A/N: Here's my new fic! The first chapter is really just an introduction. After the first chapter, you may think this has been done before... but I don't think it has. Just remember, the first chapter is the prologue. LOL... hope you enjoy! Oh, and if anyone can find the line from my favorite Matthew Perry movie... you win the prize!

Disclaimer: I don't own the Friends or "Miss You" by Aaliyah

If Your Heart's Still Mine

PROLOGUE

March, 1986

Monica walked through the supermarket, her hand over her bulging stomach. She was starving, and they'd just run out of milk. Slowly, she walked to the checkout counter, holding the milk and a box of doughnuts.

She caught stranger's glances as they passed - sad, pitying, presumptive looks. She could almost hear them whispering How sad as she walked by.

Yes, it is sad, isn't it? Monica wanted to shriek. Why don't you all jsut stare and whisper some more? Or perhaps you'd like to ask some questions? How many times? Was he your first? Does it hurt? Go on, I dare you to. Ask me how I got pregnant at 16.

Monica tossed a girl slightly older than her a hateful look. The girl turned red and scampered away as Monica set her milk and doughnuts down on the check-out counter. Without making eye contact, the cashier rang up the items, and Monica hurried - well, as much as you could hurry when you were eight and a half months pregnant - out to the parking lot, where her brother Ross was waiting in his car.

Monica dropped the food into the car and slid in herself. Ross stuck out his arm to help her, but Monica shooed him away. "I can get in myself," she snapped. Ross brought his hands away and watched as Monica awkwardly squatted to get into the car. She finally made it in and heaved a sigh.

They drove home in silence. Monica stared out the window at the familiar landmarks of her hometown. There was the park she and Ross had played in as children. There was the burger joint where she'd watched as her best friend Rachel's gotten her first kiss - at age 12. There's the doctor's office where she'd gone for a check-up last week...

Monica sighed again.

"What?" Ross asked dutifully.

"Nothing." Sigh.

"Come on, Mon. What's the matter?"

"I just miss him."

Ross glanced at his sister, who was staring out the window with a sad look in her eyes. "You have to forget him, Mon. He's not coming home for a long time. And by that time - "

"I know, thank you," Monica said. "I just wish... I just wish he could be here when the baby is born."

Ross looked at her again, startled. "You're not thinking about telling him, are you?"

"Well, why not? He deserves to know that he has a child."

"But everybody agreed it was better not to! He's across the world, it wouldn't do any good. He'd probably tell you to give it up, which you'd - "

"Never do," Monica finished for her brother. "I know. I know."

They drove the rest of the way in silence. When they pulled up in front of the house, Ross got out of the car and ran around the other side to help Monica out. Grumbling about being treated like a child, Monica let herself he helped out of the car. Once she was on her feet, Ross started back to the car.

"You're not staying?" Monica asked.

"No, sorry. I've got classes at eight tomorrow," Ross explained.

"Great. So I have to explain to Mom why there's a giant box of donuts in here. I was going to blame it on you," Monica mumbled.

"Right," Ross said, kissing his little sister on the forehead. "Call me if you need anything, 'Kay?"

"Yeah. Bye." Monica walked up to her house and opened the door. "I'm home!" she called, but there was no answer. She found a note of the kitchen counter.

Monica,

Went to dinner party at Thompson's, will be home late. Invite Rachel over to stay with you

Mom and Dad

Figures, Monica thought. She put the milk in the fridge and opened the box of donuts. She shoved one in her mouth and carried three more upstairs to her room. She could call Rachel in a little bit.

She sat down at her desk, picking up a book titled What to Expect When Your Expecting. She'd read most of it already. She almost immediately set it down and picked up her trigonometry book. She was going to a special school three times a week so she could graduate from high school, but she was struggling with math.

A picture fluttered out of the book, and Monica smiled as she picked it up. There he was, looking as cute as ever. They were sitting on the sand together, and he was holding her tightly. It was probably the middle of August... she had that sad look in her eyes, like she knew it was ending...

*************

Summer, 1985

They were summer lovers. They'd dated for over a year before that summer, the summer they went all the way. He was so gentle and caring - they were both doing it for their first time. It hurt when he went inside her, and Monica cried out, but he kissed her tears away, and everything was okay. After that, she fell even deeper in love with him.

