The Unexpected
Monica was unusually quiet as they drove away from Central Perk. Phoebe, Mike, Rachel, Joey and Ross were waving at them, and Rachel was trying to hide her tears. However, it was obvious that she was just as emotional as Monica was. Monica tried to tell herself that she was acting ridiculous, seeing that the entire gang was coming over tomorrow evening to help them unpack, but it wasn't the same. They drove through Manhattan, and soon they left the skyscrapers of New York City behind them. It felt weird driving away from the city, knowing she would never call it home ever again. The last few moments in their apartment had been very difficult for her, and she felt a tear sliding down her cheek. But despite the sadness she felt at the thought of the now empty apartment, she was more than happy to be leaving the city together with her family. She smiled at the thought and looked over at Chandler who was driving their Porsche. They had not had the time to buy a new car yet, but they had decided that a new car would be necessary with two kids.
Jack and Erica were whimpering in the backseat, and Monica looked lovingly at them.
"Do you think we'll be able to raise them, Chandler?" she asked softly.
"What do you mean?" he said, manoeuvring the car through the chaos on the freeway out to Westchester.
"Well, we're not that experienced, and all of a sudden we have to take care of two kids. I just hope that they'll be happy together with us."
Chandler smiled at her. "If you were worried whether we'd be able to handle it, you should have said something at the hospital. Besides, I suggested adopting only one of them." He winked at her, letting her know that he was only joking.
"Chandler, I'm not saying that we should have only taken one, but it just finally hit me, you know? We're responsible for two human beings."
Chandler reached over and patted her knee. "Of course we're going to handle it. You're already an amazing mother, Monica. You spent all last night staring at them while they were sleeping in order to make sure they were okay."
"I guess you're right," she grinned. "Plus, you were watching them together with me, so it's a team effort. I know you're going to be great with them as well. I saw it at the hospital yesterday. The moment you held Erica in your arms, you changed. You became a daddy. Plus, you know, no one is more attractive than the father of your children."
Chandler grinned at her. "Why, missy, are you getting sappy?"
"You better believe it," Monica answered and leaned over to kiss him.
=====-=====
Their brand new neighbourhood was silent, and the sun had gone down. A dog barked in the distance, and a cat ran down the sidewalk.
"Welcome to suburbia," Chandler joked as he parked the car in their driveway. They picked up Jack and Erica from the backseat and stood together for a moment. Chandler held Jack with one arm while putting his other arm around Monica. He kissed her softly, feeling a bit overwhelmed by the fact that he was looking at his new house together with his family.
Suddenly, Erica started crying, and they headed up to the front door, but Monica grabbed Chandler's elbow before he could unlock the door.
"Look!" she whispered, a hint of fear in her voice.
Chandler looked in the window, and noticed that the light was on in the living room.
"What the hell…?" he mumbled.
"Who can it be?" Monica said, suddenly scared that there was a thief in their house.
"I have no idea," Chandler muttered. "Maybe it's Janice who has decided to stalk us."
"Chandler!" Monica exclaimed, a bit frustrated. "This is not the time to joke around. There might be a burglar in our living room, and we are standing here with our babies."
"Alright, alright. I'll go inside, while you stay out here and call the police."
Monica looked at him incredulously.
"Well, I'm a dad now, I can't be a wuss anymore."
He handed Jack over to Monica and opened the door quietly. Tiptoeing down the hall, he glanced at the boxes in the living room. The giant ceramic dog Joey had given him was in the middle of the room, while Monica's pots and pans were spread across the floor.
He could hear voices in the kitchen, realising that there were more than one person in the room.
"They should be here any minute," one of the voices said.
Chandler's jaws fell to the floor, and he quickly opened the door.
"What on earth is going on here?" he exclaimed.
Judy and Jack Geller spun around, obviously shocked to see him standing in the doorway.
"Chandler! How lovely to see you," Judy grinned. "I guess you didn't expect to see us? We wanted to give you a lovely surprise, so here we are!"
Chandler was still dumbfounded to see his in-laws, and he looked over at Jack who was folding towels in a neat stack on the kitchen table.
"Yeah, I'm quite surprised. Hang on, I need to go out and get Monica."
"Oh, yes! My precious grandchild! I want to see him or her immediately!" Judy gushed, looking eagerly at Chandler.
Chandler nodded, not bothering to tell her about the twins. He was still wondering how on earth Judy and Jack had managed to enter their house without a key.
Monica was holding her kids nervously, looking quite frightened. Erica and Jack were crying, having sensed their mother's unease.
"What was it? Who's inside the house?" she whispered as soon as she saw Chandler emerge from the house.
"Your parents," Chandler stated.
"What? How… How did they get there?"
Chandler shrugged, and he took Erica from her. They quickly walked inside and saw Jack and Judy in the hall. Judy and Jack stared at them and the children.
"Two?" Jack exclaimed. "You had twins and you didn't tell us?"
"We didn't know until Erica arrived," Chandler shrugged, letting Erica grab his finger.
Monica grinned proudly at her parents. "Mom, dad, we want you to meet Jack and Erica Bing."
The expression on Jack Geller's face was priceless. His jaws dropped, and his eyes became misty. "You named… You named him after me?" he asked softly. A lone tear escaped his eye and made its way down his cheek. "Did you hear that, Judy? My little Harmonica named her son after me."
Judy nodded, speechless, while Jack leaned over to Chandler. "May I hold him?" Jack asked, his voice breaking.
"Yeah, but this is Erica." Chandler smiled at his in-laws.
