A/N: This chapter takes place when Monica is about nineteen weeks pregnant. It is about Monica parents' reactions.

Forever and a Day

Chapter 9

"Hey, why are you all dressed up?" Joey asked Chandler as he entered their living room.

"Monica and I are going to her parents' house for dinner," he replied, rather unenthusiastically.

When Chandler had informed Ross about their plan that afternoon, Ross had mumbled something about his parents not being very fond of him. Stuttering incoherently, he'd finally warned by saying, "Be careful, Chandler."

Be careful, Chandler. That was the only part he'd understood from what Ross had told him. He didn't understand why the Gellers would hate him. He'd hardly met them ten times, and even most of those visits had been long ago, while he'd been in college. He'd never been comfortable around them. Not that they were hostile, but they weren't particularly warm people (at least, not towards him). His last visit to their house had been when Ross and Monica's grandmother had died.

Ross had also mentioned something about how someone 'got high'. Confused, he'd asked for clarification on the part of 'who', that's when the incoherent mumbling had started.

"Why?" Joey looked at him, confused.

Chandler sighed. "We're going to tell them that-" he started, but Joey cut him off.

"That you knocked-up Monica. Right," Joey nodded his understanding, moving towards the television, blandly oblivious to the glare that Chandler leveled at him.

"No, we're going to tell them that we're having a baby together," Chandler completed his sentence.

"Yeah, that's what I said," Joey nodded again, turning the TV on as Chandler rolled his eyes.

"What are you doing this evening? Any plans?" Chandler looked at the door, wondering where Monica was.

It would have been a little comforting to have a confident Monica by his side as he met her parents on an occasion such as this, but that wasn't the case, either. She was just as terrified as he was, if not more.

At least, she was facing them bravely, in spite of her mother's constant criticism on everything from her hairstyle, clothing, work, and choice of men. He, on the other hand, was not even keen on telling his parents about the new developments in his life. They wouldn't criticize, but they wouldn't express anything but apathy, either. Or so he thought.

"Yep, Baywatch Season 4. All night long." Joey showed the videotape in his hand before inserting it into the VCR.

"Enjoy, man." Chandler bent down to tie his shoelace. When he straightened up, Monica entered, already looking flustered.

"Are you ready? I told them we'd be there by six." She entered the kitchen, distractedly patting her hair, making sure that it covered her ears.

Your ears are not your best feature.

"Yeah, let's go," he nodded, taking her elbow.

"Good luck, guys!" Joey waved them goodbye from his Barcalounger, without turning his head.

They mumbled a 'thank you' and closed the door behind them.

They needed all the luck there was for this.

~.~

"What did you tell your parents on the phone?" he asked her, following her out the cab after paying the fare.

"I told them that I had some important news to tell, and that I would be bringing a guest over," she replied, heading towards the house.

He jogged to catch up with her, looking at her incredulously. "So they have no idea I am coming with you?!"

"Nope," she shook her head.

"This is getting better and better." He cracked his knuckles nervously. "And what is this thing that you're wearing?" he tugged at the sleeve of her comically baggy dress, which looked like it could fit another person inside.

"Well, I don't want them to find out before I tell them," she shrugged, ringing the bell.

"So you wore a dress from your fat days to camouflage the bump?" he looked at her skeptically as she glared at him, without answering.

Jack answered the door cheerfully, with Judy behind him. "There she is! My little Harmoni-" he stopped his sentence mid-way on noticing who was beside her.

Suddenly she wished Ross was there with her. Her brother was the buffer between their parents and her. She and Chandler could have really used his moral support at the moment.

No such luck, though.

"So this is the guest you were talking about." Judy looked at Monica, disappointment evident in her voice. "Hello, Chandler," she smiled at him tightly as he wondered whether or not to smile back at the face of such disdain.

It was going to be a long night.

~.~

"So what's new with you, sweetie?" Silverware clinking on porcelain, Jack patted Monica's hand affectionately. "You still work at that little restaurant? What's the name, Judy? Oh, yes, Iridium. You still work there, right?"

Little restaurant.

Her parents had successfully shut Chandler out of all the conversations. She didn't think he minded, but now, she wished they'd shift some of their attention toward him.

Her mother had already commented on her hair, ears, and complexion. Now it came to her job, then it'd be her boyfriend, or the lack thereof. It was always in that order.

She appreciated the fact that they'd at least had the civility to not question the reason behind Chandler's presence there.

