A/N: Sorry for leaving a cliffhanger for like ten days, but I had to take a break from both my series and write a short, sweet one-shot. So, as an 'I am sorry. Please forgive me' gesture, I've made this chapter longer than my previous ones ;)

For those of you who reviewed the previous chapter, Thank You!

Now, brace yourself for the reactions of Joey, Rachel, Ross, and Phoebe to C&M's news!

Forever and a Day

Chapter 6

"Yeah, and that's another thing you owe me for." She turned the doorknob and entered her apartment just as he entered his.

She closed the door behind her and came to an abrupt halt in the living room when two pairs of accusatory eyes stared at her evenly.

"Rach, Pheebs, what's up?" she asked them curiously.

"We don't know. You tell us." Phoebe countered as both the girls moved towards Monica, almost menacingly. "Is there anything you wanna tell us?"

What was wrong with these two?

"Guys, what's going on?" Monica frowned.

"Monica, why is there a message on our answering machine that says that you're pregnant?" Rachel asked, narrowing her eyes.

Oh, God.

She closed her eyes, feeling utterly unprepared for the confrontation. How could she possibly even have been so stupid to forget to erase that goddamned message?

She opened her eyes slowly, sighing when she found the other two still staring at her. She had no other choice than to tell the truth. She sucked at lying.

"Because I am...?" she said quietly, a tone of apprehension creeping into her voice as she watched their expressions change from confusion to incredulity and finally to ecstasy.

"Really? You're gonna have a baby?!" Phoebe asked, practically giddy.

Monica nodded, smiling widely, relief flooding through her as she realized that it was no longer a secret. Looking at her best friends' faces, she knew they were happy for her.

"Oh my God, oh my God, that's just... Oh my God," Rachel fanned her face dramatically. "Who's the father?"

Oh, there it was - the more (probably the most) important question.

That was the one question that Monica had hoped wouldn't come up. But knowing her friends, that should have been the first question.

She inhaled deeply, meeting her friends' unwavering, intense gazes. "It's Chandler," she murmured finally.

She was beginning to enjoy this, just a tiny, a very tiny bit. It was fun to watch her two closest friends freak out - even if it was at her expense.

To her great satisfaction, they looked thoroughly stumped.

"Chandler?" Rachel asked after ten seconds of pin-drop silence with an expression of absolute shock. "As in Chandler Bing, the guy who lives right across the hall?"

"Yes."

Their expressions changed, giving way to huge, monstrous grins. "Oh, my God! This is huge!" Rachel squealed.

"How did it happen?!" Phoebe grinned, her eyes wide, both of them looking at her expectantly, wanting the more juicy details.

Monica laughed. "On the night of Ben's birth. I was an emotional wreck, we got drunk, one thing led to another... You know, just the usual stuff," she shrugged, looking away, knowing that she was blushing.

Every time she thought of that night, she could feel the color rising to her cheeks. After all, the then hazy, blurry details were now rather vivid in her memory.

"Usual stuff, huh?" the girls giggled. "Does he know? How did he take it?" Rachel asked suddenly, looking at Monica warily.

Chandler Bing's infamous commitment issues were rather well known in their friends' circle.

"Yeah, he knows. He took it... pretty well, I guess. In fact, we're just returning from my OB/GYN," she smiled at them, once again realizing just how lucky she was that Chandler was willing to do this with her.

"So, are you guys like a couple now?" Rachel looked at her curiously. They'd definitely make a great couple.

"What?! No, no!" Monica shook her head emphatically. "No, we're just having this baby together. We're not involved or anything," she added more calmly. "I am just glad that he hasn't gone into his whole freak-out mode already. Please don't say such things in front of him," she pleaded.

"We won't, Mon. And don't worry about Chandler. The guy loves you." Rachel said softly. "He'll never leave you to do this on your own." Monica and Chandler's closeness was something that she'd always envied. She knew he'd do anything for Monica, without a second thought.

Monica nodded, not knowing what to say. She just hoped what Rachel had said was true, but a reassuring voice in her mind told her that it was indeed true. After all, he'd asked her to marry him.

