Author's Note:
And now, what seems like years later, I continue! Lol, I'm so sorry folks,
I honestly am and I have excuses that you probably don't feel like hearing
so I won't say them. Nonetheless, here's the eighth chapter, finally.
Enjoy!
*Riiing**Riiing*
Chandler looked over at the phone, suddenly aware of its shrill ring. He didn't know how long it had been ringing. He'd been off in another world, wondering where Monica was. He'd like to believe that she really HAD had a good reason for leaving, but after thinking on it, he couldn't come up with any reasonable explanation for her absence. It was surprising how much he missed her already. He hoped to god that nothing bad had happened to her.
Finally, Chandler leaned over and reached for the cordless phone, which was still persistent in its ringing, and pressed the button to answer it. "Hello?"
"Hey Chandler," Ross' voice said, with an edge on concern to it.
"Hey, Ross. Are you calling from work?" Chandler tried to sound as normal and casual as possible, to keep his voice from wavering from the lack of sleep. But he knew his attempt was useless.
The concern in Ross' voice increased when he began talking again. "Yeah. I tried to call your office but your assistant said you took the day off. Are you doing alright?"
Chandler ran a hand through his hair, a nervous habit he had picked up years ago. "Oh, yeah . . . just a little tired, that's all."
"Really? That's all?" Ross asked.
Chandler was silent, knowing nothing really needed to be said.
"Listen," Ross continued. "I talked to her."
Surprised, Chandler stood up. That means she must be okay . . . "What? You talked to Monica?"
Ross nodded, though he knew Chandler couldn't see that action. "She wanted me to tell you she's fine."
"But why? Did she . . . did she tell you?" Chandler was speaking of the reason she left, and was pretty sure that Ross knew that.
" . . . She told me."
"I know she probably said not to tell me so I'm not even going to ask. But, I-I really need to know, was it, you know, was it . . ."
Ross hesitated a long moment. He was half-tempted to tell Chandler every word of what Monica had said. Something was telling him that would be the right thing to do. But, he just couldn't betray Monica like that. He had promised her, after all. "It was a good reason."
Chandler could hear the hesitation in Ross' words, and didn't know whether to believe him or not. He wanted to, he really did, but how the other man said it, it was obvious there was some uncertainty on his part. "Okay. Um, thanks."
"No problem, man." Ross felt terrible. Chandler deserved to hear the reality of it all.
Chandler said goodbye and then hung up the phone. He walked over to the door and retrieved his jacket from the coat rack. After slipping it on, he exited the apartment. He paused outside the door, trying to decide if what he was doing was really the best thing. But he just couldn't let her go like this. So far everything had led up to the conclusion that there wasn't any hope. When it came down to it, he really had nothing to lose and everything to be gained by doing this. If there was any resemblance of a chance he could talk once again to Monica, he was going for it.
She had to be somewhere in New York City, and Chandler was going to find her before it was too late. If it wasn't too late already.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Rachel smiled when she saw Ross walk into her office. She stood up from her chair and walked up to him. He closed the door behind him, and the next second they were kissing.
"I missed you," Ross muttered between kisses.
Rachel smiled. "We just saw each other twelve hours ago."
"Twelve hours can be a long time in certain situations."
"I can agree with that." They kissed for a few more minutes, and then Rachel reluctantly pulled away an inch or two. "Any word from Monica?"
He nodded. "Yeah, I got a hold of her."
She pulled away even more, surprised. "Really? Is she okay?"
"I think so - both her and my Mom said that -"
"So she's at your Mom's?"
"What? Oh, no! She's not."
"Ross, you just said that-"
"Okay so she is, but you can't tell anyone, alright? Especially Chandler. She's trying to stay out of sight for now."
Rachel looked uneasy and glanced in the other direction.
"You promise, Rach? He can't find out."
Rachel nodded, and Ross kissed her tenderly on the lips. "I've got to get back to work."
"Okay. Are we still on for tonight?"
