Chapter Two: The Competition

Monica and Rachel's apartment was decidedly empty for weekend morning when all six friends had the weekend free. It was still fairly early, only nine in the morning, and the three girls were hunched over some neatly types data sheets on the kitchen table. Phoebe had spent the night so that they could be up early and ready to start reviewing facts before the boys came over. They had decided to start at ten, and the scoreboard was already set up in the living room. Across the hall found a strikingly similar picture. The foosball table, so rarely used as a table, was covered with sheets on scribbled facts, as the three guys had pulled up chairs and were eating their coffeehouse-bought breakfast while reading over sheets for any last minute tidbits of information. Before they knew it, it was ten.

Chandler entered the girl's apartment behind Joey and Ross. The tension was palpable. He offered Monica a quick smile, which she returned before putting her 'game' face on. He missed her. They hadn't spent much time together over the last couple days, because as Monica had put it, it was called 'fraternizing with the enemy.' He rolled his eyes at the thought. Ever since Ross had moved into his new apartment, they had rarely spent a night apart. However, over the passed week they had only spent one night together. Chandler had been awoken by his girlfriend entering his room some time early in the morning, which surprised him as she had banished any 'sleepovers' until after the competition, and was breaking her own rule. She had smiled at him as he blinked sleepily at her and crawled in next to him. When he lightly questioned her on her presence, she responded that she had been 'cold.' Chandler smiled inwardly as he wrapped her tightly in his arms. It was almost summer, she wasn't there because she was cold.

The boys were directed to sit on the floor on the other side of the coffee table, while the girls got the couch. The girls were wearing matching baby blue shirts that had the words 'GIRLS RULE!' on the front and 'BOYS DROOL!' on the back. They were here to play. Chandler felt suddenly unprepared for this, knowing just how easily it could get out of hand with Monica involved, however, it was too late now. 'Let the games begin,' he thought. And so they did.

"Okay, Round One, guys answer first, then girls. We'll switch every round." Monica paused before continuing. "A few quick rules: they'll be no time limit, but you can't take too long to answer, and you have to be one hundred percent honest. No lying about answers, okay?"

"And no throwing plates at other competitors," Chandler added.

Monica glared at him, but stayed silent as she turned her attention down to the question sheet in her hands. "What did Phoebe dress up like every year for Halloween when she was growing up?"

"Uh," Ross stuttered, not having expected such a hard first question. "Um, a cat?" He ventured.

"Wrong!" Rachel said. "Dorothy, from the Wizard of Oz."

"Where'd you get cat from?" Phoebe asked.

Ross shrugged. "I don't know, you had to get Smelly Cat from somewhere."

"Are you saying I sell?"

"No, no. No." Ross said. "It was just the first thing that popped into my head."

"Sure," Phoebe said, still half-glaring at Ross, but Monica was already motioning for her to continue. Both teams had come up with questions for each other, and each held a list for one member of their team, so they could take turns asking. "Joey," Phoebe began, reading along. "What was Rachel's pony's name?"

"Uh, Flicka?"

"As in 'My Friend'?" Chandler asked.

Joey glared at him. "I couldn't think of another name for a horse."

"I'm sorry Joey, that's wrong," Phoebe said.

"Yeah, her name was Buttercup," Rachel added.

It was Chandler's turn. Rachel looked down at her sheet before meeting Chandler's eyes, a confident smile on her face. "Chandler, what was Monica's scariest moment growing up?"

"When her parents left her at a rest stop during a trip." He answered, no hesitation in his voice.

"That's...right," Rachel, said surprised. "I didn't even know that happened until now." She looked inpressed.

"That never happened," Ross said. "I would remember that."

Monica rolled her eyes. "It was the year we had to drive you out to that speech competition. Mom and dad were so proud that you came in third that they stopped to buy you ice cream on the way home that night, and left while I was in the bathroom. I was too sacred to admit I couldn't find my parents and it was morning before they made it back."

"Oh, yeah, I'd totally forgotten about that. I'm sorry, Mon. You know they didn't mean to."

Monica rolled her eyes. "Sure." Ross looked ready to respond, but she cut him off. "Okay, so it's the boys turn to ask. Hurry up."

