The One With The Indecent Proposal
By: Jana~
Chapter Eleven
***********
--Turning to face her, Chandler sighed heavily as he apologized. "I am so sorry you got dragged into this. She, isn't exactly stable."
"I gathered," Monica muttered in response, her arms hugging herself tightly because of the cold, and as a defense mechanism.
"God, you're still in your swimsuit!" He removed his robe instantly, chivalrously offering it to her.
Shaking her head, she whispered, "I can't. You'll be cold."
"I insist," he told her firmly, draping it over her shoulders. "I'm dressed warmer than you."
"Not by much," she squeaked out, noting that he was dressed only in a simple t-shirt and sweat pants.
"What's wrong with your voice?" he asked, realizing for the first time that she sounded hoarse.
"I've been here for a while," she explained. "I was screaming for help."
"How long have you been here?" he asked. "What happened?"
"Minutes after we said goodnight, she came into my room, by way of some secret corridor. I thought it was Phoebe at first," she admitted. "I didn't realize it was Ursula until she made a mention of needing $25,000."
"I didn't know there was a secret passageway into the guestroom. Where did it lead to?"
Pointing to the wall just past the cage in reply, she asked, "How did she even know about it?"
"Good question!" he exclaimed. "And how did she happen to have the key to this lock?" he asked as he lifted then dropped it, causing a clanking sound against the bars.
"I wondered that myself," she muttered, a sharp exhale of breath following. "We're gonna die, aren't we?"
"No," he answered her, more assuredly than he felt. "She's not exactly well, but she's not homicidal. After she gets what she wants, she'll leave."
"But with us still locked in here, right?"
"Quite possibly," he told her honestly.
"How are we going to get out, then?"
"I'm not sure."
Sounding more composed than she thought was warranted for the situation, she asked him, "How can you be so calm?"
"Don't mistake my lack of panic for calm," he said as he looked over their surroundings. "I'm worried, but, freaking out won't help us now."
"Is there ever a time when freaking would help?" she asked with sarcasm, and he smiled over at her.
"Ah, sarcasm," he acknowledged with a nod, "I know it well. I use that when I'm stressed or nervous, too."
"I guessed that," she replied. "Either that, or you're a closet standup comic."
He smiled at the joke, but seeing the fear written on her face, he dropped it and quickly took her into his arms. "I know it's hard, but, try not to worry, ok? We're gonna get out of this."
"How?" she asked, crying softly due to the strain of her voice, she felt comforted by his embrace and confidence, even with the huge question mark that seemed to continuously pop up with regard to his intentions.
"Joey and Phoebe come down here all the time," he shared, "That's one way. We might be able to reason with her once she cools down, that's another way. Maybe we can find a secret wall in here. That's also a possibility. I'm just saying," he said as he pulled back and encouraged her to look him in the eye, "It's far from hopeless, ok?"
Wanting more than anything to believe his words, she nodded, allowing him to pull her near once again.
"And just so you know," he added, speaking softly into her hair, "I only told Ursula that I didn't have feelings for you, to protect you. I didn't mean it."
Sensing that at the time he said it, she accepted his words, only nodding in response.
"My own restaurant isn't worth this," she whispered, and he held her tighter as he sighed.
"I know," he agreed softly, sympathetically. "I'll get you out of this, Monica, I swear I will."
*
--Almost an hour passed, and Chandler had combed every inch of the cave wall, within the cage, trying to find any sign of a secret passageway. Unfortunately, there was none to be found.
"That's one way shot down," Monica muttered, and Chandler sighed disappointedly.
"We still have options," he reminded her, then rattled the bars a little. "Maybe one of these bars is weak or something."
Grabbing them two at a time, he pulled and pushed at the bars, angrily, almost violently, trying to get at least one of them to budge. But it was to no avail.
"We still might be able to reason with her," he breathed, panting from the exertion spent on trying the bars. "And we also have Joey and Phoebe coming to the rescue as a possibility," he added.