Monica had never loved someone like she loved Chandler Bing. She wanted to have him completely, wanted him to have her. Their friends all pretended to be sick when they were around each other, because they were always holding hands, looking into each other's eyes, kissing and smiling and being wholly in love.

Monica thought they would be together forever. Sure, he was a year older and would be going off to college in September, but he'd promised he would go to NYU like Ross, Boston College - somewhere close, somewhere he could fly in from or drive from all the time. Somewhere where they could still be together.

She was surprised and horrified, then, when he announced he had been accepted to Oxford. He'd shown up at her house one August night, with a sad look in his eyes.

"Monica," he said. "We need to talk."

Monica was unconcerned as he sat her down in their living room. "What's up?" she asked.

"I'm going to Oxford," he blurted out.

Monica cocked her head. "Pardon?"

"I'm going there for - for college."

Monica shook her head. "No - no, you're can't. You're grades aren't good enough!"

"Thanks," he said, smirking. "I know, but... well, I think my mom pulled some strings. She really wanted me to go there." Nora Bing was a famous romance writer, and Monica knew she had connections around the world.

"But - you can't go there," Monica said. "It's - Oxford's in England!"

"I know, honey," he whispered, pulling her closer. "I'm so sorry. But I have to go."

"No you don't!" Monica cried, standing up. "Just tell them - tell them you can't go!"

"You can't just turn down Oxford, Monica!" Chandler stood up, looking angry. "Look, I know this isn't what we thought was going to happen, but there's nothing I can do!"

"There has to be!" Monica wailed. "If you really loved me, you would get out of it." She stared at Chandler's crumpled face and ran up to her room.

Monica cried for hours that night. She refused to believe that Chandler was leaving her. He couldn't be! They'd been together for so long; she'd given him her flower; she loved him! He'd promised they would be together forever. She thought they were going to get married... but now, all of that was gone.

The next day, they met for breakfast. They talked, she cried, and they decided that they would stay together for the rest of the summer but end it after that. They couldn't have a long distance relationship.

They savored every moment of those last weeks. They walked at the beach, they had fancy dinners and stayed home watching old movies and eating take-out, and they had more sex in one month than Monica would ever have in her life.

But then the last day came. Ross and Monica went with Chandler to the airport. Monica had bags under her eyes and was exhausted - she'd been up crying the whole night before. But she promised to stay strong for when Chandler left.

Chandler hugged his best friend good-bye and then turned to Monica. She threw her arms around him, trying not to cry. He cupped her face in his hands and kissed her one last time. Monica didn't want to let go.

"Good-bye, Monica," he whispered tenderly into her ear. "I love you."

"I love you too," she said back, swallowing hard. She and Ross watched as Chandler walked toward the gate. Right before he disappeared, he turned around and mouthed, "Love you," one more time.

And then he was gone.

Monica fell into Ross's arms, sobbing. For once, she didn't care that people were staring as she walked through the airport. She continued to cry as they drove home, and cried all day in her room. She was miserable without Chandler.

The next week she started throwing up all the time, and felt tired and light-headed. She refused to believe the signs until she fainted one day at school a few weeks later. She was rushed to the hospital, and, just as she'd begun to suspect - Monica was pregnant.

Her parents were furious. They immediately deemed Chandler a "horrible boy" who took advantage of young girls. As much as Monica explained that she and Chandler had been exclusive, that she had wanted it, her parents hated him.

And in bouts of rage and pain, Monica thought she hated him too. She hated him for putting her in this situation and leaving her all alone. She hated him for refusing to turn Oxford down, for flying off to another country and leaving her in America, alone and pregnant at sixteen.

Her parents had forced her to drop out of school, and refused to let her tell Chandler or any of her friends except Rachel. Monica was crushed that she couldn't tell Chandler. Maybe if he knew, she thought, he would come home! But her parents wouldn't let her contact him at all, and soon his letters and calls, after being denied for months, stopped coming. And the only reminder Monica had of him were the notes and cards he'd sent her, the few pictures her parent's hadn't confiscated, and the baby growing inside her stomach.

************

Monica put the picture down and tried to think about something else. She picked up her phone and quickly dialed Rachel's number.

"Rach? It's me."

"Hey, Mon. What's up?"

"Well, my parents are gone for a while, so do you want to come over here to hang out? Well, and baby-sit," Monica joked.