Chandler mock-glared at her, as he had the sheet in his hands and was juts waiting for her to stop talking before beginning. "Pheebs, what was Ross's imaginary dinosaur friend's name?"

"Dino," Phoebe answered after a short pause.

"Wrong!" Chandler said, mimicking Rachel from earlier. "And the correct answer is: Geroge. George?" He looked at Ross.

"Dude, where'd you get George from?" Joey asked.

Ross shrugged, slightly embarrassed. "I liked it."

"Wait" Phoebe said. "Where'd I get Dino from?"

"The Flinstones." Joey asnwered.

"Riiiight."

"Anyway," Ross continued. "Rachel, what is Joey's favorite book?"

"Hey, that's a trick question," Rachel complained. "Joey doesn't read."

Joey looked insulted. "I do so read," he said. "I'll have you know that there's a perfectly good book sitting in the freezer this very moment."

"The freezer?" Rachel asked.

"Please don't ask him to explain," Chandler said. "It may take a while. Just answer the question."

"Okay, fine. Uh, Treasure Island?"

"Good guess," Joey said, nodding. "I used to love that book. I'd totally forgotten about it."

"So I got it right?"

Joey laughed at her and shook his head. "Of course not. That would be like cheating on The Shining." He smiled at Rachel's disappointment, and then turned his focus on to Monica. "Monica, when Chandler played baseball in high school, what number was on his jersey?"

"Chandler played sports?" Rachel asked.

Chandler glared at her. "I played lots of sports, just not football." His cheeks reddened for a moment. "My mom wouldn't sign the permission form."

Rachel laughed and turned her attention to Monica who had yet to answer. She had her eyes closed and her face scrunched up. Monica knew she had seen a picture of Chandler with his team, and was trying her hardest to picture the number on his shirt. She refused to let him get ahead of her at all.

"Come on, Mon, just admit you don't know and-"

"Fourteen." She answered, turning her head towards Chandler. His disappointed expression was all she needed to know that she was right. "Okay," she said getting up and adding round one's point to the board. "Girls one: Boys one."

Eight rounds and two hours later, both teams were neck and neck. Phoebe had answered more correctly than Ross, but Joey getting more than Rachel canceled out her extra points. Monica and Chandler however were tied. Neither had gotten a single question wrong. Chandler was starting to get worried, knowing that eventually their friends would question how it was that they knew so much intimate stuff about each other. One glance at his over-determined girlfriend told Chandler that she was not about to back down. And if she wasn't going to, then neither would he.

"Okay," Monica was saying. "We're tied twenty-two all. Boys start round ten."

Chandler sighed as he glanced down at his sheet. He didn't like any of the questions, so he decided to go off the cuff, which were not against the rules, as Monica had already done this. "Phoebe, what was Ross's nickname in high school?"

"Wet pants Gellar."

"Damn," Chandler muttered, and was rewarded with a smack on the side from Ross. "Hey, be careful. I think I still have a bruised rib from Monica elbowing me earlier this week."

"Why would you ask that?" Ross asked. "Stick to the sheet."

"The questions on the sheet suck, Ross. There aren't any hard ones left."

"He's right, man." Joey added.

Ross sighed. "Fine," he said, trying to formulate a question in his head. "Rachel, what are Joey's sisters names? And you need all of them to get the point."

"Uh, Angela, and Mary Ellen, and Brittany, and Elizabeth..." She trailed off, unable to make up any more names. "This isn't fair. He's got too many sisters."

"But it was fair when he had to name your sisters?" Ross interjected.

Rachel glared at him. "I only have two sisters and he could only remember one name."

"And I have seven sisters and you could only remember one name," Joey said. "So we're even. No point."

"Huh," Rachel pouted.

Joey ignored her. "Monica, what is Chandler's job?" Joey went for one, remembering how the girls couldn't get the answer the first time they had played this game.

Monica glared at him and then smiled sweetly. "I believe the correct answer is Statistical Analysis and Data Reconfiguration."

"Wow," Rachel said, impressed. "Too bad you didn't know that last time."

"Ross," Monica turned to her brother. "What was Phoebe's husband's name?"

Ross opened his mouth to respond, then blanked. "Wait, I know the answer. It was, um, uh...Duncan! His name was Duncan!"