A moment later, Phoebe and Rachel's expression of happiness turned into something emotional. They came forward and hugged Monica. "We are so happy for you," Phoebe whispered as Rachel nodded, but Rachel suddenly drew back from the hug, "You are happy, right?" she asked her, looking concerned.

Monica paused for a second to reflect on the question before she answered. "Yes, Rach. I am happy," she nodded eventually, smiling.

She was truly happy.

"You guys are going to have the most amazing baby, ever," Phoebe murmured, tightening her arms around them.

"Really?" she asked, smiling. She had no doubt that their baby would be 'amazing', but it still felt nice to hear when someone else said it.

"Really. I mean, you're beautiful and he… he has the most gorgeous blue eyes." Rachel looked at her dreamily, imagining what the baby of her best friends would look like.

So she wasn't the only one who thought Chandler's eyes were gorgeous.

"And his sharp nose!" exclaimed Phoebe, but instantly added, "God, I hope the baby doesn't inherit his sense of humor, though."

Monica laughed, bringing her arms around them again. "Me too," she whispered to them as unexpected tears sprang to her eyes.

This baby was going to be loved by everyone she loved.

While they were in the middle of the hug, Chandler and Joey entered the apartment.

"Oh my... So, what did I miss?" asked Joey with a suggestive look on his face, pointing at the hug. "This is gonna be like my fantasy come true," he added gleefully, turning to look at Chandler.

Chandler just stared at the three women blankly. She told them already? That's fast.

He hadn't even figured out how to tell Joey.

Phoebe and Rachel ignored Joey's comments and came forward to hug Chandler. He swayed a little, the intensity of their hug taking him by surprise.

"Congratulations, Chandler! We're really happy for you two."

He raised his head to look at Monica inquiringly. "Told them?"

"Yeah, they heard the doctor's message," she smiled at him.

"Thanks, ladies," he told the girls, who were still hugging him.

"Okay, so what am I really missing here?" Joey asked again, looking clearly agitated.

Monica looked at Chandler. "Didn't tell him?"

He shook his head and motioned for her to come forward. When she did, he looked at Joey. "Joe, we're going to have a baby," he said, motioning to the space between him and Monica.

Joey looked like he didn't comprehend what Chandler had just said, but in five seconds, his expression changed into one of pure, unadulterated happiness - the kind that only Joey could express. "Oh, my God! That's…That's great! How did that happen? When?" he asked in quick succession, but raised a hand to stop them before they could answer. "More importantly, who's going to be the godfather?" he looked at them evenly.

"Joey, we really haven't thought that far ahead. Besides, you know, Ross being Monica's brother and me being Ben's godfather, I think Ross-" Chandler's reply was cut off halfway through.

"What?!" Joey exclaimed, looking shaken. "I am not Ben's godfather?"

Oh, God, I could really do without this conversation right now. "No, no. You are. I was just kidding," Chandler rolled his eyes when Joey sighed in relief.

Before Joey could ask the next question, Phoebe interjected. "Speaking of Ross, how are you guys going to tell him?"

The three of them noticed how Monica and Chandler turned many shades paler at the mention of Ross's name.

"We are just going to tell him together. We haven't figured out a way yet." Monica just hoped it'd go as smoothly as it'd gone with these three.

"Don't worry. He'll understand," Rachel doubted it even as she said it.

"Yeah, totally. And you know what I just realized? My psychic is really good. On the day of Ben's birth, she told me that a new life was going to be created that night, in our group. So when Ben was born, I was like 'duh!', but now, it totally makes sense!" Phoebe pointed at Monica and Chandler, who just stared at her, not having a clue as to how to respond to that.

They stood in silence for a couple of seconds before Joey turned to look at Chandler and Monica. "You guys are going to make abysmal parents," he told them, his face creased into an expression of utter sincerity.

The other four people in the room looked at each other, wondering whether they'd heard him right.

"What?" Monica asked finally.

"Abysmal! I know you two are going to be abysmal parents!" he grinned at them widely, and in a moment of impulsiveness, pulled them both into a hug before pulling back. "I am saying that from the bottom of my heart," he pointed to his chest with his thumb.

Chandler stared at him incredulously before he nodded. "Thanks, man. That's the kind of pep talk I was looking for."