"But Mom, Dad.. What are you guys doing here?" Monica asked, looking questioningly at her parents. It was very touching to see her father holding his namesake for the first time, but she was still slightly disappointed that she and Chandler wouldn't be alone on their first night together in their new house. She would have enjoyed unpacking in the twins' nursery while taking care of them. Also, she had planned on working on their nursery all night in order to make sure that their first night would be perfect. Obviously, her plans were ruined now, and she really didn't need her mom's criticism tonight. She smiled at her dad, who was fighting back tears as little Jack gurgled happily in his grandfather's arms.
"We're here to see our grandchildren, of course!" Judy beamed at Monica and Chandler. "And we wanted to help you move in. Ross called us earlier today, and he explained that he had some unfinished business with Rachel, so they would be busy all night. He also said that your other two friends would be busy with some birds, so we figured we'd help you."
Monica and Chandler exchanged looks. Chandler knew she was less than happy about the situation, but there was nothing they could do about it now.
"What a wonderful surprise!" Chandler said brightly, but Monica could tell he was lying through his teeth.
Monica nodded and smiled. "Yes, we really appreciate your help, but wouldn't it be better if you guys came back tomorrow? Aren't you guys tired? It's already 7 p.m., and it's a long way from Westchester to Long Island." Monica hoped they would buy her little lie.
"Nonsense, dear. We can't have you guys living here in this complete chaos together with my darling grandchildren, can we?" Judy patted Monica's shoulder. "Now, where do we start? The living room or the kitchen?"
=====-=====
Chandler breathed a sigh of relief as he finally managed to escape his enthusiastic in-laws. His wife had given him an exasperated look as he literally ran out of the living room, but he would try to help her later on. He still couldn't believe that Judy and Jack had shown up tonight. It was a symbolic night, proving that he and Monica were moving on and growing up. Now, however, it had turned into a night that revolved around boxes being put in the wrong places, and Judy telling Monica that she was holding the babies in the wrong way. He felt bad for Monica, but he needed to do something before he could help her with her mom. Seeing Jack trying to hide his tears while he was holding his grandson, made Chandler realise that he needed to tell his parents about the twins. He hadn't talked to his parents for months, and Nora and Charles did not even know about their infertility problems. Chandler could still remember how his mother had teased him about "little Bings" at the rehearsal dinner, so he knew she'd be happy when she heard the news. He felt a little sting when he thought about being scared of having children. A few years later he had been devastated when he learned that he would probably never have any children of his own. And now he had two children, and he knew he loved Jack and Erica more than anything. Monica and Chandler had talked about it while they were putting the twins to bed last night, and they had felt an unmistakable bond to the children the minute they were born. Granted, he had freaked out when he first heard that there were two babies, but four minutes later, when Erica had been born, he had already been excited about the prospect of having two children.
Chandler quickly walked upstairs to the master bedroom and called his mother on his cell-phone.
"Chandler!" her voice trilled as soon as she picked up. "How are you, dear?"
"Hi, mom. I'm good, actually, and I've got some news."
"Well, I should think so, I haven't heard from you in over a year," Nora laughed. "At first I thought you had called me while I was on vacation in Asia, but according to my secretary, you haven't called her either."
"Yeah, sorry about that, but I've been rather busy."
"Oh!" Nora interrupted him. "Is Monica pregnant?"
Chandler rubbed his forehead in frustration. "No, she's not." He decided not to get into details about their infertility problems, so he just continued: "The fact of the matter is that we became parents yesterday. We adopted twins; a girl and a boy."
"You adopted twins?!" Nora sounded completely astonished. "Oh my god, honey. Congratulations! What are their names?"
Chandler proceeded to tell her everything about his kids, knowing he was already acting the part of the proud parent. By the time he hung up, Nora had promised to pay them a visit next week. Even though she was currently doing a book-tour in South Africa, she had to see those "adorable babies" as soon as possible.
He hesitated a bit before he called his dad in Las Vegas. Another man answered the phone and handed it over to Charles. Charles was surprised to hear that Chandler was on the phone, but he was over the moon when he heard that he had just become a grandfather. His high-pitched squeals almost made Chandler deaf. Chandler tried to tell him that he was a grandfather, but Charles only laughed at him.
"Chandler, you know I'll be the best grandma in the whole world. I'll knit baby booties, and I'll teach them how to dress up," Charles reassured him. "Oh, Chandler I would love to help you and Monica. Why don't I fly to New York tomorrow morning and help you with the interior design in the new house?"
Chandler had a sudden image of his living room covered in leopard prints and golden silk with a pink feather boa hanging on the mantelpiece. He shuddered.
"No, dad, that's fine. Monica has this thing where she needs to do everything herself." Chandler was relieved when his father believed his white lie. However, his dad insisted on coming to see them pretty soon. Chandler shrugged and agreed. "I might as well get it over with right away," he thought to himself. Jack and Erica were bound to ask questions about "grandma" Charles as they grew up, so it was better if they got used to their unconventional grandparents.
Chandler hung up the phone, surveying the master bedroom. Mike, Phoebe and Joey had done an impressive job so far. Without Monica knowing, they had snuck over to the house late last night and tried to unpack as much as possible. They had also put one of the twins' cribs in the corner, and Phoebe had decorated it with tiny blue and pink ribbons. Monica was already under a lot of pressure, so Chandler wanted to surprise her with their bedroom. He knew he should have been downstairs helping her defend herself against her mother, but he also knew Monica would appreciate it if he managed to finish the job in the bedroom. He picked up Monica's hammer and started hammering away, hoping that Monica wouldn't hear the noise and run upstairs to find out what was going on.