"Sure,'' Rachel said. "I'll be right over."

"All right," Monica said, putting the phone back on the cradle. She quickly hid the pictures of Chandler she'd been looking at. Rachel, who had thought Chandler was okay when he was home, now hated him for leaving Monica. Rachel didn't like Monica dwelling on him.

The doorbell rang a couple minutes later, and Monica waddled - for there was no other word for it - downstairs to answer it. Rachel was at the front step.

"Hey," she said. Monica was about to say hi back when she was overcome with pain. She leaned over, trying to grab her knees but realizing she couldn't. Rachel, seeing her friend's agony, grabbed her by the shoulders. Monica bent over for several more seconds and then stood up straight, breathing heavily.

"Are you okay?" Rachel asked, looking very white.

"Yeah. It was probably just Braxton-Hicks contractions," Monica said quickly. She'd read all about them.

"Oh, right - but this late?" Rachel wondered, also having read the pregnancy books with her best friend.

"Yeah, sure," Monica said nonchalantly. "I'm fine now."

The girls went to the den and put a movie in the VCR. Monica was fine for about another hour, when she gasped in pain again. Rachel turned to her friend.

"Mon? Honey, are you okay?" she asked worriedly as Monica clutched her stomach.

Monica, her face tight with torment, nodded. "I think so."

"Do you need anything?"

"No, I'll be fine." Monica took a deep breath and sat back into the couch.

"See? All better. Except - I have to pee. I'll be right back." Taking Rachel's arm up, Monica stood and walked into the bathroom. But before she got there, she felt something warm running down her leg.

"Crap," she muttered. Did I just pee without realizing it? It certainly felt like it...

"Oh, no," she murmured. "No!" Monica suddenly realized what was going on. She called for Rachel. "Rach! Rachel!"

"What's the matter?" Rachel asked, running up to Monica.

"Rach," she said, a mixture of delight and terror on her face. "I think my water just broke!"

Moments later, they were in the car, speeding towards the hospital. "Rachel, slow down, the baby's not coming yet," Monica said.

"You don't know that!" Rachel screeched as she cut off a lady in a white truck. "Shit. Sorry! Shit!" she yelled out the window. Monica started to laugh, but stopped and squeezed her eyes closed as she felt another contraction.

Rachel hurried Monica out of the car and into the hospital, where she was immediately admitted to the maternity ward. Rachel called Mr. and Mrs. Geller, and Ross, but that was all. The rest of Monica's family had no idea she was pregnant.

However, the delivery went faster than expected, and before Monica's family had a chance to get to the hospital, she was in labor. Monica squeezed Rachel's hand and they both screamed, but then - it was over.

In tears, Monica looked for her baby. "Where's my baby?" she asked, sobbing in happiness and pain. "Where's my baby?"

"Right here, miss," a nurse said. "We're just cleaning her up."

"I had a girl?" she asked, turning to Rachel. Rachel nodded. "Oh my God, I had a girl!"

A little bit later, Monica was holding her daughter for the first time. "Hello, my little baby girl. You are so beautiful. You are the most beautiful little baby in the world. I'm your Mommy. And this is your Aunt Rachel." Monica smiled up at Rachel, who looked like she was about to cry.

"I'm her aunt?" she asked happily.

"Of course! And her godmother," Monica assured her. Rachel let out a cry of laughter and touched the little baby's cheek tenderly.

Then, Monica's parents and brother rushed in. "Oh, my goodness," Mrs. Geller cried, seeing her daughter holding a little baby.

"It's a girl," Monica said, grinning at her parents. They all looked at the baby for a few minutes, and then Monica said, "Could you guys give me some time alone with her?" They all nodded and left silently.

"That was Uncle Ross, and Grandma and Grandpa. But your Daddy's not here. He's in another country. He doesn't know about you, and I don't know if he ever will. But I know he would love you to pieces, just like he used to love Mommy. So don't be mad at him, okay? Because I'm not either. I love him."

She called her family back into the room.

"You guys," she said, pointing her baby at the small group. "I'd like you to meet Elizabeth Jean Geller-Bing."

Off to college, yes, you went away

Straight from high school you up and left me

We were close friends, also lovers

Did everything for one another

Now you're gone and I'm lost without you here now

But I know I gotta live and make it somehow...

Aaliyah, "Miss You"