It's a Long Fall From Heaven – Part IV
A/N: Dum dum dum! Where was the corny music? Mmkay...this one's shorter, you guys! So, review quickly and I'll get the next up quickly!
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"Wha?" he was confused, but then it dawned on him. "Really? You are? You're going to - to leave him?"
She nodded, and then realized he couldn't see her. "Yeah, I'm gonna do it. But I have to do it now, or else I don't think it'll ever happen. Can Jonas and I stay with you?"
"Of course. But don't you need to know where I live?"
"Mm-hmm. Is it close?"
"It's about 10 minutes from your store."
"Whew. Allright, how do I get there?"
So he explained everything she needed to know. They hung up, quietly, and Monica crept into her room, and took the bag out from under the bed that she had packed earlier in the day. She had been prepared to leave him for a couple of days now. And finally, it was time. She snuck into Jonas' room, and took the bag she packed for him out of his closet, and gently woke him. He started to speak, but she put her hand to his lips, and he nodded, though he looked confused. She took his hand, and they tiptoed out of the house, and into her car. They pulled out of the driveway, and only then did Jonas dare to speak.
"Mommy, where are we going? And why is it so early?"
"We're going to stay with a friend. Mommy and Daddy have been having fights, sweetie."
"About what?"
"It's adult problems."
"Oh. What friend are we going to see?"
"His name is Chandler, and he's one of my best friends. You'll like him." Jonas seemed to brighten up a little bit.
"Okay." He was quiet for a moment.
"Mommy, am I ever going to see Daddy again?"
"I don't know, sweetie." She heard him sniff, and grab her hand.
They were quiet the rest of the trip there. Monica had to keep turning on the light to read the directions she had written on a piece of paper. They got out of the car several minutes later, and walked cautiously up to the door. He lived in a small, one floor house, with very little space, but it was considerably larger than Monica's apartment. She knocked quietly, and seconds later, Chandler appeared, smiling. His hair was slightly tousled, and he was wearing a long robe and slippers. He looked adorable. He opened the door, and let them in, not saying a word. He shut the door, and didn't bother turning on a light, since there was plenty of moonlight entering the room from his front window. They set their bags on a sofa, and sat down in his living room. Chandler was in a chair, across from Monica, who had Jonas in her arms. He was hugging her waist.
"So," Chandler said, looking at the little boy, "You must be Jonas." Jonas nodded. "I'm Chandler. Nice to meet you." Jonas smiled a little, and closed his eyes.
"He's really tired," Monica said, pulling him tighter to her, and standing up. He rested his head on her shoulder, and wrapped his arms around her neck. "Is there a place where he can sleep?" Chandler nodded and stood up, leading her into his room.
"You two can sleep on my bed. I'll stay in the living room." He whispered.
"Are you sure?" She asked, laying him down on the bed, and covering him up. She kissed his hair, and stood back up. Chandler nodded again, and Monica came closer to him.
"Thank you. For everything." She whispered, and hugged him tightly, leaning her head against his chest. He inhaled the scent of her hair, and kissed the top of her head, closing his eyes. They stood there for several minutes, until Monica pulled back to look in his eyes. He was so considerate. She kissed him on the cheek, and went over to lay down, closing her eyes. He pulled the covers on top of her, and kissed her on the forehead.
"Sleep tight, angel of mine," He whispered, and left the room. Her eyes opened seconds later, and her jaw dropped. She sat for a few minutes, thinking about what he had said, before she felt Jonas stir, and turn to face her.
"Mommy, I'm scared."
"Of what, angel?"
"I don't want to die. Am I going to die?"
"No, sweetheart. Nobody's going to die."
"But…"
"But, what?"
"I hear Daddy talk about it sometimes. He says he wants to kill me sometimes."
"Sweetheart, Daddy was just angry when he said that. He doesn't want to kill you. I promise. You're safe."
"Just, hug me, okay? Don't let me go, Mommy." He clutched at her arm, and she wrapped her free hand around him to pull him close to her.
"I won't."
"Never ever?"
"Never ever."
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Hours later, Monica still laid wide awake, pondering over the words Chandler had spoken before he left the room. How could he know? She decided to peer out into the living room, and see if he was still up. Sure enough, Chandler was sitting up, looking deep in thought, playing with a loose string on his blanket. When she cleared her throat, he looked up at her, and raised an eyebrow.
"What're you doing up?" He said, scooting over, and patting the sofa next to him. She sat by him, and turned to face him.
"Just thinking."
"About what?"
"All of this. How I managed to leave, how everything is going to change, but mostly, what you said."
"What did I say?"
"When you left the room a few minutes ago. I say that to my son every night."
"Really?"
She nodded.
"Whoa." He said, looking forward. They fell into another silence. That, was a connection. She didn't know how he knew, but he did. They were so alike, in so many ways. So many ways, it scared her. Their eyes met again, and they smiled. His face grew serious, and he put his hand on her cheek, running his thumb along her cheekbone. She felt her heart racing. She shivered and put her hand on his, grasping it. And she leaned towards him. And they kissed, softly. His hand slid to the back of her head, cradling it, and her hands found his back. She had forgotten how nice it was to be kissed. His lips were as perfect as they looked. And then some. They kissed with abandon for minutes on end, before breaking to breathe properly. They had laid down on the sofa, Monica on top of him, straddling his lap. She scooted back so he could sit up, and he leaned himself against the side of the sofa. She grinned, almost embarrassedly.
"I don't know what came over me." She said, wringing her hands in her lap. He reached up and nudged her shoulder.
"No complaints on this end." He smiled. She laughed, and took his hand. After a minute or so, she closed her eyes, and shook her head.
"What am I gonna do?" she asked.
"About what?"
"This." she said, gesturing with her other hand in between the two of them.
"Well, what do you want to do?"
"I'm not sure. I mean, I really like you, and I'd like to be with you. You're one of my best friends. Actually, you're one of my only friends. Except, I don't want to feel like I'm cheating on him. And yeah, he does it, too, but that doesn't make me feel any better."
"I kinda figured."
"And on top of that…I don't want to lose you, ever. If I think about my future, I see you in it. And what's funny is, that I dream about it sometimes."
"You do?"
"Yeah. Like, in one of them, you and I are married, and we're on either side of Jonas, holding his hands. We're walking down a street, and I see Rick. He's with another woman, and they're kissing, and when we pass them, he stops and glares at Jonas, and then at you, and then at me. And you cover Jo's eyes, and we keep walking, and then I look at you. We lean in and are about to kiss, when I wake up. I've had that dream so many times, I've lost count."
"Wow."
"It's crazy, I know."
"We're married in this dream?"
"Yeah. Weird, huh?"
"Not so much, anymore."
"Yeah. Now, my dream seems…" she struggled to find the words.
"Right?"
"Something like that."
"I think it could be that way."
"So…what do I do?"
"Maybe you should divorce him."
"Ugh. I think you're right." she paused for a moment, and then grabbed at her hair. "God, but I don't want to put Jonas through that. Man, oh, man, this is annoying. Why did I have to sleep with that loser? Why couldn't it have been someone else…and in wedlock? I mean, I don't wish that Jo was never born, because I don't. He's the best thing that's ever happened to me, but he's also the worst, you know?"
"I know."
"It's so tough."
"Yeah, but you have to make a choice. So…what's it gonna be?"
Monica bit her lip.
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Hmm...decisions, decisions...what to do...ooh! I know! REVIEW! *looks innocent*
