Hi everyone!  Sorry this part is short, but I decided to go ahead and post it anyway.  One thing:  If the Connor/Dylan thing gets confusing, I'm sorry.  He's 'Connor' at all times except when someone is talking to him, and even then I did my best not to have someone refer directly to him by name.  Hope it's not too difficult. 

Monica could feel her husband trembling as Jonathan opened the door, and knew exactly what Chandler was feeling.  She was almost dreading the coming encounter, because she simply didn't know what to expect – what to say, what to do.  She could already feel her son's confusion and desperation, and he was still out of sight beyond the door they were now entering.  She had no idea what to do to make this easier for him. 

            She closed her eyes just before she stepped into the room, saying a silent prayer for strength and wisdom – and hoping her maternal instincts would kick in and tell her exactly what to say or do.  She felt a sudden pull on her hand as Chandler moved forward without her, and she automatically took the last step into the room, opening her eyes as she did.  Her gaze immediately fell on the child sitting in the middle of the small room, and she felt her knees go weak yet again. 

            There he was, right in front of them.  After all this time… 

            Connor's head was bowed, his eyes glued to the floor.  He looked so small and alone, in spite of the small group of people standing around him.  Monica's heart lurched, and she fought the urge to run to him immediately and gather him up in her arms.  It didn't take a genius to figure out that that would only scare him more.

            "Dylan," the woman standing closest to him said softly, the unfamiliar name reminding Chandler and Monica again that this was a delicate situation.  "This is Chandler and Monica Bing…the people I told you about."

            Connor nodded slightly, then slowly lifted his head to look at them.  Monica gasped and covered her mouth as she looked into his face.  The blue eyes were unmistakable.  This child was definitely a Bing.

            She stumbled forward, but stopped when she saw a flash of fear in Connor's eyes.  Instead of sweeping him up into her arms, she forced herself to kneel in front of him, unable to keep herself from reaching out a hand to touch his cheek.  Connor's eyes locked with hers as he bit his lip in uncertainty, and she could feel the tears starting to run down her cheeks as she gazed at her long-lost child.  She didn't even notice Chandler kneeling beside her until Connor's gaze shifted to his father.  Chandler stroked Connor's hair away from his forehead, then let his hand fall to the child's arm as he smiled at him gently.

            "Hey - Dylan."

            Monica was surprised to hear the strange name on Chandler's tongue, but when she saw the wave of relief that passed over her son's face she realized that Chandler had done the right thing.  Connor needed everything they could do to lend a sense of normalcy to this entire situation.

            "Hi," Connor replied in a small voice, giving Chandler the hint of a cautious smile.  He glanced back at Monica, his smile growing slightly in spite of the hesitance on his face.  Unable to resist any longer, Monica held out her arms, pulling him gently into her embrace.  When he didn't resist, she held him more tightly, kissing his cheeks and forehead as tears streamed down her face.  Chandler's arms immediately enveloped both of them, and Monica could feel his body shaking with quiet sobs.  She turned her head just enough to meet his eyes over Connor's head, and saw the same deep relief and unchecked emotion that she was feeling. 

            It was almost hard to believe it had been three years since she held in her son in her arms…but it was hard to ignore the fact that Connor was no longer the happy, affectionate two-year-old he had been the last time she saw him – when she kissed him goodbye and whispered "I love you", blind in her faith that he would be coming back in the morning. 

            She pressed another kiss against Connor's head, giving herself one more moment to hug him tightly, then released him slowly, smiling through tears as she gazed into his face.   Connor studied her face for a moment, and Monica thought her heart would burst when she saw his face break into the smile she had ached for – dreamed of – for so long.

            "Jamie said I used to live with you," Connor commented quietly after the emotional reunion had settled down, and silence overtook them as Monica and Chandler gazed adoringly at their son.   

            "Yes, sweetie," Monica answered him, her voice sad but loving.  "You did."

Connor pondered that, looking from Chandler to Monica and back again. 

"I don't remember," Connor told them solemnly, with the candor of a five-year-old.  "It must have been when I was little."

The grave expression on his son's face made Chandler smile, even as his admission of having no memories of them broke his heart.  He nodded, swallowing back tears as his own memories of the past flooded him.

"Yes.  Yes, you were very little.  You've grown up so much since the last time we saw you." 

Connor accepted this with a nod, and turned his eyes to the floor as he scuffed the toe of one shoe against the tile.  After a long moment of silence, he spoke again – this time with a distinct quaver in his voice.

"Did you give me away?" 

Monica stifled a sudden sob in her throat and looked immediately at Chandler, who was staring at their son in shock.  He started to shake his head furiously, but Monica managed to find her voice and spoke first.

"No.  No, of course we didn't.  We never would have given you away.  We love you very, very much."

"Very much," Chandler echoed, choking on his own words.  Connor glanced up, his expression pained and puzzled.

"Then how come I don't live with you now?"

Monica and Chandler shared a look, silently conferring about what they should say.  Seeing their loss, Jamie – who was staying close by just in case – stepped forward. 

"Dylan, did your Mommy and Daddy ever tell you what it meant to be adopted?"  From her conversations with Eric and Dylan over the past few days, Jamie knew that they had.  The fact that Eric was a biological son and Dylan was adopted had always been handled matter-of-factly by both of them.

"Yes," Connor admitted hesitantly, his voice soft. 

"What did they tell you?"

"They…" Connor paused, his face scrunching up in an effort not to cry.  It was the memory of the parents he had known, Monica realized suddenly.  In her own happiness, she had forgotten about what Connor had been through so recently.  Without thinking, she silently reached out to rest a hand on Connor's arm, hoping he would feel how much she loved him. 

Connor blinked hard several times, bravely pushing away his tears, and stubbornly continued.  "They said I had another mommy and daddy somewhere, and that my other mommy was the one that carried me in her tummy.  But they gave me away so I could go live with Mama and Daddy, even though they loved me very much and were always thinking about me."  Connor finished his recitation and looked at Monica and Chandler, his gaze slightly accusatory.  "Was that you?"

"No – well, yes, but…we didn't – "                       

Chandler paused in his stammered response, shrugging helplessly and looking completely lost.  Connor was watching him carefully, Monica noticed, waiting for him to clarify.  The pain in both their eyes tore at her soul, and she acted instinctively, pulling Connor onto her lap and wrapping her arms around him as she turned him sideways so she could look at him. 

"Yes, honey," she told him, her voice soft.  "We are your parents.  You are our son, and we love you so much.  And we did think about you every day and we missed you so very much.  You have no idea how happy we are to have you back.  But we did not give you up, sweetheart.  We didn't want you to go away, but…but somebody took you away from us.  And we searched and searched, but…"  Monica's voice broke, her tears finally overcoming her.  Chandler leaned in, looking directly into his son's eyes, his voice gruff with emotion.

"But we couldn't find you, son.  We tried so hard, but we didn't know where you were.  We thought about you a million times every day and wished you would come home to us, but…we just couldn't find you."

Connor's eyes were wide, his expression a mixture of confusion, fear, and panic.  He stared hard at Chandler as he processed the information, then squirmed impatiently off of Monica's lap.

"Somebody stole me?"

Chandler nodded silently, reaching out to Connor, but it was Jamie Connor was looking to for confirmation.  When she nodded, Connor's expression turned to one of bewilderment. 

"Why?"

He addressed the question to Jamie, but Chandler broke in.

"We don't know, son.  We never knew.  But it doesn't matter.  We have you back now, and we're never going to let anyone take you away from us again."

Connor froze, his face blanching as understanding washed over him. 

"You mean…I'm – I have to stay here with you?"

To Be Continued…