=====-=====
Monica couldn't believe Chandler had left her with her mother. He, of all people, was perfectly aware of her problems with her mom. Her father was in his own little world, staring at the twins. He kept making silly little baby-noises to them, grinning widely whenever they looked up at him. The twins were resting in Erica's crib, but they were looking wide-eyed at their grandfather. Monica shook her head, knowing that Jack was going to spoil the children rotten.
"Honestly, Jack," Judy huffed. "Let the babies sleep and come over and help us unpack." She was helping Monica unpack her kitchen utensils, and Monica was surprised to see that Judy used the same system as she did.
Jack ignored her and picked up the yellow pacifier Erica had dropped. "You girls seem to have everything under control," he stated. "Besides, someone has to look after the babies now that Chandler has disappeared."
Monica made a mental note to ask Chandler why he had left and followed Judy into the kitchen again.
Judy picked up Monica's cookie jar and looked at it in mild amusement. "Cookie-time?" she asked. "You still have this one?"
"Yes, of course. Nana gave it to me when I moved to New York, so it's very special to me."
Judy smiled slightly. "I see. Actually, she wanted to give it to you when you turned 12, but I told her not to. I thought it would be best not to encourage your hunger for cookies."
Monica scowled at her, but Judy had already turned her back to her. "Gee, thanks," Monica muttered. "Stay calm," she told herself. "Don't let her ruin moving day for you."
"By the way, mom." Monica tried to make her voice sound normal. "How did you get here? Should I press charges for breaking and entering, or did you have keys?" Monica realised she was only half-joking.
Judy chuckled. "No, I talked to Ross, and he told us he didn't have any keys, so we had to ask Joey instead. He gave us the keys earlier this afternoon. I thought you knew about that?"
Monica stared at her, quite baffled. Joey had keys to her house? Granted, they had promised him a "Joey-room," but they had never given him any keys. Chandler must have given him his keys, but Monica had no idea why. "No, I didn't know," Monica answered shortly.
Judy only shrugged in response. "Well, that only made our little visit more surprising, now, didn't it?"
=====-=====
They organized Monica's herbs and spices, her pots and pans, as well as the food she had brought from the apartment. It was mostly bottles of milk for Jack and Erica, but Judy shook her head when she noticed them.
"Monica, I can't believe you weren't better prepared for the babies. You don't have enough food."
"The babies were three weeks early, mom, so I didn't expect them to be born until after we had moved. Also, I only thought I would have one baby. I had no idea I would be having twins!" Monica felt herself becoming more annoyed with her mom, and she hoped Chandler would come down and join them as soon as possible.
"You did have the time to buy a twin stroller, though, didn't you?" Judy raised an eyebrow. "I saw it out in the hall."
"Chandler and I had to run out and buy one last night. Joey and Mike had to take care of the babies while we were out trying to buy a new stroller, another crib, more clothes, food, and diapers. We spent a small fortune on new stuff for them."
"It just seems as though you haven't really thought this through, my dear," Judy said dismissively. "How could you not know that you were having twins?"
"Erica didn't know, so how the hell should we know?" Monica yelled. "The point is that we have two babies, whom we love dearly, and I can't wait to raise them together with Chandler."
"For heaven's sake, calm down. Aren't they supposed to be asleep?" Judy glared at her daughter.
"Mom, I'm already worried about whether I'm going to be a good mom. Don't you understand that you're scaring me by acting this way? Chandler and I are doing the best we can! So what if we don't have enough food for the rest of the week. We'll go to the grocery store tomorrow and buy everything we need. I realise that it would have been easier if I had given birth myself. No need for bottled milk, right?" Monica tried to force back a few tears to no avail. "Is that it, mom? Your failure of a daughter couldn't have children of her own, and now she isn't treating her adopted babies right?"
Monica burst into tears as Judy looked shocked.
Judy threw her arms around her daughter and stroke her hair. "Oh, Monica," she whispered. "I didn't mean that. I'm so sorry, honey. I had no idea you felt this way."
Monica sniffled and shrugged. Suddenly, she decided to be honest with her mother for once. "Can you blame me? You have always loved Ross more than me, and he has two kids already. He didn't have any problems conceiving, did he? Meanwhile, I had to wait for years in order to become a mom, and I couldn't do it the normal way. I'm not happy we can't have children of our own, but it led me to Jack and Erica, and I love them just as much as if they were my biological children. Just the thought of those adorable babies not having a home makes me happy that Chandler and I adopted them."
Monica paused, and she realised that Judy had tears in her eyes. She was smiling, however, and she gave Monica a big hug.
"I have never been more proud of you and Chandler than the moment I saw you holding your children earlier tonight. You have already done an amazing job with them. Who knows where they would have ended up if you two hadn't adopted them? Erica must be very grateful that she found such a wonderful home for the twins. In fact, she couldn't have found better parents."
Monica smiled and dried away a tear from her cheek. "Thank you," she said softly.
Judy grinned. "And please don't think I love Ross more than you. I know that I can be difficult, and it's hard for me to show you how much I love you, but that's only because my mom treated me the exact same way."
Monica nodded. She had had a feeling that was the reason behind her mother's behaviour ever since Nana had died, but she hadn't dared to say anything. Now, however, she felt as though she understood Judy.
"I know I'll break the trend," Monica said firmly. "I'll love little Erica just as much as her brother."
"I know you will," Judy said warmly. "And another thing; I want to thank you for naming your son Jack. I could see how happy that made your father. In fact, he mentioned that he hoped Ross would name Ben after him, but we all know that didn't happen." Judy winked at her daughter. "See? You beat Ross to it."
