A/N: Sorry if this took a little long. I moved into my college dorm (can you believe it? I'm in college! Yay!) and have been quite busy. Plus the fact that my laptop sucks and won't work. I'm using my roommate's laptop at the moment.

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Chapter 3

Monica groaned with frustration, slamming the phone back on the receiver. I give up! They don't want to talk to me, it's their loss, she thought, not meaning a single word. She had been calling the center non-stop since she got home from "work" at the restaurant. First she had tried the general line. After some smooth talking, she got the operator to connect her to Jack's room. He had been less than civil, along with Summer and Dylan. Even Tucker and Cindy hadn't been their normal friendly selves.

Bringing up her legs, Monica put her head on her knees and sobbed. She'd really done it this time. She couldn't blame the team for being furious with her. If another team member was hiding all this crap, she wouldn't trust him or her.

She understood their anger, she did. She knew all about her teammate's lives. Jack had that auto shop he now ran with his brother. Dylan and Summer were an item, and Summer had just made the cheer squad. Tucker was planning on joining the wrestling team. Cindy was a great little actress. Monica should know – she had been at the first grade production of "Rapunzel."

And what had they known about her? She lived somewhere in New York City. Big whoop.

Face it, you're no longer part of the Zenith family. You should just save everyone the trouble and quit. Leave the center. Become a real head chef. It won't be so bad being a "normal" person. Maybe if you're lucky you'll lose your power if you don't use it.

Her old life as a superhero was over. Time to move on.

In thinking about her new life, Ross kept coming to mind. He hadn't been the same since she spilled her guts a week ago. She knew he was keeping everything inside. She couldn't help but wonder what was bugging him more – struggling to believe his sister had powers, or that she was a doctor too.

He'd been incredibly skeptical, though he hadn't shown it. He had let Monica finish her story, then accused her of lying. To him, it was a way to get them distracted from whatever was really depressing her.

That problem had been solved when she blew at him so hard, it had looked like he was levitating.

I can't let him keep stewing in his own mixed emotions, Monica decided, I don't want to lose any more family.

In an instant she had walked over to Joey's apartment. She had heard Ross come over earlier. "Hey, guys…"

Joey greeted her with a warm smile. She saw it dimmed somewhat when he noticed she's been crying. "Um, hey Mon. We were just goin' down for some coffee. You wanna come?"

"No thanks. I was actually wondering if I could…talk to my brother for a minute or two," Monica sent a meaningful look at Ross, who had kept the same steady gaze on her since she arrived.

Joey glanced between brother and sister. He was afraid of Monica, but Ross was one of two of his best male friends. "Um, maybe later. See, Ross was telling me how he really wanted to try the new scones Gunter had on the counter…"

"It's okay, Joey," Ross interrupted. "You go ahead. I'll meet you there later." He leaned back on the recliner, Monica taking a seat opposite him on the couch. Once he was sure Joey was gone, he pressed the tips of his fingers together. "What do you want?"

Not used to the hostility from her brother, Monica tried to smother her hurt expression. "Ross, I honestly don't know where to begin. You must have so many questions. I'm not expecting you to forgive me any time soon, but I just want to say how sorry I am…for everything."

"I just want to know one thing," Ross replied, "How could you not trust your own brother? I can't believe…I mean, how did you get Mom and Dad to keep it…"

"I didn't."

Ross' eyes widened. "Oh my God…even Mom and Dad didn't…how could you?"

"It's different with you, Ross! You were the golden child! They supported you in whatever you did!" Monica nearly shouted. "I mean, you tried out for football, which for you is just as dangerous as fighting crime! And they signed the release form without complaint!"

Ross glared at her. "That doesn't mean you had a right to…"

"You don't get it! If they knew about my power, Mom and Dad would have thought I was a freak! 'Oh, and by the way, I wanna be a superhero!' Yeah right," Monica huffed.

Rolling his eyes, Ross retorted, "Oh yeah, I'm sure they'd be horrified that their daughter wants to save dozens of lives every week."

"No, that's how they'd see it if you wanted to be a superhero," Monica pointed out. "With me, they'd be embarrassed that I was running around in a skin tight suit blowing away villains. I knew they'd say no if I asked them, so…instead of going to a regular college, I joined the center and their education program. They never knew the difference."

"That's just wrong," Ross muttered.

"I know, and I'm sorry…"

"No," Ross corrected, "I meant how they didn't even notice. How I didn't even notice."

Glad she was making some headway, Monica went on, "I always meant to tell you guys, I did. But it got so complicated. I made up 'Marsha Holloway', and…"

"I was wondering about that. Were you really so paranoid that you made a third identity?" Ross asked, a hint of amusement in his face.