"Yep. See you then, alright?" They kissed again, and then Ross left.
Rachel watched him go, then timidly picked up her office phone, pausing briefly before dialing her and Phoebe's number, since she knew Chandler said he was probably going to be there for must of the day. She caught him just as he was leaving.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Chandler heard the phone ringing inside the apartment just as he was starting to walk down the hall. He hesitated; trying to choose whether of not he should go back in and answer it.
Finally he went back into the apartment and over to the phone. "Hello?"
"Hey Chandler. I um, think there's something you need to know."
~*~*~*~*~*~
Judy Geller walked over to the door after hearing someone knock. She looked through the peephole (she's subletting her own peephole, j/k lol, sorry), and saw a young man who didn't look familiar. Figuring it was just one of her husband's friends, she opened the door.
"Hi," she greeted the man. "I'll go get Jack."
He stopped her. "No, I'm not here for Mr. Geller. I'm looking for Monica."
Judy regarded the man curiously. "Who are you?"
"I . . . I'm Chandler Bing."
"That's an interesting last name. It shows character. What do you want with Monica?"
"I really need to talk to her. It's imperative."
She considered him for a second, then said, "Wait here a minute."
He nodded as she shut the door, and he turned to look past the porch at the weather. It was pouring, and lightening lit up the sky every five seconds, it seemed. Normally this type of weather would make him depressed, but tonight it had no effect on him. It only matched the way he was feeling.
~*~*~*~*~*~
"Monica?" Judy peeked into the living room.
"Yeah?" Monica sat up from where she had been watching the news.
"There's a man here to see you."
Monica's heart skipped a beat. "Who is it? It's not Ross?"
"No, he says his name is Something-Bing."
She was stunned. How could he have found out where she was? The only other person who knew where she was would be Ross, but he wouldn't give her whereabouts away like that, would he?
~*~*~*~*~*~
Chandler looked up when the door opened and Judy Geller motioned him inside. He obeyed and immediately noticed Monica standing near the kitchen table. The look on her face was incomprehensible, but he could see anxiety in her eyes when she glanced up at him but instantly looked back down at the floor.
"Oh my god, Monica." Chandler stopped a ways away from her, worried that she was going to dart away since she looked on the verge of it. He hated that he saw fear in her eyes and he couldn't remember doing anything to put it there.
Judy looked back and forth between the two, assessing the situation. She could feel the tension in the air, but could also tell that Chandler wasn't planning on harming her daughter in any way. She slowly made her way out of the room to give them the privacy they so clearly needed.
Monica refused to meet his eyes as she spoke. "You shouldn't be here."
"Monica, I need to know . . . was it something I did? Cause if it was I swear I'll do anything humanly possible to fix it and take it back."
She noticed the pleading tone to his voice and felt a wave of guilt rush over her. She still didn't look up as she said, "It wasn't anything you did, Chandler." She sighed, realizing how accurate that statement really was. "You were . . . great."
Chandler didn't like that she was speaking of them using past-tense. He searched her face and tried to meet her eyes as he took a couple of steps toward her. "Then . . . why?"
She finally looked up at him. She noticed the dark spots under his eyes and how weary he looked, and her heart hurt because she knew that she was the one who had done this to him. "You've just, you're got to promise not to be mad or freak out or anything, okay?"
He slowly walked the rest of the way up to her, and looked down deeply into her eyes, saying in a soft voice, "Anything."
"Um, back when I was still with George, about a week after I first met you, he, he wanted to . . . you know, and I was just too emotionally weak to refuse to give in to it, and, I . . ." She paused as she saw the realization of what she was saying cross over his face. "I'm pregnant, Chandler."
Author's Other Note:
There's the 8th. I know you guys probably weren't too taken aback at the end because I know I've already had Monica think that sentence before, but I hope you enjoyed it anyway.
