Thanks so much for reviewing! I was having a super stressful week and it made me happy! So please do it again! Right now reviews and the fact that Spring Break is only 16 days away is the only thing that is keeping me sane! So please, help me remain at least a little sane. Thanks!

Disclaimer: I don't so much own the characters as am borrowing them.

Keeping you ain't easy

With everyone that sees me

Telling me to get back on the ground

Monica woke up and for the first time in days didn't immediately start crying. This, to her at least, was a huge step. She was moving on. Yawning, she swung her legs over the side of the bed and stepped out into the living room while pulling on her robe. It had been two days since her and Chandler had almost...and since then they had been trying, unsuccessfully, to avoid each other. Time to get her head on straight, and for him to know that she really wanted it and he wasn't just a rebound fling.

All her friends were there when she stepped out of her room, including Chandler, eating breakfast and laughing.

"Morning Mon," Phoebe said smiling at her as she took the empty seat at the table. "Want some pancakes?" She held up her plate to show Monica the stack of pancakes that were there. Monica smiled at her friend.

"Who made them?" If it was Rachel, Phoebe, or Joey, she was going to politely decline. While they were full of talents respectively, cooking was not one of their strong suits.

"I did," Chandler said grinning at her knowing, like always, exactly what she was thinking.

"Oh, okay," she smiled and accepted the plate that was passed to her.

"I have to go to work," Ross announced finishing his coffee and setting the empty cup on the counter. "Mon? How are you feeling today?"

"Better," she told him. "Much, much better." In all aspects, she thought to herself. She felt better in physically and emotionally.

"Good," he gave her a kiss on the top of her head before taking Rachel's hand and pulling her out of the chair to give her a kiss as well. "Dinner and a movie tonight?"

"Sure," Rachel replied not able to suppress her grin. They desperately needed some alone time. The week had been dedicated to Monica mostly, and not that Rachel was angry about that, it was just a fact. Monica had needed her, needed all of them, and she had been more than willing to be there for her friend. But now it was her time to be with her boyfriend. She waved as he left and blew her a kiss and sat back down. She found Monica smiling at her, and Monica leaned over and took her hand.

"Thank you for giving up your life for me this week," she said as if she knew exactly what Rachel had been thinking.

"Any time Monica," Rachel told her. Monica gave her hand a squeeze.

"I'm off," Joey announced finishing his very large stack of pancakes. "I have to be on set."

"I have to go too," Phoebe said. "A client has probably been waiting for the past hour and a half." Chandler had to laugh.

"Well, I'm going to go get dressed," Rachel said standing up and walking into her bedroom. It left only Chandler and Monica alone in the kitchen together. Neither quite knew how to start the conversation.

"Remind me to never have Phoebe as my masseuse," Chandler joked. There. That was easy. Just talk about Phoebe and her lack of commitment to her clients.

"Yeah really," Monica said laughing. "Listen. I need to thank you too. You didn't....you went.....I just...I couldn't have....thank you." He didn't say anything, he just nodded.

"Are you working today?"

"Not until dinner," she said shrugging. She had taken most of the week off, and like after any significant time off, did not look forward to returning.

"Oh."

"What about you? Shouldn't you be going to work?"

"I should," he grinned at her. "But do you see me moving?" Laughing, she stood up and placed her dish in the sink.

"That's how you get fired sir," she reminded him.

"Right. They haven't fired me yet."

"Good point." She spun around to put the milk in the refrigerator as he went to put the last of the dishes in the sink and when they both turned around again they were facing each other.

"Oh, sorry," Monica said. But she made no attempt to move.

"No....it's my fault." He didn't either.

"I'm leaving you guys," Rachel said as she came out of her room. "I'll see you later." Even then, neither of them moved from their positions.

"We...." Monica started. "I....shouldn't....I mean, Richard....and it's only been...." But as her mind was trying to form an excuse to get out of the situation, everything else was telling her to stay. And taking the plunge, she leaned up and kissed him, and this time, she didn't pull away.

This time she didn't remind herself of the many reasons that it was wrong.

"I don't....want to rush you. I want you to be ready," Chandler said.

"I...am ready," she told him and she believed it. She was ready. Okay, so maybe that was a stretch. But she wanted to do this. She wanted to kiss him, she wanted him to hold her, and she wanted to just be with him. Always.

