The One With The Indecent Proposal
By: Jana~
Chapter Ten
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--"Is this about Chandler?" Monica continued to ramble, very aware that a gun was at her back, even with the absence of light. "Because, if you're in love with him or something, I can just-"
Laughing, she spat, "I am not in love with him! And just shut up now!"
Before Monica could say anything further, her worst nightmare became a reality. The passageway led to the dungeon, through a door, or what could be better described as a hole in the wall, that she hadn't seen on the tour Chandler provided.
Hesitating to enter, the woman behind Monica pushed her forward, almost knocking her to the ground as she stumbled. As she struggled to remain on her feet, she heard herself ask, "Did Chandler put you up to this?"
As casual as someone acts while keying into their house, the woman produced a small key and opened the large lock hanging from the cage. First pointing her gun back at Monica, then pointing over at the cage, she ordered, "Get in."
"Wait," Monica announced desperately. "I can pay you to let me go!"
With an evil sounding laugh, she shook her head. "You happen to have $25,000 in your bathing suit, there?"
Monica startled, staring back for a moment, her eyes growing wide. "Ursula?"
That agitated the woman, and Monica winced in pain as she was grabbed by the arm and physically forced into the cave.
"Wait, Ursula," she pleaded. "I don't have it on me, but I can get it! Please, just, let me go back to the room, and, I can make a call-"
"Just shut up, ok? I'm not making any deals with you. I'm just gonna do what I came here to do."
"Which is what?"
Glaring hard, she answered, "If I told you that, I'd have to kill you." Monica felt as if the blood had just drained from her body. "Let's just say, it's time for some payback, and time for me to get what I deserve."
The blond woman ignored the brunette as she walked away. As the false wall closed, and Monica was suddenly alone, she let out a scream, part from fear, part from the desire to catch someone's attention. Her dilemma aside, she had the distinct feeling that if Chandler wasn't involved with this, he was in danger.
**
--Her fingers were beyond sore as she gripped the lock that prevented her from leaving, slamming it repeatedly into the bars of the cage, trying to create enough noise to get someone's attention. The vibrations, along with her constant screaming had long since given her a headache, and the concept of time had become distorted about the time her voice started to give out. If she had to venture a guess, she would say she had been in the dungeon for at least an hour.
A million thoughts assaulted her mind, all at once, and over and over again. Would she be killed? Was Chandler in danger? Was she right when she assumed the blond was Ursula? Or was it really, actually, Phoebe who locked her in?
Was Chandler behind this? How did Ursula, or Phoebe get the key to the lock? Did Chandler lie when he said he didn't have the key? Was there really a Phoebe and an Ursula, or was it the same person, working for Chandler? Or maybe there was a Phoebe and an Ursula, but they were both in cahoots with him.
Maybe everything he ever told her was a lie. Maybe, she wouldn't be killed, but what was the alternative? She didn't want to think of that.
Taking a break from the banging and screaming, she sat heavy on the cold ground, a shiver working through her body. She wished in that moment that she'd had the chance to change into the warm flannel pajamas before the abduction.
"Hell, if I'm wishing for stuff," she mumbled to herself, "I wish for this to have never happened." Her whispers sounded surprisingly loud in the extreme quiet of the stone room. "Better yet," she said to her knees as she leaned her forehead against them, "I wish I could turn back time and decline the offer to come here in the first place."
The sudden sound of voices found her like a bullet finds a target, and she jumped up from off the ground as she strained to hear what was being said, and by whom.
"We can work something out."
"It's too late for that."
"Not yet it isn't. Just, let's talk it out. Just tell me what you want. What do you have to lose?"
"Besides my lunch? Time. And that's something I don't have the luxury of losing."
It was Chandler and Ursula, Monica realized. Or Phoebe. The need to run increased tenfold as she heard them approach. If Chandler was in on the whole imprisonment situation, she would be face to face with him in moments, learning what he wanted of her.
