A/N - Thanks again for your reviews. I hope you enjoy this chapter. Please let me know what you think...

...Wow, pretty short author's note this time, huh? Anyway...

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There You Are

Chapter Eleven

"So, how are things going with you and Chandler?" Rachel asked curiously as she sat with Monica in the coffeehouse. The happy couple had been dating for nearly six months now, and Chandler had been spending more and more time with Emily. From what Rachel could see, it was as if he had taken her on as his own daughter – just like Monica had hoped would happen with someone someday.

"Everything's wonderful," Monica replied, then took a sip of her coffee. She put the cup down on the table in front of her and grinned at Rachel.

"What? What's going on?" Rachel asked excitedly. She could see that something was up, and she was dying to know exactly what it was.

"Nothing," Monica replied.

"Oh, come on, Mon. I saw that look you just gave me. It's something about Chandler, isn't it?" she asked hopefully.

"Well… I don't know exactly what's going on, but he asked if I could get someone to watch Emily tonight so we could have a little romantic dinner alone. I don't know, Rach. It just feels like something's going to happen tonight."

"Oh, I know!" Rachel exclaimed. "He's going to propose!"

Monica's smile turned to a frown. "Propose? I hadn't even thought about that."

"What do you mean you hadn't thought about it? I know you've thought about it."

"Well, yeah, I guess I have. A little. But we haven't really talked about it… I love him, Rach. And I want to marry him, but -"

"Wait a minute. You want to marry him, Monica. That's all you need to know."

"You're right – if it was just me and Chandler. But this is me and Chandler and Emily. Whatever decision I make for myself, I'm making it for Emily, too."

"But Chandler loves her like she was his own child. And he loves you. He's a wonderful, wonderful guy, Mon."

"I know," she smiled. "You're right. I don't even know why I was second guessing myself. I just have this strange feeling… But he's the one. I know he is."

"Exactly," Rachel smiled back at her. "You're gonna be Mrs. Chandler Bing…"

"Let's not jump to any conclusions. I'm not expecting a proposal tonight. We'll have to wait and see what's going on."

"Okay. Just call me after he does propose and I'll come over to look at the ring," Rachel teased.

"Yeah, I'll be sure to do that," Monica laughed lightly. "Okay, Rach. I've gotta go pick up Emily and get her ready to spend the night with my parents."

"Ooo… The whole apartment to yourselves, huh?" Rachel grinned. "Somebody's gonna get lucky tonight."

"No, Rachel. You know my thoughts on that since Emily came along."

"But if he proposes…"

"No. Not until I've got a wedding ring on my finger."

"Well, I've gotta say, I admire your strength. It's been a long time for you, Mon."

"Believe me, I know that," Monica laughed. "But I think it's romantic."

"Good for you… And good luck tonight. Have a great time."

"Oh, believe me, I will…"

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Knock! Knock!

Monica hurried out of her bedroom and to the front door, adjusting her little black dress as she neared the door. She opened the door and smiled at Chandler, who was standing there in a black suit holding a single red rose. "Hi," she smiled.

"Hi," he replied, smiling back at her. "You look absolutely incredible," he said sincerely.

"Thank you," Monica blushed. "You don't look half bad yourself," she teased.

"Thanks," he grinned. "This is for you," he said, holding out the flower for her.

"Thank you. It's beautiful," she replied as she took it from him. "I just need to get some earrings and my purse, and I'll be ready to go. Come on in," she said, gesturing for him to sit down in the living room.

Chandler sat down on the couch and picked up a stuffed bunny Emily had left on the coffee table. He smiled to himself, then returned it to its spot. "Was Emily upset that she didn't get to come along tonight?" he called.

"She was at first," Monica replied as she emerged from the bedroom. "But when she found out that she got to spend the night with Grandpa Jack, she was pretty excited. My dad absolutely spoils her when she's there."

"I guess that's what grandparents are for," he smiled as he stood to greet her. "Are you sure they don't mind keeping her?"

"They don't mind at all," she assured him. "Even though I can't do anything right according to my mother, she loves having a granddaughter. And Dad says Emily reminds him of me when I was that age, so it makes him feel twenty five years younger. So they love having her there. It's not a problem."

"Great… I just wanted us to have a little time alone to talk," he informed her. "Are you ready to go?"

"Yeah, I'm ready," she replied. "Let's get out of here."

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"So what was it that you wanted to talk about?" Monica asked halfway through their dinner that evening. She didn't want to rush him, but she was curious about what he wanted to discuss with her.

"Well… Where do I start?" Chandler smiled slightly. He reached across the table and took her hand in his. "You know that I love you, right?"

"Yes," she answered. "And I love you, too."

"Good," he smiled. "I was just wondering… Have you ever thought about the future of… Well, of us?"

"Yeah," she admitted.

"Well… When you think about the future – of us – are we married?"

"Um… It depends on how far into the future we're talking about," she smiled.

"How about any time at all? Do you want to get married someday – to me, I mean?"

"If that's what we both want, yes," she answered.

"So you think it's a good idea?" he questioned.

"What do you think?" Monica asked curiously.

"I think it's a wonderful idea," he answered honestly.

She smiled at him. "Me too," she replied. He smiled back at her and squeezed her hand gently. "Chandler?"

"Yeah?"

"If we did get married – you know, sometime in the future – would you want to have more children with me?"

"Absolutely," he responded without hesitation. "You want more kids, don't you?"

"Yeah. I definitely want more kids. Two more, I think."

"Two more, huh? I could handle that," he grinned.

"I'm so glad you brought this up," Monica said quietly. "I was too nervous to ask about what was going on with us - concerning marriage, I mean."

"I know… I was a little nervous about bringing it up. I mean, I know that we're in this for the long haul. I just didn't know where you stood on the marriage thing."

"I want to marry you, Chandler. When you're ready."

"Good to know," he smiled. "There's just one more thing that I wanted to talk to you about."

"And what's that?" Monica asked curiously.

"It's about Emily," he began. "If you and I do decide to get married sometime in the future," he grinned, "do you think I could…"

"What, Chandler?" Monica prompted.

"Do you think I could adopt her?"

Monica looked at him in shock. "Really? You want to adopt her?"

"Well, yeah," he responded, as if she should have already known that he felt that way. "Honestly, I'm not sure what we'd have to do - about Joey, I mean - but I love her like she was my own daughter. I'd do anything for her."

"I know you would," Monica said quietly. "I'm just a little surprised, I guess. I've hoped for a long time that I'd fall in love with someone who would love Emily like you do. It just seems unreal to me sometimes when I realize that I've found him," she smiled.

"So you would consider it?" he asked.

"When we decide to get married, we'll look into that, too," Monica smiled at him.

Chandler smiled back at her and lifted her hand to his lips to kiss it tenderly. "I love you."

"I love you, too, Chandler."

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"Thanks for walking me home," Monica said as she and Chandler walked up the stairs to her apartment. She began digging through her purse for her keys.

"No problem," he replied. "Need some help?" he asked, noticing her struggle to find the keys.

"No, I've got it," she said, just as they reached the top of the stairs. She pulled the keys out of her purse, looked up, then dropped everything when she saw what was waiting for her at her front door.