"Are you sure?" God, did he know her well.

"Yes." And that was all he needed to take her in his arms and pick her up and carry her in the bedroom.

And forget about work at least for the morning.

And forget about Richard.

Because all that mattered was her.

It never could be easy

Instead of you just pleasing me

You're keeping me down

And I know that this could be

That freefall

Come on jump to me

It was Friday. Chandler's deadline. He had let all of his friends know about Richard and how he had to tell her by Friday.

He hadn't yet. And Chandler was terrified that he wouldn't and he would have to be the one to tell her. When she was finally feeling better, he would have to be the bearer of bad news. They all sat around in her apartment wondering when the ax would fall. When would Richard break it to her? Or would he chicken out?

"Hey," the door opened and Monica came in. They all looked up and saw that she was smiling. So obviously Richard had chickened out. "What's going on?"

"Oh nothing, you know, just watching a movie....movie watching," Joey said trying to cover.

"Oh," Monica smiled. "What movie?" They all turned to look at the television and saw that no one had turned it on.

"Um, we just finished," Rachel said quickly. "How was work?"

"Eh. It was work." She leafed through the mail and curiously picked up red envelope.

To Monica.

She knew that handwriting. That was Richard's handwriting. Ripping it open, she left the living room to read what she presumed was a love letter in private. Closing the door behind her, she unfolded the letter and within one sentence she felt her perfectly constructed world crumble all around her.

Monica-

I didn't want to do this to you. I didn't want to ever hurt you. I know that you've been hurt in the past and I wanted more than anything to not do that to you. I guess I failed. I've been seeing another woman. I was, am, going to break it off with her, but I wanted to see if there was anything left to salvage with you. I love you. I love you more than anything, and if you give me a second chance, I promise that I won't ever do it again. I'm sorrier than you could ever know. Please, please, don't give up on us. We could be really great. We are really great. I love you.

Richard.

Her head spun.

He had cheated on her? And he had the audacity to ask her if there was any relationship to salvage? What would he do if she said no? Run to the other woman? Did she get a letter too? Was he just seeing which one would give him his second chance?

She felt like she was going to throw up. She fought with herself on whether to feel angry or sad and finally sad won out and she collapsed on the floor sobbing.

Outside in the living room, they heard a thud and then the unmistakable sound of her weeping. Chandler took the initiative and stood up. Knocking on the door, he heard her tell him to go away.

"Monica, let me in," he said softly. "I'm so sorry."

"Please just leave me alone," she said, and it didn't occur to her to wonder how he knew what had been in the letter. "Please....just...." Finally, he tried the doorknob and was happy to find that she hadn't locked it. He closed it behind him and gathered her into his arms.

"I'm so sorry," he whispered into her hair as she held onto him tightly crying into his chest. "I'm so, so sorry."

"I thought he loved me. I trusted him....I...." She tried to regain control of the situation. She took deep breaths. "I have to go talk to him. I have to go..."

"Monica. What are you going to say?"

"I don't know...but I love him Chandler. Or I loved him. I think...everyone deserves a second chance right?" What? He wanted to scream at her. He wanted to make her see that Richard didn't deserve that second chance. That he had used up his second chance, and his third.

"Monica, he was seeing this other woman."

"I know...I know that....but I have to at least talk to him right? I have to go over there. I'm not going to take....I'm not going to let....I won't be one of those women who you know, just believe everything that he says. I won't....I don't....he hurt me. And I don't know if I can trust him again. But I need to..." She began to sob again and he held her closely. Whatever she decided. He knew that she couldn't possibly take him back. She was stronger than that. Or at least he hoped that she was.

"Mon, you do whatever you need to." It broke his heart to say it. But he had been willing to give Richard a second chance, wasn't that what Monica was doing as well?

"Thank you." Giving his hand a squeeze, she stood up. "I'm going to go over there. I'm going to go over there and talk to him."

"Okay," he told her. And he watched as she dried her eyes with the tissues. "Mon...just be careful okay? Don't let yourself get hurt anymore."

"I know Chandler. I won't."

And how he wanted to believe her.

~Okay, please review! It would make me so incredibly happy! Have a fantastic day! (That was supposed to make you want to be nice to me) ~