Hey, thanks for reading and reviewing. Here's chapter 4.
Chapter Four: We Need to See Him
"How bad?" Monica asked in a whisper.
"Really bad," Rachel replied her voice just as low, "He tries to stop crying, but he can't. He tries to do his work, but he can't concentrate. He tries to-----just do anything to keep his mind off it." She was almost tempted to tell them; but she couldn't. Her promise to Chandler meant too much to her.
Everyone looked at each other, looks of deep sadness and remorse on their faces, and then back at Rachel.
"Please, Rachel," Joey said quietly, "Please tell us what's wrong with him. Why he left."
Rachel shook her head, "I have to go," she said with teary eyes. She got up and quickly left the apartment, and her other friends, behind.
Rachel took the two plates from Ben with a smile.
"Thanks, Ben," she said smelling the sweet smell of the hash browns and bacon that was for lunch. "It smells wonderful."
"You're very welcome, Miss Rachel," he smiled. "Anything for Master Chandler and his friend."
"I appreciate it," Rachel replied smiling at him as she left the kitchen and went into the dining room with their food.
Chandler came in a minute later and smiled at her, "Hey, lunch is ready." He said with one of the first smiles that Rachel had seen on him since he had left nearly a week ago.
She smiled widely at his smile. She knew that he was starting to get a little bit better. But she didn't think that he'd ever be able to go back.
"What?" Chandler asked, "Why are you smiling at me like that?" he said sitting down next to her.
"I was just thinking about how nice it is to see you smile again," Rachel told him truthfully. Chandler grinned.
"Thanks,"
"Have you given any thought as to coming back?" Rachel said as they ate.
Chandler froze. "I don't know." He said, "It's hard enough thinking about Monica being with someone else, I don't think that I could ever again try and be around while she is."
"That's the answer I was expecting." Rachel whispered. Chandler raised his eyebrows, clearly shocked, but Rachel continued before he could say anything. "It really was. I see the way you are so broken hearted and it makes me want to cry every time I see you cry. I know how much you love her and I can see the hurt in your eyes. Your eyes used to show laughter, Chandler, now all they show is hurt and sorrow. I miss the old Chandler but I know that I can't have him back. I know that you are my best friend and that I need you in my life and that the others feel the same way. But you can't see them because it just brings in too much. I think of how much you love Monica, and I wish that I could find somebody to love me like that. Monica has no idea what she's doing to you, but she's so upset, almost like she does know. Everything is quieter and not as many jokes are ever cracked. Everyone loves you and misses you, but I think that they know that you wouldn't have left if it wasn't necessary. I think that they're all a little hurt that you didn't tell them, that you haven't told them, but they know that that was something that you had to do, too." She took a deep breath. "They all love you, Chandler, and they miss you."
Chandler's eyes were watering. "I want to go back," he whispered, "But I can't, Rach,"
Rachel reached over and hugged him tightly. "I know, honey, I know."
Monica looked at each of her friends, one by one. Without Chandler, and half the time Rachel, it just wasn't the same. Monica's apartment was actually a mess, so was her room. She just didn't have the heart to clean, even though it used to always make her feel better, she couldn't do it.
Ross looked at Monica with a sigh. Ever since Chandler had left Monica hadn't cleaned the apartment at all, other than doing the dishes once every two days. Instead of Monica making them meals, all of a sudden they were ordering Chinese and pizza every night. He just couldn't understand what had made Chandler leave. He knew that Chandler had been looking kind of bad pending the days before he had left, but he would have never expected his best friend leaving all of them, except Rachel, behind.
Joey wasn't complaining that they had had pizza almost every night since Chandler had left, and he didn't really care that Monica and Rachel's apartment was a little messy from not being cleaned, but he did care that his best friend was now gone. Only Rachel knew where he was, and he couldn't be far otherwise Rachel wouldn't be able to go and see him all the time. With a sigh, he looked at the last piece of pizza in the box and offered it to someone else.
Phoebe twirled her rings around her fingers, trying to sink as far into the couch as possible. Every night she would go to bed and hope that she would wake up and Chandler leaving would have been a dream. What had possessed him to leave didn't really matter to her anymore; she just wanted him to come back. Right now she would give anything to hug him, and to hear him crack a joke at the most inopportune moment.
But deep inside they all thought that there was something really bad behind Chandler's disappearance, especially since Rachel got so upset whenever they brought it up. But none of them could even begin to comprehend what it was.
"The next time Rachel leaves, we're going to follow her," Joey said suddenly. "Wherever she goes means that's where Chandler is. We need to see him."
"That's a great idea," Phoebe and Ross agreed, but Monica wasn't too sure.
"What if he gets upset?" she asked.
"We need to see him," Joey said again, and Monica nodded. She needed to see him, too.