Before she could reply, Judy turned to her husband. "Of course, she does, Jack! We'd have already heard it if she had moved elsewhere," she laughed, indicating how absurd even the idea of Monica finding work at a different or better restaurant sounded. Jack shrugged, returning his focus to his plate.

Chandler saw that Monica looked like someone had slapped her right across the face. "I think it's a great restaurant!" he exclaimed, hoping to assure Monica that at least someone was proud of what she did.

She smiled at him lightly, acknowledging his effort. But the other two apparently hadn't heard it. They continued their conversation, paying no heed to what Chandler had said.

"Monica, you said on the phone that you wanted to tell us something. What is it?" Judy asked her daughter, hoping that the news wasn't going to be 'Chandler and I are together'.

Monica had had enough of the evening. She wanted to get this visit over and done with. She turned towards Chandler who was staring at her blankly. Ignoring the sense of foreboding that grew with every second, she turned towards her parents again. "Mom, Dad, I am pregnant." She took a deep breath, as her parents sat speechless. "And before you ask, Chandler is the father."

Chandler and Monica waited for the bomb to detonate. It did a second later.

"How? How is that even possible?!" Jack looked at the couple, agitated. "Are you two together?"

"No, dad. We are not," she shook her head. "And we're not getting married, either," she added for good measure.

"You are not going to get married! What do-" Jack's second set of questions abruptly stopped when Judy squeezed his arm.

Judy face revealed her discontent over the whole situation, although she didn't look as upset as her husband. She did give Chandler a derisive look before she turned to Jack. "You know, Jack. Kids these days, they sleep around."

Chandler placed his hand on Monica's thigh, trying to calm her as she fisted the napkin. "Calm down," he mouthed as she turned to face him.

She slowly unclenched her fingers. "It wasn't like that, mom," she gritted through her teeth.

"I am sure we don't need the details, honey," Judy shrugged. "How far along are you?" she asked her daughter in a manner that lacked both warmth and interest.

"Nineteen weeks," Chandler replied to the question, hoping at least that part would bring some enthusiasm to the conversation. He was wrong.

A thick, pensive silence filling the air, Judy pointed at Monica's plate. "Eat. Lack of food is not good for the baby." All heads turned towards their respective plates. "We could all have really done without this one though," she mumbled, barely audibly, just loud enough for everyone at the table to hear.

Her baby. Her mother was saying they could all have 'done without' her baby.

Monica closed her eyes tightly, trying to control her ragged breath, to ignore her suddenly burning throat.

It was Chandler's turn to fist his napkin. He looked at Monica to see that she'd turned deathly pale, her eyes tightly shut, as if to alleviate pain. He stood from his chair abruptly, pulling at Monica's arm. "Mon, um… Mon, we have to- we have that Joey's going away party that we need to get to."

She opened her eyes to stare at him, his face looking dangerously red, a complete contrast to her own. She stood up and dropped the fork on the table, feeling surreal. Her parents were staring at them, dumbfounded.

"I am sorry, Mr. and Mrs. Geller. We failed to plan it well. We should be in another place now." He tugged at Monica's hand, leading her towards the door. "Thank you, for your hospitality, though," his voice oozing with sarcasm, he handed Monica her coat as he led them out the door, slamming the door shut hard behind them.

She followed him numbly as they headed back home, the cab ride filled with absolute silence.

~.~

"Mon…" he whispered tentatively, his fingers lightly brushing her upper arm as they climbed the stairs to her apartment. "I am sorry it didn't go well."

She shook her head without turning to look at him. "It's not your fault."

"Yeah, but-" his reply was cut-off when Ross entered the hallway from apartment 19.

"Hey, how did it go?" he looked at them warily, and when he received no reply from his sister and just a shrug from Chandler, he knew the answer. He nodded, not knowing what to say, and moved out of their way saying, "I'll see you guys tomorrow."

They entered her apartment to find it empty. It was still pretty early, which meant Rachel was probably at the coffeehouse.

He followed her and sat down beside her on the couch. They knew it wouldn't go smoothly, but now, 'it hadn't gone smoothly' was an understatement. All that resonated in their minds was Judy's low voice saying 'We could have really done without this one though'.

"I really am sorry," he said again, moving closer to her.

She shrugged. "I didn't expect it to go well, Chandler." She looked at him, hyperventilating as she tried not to cry. "But she just... Oh God." She closed eyes again and turned towards him fully.

"I know, Mon," he pulled himself closer and wrapped his arms around her, his hands rubbing her back comfortingly. "I know."

