Chapter # 7
Monica entered her hotel room with a much brighter outlook than she had the night before. For the first time in three years she found herself happy. She knew what she wanted. She glanced at her watch as she reached for her phone. She knew what she had to do. She called her boss, who was accepting of her idea, and then she called home, knowing the gang would be worried about her.
Rachel was nervous. She and the gang were hanging out in Monica's apartment, just like they always had, but today Rachel was worried. Monica hadn't called the night before, or all day today. She hopped nothing had gone wrong. The sound of the phone pulled her out of her thoughts.
"Hello," Rachel said into the receiver. She was relieved when she heard Monica's voice on the other end.
"Hi," Monica said.
"Oh, my god, where have you been? You didn't call and we called you, but you weren't there. Monica, we were so worried. I thought you had pulled a Chan." Rachel immediately trailed off as she realized what she was saying. "Oh, Mon, I am so sorry."
"It's okay," Monica said.
Rachel was taken aback. For the past three years, every time anyone had mentioned Chandler, Monica had nearly broken down, but this time she seemed fine. Rachel didn't know what to say, so Ross took the phone from her.
"Hey, sis, how've you been?"
"I've been okay," Monica said truthfully.
"That's good. What time do you want us to pick you up at the airport tomorrow?"
"That's actually why I'm calling," Monica said. "You see, I'm not coming home tomorrow."
"Oh, does the restaurant need you to stay longer? That's good. When are you coming home?"
"No, it's not for the restaurant. It's for me. I'm taking some time off of work, and I'm staying here for awhile."
"Why?, Ross asked, concern etching into his voice.
"I just need to figure some things out," Monica answered. She didn't want to let the gang know the truth, because she knew it wouldn't do any good. They would probably all rush to Toronto and, although it was slightly selfish, Monica wanted to spend time with Chandler/Jason alone.
"How long are you staying?" Ross asked.
"I don't know."
Ross was at a loss for words. He wanted to argue with her, to insist she come home, but he had heard something in her voice that he hadn't heard in sometime. She was confident about her decision. It would probably do he some good to spend some time away from people who knew about her past.
"Okay, Mon, if this is important to you, I fully support it. But, if you needed anything, you know who to call."
"Thank-you Ross, and I do know I can call you."
"Well, I'll let you go, I know it's late. Call me tomorrow?"
"Of course. Bye"
"Bye."
"Well?" asked Rachel as soon as he hung up the phone. "What's up?"
"She's gonna stay in Toronto for a little while."
"By herself?" Joey asked.
Ross nodded.
"Why?" asked Phoebe.
"I'm not sure, but I'm sure it will do her some good. She never really got over what happened with Mark." he trailed off as he remembered that fateful day over a year and a half ago.
Ross heard a scream as he and Joey entered Monica's apartment. They heard another scream, followed by a bone-crunching sound and crying. They rushed to Monica's room where the sound was coming from, and found an awful sight. Mark had Monica pinned down on her bed, attempting to pull up her skirt. He had almost succeeded, against all the efforts Monica was putting in to stop him. Ross immediately went into action.
He grabbed the back of Mark's collar and pulled him off of his sister. He spun him around and punched him in the face. Hard. He managed to punch him one more time, before Mark got a punch in as well, which made Ross loosen his hold, but Joey was right there to step in. He hit Mark over the head with a pan he had grabbed form the kitchen. Mark fell unconscious. Ross and Joey rushed to console Monica who had gone into a state of shock and was currently in a fetal position on her bed, crying. Ross had pulled her into a hug, while Joey had called the police. Mark had been arrested and the trial had gone well, considering. Apparently there were many other women he had abused and even raped, but Ross and Joey had been the first witnesses to come forward. This had helped Mark to be convicted and sentenced to 15 years.
* * * * *
The next day Monica woke up and walked down to Jason's apartment. She explained to him that she was going to stay in Toronto for a while to sort things out.
A week later Jason took Monica to a small diner for dinner. Monica was a little nervous at first, but settled down after a short time. She found herself having a good time. She felt safe with Jason. She had decided too give up thinking of him as Chandler, and now thought of him as Jason.
"Monica," Jason started, unsure of how to begin. "I was thinking, I don't know how long your going to stay, but I know it must be expensive to stay in a hotel, and I have an empty room. So.do you want to stay with me?"
"I would love to," Monica said. "And when you go to New York in 2 months, you can stay with me."
