"I Drove All Night"
By Regina Phalange aka Marcella
Disclaimer: I don't own Celine Dion's wonderful song I Drove All Night, or whoever the guy was that wrote it. And if I owed the characters of Friends would I REALLY be sitting here typing this right now?
Author's Note: There was another "I Drove All Night" song-fic posted like a few weeks ago, but mine is completely different so you know...just to clarify---I ain't trying to copy no one, hehe. So there's pretty much like nothing you need to know! Have fun, and review! It's just another one of my STAND ALONES, lol.
"Don't go," Monica pleaded. "Please don't go!" She sobbed into Chandler's shoulder.
"Mon, this is killing me, too, sweetheart." Chandler always hated to see Monica in any kind of pain, and the fact that he was the cause of it this time made him feel even worse. He squeezed her tightly while fighting back tears himself.
"How can you not be with me on Christmas? Don't you love me?" Monica already knew the answer to that question. It was stupid to even ask, but that's how she felt at that moment.
Chandler gazed at her intently, brushing her tears away. "Monica, of course I love you. I love you more than anything. You know that. And that's why I have to go. If I don't I'll be fired, and then I'd be losing money to support you with."
"I don't care!" she cried. "That doesn't matter right now! I don't care if I starve to death, all I need is you!"
"I know, and all I need is you, too, but---"
"Yeah, uh-huh, I bet the only reason you're going is to spend some time with Miss Oklahoma! I wonder how many other times you've been screwing her!"
"Monica! Don't ever even say that! I'd never cheat on you. You're the only one that I want." She again knew this was true and fell back into his arms. Chandler gently swayed her back and forth while stroking her hair. "I'm sorry," he whispered, sincerely.
Monica pulled back, stared at him sadly, and turned away.
"Mon..." Chandler grabbed her shoulder, and she turned around sharply. "Please, sweetheart, don't let me have to leave like this." He cupped her face with his hands and leaned in to kiss her. He sighed when he received no response. "I've really gotta go now or I'll miss my flight." He slowly walked towards the door and just as he was about to leave, turned around. "I love you?" He half stated, half asked nervously, hoping for an 'I love you, too.' He sighed again and left.
"I love you, too," Monica whispered as soon as he was out of site. She collapsed onto the couch, buried herself in a pillow, practically suffocating herself to death, and let a few silent tears fall from her face.
A few minutes later Rachel popped in, as perky as ever. Monica quickly sat up and wiped her eyes.
"Hey, Mon! I finally got my Christmas shopping done!" she said triumphantly, holding four large shopping bags high in the air, also too caught up in it all to notice that Monica had obviously been crying.
"Rach, it's Christmas Eve."
"So? That's a step up from last year!"
"I had all my Christmas shopping done on New Year's Eve!"
Rachel laughed. "That's my Monica. So what'd you get Chandler?"
At just the mention of Chandler's name, Monica burst into tears again.
"Sweetie, what is it?" Rachel asked softly, wrapping her arms around her friend.
"It's Chandler!" she cried.
"What about him? He just said his good-byes to me and the gang. I figured you guys had just finished yours up," Rachel said winking.
"Rachel! Don't you even care that he's not going to be here on Christmas?" Monica was actually quite annoyed.
"Well, sure I do! Of course, honey, but that's what he has to do, and we understand that, right?"
Monica sighed. "Why don't you think about how you'd feel without Ross on Christmas!"
After pondering that for a moment, a sympathetic frown soon formed on Rachel's face. "I'm sorry, I guess you're right," she whispered.
"Oh, you GUESS I'm right?" Monica retorted, rolling her eyes. "Yeah, you'd feel pretty bad, huh? Now take that feeling and multiply it by ONE MILLION and that's how bad I feel right now! He's probably having sex on a copying machine somewhere with the second prettiest girl in Oklahoma and-"
Rachel gasped. "Monica! Don't EVER say something like that, you hear me? Chandler loves you more than anything! He'd NEVER cheat on you in his life!" she shouted, shaking her head in disgust. "Now THAT'S where I draw the line, Mon!" She was quite angry, but lightened up after she saw the hurt in Monica's eyes. "Oh, Mon.I'm sorry!" she squeezed Monica tightly as she cried into her shoulder.
Monica managed to get a few sentences out in-between sniffles. "On one of the most special days of the year...besides Spring Cleaning Day, of course...he's not going to be there to kiss me or hold me or---and you know, Rach, I was supposed to be ovulating tomorrow." She added that last part a little more quietly. 'I'm never going to have a baby now,' Monica thought.
Rachel just nodded her head, sadly, in agreement. Suddenly she lit up like a light bulb. "Mon!" she gasped.
"What?" Monica jumped back, a little startled.
"Go to Tulsa!"
"What...Rach..." she sighed doubtfully. "I can't..."
"Why not?"
"What about you guys? You're still my family, and I don't wanna just walk out on you like Chandler did to us."
"I know, but---oh Mon, Chandler did NOT just WALK out on us---anyway, he's the most important thing in your life. We know you love us, and that's good enough! You should go to Chandler!"
"Wow, it's like you're trying to get rid of me or something," Monica joked.
Rachel laughed while squeezing her friend again, excitedly. "Oh, Mon, I'd never wanna get rid of you! But come on! Go to Tulsa."
Monica finally gave in, and a small smile crept across her face. "OKAY!" she said in her classic voice.
"Let's get you packing!" Rachel giggled.
Monica rolled her eyes. "'Oh, I'd NEVER wanna get rid of you' says Rachel as she runs happily into Monica's bedroom to start packing her clothes," she said sarcastically and then started laughing.
A few hours later the gang, minus Monica (and of course Chandler), was lumped together on Monica and Chandler's couch. Soon Monica came running out of the bedroom, excitedly, holding two large duffle bags.
"Okay, I'm outta here, you guys! I love you!" she gave everyone a kiss including her niece, Emma, who was sitting half on Rachel's and half on Ross's lap. "Bye, Emma, sweetie! Aunt Monica's gonna miss you! And hopefully by the time she gets back, there'll be a little cousin for you on the way!"
