*~ Thanks for reviewing. Here is the anxiously awaited third part which, you will be delighted to hear, explains everything and I used finally used the song from which the title came from, well at least half the song. The second part will be in the next chapter. The song, as I said before, is sung by the man, the god, the legend: John Mayer. Kindly leave me a review. Enjoy!*~

Disclaimer: Yeah, see here's the thing...I don't really own them, I'm just using the characters.

Monica's breath slowed down and she had to sit down on the front porch of her house.

"Chandler," she repeated. She hadn't heard or seen from him since the first night he left over a year ago. She opened the envelope with shaking hands.

"Dearest Thomas, Lillian, and Grace," she read. "I'm sorry. I don't even know where to begin except to say sorry. I never meant to be the kind of father that my father was, and now...well I've screwed up royally. I know that you're mother will take good care of you, because she's the best mother I've ever known. You won't want or need for anything, except maybe a father. It's been a year since I saw you. Don't think that a minute goes by without you or your mother popping into my head. I miss you all terribly. I shouldn't have left, I shouldn't have. I know this now, but I know that it is too late. The damage has been done, and I am gone. I can't even explain to you why I left, although I tried to explain it to your mother the night I left, so ask her. I'm sure she remembers that night. Tell her that I'm sorry. Tell her that I never stopped loving her. Tell her that it wasn't supposed to be this way." Monica stopped reading and picked herself up and went inside the house. She sat down on the couch and reached for the phone. She dialed the number and then spoke to the person that she needed to.

"Phoebe? Can you come over here?"

"Sure, Monica, but what's the matter?"

"I just really need one of you over here."

"I'm there." With that she hung up the phone and with trembling hands picked the stationary up again to read the rest of the letter.

"I'm in New York still. Your mother, I know, knows this, because she discovered me a few months ago. I have an apartment in Soho, and I have a job as a journalist. Something that I've always wanted to do. I know that you guys will be okay financially, because your mother's restaurant is thriving and I made quite a bit of money over the years and through promotions. I left it all in my bank account that I shared with Monica. I just want you to know that I was thinking about your future. Anyway, I have so many things that I want to tell you and have you understand. But I have nothing to say that can be condensed into a letter. So goodbye, and I love you. Always. Love, Chandler (Dad)." Monica refolded the letter and put it back in the envelope and then closed her eyes and just sat there.

"Mommy!" She heard and opened her eyes again and stood up and hid the letter behind a cushion and walked in the direction of Lily's voice.

"What's the matter?" She asked walking into their playroom.

"We're hungry," Gracie piped up.

"Okay," Monica said. Food she could handle, them being hungry, well, she could handle this. Long lost fathers writing letters, that she couldn't handle. Not right now. She fixed them a snack and brought it in to them. The doorbell rang and she pulled it open to reveal Phoebe.

"Monica? What's the matter? Is it the kids?"

"No," Monica shook her head. "Come in." She led Phoebe into the house and found the hidden letter and sat quietly as she read it.

"When did this come?"

"Today."

"Are you going to give it to them?"

"It was addressed to them."

"Oh Mon." Phoebe moved over to where her friend sat and took her in her arms.

"Pheebs, I don't understand. Why did he leave?"

"I don't know. What did he say when he left?" Monica had never said. Just that Chandler had left her. Monica sighed not wanting to relive that night, and realizing that she had to.

A year before:

"So honey," Monica said from their bathroom. She was getting ready for bed. Chandler was in their bedroom. "Remember that we have dinner at Ross and Rachel's tomorrow night."

"I can't go."

"Chandler, I told you about this a week ago, and you said that you could make it," she said and she let her hair out of the ponytail and shook it out onto her shoulders and walked into their bedroom. There was a packed suitcase on the floor and Chandler was standing next to it.

"I can't go," he repeated.

"Do you have a business trip that I forgot about?" He shook his head. There was confusion written all over her face. "Then what's the suitcase for?"

"I'm leaving, Mon."

"Where are you going? When are you going to be back?" She was piecing the things he was saying together in her head.

"I don't know. And I'm not."

"You're not what?"

"Not coming back." Her knees felt weak and she sank onto the floor. For once, he didn't come running to her.

"You're not coming back?" She asked again. Pain and confusion were clearly evident in her eyes and she felt the world was spinning. Chandler finally did come over and knelt down next to her.

"I have to leave. It has nothing to do with you, or the kids. It has everything to do with me and the fact that I can't do this anymore. I can't be a father and a husband anymore. Not that I didn't love every day of these ten years, but I just can't take it anymore."

"I don't understand," she said softly.

"I need to be on my own. I need to be away from here."