~.~

"Call him over," Monica hissed to Chandler for the fourth time.

They both were near the kitchen sink, while the other four were in the living room. Ross, who was painfully unaware of what was going on, was whipping out another one of his dinosaur/museum stories that no one cared about.

Chandler sighed again, turning his head towards the living room, and then turning back to look at her. "Do you think he believes in the concept of 'virginal conception'?" he asked her, lifting one hand, "Or 'immaculate conception'?" he lifted the other.

"It doesn't mean what you think it means," Monica seethed and he yelped in pain when her fingers reached out to pinch his arm, successfully garnering them the attention of the other four. Rachel, Phoebe, and Joey, who already knew what was happening, looked at them apprehensively, while Ross just stared, clueless.

"Ro-oss!" Chandler called out in a singsong voice, owing to the pain, all the while glaring at Monica.

Ross looked at them curiously. "Yeah?"

"Ross, we need to talk to you about something," Monica told him, ignoring the glare that was directed at her.

"Over here," Chandler added, pointing to the place where they were standing. He did not need an audience to witness the scene of him being thrashed by an angry, older brother.

"Okay," Ross looked at them uncertainly as he got off the couch and came near them. The other three suddenly became very interested in the spaghetti stain on one of the cushions, which had managed to escape Monica's intense scrutiny.

The couple looked at each other awkwardly, silently urging the other one to continue. On seeing that Chandler was not yet ready to open his mouth, Monica turned to look at her brother. "Ross, I am pregnant."

No preamble, no leading into. That's probably what confused Ross.

"What?" he asked them, glancing from one face to the other.

Man, my brother is slow! She breathed in slowly, trying to calm her nerves. If she felt this nervous about breaking the news to her brother, how bad would it be when she'd have to tell her parents?

She looked up at Ross again, but before she could open her mouth, she felt Chandler's hand taking hold of hers in a gentle grip.

"Ross, we're going to have a baby together," Chandler lifted their entwined hands slightly to signal whom he meant by 'we'. He spoke in a low voice, but whether it was from nerves, doubts, or overwhelming emotions, she didn't know.

Ross smiled at them, looking like they'd just told him a funny joke, but the instant he saw their nervous faces, it changed.

"Wha- wh- how- how's that even possible?" he stuttered, but a second later, realization dawned on him. "You slept together?!" he screeched, taking a step back. "God, I did not need that mental image!" His hands over his eyes, he shook his head, as if to clear the 'mental image' off his brain.

Slowly dragging his hands down his cheeks, he looked at them again. "Please tell me you're kidding," he pleaded, his eyes hopeful.

"I've still got that message from Dr. Nelson," Monica offered meekly, her hold on Chandler's hand tightening.

Ross suddenly looked angry, his face coloring a deep red, but a second later, he dropped his hands from his face, looking like he had lost all his hope in life, and sighed. "How?"

"If you don't know 'how', then the birth of Ben sure is a mystery," Chandler quipped before Monica could answer.

Brother and sister snapped their heads towards him. He was met with glares from the Geller siblings, glares so intense that he pulled his hand from Monica's and backed off until he could grasp at one of the kitchen chairs.

Monica turned towards her brother, shaking her head in exasperation. She really hoped the baby wouldn't take after its father for its sense of humor. "It happened on the night of Ben's birth, Ross," she told him, "I am sure you don't want to hear anything else," she added.

Ross shook his head disgustedly. He sighed again and looked at his sister and his best friend. Even though Chandler had ventured to come near Monica again, the couple still seemed nervous. And why wouldn't they be? After all, he was the protective big brother who wanted the best for his sister.

He looked at them sharply. "Are you guys going to get married now? Or are you at least together?"

Their heads whipped around to look at each other.

"No!"

"No."

"No."

"No…"

They disagreed, rather vehemently, irking Ross further. "Okay, I get it. You're not together!" he snapped, his fingers pressed against his suddenly throbbing temples. "Do you guys have any idea what you're going to do? I mean, you're not involved. You are just twenty six-"

"I am twenty seven," Chandler interrupted quietly, looking indignant.

