First of all, in case I don't update until again until after Christmas, I hope you all have a good 'un and Santa brings you everything you wanted! Merry Christmas! And for my present, could I have lots of nice reviews please? Pwetty please?

Nina

While You Were Sleeping

Part 18

"Yes I understand … no I do … honestly I do … I can't explain it, I just … I just know, OK?"

Chandler sighed, exasperated. He knew he sounded crazy, but he just had this feeling that he couldn't explain. He knew Monica was innocent, proving it was slightly more difficult though.

"Mr Bing, I cannot just walk before a judge and ask him to re-open a murder case because you have a feeling that your wife is innocent. I'm sorry"

"Isn't there anything you can do?"

Chandler could hear the frustration in his voice, "I'm sorry Mr Bing, but no. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm needed in court"

Chandler heard the dial tone and threw the phone across the room, too frustrated to do anything more constructive. He knew Monica was innocent, he was certain. But no one else seemed to believe him. Deep down he didn't blame them, they probably thought he'd either lost his grip on reality after the accident, or that he was some weirdo desperately clinging to the hope that his wife was innocent. He doubted he'd believe him under normal circumstances. But these weren't normal circumstances, Monica was in prison, and she was due to be executed in two years. Two years. That's all he had with her, unless he could prove to the rest of the world what he already knew.

Picking the phone up from beside his unmade bed, he began phoning any numbers he could think of. Hoping against hope that someone out there believed him.

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Ross looked up as the front door slammed closed. He knew it would be Rachel, the logic part of his brain told him that she was just coming back, probably laden with groceries that she needed to put away. But somewhere inside him, he didn't quite believe that, there was still the part of him that wondered if he was back in the coffee house. If today was his last. If the person walking into his house was armed, ready to strike.

"Hey sweetie, I'm back"

Rachel. Only where he heard her voice did he start to believe it really was her. That they were both safe again. For she was only really safe when they were together, protected from the world in their own private Heaven.

"Ross?"

"In here" he shouted back, unable to give a more significant answer until he could be totally sure she was safe, and not at the hands of some mad man.

"Hey, have you heard about Chandler?"

Ross shook his head. He hadn't left the house in about two weeks now so his access to gossip had somewhat dwindled. He waited for Rachel to elaborate, holding her hand as she spoke as though too scared to let her go again.

She smiled down at him, "He's trying to get a re-trial for Monica. He says she's innocent, he's certain she is, but apparently no one else will listen to him. I can understand why … "

Ross sat back, stunned. He couldn't believe Chandler, he was meant to be his best friend. How could he try and dig everything back up, just when Ross thought it was buried forever? As far as he was concerned Monica was dead. She'd been dead since the night she'd tried to kill them all. Nothing Chandler believed was going to change that, just because he couldn't except Monica for what she really was didn't mean he could force the rest of them to go through everything again.

"Don't worry", he replied, trying to be the strong one for the first time in weeks, "It won't amount to much. Everyone knows Monica's guilty, just because Chandler's got some weird idea in his head doesn't mean they'll stage an entire re-trail for it"

At least he hoped not.

Monica had taken enough from him, he couldn't stand it if she took his sanity as well.

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"OK, thank you"

Chandler hung up again and managed to control the urge to throw the phone again, instead he placed it gently on the table and screamed. No one believed him, and he was now at the bottom of his list. It looked as though in two years Monica would be gone. He'd tried his best, but sometimes even that wasn't good enough.

'No', a voice inside him yelled. You can do better, someone out there will believe you, someone will care.

Grabbing the phone book he searched frantically for a name, dialling the number as fast as his fingers would allow.

"Hello? Amelia Jones? It's Chandler Bing here, I just thought I should let you know, I've got a story for you. Monica Geller, yes that Monica Geller, she's innocent, and the police are looking into a re-trial"

If the police wouldn't listen to him. Maybe the public would.