It's Some Kind of Wonderful Life

Once Monica finally settled into bed, Chandler turned to face her. He hadn't spoken about his mother's offer to her since they left the vacant store hours ago. He made sure not to mention it in front of her parents. He even avoided bringing it up once they put the babies to sleep. Yet, he had been thinking about it all night and once they were both in bed, he found that he could no longer hold in his curiosity. As his wife got under the comforter and slid next to him, compelling him to wrap his arm around her so she could rest her head on his chest, he could only voice his deliberations into a simple one-word question.

"No?"

Monica tilted her head up to look at him and smiled as she placed her hand gently on his cheek. "No."

Monica and Chandler had returned home a few hours ago. They thanked her parents for staying and taking care of Jack and Erica while they were out during the late afternoon, first spending some time in the city at Central Perk with a few of their friends, and then later on as they went on an impromptu drive into town with Nora Bing. Monica once again thanked Nora and Chandler had a private word with her outside on the front porch before she left. Soon enough, they were alone. Monica was quiet most of the night. She took a shower, spoke with Rachel on the phone to see if there was any update on Phoebe, who was at the hospital having her baby, and did some light cleaning in the kitchen before joining her husband in bed.

Chandler was sitting up, idly flipping through a magazine, but couldn't get his focus pulled away from this evening's events when they were checking out the property that his mother had purchased, with the intent of allowing Monica to open her own restaurant in one of the empty storefronts. Nora had explained how she was going to be a hands-off property owner, having purchased the building which included a pizzeria, a yoga studio, a hair salon and four apartments.

"It's an investment." Is all she would say when he pressed his mother on why she did this now, and why here in the town they lived in. "I was told I should invest some of the money I received for the movie rights to my 'Address Unknown' series of books into real estate. Well, I thought I could also invest in one of the businesses that operated out of the building as well, and moreover, invest in the woman who was able to fix you."

Chandler watched his wife carefully as she slowly spun around in a circle, her eyes appeared to be memorizing every inch of the space. It wasn't a large room. It wouldn't rival the size of most restaurants in town, instead it appeared more like a narrow bistro you would find in Manhattan, squeezed between two other shops. A place someone might stop at to have a small meal or a light snack and a drink before continuing their day. It was dirty, and except for the kitchen in the back corner which seemed to almost twinkle in the twilight that was breaking through the front window, the entire place would require a complete remodel.

He wasn't sure how his wife would react to such an offer, but he did not expect her to reply with such a terse rejection. Without even walking through the entire place first. Yet, there she was, dangling the keys back at his mother, shaking her head, and politely refusing the offer.

He put his hand over Monica's, feeling the warmth from his own cheek radiate through her fingers and moved her hand over to his lips so he could kiss her palm. "Why not?"

Monica propped herself up, supporting her head with her hand as she rested her elbow on the bed. She allowed her finger to trail along his chest as she watched the patterns she made. "There's so many reasons." She lifted her eyes to the ceiling as she began to list all the things that had run through her mind when she was standing in the middle of the empty store. "I'm a chef, not a business owner. I don't have any kind of staff; I don't even know what kind of staff I could afford or would need. It's small, it would require a lot of work, we have two babies. I don't know anything about budgeting for something like this. I would have no idea where to start."

Chandler nodded and allowed a sly smirk to form at the corner of his mouth. "Okay. I hear you. But why again?"

Monica removed her hand from his chest and sat up, a half-smile flashing on her lips despite her best efforts to appear annoyed at her husband's persistence. She then allowed her face to fall a bit as her tone became soft and rueful. "Worst of all, I'd be walking away from Javu. I feel like I would be letting down all the people I work with. I'd be giving up and handing a great restaurant to that jerk. It would be like losing. It would be worse than losing. It would look like I couldn't handle it, quit and needed to be bailed out by my mother-in-law. Like I wasn't good enough to keep the restaurant I already worked at."

"Oh." Chandler nodded as his eyes dropped down. "You know that wouldn't be true though, and anything with the two little dictators we can work out, right? And you would be closer to home. Imagine being able to see them while you're at work?"

Monica smiled despite her misgivings. "That would be nice. To be so close. But it is such a huge thing. And restaurants fail all the time."

"You don't fail. Look, I'm not saying you have to do this, but maybe think about it a little more. You're miserable at work right now, and you're exhausted all the time. I just want to make sure you're happy. Whatever you chose to do, I'll support that. You know that right?"

Monica leaned closer to Chandler's face and kissed him through her smile. "I know."

