DISCLAIMER: The characters are not mine. Although I wished for Chandler as
I blew out my birthday candles. I await the package any day now. lol.
AN: Of course, Chandler went to his father. I played with the idea to let him become "Christine" and work for his father. lol. Ok, I'm kidding. :-D
Monica couldn't get the look out of her head that Chandler had thrown to her right before he left. His eyes were full of sadness and hurt and a little anger. Had she done the right thing in believing Rachel? As the days went by the doubts got stronger with every passing minute. And now, a week after Chandler had left the apartment and apparently her life, she couldn't stand it any longer. She had to talk to Rachel. She took her phone and dialed the familiar number.
"Rachel? Could you come over here? I have to talk to you."
***************
Rachel couldn't believe that Monica had called her. Ever since Monica had stormed out of Ross' and her apartment she hadn't talked to her. Ross had shown her how disappointed he was but couldn't ignore her since she carried his baby and lived with him in the same apartment. And Joey and Phoebe had stopped to overlook her two days ago. She had met them at Central Perk and had begged and pleaded. She hadn't let them go until they both spoke to her again.
Right after Ross came home a week ago he had told her that Chandler had left. He said he hoped for good. Rachel couldn't help to feel a twinge of guilt going through her as she heard that. But she managed to suppress her conscience that time. But by now it really had gotten to her, that her lie had destroyed the marriage of her two friends.
She knew that Monica probably wanted to talk about what had happened between her and Chandler. And Rachel knew she should tell Monica the truth. Maybe they could find Chandler and fix this mess. But Rachel wasn't ready to face her demons. She couldn't take back what she had done and now she had to live with the consequences. So she ignored her conscience once more and headed over to Monica's.
***************
Like every day during the last week Chandler sat in the room his father let him stay in. His thoughts were filled with Monica and what his life had become. He didn't bother to look up as the door opened and his father entered the poorly lighted room.
"Son, you have to come out of this room already." He noticed the tray with the almost untouched food he brought in there earlier that day. "And you need to eat more. This isn't healthy."
"I don't care for my health." Chandler said and turned away from his father's worried look.
"Well, believe it or not, I care for it. So you're coming outside with me now and you'll tell me what happened in New York." After Chandler didn't show a sign of moving Charles/Helena walked over to him. "Ok, if I have to drag you out by your ears then I'll do that." He said and grabbed for Chandlers ear.
"Dad!" Chandler shrieked as he struggled to his feet. "Ok, ok, I'm coming."
"Then go. I'm right behind you." Charles couldn't stop the triumphantly grin on his face as he followed Chandler out of the room.
They went through the living room and out to the terrace where Chandler sat down in one of the comfortable patio chairs. He let his look roam over the big pool and the wonderful garden which both seemed typical for a house in this part of Las Vegas.
Charles watched Chandler as he looked around the garden. The last time he had seen Chandler was at his wedding and he couldn't believe that the man who beamed with joy not more then four month ago was the same man now sitting in front of him. His eyes looked almost broken and there was an unbelievingly deep sadness clouding them.
"Chandler, please talk to me." Charles pulled his son out of his thoughts. "I think it may help if you talk about it. What happened in New York?"
"Well, that's just it. I don't really know what happened." Chandler began. And then he tried to repeat the events of that fateful day over a week ago. After Chandler stopped with his story Charles didn't know what to think. He was shocked to hear that Monica wouldn't want to hear his side and just threw him out. He believed Chandler when he said he was faithful to Monica. The two of them talked for many hours. Charles tried to console Chandler and Chandler tried to find an answer to the questions bothering his mind.
"And what are your plans for the future?" Charles asked later.
"I don't know." Chandler said. "For now I'd like to stay just here. If you don't mind. I've enough money to live from for awhile."
"Don't worry about money. You can stay here as long as you want to. God knows I owe you a lot to make up for what I put you through when you were younger." Charles told him while he looked at the ground.
"Dad, you owe me nothing. But I'm really thankful that you let me stay here."
**************
When Rachel arrived at the apartment she once shared with Monica she hesitated. On the way over she had changed her mind several times. She wasn't sure what to do. Should she tell Monica the truth and soothe her conscience? Or should she go on with her lie? Both options held consequences Rachel wasn't able to calculate. Rachel knew one thing for sure. She needed more time to make a decision so she turned around, ready to leave. Right then the door behind her opened and Monica appeared in the hall with a trash bag in her hand.
"Rachel? I was waiting for you. I already thought you wouldn't come." Monica said with a tired voice. And as Rachel turned to face her she saw that not only did Monica sound tired but she looked like she hadn't slept all week. Her eyes had dark circle around them and her hair was knotted and dull. It was Monica's appearance that gave Rachel the final push. She had to tell the truth.
"You can go in. I just have to bring the trash away and then we can talk, ok?" Monica ushered Rachel into the kitchen and left.
Just as Rachel sat down on the sofa Monica came back in. She joined her at the couch and looked at Rachel for a long time before she finally spoke.