"Oh, don't forget your passport!" Joey warned.
"Uh, Joe, she's only going to Tulsa. You only need your passport if you're going out of the country," Ross explained.
"Uhhhh, yeahhhhh, exactly? Geez, Ross, where's YOUR mind been lately?" he rolled his eyes and laughed while the others stared at him incredulously.
Suddenly Phoebe broke the silence. "Oh, Mon, shouldn't you call Chandler first? Just in case he's like busy in a meeting or something when you get there?"
"Nah, that's okay. I wanna surprise him," Monica said smiling.
"Merry Christmas!" they all exclaimed as she ran out the door.
***
I had to escape The city was sticky and cruel Maybe I should have called you first, but I was dying to get to you
***
"What the hell am I doing here," Chandler mumbled to himself as he filled out what seemed like the ten-thousandth form.
"I'm sorry?" Wendy asked.
Chandler had been "so kind" to send the rest of his staff back home. He was a nice enough of a guy to not want anyone else to have to be hurting as much as he was. It was just him and Wendy.
"Oh, nothing, I just really wish I wasn't here..."
Wendy sighed. "Who doesn't? Oh well, I suppose it wouldn't matter for me anyway. It's not like I have a loving husband or kids to come home to."
"I thought you were married," Chandler stated, confused.
"Yeah, I am."
"But you just said you didn't have a husband to come home to---"
"No, I said I didn't have a LOVING husband to come home to."
"Oh...um, sorry," Chandler said awkwardly.
"Don't worry about it. Hey maybe, uh, we could have a little fun tonight," she said teasingly.
"Oh, no way! I'm HAPPILY married, okay, Wendy? Don't go there!"
"Oh, you're 'happily' married?" she snorted.
"Um, yeah, what the hell is your problem?"
"Well, if you love your wife so much, why aren't you with her now?"
Chandler paused for a moment. "Good question," he said, boldly.
"Huh?"
"I'm outta here," he grabbed his jacket and headed for the door.
"What? You can't leave!"
"Oh, but I can!"
Wendy shook her head, looking for an answer. 'I can't do all this work by myself...and why wouldn't he want me? This doesn't make sense!' she thought.
"I have to be with Monica. I don't know what I was thinking. Bye, Wendy. Have fun with the paperwork." With that, he was gone, and Wendy still stood there for a good minute in disbelief.
"I'm sorry, Mrs. Bing. There's absolutely no more flights left to Tulsa for tonight."
"What? How can that be? I mean, who the hell really wants to go to Tulsa?" Monica said (and pretty loudly, too). 'God, how can this day get any worse?' she thought.
"Well, apparently you do, Ma'am," the clerk at the airport desk gave her a weak smile.
Monica groaned. "Well, are you SURE?"
"Yes, Ma'am, quite sure."
"Well, uh, would THIS help?" she asked as she attempted to slip a twenty into the clerk's hand, not being at all discreet.
"I'm SORRY, Ma'am! But there are NO more flights available to Tulsa tonight!" The woman finally raised her voice now, quite perturbed.
"I'm sorry. I don't mean to be annoying...well, I guess I'm too late there, huh?" She laughed at her own little joke, but blushed sheepishly as the clerk didn't find it so funny. "Anyway, I'm sorry. I just wanted to get to my husband tonight. He's working in Tulsa for Christmas, and I wanted to surprise him."
"Aww, sorry, honey. I hear 'ya," the clerk gave Monica a sympathetic look. "Hey, maybe you could drive there tonight!" she suggested.
"Maybe...hmm, how far is Tulsa, anyway?"
"Hmm, I dunno."
"What do you mean you don't know?" Monica demanded. The clerk shrugged. "You work at the airport! You're supposed to know these things!"
"Sorry, sweetie, I just book the flights, okay?"
Monica scowled. "Oh well, I'll drive there anyway. How far could Tulsa be, a couple hundred miles maybe? Well, I don't care how far it is. I'll drive all night if I have to." She picked up her two large duffle bags she had placed on the counter.
"Good luck, honey."
"Thanks," and with that, Monica once again ran out the door.
"Ross! Look! Emma likes it!" Rachel exclaimed.
"I knew she would," Ross smiled, as he turned to see Phoebe with a very anxious look on her face.
"NOW? Can we do it NOW?"
"Okay, Phoebe," Ross gave in. "Rachel, go get some cookies and milk for Pheebs to put out for Santa."
Rachel rolled her eyes. "Okay," she laughed as she headed towards the kitchen.
"No, wait, Rach!" Phoebe called after her.
"What?" Rachel asked, curiously.
"Let's put out some Cheerios instead this year. Santa really needs to work on lowering his cholesterol!"
"Okay, you go get them. I'll get the milk."
"Okay..."
Rachel quickly filled a bowl up with Cheerios while Phoebe poured in the milk. Suddenly Monica burst in, scaring the hell out of them.
"AHHHH!" Rachel shrieked as the bowl flew out of her hands spilling Cheerios and milk all over the floor. Monica was then the one to shriek.
"MY FLOOR!"
"Monica!" they all yelled. "What are you doing here?"
"MY FLOOR!"
Ross rolled his eyes and ran over to take care of the mess, wanting an explanation as soon as possible. He knew he wasn't going to get one unless the mess was taken care of.
Monica began to explain while she kept one eye on Ross to make sure he was doing it right. "I couldn't get a flight!"
"What?" the others exclaimed in disbelief.
"I KNOW!" Monica yelled, in her classic voice, of course. "APPRANTLY just EVERYONE wants to go to TULSA now!" she rolled her eyes. "When did THAT happen?"
Everyone shrugged. "So what are you going to do?" Phoebe asked.
"I think---Ross, how you comin' with that floor there?"
"I'm doing FINE, MONICA!"
"Yeah, sure, sure, okay, ANYWAY, so I think I'm going to take the Porsche and drive out there now."
"What? You can't do that!" Ross yelled.
