It's a Long Fall From Heaven – Part V
A/N: I really loved everyone's enthusiasm with my last chapter, I hope you like where this is going...even if it is a little cliché... Oh! And a PS: I really loved writing Jonas in this one, and please please please tell me if you think that I'm not accurately portraying a (bright) four year old...I have two younger sisters, but they weren't exactly normal, as far as intelligence is concerned...don't mean to brag, but that's just the way the dice is rolled...eh...right...moving right along...
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"I - I think…" she stammered, and then paused. "I think I'm going to give you and I a chance."
"You serious?" he questioned, looking at her with a confused grin.
"Well, yeah," she was smiling as she spoke, "I mean, why not?"
"Well, that's awesome!" he started to get a little louder, and Monica shushed him, giggling. She kissed him, gently, and allowed herself to get carried away. They laid on his couch together, for almost an hour afterwards, quietly chatting, and kissing, and cuddling. It reminded her of her first boyfriends. In the good old days. It made her feel better to know that she actually had a man in her life who cared for her, and genuinely likes her, for her. He was a rare catch.
"Hey, am I going to just stay with Rick, then? Cheat on him, and not bother? Or do I resort to divorce?"
"That's something we can discuss later."
"I suppose." She was quiet for a moment. "Oh! Where will Jonas sleep?"
"I can set up a bed in my den."
"You have a den?"
"Yeah, it's where I do my work, but it's really nice, it'd make a good room, temporarily."
"Do you want me to sleep with him, or in with you?" She asked, with a sly grin.
"I think that's your call, babe."
"I should sleep in with him, even if it's only for a couple days. I don't want to leave him alone."
"Doesn't he have his own room at home?"
"Yeah, but this is an unfamiliar house. He gets kind of… 'iffy' in new and strange places."
"I see."
"What am I going to tell him?"
"About…?"
"Us. I don't know if he'll understand."
"Well, he understood when your husband was cheating on you right in front of your nose."
"That's what I was afraid of. I don't want him to think that I'm like his father. Because I - " She stopped abruptly, and thought for a minute. "I - I am like Rick. Oh, God, I let my son down. I've disgraced the reputation that I spent years trying to raise him with. And here I am, doing exactly what I made my husband look horrid for."
"Monica, you are not disgracing anything. You're making the right choice. You need to show Jonas that you and Rick are two very different people. He picks up girls at bars and clubs, whereas you actually establish a friendship before making any sort of decision. You thought all of your options through before you chose your path. And he should know that you have every right to be like this. Rick, on the other hand, does not."
"But how do I make a child understand that?"
"Jonas is a very smart boy. He'll figure it out. I promise."
"Allright, I trust you." She sighed audibly, and leaned her head back against his chest. His arms tightened around her, and she lay in his lap, her eyes open, a serious expression across her face. She was deep in thought. After a long, comfortable silence, Monica sat up abruptly. Chandler stirred, and rubbed his eyes.
"What is it?"
"I should be in your room with Jonas. If he wakes up his first night here, and I'm nowhere around, he'll never forgive me. I'm sorry."
"Oh, that's fine." He said, helping her stand up. She shivered. "What's wrong?" he asked.
"You're not keeping me warm anymore." She folded her arms across her chest, and shivered again. He came over and rubbed the goosebumps that had appeared on her upper arms, pulling her into another hug. After a couple of minutes, he stepped back.
"That better?" She shrugged her shoulders.
"A little. But it'd be better if you laid with me in your bed with Jonas. It'd be nice to have another blanket."
"Are you sure?"
"Of course I'm sure. It's not like we're going to do…anything…" She took his hand, and started to walk into Chandler's room, where Jonas was sleeping soundly.
"I know…But how is he going to take it if he wakes up, and I've fallen asleep with my arms around you, or vice versa? Don't you think you'd want to be up to explain some things?" She grinned inwardly. He was so considerate.
"I told him many times, you're my best friend. He'll know." She laid down on the bed. He came to stand next to her.
