Note – timelines: this is something I do not understand about Friends. There are a lot of inconsistencies. It is established a couple of times that Ross and Chandler started their Freshman year of NYU in 1987. This would put them both at about 18/19 years old. Cut forward to 1989, it is May, they have just turned 21 and finishing off their Senior Year. However, in the world of Friends, they didn't graduate until 1991 – see TOW the Stripper -Class of 1991 at the reunion – so they left college at 23??? How on earth could they have attended college for nearly five years? I thought there was a Freshman year, then Sophomore then Senior in college?
Excuse the rant…Oh well, in this story it is as it reads – Chandler, Kip and Ross are Seniors in 1989, they are 21. Rachel and Monica are a year below Chandler and Ross. Who cares about the timeline when its AU lol
TOW Kip's Wedding
Chapter Two – Face it or run away
As much as Chandler liked London, he had to admit that this was the most boring wedding rehearsal he had ever been to. How long does it take to make a couple of speeches?
It had been four hours since they'd all sat down. Ross had ran out of people to introduce himself to, Kip's mother had cried four times – each for the number of times she was mentioned in her son's speech. The father of the bride was telling the most awful jokes in the world…who said the British had a sense of humour. The room wasn't having any of it.
Now though, it was his turn to make the speech. He was Kip's best man. It was time for him to step up.
"Well, hey there," Chandler said, lifting his champagne glass in acknowledgment. "Glad you kids are still hanging around. I should have had Titanic showing on a screen in the background. We'd be starting the second run… Leo would just keep on living!" He was met with blank stares.
"Tough crowd," he muttered, trying to avoid Monica's eyes, whose face was starting to crease up with laughter.
"Um…anyway. Kip and Kate…Kip and Kate. Never thought this day was gonna come! He was all ready to dump her a while ago….haa-ha…." Chandler trailed off at Kip's 'cut-it-out' signs. Kate gave Kip a confused look before glaring back at Chandler. Out of the corner of his eye, Chandler could see Monica covering her mouth to stop her laughter.
"Um…but he didn't, that's the main thing! Funny story about how I found out they were getting married. When Kip told me he was gonna propose, I said 'Oh god, she's knocked up isn't she?' Not another one." Chandler paused for the laugh that never came. He cleared his throat uncomfortably. By now, Monica's silent laughter was causing her to shake in the seat next to him. "It was a joke folks."
Kip groaned loudly.
"So…not a lot to say really." Chandler mumbled, pocketing the rest of his speech. "Kip and Kate are going to be very happy together, I'm pretty sure of it. Speak to you all again tomorrow!" Chandler quickly raised his glass to toast Kip and Kate and sat down quickly.
"What's 'knocked up' mean?" Kip's Grandmother whispered to his dad.
Chandler quickly ordered a tequila shot from the barman and gulped it down in one clean swoop. He banged his head on the bar's surface several times, trying to rid himself of the humiliation of the evening's events.
"'…All ready to dump a while ago'…really?" Monica asked him gently, settling down on a stool nearby.
Chandler lifted his head. "I delivered it all wrong."
"I think you wrote it all wrong." Monica corrected him, shaking her head. "What happened to asking Ross or I to proofread the thing?"
"You were laughing…" Chandler mumbled.
"At you Chandler, not with you," Monica pointed out, giggling.
Chandler gave her a slow grin. "It blew."
"Oh it blew all the way back to New York."
"And maybe a little further." Chandler stared down his empty shot glass. "Is Kip mad?"
"He is so mad, especially now that Kate has started to question him about potential knocked-up ex's." Monica grinned at Chandler's distraught face. "I'm messing with you. He's fine. Kate's fine. Kip's Grandmother is fine."
"His Grandmother…."
"Oh you invented a whole new language for her ears."
The pair looked around the room. The hotel's staff were packing up the tables and chairs for the night. The other guests were long gone.
"What are your plans for the rest of the night?" Chandler asked her, rubbing his eyes.
"Well, considering I've got to be up at 8a.m tomorrow to pick up the bridesmaids' dresses for Kate…I'm thinking about going to bed." Monica told him. "And so should you. Aren't you meeting Joey at Heathrow in the morning?"
"Oh god, yeah, I totally forgot about that. "Chandler glanced at his watch. "12.30…huh. That's pretty darn late."
"Yeah…" Monica fingered her purse thoughtfully. "Unless…what about a movie?"
Chandler's eyes lit up. "Yeah…I bought a DVD at the airport."
"Really?" Monica's eyes sparkled. "You got Titanic, didn't you?"
"Inspiration at it's worst."
Kip walked slowly up the hallways of the hotel until he found the room he was looking for. He stared at it thoughtfully.
