Authors Note: Thanks for the reviews so far, especially Exintaris', I really am trying not to be English, I'll try harder! Please keep up the reviews.
"And then?" asked Rachel, passing Monica a cup of coffee. "It doesn't sound too bad Mon. At least he didn't say no."
Monica made a sound similar to "meh" and sipped her drink, trying hard not to show her repulsion at the "bitty" coffee. "He didn't say no, but he might as well have done. Oh god Rache, what am I going to do? We are like best friends, I don't want to ruin that."
"But sometimes it's a good thing," said Rachel, smiling over her own cup. Monica looked at her blearily.
"Oh yes, your date," she said in a monotone. "How did it go?"
Rachel ignored the fact that Monica obviously didn't care. "It was great! He took me to the restaurant that I LOVE, and then we went to Central Park and walked, and talked... it was so romantic Mon..."
"Great," said Monica dejectedly. "Rache, I'm going to go have a shower... talk to Phoebe about your 'magical night.'"
She got up and tipped the rest of her coffee down the sink, much to Rachel's horror, and then dragged herself to the bathroom and locked herself in. Rachel also stood up, worried about Monica, and dithered as she debated what to do. Then she left the appartment and knocked on the door opposite. Joey answered, with a sandwich in his hand.
"Joey," said Rachel. "Is Chandler in?"
"Yeh," said Joey, looking concerned for once. "Did you hear about what happened last night? Poor Monica. Chandler felt really bad, but he's so confused. He would have given anything to say yes to her, but he really cares about their friendship I think. Not that that would stop me, of course." He took a bite from his sandwich and made room for Rachel to walk in.
"I've had an idea," said Rachel, guessing Chandler was still asleep as it was relatively early.
"No! No more ideas! The last idea you had, we ended up drinking all the beer and having sex in several uncomfortable places," Joey complained, taking another bite from his sandwich.
Rachel regarded Joey for a minute in silence, before saying: "Erm... Joey. That wasn't me, I have to tell you."
"Oh. Are you sure?" he asked.
"Quite. Anyway. My idea, Joe. We..."
Rachel was cut short as the bedroom door opened, and a crestfallen Chandler entered the room. He was unshaven and Rachel was taken aback-she'd never seen him look so confused, miserable and tired all at once. She went over to hug him and Joey watched them, finishing his sandwich.
"Hey Rache," Chandler croaked. "How's Mon?"
"She's not great," Rachel admitted. "She's having a shower right now. Hey, have you decided what to do yet?"
Chandler shook his head, then nodded, then paused, then shrugged. "I know what I want to do," he said. "I want to say Yes Monica! This is all I've ever dreamt of since I met you... after you lost all that weight..."
" I wouldn't say that," Rachel interjected helpfully.
"True. But then I'd be lying. God, I'm so shallow. I only realised I loved her when she lost all that weight. Why couldn't I have realised before?... I loath myself," he groaned, hitting his head on the desk.
"Chandler, you're just like any other man. I mean, don't tell Monica this, but one of the reasons I hung around with her at school was because guys noticed me, and I think I looked better next to her... but we realise now how wrong we were. Most shallow people live their whole lives not realising."
Chandler paused again, in thought. "Anyway. I would love to tell Monica how much she means to me... how much I want to be with her. But then, what if we split up? We could never be friends again."
"Chandler," said Joey in a moment of normalness. "I think I should point out now that your friendship will never be the same again after this.. if this is what you both want, you should make a go of it. And if you really ARE friends, you'll never let each other down, and if for some reason you did split up, it would be amicable."
"He's right, you know," Rachel said, nodding. "You've already messed it up. Go mess it up a little more," she said encouragingly.
"Oh that fills me with such hope," Chandler said sarcastically, but he was beginning to smile. "I guess that makes sense. I mean, if she really wants it too... which I'm guessing she does?"
"Yes," said Rachel. "She's smitten."
"I promise, I'll talk to her today," said Chandler, looking remarkably happier and he wandered off into the bathroom.
Rachel sighed happily, and turned round to look at Joey, who was now drinking from a beer can. "Joe!" she exclaimed. "It's 10.30 in the morning!"
"I know!" cried Joey. "That's so late for me!"
**********************
Monica smiled to herself as she washed her hair. She had just remembered a moment in the hospital, while Carol was giving birth to Ben, and how she had yelled at Chandler.
"Well, if we're both single when we're 40, how about you and I get together?" Chandler asked, sitting comfortably on the couch.
Monica glared at him. "Why won't I be married when I'm 40?" she asked, a hint of madness in her voice.
Chandler looked worried, and a little scared. "No...no... I meant, hypothetically..."
