A/N: Thanks for the reviews! I usually don't have much to say here, but today I'm going to sing a little song. It's one day after Thanksgiving, but this song is appropriate. Please don't think I'm crazy - I'm just a little hyper. So here's the song.

My name is gobble chicken, I like to gobble gobble!

That's the whole song. LOL.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything. I don't own the Friends characters, I don't own Avril Lavigne's song, I don't even own the gobble chicken song (that, my friends, is the property of my psychotic friend Leah).

CHAPTER TWO - Left

Chandler stepped out of the cab and saw a brunette figure racing down the street. He frowned. He recognized -

"Monica?" he said, confused. "Monica!" he yelled after her. She didn't stop running. Chandler contemplated chasing her, but then decided he'd look like a moron - or worse, a stalker - if he followed her and it turned out it wasn't Monica. He picked up his briefcase and went up to his apartment.

He was startled by red footsteps and blotches leading through the lobby, up to his hallway, and into Monica's wide open door. Was it blood? He looked into her apartment and saw more red puddles, and brown bags, full of broken groceries, littered the floor. The red he saw was tomato sauce, but there was something else splattered - and it looking like blood. What the hell has happened here?

Chandler was seized with sudden terror. Where was Richard? And if the running woman was Monica, what was she running from?

"Richard?" he called, racing through the apartment to the bedroom. "Monica?" He opened the door and looked inside. His jaw dropped.

Phoebe and Richard were in bed together. Phoebe and Richard. "I don't believe this," he spat, utterly disgusted. "I just - how could you do this to her?" He left, slamming the door behind him.

Phoebe came racing out, a blanket pulled around her. "Chandler, wait! Where are you going?"

"To find Monica," he said. He looked at his friend, who's face was pale. "Pheebs - " he pleaded. "I can't believe you did this! You know she's still hurting..."

"Tell her I'm sorry," Phoebe said, tears filling her eyes. "I didn't mean to hurt her."

"I don't think she's going to care," Chandler whispered sadly. "I really don't." As a single tear rolled down Phoebe's cheek, Chandler left. He had to find Monica.

For three hours, he walked around Manhattan, looking for his friend. He called Ross and Rachel and Joey, who joined the search. But they all retired, exhausted and sad, to Chandler and Joey's apartment around midnight. Monica was gone. She wasn't at any of their favorites restaurants or hang outs, or at the gym or work, or anywhere she would normally go.

"I can't believe they would do this," Ross raged, slamming his fist onto the countertop. "Richard and Phoebe?! Don't they care about her at all? Ever since the baby... she's been so fragile..."

"They must have known this would break her heart!" Rachel wailed. She put her face in her hands. "She just.... left. Where could she be?"

"She'll be okay tonight," Joey said, a hint of doubt in his voice. "She's a big girl."

''I'm more concerned about Richard's health," Chandler growled, standing up and heading for the door. "After I'm through with him." He opened it, then looked expectantly at his friends. "Well, aren't you going to help me?"

"Guys, there's no sense going over there and getting yourselves beat up," Rachel said sensibly. "We just have to stay here and wait for Monica. She's going to need us more than ever."

"She's right," Ross said. "As much as I'd like to go over there and kick his pathetic, cheating ass, there's no point." Ross sighed. "I guess we should be going home." Ross and Rachel currently lived together across the alley from Monica and Richard and Joey and Chandler. Rachel took Ross's hand and they left, asking Chandler and Joey to call immediately if they heard from Monica.

"I'm wiped," Joey said. "Are you going to bed?"

"I think I'm going to stay up for a while," Chandler said distractedly. Joey said good night and went into his room. Chandler sat down on the couch and turned the TV on. He looked on the phone and willed it to ring.

Please, Monica, he prayed. Please be okay. Don't do anything drastic. We still love you. You can get through this. But Chandler was terrified that she couldn't.

Chandler was woken the next morning by the phone ringing next to his ear. He'd fallen asleep on the couch. He snatched it up and answered, "Hello?"

"Chandler?" a small voice said.

"Monica, is that you? Are you okay? Where are you?" Chandler said, jumping up instinctively.

"I'm fine. I'm - somewhere. I'm fine." Monica seemed hesitant to speak.

"Where are you? Do you want me to come get you?" Chandler asked hurriedly.

"No!" Monica said forcefully. "No. I'm okay. Could you just - could you tell Ross and my parents and everyone that I love them and I'll see them... sometime?"

"Monica, no," Chandler said. "Where are you? Please don't do anything. Don't - don't do anything to yourself."

