expect to get married. Maybe you need to--"
"Mon?" Chandler interrupted… "Sorry Mrs. Geller." He apologized to Monica's mom, then turned back to Monica… "We need you for a second. Wedding details."
"Details about what?" Monica asked, confused…
Chandler threw her a look, then instantly dropped it and smiled… "About the food at the reception. You being a chef and all…"
She then realized what he was doing… he was rescuing her…
"Oh. Sure. Of course." Monica stood… "Excuse me please…" she said politely to her mother, then followed Chandler away…
--"Oh my God, thank you!" she hugged Chandler when they were out of her mom's line a vision… "I was about ready to hang myself!"
He smiled… "Thought you could use the help."
They both snagged a glass of champagne off a passing waiter's tray, then sat on a bench nearby…
"How're you doing?"
"I'm ok. I mean, I'm happy for Ross and Rachel… anything else is secondary to that."
"Yeah. I've been worried about you though…" he admitted…
"Why?"
"I know how much you want this, Mon. The beautiful wedding to the man you love…"
"I'll get that… someday. I hope…"
"You will."
She sighed, then gulped her drink… "You know what I really wanna do right now?"
He shook his head… "What?"
"Get drunk. Not so drunk I have a hangover tomorrow, but good and fuzzy-warm! Wanna join me?"
He chuckled, then downed his drink as she had moments before… "Sure." He stood and extended his hand… "There's a bar at the hotel."
"Sounds good."
*****
--Chandler had thought about staying with her, but decided it would be too dangerous. He and Monica had been able to stick to the 'no intimacy' arrangement, and had even been able to regain, very closely, the friendship they'd had before all the sex.
--He knew she was vulnerable. If he stayed, there was no telling what would happen. So he saw her safely to her room, then headed down the hall to his own.
--There was a note from Joey that simply stated: 'Dude, out with British Chippie. Took your condoms. Don't wait up!'
Chandler rolled his eyes and wadded up the note before tossing it in the trash. He started to undress for bed, his shirt and pants off when there was a knock at the door. He opened the door just a crack and peeked out, seeing Monica on the other side, another drink in hand…
"Can I come in?" she asked, sipping her what-looked-like scotch on the rocks with a twist…
He hesitated, mostly because of his state of undress, but then nodded… "Yeah. Sure."
He hid himself with the door as he opened it further, allowing her entrance, then closed it when she strolled inside.
She smiled as she looked him up and down… "What'cha doin?"
"Getting ready for bed. What're you doing?"
"Drinking more." She answered simply, then started sipping at her drink again…
"You've had enough, Mon." He took the glass from her, then splashed the contents into the bathroom sink…
"Hey!"
"You need coffee…" he picked up the phone and dialed for room service… "Coffee please. Strongest you got. Thanks."
"I don't want coffee!" She plopped onto the bed dramatically…
"Then, what do you want?"
"You!"
He sighed, then kneeled beside her… "You're drunk. You're hurting. It's NOT a good idea to go back to that place again."
She lunged forward and kissed him, wrapping her hands around his neck…
He semi- kissed her back, semi- pushed her away, grabbing her arms from around his neck…
"No Monica. No. We can't."
Tears filled her eyes and she dropped backwards on to the bed, laying with her legs still dangling off the edge… "I love you Chandler…" she whispered sadly…
He closed his eyes at the sound of pain in her voice… "You won't if we date."
"I am sick to death of those words! How do you know?! I know you, Chandler! I know what an effort 'us' would take! I know you have issues! I know you can be a big, fat jerk! I'm ok with all that! I want to try!"
"What if we fail?"
"What if we don't?"
"What if we do?"
She let out an exasperated sigh… "But what if we don't!"
He sighed and stood… "We've had this argument before…"
"I know! And I for one am getting sick of having it!"
"Look, you're drunk. By tomorrow, you'll see as I do that this is not a good idea."
There was a knock at the door, and he quickly grabbed his pants and threw them on before answering it.
Chandler tipped the room service waiter, then closed the door and immediately started pouring Monica a cup of coffee…
"I'll drink the coffee…" she told him… "And I'll sober up. Sleep it off. If by tomorrow… if I still feel the same, will you at least consider 'us'?"
He handed her the mug after having adding cream and sugar, just like she liked it, then sat beside her carefully so as not to jostle the bed and disrupt the steaming liquid…
"Alright." The one simple word was uttered softly, but firmly… and it meant more than any other word he could've said…
"What?"
"Alright." He repeated… "If you still feel the same by morning, we will talk about giving it a try."
"Are you serious?" she asked in shock… "You're not just saying it to appease me, are you?"
"No. I'm serious."
She didn't know whether to laugh or cry… "Oh my God…" she whispered, almost tipping the coffee cup over enough to dump it in her lap, her attention elsewhere…
He smiled, and steadied the mug… "You'll scald yourself…"
She ignored his warning… "Thank you Chandler."