Chandler was glad that Monica seemed to be happy. He knew it must be difficult to be with him and not expect so much more. She was an amazing person. His eyes met hers and he leaned in to kiss her. The kiss lasted several seconds, and when he finally pulled back, Monica felt a tear run down her cheek. At Jason's concerned expression, she smiled, letting him know everything was all right.
"I'm so happy," Monica told him.
"Me to, Mon, me to." He had started called her Mon for short, completely by himself. It had shocked Monica to hear the nickname come from his mouth, as she hadn't mentioned it. She hoped it was a step in the right direction.
"Jason," Monica yelled a month later. "We're going to be late. Let's go." They were going to Jason's company's annual Banquet and Jason was quickly learning about Monica's obsessive side.
"Late, my ass," Jason muttered to himself. "Coming, honey," he said sarcastically, as he entered the front hall.
"Don't 'coming honey' me," Monica mocked, as he came into view. He smiled at her and pulled her into a hug. He then kissed her forehead and whispered. "Mon, we have over an hour."
"I know, but there could be traffic. And what if we don't get a cab?"
"Then we walk. It's only a twenty minute walk, you know?"
"I know," Monica said. "I just want tonight to go okay."
Jason smiled. She had told him about Mark a couple weeks ago and she was doing really well. She still found being in a large group of strangers difficult, but he found she was growing more and more confident each day. She seemed to feel braver if she was with him. This made him feel good. "Don't worry, Mon. It will be perfect." He pulled her in closer and wrapped his arms around her back. She relaxed in his arms and rested her head on his shoulder.
"Monica?" Jason said. "I.um.I love you."
Monica pulled her head up off of Jason's shoulder and looked into his eyes. "I love you, to." She kissed him. The kiss lasted some time, before she finally broke it. She sighed contentedly as she rested her head on his shoulder once again.
"You look beautiful, by the way," Jason added.
Monica took a step back to take a look at Jason. "You don't look so bad yourself." Monica said. She then glanced down at her watch. "Damnit!"
"What?" Jason asked.
"We just lost ten minutes," Monica said, exasperated. "We gotta go!" She then grabbed Jason's hand and pulled him out the door. He rolled his eyes as she rushed them down the stairs to the street to catch a cab.
The next morning, Monica awoke to find herself wrapped in Jason's arms in bed. She smiled and shifted her weight slightly. Even though he was asleep, he tightened his grip on her, and pulled her in closer. She smiled and sighed. She was so happy. The banquet the night before had been amazing. They had had a great time. Monica had found, for the first time in so long, that she was comfortable in a place full of people. She had even had conversations with people she didn't even know. It was great. Another thing for her to be happy about was the fact that Jason had talked to his boss the day before, and had gotten himself a position in the New York office, they were leaving to start up in a month. The original reason for Monica traveling to Toronto in the first place. It was ironic, Monica thought that she had dreaded this trip so much, and look what it had gotten her. Everything she had wanted for three years: Chandler back, and her self- esteem and self-confidence back. Monica smiled as she fell back to sleep.
Rachel sighed as she flipped through the pages of her magazine. She was bored. She missed having her best friend there to go through catalogues with. She loved Phoebe, but didn't love Phoebe's choice in clothing. She, along with the rest of the gang, had wanted to go to Toronto, but Monica had said no, repeatedly. What ever she was up to, she didn't want them to know. She called almost every night, but never gave them her phone number. They could only reach her on her cell. She was glad, however, that Monica was returning home the next day and was awaiting her call. The sound of the phone ringing cut off Rachel's thoughts on the subject.
"Hello?" she said.
"Hi Rach," Monica's voice said.
"Hey, Mon. How's life?"
"It's good. Yours?"
"Eh," Rachel said. "It's been boring lately. I miss you."
"I miss you to, Rach, but I'm coming home tomorrow."
"Good. What time do want me to pick you up?"
"Um, I don't need a pick-up, I've got a ride."
"With who?"
"No one, it's not important."
"Mon, there's something you're not telling me. I know it."
"You'll find out soon enough. Tell the gang to meet in my apartment tomorrow at 4:00. I have something to tell all of you."
"Okay"
"And Rachel?"
"Yah?"
"Thanks"
"For what?"
"For everything. For being so supportive over the last two months."
"You know that wasn't a problem, Monica."
"I know, and I also know you blame yourself for Mark."
Rachel didn't know what to say. "Well, it was my fault."
"No, it wasn't. You had no way of knowing. Rachel I want you to know that I don't blame you. I never did."
"Thank-you," Rachel said fighting back tears.
"Oh, Rach, don't cry."
"I'm trying not to."