"Let's get through Christmas. Then we can talk about it again, and if you are still convinced it is the wrong thing to do, then we will let my mother know not to bring it up anymore. Because if there's one thing I know about my mother, it is that she won't give up so easily. I imagine she is already drawing up a contract even as we speak."

Monica pulled him closer to her and rolled over on her back, positioning him on top of her as she hooked one of her legs around his lower back an ran the other foot across his calf. "Okay. Enough about that. Let's get onto some other business we need to discuss."

Chandler affected his voice with a faux-European accent. "Oh. You mean the business of love."

"Honey. What did I tell you about doing creepy voices like that before sex?"

"Don't do them?"

Monica rolled over on her side and watched her husband sleep. She knew it was early Christmas morning since the sky was still dark and their alarm had not gone off. She craned her neck to see the face of the clock on the bedside table next to Chandler. Five-forty-three. Much too early to wake him. She lifted her head and heard nothing from the monitor. All was quiet. She had a halfhearted inclination to go for a run, which is how her mornings would usually start, but it looked cold outside and it was warm and cozy under the comforter. She could feel the heat coming off of her husband's body and curled up as she slid her legs closer to him until her feet were nestled against his thighs. Upon making contact, she was overcome with this need for him, and suddenly waking him up too early didn't seem like a bad idea after all.

She could feel his entire body tremble as she touched him, and then heard a contented sigh escape his lips. "In some states, putting your cold feet on your husband while he is sleeping is grounds for divorce." He never opened his eyes, but a dreamy smile spread across his lips as she took her hand and placed it on the inside of his pajama top, stretching her finger along his abdomen. He laughed and shifted a bit on his side of the bed.

"Merry Christmas."

Monica smiled and pulled herself closer to him, sliding her other hand underneath his pillow. "Merry Christmas."

"What time is it?"

"Almost six." Monica brought her lips to his collarbone and traced a few kisses across his neck.

"Ugh, Seriously? Why are you awake? You are worse than a kid on Christmas morning."

"You knew this about me before we got married." She started to move her hand up his chest under his shirt, grazing her fingertips along his body.

Chandler's body reacted with a series of excited shivers. "I don't think that's accurate. So, what are we doing here? Am I getting an early present?"

Monica allowed a seductive, "Maybe" to escape her lips as her breath tickled his neck.

"I never should have let you know that this is the only way to get me to function this early in the morning."

"Ready?" Monica called down from the top of the stairs as Chandler positioned himself at the bottom with a camera in his hands.

"Are you sure you are okay with both of them?"

"Chandler. I will carry twelve babies if it means getting this picture the way I want."

Chandler chuckled and put his eye up to the viewfinder. "Okay, ready."

Monica, dressed in festive red flannel pajamas, her hair pulled back in a tight ponytail, started her descent down the stairs. Erica and Jack on either side of her, supported on her hips. Both babies wearing matching outfits to their mother. Chandler can only shake his head at the image of the three of them and then marvels at the fact that she can effortlessly carry these two seven-month old babies down a flight of stairs.

"You are freakishly strong."

He started to snap away, taking as many photos as he could as she continued on her way down.

Monica held a smile, but her one eyebrow raised in scorn at his comment was enough to make Chandler chuckle. She turned her attention back to her children and began to talk to them in a sweet, sing-song voice. "Merry Christmas bunnies. I can't wait to see if Santa came for you guys last night."

Chandler bit his lip, a joke already forming in his mind, but he thought it better to hold his tongue and switched the camera to video mode as Monica made the turn into the den. She gestured with her head to the stockings filled with gifts on the stairway as she passed them. Both babies gurgle as they grimace a little, looking around and sucking on the cloth from her shirt.

"Ooo. Look at all the presents under the tree!"

Chandler pushed the two Bimbo chairs over with his foot and Monica carefully dropped to her knees so she could place each child in their own chair. Jack seemed sleepy, content to look around the room, but Erica was slapping her hands down and blowing air out of her mouth impatiently. Chandler turned the camera off and placed it on the couch.

"Let me get their bottles. Erica looks like she is ready for one now." He darted out of the room, leaving Monica and the babies alone for a few moments.

Monica looked at both of her children, tickling them under their chins while they waited. She imitated Erica, who was still blowing out air and Jack looked over at his mother and began to copy her movements, blowing air out of his mouth as well. The three of them, opening their mouths up wide as they inhale and then blowing out air, almost in sync.

Chandler returned to the den, bottles in hand, and hesitated before entering as he watched them for a few moments. Wife, son and daughter, all blowing air from their lips.

