Hmm…I wonder how many days
it'll take me before I finish this chapter. Life's really hectic right now. I'm
taking a break from hw, so I'll write a little now. But I have to go out later
tonight, and ahh… Anywayz, thanks for the great reviews! I've had this idea
floating around in my so called brain for a while now, but I guess I'll havta
see if it works as well on…screen…as it does in my head. Please read and
review, thanks!:-) Warning: there is a tiny bit of Ross and Rachel in here…not
sure if that's a good thing or bad, for u, but it's not enough to matter. I've
never really written w/ them together before, so this will be new.
Disclaimer: Hmmm…let me check…nope, still don't own them. For a
minute there I thought I found the characters, but I realized it was just my
foot.
Rachel and Ross walked into Central Perk holding hands.
They arrived at their usual spot, and sat down. The rest of the gang was
already there, when the two arrived.
"Aww," Phoebe cooed, "You
two look so cute."
Rachel smiled broadly.
"Thank you."
"Yeah, I'm glad you two
worked things out," Chandler agreed.
"So are we," Ross informed
them.
Chandler looked at his
watch and sighed. "Guess I should get to work…"
"Yeah me too." Ross turned
to Rachel and gave her a kiss on the lips. "See ya tonight, Rach."
"I'll be thinking about you
all day."
Joey interrupted their
conversation. "Me too!"
Chandler raised his
eyebrows. "Joey, is there something about you that you should tell us?"
"What?"
"You're gonna be thinking
about Ross all day?"
"Hell yeah! He's getting us
those Knicks tickets today, remember?"
"Right!" Chandler patted
Ross on the back, "I'll be thinking about you, too, Ross."
"Great. Just remember you
two date women."
"We're not gonna be
thinking about you like that." Joey paused. "Well, I can't speak for Chandler…"
"Ha, ha. I should go before
the comedian, over here, comes up with more oh so not funny jokes."
"I should go, too," Joey
said, but made no move to get up.
"Ok, get out of here
already!" Phoebe yelled, aggravated.
"What?"
"Well, you guys keep saying
you're gonna leave, so leave!"
"Ok, sorry Pheebs…"
"It's okay. I just don't
like when people say they're gonna leave, but don't."
Chandler gave her a baffled
look, but didn't press on the topic. "Bye everyone." Chandler turned to leave,
but Monica cleared her throat, annoyed at him. He laughed and turned and
squeezed Monica's hand. "Bye babe." With that, he, Ross, and Joey left the
coffee house.
"So?" Phoebe turned to
Rachel, "Things hot and heavy with you and Ross?"
"Of course."
"It's so sweet! I'm so
jealous. You're in such a good relationship…finally."
"Yeah, it took us a while,
but it's been so worth it."
Phoebe turned to Monica,
who was sipping her coffee and reading a magazine. "Isn't Rachel so lucky?"
"About what?"
"About her relationship
with Ross!"
"Uh-huh," Monica said,
distractedly.
"You don't seem too excited
about it," Rachel accused.
"Well, I am."
"I agree. You really don't
seem to care. Don't you care about your brother and one of your best friends?!"
"I do care."
"You know Mon, just because
your relationship with Chandler isn't as good as my relation…"
Monica cut her off. "What
did you just say?"
Rachel laughed. "Come off
it, Mon. I mean Ross is just so much more romantic and sweet and loving than
Chandler."
"Excuse me?!"
"Uh-oh…" Phoebe whispered.
"Well, it's just that your
relationship…it was just spontaneous, ya know? Like one minute you two are just
friends hanging out, and then, all the sudden, you two are drunk and making
out. It's not that romantic."
"Well, it could've been
more romantic, if some of our friends hadn't gotten in the way."
"Yeah, you're right. If
Joey hadn't come into his and Chandler's apartment, you two would've had sex
while you were both as drunk as sailors. Real romantic…"
"Yeah well, maybe that part
wasn't too romantic, but there are other parts…"
"Like?"
"You know what? I don't
have to defend my relationship with Chandler! We're just as romantic…no, more
romantic than any other couple!"
Rachel laughed at Monica's
comment. "Right, sure…I mean did you see how he barely said good-bye to you
this morning? I mean he forgot about you, until you reminded him!"
"That's not true!"
"Yeah it is!"
They both turned to Phoebe
for judgment.
Phoebe looked away. "Well,
he did kinda forget about you this morning."
"What?! No, he was just
busy! He was busy talking."