"Anyway, I should go."
"Okay. I'll see you tomorrow."
"Bye Rach."
"Bye Mon"
Monica hung up the phone and smiled. She had finally gotten that off of her back. She sighed. Her life was finally falling back into place.
The next day, Monica flew to New York with Jason and his colleagues. Jason had a hotel room for the two months they were starting up the New York branch, so he went to set up, while Monica took a cab home. She had declined a ride home from her friends because she didn't want them to see Jason yet. She had to explain some things to them first.
At 4 o'clock, Monica walked in the door to her apartment, to find Rachel, Phoebe, Joey and Ross sitting, patiently, waiting for her to arrive. They all jumped up and rushed to hug her.
Ross immediately noticed that his sister looked different. She looked happy. He was taken aback, as he hadn't seen her happy in some time. He went forward to give her a hug and noticed something. Her eyes were no longer dull, they were now sparkling with their previous joy.
"So," he said. "Rachel said you have something to tell us."
"I do," Monica said, now unsure as to how to begin. "Lets sit down." The five of them took seats around the table. "Now, when I tell you this I need you to let me tell you everything, before you say anything. Okay?" Everyone agreed.
"Okay," Monica said. She took a deep breath. "When I first went to Toronto, one of the employees of the company we are catering to ended up being Chandler." She was immediately cut off by all four friends, wanting answers. "You said you would let me talk."
Silence. She began again. "The only reason I didn't tell you was because it wasn't really Chandler. You see Chandler was in a plane crash the day he disappeared. He was in a coma for 6 months before waking up with amnesia. He didn't remember anything, not even his name. Since he was on a flight out of Toronto they assumed he had lived in Toronto. He got a job and lived as Jason Banks for two and a half years. I recognized him and we started spending time together, trying to help him get his memory back. We started our relationship again. Now, he is in town for this work thing and then he is going to stay. You have to know that he is not Chandler. He is Jason. He still can't remember, and you can't tell him anything about his past, so he can remember it on his own. If you tell him something it may create a false memory. Okay?"
Everyone agreed. "Good, cause we're meeting him for dinner in an hour."
A/N: What do you think? How are the friends going to react? How is Jason going to react? Will he get his memory back? (Wow, all these questions make the story sound like a soap opera () anyway, let me know what you think.
Monica entered her hotel room with a much brighter outlook than she had the night before. For the first time in three years she found herself happy. She knew what she wanted. She glanced at her watch as she reached for her phone. She knew what she had to do. She called her boss, who was accepting of her idea, and then she called home, knowing the gang would be worried about her.
Rachel was nervous. She and the gang were hanging out in Monica's apartment, just like they always had, but today Rachel was worried. Monica hadn't called the night before, or all day today. She hopped nothing had gone wrong. The sound of the phone pulled her out of her thoughts.
"Hello," Rachel said into the receiver. She was relieved when she heard Monica's voice on the other end.
"Hi," Monica said.
"Oh, my god, where have you been? You didn't call and we called you, but you weren't there. Monica, we were so worried. I thought you had pulled a Chan." Rachel immediately trailed off as she realized what she was saying. "Oh, Mon, I am so sorry."
"It's okay," Monica said.
Rachel was taken aback. For the past three years, every time anyone had mentioned Chandler, Monica had nearly broken down, but this time she seemed fine. Rachel didn't know what to say, so Ross took the phone from her.
"Hey, sis, how've you been?"
"I've been okay," Monica said truthfully.
"That's good. What time do you want us to pick you up at the airport tomorrow?"
"That's actually why I'm calling," Monica said. "You see, I'm not coming home tomorrow."
"Oh, does the restaurant need you to stay longer? That's good. When are you coming home?"
"No, it's not for the restaurant. It's for me. I'm taking some time off of work, and I'm staying here for awhile."
"Why?, Ross asked, concern etching into his voice.
"I just need to figure some things out," Monica answered. She didn't want to let the gang know the truth, because she knew it wouldn't do any good. They would probably all rush to Toronto and, although it was slightly selfish, Monica wanted to spend time with Chandler/Jason alone.
"How long are you staying?" Ross asked.
"I don't know."
Ross was at a loss for words. He wanted to argue with her, to insist she come home, but he had heard something in her voice that he hadn't heard in sometime. She was confident about her decision. It would probably do he some good to spend some time away from people who knew about her past.
"Okay, Mon, if this is important to you, I fully support it. But, if you needed anything, you know who to call."
"Thank-you Ross, and I do know I can call you."
