*Being Us*

„Hey, let's bring the rest of these down to the truck," Ross says and lifts up one of the big boxes, where all of Joey's stuff is now packed into. Monica, Phoebe and Rachel each get one, too, and walk towards the door.

Before she leaves Monica turns around again and looks at Chandler. He's sitting on his kitchen counter, not looking happy. Monica knows how much he's hurting. He obviously doesn't want to show it too much, but she can tell. He has this sad look in his eyes. No one even notices it, and she doesn't see it much, either. But his best friend, the guy he lived with for the last three years, is moving out and that hurts. Chandler always says he's used to people leaving him, but Monica knows that even though he probably is, it still hurts him every time. His father left, he barely sees his mother and the few friends he had in high school and college also left. Except for Ross.

Monica sighs.

"What's up?" Rachel asks while they are walking down the stairs, carefully with the big boxes in their hands.

"I don't know," Monica sighs again. "I just feel so bad for Chandler. He looked so sad. Joey moving out, it kills him."

"I don't know," Phoebe says. "He looked sad, yes, but I'm sure he's gonna be okay. It's Chandler, he's used to it."

Monica looks at her angrily. "How can you say something like that? Just because many people left him, he's not used to it. You don't get used to things like that!"

"I think, what Phoebe's trying to say, is, that Chandler might be sad now, because his friend is moving out. But in the end that's just the way it is. Look, it didn't kill you when Phoebe moved out."

Monica shakes her head. That's not the same. Chandler's always been insecure and had a problem with his self-confidence. And even though he knew it couldn't last forever he always thought that Joey and he will live together all the time.

"Who said it didn't kill me when Phoebe moved out?" Monica asks harshly.

"Well, you have never said anything about it so we just thought you're fine," Phoebe mumbles.

Monica puts down her box on the truck. Then she turns around to look at her friends. "It did. I thought no one's ever gonna be able to live with me. I thought I'll never find a boyfriend." She gasps for air. "And guess who was there for me!"

With that she turns around and leaves her friends speechless.

"Monica!" Rachel shouts after her.

"Chandler," She yelled back to them. "Chandler was. And I'm gonna be there for him now!"

Monica runs up the stairs. When Phoebe moved out she was devastated. And it was Chandler who told her all these wonderful things and just hugged her. She felt so much better after that. And now she's gonna do everything to make him feel better.

Suddenly she bumps into Joey. He just left apartment 19, his eyes a little teary. Monica smiles at him. He's taking it hard as well.

"Are you okay?"

"Yes, thanks. But please make sure he's okay, okay?" He points towards the green door.

Monica nods and hugs him quickly. "I try to."

She opens the door to Chandler's apartment. He's just about walking into his bedroom, but the noise of the door stops him and he turns around.

Monica smiles at him slightly. "Hey."

"Hey." Chandler says and shrugs.

"Are you alright?"

"Yes, sure."

"Chandler …"

"Monica …" He copies her.

"Come on, sit down," Monica commands and points to the Barcalounger.

Chandler doesn't move and Monica knows that he wants to sit down, but doesn't want to do what she's saying. Normally he would crack a joke right now.

After he has watched her for a little bit he shrugs and sits down.

"Now tell me again, are you alright?" Monica sinks down on the armrest of the Barcalounger.

"It was me who told him to leave. It shouldn't hurt that much if it was me who kicked him out?"

"You didn't, did you?"

"Well, I told you the story with the spoons, right?"

"Yes. But you didn't tell him to leave, right? You just told him that you have a problem with him licking the spoons and putting them back. And that's okay. If it were my spoons he would do that with, I would have killed him!"

"Oh, I'm pretty sure he's doing that with your spoons, too."

"Oh, Chandler, don't say that," Monica groans. Then she chuckles. He's already able to be sarcastic again, that's a good sign.

"It's not your fault that he's moving out. And it's not because he isn't able to live with you. He's making enough money now and he just wants to try living alone."

"Yeah, but if I wouldn't have been so damn sensitive about that whole spoon-licking-thing, he wouldn't have decided to move out."

"How do you know that, Chandler?"

"I just know. It's … I can tell stuff like that!"

"Female intuition?" Monica looks at him cheekily.

"Hey, careful," Chandler warns and tickles Monica's side.

"You might be right, Chandler," Monica switches to serious again. "But you can also be completely wrong."

"You don't have to sugarcoat the whole situation, Mon. I just found out that it's not possible to live with me."

Monica shakes her head vehemently. "That's not true! I could live with you!"

"Oh God!" Chandler buries his face in his hands.

"Hey!" Monica yells and pulls his hands away. "I'm not that bad to live with! I wouldn't put the spoon back into the drawer after I used it!"

"Yeah, but you would make me disinfect everything after I used it!"

Monica pulls a face and crosses her arms.