=====-=====
Chandler threw the screwdriver in the toolbox and admired his work. He had managed to hang all their pictures and posters on the walls, and all the furniture was in its proper place. He had unpacked the rest of their clothes and put it neatly into the closets, and he had lit some candles on the mantelpiece. Monica would be proud of him.
Worried that Monica and Judy were in the middle of a huge fight, he snuck downstairs and pressed his ear against the kitchen door. Strangely enough, he couldn't hear anything, so he opened the door cautiously. The kitchen was empty, but he noticed that Monica's kitchen utensils were already perfectly in place. He walked into the living room to find his mother-in-law with her arm around Monica. They were standing next to Erica's crib, admiring the little girl. Jack, on the other hand, was feeding little Jack. Chandler cleared his voice, and the three adults turned around and looked at him.
"There you are!" Monica flashed a smile at him. "I was wondering if you had driven back to New York because you missed the city."
Chandler grinned at her, wondering why she didn't seem depressed about something her mother had said to her.
"I just had to take care of some stuff," he said vaguely and picked up Erica. Erica yawned and looked up at him for a second before she closed her eyes again. However, she grabbed his finger tightly, and Chandler felt a wave of emotions inside of him. It was strange how he could love something that was so small and new.
Monica and Judy smiled at each other as they watched Erica and Chandler bonding. Judy felt a little misty and coughed a bit.
"Well, it's getting late," she stated, knowing the little family needed some privacy. "Jack, I think we should be heading back."
Jack nodded and put little Jack down in the crib.
"We would love to come back and help you unpack tomorrow, though," Judy said, sounding hopeful.
"Sure, that would be wonderful." Monica smiled warmly, hugging her parents.
Chandler looked a bit flabbergasted at Monica's willingness to spend so much time with her mom, but he thanked his in-laws for their help.
When they heard the door slam shut, Monica picked up Jack and started heading upstairs together with Chandler and Erica.
"Mon, what's going on?" Chandler asked right before she opened the door to their bedroom. "Why do you and Judy seem like friends all of a sudden?"
"We made up," she answered simply.
"What?"
"She apologized and explained her behaviour, and we decided to let the past be the past." Monica shrugged. "I guess it was about time. I'm a mom now, and I shouldn't hold a grudge against my own mother."
She opened the door and stopped dead in her tracks. The master bedroom looked beautiful. Everything was there; the furniture, the decorations, her posters and their pictures. She also noticed two brand new pictures of Jack and Erica on the nightstand. Chandler had even put a big vase filled with red roses on her nightstand. She gasped.
"You did all this?"
Chandler grinned and kissed her cheek. "Well, I had help, so I can't take all the credit. But I've been working on this room all night in order to finish it. I wanted us to have a proper bedroom on the first night in our new house."
"There's a reason why I love you," Monica grinned.
They changed the babies' diapers and made them ready for bed, knowing they would be doing this ritual for years to come. Chandler struggled a bit with their tiny arms and legs, but he figured he would be a pro at changing diapers in a week or so. Chandler Bing changing diapers. Imagine that. The thought of it made him chuckle, and Monica glanced at him.
The children cried for a while before they fell asleep, but they were obviously exhausted after their first big moving day. Soon they were sleeping soundly next to each other.
Chandler put his arms around his wife, knowing that he had never been happier in his entire life. He was sweaty after unpacking their bedroom, and he still had dozens of boxes left to unpack. He had a big mortgage, and his parents were coming to visit in a few days. His friends were no longer right across the hall, and the nearest coffee shop was six blocks away. Still, the three people that really mattered were right next to him. His beloved wife and his children.
"I love you," he whispered softly.
"I love you, too." Monica beamed up at him. "By the way, why were you chuckling when we were changing their diapers? Anything particularly funny about that event? Because if there is, I would love to hear it."
Chandler laughed. "Not really. I was just thinking how no one imagined me changing diapers and having kids ten years ago. This is all quite unexpected, don't you think?"
Monica gazed thoughtfully at the crib. "I agree." She tucked the blanket around Jack. "I actually thought about the same thing when I was talking to my mother earlier. But then again, we have never had predictable lives, have we? Your parents were never the stereotypical married couple…"
"Yeah, you better get used to them, because they're coming to visit next week," Chandler interrupted her.
Monica shook her head, muttering something about not having the time to finish the guest rooms.
"As I was saying, they're quite unconventional, and so are my parents. Nobody expected us to fall in love. I had no idea I would end up marrying you, and yet that was the best thing that ever happened to me."
"I should hope so," Chandler grinned at her.
"And these two," Monica's eyes were quite shiny. She reached out and touched Erica's cheek. "Nobody thought we would have to go through so much in order to become parents, least of all me. I thought I would pop them out like some sort of gumball-machine." Chandler hugged her.
"I'm sorry," he said softly.
"No, no, honey, it's okay," Monica said, smiling at him. "It all turned out okay in the end, didn't it? These are our children, honey, no matter what the DNA says. These two angels are more than I ever could have hoped for."
Chandler smiled. "You are absolutely right. And hopefully, these little so-called angels won't keep me up every night for the next eighteen years."
"Optimist, aren't you?" Monica joked.
"No," said Chandler quietly. "I used to be a pessimist because I knew my life would be awful. But I'm an optimist now, because I had never imagined my life would turn out so great."
Monica didn't know how to respond to that, and she could feel tears welling up in her eyes. The light from the candles flickered on their faces as they watched their babies. The house was quiet, and Monica realised that she couldn't hear any of the New York noise she had become used to. They were only half an hour away from their old apartment, but it felt like a different world. However, Monica knew there was no other place she would rather be. Her husband was holding her in his arms, and her two children were asleep right next to her.
"The unexpected isn't so bad after all, is it?" she said softly, hugging him.