Fear was choking her, and she just knew, that whatever was about to happen, she wasn't going to be able to deal with it.
The large wood door made a creaking sound as it opened, revealing Chandler first, with Ursula directly behind, holding the gun in a way that would imply Chandler was her hostage. His eyes grew wide as they landed on Monica, locked in the cage, looking cold and frightened.
"Ursula, no," he said as he spun around to face her, ignoring the gun in his face. "She has nothing to do with this. Just, let her go."
"Yeah, right," she scoffed. "I hadn't planned on bringing her into this, but I can't very well have her running around, now can I? And don't even waste my time telling me she won't go to the police or whatever if I let her go, cause I'm not as stupid as you think I am!"
She waved the gun, gesturing towards the cage, indicating that she wanted him over by it, and he complied slowly.
"Don't try anything," she warned him, pulling the little key from her pocket to unlock the padlock. "I have nothing to lose by shooting you."
"It doesn't have to be like this," he told her, trying desperately to get himself and Monica out of the situation which they now found themselves. "I can give you however much you need. Twenty-five thousand. Fifty. One hundred-"
"It's too late for that!" she snapped, opening the cage door once the lock was open. "You had your chance to be nice to me, and you blew it! It's payback time. Now, get in."
"Ursula, please, be reasonable-"
"Shut up and get in!" she shouted, the gun inches from his face. "Or maybe I should just shoot pretty Miss Thing over here," she added, then pointed the gun at Monica.
Chandler startled, holding his hands up, making a sound that was something along the lines of gibberish before telling her, "Ok, Ursula, ok. I'll get in. Just, calm down. Monica hasn't done anything to you, ok?"
"No, but you have, and she obviously means something to you. What better way to get back at you?" She left the rhetorical question there, the implication clear.
Feeling Monica was in danger simply because of his attraction to her, he quickly offered a lie, hoping to take the attention away from her and put it back on him.
"I just met her tonight," he told the angry blonde. "I don't even know her, let alone have feelings for her. I just don't want to see her get killed."
"Did I ask for your freaking life story?!" she spat, pointing the gun back at him. "Shut up and get in!"
There was no reasoning with her, he could see that. Defeated, he did as she demanded and stepped inside the cage. Trying one last time to reach her, he said, "Ursula, it's not too late to do the right thing here. I'll give you the money, and we can forget this ever happened. I'm giving you an out here."
"I don't want your out," she snipped, clicking the lock closed. "I want you to pay for the crap you've put me through."
"Exactly what have I done that is so horrible?"
She only glared at him before turning to leave, ignoring him as he called for her to come back and answer the question.
"Just, come back and talk to me!" he exclaimed, but the heavy door slammed shut without hesitation, leaving him and Monica alone.
TO BE CONTINUED…
Ok, so, I'm in the livingroom, suffering from laryngitis, and my family is cooking dinner. My hubby is out there, supervising and helping, my 12 year old daughter is making mashed potatoes from the box (you know, the flakes?), asking everyone to taste test it to see if they need more salt, my 10 year old son is rambling on about some game he wants for Christmas while he gets out the plates and silverware, my 4 year old son is just pretty much under foot, and I hear the occasional, 'Joey! Get out!'
Then, out of nowhere, I hear my 14 year old daughter say: "Hey Baby, wanna kill all humans?"
Ever watch, or even hear of the cartoon sitcom 'Futurama'? There is a robot on the show by the name of Bender, and he said it in one of the eppies, apparently. But it was like, ok, one of these sentences does not belong in the middle of this conversation.
I was laughing, but because of the laryngitis, no one even realized it for several minutes, till the 12 year old came out to have me taste test the mashed potatoes, cause there was no sound coming out of me!
Anyway, that was a pretty pointless piece of info, just thought I'd share.
Ok, so, you know the drill… reviews make me whole inside. So…
PLEASE REVIEW!
MTLBYAKY