"Sure, Mon…" Rachel said
smugly.
"He is more
romantic, I'm telling you!"
"Uh-huh…so what did you do
for your first date?"
"We went to a restaurant."
"Yeah, how original!"
Rachel quipped. "Ross and I spent time under the stars in the planetarium. It
was just…breathtaking."
"Yeah, cause he had to go
into work! And fix up dinosaur bones and stuff…real romantic."
"Well, that wasn't
romantic. But afterwards…"
"No, no, you don't know
what you're…"
"Yeah, I do!"
Monica and Rachel began to
bicker back and forth for some time until Phoebe became fed-up with the two of
them.
"Okay, okay, enough! Here's
what we'll do. We'll have a contest."
"Yeah?" Rachel questioned,
"I like the sound of that. Monica, you're going down!"
"You don't even know what
the contest is yet!" Monica yelled.
Rachel looked away,
sheepishly. "Right."
Monica rolled her eyes. "So
what kind of contest are you thinking of?"
"Well, you two could, like
compare which one of your boyfriends are more romantic in the next week, or so,
and then at the end of the week, I'll decide who's in the better relationship."
"Okay…" Monica said
skeptically, "But how will you know if we're telling the truth."
"Well," Rachel answered for
Phoebe, "She'd know I was telling the truth because I don't have a reason to
lie. You on the other hand…"
"Hey, hey, no badgering the
contestant!"
"Yeah!"
"Sorry."
"Anyway, I'll be the judge,
and I'll watch you."
"How will you watch us?"
Monica wondered.
"I have my ways…"
"I dunno…" Monica said.
"Okay!" Rachel agreed.
"Monica…?"
"What?" Rachel teased, "You
chicken?"
"No!"
"Well then?"
Monica paused for a moment.
"Okay, you're on!"
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Later that day, Monica, Phoebe, and Rachel were congregated
around the kitchen table in Monica and Rachel's apartment. It was completely
silent, but the tension was bluntly obvious.
Phoebe broke the silence. "I
can't take it anymore! Somebody talk!"
"I have nothing to say,"
Monica huffed.
"Me neither!" Rachel agreed
angrily.
"Fine, then I'll talk. So
today, I met this guy on the subway and we spoke in Japanese."
"Really?" Monica wondered.
"Pheebs, I didn't know you
spoke Japanese!"
"Oh I don't." Off Monica
and Rachel's confused looks, she continued, "But it got you guys talking."
Monica and Rachel groaned
in unison.
"Fine, don't talk. I can
entertain myself with…" she looked down at the kitchen table, "this fork."
Phoebe picked it up and began drumming on the table."
"Phoebe, will you stop
that?!" Monica demanded angrily.
"Sorry."
"No, Pheebs, don't stop and
definitely don't apologize! Monica doesn't deserve it."
"Hey!"
"Well you…" Rachel began,
but Monica cut her off.
The two continued to bicker
until Ross entered the apartment.
"Ross!" Rachel greeted,
over-excitedly, while jumping up to greet him. She then kissed him passionately.
When she broke the kiss,
Ross smiled childishly. "Wow…"
"Yeah, I know." She paused
and gave Monica a triumphant look. "How was your day, sweetie?"
"Well," Ross began, "Today,
at the museum, Carl said that these tyrannosaurs fossils were found in China…"
Ross began laughing, "But he's wrong. See they were really found in…"
Rachel cut him off
anxiously. "Okay! Enough about your day!"
"Ha!"
All eyes turned to Monica
when she said that. She blushed, and held up a Popsicle stick. In an
embarrassed tone she said, "Funny joke on here."
"Right…" Rachel said,
unconvinced.
"Okay, well I'm gonna go,"
Monica decided. She walked passed Rachel and whispered harshly, "And I'm gonna
beat you!"
Rachel rolled her eyes
dramatically.
"What are you gonna beat
her at?" Ross questioned.
Phoebe decided to answer
for Monica. "Writing a better Popsicle stick joke."
"Oh," Ross answered, unfazed.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Meanwhile, Chandler was working in his office. He was
rolling a pen back and forth on his desk, with his feet up. His phone began to
ring, but Chandler didn't answer it.
"Damn secretary's day,"
Chandler mumbled as he picked up the phone. "Hello?"
"Hey Chandler," he heard
from the other end.
"Hey Mon, what's up?"
"Oh, nothing much. I was
just wondering what we were gonna do tonight."
"Well, I don't know about
you, but I'm going to the Knicks game."