Literally seconds later, voices could be heard on the approach.
"I think that's them!" he exclaimed, then listened closely as Monica joined him at the cage door.
"This is insane, Ursula! You've gone too far this time!"
"Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!"
"There's no way you'll get away with this! Chandler isn't going to give you spit!"
"Shut up! Do you not understand what 'shut up' means?!"
"Do you not understand what the word 'illegal' means?"
"Oh my God, shut up! I swear I'll kill you! Just to shut you up!"
Chandler and Monica glanced at one-another with knowing expressions before their attention moved to the three people entering the room.
"Oh, God, they got you, too?" Phoebe asked Chandler, but before he could answer the obvious question, Ursula pushed her sister towards the cage.
"You, too," Ursula demanded of Joey, pointing the gun at him after waving it in the general direction of the cage and Phoebe.
"Ursula, please," Chandler pleaded, "This isn't necessary. I told you, I'll give you any amount of money you need."
"And I told you to shut up!" Ursula shouted back. "Man, it's a good thing you are rich, cause you sure ain't too bright!"
"Man, if that isn't the pot calling the kettle black," Monica mumbled to herself, but Ursula heard it anyway.
"Listen, new girl, you wanna die real quick here? Keep it up!" She then retrieved a key from her pocket, and tossed it at Phoebe. "Open the cage, but remember, I have this pointed at new girl, and if you so much as twitch wrong, I'm gonna blow a new hole in her head! Got it?!"
Phoebe glared at her sister before moving to open the lock, removing it from the latch.
"Get in!" she demanded, and Phoebe and Joey both slowly entered the prison. "Now lock it again!" she spat, and Phoebe complied, venom in her stare. "Now, toss the key back to me. And no funny business!" she added, "Or I start firing!"
Phoebe reached her arm through the bars and carefully tossed the key to her deranged sister, glaring angrily. "You just karma-cally sentenced yourself," she growled. "You realize that, I hope."
Ursula just scoffed, then pointed her gun directly at Chandler. "Where's the safe?"
"What safe?" he asked, but that only agitated her further.
"I said," she shot back, taking a menacing step forward, "Where's the safe?!"
When Chandler did nothing more than stare back at her, Ursula turned the gun on Monica.
"Tell me! Or new girl gets it!"
Chandler quickly moved to cover her, standing in front of her as he reached out and semi-pushed her behind him. "To get her, you'll have to go through me!" he snapped. "Kill me, and you'll never get your money!"
With an angry growl, she hit the bars of the cage with her gun, then pointed it at Chandler once again. "Tell me, or I will shoot you in the leg! And when you're on the ground, writhing in agony, I'll shoot her!"
"Let them go, and I'll take you to it."
"You're in no position to barter with me!" she yelled. "Tell me now or I start shooting!"
Chandler stared back defiantly, and Ursula stomped her foot, like a small child who didn't get her way.
"Listen, Richie Rich, I don't have time for this! So, I'm gonna count to ten, and by the time I'm done counting, if I don't hear the location of the safe, I'm gonna start shooting!"
"Just tell her where it is," Joey urged, but Chandler stood firm.
"One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six."
"Tell her!" Phoebe begged as Ursula counted seven.
"Eight. Nine."
"Ok!" Chandler announced. "You win. The safe is in the hall, under a trap door, under the suit of armor."
Ursula sneered in victory. "Combination?"
"Fifteen left, seven right, twenty-two left," he told her. "There's probably about one-hundred thousand in there, give or take a thou."
"Good little rich boy," Ursula mocked, "You and your little friends get to live. For now," she added, then walked out of the room, slamming the large wood door shut behind her.
There was several moments of silence before Monica spoke up. "I guess we can rule out reasoning with her, and Phoebe and Joey rescuing us."
TO BE CONTINUED…
Ok, so, how are we liking Ursula? Could she be any eviler? Will she get hers in the end? Will our caged friends ever escape? Stay tuned!
Oh, and please review!
MTLBYAKY