(Hang, Chapter VII)
It was unbearably dark, and painfully silent. He could feel powerful, invisible forces pushing and pulling him in all directions at once, and he did his very best not to panic. Suddenly, and without warning, he saw a small, white, watery image. He watched as the image reached out, and cupped his face tenderly.
Monica.
She wrapped her arms around him, and he felt the warmth of her touch fill his heart with serenity. The silence was still there, but the darkness seemed slightly less threatening now, in this moment, with her.
I love you.
He struggled to reply, but the words escaped him. He wrapped himself in her, hoping that she would understand, wishing he could live inside of her forever.
She pulled away, floating like and angel, and he was suddenly so cold, and so alone.
Goodbye.
No, no she can't leave. He needed her like she needed him. He loved her. Don't go.
I love you.
Don't go.
Suddenly, there was only darkness.
~***~
There was chaos on the beach, after Monica said that Chandler hadn't come up. Harry and David both sprinted into the water, followed very closely by Ross, Joey, Phoebe and Rachel. The four friends paused when they were about waist-deep into the ocean. They all suddenly seemed to realize that they had no idea what to do. They all stood, in a stunned, panicked silence, waiting.
Waiting.
Monica stood frozen on the shore, suddenly unable to breath. Her body began trembling, and the trembling only increased as the seconds, and then the minutes passed by. She could not longer see the blurry images of Harry and David, both flailing around in the water, searching frantically for their fallen friend.
"What's going on?" Ross' horrifying scream broke Monica's trance. She waded out toward her friends, and caught sight of David and Harry swimming parallel with the shore, and away from the spot where she'd seen Chandler go down.
"What are they doing?" Monica screamed hysterically, as she began wading out toward the breakers.
"Miss, no! They know what they are doing! You'll only get hurt!" a large Hawaiian man was running toward Monica, and Ross turned to see the worried look that lined his eyes. He quickly chased after Monica, and pulled her back toward shore.
"No! Ross, let me go!" Monica screamed, as she squirmed in his arms.
"It's gonna be okay, Monica," Ross whispered, trying to calm his baby sister.
But Monica was staring straight ahead now, in a strange, trance-like state. Ross turned her so that she was facing him, and watched as her eyes searched for something…then, as suddenly as she had fallen into the trance, she snapped out of it, and looked up at Ross.
"No," she whispered hoarsely, and began to sob.
~***~
Dark, cold, silent, alone. His mind was breaking down, as his body gave up the struggle to fight the natural tomb that encased him. He hardly registered the strong, brown arms that encircled him, and pulled him into the light.
~***~
The group waded back to shore, and turned just in time to see Harry pulling Chandler's lifeless body toward them. David was also wading in, and Ross and Joey rushed to help Harry with Chandler. The three men lay Chandler gently on the warm sand, and Harry immediately went to work on him, determined to make him breathe. A small circle had gathered around Harry and Chandler, and for a long time, the only sounds that could be heard were Harry's attempts at resuscitation, and the calm, rhythmic lapping of the ocean that had consumed all of them.
"Come on," Harry whispered between breaths, as he pushed on Chandler's abdomen sharply. His eyes were filled with determination, and his mind refused to register any type of failure.
He sputtered, then coughed, and Harry turned him on his side, as what seemed like about a gallon of water flowed out of Chandler. He coughed furiously, then slowly sat up.
"You okay, man?" Harry wrapped an arm around him, steadying his friend as he sat up.
Chandler nodded, then looked at Harry quizzically.
"Riptide. There's a mean one out there today. My guess is that was what pulled the kids so far past the breakers."
Chandler nodded and shot Harry a slightly panicked look.
"Oh, the kids are fine," Harry smiled, and looked up at the crowd. His calm demeanor relaxed the group that had gathered. As the paramedics pushed their way through the crowd, Chandler scanned the group, looking for Monica. When his eyes finally found her, he visibly relaxed, and he reached out for her. She smiled through her tears, and grasped his hand in hers, as the paramedics wrapped Chandler in a blanket, and prepared to take him to the hospital.
~***~
Chandler was examined and released later that night, but was under doctor's orders to take it easy, and to stay the hell out of the ocean for a week. The latter instruction annoyed Chandler to no end, as his surfer instincts took hold. He walked out into the waiting area of the ER, and was mildly surprised to see that his old friends were all there. They all hugged him as he came in, all relieved to see that he seemed to be just fine. But Chandler's mind was still on Monica, and the images that had haunted him when he had been under water. He looked at her silently for a long moment, though Monica refused to meet his gaze. The others took the hint, and told Chandler that they would be outside.
Chandler approached Monica slowly, and when she finally looked up, he could see the fear that still filled her eyes. He smiled, and pulled her toward him, then wrapped his arms around her securely.
She was stiff and quiet in his arms for a moment, then, as he tightened his grip, she relaxed in his arms, and sobbed into his chest for a long time. He simply let her cry, rubbing her back soothingly and whispering softly. After several moments, she stopped and pulled away from Chandler slightly, to look into his eyes.
"I thought I'd lost you," she whispered, her voice shaky and uncertain.
"I'm not going anywhere," he whispered confidently, his throat still soar from the salt water and the painful coughing fits. He pulled her toward him again, rocking her back and forth as she cried once more. He kissed the top of her head, and closed his eyes, taking in the warmth that consumed him, and filled him with hope.
I took my love and I took it down
Climbed a mountain then I turned around
And I saw my reflection in the snow covered hills
Well the landslide brought me down
Oh, mirror in the sky
What is love?
Can the child within my heart rise above
Can I sail through the changing ocean tides
Can I handle the seasons of my life
Well, I've been afraid of changin'
'Cause I built my life around you
But time makes you bolder
Children get older
I'm getting older too
Well, I've been afraid of changin'
'Cause I built my life around you
But time makes you bolderChildren get older
I'm getting older too
Well, I'm getting older too
So, take this love and take it down
Yeah, and if you climb a mountain and ya turn around
And If you see my reflection in the snow covered hills
Well the landslide brought me down
If you see my reflection in the snow covered hills
Well maybe ...
Well maybe ...
Well maybe ...
The landslide will bring you down.
Landslide(Stevie Nicks)