"Chandler!"
"What?"
"How could you just make
plans without telling me?!"
"Well…last time I checked…this
was a free country."
"Yeah, well, it's not a
free country when you're dating me."
"I'm so glad we got
together," Chandler quipped.
"Uch, Chandler! Anyway, how
could you do that to me? To us!"
"What?! Two nights ago, you
went out with Rachel without telling me. How is this any different?"
"Uch, Rachel."
"What? What's wrong with
Rachel?"
"What?" Monica asked
obliviously.
"You didn't sound too happy
with her, when I mentioned her name."
"I'm not mad at Rachel."
"I didn't ask if you were
mad at her, but okay."
"Chandler! You know what,
just go! Have fun at your little game. But remember, I'll be here all alone."
"What? What about Rachel
and Phoebe."
"Uch, Rachel."
"There! You did it again!"
"Did what?"
Chandler moaned. "Nothing."
"So, who are you going with?"
"Joey and Ross."
Monica perked up. "Yeah? With
Ross?"
"Yeah…he's the one who got us
the tickets."
"Perfect."
"Huh?"
"Nothing."
"Okay, you're confusing me,
Mon."
"Don't worry about it.
Everything's fine. You go to your game with Ross. And have fun, with
Ross."
"Why do you keep emphasizing
'with Ross'?"
"No I don't."
"Yeah, you just said…never
mind. I have to get back to work, Mon. I'll see ya tonight, after the game?"
"Of course. Bye Chandler,"
she said seductively.
Chandler hung up the phone,
and looked at it pensively for a moment. "Women…" He decided as he began rolling
his pen back and forth on his desk again.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"What an awesome game!" Joey enthused as he, Ross, and
Chandler walked through the hallway in their apartment building.
"Yeah it was!" Ross agreed.
"Totally!"
"Hey, you guys wanna go out
and get some drinks? Pick up some chicks?" Off their looks, he opened his eyes
wide in remembrance. "Right…you two have to get up early for your work
tomorrow."
"What?!" Ross asked, insulted,
"We have girlfriends!"
"Remember? Your friends…"
Chandler pointed out.
Joey smiled sheepishly. "Right."
"Anyway, I should really go
and say hi to Monica. She seemed mad about the fact that I wasn't going to be
home tonight…among other things."
"What?" Ross questioned.
"Well, first she was mad
that I was going out, then she got mad that I mentioned Rachel, and then she
sounded mad at you."
"At me? I didn't do
anything."
Chandler shrugged his
shoulders.
"Come to think of it,
Rachel's been acting weird, too."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah. Whenever I come into
a room, when there are other people in there, she greets me with this
breathtaking kiss."
"And that's weird?" Joey
questioned, "Jeez, Ross, I feel bad for you."
Ross gave Joey an angry
look and then continued, "I wonder what's up with them…"
All three of them looked
away thoughtfully.
After a moment, Joey
interrupted. "Hey, if I were to put my shoe through the trash shoot, where do
you think it will end up?"
"In China," Chandler joked.
Joey looked up excitedlyl. "Really?"
At first, Chandler looked
shocked that Joey took him seriously. However, he sobered. "That's right, Joe.
It's a passageway through the Earth, to the other side."
"Really? Wow, we shouldn't dump
our trash in China. They have plenty of problems already. Ya know, with the
over-population and all."
"How do you know about
that?" Ross wondered.
"It was a joke in playboy."
"You read the jokes?" Ross
asked, shocked.
"Yeah, well, I was in the
bathroom, and when you're doin' number two, it's not really all that pleasant
to have a naked girl looking up at you."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Chandler entered Monica and Rachel's apartment. The living
room was empty, so he knocked on Monica's door.
"Mon?"
"Come in," Monica answered seductively.
Suddenly, Phoebe popped up from
the other side of the bathroom door.
"Monica!"
Chandler screamed and
jumped in fear.
"Wow, Chandler, you scare
easy." Phoebe paused. "That's good to know."
"What…what…what are you
doing here?"
"Nothing. But I need to
talk to Monica for a minute." She raised her voice. "Monica! Come out, I need
to talk to you."
"Hold on!"
Monica emerged in a red,
silk robe. "What?"
Phoebe pulled Monica aside.
"You can't seduce him. That's cheating!"
"Okay, okay. No seducing."
"That's right. Go get
dressed and go be…not sexy!"
Monica headed back towards
her room.