"If you say so."
"Oh, I do. Now come warm me up!" She said, pulling the covers down to invite him in. He joined her, and wrapped his arms around her waist, his head next to hers. He tucked the blanket up close to them, and kissed her lovingly on the cheek.
"Mmm…Goodnight." She whispered.
"Sweet dreams, Monica."
She sighed contentedly, and closed her eyes. Minutes later, she felt Jonas' hands reach out to her. She instinctively pulled him to her, just as Chandler pulled Monica closer to himself. The three of them slept snugly next to one another, peacefully.
Monica had an entire night's rest for the first time in two years.
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The morning came quicker than Monica had hoped. She woke up to find the bed empty, sheets and blankets rumpled all over the bed. She shook her head, and realized that her hair was messed up, as well. She must've kicked them all out of bed. Smiling, she rolled over to get out of bed, but stopped when her face hit the pillow next to her. Chandler's pillow. She breathed it in, and mentally noted that waking up and smelling that was much more satisfying than waking up to the smell of coffee. She got up out of bed, and put her slippers on. Her robe was still at her apartment, and she was only going to get it during the early afternoon, when Rick was most likely out. She sidled out to the kitchen, and saw Jonas and Chandler making breakfast. They both were wearing aprons and Jonas was wearing oven mitts that were three sizes too big for him. They were nearly as long as his arms. He was standing on a stool, and trying to mix something in a bowl while wearing his mitts. Monica giggled, and they both looked up at the same time. Jonas smiled widely, and tried to jump down from his stool. When Chandler had picked him up and set him down, he ran to his mother, and hugged her tightly. A cloud of dust flew up when his mitts hit her sides, and Monica coughed in between laughs.
"Mommy!" Jonas yelled, excitedly, "Me and Chandler are making pancakes!"
"Chandler and I are making pancakes, honey." She corrected him.
"No you aren't!" Monica laughed again. She picked him up, and rested him on her hip.
"Are you guys having fun making pa - "
"Mommy! Look at my cool mittens!" Jonas interrupted, waving them in front of her face.
"I can see them. Wow, those are too cool."
"I know!" He then squirmed a little. "Mommy, can you put me down, please? I want to keep making pancakes!"
"How polite!" Chandler said, seriously, as Monica set him down, and he ran back to his stool, picking up a wooden spoon. Monica looked up, and laughed, as Chandler had pancake batter on his nose.
"Isn't he, though?" She grinned at Jonas, who beamed up at them both, looking innocent. He then put his wooden spoon back into the bowl, and tried to mix the batter, but he couldn't because of his mitts. He attempted to get them off, but couldn't get a grip on them. Eventually, he got a hold of one, and pulled it off, sending it flying across the room.
"Oops." He said, giggling. Monica shook her head. She walked over to Chandler, and hugged him from behind.
"Morning." She said.
"Good morning. Sleep well?"
"Oh yeah. Best night's sleep I've had in years."
"Glad to hear it." He set down his spatula, and turned around to give her a kiss on the cheek.
"Ew!" Jonas said, scrunching up his face in the same exact way that Monica usually did. They laughed, and Chandler gave her an Eskimo kiss, and got batter on her nose.
--
Over an hour later, they had finally finished eating breakfast, and Jonas had gone into Chandler's room to get dressed. Monica had come out a minute earlier, wearing her usual work outfit. Only this time, she was wearing a genuine smile, on top of that. Chandler was cleaning up the kitchen counter, and she was washing the dishes.
"You know," Chandler said, finally, "I don't need to go to work today. It's a boring job, anyway. How about I stay here with Jonas, and maybe, have some quality bonding time?"
"You'd do that?" Monica stopped doing the dishes, to look at him.
"Sure. I really like that kid. He's real bright."
"Yeah, and he has the sweetest eyes,"
"Just like his mother." She grinned, and they kissed. Monica quickly went back to doing the dishes. She dried them with precision, and got them put up in their proper cabinets, with some difficulty, in no time.