"Hey, come on," Chandler says softly. "I would be honored to live with you!" He wraps his arms around her waist and pulls her onto his lap.

Monica still doesn't say a word.

"Thank you, Mon."

Now she looks at him. "What for?"

"Thank you for coming to look after me. You always make my day better. Doesn't matter what happens, every time you walk through that door my mood just brightens."

"Chandler…," Monica begins, but gets interrupted by the door opening.

"Monic…," Richard shouts but stops when Chandler turns around the Barcalounger. "What the hell is going on here?"

"Hey, Richard, you're early!" Monica smiles and gets up slowly.

She wants to give him a peck on the lips, but Richard turns away quickly. He looks angrily at Chandler, who is still sitting in the chair.

"Can we talk in your apartment?" Richard grumbles.

"Sure," Monica nods. "Hey, Chandler, listen, it's gonna be…"

"I know, Mon," Chandler smiles. "Thanks."

"What was that?" Richard asks as soon as they are in Monica's apartment.

"What happened?" Rachel, who is sitting on the couch with Phoebe, asks.

"She was sitting on his lap! All cuddling and looking like a couple!"

"Who?" Phoebe gets up excitedly.

"Monica and Chandler!"

"Oh," Phoebe says, a little disappointed, and drops down onto the couch again.

"That's nothing new," Rachel laughs. "They do that all the time!"

"What?"

"Yeah, it's kinda their thing," Phoebe adds. "No one even notices it anymore. They just do it."

Richard looks at Monica, who hasn't said a word yet. She turns to her friends. "Could you leave us alone for a minute, please?"

Phoebe nods and gets up, pulling Rachel with her. "Yes, come on, Rachel, we look how far Ross and Joey are. They send us away 'cause we weren't doing it right," she tells Monica.

"I mean, how wrong could you put boxes in a truck?" Rachel adds grumpily.

Monica laughs, but sighs when the door closes after the two girls. Then she turns to Richard, who is still looking at her with his arms crossed.

"Richard, the girls are right. That's just what Chandler and I do. We don't even think about it. You'll get used to it."

"I don't wanna get used to it."

"Well, I'm not gonna stop being the way I am towards Chandler just because you have a problem with him, Richard. He's my best friend!"

"I don't have a problem with him, Monica!"

"But you have a problem with us being us, right?"

"To be honest, yes. It's weird. Girls and boys don't do that when they are just friends."

Monica sighs. How can she explain Richard what Chandler is for her? She doesn't even know herself. She doesn't know how it happened, when it happened. It was … the day Chandler moved in across the hall. They had seen each other before frequently, but it was the day he moved into apartment 19. They just … connected and this connection just grew stronger with the time.

"So, what do you say?"

"Richard, I don't know what to say. It's just the way it is. He is the only one who knows truly everything about me and is always there for me and just … calms me down when I need it. And I think I'm the same for him."

"Do you love him?"

"Of course I love him! Of all my friends, I love him the most! But it's another kind of love than I feel for you. I could never love him like I love you, Richard!"

"Well, don't expect me to understand that, Monica!"

"But, Richard…"

"I don't wanna talk about it anymore. Are we going out for dinner today?"

Monica looks at Richard. He's just changing the subject like he didn't just tell her that he doesn't understand her. That he doesn't even want to.

"Richard, I … I … need some time alone today."

"What? Why?"

"Right now, I just can't spend the night with someone who doesn't want to understand me. Or at least tries."

"So, this is it?"

"No! This isn't it. It's just: I won't stop being like that with Chandler. I want you to think about whether you are able to deal with it or not."

"Monica, I…"

"Richard, it's important to me!"

"Well, I guess I'm just gonna go then," Richard sighs.

"See you tomorrow?" Monica asks, her heart beating fast. She doesn't want that to be it with Richard. She has never felt for anyone else what she feels for him. But that's why it's even more important to her for him to understand her relationship with Chandler. If they are really going to work out – and she hopes the best – he has to know and accept how important her friends, and especially Chandler, is to her.

"Yeah," Richard smiles and gives her a quick peck on the cheek. Monica takes a deep breath and smiles.

As soon as Richard has left the apartment, Monica walks towards her bedroom. But then she stops and walks back towards the door.

"Hey, Mon, what happened with Richard?" Chandler asks as Monica enters his apartment. He is still sitting in his chair like she has left him.

"I explained him … well, us, and he tries to understand."

"It's difficult, huh?"

"Yes, but also great," Monica smiles, sits down on the armrest again and puts an arm around Chandler.

"And why are you not with him right now?"

Monica shrugs and puts her head down on his shoulder. "I'd much rather spend this day with you."

I know that Richard is a little out of character in this one. But I always wanted to write a story where one of Monica's boyfriends sees Mondler together for the first time and doesn't understand what's it all about. I hope you enjoyed it nevertheless. :)