*****DISCLAIMER***** The creators of this story do not own the characters and/or writers of Friends! And no we do not keep them locked up at night to do our evil bidding, so please, stop the phone calls!
Chapter 19
Christmas was a quiet day throughout the Bing's apartment. There wasn't any Christmas dinner, or opening presents together around the tree. Not this year. This year it was different. Rachel made a frozen pizza, because everyone knew none of them could cook dinner like Monica did. They all sat around the living room quietly exchanging gifts, leaving the ones for Monica under the tree.
"She uh..only had presents for Phoebe and Ross..do you want them?" Chandler asked, breaking the silence that had filled the room for nearly thirty minutes.
Ross shook his head. "I think that it would make facing the fact that she's gone harder to deal with." Phoebe nodded in agreement.
"She's not dead Ross! She just left, stop acting like she's dead" Chandler shouted, he hated how they said she was "gone" like she was dead and that she was never coming back.
"I'm sorry man..."
"It's alright, I guess I just have to deal with the fact that she's probably not coming back to me...to us." Silence fell among them again.
"The uh, Christmas pizza's done." Rachel said walking into her old bedroom to get Emma, who had been asleep since she finished opening her gifts.
Joey sighed. "This isn't Christmas! We don't eat pizza, we sit around the table, all six of us, and we eat the best dinner we've had since the Thanksgiving one Mon made. We don't sit around the living room opening our gifts, we do it around the tree. We don't have the urge to cry because one of us isn't here, we spend the whole day together, laughing about past holidays we've spent together. There isn't a moment of silence that fills the room. Today though, it doesn't feel like Christmas, no one's happy here, and that's what our Christmas has been about for the past ten years, happiness."
They all looked at Joey in shock, trying to figure out if that speech had actually come from his mouth.
"What? I was just saying what every person in this apartment was thinking" With that, Joey took his son and walked across the hall. Phoebe followed.
When she entered Joey was just coming out of Drake's nursery. "Hey Pheebs" It was the first time they had been alone since he made the mistake of kissing her.
She didn't speak though, she walked over to him and kissed him with everything she had. She just wanted to drown in him, to forget the sadness that had fell upon them all when Monica left, to be happy even if it was for just a few moments.
She began to unbutton his shirt as he pulled away. "Are you sure about this?" She nodded. He gathered her into his arms and carried her into the bedroom.
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Ross and Rachel were getting their daughter ready to take home. Chandler sighed, he hated when his friends would leave him, he had this fear now that when they walked out that door, it'd be for good.
"Chandler" Rachel said, distracting him from his thoughts. "Are you gonna be okay by yourself?"
"Sure, I'll probably just go cry myself to sleep like I have for the past two days or something..."
Rachel turned to Ross, giving him a sad look. "Why don't you take Emma home and I'll keep Chandler company for a while?"
"Okay, I'll see you later" He kissed her on the cheek. "Bye Chandler." Chandler gave a small wave.
"Rach, you really don't have to stay with me."
"No, I want to." Chandler gave her a small, but grateful smile.
"You haven't talked about it, do you want to?" She asked. She hoped he'd say yes. He needed to talk about it, and she was willing to listen.
"I miss her so much. I miss going to sleep next to her every night and waking up next to her every morning. I miss her soft lips...and the scent of her hair. I'm so lost without her. I should be mad at her for leaving me, but I'm not...I just want her to come back, and work through this with me. We could've worked through it. I understand it was a drunken mistake. I know that it wouldn't happen again." He cried, like he had for the past two days. So Rachel did the only thing she could. She wrapped her arms around him and let him cry himself to sleep.
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The next morning Chandler awoke on his couch and found Rachel in the kitchen making coffee.
"Have you been here all night?" He asked as she handed him a cup.
"Yes, I couldn't leave you." She sat down next to him. "Can I get you anything else? I can't cook very well, but I can go to McDonalds.."
"No thanks, I'm good...well better than I have been, thanks for letting me talk about it."
"That's what I'm here for" She leaned over to give him a kiss on the cheek, but he turned his head, and their lips met. She meant to pull away from him, but he deepened the kiss. He needed to be with someone, to forget his problems. Rachel knew this too, and she wanted to help him move past this, but she knew this wasn't the way. She couldn't seem to pull away from him though, she felt too needed.
Ross was just getting Emma dressed as he looked across the street to Chandler's apartment to find his best friend and the love of his life passionately kissing on the living room couch. He stood there shocked, as a single tear fell down his face.