"Rachel, I know we aren't really on speaking terms right now. But I have to know what happened between you and Chandler. I want to know every little detail. It's driving me crazy not to know what you two did and how it started." Monica said. "And maybe we can work through this mess and start over. I'm not saying that it's going to be easy to forgive you. But I talked to Phoebe and she told me about some stuff she went through when she was pregnant." Monica continued. "I don't want to get into details. Let's just say Phoebe did some really crazy things." Monica managed a halfhearted smile.
"Oh Monica. I'd love to start over." Rachel covered Monica's hands with her own. "But I'm not sure if you still want to do that after I explained to you what happened." Rachel said with a sigh. She buried her head in her hands and tried to gather her thoughts. Monica wanted to start over. That was just great. She wanted to forgive her and wanted her as a friend again. And that was despite the fact that she had "slept" with Chandler. She wanted to tell her the truth. But she also knew that if she told her the truth now, Monica would hate her forever and so would the others. She was contemplating her options, when Monica's voice pulled her out of her thoughts.
"Rachel, please, tell me what happened. Please." Monica begged with pleading eyes. Rachel looked in Monica's face. And all she could think about was how much she loved her as a friend. She couldn't take back what she did. And if she would be honest now she knew it would upset Monica even more than she already was. So she did what she thought was the best for Monica.
"Ok, it was on a Saturday last month. You weren't here. I came over to borrow a book and Chandler was here sitting on the couch." Rachel began slowly. "I don't really remember how it started. We were sitting on the couch together, talking, and the next thing I know, Chandler kissed me. At first I broke away, but he said he wanted me and I was so confused at that moment that I let him lead me to the bedroom." Rachel said with tears streaming down her cheeks. "And after that we just came together every now and then. It wasn't really anything planned. It just happened. I felt so bad for doing it but I couldn't stop it." Rachel explained before she continued with a barely audible voice. "In a way I'm glad you caught us."
"Why are you glad I caught you?" Monica asked confused by that statement.
Rachel lifted her head to look into Monica's tear-filled eyes "Because I felt so awful for what we did but I didn't know what to do."
Monica nodded her head before she got a thoughtful look on her face. "When did you say was the first time? I can't think of a time I wasn't here last month."
"Well, remember, it was the weekend where you went to your cousin in Boston. She had just given birth to her daughter and you wanted to visit her." Rachel reminded Monica.
"Oh, yeah, you are right. That was five weeks ago." Monica said and Rachel nodded. Suddenly Monica straightened up on the couch as she remembered something. "But that can't be right!"
TBC...
Ok, that's it for now. If you've read this chapter (and I think you did, or else you wouldn't be reading this right now ;-) then please take the time to leave a review. Next part will be posted as soon as it's written.
AN: Of course, Chandler went to his father. I played with the idea to let him become "Christine" and work for his father. lol. Ok, I'm kidding. :-D
Monica couldn't get the look out of her head that Chandler had thrown to her right before he left. His eyes were full of sadness and hurt and a little anger. Had she done the right thing in believing Rachel? As the days went by the doubts got stronger with every passing minute. And now, a week after Chandler had left the apartment and apparently her life, she couldn't stand it any longer. She had to talk to Rachel. She took her phone and dialed the familiar number.
"Rachel? Could you come over here? I have to talk to you."
***************
Rachel couldn't believe that Monica had called her. Ever since Monica had stormed out of Ross' and her apartment she hadn't talked to her. Ross had shown her how disappointed he was but couldn't ignore her since she carried his baby and lived with him in the same apartment. And Joey and Phoebe had stopped to overlook her two days ago. She had met them at Central Perk and had begged and pleaded. She hadn't let them go until they both spoke to her again.
Right after Ross came home a week ago he had told her that Chandler had left. He said he hoped for good. Rachel couldn't help to feel a twinge of guilt going through her as she heard that. But she managed to suppress her conscience that time. But by now it really had gotten to her, that her lie had destroyed the marriage of her two friends.
She knew that Monica probably wanted to talk about what had happened between her and Chandler. And Rachel knew she should tell Monica the truth. Maybe they could find Chandler and fix this mess. But Rachel wasn't ready to face her demons. She couldn't take back what she had done and now she had to live with the consequences. So she ignored her conscience once more and headed over to Monica's.
***************
Like every day during the last week Chandler sat in the room his father let him stay in. His thoughts were filled with Monica and what his life had become. He didn't bother to look up as the door opened and his father entered the poorly lighted room.
"Son, you have to come out of this room already." He noticed the tray with the almost untouched food he brought in there earlier that day. "And you need to eat more. This isn't healthy."
"I don't care for my health." Chandler said and turned away from his father's worried look.
"Well, believe it or not, I care for it. So you're coming outside with me now and you'll tell me what happened in New York." After Chandler didn't show a sign of moving Charles/Helena walked over to him. "Ok, if I have to drag you out by your ears then I'll do that." He said and grabbed for Chandlers ear.
"Dad!" Chandler shrieked as he struggled to his feet. "Ok, ok, I'm coming."
"Then go. I'm right behind you." Charles couldn't stop the triumphantly grin on his face as he followed Chandler out of the room.