He nodded… "Drink your coffee."
*****
--"I'm getting married today!" Ross exclaimed as he barged into Chandler's room, waking him out of his sound sleep…
"Morning Ross."
"I'm getting married to-day! WooHoo!"
"Shut up! I'm trying to sleep here!" Monica snapped sleepily from the other bed in the room, then flung the covers over her head and rolled over…
"What's Monica doing here?" Ross asked…
"She was kinda bummed last night, and had way too much to drink…"
"Why was she bummed?"
"You're mom." Was all Chandler had to say…
"Ah." Ross nodded…
"I ordered her some coffee and told her she needed to sleep it off."
"She gonna be ok for the wedding?"
Chandler smiled and patted Ross' shoulder… "Yeah. She didn't get that wasted. She'll be fine."
Ross smiled… "I'll see you at the church! Don't be late!"
"Hey, it's not me you have to worry about…"
"Speaking of Joey…" Ross knew instinctively who Chandler was referring to… "Where is he?"
"He 'hooked up'."
"Ah. Well, when you see him, threaten his life for me that if he is late, I'll kill him."
"You got it, man."
"Thanks." A brief smile, a glance in Monica's direction, and Ross was gone.
*****
--Chandler ordered breakfast through room service, along with a pain reliever for Monica… just in case.
He tipped the waiter, then shut, locked, and bolted the door… having no idea when Joey was coming back. The last thing he needed was Joey barging in on their conversation…
Part of him hoped Monica would still want to start a relationship with him, in the light of a new day and absence of alcohol. But part of him felt anxiety and wished for the easy, chicken's way out.
He sat beside her on the bed and lightly rubbed her back… he knew he'd reached her when she groaned…
"I have breakfast. Coffee, drugs…"
"Mmmm…" she rolled over… "Like that combination."
He smiled as he left the bed and began transferring the food from the little tray it was wheeled in on to the small table…
"Eggs? Toast?" he asked as he gestured for her to join him…
"Toast, coffee, drugs, then we'll see how I feel."
He chuckled… "Fair enough."
They both sat and began to eat, both wanting the other to broach the subject… Chandler finally did…
"So, what have you decided?"
She smiled through her hangover… "What you knew I would, but was afraid I would…" she told him softly… "I have wanted to try for 'us' for a long time now."
He nodded… "I hope you understand what you're getting yourself into."
"I do. I hope you realize I'm not gonna take any of your crap."
He laughed… "I do. After all… you're Monica."
"Oh good…" she quipped… "The change in longitude and latitude hasn't affected your memory."
"Oh, I don't know, I think maybe it has…"
"How so?"
He grinned… "Cause, I'm having a hard time remembering what it's like to touch your naked skin. And make love to you…"
"Well…" she purred… "I think I'm gonna need to give you a refresher course in Monica101."
"Sounds like a fun class. Think I'll ask for extra-credit assignments…"
She grinned as she leaned across the table and kissed him. It had just started to heat up when Joey attempted entry…
"Dude! Who do you think's gonna steal you?! Open the door!"
Chandler rolled his eyes as Monica's lips left his… "Could you maybe let him in? I'm a little more excited then I should be, if you catch my drift."
*****
--Joey rambled on about his date all through breakfast… the breakfast he copped from Chandler and Monica's room service tray. Chandler and Monica didn't mind though… that was just Joey. He was like that.
Monica, sotto, leaned in and whispered to Chandler… "Let's go to my room and get ready."
Chandler smiled…
"So, then, we get this bucket of strawberries and--"
"Joe. Joe." Chandler interrupted, rolling his eyes… "As thrilled as I am to be getting every detail of your date… we gotta go now."
"Go? Go where?"
"Monica's room. To get ready."
Joey's brow wrinkled… "Why are you going to Monica's room to get ready?"
Chandler made a few stuttering sounds, but was unable to produce a reason, luckily, Monica could and did…
"Cause he's, like, helpless when it comes to dressing himself. And I just want him to look decent for Rachel and Ross' wedding. For pictures and stuff. Right?"
Joey looked at her with confusion. He'd never thought of Chandler as not being able to dress himself, but, then again, he was a guy. Maybe a woman saw it differently.
He shrugged… "If you say so."
Chandler sighed and grabbed his suit, still bagged, out of the closet, then grabbed his toiletries…
"And by the way Joe, Ross asked me to tell you that if you're late, he'll kill you."
Chandler and Monica both rushed out the door, leaving Joey alone at the breakfast table, still eating…
"Fine, fine." he mumbled to himself… "Chandler can't even dress himself and I'm getting lectured on being late." He shrugged as he went back to his food, grabbing the TV remote and flipping channels…
TO BE CONTINUED…