"Well, I guess I can just go to work, then." She said, putting down her towel, and picking up her purse from the couch.
"Mm-hmm." Chandler looked towards his bedroom. "Jonas, your mother is going to work!"
"Oh! Mommy! Aren't you going to wait for me?" He said, emerging from the room, with his pants on, and his head poking out of one of the sleeves of his shirt. He was struggling to get his head through the much-too-small hole.
"Well, he may be bright," Chandler said to Monica, walking towards Jonas, "But in the world of fashion, I'm afraid he is at the bottom of the food chain." Chandler pulled his head out from the sleeve, and put it in the appropriate hole, shaking his head.
"Hey! How come you aren't waiting for me, Mommy?" Jonas asked, finally able to see that his mother was on her way out the door.
"You're going to spend the day with Chandler!" Monica said, smiling.
"Ooh, yay! No daycare!" Jonas started to skip around the room, jumping every once in a while.
"Yeah, have fun with that one," Monica said, nodding in the direction of the little boy who was now upside down on the sofa, making faces at Chandler. She turned to look at Chandler, and saw that he was making faces back. Laughing, she took the few steps towards the door, and turned to blow them each a kiss, before leaving.
"Well," Chandler said, "I guess it's just us."
"Yeah."
"So, what - "
"Do you like my Mommy?" Jonas interrupted, not realizing that Chandler was speaking.
"Uh - " he stuttered. Was he supposed to say anything now? "As a friend, yes I do." He supposed that would have to do for now.
"Oh. Well, I think you guys should be together."
"Why do you say that?"
"Whenever my Mommy was around my Daddy, she was always gloomy. And sometimes, I hear her cry. But I don't tell her. She doesn't like me to know that she cries. And then she told me that she met you, one day. She said you were…um…I don't really know the word. I think she said you were…um…gangeous…or something…"
"Did she, now?" He said, and Jonas nodded.
"And I think that you guys should be together, because my Mommy was happy all the time since she met you. And I want my Mommy to be happy forever. So, do whatever you did to make her happy, and keep doing it, okay?" Chandler marveled in the young child's maturity.
"Okay, I will."
"Good." He was quiet for another moment. "Um…" he said, "do you have Hi-Ho-Cherry-O?"
--
Chandler and Jonas visited Monica at work during her lunch break, and they had a wonderful time together. Jonas was especially calm. Monica suspected it was because he had worn himself out that morning. As soon as they left, Monica left Alice in charge of the store, while she went to her apartment to gather a bit more of her things.
She let herself into the apartment, quietly, just checking to make sure he wasn't there. When she found the coast to be clear, she went into her bedroom, and got out another bag to pack. She remembered to pack her robe this time around. After she had gathered a bit more clothes, she went into the bathroom to get the remainder of her makeup. She glanced in the mirror, and actually thought she saw her own eyes sparkle. She hadn't been this happy in a long time. And she owed much of that to Chandler, as well as Jonas. She zipped up her bag, and walked back out to the living room. She gasped when she saw Rick on the sofa, watching television. He looked up, and grinned, then looked back at the TV. She started to sneak towards the door, and had nearly made it, before Rick spoke to her.
"And where are you going?"
"Out." She replied, plainly.
"To where?"
"A friend's house."
"Ah. And this friend might be…a male friend?"
"Why, yes, he is."
"Huh. Well, and what might his name be?"
"It's Chandler."
"Chandler what?"
"Um - " She wasn't about to give everything to him. "His name's just Chandler. You know…like… Cher…or…uh…Barney."
"Uh-huh. Well, have fun, then." Monica breathed a silent sigh of relief, and left the apartment. Rick shut off the television and stood up. "Chandler…Where have I heard that name before?" He asked himself aloud. He rummaged through the kitchen, and found a small piece of paper with a name and phone number on it. He grinned.
"Bingo."
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And that's it! Can you see it? You know what's going to happen? MAYBE YOU DO! And MAYBE YOU DON'T! You'll just have to find out...*giggle*
