Always and Forever

Chapter 3

I am so completely in, like, the *best* mood ever. And why am I in the best mood you may ask? Hello, have you looked outside? Granted you don't live where I do…but anyway, it is soooo nice out! It's spring-y! If that's even a word! It was negative temperatures a couple of days ago and today it's like 55…so it put me in a really good mood all day. Well, except for this assembly thing we had today…cuz the guy I like sat in front of me, so I'm like, sweet…and then his girlfriend comes over and puts her arm around him like 'he's mine'…so I'm like great…and then the girl who my ex-boyfriend cheated on me with somehow ends up sitting next to me…and…well that situation speaks for itself…we don't like each other all that much…but that was only an hour out of my day. The rest of my day was awesome. And you're welcome for sharing…feel free to tell me how your day was, too, lol. Oh, and there's a line in here that I stole from a movie…tell me what and I'll give you…I'll give you a, um, a hug!

Emma opened the door quickly, knowing that if she opened it slowly it would creak.

"Don't step on the squeaky floorboard in the hallway, either," Chandler said, causing Emma to jump. "Seriously, Emma, this gets old." She ignored him, walking past where he was standing and heading up the stairs. "It's either now or in the morning," Chandler yelled after her. "Though I'm pretty sure it's technically already morning. And considering the fact that you'll probably have a hangover to sleep off, I probably won't see you till afternoon, so…"

Emma stopped, turning back to face him. "I'm not drunk."

"Well, not tonight," he said, and Emma rolled her eyes, turning back around. "Seriously, why do you even bother coming home by curfew just to sneak out again? Why not just not come home until now, save yourself the trip?"

"Fine, Chandler, I won't come home till now tomorrow night," she called back over her shoulder.

"I'm not done."

Emma sighed, stopping once again. "What?"

"Where the hell were you?"

"What do you care anyway?" she yelled back.

"Were you at Kyle's?"

"So what if I was?" she challenged, folding her arms across her chest.

"Would you stop answering questions with questions," he looked her in the eye, and she looked down.

"Yes, I was at Kyle's," she mumbled.

"Emma-"

"What?" she looked back up. "Why can't I see him?"

"Because he's 21!"

"So?"

"So you're 17!"

"I'll be 18 in a month!"

"There's only one thing college guys want from high school girls."

"Well maybe he's different!"

"You really think that?"

"Yes!"

"Emma-"

"What?" she cut him off. "Stop treating me like a little kid! I'm not a child!"

"You're my child!"

Emma paused, looking him in the eye. "No, I'm not," she said slowly before going upstairs to her bedroom, knowing very well that she'd hurt him

Chandler sighed, closing his eyes. She knew what to do to make him mad, and she knew what to say to hurt him. And he hadn't missed the fact that she'd called him Chandler. She would go back and forth between 'Dad' and 'Chandler.' And it was always 'Chandler' when she was mad at him. (AN~ good job if you caught in the first one that I didn't have her call him either dad or chandler…I did that on purpose. And you have no idea how hard it was for me to have her not say either one to him, lol)

He wanted to give up on her. He wanted to give in, tell her that she'd hurt him, that she'd won. But he couldn't. He hadn't given up on her for the past 17 years and he wasn't about to start now. And he couldn't just give up on her. He already felt that he'd somewhat failed Ross and Rachel. He felt like he must've somehow screwed her up, and that all of this was his fault.

Chandler sighed once again as he heard her stereo come on and she turned it up all the way, knowing that that was just to piss him off as well.

"Daddy!"

"Emma? Honey, what's wrong?" Chandler asked as she came running into the house, crying. Seeing him, she immediately ran over and into his arms. "Baby, what's wrong?"

Emma looked up at him, trying to stop sobbing. "I-I was arguing with Jack, and-and he said…he said that I was wrong and that I'm so annoying, an-and that my parents must've died because they didn't want to be around me anymore cause I'm so annoying," she said in between sobs. "Di-did they?"

"Oh, Emma, of course not," he brushed her hair out of her face before wiping the tears away.

"Did they love me?"

"More than anything," he smiled at her.

Emma paused for a second, thinking. "I don't want Jake to come to my birthday party next week anymore."

Chandler looked at her for a second, knowing that a six-year-old couldn't have possibly known the effects of his words on someone else, and knowing that they'd probably be friends again the next day anyway. "Well-" he was cut off by the doorbell ringing.

"I'll get it," Emma ran to answer the door, stopping after she'd opened the door and saw it was Jack.

"I'm sorry I made you cry," he said. "Do you wanna come play?"

Emma thought about it for a second. "Okay," she finally said, opening the screen door. "Bye, Daddy," she yelled as she ran off after Jack.

Chandler smiled, shaking his head as he watched her go. "Bye."

"Come on, Chandler, you have nothing to worry about," Joey took a bite out of his sandwich. "I mean, you remember what it was like to be 17."

"Yeah," he looked at him. "And you remember what it was like to be 21."

"True."

Chandler sighed, taking a bite out of his own sandwich. "But, hey, Melissa's 13, just wait," he grinned, referring to Joey and Phoebe's older daughter.

"Emma got accepted to NYU, right?"

Chandler nodded. "Yeah, and that's where Kyle goes, too," he said with mock enthusiasm.

"Hey, it could be worse," Joey offered. "I mean, at least she'll be close to home."

Chandler sighed. "Yeah, I guess."