Monica was unusually quiet as they drove away from Central Perk. Phoebe, Mike, Rachel, Joey and Ross were waving at them, and Rachel was trying to hide her tears. However, it was obvious that she was just as emotional as Monica was. Monica tried to tell herself that she was acting ridiculous, seeing that the entire gang was coming over tomorrow evening to help them unpack, but it wasn't the same. They drove through Manhattan, and soon they left the skyscrapers of New York City behind them. It felt weird driving away from the city, knowing she would never call it home ever again. The last few moments in their apartment had been very difficult for her, and she felt a tear sliding down her cheek. But despite the sadness she felt at the thought of the now empty apartment, she was more than happy to be leaving the city together with her family. She smiled at the thought and looked over at Chandler who was driving their Porsche. They had not had the time to buy a new car yet, but they had decided that a new car would be necessary with two kids.
Jack and Erica were whimpering in the backseat, and Monica looked lovingly at them.
"Do you think we'll be able to raise them, Chandler?" she asked softly.
"What do you mean?" he said, manoeuvring the car through the chaos on the freeway out to Westchester.
"Well, we're not that experienced, and all of a sudden we have to take care of two kids. I just hope that they'll be happy together with us."
Chandler smiled at her. "If you were worried whether we'd be able to handle it, you should have said something at the hospital. Besides, I suggested adopting only one of them." He winked at her, letting her know that he was only joking.
"Chandler, I'm not saying that we should have only taken one, but it just finally hit me, you know? We're responsible for two human beings."
Chandler reached over and patted her knee. "Of course we're going to handle it. You're already an amazing mother, Monica. You spent all last night staring at them while they were sleeping in order to make sure they were okay."
"I guess you're right," she grinned. "Plus, you were watching them together with me, so it's a team effort. I know you're going to be great with them as well. I saw it at the hospital yesterday. The moment you held Erica in your arms, you changed. You became a daddy. Plus, you know, no one is more attractive than the father of your children."
Chandler grinned at her. "Why, missy, are you getting sappy?"
"You better believe it," Monica answered and leaned over to kiss him.
=====-=====
Their brand new neighbourhood was silent, and the sun had gone down. A dog barked in the distance, and a cat ran down the sidewalk.
"Welcome to suburbia," Chandler joked as he parked the car in their driveway. They picked up Jack and Erica from the backseat and stood together for a moment. Chandler held Jack with one arm while putting his other arm around Monica. He kissed her softly, feeling a bit overwhelmed by the fact that he was looking at his new house together with his family.
Suddenly, Erica started crying, and they headed up to the front door, but Monica grabbed Chandler's elbow before he could unlock the door.
"Look!" she whispered, a hint of fear in her voice.
Chandler looked in the window, and noticed that the light was on in the living room.
"What the hell…?" he mumbled.
"Who can it be?" Monica said, suddenly scared that there was a thief in their house.
"I have no idea," Chandler muttered. "Maybe it's Janice who has decided to stalk us."
"Chandler!" Monica exclaimed, a bit frustrated. "This is not the time to joke around. There might be a burglar in our living room, and we are standing here with our babies."
"Alright, alright. I'll go inside, while you stay out here and call the police."
Monica looked at him incredulously.
"Well, I'm a dad now, I can't be a wuss anymore."
He handed Jack over to Monica and opened the door quietly. Tiptoeing down the hall, he glanced at the boxes in the living room. The giant ceramic dog Joey had given him was in the middle of the room, while Monica's pots and pans were spread across the floor.
He could hear voices in the kitchen, realising that there were more than one person in the room.
"They should be here any minute," one of the voices said.
Chandler's jaws fell to the floor, and he quickly opened the door.
"What on earth is going on here?" he exclaimed.
Judy and Jack Geller spun around, obviously shocked to see him standing in the doorway.
"Chandler! How lovely to see you," Judy grinned. "I guess you didn't expect to see us? We wanted to give you a lovely surprise, so here we are!"
Chandler was still dumbfounded to see his in-laws, and he looked over at Jack who was folding towels in a neat stack on the kitchen table.
"Yeah, I'm quite surprised. Hang on, I need to go out and get Monica."
"Oh, yes! My precious grandchild! I want to see him or her immediately!" Judy gushed, looking eagerly at Chandler.
Chandler nodded, not bothering to tell her about the twins. He was still wondering how on earth Judy and Jack had managed to enter their house without a key.
Monica was holding her kids nervously, looking quite frightened. Erica and Jack were crying, having sensed their mother's unease.
"What was it? Who's inside the house?" she whispered as soon as she saw Chandler emerge from the house.
"Your parents," Chandler stated.
"What? How… How did they get there?"
Chandler shrugged, and he took Erica from her. They quickly walked inside and saw Jack and Judy in the hall. Judy and Jack stared at them and the children.
"Two?" Jack exclaimed. "You had twins and you didn't tell us?"
"We didn't know until Erica arrived," Chandler shrugged, letting Erica grab his finger.
Monica grinned proudly at her parents. "Mom, dad, we want you to meet Jack and Erica Bing."
The expression on Jack Geller's face was priceless. His jaws dropped, and his eyes became misty. "You named… You named him after me?" he asked softly. A lone tear escaped his eye and made its way down his cheek. "Did you hear that, Judy? My little Harmonica named her son after me."
Judy nodded, speechless, while Jack leaned over to Chandler. "May I hold him?" Jack asked, his voice breaking.
"Yeah, but this is Erica." Chandler smiled at his in-laws.