They remained tightly locked in their embrace for several minutes before she took a few deep breaths and pulled back. "Since the 'telling my parents' plan went really well, when are you going to tell your parents?" she smiled at him lightly, trying to move past the events of that evening.

"Do I have to?" he whined, willingly following her lead, pulling back a little to rest his back against the armrest of the couch.

"If I faced Judy Geller, you sure can face Nora Bing," she nodded, playing with his fingers, which had come to rest next to hers on the couch. "Do you think I'll turn out to be like my mom when I get older?" she asked slowly, without meeting his eyes. "She told me during nana's funeral that her own mother was very much like how she is now, y'know? Only she didn't realize she was describing herself when she described nana."

He looked at her a long moment before he leaned in and kissed her on the cheek. "I think you are going to be an amazing mother, Monica."

She met his eyes, smiling at him gratefully, but within a few seconds, her grateful smile turned into an impish grin, her first true smile of the evening. "Well, that makes two of us."

He shook his head, his own grin getting wider at her cocky remark. He placed his hands on her belly, looking at it as he talked. "And you, sweetheart, should know that humility is not a trait that you'll be getting from the Geller half of your genes."

She smacked his arm playfully. "Hey! I am pregnant and I am unhappy. Humility is the last thing on my priority list right now."

They remained silent for a few seconds until she spoke again. "You know, it wasn't supposed to be like this. I was supposed to get married before I turned twenty-five, my husband and I would wait for a year before we tried to get pregnant, then we'll have two children before I turned thirty and our family will move to this huge, beautiful house in the suburbs." She smiled wryly. "I guess life has its own plan for everyone."

He stared at her, trying to figure out what she meant by that. He could feel his insecurity raise its ugly head as he replied uncertainly, "This is not exactly my dream plan either, Monica."

His tone made her realize how he'd taken her statement to mean. She shook her head to indicate that that's not what she'd meant. She smiled as she placed her own hand over his, which still remained on her belly. "This is better than any of my dreams, Chandler. I get to do this with you."

He smiled back at her genuinely, his heart doing a weird flips at her words.

And then they felt it - a strange, fluttering movement which turned more noticeable within seconds, followed by an assertive, definitive kick - like a tap from inside. They held their breaths for five seconds, both of them staring down at her abdomen, their eyes wide.

He finally looked up at her, knowing his face was creased into the same surprised expression as hers. "That's the first time?" he asked her in a hushed tone.

She nodded. "That's the first time," she murmured just as quietly.

The baby kicked harder as he moved his hands around her stomach, making them both chuckle lightly.

He looked up at her again, looking like he was wondering whether or not to ask her something. "Mon..." He smiled as the baby kicked again. "Mon, can I kiss you there?" He applied a gentle pressure with his palm on her belly, indicating 'where'.

Looking at the yearning in his face, she realized how complicated their whole relationship was - he was the father, and yet, here he was, wondering whether he could kiss his baby.

She reached out a hand around his neck and placed her fingers on his nape. "Of course you can," she smiled at him softly.

He smiled back widely, first leaning in to kiss her on the side of her head, and then bending down to press his lips gently on her belly, right above her navel. The baby kicked hard at where its father's lips were pressed. He drew back after placing two more kisses, looking as happy as a kid in a candy store. "Whoa, that is a very active baby!" He smiled her, his eyes crinkling. "Are you sure it's mine?" he looked at her dubiously.

She laughed. "Yeah, I am sure." She nodded, looking into his eyes. "For one thing, the baby kicked only when it felt you touch."

He smiled back, a strong sense of déjà vu taking hold of him. He felt like something was shifting in their relationship, much like how he'd felt on the night of Ben's birth.

Her fingers still on his nape, he felt like he was slowly being pulled forward, both of them leaning in, until he could feel the warmth of her breath on his skin.

It was a moment - a moment like many others that they've shared through their years as friends. They wondered whether or not to act on it.

The only time they allowed impulsiveness to take over common-sense, it altered their lives forever. Who knows what would happen this time?

He was reluctant to find out, the small amount of self-control that he possessed at that instant, coming to his aid.

But she wasn't as reluctant.

Maybe he was something more than the best friend who'd always lent her a shoulder to lean on. Maybe he was more than the friend whose child she was carrying. Maybe he was more than everything that she ever thought he was.

What if there was more to the connection that she'd felt with him on that night, more than they could ever imagine?

"Chandler..." she said softly, her sapphire blue eyes gazing into his.