"Joey, what is Rachel's favorite book?"

"Weekend at Bernie's the novel?"

Phoebe laughed. "Good try, but its Little Women."

"Chandler," Rachel started. "What bone did Monica break when she was six when Ross pushed her down the stairs?"

"Her collarbone."

"Which one?"

Chandler smiled, remembering the time Monica had told him the story. It was one of those nights that they simply spent talking, no sex. It was warm and she was dressed only in a tank top and shorts. He was running his hand lightly back and forth along her shoulder when he ventured lower, running it along her collarbone. He ran his hand back and forth a few times, applying a little more pressure before speaking up. "Hey, did you know you've got a little dent right here?" He gently placed her finger on the spot.

Monica smiled at him. "No one's ever noticed that before. I broke it when I was six. Ross pushed me down the stairs."

Chandler scrunched up his face. "Ouch."

Monica shrugged. "It hurt. I was crying. Ross told mom and dad that I fell. I told them the truth. They believed him. My mom spent the whole time waiting in emergency telling me how clumsy I was."

Chandler tilted his head in sympathy. "I'm sorry."

Monica smiled at him and his heart melted. "You're too good for me."

Chandler smiled at Rachel. "Her left one."

"Damnit!" Rachel exclaimed.

"Okay," Monica said, adding their scores. "We're now tied twenty-four to twenty-four to start round eleven."

"No. No more, please." Phoebe said. "This game is no fun anymore. And we're getting hungry. It's almost one."

"You better save your appetite for dinner then, cause we get to order whatever we want and the guys get the check." Monica said. "We just have to beat them. All we have to do is get one more point than them in this round."

"You said that two rounds ago." Rachel said, then to the look on Monica's face, "fine."

"And we're tied twenty-nine to twenty-nine going into round sixteen," Monica said an hour later. It was now two in the afternoon and they had dinner reservations for six.

"That's it!" Phoebe exclaimed. "I cannot do this anymore. No one but you and Chandler has got any right in the last five rounds. The questions are too hard now. There's not good ones left."

"Come on Phoebe, we just need one more point."

"No, you're not allowed to use that one anymore. Mon, we can't even come up with questions anymore. Can't we all just agree that we know an equal amount about each other and go and have a nice dinner together?"

"Yeah," Joey agreed. Rachel and Ross nodded their approval.

"No, we started this game and now we're going to sit here until someone wins."

"Fine," Ross said, knowing his sister would never give up. "How about we forfeit. You girls win and we'll take you out for dinner." Joey reluctantly agreed.

"No way," Chandler said. "I haven't gotten any wrong yet. I'm not giving up."

"Yeah, and we're not going to win that way, right girls?" She glanced at Rachel and Phoebe. Rachel was leaning back on the couch, her head as far back as it could go, and her hands were covering her face. Phoebe was sitting up, but her eyes were closed. "Girls!" Phoebe opened her eyes and Rachel jolted out of her trance.

"Mon, we're tired." Rachel said. "It's been four hours. It's not fun anymore."

"But we have to beat them!"

"Why?"

"Because," Monica said, glaring at Chandler. "Certain people can't continue on with their misconception that they know more about us than we do them."

"Look, Mon," Phoebe said. "The way I see it, the last hour has been about you about you and Chandler, not us. If you two have something to prove then that's fine. Why don't we keep going, with only you two playing and whenever, or if ever, someone gets a question wrong, that teams loses."

Monica thought for a minute. "Okay."

Chandler nodded.

The energy in the game seemed refreshed, as everyone leaned a little closer; all question sheets and scoreboard now forgotten. The pressure was on.

"Monica, what is Chandler's favorite food?" Joey asked.

"Macaroni with cut up hotdogs."

"Damn. I thought that was a good one."

Rachel asked next. "Who was Monica's favorite teacher in high school?"

"Mrs. Oliver."

Rachel made a face. "Wow, you really did your homework."

Chandler hid his smile as best he could. In actual fact he hadn't done much real studying at all. Ross had tore through a list of things he thought Chandler would need to know, but Chandler found that he either knew them already, or that Ross was wrong.

It was Ross's turn. "What did Chandler want to be when he grew up?"

Monica smiled and tried not to laugh. "A jockey."

