Hey, everyone! So, I hope everyone enjoyed the Friends Finale. I know I did! Here's chapter ten...again, thanks for all your wonderful reviews on the last chapter. This chapter may seem kind of cliché and like the last one, but it's more setting the scene for the real conflict of the story than anything. This conflict, by the way, will be coming very soon. So I hope you enjoy this-please review!

Disclaimer: Audrey Bing is mine, and, unfortunately, that's it.

Chapter Ten

Chandler headed into his bedroom, where he found Monica holding a framed picture. "What'cha looking at?" Chandler asked.

She held up a photograph that had been taken a month or so ago at Audrey's ballet recital. Chandler had Audrey on his shoulders and his arm around Monica. They looked like the perfect little family....smiling, happy.....healthy.

How different things were now. Chandler looked at his girlfriend and took her hand. "Mon, we have every reason to believe that the three of us will be exactly like that again."

Monica sighed. "Chandler," she whispered. "I'm sorry you have to go through this."

"Monica," Chandler whispered, putting a finger under her chin and lifting it up. "Look at me. This is not your fault. You did not choose to get cancer."

Monica turned away. "But Chandler," she whispered. "I'm taking you away from your child. That's the worst thing I could ever do."

"Oh, Mon," he sighed, pulling her close. "You are not taking me away from Audrey. I am choosing to be with you, and I will find a way, I promise you, to be with you both. But you know what Auds just told me?"

"What?"

He smiled, stroked her hair and whispered. "She said, 'Daddy, just go make Monica better.'"

Monica's eyes welled with tears as she collapsed into Chandler's arms. "Oh, Chandler," she sobbed. "I'm so scared."

"I know, baby," he whispered, rubbing her back. "I'm scared, too."

She just kept on crying, and he knew all he could do was rub her back and whisper that it was going to be okay.

That, and pray that it would be.



Chandler woke up and glanced at the bedside alarm clock. 3:30 AM. In just five short hours, he'd be taking Monica to get settled in a hospital. He'd hope never to enter a hospital again after Audrey was born.....

He sighed and looked over at Monica, who had finally fallen asleep. He shifted her in his arms and smiled. "I love you so much," he whispered gently. "So very, very much."

He looked at Monica and then he looked at the ceiling. He'd never really been a religious guy, never really prayed too much. He'd made a few requests here and there, but other than that he'd never really thought about it. Tonight, though, he knew he needed to pray. "Please God," he whispered, hoping not to wake Monica. "God, I love this woman with all my heart. You just.....you can't take someone off this Earth who is so beautiful, so friendly, so warm......so needed. We all need her so much.....I need her, Audrey needs her.....her family needs her. Dammit, everyone needs her!" Chandler stopped, not sure if you allowed to say "dammit" to God or not. He figured, that, under the circumstances, He wouldn't mind. "What I'm trying to say, I guess......is.....just please get her through this. Thanks."

Chandler smiled, content. He had faith now, or at least a little. But then he realized something, and his thoughts changed. He had a lot of faith.

Faith in them.



He'd never really had to walk someone into a hospital. Michelle had gone in herself; he'd just met her there. But with Monica.....it was just the strangest feeling. Walking her into the hospital, and knowing, deep within the back of his mind, that there was a slight chance she may never come out.

He shook his head, clearing his thoughts and turned to Monica as she straightened up her hospital bed and room. "You okay, baby?" he asked.

She nodded and flopped down on the bed. "It's so weird....." she confessed. "I don't feel sick."

He sighed, and sat down, putting an arm around her. "Wish it could stay that way, huh?"

She leaned against his chest. "More than anything," she murmured.

"It's gonna be okay, y'know," he replied.

She just nodded; didn't say anything, and he knew she was doubting him. "It's gonna be okay," he repeated. "Okay....."



Chandler had run a million thoughts through his head about how this was going to be like. He'd imagined Monica being exhausted, being cranky, and maybe even not want to clean.

He'd never imagined this.