"What did I sign myself up for?"

Monica laughed as she put her hand out, taking one of the bottles from her husband and holding it while Erica began to suckle at it, drinking down the formula. With her other hand, she started to grab at the gifts under the tree and slid them over into groups.

Chandler, using the other bottle to feed Jack, shook his head. "Are you really organizing the gifts with one hand?"

Monica, not pausing in her motions, shrugged one shoulder. "You messed them up last night. This is a better system."

Chandler placed one more set of clothes into each of the twins' diaper bags, hoping it would be enough to survive Christmas at his in-laws when he heard footsteps lightly pad their way down the stairs. Monica turned the corner and greeted him in the den, wearing a tight red sweater and dark blue jeans. She still had her hair up, showing off her neckline and the necklace he had given her as a Christmas gift this morning. Chandler walked behind her, brushing his nose along the length of her neck as he took in her scent. He placed a few kisses near her jawline and moaned lightly.

"Mmm. Do we have to go to your parents?"

Monica smiled and let out a breathy chuckle. "Yes. We always have to go to my parents on Christmas. It's their thing. They want all their grandchildren over so they can spoil them."

Chandler continued his movements, wrapping his arms around her waist as he dragged his lips down to her clavicle. "Let's stay here and go upstairs so I can spoil you."

Monica laughed. "If we go upstairs to have sex right now, the only one getting spoiled will be you."

Chandler sighed in defeat and disentangled his arms from around his wife. "All right."

Monica turned around and they shared a quick kiss and then broke apart again, going in different directions. She headed to the kitchen to retrieve the bottle bag from the refrigerator and he went into the den to get the twins out of the playpen.

Monica stood at the table for a few minutes and looked out at the bright, sunny Christmas morning sky through the kitchen window while she twirled her necklace between her forefinger and thumb.

"No snow today. It's still kind of beautiful."

"Monica! Come in here! Hurryhurryhurry!"

Monica, shaken from her reverie, turned and scampered into the den.

"Look at Jack!"

She cast her eyes down and watched her son as he used his arms and elbows to pull his body across the room, almost resembling a military crawl.

"Oh my goodness Jackie-boy! You're doing it!"

Jack stopped moving as he got to his intended target and sat up, pulling at the ring stacker that he got for Christmas. He proceeded to take the first ring off and put it in his mouth. Drooling and sucking all over the brightly colored plastic toy.

"Chandler! Did you see that!"

"You know that was me who called you in here, right?" Chandler picked up Erica and placed her on the floor. "Hey princess, you want to see if you can get over to your brother?"

Erica sat up and squirmed a bit, stretching her arms out. She flopped face down on the floor and rolled over to her side; content to lay there, grabbing at her feet as she tried to stick one in her mouth.

Chandler twisted his lips up and tilted his head. "Okay, maybe next time."

Monica clasped her hands together excitedly. "That counts as crawling." She then looked over at Jack, still removing rings and stuffing them in his mouth. "Jackie-baby, that counts! Oh no! We didn't get any pictures!"

Monica decided to slip out of bed early on the morning after Christmas and take a jog around the neighborhood. She liked the quiet early hours of winter in the suburbs. It was cold, but not painfully so where the air stung your face as you ran. The sky was grey and felt pregnant with snow, causing the air to feel damp. It was early enough that most people were still in bed, or at the very least, sharing breakfast in their kitchens. She only saw one car driving around during the entire forty-five minutes she was running. A stark contrast to what it was like to go for a jog in Manhattan.

Monica preferred to run when it was cold. It almost made her feel as if she were getting more of a workout, though she couldn't say why. It was also a little more comfortable then in the summer. The oppressive heat bearing down on her, making her legs feel like concrete. Her clothes sticking to her body and feeling hot and heavy. But in the winter there was a lift in her step and her clothes stayed cool and light. Even as she felt sweat pool on her back, along her hairline, across her temples, and under her cap. The sweat would chill almost immediately when the cold air hit it. Making it so it wouldn't sting her eyes like it does in the summer.

By the time she returned home and finished cooling down with some stretches on the back deck she could see Chandler moving around in the kitchen in his robe. She watched him for a few minutes as he prepared a pot of coffee and filled some empty bottles with water, getting them ready for the twins' breakfast. She saw him grab a banana from the bowl on the counter and start to slice it up, letting her know that her babies must already be awake and sitting in their high chairs, awaiting their first meal of the day. She thought about entering in through the back door to help, but found it much more interesting to watch her husband strike a delicate balance of tending to their children and his own need for caffeine. She stood closer to the window and could finally see inside, watching as he slid their plates onto their trays, covered in fruit that they could mash up in their gums. It filled her with a sense of accomplishment that this was her life. This was her family. That all of her choices led her here. And that all those choices were the correct ones. Because this is the only place she wanted to be.