"Well, I'll let you go, I know it's late. Call me tomorrow?"
"Of course. Bye"
"Bye."
"Well?" asked Rachel as soon as he hung up the phone. "What's up?"
"She's gonna stay in Toronto for a little while."
"By herself?" Joey asked.
Ross nodded.
"Why?" asked Phoebe.
"I'm not sure, but I'm sure it will do her some good. She never really got over what happened with Mark." he trailed off as he remembered that fateful day over a year and a half ago.
Ross heard a scream as he and Joey entered Monica's apartment. They heard another scream, followed by a bone-crunching sound and crying. They rushed to Monica's room where the sound was coming from, and found an awful sight. Mark had Monica pinned down on her bed, attempting to pull up her skirt. He had almost succeeded, against all the efforts Monica was putting in to stop him. Ross immediately went into action.
He grabbed the back of Mark's collar and pulled him off of his sister. He spun him around and punched him in the face. Hard. He managed to punch him one more time, before Mark got a punch in as well, which made Ross loosen his hold, but Joey was right there to step in. He hit Mark over the head with a pan he had grabbed form the kitchen. Mark fell unconscious. Ross and Joey rushed to console Monica who had gone into a state of shock and was currently in a fetal position on her bed, crying. Ross had pulled her into a hug, while Joey had called the police. Mark had been arrested and the trial had gone well, considering. Apparently there were many other women he had abused and even raped, but Ross and Joey had been the first witnesses to come forward. This had helped Mark to be convicted and sentenced to 15 years.
* * * * *
The next day Monica woke up and walked down to Jason's apartment. She explained to him that she was going to stay in Toronto for a while to sort things out.
A week later Jason took Monica to a small diner for dinner. Monica was a little nervous at first, but settled down after a short time. She found herself having a good time. She felt safe with Jason. She had decided too give up thinking of him as Chandler, and now thought of him as Jason.
"Monica," Jason started, unsure of how to begin. "I was thinking, I don't know how long your going to stay, but I know it must be expensive to stay in a hotel, and I have an empty room. So.do you want to stay with me?"
"I would love to," Monica said. "And when you go to New York in 2 months, you can stay with me."
Chandler was glad that Monica seemed to be happy. He knew it must be difficult to be with him and not expect so much more. She was an amazing person. His eyes met hers and he leaned in to kiss her. The kiss lasted several seconds, and when he finally pulled back, Monica felt a tear run down her cheek. At Jason's concerned expression, she smiled, letting him know everything was all right.
"I'm so happy," Monica told him.
"Me to, Mon, me to." He had started called her Mon for short, completely by himself. It had shocked Monica to hear the nickname come from his mouth, as she hadn't mentioned it. She hoped it was a step in the right direction.
"Jason," Monica yelled a month later. "We're going to be late. Let's go." They were going to Jason's company's annual Banquet and Jason was quickly learning about Monica's obsessive side.
"Late, my ass," Jason muttered to himself. "Coming, honey," he said sarcastically, as he entered the front hall.
"Don't 'coming honey' me," Monica mocked, as he came into view. He smiled at her and pulled her into a hug. He then kissed her forehead and whispered. "Mon, we have over an hour."
"I know, but there could be traffic. And what if we don't get a cab?"
"Then we walk. It's only a twenty minute walk, you know?"
"I know," Monica said. "I just want tonight to go okay."
Jason smiled. She had told him about Mark a couple weeks ago and she was doing really well. She still found being in a large group of strangers difficult, but he found she was growing more and more confident each day. She seemed to feel braver if she was with him. This made him feel good. "Don't worry, Mon. It will be perfect." He pulled her in closer and wrapped his arms around her back. She relaxed in his arms and rested her head on his shoulder.
"Monica?" Jason said. "I.um.I love you."
Monica pulled her head up off of Jason's shoulder and looked into his eyes. "I love you, to." She kissed him. The kiss lasted some time, before she finally broke it. She sighed contentedly as she rested her head on his shoulder once again.
"You look beautiful, by the way," Jason added.
Monica took a step back to take a look at Jason. "You don't look so bad yourself." Monica said. She then glanced down at her watch. "Damnit!"
"What?" Jason asked.
"We just lost ten minutes," Monica said, exasperated. "We gotta go!" She then grabbed Jason's hand and pulled him out the door. He rolled his eyes as she rushed them down the stairs to the street to catch a cab.
