What We Live For

Part Two of Three: Erica

Nightmares

Life had been busy in the Bing household, Monica was still in the hospital with their newborn son who she had given birth to only days earlier. Meanwhile, the two remaining Bing children decided tonight was the night to make Daddy's life a living hell. Between Jack refusing to go to bed because he wanted mommy to tuck him in, and Erica's fear of nightmares, he was at his wits end.

"This is why I never wanted children!" he hissed as he finally managed to wrestle his eldest son into bed. That of course left the small boy crying until Chandler took back all his cruel words and told him he loved him.

He'd finally managed to get Eric to sleep as well, when he returned to his own bed. One he had shared with Monica every night for the past five years. The first thing he noticed was how cold the bed was where Mon normally slept. It just didn't feel right, not to him anyway.

He laid down and pulled Monica's pillow close, drawing in the scent of his beautiful wife. He hadn't been asleep, and wasn't highly surprised when he heard his daughter's first cry of the night. The fairly new father dragged his exhausted body from the bed and wandered into his daughter's room. She sat up in bed crying as she clutched her teddy to her chest.

"Hey now," he whispered as he reached out and scooped her up into his arms. He immediately noticed she'd wet herself, and decided he'd better fix that problem. "You can sleep with me, okay?" he cradled her as though she were still his little baby girl.

He missed holding her close, although at four she wasn't exactly ready to let go of her daddy, but still it hurt to know she was growing so fast. He headed into his bathroom and filled the tub with a little warm water, then helped her clean off. He changed into a different pair of bottoms and left his shirt off, then helped Erica into a new pair of PJs.

She clutched tightly to his neck, remaining silent as she sniffled occasionally, he rubbed her back as he carried her into the large bedroom, "The nightmares aren't real Erica, they can't hurt you sweetie," he whispered as he pushed the hair from her beautiful angelic face. He didn't tell her that nightmares could plague you forever, and that even today he still had some bad ones, she was four and had no need to know more than daddy was here to always protect her.

"Keep me safe," she mumbled as she curled against his body.

Chandler sighed and smiled as he wrapped two protective arms around her, "Forever sweetheart. Forever and always."

First Days

Monica sighed as she finished making lunch for her two eldest children, as they sat at the table, Chandler scolding them for arguing and not eating. "Okay everyone, time to go to school," Chandler finally announced.

Jack cheered as he hurried upstairs to finish getting ready, however Erica remained at the table, looking rather unsure. "Chandler, why don't you go make sure Jack uses toothpaste to brush," Monica offered as she watched her daughter sulk slightly.

Chandler glanced from daughter to wife and nodded, he quickly pressed a kiss to Erica's head and hurried up the stairs.

"What's wrong sweetie?" Monica questioned brushing the hair from her daughter's face.

"You won't be there mommy, who's going to take care of Jack an' me. Hows come you can't come with us?"

Monica chuckled and gently ran her hand over Erica's hair, "Sweetie, daddy and I have already gone to school, you're going to have lots of fun, I promise. Remember what daddy said last night about being brave for us. You'll see us before you know it."

"Daddy's always brave, he's a big boy," murmured the girl.

Smiling again she shook her head as she lifted her daughter into her arms, "Oh no baby, daddy is scared of lots of things, the dark, heights…the Lord of the Dance," she grinned at the fond memory, "I'm afraid of things too sweetie; but we try and over come the things that scare us so that we can live our lives. Now, you're going to school today, and you're going to have a lot of fun."

"What if they don't like me?" she whimpered.

"Hey, what's not to like, you're pretty, you're smart, you're clean."

"Okay Erica, we're ready to go," Chandler called as he and Jack made their way down the stairs.

Erica looked up at her mommy, tears still in her eyes, "I'll see you later?"

"Tell you what, I'll have warm cookies and milk waiting for you two so you can tell me all about your first day."

"Can I call daddy when I get home?"

"I bet your daddy would love that, now off you go," she pressed a kiss to the child's cheek and smiled as Erica hopped out of her mother's lap and raced towards her father. Chandler easily caught her and lifted her up, planting a loving kiss to her cheek.

"Say bye mommy," he spoke as he ushered their charges out the door.