Monica had only had one chemotherapy session, but Chandler could already see just how difficult this was going to be. Not only did Monica not want to clean, she didn't have the energy to even think about cleaning. The morning after chemo, she'd spent three hours throwing up. Three hours. Chandler had never in his life seen anyone so sick. After she was done being sick, she'd slept the rest of the day.

Sometimes when she slept, Chandler wanted to curl up right next to her. He was exhausted; running back and forth between the hospital and the apartment had taken it's toll, and it'd only been three days. He'd tried to spend the entire day up until midnight with Monica and then go home to sleep until six AM with Audrey, which, needless to say, didn't work. Finally, Rachel convinced him to spend every other night with Audrey; she'd handle the rest. Chandler was eternally grateful, but it still didn't compensate for the fact that he spent half the night awake worrying about his girlfriend.

He sighed and laid his head down on her bed as she slept. The motion woke her and she began to stir. "Hey, baby," Chandler smiled as he saw her blue eyes. "Sorry to wake you."

"It's alright," she said groggily, rubbing. "What time is it, anyway?"

"Four o'clock," he said, glancing down. "Audrey and Rachel are coming pretty soon. That okay?"

She nodded eagerly, having not seen Audrey for three days. "You should go home with them," she said softly. "Audrey needs you."

He shook his head. "No," he whispered. "Tonight's my night with you. Audrey understands that."

Monica frowned and rubber her forehead like she always did when she was stressed. "Chandler," she sighed. "Audrey shouldn't have to understand that her daddy's sleeping someplace else. Kids are supposed to be with their parents."

"Mon," Chandler said firmly. "What if you were my wife? And Audrey's mother? Would I act any differently then? Of course not!"

"But I'm not your wife, or Audrey's mother," Monica protested.

"Monica, if you don't think that I love you like I'd love my wife, or that Audrey doesn't love you like she'd love her mother, you're crazy."

Tear welled in her eyes. "I'm sorry, Chandler, I just....." she shook her head and wiped her eyes. "I just hate this."

"I know," he whispered. "I know."

Never would he mention how much he hated it, too.



"MONICA!" Audrey's screech resounded through the tiny room.

"Hey, sweetie," Monica said, mustering up all the strength she had to act normally for Audrey. "How are you?"

Audrey bounced over and on to the end of Monica's bed as Chandler and Rachel monitored her carefully, making sure she didn't hurt Monica. "Oh, Monica, Aunt Rachel tried to make cookies and it was a mess!"

"Audrey!" Rachel laughed. "You weren't supposed to tell about that!"

"Oops," Audrey covered her mouth with a tiny hand. "Stupid me."

Chandler shook his head. "Sooner or later, I'm gonna have to make you two stop teaching her adult things."

Audrey giggled and turned back to Monica. "Monica, when are you coming home?"

Monica smiled gently. "I don't know, honey."

"Can you come home soon? I want your cookies, not Rachel's!"

"I'll try, sweetie. I'm trying very hard."

Audrey nodded firmly. "I know you are," she said wisely.

Monica sighed inwardly and wrapped her arms around the little girl. All she wanted to do was go home with her, take Chandler with them and go back to their easy, wonderful, peaceful, loving life.

Instead, she was left wondering if she'd ever return to that.

Chandler walked his daughter and Rachel out into the hall. "Daddy, are you coming home tonight?" Audrey asked gently.

"No, baby, I'm not," Chandler said, stroking her hair and sighing softly. "You're gonna stay at Auntie Rachel's tonight. That'll be fun, right?"

Audrey grinned and Rachel scooped her up in her arms. "We'll have ice cream, okay honey? That I can't screw up."

Audrey squealed happily and kissed her father good-bye. Chandler shook his head, thanked Rachel, marveling at how something so simple could make Audrey so happy. Inwardly, though, he was glad. Audrey didn't need to be preoccupied with Monica and her father; she shouldn't have to deal with cancer.

Chandler sighed. None of them should have to deal with cancer.

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