"A jockey? Really?" Joey asked. Chandler nodded. "Dude, jockey's are like four feet tall, your horse wouldn't make it past the finish line. You'd kill the horse."

Chandler rolled his eyes. "It was when I was a little kid. I wasn't that tall yet."

"Hey, aren't you also scared of horses?" Phoebe asked.

Chandler glared at her before nodding. "Yeah, so?"

Monica shook her head at her boyfriend. She had laughed at him when he had told her, but he was good-natured about it. Apparently Chandler had seen National Velvet as a small child and had decided to be a jockey at the age of five. His dreams had been shattered at nine when he realized he was already the same height as many jockey's and had yet to set foot near a horse.

"Okay, my turn to ask," Phoebe said. She thought really hard. "According to Monica, who was better in bed: Pete or Richard?"

Chandler felt his gut tighten at Phoebe's words. He felt a little like he was going to throw up. "Uh," he hesitated, not even wanting to venture a guess. He was ready to forfeit right then and there.

"Phoebe!" Monica exclaimed. "That's not an appropriate question."

"Yeah," Rachel agreed. "It's way too easy. Richard is the obvious answer."

Chandler felt like someone punched him in the gut. Now he really felt like he was going to be sick.

Monica glared at Phoebe. Then she glanced over at Chandler, who was turning a little green. She knew she had to change the subject. "Ask a different question."

"Fine." Phoebe remained silent for a moment, deep in thought. "How long has it been since Monica had sex?"

"Phoebe!" Monica exclaimed. "Stop asking those kind of questions!"

Phoebe smirked. "That long, eh?"

Chandler smiled. He definitely knew the answer to this question.

"That's it," Monica said. "Rachel is asking questions now. Phoebe doesn't get to until she can come up with appropriate questions."

Phoebe sarcastically mimicked Monica's words before resting her head on her palm and sighing. "I was just trying to make the game more interesting."

"Okay, I have a question," Rachel said. "Chandler, who was Monica's first love?"

Chandler smirked. "That would Lance Allocastor, sixth grade."

"Oh God, this game is never going to end, is it?" Rachel asked to no one.

"My turn," Joey said. "Of all the girls Chandler has dated, oh, I'm sorry let me rephrase. Of the few girls Chandler has dated, who has he loved the most?"

"Thanks for that," Chandler said sarcastically. "I don't think this is a good question," he said pointedly.

"Why ever not?" Joey asked, innocently, knowing exactly what Chandler was getting at. "I think its a great question." He turned his attention to Monica.

Monica hesitated. She knew there was no way out of this. She had put herself in this position. The game was her idea, and now she had to face the consequences. She was forced to think back to Chandler's life before they had gotten together. She felt all eyes on her and gazed into Chandler's, looking for a signal. He looked as pained as she felt. She forced her memory back. He had mentioned commitment when he was with Janice, but they had broken up and she drove him so crazy, that she didn't think it was her. He hadn't been with Kathy long, but he had been crazy about her. "Uh, Kathy?"

All eyes were on Chandler, waiting for conformation. "Thats...wrong." He said quietly.

"Really?" Phoebe asked. "You loved Janice more than Kathy?" Phoebe said, using her best impression of Janice's voice.

Chandler winced at the impression.

"See?" Rachel said. "He's totally lying. You obviously didn't love her that much if you can't stand her voice." She shook her head and clucked her tongue. "Chandler you're not supposed to lie. I think you should lose just for that."

"I didn't lie." Chandler said, meeting her eyes. "Monica said one hundred percent honesty, and I'm doing exactly that."

"So, your seriously telling us it was Janice?" Ross asked, flinching just thinking of his time with Janice.

Chandler shook his head. "No, it wasn't Janice either."

"Then who else could it be?" Rachel asked.

"Let's see," said Phoebe. "You went to an all boys high school, so it wasn't during high school, unless of course this secret love is a guy."

Chandler glared at her. "It's a girl." He met Monica's eyes. Monica looked at him with half-interest, half-unease. He smiled gently at her. How could she not know? He knew from the moment Joey asked the question that there was only one way this was going to end. "A beautiful girl," he said pointedly.