If you're reading this, thank you so much for bearing with me and still being eager enough to read more. I appreciate it. And also if you're reading this, remember to click that little button down there to the left that allows you to leave a review. It's a wondrous invention! Lol, thanks peeps! "TTFN"
*Riiing**Riiing*
Chandler looked over at the phone, suddenly aware of its shrill ring. He didn't know how long it had been ringing. He'd been off in another world, wondering where Monica was. He'd like to believe that she really HAD had a good reason for leaving, but after thinking on it, he couldn't come up with any reasonable explanation for her absence. It was surprising how much he missed her already. He hoped to god that nothing bad had happened to her.
Finally, Chandler leaned over and reached for the cordless phone, which was still persistent in its ringing, and pressed the button to answer it. "Hello?"
"Hey Chandler," Ross' voice said, with an edge on concern to it.
"Hey, Ross. Are you calling from work?" Chandler tried to sound as normal and casual as possible, to keep his voice from wavering from the lack of sleep. But he knew his attempt was useless.
The concern in Ross' voice increased when he began talking again. "Yeah. I tried to call your office but your assistant said you took the day off. Are you doing alright?"
Chandler ran a hand through his hair, a nervous habit he had picked up years ago. "Oh, yeah . . . just a little tired, that's all."
"Really? That's all?" Ross asked.
Chandler was silent, knowing nothing really needed to be said.
"Listen," Ross continued. "I talked to her."
Surprised, Chandler stood up. That means she must be okay . . . "What? You talked to Monica?"
Ross nodded, though he knew Chandler couldn't see that action. "She wanted me to tell you she's fine."
"But why? Did she . . . did she tell you?" Chandler was speaking of the reason she left, and was pretty sure that Ross knew that.
" . . . She told me."
"I know she probably said not to tell me so I'm not even going to ask. But, I-I really need to know, was it, you know, was it . . ."
Ross hesitated a long moment. He was half-tempted to tell Chandler every word of what Monica had said. Something was telling him that would be the right thing to do. But, he just couldn't betray Monica like that. He had promised her, after all. "It was a good reason."
Chandler could hear the hesitation in Ross' words, and didn't know whether to believe him or not. He wanted to, he really did, but how the other man said it, it was obvious there was some uncertainty on his part. "Okay. Um, thanks."
"No problem, man." Ross felt terrible. Chandler deserved to hear the reality of it all.
Chandler said goodbye and then hung up the phone. He walked over to the door and retrieved his jacket from the coat rack. After slipping it on, he exited the apartment. He paused outside the door, trying to decide if what he was doing was really the best thing. But he just couldn't let her go like this. So far everything had led up to the conclusion that there wasn't any hope. When it came down to it, he really had nothing to lose and everything to be gained by doing this. If there was any resemblance of a chance he could talk once again to Monica, he was going for it.
She had to be somewhere in New York City, and Chandler was going to find her before it was too late. If it wasn't too late already.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Rachel smiled when she saw Ross walk into her office. She stood up from her chair and walked up to him. He closed the door behind him, and the next second they were kissing.
"I missed you," Ross muttered between kisses.
Rachel smiled. "We just saw each other twelve hours ago."
"Twelve hours can be a long time in certain situations."
"I can agree with that." They kissed for a few more minutes, and then Rachel reluctantly pulled away an inch or two. "Any word from Monica?"
He nodded. "Yeah, I got a hold of her."
She pulled away even more, surprised. "Really? Is she okay?"
"I think so - both her and my Mom said that -"
"So she's at your Mom's?"
"What? Oh, no! She's not."
"Ross, you just said that-"
"Okay so she is, but you can't tell anyone, alright? Especially Chandler. She's trying to stay out of sight for now."
Rachel looked uneasy and glanced in the other direction.
"You promise, Rach? He can't find out."
Rachel nodded, and Ross kissed her tenderly on the lips. "I've got to get back to work."
"Okay. Are we still on for tonight?"
"Yep. See you then, alright?" They kissed again, and then Ross left.