"Are you just going to leave your kids?"

"I don't want to."

"Then don't!" She screamed and then lowered her voice realizing she would wake up the kids.

"I have to. I'm no good to you or Tom, or Lily, or little Gracie if I stay." She was crying now, her body shaking with the realization of what was happening. Her husband was leaving her. Chandler was leaving her. He stood up and picked up his suitcase and started down the stairs. She slowly climbed to her feet and followed him as he walked out the front door. She hadn't even noticed that Tom had woken up and was now standing behind her. She was still crying, the tears falling fast and furiously.

"Where are you going Dad?" Tom spoke up.

"Tom! What are you doing up?" Monica asked. "Go back to bed."

"Where's Dad going?"

"I have to go away for a while buddy."

"When are you coming back?" Chandler looked at Monica. She shrugged, not caring if he looked like the bad guy. He was the bad guy.

"I'm not." Tom looked from his mother to his father and then back to his mother.

"Is that true? Is Dad leaving?" Monica nodded. "Why?"

"It has nothing to do with you, Tom. I just need some space."

"Can I go with you?" Tom asked.

"No, I don't think so." Monica's heart broke for herself but mostly for her son.

"But I want to go with you Dad." Chandler came over to him and gave him a hug and a kiss and then put his suitcase in the back of his car and climbed into the front seat.

"Bye, Tom. Bye Monica." He started the car ignoring Tom's cries and Monica's sobbing. Tom raced after his father's car and when Chandler had finally left the neighborhood he collapsed in the street and Monica walked over to him and knelt down and held him in her arms until they were all cried out.

I came back to get my things

thank you for getting the door

but I don't feel right walking in no more

Nine months later, Monica was talked into going out to dinner in a restaurant in Soho by some of her employees. She was late getting there and ran into the restaurant and found her friends sitting at a table. She had a nice meal with them and then told them that she had to go and got up and left. As she was walking to the parking garage where she had parked her car, she ran into someone.

"Oh, I'm sorry," she started and then saw who she had run into.

"Monica?"

"Chandler?"

"What are you doing here?"

"I think I can ask you the same thing."

"I live here," he said softly.

"Oh." She was shivering and rubbed her hands over her arms.

"Are you cold? Why don't you come up to my apartment and get warm?" He suggested.

"No thanks," she said. "I have to go relieve the babysitter."

"Oh, how are the kids?"

"They're okay. They're good."

"I'm sorry."

"I see....well, I really don't care, so I'm gonna go," she turned to leave and was almost a block away when she turned back around. There was something else she needed to know before she walked away from him for good. Forever.

"Chandler?" She called. He turned back around.

"What?"

"Was it worth it? Do you regret leaving?" She waited patiently for his answer and then saw in the streetlight the short nod of his head.

"Some nights." She was angry now, livid, in fact and spun around on her heels and stormed away from there. Away from him and all the memories seeing him had conjured.

It's quiet, I'm cold

I did my crying at home

and I'm numb now

I'm numb now

before I'm on my way

I've one more thing to ask

was it worth the price you paid

for my never coming back?

Monica finished the story and once again was hugged by Phoebe.

"Oh honey," she said.

"I don't get it," Monica said softly. "Why did he leave? I still don't understand. We were supposed to be forever. Why did he mess with that? Why did he mess with forever?" Phoebe shrugged helplessly at her best friend.

"I don't know sweetie," she said. Which was the best she could do. She didn't know, as Monica, why Chandler had decided after ten years to pack his bags and move into the city, not even far, but less than an hour away. It made no sense to anyone, least of all Monica. She wanted him back, and she probably would take him back should he decide to come back and say that he had made a mistake. But he didn't. Some nights. Some nights he regretted leaving his wife and children. Who does that? What kind of answer was that? Monica couldn't comprehend. She didn't want to. Forever. He had promised her forever. What had happened? She was about to bombard Phoebe with more questions that ultimately Phoebe couldn't answer when she heard a knock on the door.

"Hold that thought," she told her friend and wiped the remaining tears form her cheeks. She stood up and walked to the front door and pulled it open.

"Hi."

"Hi."

"Can we talk?"

"Come in," and Monica stepped aside to let someone she had not expected to see in. "What is there to talk about?"

Why did you mess with forever?

Such a long time

to be unkind

why did you mess with forever?

*~ This chapter was going to be longer, but I really wanted to have a cliffhanger there, so the rest of the song will be in the next chapter which I have already commenced, but none-the-less will not post if I don't get at least....um....7 reviews, I finally have succumb to threatening you all. If that's what it takes, so be it : ) !*~