The next morning, Monica awoke to find herself wrapped in Jason's arms in bed. She smiled and shifted her weight slightly. Even though he was asleep, he tightened his grip on her, and pulled her in closer. She smiled and sighed. She was so happy. The banquet the night before had been amazing. They had had a great time. Monica had found, for the first time in so long, that she was comfortable in a place full of people. She had even had conversations with people she didn't even know. It was great. Another thing for her to be happy about was the fact that Jason had talked to his boss the day before, and had gotten himself a position in the New York office, they were leaving to start up in a month. The original reason for Monica traveling to Toronto in the first place. It was ironic, Monica thought that she had dreaded this trip so much, and look what it had gotten her. Everything she had wanted for three years: Chandler back, and her self- esteem and self-confidence back. Monica smiled as she fell back to sleep.
Rachel sighed as she flipped through the pages of her magazine. She was bored. She missed having her best friend there to go through catalogues with. She loved Phoebe, but didn't love Phoebe's choice in clothing. She, along with the rest of the gang, had wanted to go to Toronto, but Monica had said no, repeatedly. What ever she was up to, she didn't want them to know. She called almost every night, but never gave them her phone number. They could only reach her on her cell. She was glad, however, that Monica was returning home the next day and was awaiting her call. The sound of the phone ringing cut off Rachel's thoughts on the subject.
"Hello?" she said.
"Hi Rach," Monica's voice said.
"Hey, Mon. How's life?"
"It's good. Yours?"
"Eh," Rachel said. "It's been boring lately. I miss you."
"I miss you to, Rach, but I'm coming home tomorrow."
"Good. What time do want me to pick you up?"
"Um, I don't need a pick-up, I've got a ride."
"With who?"
"No one, it's not important."
"Mon, there's something you're not telling me. I know it."
"You'll find out soon enough. Tell the gang to meet in my apartment tomorrow at 4:00. I have something to tell all of you."
"Okay"
"And Rachel?"
"Yah?"
"Thanks"
"For what?"
"For everything. For being so supportive over the last two months."
"You know that wasn't a problem, Monica."
"I know, and I also know you blame yourself for Mark."
Rachel didn't know what to say. "Well, it was my fault."
"No, it wasn't. You had no way of knowing. Rachel I want you to know that I don't blame you. I never did."
"Thank-you," Rachel said fighting back tears.
"Oh, Rach, don't cry."
"I'm trying not to."
"Anyway, I should go."
"Okay. I'll see you tomorrow."
"Bye Rach."
"Bye Mon"
Monica hung up the phone and smiled. She had finally gotten that off of her back. She sighed. Her life was finally falling back into place.
The next day, Monica flew to New York with Jason and his colleagues. Jason had a hotel room for the two months they were starting up the New York branch, so he went to set up, while Monica took a cab home. She had declined a ride home from her friends because she didn't want them to see Jason yet. She had to explain some things to them first.
At 4 o'clock, Monica walked in the door to her apartment, to find Rachel, Phoebe, Joey and Ross sitting, patiently, waiting for her to arrive. They all jumped up and rushed to hug her.
Ross immediately noticed that his sister looked different. She looked happy. He was taken aback, as he hadn't seen her happy in some time. He went forward to give her a hug and noticed something. Her eyes were no longer dull, they were now sparkling with their previous joy.
"So," he said. "Rachel said you have something to tell us."
"I do," Monica said, now unsure as to how to begin. "Lets sit down." The five of them took seats around the table. "Now, when I tell you this I need you to let me tell you everything, before you say anything. Okay?" Everyone agreed.
"Okay," Monica said. She took a deep breath. "When I first went to Toronto, one of the employees of the company we are catering to ended up being Chandler." She was immediately cut off by all four friends, wanting answers. "You said you would let me talk."
Silence. She began again. "The only reason I didn't tell you was because it wasn't really Chandler. You see Chandler was in a plane crash the day he disappeared. He was in a coma for 6 months before waking up with amnesia. He didn't remember anything, not even his name. Since he was on a flight out of Toronto they assumed he had lived in Toronto. He got a job and lived as Jason Banks for two and a half years. I recognized him and we started spending time together, trying to help him get his memory back. We started our relationship again. Now, he is in town for this work thing and then he is going to stay. You have to know that he is not Chandler. He is Jason. He still can't remember, and you can't tell him anything about his past, so he can remember it on his own. If you tell him something it may create a false memory. Okay?"
Everyone agreed. "Good, cause we're meeting him for dinner in an hour."
A/N: What do you think? How are the friends going to react? How is Jason going to react? Will he get his memory back? (Wow, all these questions make the story sound like a soap opera () anyway, let me know what you think.