Monica thought about that for a minute. "That was mostly why. But at the time, I thought I was going to be a superhero right away. I came up with an idea. Superheroes were always worried their identities would be revealed and get their family in trouble. So I figured 'Marsha Holloway' would be like a second line of defense."

"Wait, so you made a whole other identity…because you were worried about our safety?"

She nodded. "Yeah! And because I was terrified one of my teammates would show up at home in the middle of the night for a mission. I kept having this dream where that happens, and Mom and Dad standing in the living room, wearing their robes, horrified looks on their faces."

"And then the teammate will run off in fright at the sight of Mom and Dad in robes," Ross quipped.

"Well, that's the point where I would wake up," Monica laughed softly, "But that's probably what would happen."

Ross had one more question. "But why didn't you tell me?"

"Are you kidding me?" Monica exclaimed. "Ross, I hated your guts back then! And being the Mommy's boy that you were, you'd turn into a five-year-old tattle tale the minute I told you."

"I was not…I guess you have a point there:" Ross admitted.

Monica took his hand. "So, are we good?"

Ross hesitated. "You're really a doctor?"

"Yup. According to government records, I'm physiologist Dr. Monica Geller," she laughed.

"Well, it's going to take me a while to get used to that," Ross confessed, "But yeah, we're good."

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"A grown man reading a bunch of comic books," Rachel mused as she walked into her apartment. "There's something I only thought I'd see at a Superman convention."

Joey didn't even hear her and Phoebe walk in. He had found Monica's secret stash of Zoom comics, and was devouring each and every one. When he asked her about them, she had gotten all tense and said he could keep them. While he felt bad about Monica's situation, how could he say no to free comic books? "Guys, check it out! Monica has, like, every one ever made! And she gave 'em to me!"

"Monica doesn't seem like the type to be obsessive about superheroes," Phoebe commented, sitting on the recliner across from Joey.

Rachel put a hand on her hip. "Phoebe, she is a superhero."

"I meant the old Monica. The normal Monica who didn't have superpowers!" Phoebe paused. "Wow, there's a sentence I never thought I'd say."

Clearing some space, Rachel sat next to Joey on the couch. "I know. It's so weird, isn't it? You think you know somebody."

"Yeah, but I think you were a little oblivious." At Rachel's expression, Phoebe rolled her eyes. "Please, you've known her since you were like five!"

'In my defense, Monica said she only got her power when she was sixteen!" Rachel exclaimed.

"Will you two quiet down, I'm tryin' to read here!" Joey shouted, not taking his eyes off the book.

Phoebe laughed. "And there's a sentence I never thought I'd here him say."

Lowering her voice, Rachel asked, "So Pheebs, you've been kind of quiet about this whole Monica situation. Any thoughts?"

"I still think Monica's not the type to run around in a jump suit and kick ass," Phoebe admitted. "I kinda saw her as…well, you know how in some cartoons, there's like this kid wannabe superhero that follows all the other superheroes around, but they tell her to stay back because it's too dangerous?"

Rachel raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, that's her."

"I'm sorry, but I see the nerdy Hurricane on TV blowing bad guys around, and I just can't believe she's our obsessive, competitive Monica," Phoebe shrugged.

"I know what you mean," Rachel sighed, "but you saw what she did to Ross."

Phoebe smiled. "Yeah, that was fun to watch."

"You know, I think for the first time you and Ross are on the same page. He doesn't believe it either," Rachel mused.

Phoebe thought about it. "I guess so. Though with him, it's more like 'superpowers and superheroes aren't real.' With me, I believe in that stuff, Monica just doesn't seem like the type to be involved in …that."

"Yeah," Rachel agreed, "You know somebody for so long, then all of a sudden they're somebody totally different. You can't really look at her the same way, can you?"

Tapping her fingers on the recliner arm, Phoebe commented, "Can you imagine what she must have went through all these years? Going through all of this alone? Almost getting killed several times a week and having to hide it? Saving all those lives? And now people she called family don't even want to talk to her?"

There was silence for a few minutes. They turned as the door clicked – Monica walked in. "Hey guys, what's – "

"Monica!" Rachel jumped out of her chair to give her a big hug.

With a confused look on her face, Monica gave her an awkward hug back. "Hey, Rachel."

"You poor thing!" Wiping tears from her eyes, Rachel guided her to the couch and dumped some more comics on the floor. "Sweetie, sit down and put your feet up."

"Wh…what's going on?" Monica asked, a little scared.

Phoebe went to massage Monica's shoulders. "Nothing. We were just thinking about how much you deserve a massage. Plus it's kinda cool that I can say I massaged a superhero." At Monica's glare, she added, "But I won't."

"You know, I could get into these comics," Rachel remarked. She had picked up one she had knocked off the couch.

Joey nodded, finally taking his eyes off the page. "Yeah! They're great, aren't they? It's not fair – you've been hogging them!"