"Hmm?" He kissed the tip of her nose, trying hard to decipher the meaning behind the look in her eyes.

She leaned in closer, her fingers lingering on his jaw, tilting his chin slightly towards her lips, "Chandler," she repeated in a whisper.

It was the same look; the look from that night.

And he knew exactly what it meant.

He sat still, breathing hard, wondering what she wanted him to do, although it was very clear what she wanted him to do.

God, he wanted to do it, too.

Her thumb was now on his lips, gently caressing them.

With the last fragment of his self-control evaporating into thin air, he leaned forward, his hands moving to frame her face as he leaned in to kiss her.

Screw self-control.

However, the shrill ring of the telephone shattered the moment.

They sprang apart instantly, faces flushing crimson.

He answered the phone on the fourth ring, his breath shaky and uneven. "Huh- hello?" He took a deep breath to calm himself as he waited for the other person to reply. On hearing the reply he turned to Monica. "Hello, Mrs. Geller." He glanced at Monica warily. "Could you hold on? I'll go check whether she's awake."

He covered the mouthpiece with his hand, still not extending the phone towards Monica. "It's your mother. She wants to talk to you."

She motioned for him to hand her the phone, only to see that he was reluctant to.

"Are you sure?" he looked at her uncertainly.

"Yes, Chandler," she nodded slowly and he handed her the instrument reluctantly. She had no idea what her mother would want to talk to her about, but she wanted closure. One more word about her baby, she'd kill her mother.

She took it and got to her feet, moving near the window. "Mom?" her voice holding no emotion whatsoever, she spoke slowly.

He sat still, staring at the French poster on the wall above the TV, Monica's conversation with her mom barely registering in his brain.

His mind was still in a whirl.

They'd been about to kiss. It was a hundred percent mutual endeavor, he was sure of that. Since that life-altering night, her kisses were one memory that he hadn't been able to erase off his mind. He could, but he didn't want to. He knew he loved her more than he loved anyone in his life, but he didn't Love her. Or did he?

He was no longer sure. He shook his head to clear off the thought from his brain. Love was the last thing they needed now. Love with its stupid capital L.

He turned his head to look at her and he could see that she was smiling.

"I know, mom," she nodded. "Thank you," she shrugged, shaking her head. "I know it's a huge thing, but mom, you don't have anything to worry about. I am not going to be doing this alone. I have Ross, I have my friends. And I have Chandler." She turned around to smile at him. "I know. I will," she breathed in, closing her eyes. "I love you, too."

She hung up the phone and returned next to him again, smiling widely. "Ross spoke to mom."

"Everything's okay?" he asked her, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear.

She nodded. "I don't know what Ross had said to her, but she told me that she was sorry for what had happened tonight. She said that she and dad will be supportive of... this." Her smile softened. "She wished us good luck and she told that we're gonna be great parents."

"Well, that seems to be a unanimous opinion. Of course, only if you consider Joey's 'abysmal' as being synonymous with 'great'." They laughed, remembering Joey's comment.

After a moment's silence, she whispered, "I am glad you're doing this with me, Chandler."

He smiled. "There's no one else I'd rather be doing this with," He shook his head.

She smiled back at him for a moment before she rose from the couch again. "I know it's just half past nine, but I still feel so sleepy. God, it's like school night," She chuckled. "All right," she yawned, "I am off to bed. And don't forget, we still have to tell your parents."

He nodded. "I think I can call up my mom and probably reply to one of my dad's letters."

She nodded as she leaned down to kiss him on the forehead, and his fingers instinctively rose to rest on her abdomen, both of them feeling the baby kick again.

She drew back smiling. "Goodnight, Chandler."

He smiled as he kissed her belly one last time. "Goodnight, Mon."

She turned to enter her bedroom, the same thought running through their minds.

Maybe there was a Forever.

~.~.~

A/N: Yep, I know, so very sappy, but hey, a little mushiness never hurts!

Just when I think that there are no more Mondler fans out there, you people prove me wrong. Thank you all for the wonderful, wonderful reviews! You've got no idea how much I appreciate them! I love you guys :D

I thought of making it twins, too, but backed out of it. I had a feeling that it'd be too cliché. Besides, Monica's chances of conceiving twins wouldn't have been high 'cause she's young, not on any fertility drug, and it doesn't run in her family (Okay, I'll be shutting up now). So, what I am trying to tell is, it's going to be just one baby here :)

So, did you like the romance?

Believe me, I love writing Mondler romance, just as much as you love reading it!