"But Mom, Dad.. What are you guys doing here?" Monica asked, looking questioningly at her parents. It was very touching to see her father holding his namesake for the first time, but she was still slightly disappointed that she and Chandler wouldn't be alone on their first night together in their new house. She would have enjoyed unpacking in the twins' nursery while taking care of them. Also, she had planned on working on their nursery all night in order to make sure that their first night would be perfect. Obviously, her plans were ruined now, and she really didn't need her mom's criticism tonight. She smiled at her dad, who was fighting back tears as little Jack gurgled happily in his grandfather's arms.
"We're here to see our grandchildren, of course!" Judy beamed at Monica and Chandler. "And we wanted to help you move in. Ross called us earlier today, and he explained that he had some unfinished business with Rachel, so they would be busy all night. He also said that your other two friends would be busy with some birds, so we figured we'd help you."
Monica and Chandler exchanged looks. Chandler knew she was less than happy about the situation, but there was nothing they could do about it now.
"What a wonderful surprise!" Chandler said brightly, but Monica could tell he was lying through his teeth.
Monica nodded and smiled. "Yes, we really appreciate your help, but wouldn't it be better if you guys came back tomorrow? Aren't you guys tired? It's already 7 p.m., and it's a long way from Westchester to Long Island." Monica hoped they would buy her little lie.
"Nonsense, dear. We can't have you guys living here in this complete chaos together with my darling grandchildren, can we?" Judy patted Monica's shoulder. "Now, where do we start? The living room or the kitchen?"
=====-=====
Chandler breathed a sigh of relief as he finally managed to escape his enthusiastic in-laws. His wife had given him an exasperated look as he literally ran out of the living room, but he would try to help her later on. He still couldn't believe that Judy and Jack had shown up tonight. It was a symbolic night, proving that he and Monica were moving on and growing up. Now, however, it had turned into a night that revolved around boxes being put in the wrong places, and Judy telling Monica that she was holding the babies in the wrong way. He felt bad for Monica, but he needed to do something before he could help her with her mom. Seeing Jack trying to hide his tears while he was holding his grandson, made Chandler realise that he needed to tell his parents about the twins. He hadn't talked to his parents for months, and Nora and Charles did not even know about their infertility problems. Chandler could still remember how his mother had teased him about "little Bings" at the rehearsal dinner, so he knew she'd be happy when she heard the news. He felt a little sting when he thought about being scared of having children. A few years later he had been devastated when he learned that he would probably never have any children of his own. And now he had two children, and he knew he loved Jack and Erica more than anything. Monica and Chandler had talked about it while they were putting the twins to bed last night, and they had felt an unmistakable bond to the children the minute they were born. Granted, he had freaked out when he first heard that there were two babies, but four minutes later, when Erica had been born, he had already been excited about the prospect of having two children.
Chandler quickly walked upstairs to the master bedroom and called his mother on his cell-phone.
"Chandler!" her voice trilled as soon as she picked up. "How are you, dear?"
"Hi, mom. I'm good, actually, and I've got some news."
"Well, I should think so, I haven't heard from you in over a year," Nora laughed. "At first I thought you had called me while I was on vacation in Asia, but according to my secretary, you haven't called her either."
"Yeah, sorry about that, but I've been rather busy."
"Oh!" Nora interrupted him. "Is Monica pregnant?"
Chandler rubbed his forehead in frustration. "No, she's not." He decided not to get into details about their infertility problems, so he just continued: "The fact of the matter is that we became parents yesterday. We adopted twins; a girl and a boy."
"You adopted twins?!" Nora sounded completely astonished. "Oh my god, honey. Congratulations! What are their names?"
Chandler proceeded to tell her everything about his kids, knowing he was already acting the part of the proud parent. By the time he hung up, Nora had promised to pay them a visit next week. Even though she was currently doing a book-tour in South Africa, she had to see those "adorable babies" as soon as possible.
He hesitated a bit before he called his dad in Las Vegas. Another man answered the phone and handed it over to Charles. Charles was surprised to hear that Chandler was on the phone, but he was over the moon when he heard that he had just become a grandfather. His high-pitched squeals almost made Chandler deaf. Chandler tried to tell him that he was a grandfather, but Charles only laughed at him.
"Chandler, you know I'll be the best grandma in the whole world. I'll knit baby booties, and I'll teach them how to dress up," Charles reassured him. "Oh, Chandler I would love to help you and Monica. Why don't I fly to New York tomorrow morning and help you with the interior design in the new house?"
Chandler had a sudden image of his living room covered in leopard prints and golden silk with a pink feather boa hanging on the mantelpiece. He shuddered.
"No, dad, that's fine. Monica has this thing where she needs to do everything herself." Chandler was relieved when his father believed his white lie. However, his dad insisted on coming to see them pretty soon. Chandler shrugged and agreed. "I might as well get it over with right away," he thought to himself. Jack and Erica were bound to ask questions about "grandma" Charles as they grew up, so it was better if they got used to their unconventional grandparents.
Chandler hung up the phone, surveying the master bedroom. Mike, Phoebe and Joey had done an impressive job so far. Without Monica knowing, they had snuck over to the house late last night and tried to unpack as much as possible. They had also put one of the twins' cribs in the corner, and Phoebe had decorated it with tiny blue and pink ribbons. Monica was already under a lot of pressure, so Chandler wanted to surprise her with their bedroom. He knew he should have been downstairs helping her defend herself against her mother, but he also knew Monica would appreciate it if he managed to finish the job in the bedroom. He picked up Monica's hammer and started hammering away, hoping that Monica wouldn't hear the noise and run upstairs to find out what was going on.