Chapter Four: We Need to See Him
"How bad?" Monica asked in a whisper.
"Really bad," Rachel replied her voice just as low, "He tries to stop crying, but he can't. He tries to do his work, but he can't concentrate. He tries to-----just do anything to keep his mind off it." She was almost tempted to tell them; but she couldn't. Her promise to Chandler meant too much to her.
Everyone looked at each other, looks of deep sadness and remorse on their faces, and then back at Rachel.
"Please, Rachel," Joey said quietly, "Please tell us what's wrong with him. Why he left."
Rachel shook her head, "I have to go," she said with teary eyes. She got up and quickly left the apartment, and her other friends, behind.
Rachel took the two plates from Ben with a smile.
"Thanks, Ben," she said smelling the sweet smell of the hash browns and bacon that was for lunch. "It smells wonderful."
"You're very welcome, Miss Rachel," he smiled. "Anything for Master Chandler and his friend."
"I appreciate it," Rachel replied smiling at him as she left the kitchen and went into the dining room with their food.
Chandler came in a minute later and smiled at her, "Hey, lunch is ready." He said with one of the first smiles that Rachel had seen on him since he had left nearly a week ago.
She smiled widely at his smile. She knew that he was starting to get a little bit better. But she didn't think that he'd ever be able to go back.
"What?" Chandler asked, "Why are you smiling at me like that?" he said sitting down next to her.
"I was just thinking about how nice it is to see you smile again," Rachel told him truthfully. Chandler grinned.
"Thanks,"
"Have you given any thought as to coming back?" Rachel said as they ate.
Chandler froze. "I don't know." He said, "It's hard enough thinking about Monica being with someone else, I don't think that I could ever again try and be around while she is."
"That's the answer I was expecting." Rachel whispered. Chandler raised his eyebrows, clearly shocked, but Rachel continued before he could say anything. "It really was. I see the way you are so broken hearted and it makes me want to cry every time I see you cry. I know how much you love her and I can see the hurt in your eyes. Your eyes used to show laughter, Chandler, now all they show is hurt and sorrow. I miss the old Chandler but I know that I can't have him back. I know that you are my best friend and that I need you in my life and that the others feel the same way. But you can't see them because it just brings in too much. I think of how much you love Monica, and I wish that I could find somebody to love me like that. Monica has no idea what she's doing to you, but she's so upset, almost like she does know. Everything is quieter and not as many jokes are ever cracked. Everyone loves you and misses you, but I think that they know that you wouldn't have left if it wasn't necessary. I think that they're all a little hurt that you didn't tell them, that you haven't told them, but they know that that was something that you had to do, too." She took a deep breath. "They all love you, Chandler, and they miss you."
Chandler's eyes were watering. "I want to go back," he whispered, "But I can't, Rach,"
Rachel reached over and hugged him tightly. "I know, honey, I know."
Monica looked at each of her friends, one by one. Without Chandler, and half the time Rachel, it just wasn't the same. Monica's apartment was actually a mess, so was her room. She just didn't have the heart to clean, even though it used to always make her feel better, she couldn't do it.
Ross looked at Monica with a sigh. Ever since Chandler had left Monica hadn't cleaned the apartment at all, other than doing the dishes once every two days. Instead of Monica making them meals, all of a sudden they were ordering Chinese and pizza every night. He just couldn't understand what had made Chandler leave. He knew that Chandler had been looking kind of bad pending the days before he had left, but he would have never expected his best friend leaving all of them, except Rachel, behind.
Joey wasn't complaining that they had had pizza almost every night since Chandler had left, and he didn't really care that Monica and Rachel's apartment was a little messy from not being cleaned, but he did care that his best friend was now gone. Only Rachel knew where he was, and he couldn't be far otherwise Rachel wouldn't be able to go and see him all the time. With a sigh, he looked at the last piece of pizza in the box and offered it to someone else.
Phoebe twirled her rings around her fingers, trying to sink as far into the couch as possible. Every night she would go to bed and hope that she would wake up and Chandler leaving would have been a dream. What had possessed him to leave didn't really matter to her anymore; she just wanted him to come back. Right now she would give anything to hug him, and to hear him crack a joke at the most inopportune moment.
But deep inside they all thought that there was something really bad behind Chandler's disappearance, especially since Rachel got so upset whenever they brought it up. But none of them could even begin to comprehend what it was.
"The next time Rachel leaves, we're going to follow her," Joey said suddenly. "Wherever she goes means that's where Chandler is. We need to see him."
"That's a great idea," Phoebe and Ross agreed, but Monica wasn't too sure.
"What if he gets upset?" she asked.
"We need to see him," Joey said again, and Monica nodded. She needed to see him, too.