"Okay, I'm off," Phoebe
stated and walked out the door.
"What?" Chandler followed
Monica into her room. "What was that all about?"
"Nothing," Monica answered nonchalantly
and began to get dressed.
"What? Why are you
dressing? I thought we were gonna…you know?"
"No."
"What? Why not?"
"I don't feel like it."
"What? Why not!?"
"I just don't feel like it."
"Is it something Phoebe
said to you?"
"N…no."
Chandler gave her an
unconvinced look.
"It's nothing, okay?"
"Right, it's nothing,"
Chandler said sarcastically, "That's why that vein is popping out of your
forehead."
Monica covered her forehead
with her hand for a moment. "Chandler!"
"What? Mon, whatever's
going on between you, Phoebe, and Rachel has gone too far."
"Who said it has anything
to do with Rachel?"
"Come on Monica. I'm not
stupid."
"I can't tell you."
Chandler rolled his eyes. "Why
not?"
"Because, then I'll lose!"
"Lose at what?!"
Monica smiled and pointed a
finger at Chandler. "You thought you were gonna get me to confess, huh?" She
laughed and continued, "Well, you're wrong, buddy!"
"Okay Mon, it's getting
late and I'm getting tired, so bye."
"Fine, go. See what I care."
Chandler walked out of the
apartment and Monica plopped down on the couch.
"Damn Chandler," she mumbled,
"I can't lose!"
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
That night, Ross and Rachel laid in bed together. Suddenly,
Rachel began to smile.
"What is it?" Ross
wondered.
"I think I just beat
Monica."
"Ya know, mentioning my
sister's name right now, isn't really appealing. We've been through this before…"
"No! Finally, I win and she
loses!"
"At what?"
"At nothing."
"What?"
Rachel began to laugh. "It's
silly, really."
"Ok? I like silly stories."
"Well, I told Monica that
you were more romantic than Chandler, and she didn't believe me, so we've been
having a contest."
"You've…you've…you've been
having a contest?!"
"Yeah. What's wrong?"
"What's wrong?! What's
wrong, she asks!"
"Yeah, I do ask…"
"You're competing about me…with
my sister! It's absurd!"
"It's really not. Don't worry
so much about it."
Ross shook his head
woefully. "Women…"
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The next morning, Ross entered Joey and Chandler's
apartment.
"Hey guys," Ross greeted.
"Hey Ross."
"Hey," Joey said with a
mouth full of cereal.
Ross looked at Joey,
disgusted. "I thought you always ate breakfast at Mon's."
"I do. This is just my
first course."
"You're breakfast has more
than one course?"
"Yours doesn't?" Joey
wondered.
"Anyway…" Ross turned to
Chandler, "So, have you heard about the girls' contest?"
"No. What contest?"
"You haven't heard?"
What contest?" Joey
wondered. "Ooo, is it like one of those contests to see which girl is the
better kisser? And they practice on each other…" Joey looked away dreamily.
"No!"
"Yeah, and don't fantasize
about my girlfriend and my…sister like that!"
"Sorry."
"So what kind of contest?"
Chandler tried again.
"Well, it seems that Rachel
told Monica that I was more romantic than you are."
Joey began laughing. "So?"
"I don't know. The girls
are making a big fuss out of it."
"So, that's why Monica's
been acting so weird!"
"Yup and same with Rachel.
Apparently, Phoebe's their judge."
"I don't know about Monica
and Rachel," Joey commented, "But I would've expected better from Phoebe."
Ross and Chandler nodded in
agreement.
"Well, you know what you
have to do?" Joey asked smugly.
"Tell them to drop it and
that they're lucky that we're both more romantic than you are?" Chandler
wondered.
"Well, yeah. But before
that, you could, ya know, teach them a lesson."
"You've been watching too
much I Love Lucy," Ross warned.
"Yeah, I know. But come on!
It would work. And besides, it could be fun."
"Well…" Chandler hesitated.
"Come on!"
"I'm in!" Ross agreed.
"Chandler?"
"Ok," Chandler relented, "I'm
in. But we can't do anything too bad. I really don't feel like going back to abstinence."
To be continued… I
seriously didn't mean to make this a two parter, but it's getting really long
and it's kinda late, and I'm tired. Anyway, sorry it took me so long to get
this posted…a week to be exact…but as I've said before, life's a bitch. Well, I
didn't say it like that, but u get the picture. Okay, please leave a review!
Thanks. Hope this was worth the wait…;-)