Glancing at one, Phoebe wondered, "Hey, Mon…are these comic books true?"

"Oh, come on…" Rachel scoffed at first, then considered it. "…are they?"

Monica tilted her head. "Most of it.."

Rachel's draw dropped open, while Phoebe and Joey's eyes widened. "Oh my God!"

"Well, it's not all true," Monica amended. "Some of it is government propaganda. But a lot of it is real."

Joey grinned. "Hah, so Chandler can't tease me about reading comic books anymore! It's history!"

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Ross walked into Central Perk and took a seat near the other five. They had been there for a good hour or so. "Hey. Oh, Mon, I called Mom and Dad."

"What the hell did you do that for?" Monica cried, slapping his arm from her seat at the end of the couch.

Rubbing what he was sure would turn into a black and blue, Ross replied, "Calm down, I didn't tell them anything. I just casually mentioned that you might have something to tell them. You know, laid the groundwork. Mentally prepared them a little bit."

"Prepared them for what?" Monica huffed, crossing her arms.

Ross rolled his eyes. "Monica, you have to tell them."

"Why?" Monica demanded. "Give me one good reason."

"How about the fact that they're your parents?" Chandler put in.

Monica glared at him. "And how often do you talk to your parents?"

Chandler lowered his eyes. "I'll shut up now."

"Monica, you're right, none of us have the best relationships with our parents," Rachel placated. "But this is different.'

Monica gave her brother an accusing stare. "What about you, huh? When you smoked pot in college, you didn't tell them!"

"Because that's something normal that everyone hides from their parents," Ross countered, lowering his voice to a whisper, "Putting on a jumpsuit and kicking ass every week is not."

Joey nodded. "Yeah, think about it Mon. Even Clark Kent's parents knew he was Superman!"

"But that's a comic…" Monica's protest died on her lips as she remembered what she told Joey the other day. "Never mind."

"Phoebe, you haven't said anything. What do you think?" Rachel asked.

Phoebe took a long sip of her coffee, then remarked, "I'm with Monica. Why should she tell them, you know? They keep stuff from their kids all the time. My mom kept the fact that she was going to kill herself secret, and look how that bit everyone in the ass when they found out?"

Monica interpreted her friend's words for a second, then gave her brother a reassuring pat on the knee. "I'll visit them this week."

"That's all I ask," Ross grinned, patted her hand in return, and saw what time it was on his watch. "Oh, guys, I gotta go. I have class in a half hour!"

The five chatted for a while. They were interrupted when a brunette girl about sixteen-years-old stood next to the couch arm Monica was leaning against. Noticing her, Phoebe asked, "Can we help you?"

The girl's eyes were riveted on Monica's, breathing heavy with anger. "It's true. You're here."

"Oh my God, Summer!" Monica exclaimed. She would have jumped up and hugged her if she didn't think she would be telekinetically thrown against the wall. "I can't believe it! I'm so happy to see you!"

Summer just glanced at the rest of the group. "We need to talk. Without them."

"Oh, sure." Monica got up, then barely looked at the others as she and Summer walked to the door. "I'll be back in a few minutes, okay?"

Once they left, Rachel raised an eyebrow at Chandler. "What was that about?"

"I have no idea," Chandler replied, trying to make sense of what happened.

Meanwhile, Monica and Summer (otherwise known as Mega on the Zenith team) were walking through Central Park. Monica was elated that her efforts at trying to contact the team hadn't been a waste of time. Though she had to admit that Summer was probably here to get answers, not to forgive her. "So…how did you find me?"

"Jack said you lived in the Village. I tracked down your address, then one of your neighbors told me you went to that coffee house a lot," Summer answered, her tone icy.

"Why…"

"At first, I didn't believe Jack," Summer interrupted, carefully hiding the emotion in her face. "But then you didn't show up for a week. Then I got angry. It was true – you did lie to us."

"I didn't lie to you. I just…didn't tell you stuff," Monica defended.

Summer wasn't convinced. "Really, Monica?"

"Okay, you have a point there."

"We all got so upset. Cindy cried when she realized you wouldn't come back for a while. I was close to tears myself," Summer admitted. "Whether we wanted it or not, you became part of our team. We look up to you. Sometimes we even joke that you and Jack are our parents, and we're siblings. You take care of us, Mar…Monica. You cared about us when nobody else did." Taking a breath, Summer finished, "And then we found out you were so ashamed of us, you didn't want there to be any chance people in your real life would find out about us."

Monica felt tears in her eyes, sure that she would break down in a matter of minutes. "Oh my God, Summer, no! It wasn't that!"

"Then you didn't trust us," Summer retorted. "You didn't trust that we wouldn't bust you."

Monica paused, realizing she was partly right about that. She then chose her next words very carefully. "Summer, you have to understand. I made up 'Marsha Holloway' way before I met you and the team. Using it at…work was just second nature. It didn't even cross my mind to tell you my real name because I was so used to it."

