I realize there may be some confusion, so here's an overall review of the story so far:

Monica and Chandler slept together in London, but Richard called the next morning and Monica said yes, she'd marry him. Chandler all upset. Ross and Rachel go on what was Emily and Ross's honeymoon. They have sex. Back in NYC, Phoebe is in a car accident and is killed. Joey, Monica, and Chandler find this out when they come home. (One month later) Chandler moves to Philadelphia and meets Samantha Romfield on the plane. Rachel tells Ross she's pregnant. Ross debates whether or not to stay in her life. (Eight months later) Rachel is in labor. Chandler comes back to NYC for the birth. Ross tells Rachel he wants to be there for her, she can't believe he waited so long and says she can't depend on him. Monica and Chandler yell, she tells him she's pregnant and he says he's living with Samantha Romfield. Joey slips that Monica and Chandler had sex in London to Richard. Chandler leaves. After the baby is born, Joey kisses Rachel. Ross is at a bar, getting drunk. (Nine years later) Chandler has a five-year-old, Emily, and is divorced from Samantha. Joey and Rachel were married, then divorced. They're friends and live in L.A. (she has Phoebe, her nine-year-old daughter). Ross is on his way to L.A. Monica's having an angst moment and she calls someone.

I hope that clears up any confusion. If you knew that already, sorry…

AN: I know how it's going to end! I've never done that with a story before! Believe me, you're all in good hands… um, well, not really. But have no worries. As for Chandler's facial hair in this chapter- it's like one of those things where there's bristles coming down from his sideburns and the beginning of a beard and mustache (but a cool one, unlike Richard's). It's really cute; Matthew Perry had it before if you've seen pictures of him with it. I have no clue what it's called.

Thanks for the reviews, you all rock my world. And yes, it is odd that no one's eating Thanksgiving food. Times are approximately: Rachel's 6:30, Monica's9:30

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Chapter 6

Chandler slammed the car door shut and buckled back in, ready for the traffic. So it wasn't his favorite thing in the world; it was still a hell of a lot better than sitting in an over-crowded room filled with people he didn't like, talking about things that didn't interest him, eating food that brought back bad memories of divorces and projectile vomiting, and generally having a good time. Sighing, he picked up his cell phone and flicked it on- he might as well say hi to Joey- and frowned as his voicemail blinked. Who could have called him in the few moments during which he'd dropped Emily off at her mother's apartment?

He played the message, and his eyes widened as a voice he recognized through the sounds of her crying, began:

"It's… It's Monica… I didn't know who else to call… This is so stupid… Haven't… haven't seen you for nine… nine years… I'm still at my old apartment, too, what does that say… about me… about not being able to… to… to let go…"

The message ended and Chandler held the cell phone in front of himself, his mouth open, Joey completely driven from his thoughts.

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Ross stood in front of the townhouse's door, his hands in his pockets and glancing nervously around, hoping that she was there.

Suddenly, the door opened and two people stood in front of him, looks of shock on their faces as they recognized him.

The first one he saw was Rachel herself. She was as beautiful as he remembered her from those nine years ago; her hair was still strawberry with highlights of blonde and fell down to her shoulders, although a few gray hairs could be seen poking through. Her mouth was slightly open as she realized that she was seeing him, the father of her child who'd abandoned her, leaving only Joey to protect her.

Ross's eyes moved to the right, and saw that a little behind Rachel in the shadows was Joey himself. He hadn't changed much; a single gray hair was pushed flat into the black and there were some light bags under his dark eyes. Other than that, the only difference that Ross noticed were the bristles beginning to form a goatee.

"Ross?" Rachel whispered, her bright eyes welling with tears. She clasped a hand over her mouth and a tear trickled down her cheek as she looked, unbelievably, at the father of Phoebe Green-Geller.

"Rach?" Ross murmured and moved forward. Joey watched as both slowly walked towards each other and, after a moment of silence, pulled each other into the tightest hug he'd ever seen, crying like there was no tomorrow.

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. Chandler was looking at a door he hadn't seen in more than nine years.

I'm not here again, he tried to assure himself. I'm not back here. This is all a nightmare, that phone call was a dream… she doesn't really live here… it isn't possible… and if she does… why would I bring that on myself to see her again?

But he had such an urge to see her again. He was yearning to listen to her talk, or laugh, or cry, or whatever it was she did these days… he hadn't seen her since that day in the hospital, when he'd just walked into that elevator without even saying goodbye… why would she call him, after what he did?

After London, after Richard, after the death of Phoebe, and after he moved to Philadelphia… he'd been a complete jerk, and not just to her, to all of them… why the hell would anyone want to talk to him?