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TBC...
Chapter 19
Christmas was a quiet day throughout the Bing's apartment. There wasn't any Christmas dinner, or opening presents together around the tree. Not this year. This year it was different. Rachel made a frozen pizza, because everyone knew none of them could cook dinner like Monica did. They all sat around the living room quietly exchanging gifts, leaving the ones for Monica under the tree.
"She uh..only had presents for Phoebe and Ross..do you want them?" Chandler asked, breaking the silence that had filled the room for nearly thirty minutes.
Ross shook his head. "I think that it would make facing the fact that she's gone harder to deal with." Phoebe nodded in agreement.
"She's not dead Ross! She just left, stop acting like she's dead" Chandler shouted, he hated how they said she was "gone" like she was dead and that she was never coming back.
"I'm sorry man..."
"It's alright, I guess I just have to deal with the fact that she's probably not coming back to me...to us." Silence fell among them again.
"The uh, Christmas pizza's done." Rachel said walking into her old bedroom to get Emma, who had been asleep since she finished opening her gifts.
Joey sighed. "This isn't Christmas! We don't eat pizza, we sit around the table, all six of us, and we eat the best dinner we've had since the Thanksgiving one Mon made. We don't sit around the living room opening our gifts, we do it around the tree. We don't have the urge to cry because one of us isn't here, we spend the whole day together, laughing about past holidays we've spent together. There isn't a moment of silence that fills the room. Today though, it doesn't feel like Christmas, no one's happy here, and that's what our Christmas has been about for the past ten years, happiness."
They all looked at Joey in shock, trying to figure out if that speech had actually come from his mouth.
"What? I was just saying what every person in this apartment was thinking" With that, Joey took his son and walked across the hall. Phoebe followed.
When she entered Joey was just coming out of Drake's nursery. "Hey Pheebs" It was the first time they had been alone since he made the mistake of kissing her.
She didn't speak though, she walked over to him and kissed him with everything she had. She just wanted to drown in him, to forget the sadness that had fell upon them all when Monica left, to be happy even if it was for just a few moments.
She began to unbutton his shirt as he pulled away. "Are you sure about this?" She nodded. He gathered her into his arms and carried her into the bedroom.
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Ross and Rachel were getting their daughter ready to take home. Chandler sighed, he hated when his friends would leave him, he had this fear now that when they walked out that door, it'd be for good.
"Chandler" Rachel said, distracting him from his thoughts. "Are you gonna be okay by yourself?"
"Sure, I'll probably just go cry myself to sleep like I have for the past two days or something..."
Rachel turned to Ross, giving him a sad look. "Why don't you take Emma home and I'll keep Chandler company for a while?"
"Okay, I'll see you later" He kissed her on the cheek. "Bye Chandler." Chandler gave a small wave.
"Rach, you really don't have to stay with me."
"No, I want to." Chandler gave her a small, but grateful smile.
"You haven't talked about it, do you want to?" She asked. She hoped he'd say yes. He needed to talk about it, and she was willing to listen.
"I miss her so much. I miss going to sleep next to her every night and waking up next to her every morning. I miss her soft lips...and the scent of her hair. I'm so lost without her. I should be mad at her for leaving me, but I'm not...I just want her to come back, and work through this with me. We could've worked through it. I understand it was a drunken mistake. I know that it wouldn't happen again." He cried, like he had for the past two days. So Rachel did the only thing she could. She wrapped her arms around him and let him cry himself to sleep.
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The next morning Chandler awoke on his couch and found Rachel in the kitchen making coffee.
"Have you been here all night?" He asked as she handed him a cup.
"Yes, I couldn't leave you." She sat down next to him. "Can I get you anything else? I can't cook very well, but I can go to McDonalds.."
"No thanks, I'm good...well better than I have been, thanks for letting me talk about it."
"That's what I'm here for" She leaned over to give him a kiss on the cheek, but he turned his head, and their lips met. She meant to pull away from him, but he deepened the kiss. He needed to be with someone, to forget his problems. Rachel knew this too, and she wanted to help him move past this, but she knew this wasn't the way. She couldn't seem to pull away from him though, she felt too needed.
Ross was just getting Emma dressed as he looked across the street to Chandler's apartment to find his best friend and the love of his life passionately kissing on the living room couch. He stood there shocked, as a single tear fell down his face.
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TBC...