"It's one thing if you didn't tell others at the Center. But, this is us. It should have occurred to you that there was something we didn't know," Summer deadpanned.

"It did," Monica confessed. "But...keeping secrets was another thing I was used to. I was planning on telling you at the right time. It takes me a while to get close to people, Summer. I just told Chandler about me, and I've known him for seven years!"

Summer wrinkled her brow. "Chandler?"

"My fiancé," Monica explained.

"Fiancé…" Summer marveled. "I…I just can't believe it."

"Imagine how he feels," Monica quipped.

Monica thought she saw a hint of a smile cross Summer's face. It disappeared quickly when the teen let out a deep breath. "Marsha...Monica, I mean…we miss you. A lot. I mean, everyone's mad at you and everything, but it's not the same. I'm sure you've seen our fights lately. We suck."

"It's not that bad," Monica comforted. Still, she felt a little guilty at the happiness she got from hearing she was missed. "I miss you guys too. A lot. Ask any of my friends, and they'll tell you I've been a moody bitch lately."

"I can't imagine you acting like that," Summer replied honestly. "Then again, it's weird seeing you without your glasses or lab coat. You really should ditch them."

"Well, I'm not allowed to dump the coat, but the glasses go in the garbage tomorrow," Monica promised.

Summer let out another breath. "He misses you, you know. And it's killing him that you have a fiancé."

"Well…I'm sorry about that, but I love Chandler," Monica responded with conviction. "But I do miss Jack. And all of you, and…I really want to come back. Volcano needs his ass whooped."

Summer chuckled. "I'll work on Jack."

"Really?" This time, tears did trickle down her cheek. Unable to restrain herself, she enveloped the reluctant teen in a hug. "Thank you."

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Chandler smiled to himself as he let himself into their apartment. Ever since Summer, "someone from work" (as Monica put it) came to the coffee house, Monica had been in the best mood. Which meant that he was in the best mood.

"Honey, I'm home!" Chandler called out, throwing his briefcase on the kitchen table. He loosened his tie as he made his way toward the bedroom.

There wasn't a response. "Monica?"

"Chandler! Don't come in here!"

Chandler paused at her voice. It sounded…off somehow. "Monica? Are you…oh my God!"

After going into the bedroom, he hadn't seen her at first. Then he looked up.

"I know, I know! I don't know how it happened!" Monica wailed. She was floating near the ceiling, waving her arms as if treading water.

Chandler couldn't suppress a laugh. "What'd you do, think happy little thoughts?"

"Shut up! This isn't funny! I don't know how to get down!" Monica yelled. Now she was flying, making her way around the room in an awkward circle.

"You know, I think Neverland is that way," Chandler quipped, mockingly pointing out the window.

Monica glared down at him, her hair tumbling downwards. "Shut up! Help me!"

"Wait…you mean this has never happened before?" Chandler asked, now more concerned than amused.

"No!" Monica cried. "I was just cleaning my closet….I couldn't get to the top shelf…I stood on my tip-toes, and next thing I know, well…look at me!" She got so frustrated that she kicked her foot. That motion sent her spinning.

"You got a new power? Huh, that's actually really cool," Chandler commented.

Moments later, the four others had rushed into the room. Ross asked, "What's going on? We heard the screaming from across the…oh my God! Mon, I know Peter Pan was your favorite movie when we were little, but isn't this a little much?"

"For the last time!" Monica shouted. "I have no clue what's going on!"

"Isn't it obvious? You got a new power! This is so cool!" Phoebe exclaimed.

Joey never glanced away from his airborne friend. "Yeah! It's kind of like when Clark Kent found out he could fly! Or…when Batman found his utility belt! Or when Wonder Woman found her…hoop thing..."

"Lasso of Truth," Ross supplied, then made an annoyed face when the others stared at him. "My sister is flying, and you're looking at me?"

"Hello, a little help please?" Monica yelled.

Rachel put a hand on her hip. "How? You want one of us to fly up there and get you down? Where would we find the pixie dust?" She laughed, giving a high five to Chandler when he held out his hand.

"Not you too," Monica moaned.

Chandler thought for a moment. "Well, Monica, what do you tell the team when they're trying control their powers?"

"Um...I usually tell them to concentrate, focus their energy…" Monica trailed off. "Okay give me a minute." She closed her eyes, holding onto the far wall. Soon enough she began to slowly float back down. When her feet touched the carpet, she almost lost her balance.

Chandler rushed over to help her stand and walk over to the others. "You okay?"

"I just defied gravity. How do you think I feel?" Monica pouted.

Phoebe didn't make too much of an effort to hide her smile. "Like you left the world behind…Wendy?"

The others shared their own poorly hidden grins while Monica rolled her eyes.