"Why can't I go?"

"Because you're 13!"

"So?"

"So you can not go to a concert alone in New York City!"

"But Mikala's and Jessie's parents are letting them go!"

"Good for Mikala and Jessie," he paused. "But you can't go."

"Why not?"

Chandler sighed. "Emma, I'm not arguing with you."

"Why not?" she demanded again, and it was times like this when he could tell she was Ross's daughter.

"Because I said no."

"That's not a reason!"

"Yes, it is."

"I hate you!" she screamed at him before running up to her bedroom, slamming her door shut behind her.

~*~

Chandler sighed, looking around Emma's empty bedroom. She'd gone anyway. He'd said no, and she'd gone anyway.

He turned, walking out of the room and down the stairs. He walked past the calendar and tore it down, wishing to god that he could just forget what day it was, wishing that he hadn't remembered.

But he had.

~*~

Chandler knelt down and placed two red roses and two yellow roses on the gravestone. He sighed, staring at the letters, at the date. April 1970-December 2002. He then looked up at the clear blue sky.

'The same color as her eyes,' he thought before looking back down. "Happy Anniversary, Mon," he mumbled. It had taken him months before he'd come there the first time, but Phoebe and Joey had eventually convinced him to.

"Dad?" Chandler looked up as Emma came over, sitting down on the grass next to hi.

"Not going to the concert?" She shook her head, playing with a piece of grass. "Why'd you come here?"

Emma looked up at him, and then smiled. "I'm not quite as self-centered as you think," she paused. "I know what today is," she put the blade of grass between her thumbs, blowing on it, but not able to make it make any noise.

"Use a thicker piece of grass," Chandler said, watching her. She picked a piece of grass, grinning when it worked.

She turned her attention back to Chandler, who was once again staring at Monica's grave.

"Tell me about Monica."

"What?" Chandler looked up at her.

"You talk about my parents, but you never really talk about Monica," she paused. "Tell me about Monica."

Chandler took a deep breath. "God, where do I even start," he paused before smiling. "She was my best friend…"

Chandler sighed, looking up at the clock. He hadn't expected her actually not to come home by curfew and then sneak out again like she had been doing. And he really hadn't expected her not to be home by 4:30. Chandler sighed again, not knowing what to do. He could ground her when she finally did come home, but it wasn't like it'd do any good. She'd just sneak put the next night anyway. And she was right, she was almost 18.

Chandler's head snapped up at the sound of the door opening, and he stood up, walking into the hallway. Emma closed the door slowly, letting it creak shut as she met his eye. They stood there for a few minutes in a deadlock stare, neither one saying a word.

Emma finally sighed, breaking the eye contact and walking past him.

"Where the hell were you?"

"Where do you think I was?" she answered, and Chandler sighed. "And you're the one who told me not to bother coming home if I was just going to sneak out again anyway," she gave him a cocky smile, starting again before he could say anything. "And it doesn't really matter what you think, because in 32 days you can't stop me from seeing Kyle."

"Well then I still have a say in it for the next 32 days," he challenged back. "And as long as you're living here, it's still my rules."

"Fine. I won't live here, then," she turned to go upstairs.

"What?"

Emma turned back to face him. "Kyle asked me to marry him." Chandler scoffed. "What?"

"You're 17 and naïve," he looked at her, laughing.

"You're 50 and jaded," she shot back, hurt that he wasn't taking her seriously.

Chandler sighed, running his hand through his hair. What he'd give to be 17 and naïve…

"Besides, I'll be 18. You can't stop me," she once again started to leave.

"I'm not gonna stop you," Chandler said, and she turned back to face him. "I am going to tell you to wait, though. Just…don't run off and get married right away just to piss me off."

"I'm not doing it just to piss you off."

"Then wait. Give it time…" Chandler trailed off, resisting the urge he had to tell her not to be like her dad and rush into it, and then be divorced three times before she was 30. But it wasn't like she was going to listen anyway. She was 17. And in love. 30 was still an eternity away.

"Okay," she finally said, pausing to watch him. "Um, Dad?" she said after a minute.

So it was back to 'Dad.'

"Yeah?"

"I'm sorry…about last night…and tonight…and…everything…" she said slowly. "And, um, even if we don't wait…If we get married this summer…would you still give me away?"

Chandler couldn't help but smile. "Of course."

Emma smiled back, turning once more to go up to bed. "Dad?" she turned back around.

"Hm?"

"Do you love me?"

Chandler grinned, almost wanted to cry at the question she had grown out of asking years before, and he hadn't even been sure if she remembered that phase. He walked over to where she was standing at the bottom of the staircase, pulling her into his arms in a hug. "Always and forever."

"Love you, too."

"You do realize that it is almost five in the morning," he pulled back. "And that you are still going to be getting up in two hours to go to school."

"Dad-"

"Hey, you think you're all grown up, fine. You made the decision to stay out late, you deal with the consequences."

"But that's not fair," she whined.

"Life's a bitch, little girl," he kissed her forehead as he walked by. "Night, Ems."

"Goodnight," she mumbled walking up the stairs. "And there's no way in hell I'm going to school today."

Umm…so do you want me to keep going? I'm not sure that I like this…it's not where I was originally gonna go with this, but I didn't like my original idea, either. And catnamedzane-I honestly don't like the premise of this either, lol. But anyway, let me know if you want me to keep going, I'm really not sure if I should…