They went through the living room and out to the terrace where Chandler sat down in one of the comfortable patio chairs. He let his look roam over the big pool and the wonderful garden which both seemed typical for a house in this part of Las Vegas.
Charles watched Chandler as he looked around the garden. The last time he had seen Chandler was at his wedding and he couldn't believe that the man who beamed with joy not more then four month ago was the same man now sitting in front of him. His eyes looked almost broken and there was an unbelievingly deep sadness clouding them.
"Chandler, please talk to me." Charles pulled his son out of his thoughts. "I think it may help if you talk about it. What happened in New York?"
"Well, that's just it. I don't really know what happened." Chandler began. And then he tried to repeat the events of that fateful day over a week ago. After Chandler stopped with his story Charles didn't know what to think. He was shocked to hear that Monica wouldn't want to hear his side and just threw him out. He believed Chandler when he said he was faithful to Monica. The two of them talked for many hours. Charles tried to console Chandler and Chandler tried to find an answer to the questions bothering his mind.
"And what are your plans for the future?" Charles asked later.
"I don't know." Chandler said. "For now I'd like to stay just here. If you don't mind. I've enough money to live from for awhile."
"Don't worry about money. You can stay here as long as you want to. God knows I owe you a lot to make up for what I put you through when you were younger." Charles told him while he looked at the ground.
"Dad, you owe me nothing. But I'm really thankful that you let me stay here."
**************
When Rachel arrived at the apartment she once shared with Monica she hesitated. On the way over she had changed her mind several times. She wasn't sure what to do. Should she tell Monica the truth and soothe her conscience? Or should she go on with her lie? Both options held consequences Rachel wasn't able to calculate. Rachel knew one thing for sure. She needed more time to make a decision so she turned around, ready to leave. Right then the door behind her opened and Monica appeared in the hall with a trash bag in her hand.
"Rachel? I was waiting for you. I already thought you wouldn't come." Monica said with a tired voice. And as Rachel turned to face her she saw that not only did Monica sound tired but she looked like she hadn't slept all week. Her eyes had dark circle around them and her hair was knotted and dull. It was Monica's appearance that gave Rachel the final push. She had to tell the truth.
"You can go in. I just have to bring the trash away and then we can talk, ok?" Monica ushered Rachel into the kitchen and left.
Just as Rachel sat down on the sofa Monica came back in. She joined her at the couch and looked at Rachel for a long time before she finally spoke.
"Rachel, I know we aren't really on speaking terms right now. But I have to know what happened between you and Chandler. I want to know every little detail. It's driving me crazy not to know what you two did and how it started." Monica said. "And maybe we can work through this mess and start over. I'm not saying that it's going to be easy to forgive you. But I talked to Phoebe and she told me about some stuff she went through when she was pregnant." Monica continued. "I don't want to get into details. Let's just say Phoebe did some really crazy things." Monica managed a halfhearted smile.
"Oh Monica. I'd love to start over." Rachel covered Monica's hands with her own. "But I'm not sure if you still want to do that after I explained to you what happened." Rachel said with a sigh. She buried her head in her hands and tried to gather her thoughts. Monica wanted to start over. That was just great. She wanted to forgive her and wanted her as a friend again. And that was despite the fact that she had "slept" with Chandler. She wanted to tell her the truth. But she also knew that if she told her the truth now, Monica would hate her forever and so would the others. She was contemplating her options, when Monica's voice pulled her out of her thoughts.
"Rachel, please, tell me what happened. Please." Monica begged with pleading eyes. Rachel looked in Monica's face. And all she could think about was how much she loved her as a friend. She couldn't take back what she did. And if she would be honest now she knew it would upset Monica even more than she already was. So she did what she thought was the best for Monica.
"Ok, it was on a Saturday last month. You weren't here. I came over to borrow a book and Chandler was here sitting on the couch." Rachel began slowly. "I don't really remember how it started. We were sitting on the couch together, talking, and the next thing I know, Chandler kissed me. At first I broke away, but he said he wanted me and I was so confused at that moment that I let him lead me to the bedroom." Rachel said with tears streaming down her cheeks. "And after that we just came together every now and then. It wasn't really anything planned. It just happened. I felt so bad for doing it but I couldn't stop it." Rachel explained before she continued with a barely audible voice. "In a way I'm glad you caught us."
"Why are you glad I caught you?" Monica asked confused by that statement.
Rachel lifted her head to look into Monica's tear-filled eyes "Because I felt so awful for what we did but I didn't know what to do."
Monica nodded her head before she got a thoughtful look on her face. "When did you say was the first time? I can't think of a time I wasn't here last month."
"Well, remember, it was the weekend where you went to your cousin in Boston. She had just given birth to her daughter and you wanted to visit her." Rachel reminded Monica.
"Oh, yeah, you are right. That was five weeks ago." Monica said and Rachel nodded. Suddenly Monica straightened up on the couch as she remembered something. "But that can't be right!"
TBC...
Ok, that's it for now. If you've read this chapter (and I think you did, or else you wouldn't be reading this right now ;-) then please take the time to leave a review. Next part will be posted as soon as it's written.