"HEY! STICK TO THAT FLOOR, BUDDY!"
"Mon, I think he's right. Tulsa's like...two-thousand miles away," Rachel said.
"Really? It's THAT far?"
"I dunno...Ross, honey, how far is Tulsa?"
Ross opened his mouth, but was extremely surprised to learn that he didn't know either. "I dunno...hmm, how 'bout that."
Everyone looked around at each other for a few moments. No one seemed to know how far Tulsa was.
"Maybe I should call Chandler," Monica said after a while.
Wendy finally sat down and decided to go back to the paperwork. 'I can't believe this...' she thought, groaning. She jumped up when she heard the phone ringing sharply in her ear. 'Who the hell...'
"Hello?"
Monica quickly began spitting out a jumble of words, not noticing the female voice that answered the phone. "Chandler, honey, I'm-I'm so sorry about the way I acted before and just please, please forgive me! I was just so upset over everything, but come on---you know I love you, and I'm sorry I didn't say 'I love you, too' before when you left, but like I said I was so upset, but I do love you, more than anything. I love you more than ANYTHING and---and---who the HELL just answered the phone?"
Wendy winced, trying to catch up on everything Monica had just said. And when her brain finally processed it all, she had to laugh.
"Oh, Chandler's not---" she stopped mid-sentence. 'Hey, WAIT, a second here,' she thought, as she laughed inwardly. 'THIS is certainly an interesting situation...ha...maybe I could have a little fun of my OWN here and get back at him for leaving me here with all this work to do! Hahaha...'
"Chandler's um---not available," she said suggestively, with a smirk on her face.
"Wha---wha---" The tears began flowing again. 'What the hell is going on there?' She slammed down the phone as the others rushed to her side. She didn't notice that she was shaking uncontrollably.
"Mon, what happened?" Rachel asked, concern strong in her voice.
"Wen---Wendy! She---she---answered the phone---and---and she said that Chandler wasn't 'AVAILABLE' and---oh God, what the hell is that supposed to mean?"
"Don't job to conclusions, sweetie, that could mean anything!" Phoebe said. It was breaking her---and everyone else's---heart to see Monica in so much pain.
"Yeah, Pheebs is right! He could've just left the office for a few minutes or something or---" Rachel suggested, but Monica cut in.
"No, Rachel! I could tell by her tone of voice! She had this...sexy, seductive-like voice...and---oh God! Chandler's cheating on me as we speak!"
"No, he's not!" Joey practically yelled. "Look, I've known Chandler for a long time, and if I know ANYTHING about him, I know he would never do anything to hurt you, and if I had to I would lay down in front of a speeding train and say that Chandler would never do anything to hurt you!" The others stood quietly. They had never actually seen Joey like that before.
Monica had calmed down a little, too. "Okay, well, it doesn't matter because I have to go and find out what's going on. So just get me a map or something because I'm driving to Tulsa!"
"Fine, but we're all coming with you!" Ross said.
"What, you don't have to..."
"I'm not letting my little sister drive two-thousand miles, or HOWEVER far it is, all by herself in the middle of the night. Come on, Mon, we love you. Let us come. I don't want to have to worry about you!"
"Okay..." she finally gave in and gave her brother a hug. "Thanks, Ross. It- --it means a lot to me."
"Aww, come 'ere!" He hugged her again, along with everyone else.
Chandler had closed his eyes the second he sat down in the small seat as he had boarded the plane. He had tried calling Monica before he left, but there was no answer. He was unbelievably worried. Where else could they possibly be? He was pretty sure they wouldn't be down at Central Perk now. They should be up in his apartment helping Joey and Phoebe prepare for Santa and opening a few presents before Christmas morning. Actually, it would be Christmas morning pretty soon. "Monica..." he whispered. "Merry almost-Christmas...wherever you are." He could barely move in the small airplane seat, but managed to reach into his pocket to pull out his wallet. He flipped it open and ran a finger over a picture of Monica. And he just stared at it for the longest time. Her eyes. She had the most beautiful, mesmerizing eyes. Although she wasn't there, he felt that those eyes were staring right into his. He daydreamed about what it would be like when he got home. Chandler could just about taste Monica's kisses. He lifted the photograph to his lips and planted a soft kiss on it. "I love you, sweetheart..." he whispered again as he drifted off to sleep.
About an hour later, Chandler woke up with a sharp pain in his neck. 'God...if Mon was with me she could've given me one of her "best bad massages".' He chuckled to himself. 'Hey shouldn't we be there by now?' he thought, massaging his neck. 'How far is it from Tulsa to New York anyway?' Yep, no one seems to know how far Tulsa is.
*** I was dreaming while I drove The long, straight road ahead Uh-huh, yeah To taste your sweet kisses Your arms open wide This fever for you is just burning me up inside
***
Monica struggled to keep her eyes open. She didn't know how much longer she was going to be able to stay awake. After that Ross would have to drive.
She had taken the Porsche her dad had given her. She had always thought Ross was her parents' favorite, and with good reason, but when he gave her that Porsche she never felt more loved by him.
'Just focus on Chandler...focus on Chandler,' Monica thought as she took another gulp of her coffee. 'Mmm...Starbucks is the best...Caramel Mochiatto....yeah, that's the stuff' Her heart was aching. She just needed to feel safe, wrapped in his arms.
*** I drove all night To get to you Is that all right? I drove all night Crept in your room Woke you from your sleep To make love you to Is that all right? I drove all night
***
"Monica, sweetheart, I'm here," Chandler burst in the door, hoping to make a dramatic entrance. A frown formed on his face, as he realized no one was home.
"Oh my God!" he shouted, going about from room to room, checking if she was there. "I don't understand this," he was practically in tears. "Where'd you go, Mon? Oh my God. What if something happened to you? What if you're in pain somewhere right now, and there's nothing I can do about it?"
Monica was in pain. He just didn't know which kind.
"Mon, do you want me to drive now?" Ross asked gently.
