Disclaimer: I don't own Friends, but I sure do miss them!

First Birthday

"What do you mean you're not coming to the twins' birthday party!"

Chandler awoke to find his wife angrily wiping at the dresser in their bedroom with a soft cloth while she clutched the cordless phone in her hand. He sat up groggily and blinked, trying to adjust his eyes to the bright light filtering into the windows and onto the bed. Monica had been in a cleaning frenzy for days, cleaning things she didn't really have much time to clean now that she was the mother of two active nearly one-year olds. But now her cleaning had only been magnified as whoever wasn't coming to the twin's party had triggered her anger-cleaning complex.

Monica continued to swipe her hand back and forth over the dresser, wiping at the now non-existent dust, and suddenly made a low growling noise at the back of her throat.

"Oh, you and Ross," so it was Rachel, Chandler thought, "are going away for the weekend? Hmmm…I seem to remember that Chandler and I were doing the same thing on Emma's first birthday weekend! Only we never made it on our trip and neither are you!"

Monica turned around and faced Chandler, eyes widening when she realized he was awake. She pointed to the phone and took it over to the base, putting it on speaker so that Chandler could hear Rachel's explanation, too.

"….Mon, it's just that the twin's birthday is my and Ross' one year anniversary. We're going away to celebrate. Come on—you remember what happened on our last one year anniversary…"

"No!" Monica said, throwing her dust-rag at the phone. "Don't try to play the sympathy card!"

"Hmmmmppph!" Rachel sighed into the phone, "Fine. Fine! We'll be there. But I think Ross was going to propose tonight, so if he doesn't, it's going to be all your fault…"

Monica's eyes and her forehead vein looked ready to pop out of her head. Chandler couldn't resist jumping in. "Rach…of course he's going to propose. Today or someday. It's ROSS."

Rachel made a small screeching noise and said, "We'll be there at 3," before hanging up.

"Oh, my God," Monica began, "Sometimes I can't believe her…" she was cut-off by the phone ringing before she could finish. "Hello?"

It was Rachel, "Oh, by the way—I found the cutest little matching outfits for Jack and Erica! I can't wait for you to see them!" The line went dead.

Chandler sat listening to the dial tone and looking at Monica's now smiling face. He flopped back down and sighed. He had a feeling that this was going to be a long, long day.

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He dozed again and woke up a bit later when Monica came in and dumped the twins right on top of him. He grunted a bit with their weight, but smiled when he noticed that Monica had already put party hats onto their heads–a gold princess crown on Erica and a purple king's crown on Jack. The babies giggled at being dumped on the bed and proceeded to crawl all over him, babbling their little baby words and poking him in odd places with their knees and elbows.

He sat up and kissed each of the babies hello, tickling Erica to elicit a grin and blowing a raspberry on Jack's arm. He looked up and noticed that Monica had left the room and hoped that maybe she was off to bring the three of them breakfast in bed. After all, he was among royalty. Chandler chuckled at his own joke.

"So, kiddos," he said, holding up one finger, "you're 1 year old today! Where did all the time go? I remember it like it was only yesterday that I was changing your diapers and getting up in the middle of the night to soothe your crying...oh, wait...that was last night! That's right." He smiled at the babies. "Are you excited for your birthday party today? Little Miss Erica, are you excited? What about you, Jacky? How does it feel to be 1?"

He looked at the twins and they smiled back at him, Erica pulling her princess crown off her head and handing it to him, saying, "DaDa."

Chandler smiled and took the hat, placing it on his own head. "Thank you," he said, making silly faces at her until she laughed. Just then Monica entered the room and laughed asking Erica, "Why is Daddy wearing your hat?" Erica threw up her arms and laughed and allowed Chandler to place the hat back on her head. He brushed her white-blonde curls down with his hand and turned to Monica noting that she wasn't bearing a tray full of breakfast items. Instead she was holding a box and had a mischievous look on her face.

"What is that?" Chandler asked, immediately suspicious at the look on Monica's face, "Mon, what's in the box?"

Monica smiled, putting the box on the bed and handing Jack and Erica each a Zwieback cracker. "Now, remember, honey–this is for your children. They'll only have ONE first birthday."

"What's in the box?" Chandler asked again, feeling nervous. "It's not that pink bunny suit again, is it?"

"Shoot!" Monica said, "I should have thought of that! But, no...it's something better." She opened the box to reveal a full clown outfit, complete with a red nose and blue wig.

"A clown? I don't know about this...won't that scar them for life? Check that, won't this scar me for life?"

"Oh, come on! Please? For me?" Monica leaned down and kissed him, full on the lips, trying to persuade him. He didn't look convinced when she pulled up, so she took the clown nose out of the box and placed it over his nose. The babies, preoccupied to this point with their Zwieback began to laugh, raining crumbs all over the bed. "If not for me, then for them?"

Chandler looked at the expectant face of his wife and the seemingly expectant faces of the babies. "Okay, okay. Fine. I'll be a clown. But if I can't ever return to the circus it is your fault. And if I'm a little too good at applying the stage make-up...then...we won't mention it to anybody."

Monica smiled, kissing him quickly on the cheek. "Okay!" she exclaimed, "We've only got 4 hours until the guests get here! You give the twins' lunch while I grab the dust-buster for those crumbs! Then we'll only have a little time for them to nap, and for us to get you dressed and all the food ready..." Monica was off and running, in her element.

Chandler looked at Jack and Erica and grimaced. He stood, picking them both up, and kissing their cheeks. He leaned his forehead in between the both of them. "Just remember kids...this is how much Daddy loves you." The babies, seeming to understand, patted his cheeks. He smiled at them before leaving the room to take them downstairs for lunch.

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We were talking in the Merge! Thread of Friends-Boards about Jack and Erica's first birthday. I thought I'd take a crack at writing about it...there will be at least one more chapter, perhaps two. Thanks to the guys and gals at Merge–thanks for the inspiration! I hope everyone enjoys:)