Rachel watched him go, then timidly picked up her office phone, pausing briefly before dialing her and Phoebe's number, since she knew Chandler said he was probably going to be there for must of the day. She caught him just as he was leaving.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Chandler heard the phone ringing inside the apartment just as he was starting to walk down the hall. He hesitated; trying to choose whether of not he should go back in and answer it.
Finally he went back into the apartment and over to the phone. "Hello?"
"Hey Chandler. I um, think there's something you need to know."
~*~*~*~*~*~
Judy Geller walked over to the door after hearing someone knock. She looked through the peephole (she's subletting her own peephole, j/k lol, sorry), and saw a young man who didn't look familiar. Figuring it was just one of her husband's friends, she opened the door.
"Hi," she greeted the man. "I'll go get Jack."
He stopped her. "No, I'm not here for Mr. Geller. I'm looking for Monica."
Judy regarded the man curiously. "Who are you?"
"I . . . I'm Chandler Bing."
"That's an interesting last name. It shows character. What do you want with Monica?"
"I really need to talk to her. It's imperative."
She considered him for a second, then said, "Wait here a minute."
He nodded as she shut the door, and he turned to look past the porch at the weather. It was pouring, and lightening lit up the sky every five seconds, it seemed. Normally this type of weather would make him depressed, but tonight it had no effect on him. It only matched the way he was feeling.
~*~*~*~*~*~
"Monica?" Judy peeked into the living room.
"Yeah?" Monica sat up from where she had been watching the news.
"There's a man here to see you."
Monica's heart skipped a beat. "Who is it? It's not Ross?"
"No, he says his name is Something-Bing."
She was stunned. How could he have found out where she was? The only other person who knew where she was would be Ross, but he wouldn't give her whereabouts away like that, would he?
~*~*~*~*~*~
Chandler looked up when the door opened and Judy Geller motioned him inside. He obeyed and immediately noticed Monica standing near the kitchen table. The look on her face was incomprehensible, but he could see anxiety in her eyes when she glanced up at him but instantly looked back down at the floor.
"Oh my god, Monica." Chandler stopped a ways away from her, worried that she was going to dart away since she looked on the verge of it. He hated that he saw fear in her eyes and he couldn't remember doing anything to put it there.
Judy looked back and forth between the two, assessing the situation. She could feel the tension in the air, but could also tell that Chandler wasn't planning on harming her daughter in any way. She slowly made her way out of the room to give them the privacy they so clearly needed.
Monica refused to meet his eyes as she spoke. "You shouldn't be here."
"Monica, I need to know . . . was it something I did? Cause if it was I swear I'll do anything humanly possible to fix it and take it back."
She noticed the pleading tone to his voice and felt a wave of guilt rush over her. She still didn't look up as she said, "It wasn't anything you did, Chandler." She sighed, realizing how accurate that statement really was. "You were . . . great."
Chandler didn't like that she was speaking of them using past-tense. He searched her face and tried to meet her eyes as he took a couple of steps toward her. "Then . . . why?"
She finally looked up at him. She noticed the dark spots under his eyes and how weary he looked, and her heart hurt because she knew that she was the one who had done this to him. "You've just, you're got to promise not to be mad or freak out or anything, okay?"
He slowly walked the rest of the way up to her, and looked down deeply into her eyes, saying in a soft voice, "Anything."
"Um, back when I was still with George, about a week after I first met you, he, he wanted to . . . you know, and I was just too emotionally weak to refuse to give in to it, and, I . . ." She paused as she saw the realization of what she was saying cross over his face. "I'm pregnant, Chandler."
Author's Other Note:
There's the 8th. I know you guys probably weren't too taken aback at the end because I know I've already had Monica think that sentence before, but I hope you enjoyed it anyway.
If you're reading this, thank you so much for bearing with me and still being eager enough to read more. I appreciate it. And also if you're reading this, remember to click that little button down there to the left that allows you to leave a review. It's a wondrous invention! Lol, thanks peeps! "TTFN"