"Yeah, that'd be great," she said, offering her brother a smile. "Thanks, Ross." Monica pulled over and got in the back so Ross could get into the driver's seat. She rested her head on Rachel's shoulder.
"It's okay, sweetie, go to sleep. We'll wake you when we get there."
Monica nodded. No one had said much the whole trip. They didn't want to upset her. 'God, I'm freezing,' she thought. Joey noticed her shivering and offered his jacket. Phoebe helped wrap it around her. She mouthed a silent 'thank you' and closed her eyes. All she could think of was Chandler. What was he doing that he wasn't answering his phone? She knew he wasn't messing around with Wendy. But what if something had happened to him? She then tried to focus on sleep, but the only thing she heard was the beating of her aching heart.
*** What in this world Keeps us from falling apart? No matter where I go I hear The beating of our one heart I think about you when the night is cold And dark Uh-huh Yeah No one can move me the way that you do Nothing erases this fever between me and you
***
Monica awoke sometime around dawn. It took her a few moments to remember where she was.
"Oww," she whispered. It wasn't too comfortable sleeping all night on top of Rachel in a car.
"Hey, honey," Phoebe whispered.
"Hey."
"Mon, we're almost there," Ross said. "It's just a few more miles."
"Oh, okay. Good...Hey, you guys?"
"Yeah?" everyone asked.
"Thanks so much for doing this. You have no idea how much this means to me."
"Oh, sweetie, we'll always be there for you no matter what," Rachel said gently.
"I'm so lucky to have you all."
"Not as lucky as we are to have you," Joey offered her a smile. She laughed.
"But it's true Mon," Ross added. "We'd all be lost without you."
"Yeah, and we would have to find some place else to get great food from every night!" Joey exclaimed.
Monica smiled. "See, there's that smile we wanted to get from you," Phoebe grinned, as she hugged her friend.
"Can you please tell us where Chandler Bing's room is?" Monica said, politely, glowing with anticipation.
"Well, we wouldn't be able to give that information out anyway, but I can tell you he checked out last night."
"WHAT?!?" Monica shouted. The receptionist jumped back, startled.
"I'm sorry, Ma'am. Is there a problem?"
"Ugh, I drove here all the way from New York last night and now that's where he must be! DAMNIT!" she said, drawing her attention away from the receptionist and turning towards the other.
"Oh no..." everyone mumbled.
"Now what am I supposed to do?" Monica sighed.
"Don't worry, sweetie..." Phoebe said gently, rubbing her friend's back. "It'll all work out."
"Chandler?" Rachel asked. Monica hadn't noticed her dialing on her cell phone. Her face lit up.
"RACHEL! WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU GUYS? I'VE BEEN WORRIED SICK!"
"WE'VE BEEN DRIVING TO TULSA!"
"DRIVING?" Chandler asked, in disbelief. "Why would you be DRIVING?"
"We couldn't get a flight!" Rachel explained.
"You couldn't get a flight to Tulsa and yet I was able to get a flight to New York?"
"Oh my God, Chandler, talk to your wife!" Rachel quickly handed Monica her small phone.
"Chandler?" she practically cried.
"Mon..."
"Chandler..." was pretty much all she could get out.
"Mon, I'm so sorry for everything...for leaving you."
"No, don't be. You have nothing to be sorry for. I was the one who was acting so immature...I actually thought---I actually thought---when Wendy answered the phone in your office, I actually thought you WERE cheating on me...I'm so sorry."
"Oh Gosh, I would never---"
"I know, Chandler," she stopped him. "I know. But you should have heard the way she answered the phone. She was messin' with me; I know it."
"What? What do you mean?"
"Oh God, she goes 'Chandler's um---not available'" Monica sighed, mimicking her husky voice.
"That stupid bitch. You were right about her; she did try to come on to me." Monica gasped. "Don't worry, sweetie, of course I didn't give it a single thought. And that's why I quit." She gasped again.
"What? You quit?"
"I know I should've talked to about it first---"
"No, Chandler, I think that's wonderful!"
"You do?"
"Of course!"
"Oh, I'm so glad."
"So what are we gonna do now?" Monica laughed slightly.
"Yeah, we've got quite a situation on our hands, don't we?" Chandler chuckled.
"Yeah...well, I guess we're driving back to New York."
"But Mon, how long did it TAKE you?"
"Like...all night, but what else are we supposed to do?"
Chandler sighed. "I guess, but are you sure you don't wanna take a rest for a little bit?"
"No, all I wanna do is get to you."
"All right...God, I'm sorry about everything Mon."
"Like I said---don't be. I'll see you later this evening."
"Okay. Bye, honey, I love you."
"I love you, too."
*** I drove all night
To get to you
Is that alright
I drove all night
Crept in your room
Woke you from your sleep
To make love to you
Is that alright
I drove all night
Could taste your sweet kisses
Your arms open wide
This fever for you is just burning me up inside
I drove all night
To get to you
Is that alright
I drove all night
Crept in your room
Is that alright
I drove all night
I drove all night
To get to you
Is that alright
I drove all night
Crept in your room
Is that alright
***
Sometime very late that night, the gang of five arrived in New York. There was much more traffic than they had anticipated, and they were thanking God to finally be home. Rachel, Ross, Joey, and Phoebe were dying to see Chandler, too, but it was so late they agreed they should just let Monica go in and see him. They could have their own Christmas with him tomorrow.
Monica slowly opened the door and crept into the apartment. The TV was tuned on to Bay Watch, and Chandler had fallen asleep sitting upright on the couch. He had a blue blanket wrapped around him, and his mouth was hanging open. Monica laughed. He was so cute. She quietly turned off the television and made herself comfortable on Chandler's lap. She wrapped her arms around his neck and was surprised when he actually didn't wake up. He just kept snoring away. She slowly began to nuzzle his neck, and he finally woke up.
"Mon..." he whispered. Tears filled their eyes as they squeezed each other tightly.
"We're never leaving each other again, right?" she asked.
"Not for all the money in the world. Merry Christmas, sweetheart."
"Merry Christmas, Chandler."