She finally broke from her voyeurism and entered the kitchen through the backdoor. Chandler reached over to the counter and handed her a glass with a greenish liquid that he could not help but make a face at.

"Here, one of your gross juices."

Monica took the glass from him as she pinched his side. She leaned over and looked at Jack and Erica, who were enjoying a sticky breakfast of banana and some rice cereal. Pieces stuck to their fingers as they tried to shove everything into their gaping mouths. She smiled at them and they made eye contact, smiled and giggled as their mother's face came into view.

"I think they missed you. They're also really disgusting. You don't want to know what I found in their diapers this morning." Chandler exaggerated shuddering in horror at the thought. "You know, I was reading that they're going to start developing object permeance now, maybe they knew you were gone when they woke up, because they were not laughing and smiling at me like they are now."

Monica looked back and smiled at her husband, still bent over slightly. She returned her attention to her children. "Well you weren't smiling because Daddy calls you adorable bunnies disgusting. Did you miss me? Did you miss Mommy?" Erica stretched out a particularly sticky hand with a mashed-up piece of banana stuck to it in her direction. "Oh, uh, Chandler. I think Erica wants to give you something."

Monica finished taking her morning shower and slipped into a comfortable pair of jeans and one of Chandler's faded New York Knicks sweatshirts. She tossed her hair back and bounced downstairs. She turned to go into the kitchen but saw Chandler standing in the living room with Jack and Erica bundled up in their car seats.

"Hey, grab your coat. I want us to take a little ride somewhere."

"Where?"

"Into town. We can get some hot chocolate at that new place on Fulton and Main and take a little walk. I already packed some stuff for these two and put the stroller in the car."

Monica shrugged her shoulders and slipped on her sneakers as she grabbed a coat from out of the hallway closet.

Once they had the twins securely placed into the back of their SUV, Chandler jumped into the driver's seat and checked his watch. Monica elbowed him playfully as she adjusted her seat.

"Got a hot date or something?"

"Have I ever had a hot date?"

"What about with me?"

"Did we go on dates? I thought we just snuck into each other's bedroom late at night. Were those dates?"

Monica shook her head and playfully scolded her husband with her eyes. "So. Going into town, huh? Why do I suspect we're going to stop at a specific empty store?"

"Well, I just thought you should look at it one more time before we called my mom to tell her it was a definite no. You know, see it without that initial shock."

"Chandler. I already told you. It's too much. I'm not ready for something like this. I wouldn't even know where to start."

"Okay, okay. I'm really only going for the hot chocolate. What do I know anyway? You're the expert. If you think it is too much, then we just get this over with so we can move on."

Monica narrowed her eyes and smiled as she shook her head, suspecting her husband was not being sincere about his intentions.

"So, no big speech prepared to sweep me off my feet?"

"When have I ever done that?"

The car pulled up to the curb and Monica slid a few coins in the meter as Chandler placed Erica and Jack into their stroller. He pulled a key out of his pocket and handed it to Monica.

"Will you do the honors?"

"Where did you get this?"

"I took it from my mother the other night. Just so we could see it one more time."

Monica huffed playfully and approached the front door, slowly sticking the key in and turning it. A jolt of excitement rushed through her as she allowed herself a small moment to imagine she were unlocking the door to her own restaurant, but she quickly let that fantasy subside and thought once more about all the difficulties that would come with having a place like this.

She held the door open and Chandler wheeled their sleeping children inside. He pushed them back towards the rear of the building.

"I mean, you didn't even look at the kitchen. At least look around in there."

Monica sighed again and walked through the back of the store. She stopped at the bar and pushed her finger against the wood. It felt strong and she wondered if just a deep cleaning and some stain would make it look new. She slowly peered into the corridor behind the main room, taking note that there were two bathrooms on her right and an office door down behind the kitchen on her left.

She entered the kitchen, noticing it looked practically brand new. Some equipment was even still wrapped in commercial cellophane. Every piece was clean and shiny. She took a quick inventory and there was nothing missing. Everything she would need to run a kitchen was there. Prep station, grill, fryer; all perfectly sealed, as if it was just waiting for someone to set it free so it could fulfill its destiny.