He didn't have an answer to his own question, and there was only one way to find out.

Nervously, he knocked on the door of apartment 20.

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"Why…?" Rachel began, but her voice drifted off as more tears fell from her eyes and onto Ross's shirt. She gripped him harder, not really believing that it could possibly be him.

"I… I wanted to see you… and her…"

Rachel detached herself from Ross and looked at him, her hands over her mouth. She slowly lowered them, "R-Really?"

"Yeah," he said softly, "I need to meet my daughter."

Rachel seemed momentarily stunned. Her eyes were red from crying and she looked on the brink of starting again. She was biting down on her lower lip and looking at Ross with an unreadable expression. Finally, she said, "But… but why now?"

Ross shrugged, his own eyes still filled with tears. He wiped his nose on the back of his coat sleeve, "I don't know, Rach."

"You… you don't know what?" she asked, almost dreading the answer. Once before he'd said 'I don't know' to her and things had screwed up from that moment on; she wasn't ready to be screwed over again by him.

"I don't know why it took me so long. Rach, I love you so much, and I'm sure I love our kid… I just needed to see both of you so bad right now."

With a very small "Oh" of surprise, Rachel turned around and disappeared into the house. She ran into the kitchen, the tears flowing again, and picked up the phone, dialing a number. It rang, but no one picked up, "Come on, Mon, pick up, pick up, I know you're there…"

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Monica opened the door and found herself face-to-face with the man who'd ran away nine years ago, without bothering to try and fix the things that had gotten screwed up.

After a few seconds of silence, Chandler said nervously, obviously attempting to act like his former carefree self, "Oh, I get it, you don't recognize me… yeah, I have glasses now and I've got these weird bristles all over my face, half because I wanted a change from having no bristles and half because I didn't feel like shaving… but it's still Chandler, even if I have bristles and glasses… you see, I've got the glasses so that I can see distance, and now I can see you clearer… well, you look the same, no bristles for you, I guess, but you could always-"

"Chandler?"

"Shut up?"

"Exactly."

Chandler gave her a small smile, "I still haven't mastered the fine art of learning to shut up."

"I can tell."

They stood for a few minutes, not looking directly at each other, but glancing around, mostly at each other's feet. Suddenly, the phone began to ring and their head snapped up and they shared eye contact for the first time in nine years.

After a few rings, Chandler said pointedly, "Your phone's ringing."

"I know."

"Are you going to pick it up?"

"No."

"That's your choice, I guess."

"Yeah, it is," she murmured as the ringing stopped. She focused on Chandler's eyes. Behind the glasses were the eyes that she suddenly recognized- the ones from London, from the time when they went to the beach, the ones that had been there when he'd promised to marry her when they were both 40 when Ben had been born… they weren't the same ones she'd last seen at the hospital… they were much warmer, friendlier than those…

Suddenly, Chandler took a step toward Monica.

"W-what are you doing?"

"You look like you're going to cry again."

"But what are you doing?"

"I guess… I was going to hug you."

"But… only friends hug. We're… we're not friends."

"Oh… right. Not friends."

"Not us."

"No… not us."

"We were."

"Not now."

There was another awkward moment and Monica took a step back, "Do you want to… come… in?"

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"So…"

Joey's hands were in his pockets and he was looking at Ross nervously, as though afraid he was going to explode, "Ross-"

Ross walked into the townhouse and closed the door, turning back to Joey, "What?"

"We kind of need to talk."

Ross nodded vaguely and looked down at his feet, "So… what's up with you?"

Joey gave him a hard look, "Not that kind of talk."

"Then why don't you start?"

Joey sighed and was about to start when Phoebe ran down the stairs and walked over to the two men, "Who are you?"

Ross looked away from Joey and focused on the nine-year-old, speechless as he looked at her, "I'm… I'm your dad."

Phoebe rolled her eyes, "No you're not. He is."

Ross's mouth opened and he looked at Joey angrily.

"She's never seen you… what do you expect?" Joey asked quietly.

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So there's Chapter 6. I've been catching up with the Freak Table so it's in later than usual, but it's still there. Next chapter is going to one of my favorites to write, I can already tell. Please review… and I have a question. If you could pick between one of the guys (or girls, if you're a guy), which one would you pick? I'd pick Chandler of course, but I'm curious to see what you'd say.

P.S. I need a vote: 1) a funny Mondler story about how Chandler makes up for lying to Mon after "TOW Unagi" or 2) an AU pre-Mondler story about Chandler's hidden feelings? or 3) Monica and Chandler secretly adopt (R/R, too)

Which one should I write?