THE END
By Regina Phalange aka Marcella
Disclaimer: I don't own Celine Dion's wonderful song I Drove All Night, or whoever the guy was that wrote it. And if I owed the characters of Friends would I REALLY be sitting here typing this right now?
Author's Note: There was another "I Drove All Night" song-fic posted like a few weeks ago, but mine is completely different so you know...just to clarify---I ain't trying to copy no one, hehe. So there's pretty much like nothing you need to know! Have fun, and review! It's just another one of my STAND ALONES, lol.
"Don't go," Monica pleaded. "Please don't go!" She sobbed into Chandler's shoulder.
"Mon, this is killing me, too, sweetheart." Chandler always hated to see Monica in any kind of pain, and the fact that he was the cause of it this time made him feel even worse. He squeezed her tightly while fighting back tears himself.
"How can you not be with me on Christmas? Don't you love me?" Monica already knew the answer to that question. It was stupid to even ask, but that's how she felt at that moment.
Chandler gazed at her intently, brushing her tears away. "Monica, of course I love you. I love you more than anything. You know that. And that's why I have to go. If I don't I'll be fired, and then I'd be losing money to support you with."
"I don't care!" she cried. "That doesn't matter right now! I don't care if I starve to death, all I need is you!"
"I know, and all I need is you, too, but---"
"Yeah, uh-huh, I bet the only reason you're going is to spend some time with Miss Oklahoma! I wonder how many other times you've been screwing her!"
"Monica! Don't ever even say that! I'd never cheat on you. You're the only one that I want." She again knew this was true and fell back into his arms. Chandler gently swayed her back and forth while stroking her hair. "I'm sorry," he whispered, sincerely.
Monica pulled back, stared at him sadly, and turned away.
"Mon..." Chandler grabbed her shoulder, and she turned around sharply. "Please, sweetheart, don't let me have to leave like this." He cupped her face with his hands and leaned in to kiss her. He sighed when he received no response. "I've really gotta go now or I'll miss my flight." He slowly walked towards the door and just as he was about to leave, turned around. "I love you?" He half stated, half asked nervously, hoping for an 'I love you, too.' He sighed again and left.
"I love you, too," Monica whispered as soon as he was out of site. She collapsed onto the couch, buried herself in a pillow, practically suffocating herself to death, and let a few silent tears fall from her face.
A few minutes later Rachel popped in, as perky as ever. Monica quickly sat up and wiped her eyes.
"Hey, Mon! I finally got my Christmas shopping done!" she said triumphantly, holding four large shopping bags high in the air, also too caught up in it all to notice that Monica had obviously been crying.
"Rach, it's Christmas Eve."
"So? That's a step up from last year!"
"I had all my Christmas shopping done on New Year's Eve!"
Rachel laughed. "That's my Monica. So what'd you get Chandler?"
At just the mention of Chandler's name, Monica burst into tears again.
"Sweetie, what is it?" Rachel asked softly, wrapping her arms around her friend.
"It's Chandler!" she cried.
"What about him? He just said his good-byes to me and the gang. I figured you guys had just finished yours up," Rachel said winking.
"Rachel! Don't you even care that he's not going to be here on Christmas?" Monica was actually quite annoyed.
"Well, sure I do! Of course, honey, but that's what he has to do, and we understand that, right?"
Monica sighed. "Why don't you think about how you'd feel without Ross on Christmas!"
After pondering that for a moment, a sympathetic frown soon formed on Rachel's face. "I'm sorry, I guess you're right," she whispered.
"Oh, you GUESS I'm right?" Monica retorted, rolling her eyes. "Yeah, you'd feel pretty bad, huh? Now take that feeling and multiply it by ONE MILLION and that's how bad I feel right now! He's probably having sex on a copying machine somewhere with the second prettiest girl in Oklahoma and-"
Rachel gasped. "Monica! Don't EVER say something like that, you hear me? Chandler loves you more than anything! He'd NEVER cheat on you in his life!" she shouted, shaking her head in disgust. "Now THAT'S where I draw the line, Mon!" She was quite angry, but lightened up after she saw the hurt in Monica's eyes. "Oh, Mon.I'm sorry!" she squeezed Monica tightly as she cried into her shoulder.
Monica managed to get a few sentences out in-between sniffles. "On one of the most special days of the year...besides Spring Cleaning Day, of course...he's not going to be there to kiss me or hold me or---and you know, Rach, I was supposed to be ovulating tomorrow." She added that last part a little more quietly. 'I'm never going to have a baby now,' Monica thought.
Rachel just nodded her head, sadly, in agreement. Suddenly she lit up like a light bulb. "Mon!" she gasped.
"What?" Monica jumped back, a little startled.
"Go to Tulsa!"
"What...Rach..." she sighed doubtfully. "I can't..."
"Why not?"
"What about you guys? You're still my family, and I don't wanna just walk out on you like Chandler did to us."
"I know, but---oh Mon, Chandler did NOT just WALK out on us---anyway, he's the most important thing in your life. We know you love us, and that's good enough! You should go to Chandler!"
"Wow, it's like you're trying to get rid of me or something," Monica joked.
Rachel laughed while squeezing her friend again, excitedly. "Oh, Mon, I'd never wanna get rid of you! But come on! Go to Tulsa."
Monica finally gave in, and a small smile crept across her face. "OKAY!" she said in her classic voice.
"Let's get you packing!" Rachel giggled.
Monica rolled her eyes. "'Oh, I'd NEVER wanna get rid of you' says Rachel as she runs happily into Monica's bedroom to start packing her clothes," she said sarcastically and then started laughing.
A few hours later the gang, minus Monica (and of course Chandler), was lumped together on Monica and Chandler's couch. Soon Monica came running out of the bedroom, excitedly, holding two large duffle bags.
"Okay, I'm outta here, you guys! I love you!" she gave everyone a kiss including her niece, Emma, who was sitting half on Rachel's and half on Ross's lap. "Bye, Emma, sweetie! Aunt Monica's gonna miss you! And hopefully by the time she gets back, there'll be a little cousin for you on the way!"