Driving Like Mom

He sat in the passenger's seat of the car, trying to bite his tongue as he gripped the sides of his seat. He didn't recall his son being this bad, but maybe it was just him, "Okay STOP!" he finally yelled as they came dangerously close to running over a curb. "You drive like your mother." He grumbled.

"At least I'm trying!" cried the girl.

"Watch your tone with me, look, okay—" he paused, taking a deep breath. He couldn't remember signing up for this part of puberty and teenage life, in fact he was fairly sure he hadn't signed any part of a contract for teenagers. "Okay Erica, take a deep breath, and slowly turn the car around."

"You're not going to yell at me?"

Chandler had to keep from biting his tongue, "I'm going to try, now start the car."

The girl managed to start the car and slowly turn it around until it was facing the rest of the empty parking lot. "All right, good girl, now gently give her some gas and take a left."

"Okay—" Chandler watched as she maneuvered the rest of the parking lot fairly well. He tried not to think about Rachel's daughter Emma, who had wrecked the car last week from trying to learn how to drive. "Good, very good, now gently hit the break…" as soon as the words left his mouth Chandler felt his entire body slam forward. He grunted in pain as he caught himself from a possible concussion. "I said gently," he groaned as he sat back.

"I'm tryin—"

"Say I'm trying one more time and this car trip is over."

"Well you yell at me every minute!"

"I'm not yelling! You wanna hear yelling?" he raised his voice an octave.

"Why are you being so uptight?"

Chandler tried not to roll his eyes, "Because I'm teaching my almost sixteen year old daughter how to drive a two hundred pound car without envisioning it meeting a tree! Now, lose the attitude or we'll be going home and you'll be waiting until after your birthday to drive, if I'm nice."

"Why don't you just let mom teach me?" grumbled the girl.

"Because your mother also sucks," he returned caustically.

"Fine, you drive!"

"If you open that car door you will not be getting back in this car for a year am I understood?"

"Fine!"

"Fine!" He bit in response as he sat back and glared at his only female off spring, "Are you done with the hissy fit?"

She didn't reply other than to glare at him. He nodded rapidly, "Turn onto the main road, gently give it a little gas and lets try to get home in one piece."

With Mom at the Mall

She'd been in the middle of English class, her brother was in history, although he was supposedly going out to lunch with dad. She'd been slightly hurt when her father hadn't invited her to lunch. She'd always figured they had a strong relationship. However, today was their sixteenth birthday and she was beginning to have doubts.

"Miss Bing, your mother is downstairs," the teacher called from the front of the glass as he held out the green slip of paper to the girl.

Worry instantly filled her every fiber as she hurried downstairs. Her mind wandering to her father and her younger brother. What if something had happened to them, why else would mom be here. She tried to hold back an onslaught of tears that were threatening to prove her fear.

However as she got downstairs, her mother stood calmly in front of the many poster boards, looking at student's art. She turned around to see her daughter and smiled softly, "Hey birthday girl," Monica greeted.

"What's wrong?" Erica blurted.

Confusion then worry gripped Monica, "Oh sweetie, I'm sorry—nothing honey, I…honey your father is taking Jack out for lunch and a little time for the two of them, but I thought maybe you'd like to just spend the day with your mom. Go to the mall."

"Really?"

"Well just between you me and your dad of course, but yeah."

Erica's eyes lit up at the prospect of her and her mom, "I'd love that!"

Later that night Monica and Chandler took their three children out to dinner, meeting all their other friends to celebrate the teenager's birthday. However, for Monica and Erica it was a day that they would always remember. Erica had never realized her mom was so cool and loving in all her life. She sat beside her mother at dinner, clingy to the memories of the day, in desperate hopes that she would never forget the day when she spent the entire afternoon goofing off with just her mom.

Goodbye My Angel

She stood in front of her parents; Jack had left two weeks earlier, and the goodbye had been tearful. However, she hadn't ever expected it to be this hard to say goodbye. She'd thought she was ready to bid a farewell to these two. She looked at her mom, who was trying to hold the tears back and she reached out, her own flood gates suddenly open as her mother held her with all her might.

"You two have been such a joy," Monica whispered as she pressed a kiss to the girl's cheek. "You be good, not too many wild parties, we love you so much."