"That's not the point!" Ross snapped again. "Oh God… This is just too huge." He shook his head.

"Look, Ross," Monica ventured after a minute. "I know it's huge. I realize this is not something you were expecting to hear today. And no, I won't lie - we have no idea what we're going to do." Monica came closer to him, her eyes pleading. "But while we're figuring that out, we need you by our side, Ross. I need you by my side. As a brother, as a friend. Please...? The baby needs its uncle."

It was weird that his baby sister was pregnant. It was weird that she was pregnant with his best friend's child. It was weird that they weren't together.

But it could have been worse. It could have been some random guy who'd knocked up his sister.

Monica was levelheaded, practical. She'd know what to do. She'd know how to deal with life as a mother. And Chandler, despite all his goofiness, immaturity, and messed up childhood, loved his sister in a weird way, which eluded his understanding. Although he'd always assured Ross that they were 'just good friends', Ross had felt many times that Chandler's feelings towards his sister extended a little beyond 'just friendship'.

Chandler would never hurt Monica. He was sure of that.

He was sure that the baby will be loved by its both parents. And by its uncle.

He sighed again, a reluctant smile forming on his lips, and pulled his sister into a hug, who exhaled slowly in relief.

"Thank you, Ross," she whispered, sounding like she was about to cry.

"I am not totally happy with this, though," he warned them, pulling back to look at both Chandler and Monica.

"I know," she nodded. "You'll love the baby, though. Right?"

He looked down at his sister, who was looking at him with an expression that revealed fear and doubt. All of a sudden, she looked more vulnerable and fragile than he ever remembered seeing her before, like she was when she really was his baby sister. He felt a surge of affection. "Of course I'll love the baby, silly!" he laughed, kissing her forehead lightly, and letting her out of his grasp.

He turned his head around to look at Phoebe, Joey and Rachel, who were watching the 'family drama' unfold, in silence. "You guys knew?" he asked them curiously, and smiled as they nodded reluctantly, sheepishly.

Monica smiled as he looked back at her. "Thank you for taking it so well."

He nodded, smiling.

"Don't tell mom and dad, though," she added immediately, watching him as he nodded again with an understanding smile. She smiled at him one last time and left the kitchen, sensing that her brother might want to have a few words with Chandler, alone.

Ross glanced at Chandler, who still appeared nervous. Chandler came forward and stood directly in front of Ross, with a tentative smile on his face. "Thank you."

"You're welcome. But I really need to ask, do you have any idea, at all, about what you guys have gotten yourselves into?" Ross frowned. The question was no longer threatening. Just curious.

Chandler shook his head, sighing. "If you're asking whether I know how to be a dad or even if I am ready to be a dad, then no. But if you're asking me whether I care about your sister, about my baby in there," he pointed at Monica's belly, "then yes. I care for them both. I'd be willing to do anything for them and you know it." He looked at Ross silently for a couple of seconds. "You're gonna have to help me through this, buddy. Teach me how to be a good dad."

Ross nodded before hugging him. "You guys are going to be okay, Chandler. Don't worry," he smiled at him, patting him on the shoulder. "I mean, if I learnt from a monkey that I can be a good father, you might very well learn it from me!" he joked. But the instant he said it, the statement felt weird. He paused to reflect on the comparison that he'd just made.

Chandler controlled the urge to laugh at his best friend's weird analogy. This so was not the moment to make fun of Ross.

Beware of the dreaded Gellers. That'd be his motto during the following eight months.

His eyes wandered towards the living room, where Rachel, Phoebe and Joey were having an animated conversation with Monica. He heard her say 'February eighteenth' before she turned her head and met his eyes. He smiled at her. She smiled back softly before she turned towards the other three again, to address another question that Phoebe had just asked.

He noticed that her hand had unconsciously drifted up to rest on her belly.

He turned towards Ross again and nodded. "Yeah, we're going to be okay."

~.~.~

A/N: So, did you like their reactions? There's nothing sweeter than Ross-Monica bonding (well, there's one thing, and that's called 'Mondler' :)).

I think the next chapter will skip a few months.

Now, get ready for some romance *coughs* Mondler *coughs*, drama, angst and humor in the following chapters! I am super-excited :D