"Oh, don't forget your passport!" Joey warned.
"Uh, Joe, she's only going to Tulsa. You only need your passport if you're going out of the country," Ross explained.
"Uhhhh, yeahhhhh, exactly? Geez, Ross, where's YOUR mind been lately?" he rolled his eyes and laughed while the others stared at him incredulously.
Suddenly Phoebe broke the silence. "Oh, Mon, shouldn't you call Chandler first? Just in case he's like busy in a meeting or something when you get there?"
"Nah, that's okay. I wanna surprise him," Monica said smiling.
"Merry Christmas!" they all exclaimed as she ran out the door.
***
I had to escape The city was sticky and cruel Maybe I should have called you first, but I was dying to get to you
***
"What the hell am I doing here," Chandler mumbled to himself as he filled out what seemed like the ten-thousandth form.
"I'm sorry?" Wendy asked.
Chandler had been "so kind" to send the rest of his staff back home. He was a nice enough of a guy to not want anyone else to have to be hurting as much as he was. It was just him and Wendy.
"Oh, nothing, I just really wish I wasn't here..."
Wendy sighed. "Who doesn't? Oh well, I suppose it wouldn't matter for me anyway. It's not like I have a loving husband or kids to come home to."
"I thought you were married," Chandler stated, confused.
"Yeah, I am."
"But you just said you didn't have a husband to come home to---"
"No, I said I didn't have a LOVING husband to come home to."
"Oh...um, sorry," Chandler said awkwardly.
"Don't worry about it. Hey maybe, uh, we could have a little fun tonight," she said teasingly.
"Oh, no way! I'm HAPPILY married, okay, Wendy? Don't go there!"
"Oh, you're 'happily' married?" she snorted.
"Um, yeah, what the hell is your problem?"
"Well, if you love your wife so much, why aren't you with her now?"
Chandler paused for a moment. "Good question," he said, boldly.
"Huh?"
"I'm outta here," he grabbed his jacket and headed for the door.
"What? You can't leave!"
"Oh, but I can!"
Wendy shook her head, looking for an answer. 'I can't do all this work by myself...and why wouldn't he want me? This doesn't make sense!' she thought.
"I have to be with Monica. I don't know what I was thinking. Bye, Wendy. Have fun with the paperwork." With that, he was gone, and Wendy still stood there for a good minute in disbelief.
"I'm sorry, Mrs. Bing. There's absolutely no more flights left to Tulsa for tonight."
"What? How can that be? I mean, who the hell really wants to go to Tulsa?" Monica said (and pretty loudly, too). 'God, how can this day get any worse?' she thought.
"Well, apparently you do, Ma'am," the clerk at the airport desk gave her a weak smile.
Monica groaned. "Well, are you SURE?"
"Yes, Ma'am, quite sure."
"Well, uh, would THIS help?" she asked as she attempted to slip a twenty into the clerk's hand, not being at all discreet.
"I'm SORRY, Ma'am! But there are NO more flights available to Tulsa tonight!" The woman finally raised her voice now, quite perturbed.
"I'm sorry. I don't mean to be annoying...well, I guess I'm too late there, huh?" She laughed at her own little joke, but blushed sheepishly as the clerk didn't find it so funny. "Anyway, I'm sorry. I just wanted to get to my husband tonight. He's working in Tulsa for Christmas, and I wanted to surprise him."
"Aww, sorry, honey. I hear 'ya," the clerk gave Monica a sympathetic look. "Hey, maybe you could drive there tonight!" she suggested.
"Maybe...hmm, how far is Tulsa, anyway?"
"Hmm, I dunno."
"What do you mean you don't know?" Monica demanded. The clerk shrugged. "You work at the airport! You're supposed to know these things!"
"Sorry, sweetie, I just book the flights, okay?"
Monica scowled. "Oh well, I'll drive there anyway. How far could Tulsa be, a couple hundred miles maybe? Well, I don't care how far it is. I'll drive all night if I have to." She picked up her two large duffle bags she had placed on the counter.
"Good luck, honey."
"Thanks," and with that, Monica once again ran out the door.
"Ross! Look! Emma likes it!" Rachel exclaimed.
"I knew she would," Ross smiled, as he turned to see Phoebe with a very anxious look on her face.
"NOW? Can we do it NOW?"
"Okay, Phoebe," Ross gave in. "Rachel, go get some cookies and milk for Pheebs to put out for Santa."
Rachel rolled her eyes. "Okay," she laughed as she headed towards the kitchen.
"No, wait, Rach!" Phoebe called after her.
"What?" Rachel asked, curiously.
"Let's put out some Cheerios instead this year. Santa really needs to work on lowering his cholesterol!"
"Okay, you go get them. I'll get the milk."
"Okay..."
Rachel quickly filled a bowl up with Cheerios while Phoebe poured in the milk. Suddenly Monica burst in, scaring the hell out of them.
"AHHHH!" Rachel shrieked as the bowl flew out of her hands spilling Cheerios and milk all over the floor. Monica was then the one to shriek.
"MY FLOOR!"
"Monica!" they all yelled. "What are you doing here?"
"MY FLOOR!"
Ross rolled his eyes and ran over to take care of the mess, wanting an explanation as soon as possible. He knew he wasn't going to get one unless the mess was taken care of.
Monica began to explain while she kept one eye on Ross to make sure he was doing it right. "I couldn't get a flight!"
"What?" the others exclaimed in disbelief.
"I KNOW!" Monica yelled, in her classic voice, of course. "APPRANTLY just EVERYONE wants to go to TULSA now!" she rolled her eyes. "When did THAT happen?"
Everyone shrugged. "So what are you going to do?" Phoebe asked.
"I think---Ross, how you comin' with that floor there?"
"I'm doing FINE, MONICA!"
"Yeah, sure, sure, okay, ANYWAY, so I think I'm going to take the Porsche and drive out there now."
"What? You can't do that!" Ross yelled.