=====-=====
Monica couldn't believe Chandler had left her with her mother. He, of all people, was perfectly aware of her problems with her mom. Her father was in his own little world, staring at the twins. He kept making silly little baby-noises to them, grinning widely whenever they looked up at him. The twins were resting in Erica's crib, but they were looking wide-eyed at their grandfather. Monica shook her head, knowing that Jack was going to spoil the children rotten.
"Honestly, Jack," Judy huffed. "Let the babies sleep and come over and help us unpack." She was helping Monica unpack her kitchen utensils, and Monica was surprised to see that Judy used the same system as she did.
Jack ignored her and picked up the yellow pacifier Erica had dropped. "You girls seem to have everything under control," he stated. "Besides, someone has to look after the babies now that Chandler has disappeared."
Monica made a mental note to ask Chandler why he had left and followed Judy into the kitchen again.
Judy picked up Monica's cookie jar and looked at it in mild amusement. "Cookie-time?" she asked. "You still have this one?"
"Yes, of course. Nana gave it to me when I moved to New York, so it's very special to me."
Judy smiled slightly. "I see. Actually, she wanted to give it to you when you turned 12, but I told her not to. I thought it would be best not to encourage your hunger for cookies."
Monica scowled at her, but Judy had already turned her back to her. "Gee, thanks," Monica muttered. "Stay calm," she told herself. "Don't let her ruin moving day for you."
"By the way, mom." Monica tried to make her voice sound normal. "How did you get here? Should I press charges for breaking and entering, or did you have keys?" Monica realised she was only half-joking.
Judy chuckled. "No, I talked to Ross, and he told us he didn't have any keys, so we had to ask Joey instead. He gave us the keys earlier this afternoon. I thought you knew about that?"
Monica stared at her, quite baffled. Joey had keys to her house? Granted, they had promised him a "Joey-room," but they had never given him any keys. Chandler must have given him his keys, but Monica had no idea why. "No, I didn't know," Monica answered shortly.
Judy only shrugged in response. "Well, that only made our little visit more surprising, now, didn't it?"
=====-=====
They organized Monica's herbs and spices, her pots and pans, as well as the food she had brought from the apartment. It was mostly bottles of milk for Jack and Erica, but Judy shook her head when she noticed them.
"Monica, I can't believe you weren't better prepared for the babies. You don't have enough food."
"The babies were three weeks early, mom, so I didn't expect them to be born until after we had moved. Also, I only thought I would have one baby. I had no idea I would be having twins!" Monica felt herself becoming more annoyed with her mom, and she hoped Chandler would come down and join them as soon as possible.
"You did have the time to buy a twin stroller, though, didn't you?" Judy raised an eyebrow. "I saw it out in the hall."
"Chandler and I had to run out and buy one last night. Joey and Mike had to take care of the babies while we were out trying to buy a new stroller, another crib, more clothes, food, and diapers. We spent a small fortune on new stuff for them."
"It just seems as though you haven't really thought this through, my dear," Judy said dismissively. "How could you not know that you were having twins?"
"Erica didn't know, so how the hell should we know?" Monica yelled. "The point is that we have two babies, whom we love dearly, and I can't wait to raise them together with Chandler."
"For heaven's sake, calm down. Aren't they supposed to be asleep?" Judy glared at her daughter.
"Mom, I'm already worried about whether I'm going to be a good mom. Don't you understand that you're scaring me by acting this way? Chandler and I are doing the best we can! So what if we don't have enough food for the rest of the week. We'll go to the grocery store tomorrow and buy everything we need. I realise that it would have been easier if I had given birth myself. No need for bottled milk, right?" Monica tried to force back a few tears to no avail. "Is that it, mom? Your failure of a daughter couldn't have children of her own, and now she isn't treating her adopted babies right?"
Monica burst into tears as Judy looked shocked.
Judy threw her arms around her daughter and stroke her hair. "Oh, Monica," she whispered. "I didn't mean that. I'm so sorry, honey. I had no idea you felt this way."
Monica sniffled and shrugged. Suddenly, she decided to be honest with her mother for once. "Can you blame me? You have always loved Ross more than me, and he has two kids already. He didn't have any problems conceiving, did he? Meanwhile, I had to wait for years in order to become a mom, and I couldn't do it the normal way. I'm not happy we can't have children of our own, but it led me to Jack and Erica, and I love them just as much as if they were my biological children. Just the thought of those adorable babies not having a home makes me happy that Chandler and I adopted them."
Monica paused, and she realised that Judy had tears in her eyes. She was smiling, however, and she gave Monica a big hug.
"I have never been more proud of you and Chandler than the moment I saw you holding your children earlier tonight. You have already done an amazing job with them. Who knows where they would have ended up if you two hadn't adopted them? Erica must be very grateful that she found such a wonderful home for the twins. In fact, she couldn't have found better parents."
Monica smiled and dried away a tear from her cheek. "Thank you," she said softly.
Judy grinned. "And please don't think I love Ross more than you. I know that I can be difficult, and it's hard for me to show you how much I love you, but that's only because my mom treated me the exact same way."
Monica nodded. She had had a feeling that was the reason behind her mother's behaviour ever since Nana had died, but she hadn't dared to say anything. Now, however, she felt as though she understood Judy.
"I know I'll break the trend," Monica said firmly. "I'll love little Erica just as much as her brother."
"I know you will," Judy said warmly. "And another thing; I want to thank you for naming your son Jack. I could see how happy that made your father. In fact, he mentioned that he hoped Ross would name Ben after him, but we all know that didn't happen." Judy winked at her daughter. "See? You beat Ross to it."
=====-=====
Chandler threw the screwdriver in the toolbox and admired his work. He had managed to hang all their pictures and posters on the walls, and all the furniture was in its proper place. He had unpacked the rest of their clothes and put it neatly into the closets, and he had lit some candles on the mantelpiece. Monica would be proud of him.