Monica smiled as her daughter pulled away and turned to Chandler. The grown man, who had once never been able to cry: the man she'd picked on that if they dropped their son off and he couldn't shed a tear inside, was an open book now. Tears were streaming down his face as he looked at his baby girl; the only little one he had.

"Come here," Chandler choked out as he drew his daughter into a gripping hug. They had both grown so much, Chandler couldn't live without his three perfect children now, and they couldn't survive without him.

Erica had been the role model daddy's girl; she'd always been enamored by him. At first Chandler had been frightened of having a girl, but after awhile, Monica could see that Chandler was just as amazed by the angel as she was by her superman.

Erica let out a tiny sob against her father's chest as she held on for dear life, "I don't want to go," she cried softly as her father all but lifted her off the ground.

"I don't want you to go either baby, but it's time," he replied softly as he kissed her hair over and over again.

"I feel like this is the end," she whimpered.

"No, never the end, this is just a new beginning," Chandler replied as he pulled his daughter back and smiled at her gently, "Just a whole new beginning of a life that will lead you to amazing friends and wonderful opportunities. There's a whole world out there waiting for you."

"I love you so much daddy."

"I love you more than you will ever know," he replied.

She pulled away and glanced back at her mother one last time, "Be brave sweetie, you'll do just fine," Monica whispered as she stroked her daughter's cheek. "Call us whenever you need to okay."

She nodded, biting her lip and watched as her parents left the dorm room, heading down to their car. She watched them until they were no longer in view. She turned just as the room opened, a young blonde girl stepped in and offered her a huge smile, "Hi, I'm Monica Tribbiani."

"That's my mom's name—well not the last part…" she stopped and laughed, so much like her father and then stuck her hand out, "I'm Erica Bing."

Monica and Chandler sighed as they stepped into the twins' rooms later that night, Chandler felt a whole new wave of tears crash against him as he looked at all the pictures of his little girl, "She's not so little anymore," he whimpered.

Monica chuckled lightly, and hugged him around the waist, realizing his words were far too true, "No, not so much," she replied. "Neither of them are, seems like just yesterday you were yelling in the room that we had no idea we were having twins."

He chuckled at the memory, "Those were the days. It's been a long time since we've been together like that."

"Do you ever miss it?" Monica inquired.

"Sometimes, but then I realize how happy I was when I was with you for the first time."

Daddy's Little Girl

He looked at the door, unsure if he was ready to do this, before he stepped in behind Emma. There she stood on the small platform, looking absolutely breathtaking. Chandler shook his head as he took the sight of her in her mother's wedding dress. "You are—" he couldn't finish as a lump formed in his throat, he wasn't sure when he'd become such a softy.

"Don't cry!" cried Erica as she hurried towards her father and wiped his tears away, "If you start then I'll cry. Oh daddy," she smiled, "I'm getting married today."

"My little girl all grown up. I always knew you'd find him, I just didn't imagine it would be any of Joey's children." He chuckled as he dropped a kiss on her forehead.

"He's a good guy dad."

"Oh I know he is, he wouldn't be allowed to marry you otherwise. So tell me future Mrs. Tribianni, are you ready?" he held his arm out as the chapel began their music. She nodded firmly and took his arm.

"Dad, were you nervous for your wedding?" she whispered.

Chandler laughed, "Are you kidding me, I almost ran—twice. Until someone told me your mother was pregnant, then I realized I couldn't run out on her."

"Why did you run?"

He shrugged as they stood at the back of the door, "Because I wasn't the committing type, and as much as I loved and adored her I was terrified that she'd hurt me…I'd been hurt way too much."

"I'm glad you stayed dad."

Chandler gazed down at his angel who suddenly didn't seem quite so big anymore, "I am too."

The music began and the doors were pushed open, seconds later Chandler was escorting his only daughter down the isle towards his best friend's eldest son. Pride filled his heart as he squeezed his daughter's arm one more time, "I love you," he whispered, causing her to smile.

"I love you too dad, more than you'll ever know."

"Who gives this girl?" questioned the minister.

Chandler looked at his daughter and grinned, "Her mother and I do," he replied as he leaned over, put the veil back and pressed a kiss to her cheek. "I love you kiddo."