"HEY! STICK TO THAT FLOOR, BUDDY!"
"Mon, I think he's right. Tulsa's like...two-thousand miles away," Rachel said.
"Really? It's THAT far?"
"I dunno...Ross, honey, how far is Tulsa?"
Ross opened his mouth, but was extremely surprised to learn that he didn't know either. "I dunno...hmm, how 'bout that."
Everyone looked around at each other for a few moments. No one seemed to know how far Tulsa was.
"Maybe I should call Chandler," Monica said after a while.
Wendy finally sat down and decided to go back to the paperwork. 'I can't believe this...' she thought, groaning. She jumped up when she heard the phone ringing sharply in her ear. 'Who the hell...'
"Hello?"
Monica quickly began spitting out a jumble of words, not noticing the female voice that answered the phone. "Chandler, honey, I'm-I'm so sorry about the way I acted before and just please, please forgive me! I was just so upset over everything, but come on---you know I love you, and I'm sorry I didn't say 'I love you, too' before when you left, but like I said I was so upset, but I do love you, more than anything. I love you more than ANYTHING and---and---who the HELL just answered the phone?"
Wendy winced, trying to catch up on everything Monica had just said. And when her brain finally processed it all, she had to laugh.
"Oh, Chandler's not---" she stopped mid-sentence. 'Hey, WAIT, a second here,' she thought, as she laughed inwardly. 'THIS is certainly an interesting situation...ha...maybe I could have a little fun of my OWN here and get back at him for leaving me here with all this work to do! Hahaha...'
"Chandler's um---not available," she said suggestively, with a smirk on her face.
"Wha---wha---" The tears began flowing again. 'What the hell is going on there?' She slammed down the phone as the others rushed to her side. She didn't notice that she was shaking uncontrollably.
"Mon, what happened?" Rachel asked, concern strong in her voice.
"Wen---Wendy! She---she---answered the phone---and---and she said that Chandler wasn't 'AVAILABLE' and---oh God, what the hell is that supposed to mean?"
"Don't job to conclusions, sweetie, that could mean anything!" Phoebe said. It was breaking her---and everyone else's---heart to see Monica in so much pain.
"Yeah, Pheebs is right! He could've just left the office for a few minutes or something or---" Rachel suggested, but Monica cut in.
"No, Rachel! I could tell by her tone of voice! She had this...sexy, seductive-like voice...and---oh God! Chandler's cheating on me as we speak!"
"No, he's not!" Joey practically yelled. "Look, I've known Chandler for a long time, and if I know ANYTHING about him, I know he would never do anything to hurt you, and if I had to I would lay down in front of a speeding train and say that Chandler would never do anything to hurt you!" The others stood quietly. They had never actually seen Joey like that before.
Monica had calmed down a little, too. "Okay, well, it doesn't matter because I have to go and find out what's going on. So just get me a map or something because I'm driving to Tulsa!"
"Fine, but we're all coming with you!" Ross said.
"What, you don't have to..."
"I'm not letting my little sister drive two-thousand miles, or HOWEVER far it is, all by herself in the middle of the night. Come on, Mon, we love you. Let us come. I don't want to have to worry about you!"
"Okay..." she finally gave in and gave her brother a hug. "Thanks, Ross. It- --it means a lot to me."
"Aww, come 'ere!" He hugged her again, along with everyone else.
Chandler had closed his eyes the second he sat down in the small seat as he had boarded the plane. He had tried calling Monica before he left, but there was no answer. He was unbelievably worried. Where else could they possibly be? He was pretty sure they wouldn't be down at Central Perk now. They should be up in his apartment helping Joey and Phoebe prepare for Santa and opening a few presents before Christmas morning. Actually, it would be Christmas morning pretty soon. "Monica..." he whispered. "Merry almost-Christmas...wherever you are." He could barely move in the small airplane seat, but managed to reach into his pocket to pull out his wallet. He flipped it open and ran a finger over a picture of Monica. And he just stared at it for the longest time. Her eyes. She had the most beautiful, mesmerizing eyes. Although she wasn't there, he felt that those eyes were staring right into his. He daydreamed about what it would be like when he got home. Chandler could just about taste Monica's kisses. He lifted the photograph to his lips and planted a soft kiss on it. "I love you, sweetheart..." he whispered again as he drifted off to sleep.
About an hour later, Chandler woke up with a sharp pain in his neck. 'God...if Mon was with me she could've given me one of her "best bad massages".' He chuckled to himself. 'Hey shouldn't we be there by now?' he thought, massaging his neck. 'How far is it from Tulsa to New York anyway?' Yep, no one seems to know how far Tulsa is.
*** I was dreaming while I drove The long, straight road ahead Uh-huh, yeah To taste your sweet kisses Your arms open wide This fever for you is just burning me up inside
***
Monica struggled to keep her eyes open. She didn't know how much longer she was going to be able to stay awake. After that Ross would have to drive.
She had taken the Porsche her dad had given her. She had always thought Ross was her parents' favorite, and with good reason, but when he gave her that Porsche she never felt more loved by him.
'Just focus on Chandler...focus on Chandler,' Monica thought as she took another gulp of her coffee. 'Mmm...Starbucks is the best...Caramel Mochiatto....yeah, that's the stuff' Her heart was aching. She just needed to feel safe, wrapped in his arms.
*** I drove all night To get to you Is that all right? I drove all night Crept in your room Woke you from your sleep To make love you to Is that all right? I drove all night
***
"Monica, sweetheart, I'm here," Chandler burst in the door, hoping to make a dramatic entrance. A frown formed on his face, as he realized no one was home.
"Oh my God!" he shouted, going about from room to room, checking if she was there. "I don't understand this," he was practically in tears. "Where'd you go, Mon? Oh my God. What if something happened to you? What if you're in pain somewhere right now, and there's nothing I can do about it?"
Monica was in pain. He just didn't know which kind.
"Mon, do you want me to drive now?" Ross asked gently.