At Chandler's words, Monica realized exactly where he was going with this. She felt her heart skip a beat. They had been together for almost eight months and had said their first I love you's only a few months before. On their five-month anniversary, Chandler had taken her out to dance at a swing-music club. At first she had been nervous about dancing like that in public, but she had caught on to his enthusiasm and realized that ninety percent of the dancers had no idea what they were doing, so she simply let go and tried to keep up with the music. Two hours, sore feet, and many failed spin attempts later, Monica found herself standing alone along the skirt of the dance floor, waiting for Chandler to come back with drinks. She found herself smiling, realizing just how much fun this was. A drink appeared in front of her, which she took thankfully. "I'm so thirsty."

Chandler smiled. "Me too. I didn't realize how much time had gone by. Are you having fun?"

It was Monica's turn to smile. She nodded emphatically. "Loads of fun. This is awesome, Chandler. It was such a good idea." Chandler smiled at her and wrapped his free arm loosely around her waist. She leaned in to him and sighed happily. She fit perfectly in beside him. They were silent as they quickly drained their drinks.

"You ready to get back out there?" He asked. She nodded and took his hand, allowing herself to be led back out onto the dance floor. The music picked up and she felt him grab hold of her hand, preparing to spin her. She spun out and back in, ending up with her back against his chest, his right arm holding her close, still attached to her left hand.

They remained stationary for a moment before Monica squealed and spun around, wrapping her arms around his neck and planting a kiss on his lips. "We did it!"

Chandler's eyes seemed bluer than she had ever seen them. He smiled back at her, a hand reaching up to brush a strand of hair from her face. "I love you," he whispered.

Monica felt her heart swell and tears spring to her eyes. Smiled and tilted her head just a bit. "I love you, to." And she knew she meant it. There was no hesitation, no regret, no wondering. She loved the man before her. To complete the moment she reached up and met his lips half way.

Monica's mind jumped back to the present. She had never expected her honesty clause to present such a problem. And she had never expected Chandler to use it this way. They had been keeping their relationship a secret for so long that she had stopped thinking of the little white lies they had been forced to tell.

"A beautiful girl, eh?" Ross asked. "Well it definitely wasn't during college. There were barely any girls, let alone pretty ones."

Chandler glared at him.

"How has there been a girl like this that none of us know about?" Rachel asked.

Chandler smirked. "Monica knows, and Joey."

Ross, Rachel and Phoebe turned their attention towards Joey and Monica.

"Well, Monica obviously didn't or she wouldn't have gotten the question wrong." Phoebe said.

"Well she should have known." Chandler said. "It was actually a very simple question."

"And how come Joey got to know and I didn't?" Ross asked.

"Because you're special," Chandler said. "And I value my life," he muttered under his breath.

"So, who was she?" Rachel asked.

"First of all, its who is she," Chandler corrected. "And secondly, I don't know if I want to say."

"Hey, you can't have the point if you don't give the correct answer." Phoebe said.

"Yeah, its against the rules," Rachel chimed in.

"Really, you see I don't remember that being a rule." He turned his attention to Monica, his eyes meeting hers. "Do the rules state that I have to tell?" He waited, allowing her to decide if she was ready to go public yet. He knew he was ready, but would wait for her for as long as she needed. He couldn't wait to be able to do simple things such as hold her hand in public.

Monica took a moment to think. She knew exactly what Chandler was thinking, exactly what he was doing by asking her about the rule. She took a deep breath. "No, I don't think the rules state that you have to tell."

"Oh," Chandler said, feeling a little disappointed, but forcing a smile back to his mouth. He turned back to the girls. "See-"

Monica cut him off, a small smile playing on her face. "But that doesn't mean that you can't tell anyway."

Chandler smiled. "You sure?"

Monica nodded.

Chandler took a minute to collect his thoughts, having no idea how to approach this. He glanced at Joey who decidedly gleeful at the thought of not having to keep the secret anymore.

"Wait a minute," Rachel said. "You said who is she. You're dating her right now, aren't you?" Chandler nodded. "How long?"

"Eight months."

"No way," Phoebe said. "No way have you been in a relationship for eight months, especially without us finding out."

Chandler shrugged. "You'd be surprised at just how oblivious you guys can be."

"So, who is she?" Ross asked.

Chandler seemed to realize something at Ross's words and promptly stood up, moving away from Ross.