"OK, hypothetically, why won't I be married when I'm 40?" she asked again, looking as if she was about to slap him.
Chandler stumbled, searching for the right words. Defence mechanism! "Dear God... this parachute is a knapsack!" he cried, and fell off the back of the chair. Monica couldn't help but laugh at him.
That was what she didn't want to lose. The humour that Chandler brought to her life. Now she seemed to have ruined things with him, she hoped she hadn't lost it. Turning off the shower, she wrung out her hair and stepped out the shower, grabbing for a towel and wrapping it round herself. She left the bathroom and walked towards her room to get dressed, not noticing Joey and Rachel sitting in the dining room.
"So, when do you think Chandler will talk to her?" Joey asked conversationally. Phoebe walked into the apartment at that moment, and was struck by Rachel's serious face.
"What's up? How's Monica?" she asked. Then she grinned. "How did your date go, Rache?"
Rachel smiled at the memory. "It was so romantic, Pheebs, he really knows how to treat a woman," she said. "We went to that restaurant that I love, near..."
Ross walked into the apartment, and Rachel stopped, her eyes meeting his. Phoebe and Joey glanced at each other, and both muttered "Sickening."
"Hey you," said Rachel, getting up and giving him a little kiss.
"Hows Monica?" asked Ross, a little dazed. "What happened last night?"
Monica came out of the room fully dressed, and nearly had a heartache seeing nearly all of her friends in her apartment, as she didn't realise they were in there. "Hey," she said uncertainly. "What's going on?"
"Nothing," they chorused.
"Well, that's okay then," she said, and walked over to them. "Anyone want a drink?"
Joey motioned to his beercan, and everyone else shook their heads. Monica was a little confused.
"Hey, has anyone seen how Chandler is today?" she asked, guessing they all knew anyway about what had happened.
"He seemed okay this morning," Joey said. "Maybe you should go over and see him?"
Monica thought. "Yeah, maybe," she said, smiling a little, though she wasn't sure why she was so sure that something good was going to happen. "I'll probably see you in a minute, with tears rolling down my face," she joked, and left the apartment.
**********
Chandler jumped as he heard a knock on the door. He guessed who it was. Sighing, preparing himself, he went to open the door.
"Hi," he said, smiling. "Come in."
Monica stood at the door. "Really?" she asked.
"Really really," he said, giving her room to enter. "I guess we have to talk."
Monica grinned. "I hate that," she admitted. "Talking always causes problems, in my experience."
Chandler smiled back. "Well, it doesn't always have to," he said. "I just... I want to tell you why I'm so worried."
Monica breathed a sigh of relief. "So you don't hate me?" she asked.
"Of course not!" Chandler looked shocked that she'd even suggested it. "I will never hate you Mon. We're best friends."
"Yeah, but is that all we'll ever be?" she asked sadly.
"That depends," he said, moving a piece of her hair over to the right side of her head. She grabbed his hand.
"Depends on what?" she asked, worried.
"On what you want to do," he said. "Mon, remember when I said I'd marry you if we were both single when we're 40? I meant it. I couldn't do that with just anyone. It would have to be a friend... my best friend. And I'd have to love them."
Monica could feel tears in her eyes. "It feels right to me," she said, uncertainly. Chandler smiled. "Me too," he replied, and kissed her.
*********
Half an hour had passed, and Monica hadn't returned. Rachel was growing impatient. "What are they doing?" she said exasperated. "Don't!" she warned Joey, as he went to tell her what he personally thought they were doing.
"I can't believe how ok I am with this," Ross said. "I mean, it's my sister... and my best friend. Most people would shudder at the thought."
The door opened, and Monica walked in, tears streaming down her face. Rachel jumped up and ran to her side. "Aww Mon.. he wasn't worth it. Don't worry, you'll find someone..."
"Who would you be talking about there, Rachel?" came Chandlers voice, as he walked in behind Monica, and put his arms round her. Rachel looked carefully at Monica's face and could see that, behind the tears, she was smiling widely.
Ross grinned, and got up and shook Chandlers hand. Then his face went grim. "Chandler... if you ever hurt my sister in any way, I will hunt you down... and kick your ass," he said triumphantly.
The room was silent for a second, then everyone burst out laughing. Rachel hugged Ross. "Yes, sweetie, I'm sure you'd attempt it," she giggled, as Ross swiped at her head.
"Now we just have to wait for Joey and Phoebe to get together," Monica joked, and the others all looked at the couple.
Joey grinned, but Phoebe looked mystical. "All in good time, my dears," she said. "All in good time..."
The End! I know the ending was a bit soppy, but I really couldn't end it in a bad way. I hope you liked it anyway. Please review!!!