"I'll be fine," she said. "Just..." she trailed off.

"Monica - are you okay? Where are you?"

"Just tell them. Please. And Chandler?"

"Yes?" Chandler said, a sense of desperation overcoming him. What was Monica going to do? Please, God, don't let her hurt herself. I need her.

"Tell Phoebe I don't hate her." Chandler could hear the pain in her voice.

"Let me come get you," Chandler begged. "Let me at least see you. Please, Mon. Where are you?"

"I just need to be alone. Good bye." And she hung up. Chandler fell back onto the couch, slapping his hand over his head.

"Who was that?" Joey asked sleepily, coming out of his bedroom.

"Monica," Chandler said. "It was Monica."

For three days, Chandler grappled with the fact that he'd talked to Monica - and let her get away. They were all terrified that Monica had done something reckless. This could be the breaking point in a string of bad events.

The year before, Monica had finally become pregnant. She'd been happy, but Richard had not. Their marriage had been rocky for a while, and he'd even asked her to get rid of the baby at one point. But then, when Monica was seven months pregnant, Richard, driving home from a friend's house outside Manhattan with a few beers in his system, crashed their car into a tree. He wasn't hurt, and Monica sustained only minor injuries, but she lost the baby.

Monica was devastated. As if losing her unborn child wasn't enough, Richard didn't sympathize or even support her during her time of grief. He even seemed relieved, happy, that they weren't having a baby. Monica considered leaving him at one point, but finally realized she had no where to go, and did still love him.

But things had been tough for Monica ever since. And now, to find out that Richard was cheating on her with Phoebe, one of her best friends - who knew what that might drive her to? The word they were all thinking but didn't dare to speak.... suicide. Would Monica kill herself? It seemed doubtful - Monica was strong - but they couldn't be sure.

Chandler couldn't sleep at night. He and Monica were closer than any of them knew. They were the best of friends, as close Monica and Chandler were with Rachel and Joey, respectively. And despite Monica's marriage, Chandler felt more for her than he'd ever let anyone know. To lose her, to know that he'd spoken to her and let her go, was too much to bear.

Then she called again. It was late at night this time, on a Friday. Joey was out - even his worry for Monica couldn't stop him from dating - but Chandler was at home, watching TV and trying desperately to distract himself. He was thinking, thinking about the heartbroken look Phoebe had given him when he'd said Monica didn't hate her.

"I hate myself," Phoebe had said, beginning to cry. "I really hate myself." That was all she'd said before rushing out of his apartment. That was the day after Monica left, and no one had seen her since.

None of them had talked to Richard. As Monica hadn't said anything about telling him anything, Chandler refrained from speaking to the man, whom he currently had no respect for. He passed him in the downstairs lobby once as he came home from work, but he just glared at him.

"Hello?" Chandler said into the phone that night.

"Chandler. It's Monica," Monica said, her voice slightly more relaxed then it had been the last time they'd talked.

"Monica? Where are you?" He was filled with delight and relief, but also dread. Why was Monica calling again? He had a sense of deja vu from the last time they'd spoken. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Listen, is - is Joey there?"

"No, he's out," Chandler said.

"Okay, good. I really - I sort of need to talk to you," Monica said slowly.

"Anything. But are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine, Chandler," she said, chuckling. "Don't worry. I'm not... I think I know what you're thinking, but don't worry - I'm not going to do anything. I just need to talk to you." She took a deep breath while Chandler waited. "Actually, I need you to talk to me. How is everybody?"

Chandler was taken aback. Didn't Monica want to cry and moan to him about her broken life? No. Apparently, she wanted to see how the rest of their lives were going. She was so selfless. "We're all - okay. Worried about you."

"Is Ross okay? I really don't want him to be worried. He's been so stressed, what with Ben and all," Monica said.

"Well, he is worried. He really wants you to come home," Chandler said.

"That's another thing I need to talk to you about." Monica sighed, and Chandler waited anxiously for several moments. "I'm not coming home."

Am I just some chick you placed beside you

To take somebody's place

When you turn around can you recognize my face?

Didn't you feel me lock my arms around you?

Why'd you turn away?

Here's what I have to say

I was left to cry there

Waiting outside there

Grinning with a lost stare

That's when I decided

Why should I care?

Cause you weren't there when I was scared

I was so alone

You need to listen

I'm starting tot rip, I'm losing my grip

And I'm in this thing alone

A/N: Well, that was my weak attempt at a cliffhanger. :) Please review!