Worried that Monica and Judy were in the middle of a huge fight, he snuck downstairs and pressed his ear against the kitchen door. Strangely enough, he couldn't hear anything, so he opened the door cautiously. The kitchen was empty, but he noticed that Monica's kitchen utensils were already perfectly in place. He walked into the living room to find his mother-in-law with her arm around Monica. They were standing next to Erica's crib, admiring the little girl. Jack, on the other hand, was feeding little Jack. Chandler cleared his voice, and the three adults turned around and looked at him.
"There you are!" Monica flashed a smile at him. "I was wondering if you had driven back to New York because you missed the city."
Chandler grinned at her, wondering why she didn't seem depressed about something her mother had said to her.
"I just had to take care of some stuff," he said vaguely and picked up Erica. Erica yawned and looked up at him for a second before she closed her eyes again. However, she grabbed his finger tightly, and Chandler felt a wave of emotions inside of him. It was strange how he could love something that was so small and new.
Monica and Judy smiled at each other as they watched Erica and Chandler bonding. Judy felt a little misty and coughed a bit.
"Well, it's getting late," she stated, knowing the little family needed some privacy. "Jack, I think we should be heading back."
Jack nodded and put little Jack down in the crib.
"We would love to come back and help you unpack tomorrow, though," Judy said, sounding hopeful.
"Sure, that would be wonderful." Monica smiled warmly, hugging her parents.
Chandler looked a bit flabbergasted at Monica's willingness to spend so much time with her mom, but he thanked his in-laws for their help.
When they heard the door slam shut, Monica picked up Jack and started heading upstairs together with Chandler and Erica.
"Mon, what's going on?" Chandler asked right before she opened the door to their bedroom. "Why do you and Judy seem like friends all of a sudden?"
"We made up," she answered simply.
"What?"
"She apologized and explained her behaviour, and we decided to let the past be the past." Monica shrugged. "I guess it was about time. I'm a mom now, and I shouldn't hold a grudge against my own mother."
She opened the door and stopped dead in her tracks. The master bedroom looked beautiful. Everything was there; the furniture, the decorations, her posters and their pictures. She also noticed two brand new pictures of Jack and Erica on the nightstand. Chandler had even put a big vase filled with red roses on her nightstand. She gasped.
"You did all this?"
Chandler grinned and kissed her cheek. "Well, I had help, so I can't take all the credit. But I've been working on this room all night in order to finish it. I wanted us to have a proper bedroom on the first night in our new house."
"There's a reason why I love you," Monica grinned.
They changed the babies' diapers and made them ready for bed, knowing they would be doing this ritual for years to come. Chandler struggled a bit with their tiny arms and legs, but he figured he would be a pro at changing diapers in a week or so. Chandler Bing changing diapers. Imagine that. The thought of it made him chuckle, and Monica glanced at him.
The children cried for a while before they fell asleep, but they were obviously exhausted after their first big moving day. Soon they were sleeping soundly next to each other.
Chandler put his arms around his wife, knowing that he had never been happier in his entire life. He was sweaty after unpacking their bedroom, and he still had dozens of boxes left to unpack. He had a big mortgage, and his parents were coming to visit in a few days. His friends were no longer right across the hall, and the nearest coffee shop was six blocks away. Still, the three people that really mattered were right next to him. His beloved wife and his children.
"I love you," he whispered softly.
"I love you, too." Monica beamed up at him. "By the way, why were you chuckling when we were changing their diapers? Anything particularly funny about that event? Because if there is, I would love to hear it."
Chandler laughed. "Not really. I was just thinking how no one imagined me changing diapers and having kids ten years ago. This is all quite unexpected, don't you think?"
Monica gazed thoughtfully at the crib. "I agree." She tucked the blanket around Jack. "I actually thought about the same thing when I was talking to my mother earlier. But then again, we have never had predictable lives, have we? Your parents were never the stereotypical married couple…"
"Yeah, you better get used to them, because they're coming to visit next week," Chandler interrupted her.
Monica shook her head, muttering something about not having the time to finish the guest rooms.
"As I was saying, they're quite unconventional, and so are my parents. Nobody expected us to fall in love. I had no idea I would end up marrying you, and yet that was the best thing that ever happened to me."
"I should hope so," Chandler grinned at her.
"And these two," Monica's eyes were quite shiny. She reached out and touched Erica's cheek. "Nobody thought we would have to go through so much in order to become parents, least of all me. I thought I would pop them out like some sort of gumball-machine." Chandler hugged her.
"I'm sorry," he said softly.
"No, no, honey, it's okay," Monica said, smiling at him. "It all turned out okay in the end, didn't it? These are our children, honey, no matter what the DNA says. These two angels are more than I ever could have hoped for."
Chandler smiled. "You are absolutely right. And hopefully, these little so-called angels won't keep me up every night for the next eighteen years."
"Optimist, aren't you?" Monica joked.
"No," said Chandler quietly. "I used to be a pessimist because I knew my life would be awful. But I'm an optimist now, because I had never imagined my life would turn out so great."
Monica didn't know how to respond to that, and she could feel tears welling up in her eyes. The light from the candles flickered on their faces as they watched their babies. The house was quiet, and Monica realised that she couldn't hear any of the New York noise she had become used to. They were only half an hour away from their old apartment, but it felt like a different world. However, Monica knew there was no other place she would rather be. Her husband was holding her in his arms, and her two children were asleep right next to her.
"The unexpected isn't so bad after all, is it?" she said softly, hugging him.