Chandler had never seen himself as a pillar of strength. Actually he'd often viewed himself as quite the opposite. Things were beginning to change lately, however. Perhaps it was taking on the responsibility of moving to a new house or tackling the first days of fatherhood. He also had a found a fine example to follow in his wife. Her strength had helped them get this far and he thanked Monica daily for that. Whichever it was, he'd found new sources of courage and stability inside of himself that he never knew existed. So when the horrible news arrived, Chandler took it upon himself to be the thread that would bind his friends and family together during the difficult days ahead.
He didn't go with Monica the night she told Ross. Someone had to stay home with the babies and he refused to put that burden on the woman he loved more than anything, especially when she had just lost her best friend. He also knew that Monica was better under pressure than he was and would probably handle delivering the news far better than he could have hoped to. He wasn't that strong yet.
And heaven forbid he pulled a Chandler and inserted some totally inappropriate joke during the announcement.
He had been up for a couple of hours now; the twins had decided not to stay asleep any longer and he insisted that Monica stay in bed despite her objections. He knew she would throw herself headfirst into helping to plan the funeral and would need her energy. His only fear now was whether or not Rachel's parents could handle Monica's neurotic planning tendencies piling on top of everything else.
Monica sat up in bed, deciding that she could no longer feign sleep. There was too much to do and, as much as she loved Chandler, she couldn't let him handle the twins by himself for very long without getting nervous. She stopped by the mirror to straighten herself up but decided after a few moments that it was a lost cause and headed downstairs. She burst into a smile when she saw her husband with his hands full. He had one baby in each arm and was bobbing up and down in time to some cartoon theme song coming from the TV and attempting to sing along quietly.
"Need some help?" she asked sweetly.
He looked up bashfully, not realizing he'd been seen mid-routine. "C'mon I'm not that bad of a dancer." He continued his bobbing routine smiling flirtatiously at his wife.
"Okay, I'll leave that one alone," said Monica, "but I meant with the babies."
"Ohhh," laughed Chandler, "I...um...I knew that. Ok, yeah, take your pick." Monica gently took Jack from Chandler's arms and cradled him in hers. "Now don't let her corrupt you Jack! It's too late for your old man but you still have hope!" he said playfully, admiring his son's cute little face all the while.
Monica gave him a scornful look, but he knew she meant it well. He felt almost guilty enjoying this moment so much, but it was impossible not to. For the first time in his life, he was part of a great family. He gave Monica an adoring smile. It wouldn't be long before things got hectic. But for now it was their special time and he would be damned to have wasted a second of it.