"What are you doing?" Ross asked.

"Just giving myself a head start," Chandler replied, the comment going right over Ross's head.

Chandler ventured around the back of the couch, five sets of eyes following his progress, but there was only one set he was interested in. He kept eye contact with Monica as he came to stand beside her. "Well, you see..."

"Wait," Monica said, jumping up to stand beside him. She hesitated and he lifted an arm, motioning for her to come in close. She smiled and tucked her body in next to his, her arms around his back and his over her shoulder.

"Well," Chandler started, ignoring the surprised faces. "Apparently you already know her." He pulled Monica in closer. Four sets of eyes transferred from Chandler to Monica.

Monica bit her lip, a little worried. "And I know all of you." Both Rachel and Phoebe gasped at her words. Ross remained silent.

"You mean, you two are...are, like, together?" Rachel managed.

Both Monica and Chandler nodded.

"For eight months?" Phoebe asked. Again they nodded. "So that would be since..." Phoebe trailed off, thinking.

"Since London, baby!" Joey exclaimed.

"London!" Rachel exclaimed.

"Wait, so how come Joey knows?" Phoebe asked.

Joey shrugged. "I figured it out. It was so obvious." Phoebe turned her attention towards the newly announced couple.

Chandler nodded. "He really did figure it out."

"But, its Joey," was Phoebe's only reply.

"He incidentally heard two parts of the same story and figured it out. It was just coincidence." Monica said.

"So," Phoebe said. "You've put up with Chandler for eight months. That's impressive."

"Hey," Chandler retorted.

"What?" Phoebe asked. "Isn't that the longest relationship you've ever had?"

Chandler reluctantly nodded. "Yes, but the same goes for her."

Phoebe thought. "Okay, that may be true, but you're Chandler."

"So? What makes that a bad thing?"

"Nothing." Monica cut in. "It's not a bad thing. It's a good thing. Phoebe doesn't know what she's talking about." And with that Monica reached up, tilted his head down and kissed him, long and hard. Chandler responded by turning slightly, so they were fully facing each other and pulled her in close. When they finally pulled away, Joey was looking disgusted, Rachel and Phoebe looked shocked, and Ross had an unreadable expression on his face. It was then that Monica realized he had yet to say anything following their announcement. "Ross? You okay over there?"

"He looks mad," Chandler whispered to her.

Ross rose and silently approached them, all eyes on him.

Chandler, fighting all instincts, remained where he was, subtly pulling Monica in front of him. Ross stopped only feet away, his expression still unreadable, except for a small hint of interest.

"My best friend?" He asked Monica. She nodded confidently, not afraid of her brother. She took Chandler's hand and squeezed tightly.

Ross switched his attention to Chandler, who was bravely holding his gaze. "My sister?"

Chandler's mouth suddenly felt far too dry. She swallowed nervously as he nodded. He hesitated for a moment before, "I'm sorry we didn't tell you sooner, but we're both so bad with relationships and it has been going so well." He paused, looking for any inclination of acceptance from Ross. "I love her." This really got Ross's attention. His gaze snapped to Chandler's, as if looking for honesty in his expression. Chandler offered a small smile. Ross shifted back to Monica.

"I love him, to." She said. "A lot." She added.

Ross smiled, stepped forward and flung his arms around Monica and Chandler, pulling both of them into a tight hug. "I'm so happy for you guys."

Monica and Chandler were both surprised by Ross's actions and hesitated before returning the hug. When he finally pulled away, both girls were there, waiting for their hug.

"This is good," Rachel said.

Phoebe nodded. "Weird, but good."

Monica glared at Phoebe.

"No, not weird, I just mean that it will take some getting used to, that's all. No wait, there. Done. I'm already used to it."

Monica laughed at Phoebe's antics. "It's okay, Pheebs. It took us some getting used to as well."

Chandler smiled at her and felt his heart jump when she smiled back. How he had managed to get himself into a relationship with someone as amazing as he was beyond him, but he wasn't going to complain. He pulled her in a little closer and smiled when he felt her take his hand. He loved being able to hold her in public. He sighed contentedly. This was exactly where he wanted to be.

AN: So, is it any good? A third (and quite possibly last) chapter will be up soon.