"Yeah, that'd be great," she said, offering her brother a smile. "Thanks, Ross." Monica pulled over and got in the back so Ross could get into the driver's seat. She rested her head on Rachel's shoulder.
"It's okay, sweetie, go to sleep. We'll wake you when we get there."
Monica nodded. No one had said much the whole trip. They didn't want to upset her. 'God, I'm freezing,' she thought. Joey noticed her shivering and offered his jacket. Phoebe helped wrap it around her. She mouthed a silent 'thank you' and closed her eyes. All she could think of was Chandler. What was he doing that he wasn't answering his phone? She knew he wasn't messing around with Wendy. But what if something had happened to him? She then tried to focus on sleep, but the only thing she heard was the beating of her aching heart.
*** What in this world Keeps us from falling apart? No matter where I go I hear The beating of our one heart I think about you when the night is cold And dark Uh-huh Yeah No one can move me the way that you do Nothing erases this fever between me and you
***
Monica awoke sometime around dawn. It took her a few moments to remember where she was.
"Oww," she whispered. It wasn't too comfortable sleeping all night on top of Rachel in a car.
"Hey, honey," Phoebe whispered.
"Hey."
"Mon, we're almost there," Ross said. "It's just a few more miles."
"Oh, okay. Good...Hey, you guys?"
"Yeah?" everyone asked.
"Thanks so much for doing this. You have no idea how much this means to me."
"Oh, sweetie, we'll always be there for you no matter what," Rachel said gently.
"I'm so lucky to have you all."
"Not as lucky as we are to have you," Joey offered her a smile. She laughed.
"But it's true Mon," Ross added. "We'd all be lost without you."
"Yeah, and we would have to find some place else to get great food from every night!" Joey exclaimed.
Monica smiled. "See, there's that smile we wanted to get from you," Phoebe grinned, as she hugged her friend.
"Can you please tell us where Chandler Bing's room is?" Monica said, politely, glowing with anticipation.
"Well, we wouldn't be able to give that information out anyway, but I can tell you he checked out last night."
"WHAT?!?" Monica shouted. The receptionist jumped back, startled.
"I'm sorry, Ma'am. Is there a problem?"
"Ugh, I drove here all the way from New York last night and now that's where he must be! DAMNIT!" she said, drawing her attention away from the receptionist and turning towards the other.
"Oh no..." everyone mumbled.
"Now what am I supposed to do?" Monica sighed.
"Don't worry, sweetie..." Phoebe said gently, rubbing her friend's back. "It'll all work out."
"Chandler?" Rachel asked. Monica hadn't noticed her dialing on her cell phone. Her face lit up.
"RACHEL! WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU GUYS? I'VE BEEN WORRIED SICK!"
"WE'VE BEEN DRIVING TO TULSA!"
"DRIVING?" Chandler asked, in disbelief. "Why would you be DRIVING?"
"We couldn't get a flight!" Rachel explained.
"You couldn't get a flight to Tulsa and yet I was able to get a flight to New York?"
"Oh my God, Chandler, talk to your wife!" Rachel quickly handed Monica her small phone.
"Chandler?" she practically cried.
"Mon..."
"Chandler..." was pretty much all she could get out.
"Mon, I'm so sorry for everything...for leaving you."
"No, don't be. You have nothing to be sorry for. I was the one who was acting so immature...I actually thought---I actually thought---when Wendy answered the phone in your office, I actually thought you WERE cheating on me...I'm so sorry."
"Oh Gosh, I would never---"
"I know, Chandler," she stopped him. "I know. But you should have heard the way she answered the phone. She was messin' with me; I know it."
"What? What do you mean?"
"Oh God, she goes 'Chandler's um---not available'" Monica sighed, mimicking her husky voice.
"That stupid bitch. You were right about her; she did try to come on to me." Monica gasped. "Don't worry, sweetie, of course I didn't give it a single thought. And that's why I quit." She gasped again.
"What? You quit?"
"I know I should've talked to about it first---"
"No, Chandler, I think that's wonderful!"
"You do?"
"Of course!"
"Oh, I'm so glad."
"So what are we gonna do now?" Monica laughed slightly.
"Yeah, we've got quite a situation on our hands, don't we?" Chandler chuckled.
"Yeah...well, I guess we're driving back to New York."
"But Mon, how long did it TAKE you?"
"Like...all night, but what else are we supposed to do?"
Chandler sighed. "I guess, but are you sure you don't wanna take a rest for a little bit?"
"No, all I wanna do is get to you."
"All right...God, I'm sorry about everything Mon."
"Like I said---don't be. I'll see you later this evening."
"Okay. Bye, honey, I love you."
"I love you, too."
*** I drove all night
To get to you
Is that alright
I drove all night
Crept in your room
Woke you from your sleep
To make love to you
Is that alright
I drove all night
Could taste your sweet kisses
Your arms open wide
This fever for you is just burning me up inside
I drove all night
To get to you
Is that alright
I drove all night
Crept in your room
Is that alright
I drove all night
I drove all night
To get to you
Is that alright
I drove all night
Crept in your room
Is that alright
***
Sometime very late that night, the gang of five arrived in New York. There was much more traffic than they had anticipated, and they were thanking God to finally be home. Rachel, Ross, Joey, and Phoebe were dying to see Chandler, too, but it was so late they agreed they should just let Monica go in and see him. They could have their own Christmas with him tomorrow.
Monica slowly opened the door and crept into the apartment. The TV was tuned on to Bay Watch, and Chandler had fallen asleep sitting upright on the couch. He had a blue blanket wrapped around him, and his mouth was hanging open. Monica laughed. He was so cute. She quietly turned off the television and made herself comfortable on Chandler's lap. She wrapped her arms around his neck and was surprised when he actually didn't wake up. He just kept snoring away. She slowly began to nuzzle his neck, and he finally woke up.
"Mon..." he whispered. Tears filled their eyes as they squeezed each other tightly.
"We're never leaving each other again, right?" she asked.
"Not for all the money in the world. Merry Christmas, sweetheart."
"Merry Christmas, Chandler."
THE END