Towards the back was a door to a small, but manageable walk-in refrigerator. It looked to need some cleaning, and she thought to herself that the shelves could be arranged better for maximum efficiency, but it would definitely be up to the task of handling the demands she would put on it. She stepped back out and looked down at the two freezers. They were deep enough to hold plenty of food, especially if most of the food for the night would be fresh and not frozen. It was truly a perfect kitchen for her and would suit all her needs.

She stepped out of the kitchen and leaned over to look towards the back of the building. A doorway led out to the back, through the window she could see a small patio. Beyond that a fence and entranceway to the back parking lot.

Chandler, observing his wife standing in the doorway of the kitchen, rolled the stroller over to her and leaned up against the wall.

"Well, what do you think?"

Monica looked around one more time with a sad smile on her face.

"It looks good, and some of this stuff is really nice, but I don't know. I think the answer is still no. I mean," she walked out into the main dining area and waved her arms around, gesturing to the space. "I wouldn't even know where to start."

Chandler rubbed the back of his neck, but before he could say anything, someone knocked on the front door. A sly smile started to spread across his lips.

"I hope that isn't someone looking to eat."

Monica shook her head and briskly walked to the door, unlocking it before looking up.

"What are you doing here?"

She opened the door and let Geoffrey, the maître de from Javu inside.

"I got a call that you might be opening your own place and I wanted to see if maybe you were accepting resumes."

Monica looked back at Chandler who averted his eyes from her discerning stare. She pursed her lips and turned back to Geoffrey.

"I, uh, I don't know if that's true. I'm not really a restaurant owner. I'm a chef."

"Well, if it helps, I did take restaurant, food and beverage management courses. If your hiring a manager."

Monica laughed. "Thanks. That's sweet, but really. I'd need so much more than that."

Geoffrey looked out the door and held it open. "I guess that's a good thing. You might have more people looking to work for you."

He stepped back and one by one, most of the staff that she worked with at Javu entered the building. They all started walking around, inspecting the space.

Monica's eyes began to water as she looked on; more people from Javu entered the room. The bartender, the sous chef, line cooks, wait staff, hosts; all smiling at Monica as they walked past her. Each one shaking her hand, congratulating her, asking if she needs help, inquiring about working for her. She brought her hands up to her mouth, overwhelmed by the outpouring of support.

She turned towards her husband, shock still drawn upon her face. "What did you do?"

"Nothing. Maybe it was Santa Claus." Monica rushed over to him and hugged him tightly as he wrapped one arm around her and kissed her on the top of her head. He brought his hand up to wipe her tears away. "I guess maybe he heard you might need some help."

"Are we really going to do this?" She looked up at him and used her sleeve to wipe her face.

"Only if you want to."

Geoffrey walked over to the couple and looked down at the floor. "Sorry to interrupt, but do you have any plans for this place yet?"

Monica smiled and released herself from the embrace with her husband and started to emphatically move her arms. "Well, I thought we could put a chalkboard on this wall where we could write the specials, and it isn't a big space so large meals are out. I was thinking maybe a tapas restaurant and we could serve then in stages. Maybe make specialty empanadas, and…."

Chandler put his hand on her back, cutting off her train of thought as she looked up at him. "I thought you didn't know where to start?"

"Well, I had a few ideas that came to me over the last couple of days."

"You thought of all this that first night, didn't you?"

Monica shrugged her shoulders and made an apologetic face. Chandler huffed out a chuckle, lifted her chin up and placed a soft, quick kiss on her lips.

"I guess this means you're opening a restaurant?"

Monica smiled, her eyes shining with determination. "Yeah, I guess so."

She looked out the front window and noticed that large, chunky snowflakes were beginning to fall. A smile spread across her lips as she heard Jack and Erica begin to stir.

"Oh, perfect timing!"

She grabbed the stroller, pushed it up to the front window and knelt down by the side of it. She glanced over at her children who were already wide eyed and looking around. She pointed out the window.

"Look guys. Snow. Your first snowfall. Isn't it beautiful?"

She looked back at the empty restaurant. She watched as Chandler shook hands with Geoffrey. He smiled and began to greet the other staff members who came over from Javu. Large, slow tears that look like globes formed and trickled down her face.

"Isn't it all so beautiful?"

A/N – I know. I wrote a sappy, contrived Christmas type story in August. Maybe I'll figure out how to sync up this post-series story to the real-world calendar so at least it doesn't seem so strange. Monica's restaurant is actually based on a place near me that I love and I am going to steal from them liberally. They'll never know.

The title of this chapter, which marks the end of the Javu arc I would think, is taken from two movies. You probably know at least one of them.