Face it or run away? He wondered to himself. He brushed back a lock of dark brown hair from his forehead, adjusted his glasses nervously and knocked softly on the door. It opened to reveal a tired and dishevelled looking Rachel. She stood there, frowning at him with a look that he was sure no one else could do.
"Kip…" She stared at him in confusion. "It's 1am!"
"I know." Kip stepped forward, cupped her chin in his hands and kissed her lips tenderly.
"Kip, no." Rachel whispered, stepping away from him. He ignored her and walked past her into the room. She sighed and shut the door.
"This can't happen." She told him firmly. "You're getting married tomorrow, for god's sake!"
Kip stared at her miserably. "I don't love her Rach."
Rachel placed her hands on top of her head. "Yes you do. Don't say that."
"No I don't. You know who I love." He stepped closer to her and kissed her again, this time more passionately. He ran his hands through her hair and gently pulled down her hands from her head. She sighed softly as she gave in to her desires and ran her hands to the back of his neck as she deepened the kiss. His lips travelled down to her chin and then to her neck.
"I love you Rachel." He whispered.
"I know." She whispered back, tears gathering in her eyes. She looked into his eyes. "But…"
Kip nodded slowly and stepped back. "I should have broken up with her when I had the chance." He muttered bitterly.
"You didn't know she was going to get pregnant." Rachel said to him, looking away.
"She trapped me Rachel. I really was going to break up with her…man! She didn't tell me she stopped taking the contraception. She lied." Kip ran his hands through his hair several times. "She knows about us, doesn't she?"
Rachel whirled her head to face him. "Of course she does!" she shouted. "Why do you think she stopped the pills? She knows you have the money your Uncle left you when he died. She knows you are a good enough man to stand by her if she got pregnant. She wasn't going to lose you to no-one special like me!"
"Rachel you are special!" Kip protested, grabbing her by the shoulders firmly. "You're the most special woman I know."
"Then why didn't you make your move before you met Kate?" Rachel whispered, staring into his intense brown eyes.
"I can't tell you that." Kip groaned.
"Why?!" Rachel growled. "You had feelings for me, and I had them for you! Why did you ignore them and go after Kate?"
"Because…" Kip paused. "I really can't tell you."
"Kip…if you don't tell me, then that's it for us. I don't care if you marry Kate or not. I want the truth. I want to know why the man I love is marrying somebody else!" Rachel raised her voice higher.
"Because Ross is in love with you!" Kip shouted back.
Rachel recoiled from Kip's grasp, shocked. "What?" she gasped. "Are you kidding me? He's with Carol!"
Kip closed his eyes briefly before opening them again. "No. My best friend is in love with you. He has been since you were kids."
"Oh my god." Rachel breathed heavily and sat down on the foot of her bed.
"He's gonna kill me." Kip moaned. He sat down next to Rachel. "You can't tell him you know."
"No…" Rachel shook her head. "I can't believe it. After all this time?"
Kip gave her a wry grin. "Yeah. That's why I didn't ask you out. He got there first."
"Then why did you sleep with me a month ago? Why have we been sneaking round now?" Rachel accused him. "You haven't been thinking about Ross lately, have you?"
"Because I fell in love with you too, and then he met Carol," Kip replied simply. "It's that simple. Then I tried to break up with Kate, she announces she's pregnant in front of her entire family and now we're getting married." He sighed. "It all happened so fast. I'm so sorry Rachel."
Rachel touched his face. "It's ok."
"I'm not using you. Ask me to call off the wedding and I will."
"I can't ask you to do that." Rachel whispered. "Whatever Kate's motives, she's still gonna be pregnant. And then there's Barry…"
Kip smiled thinly. "Oh yes…Barry Farbar. He's the thorn in my heart, you know that? Why did you suddenly decide you wanted to marry him?"
"What else was I supposed to do after you announced the engagement?" Rachel demanded. "Barry is a good man Kip."
"Yeah he's such a good guy." Kip mumbled sarcastically. He turned away from her but stayed on the bed. "He'll make you so happy, won't he?"
Rachel pulled his head back around to face her. "Not as happy as you make me!" She burst out, kissing him.
This was love. She hated it; she hated it and loved it all at once. She knew it was wrong. Kate was probably sleeping blissfully at her parents' house by now, not having a clue what her fiancé was doing.
She's an awful woman. Rachel reminded herself. She wants him for his money…
She lost all rational thought as Kip made her forget it all. She ran her hands through his hair, cupped his chin and continued to kiss him.
"Why you Kip? Why now?" she whispered.
"Did you just hear something?" Chandler whispered. Monica stirred against his shoulder and he chuckled. She had fallen asleep only twenty minutes into Titanic.
He flicked off the TV and shut off the DVD Player. He rolled on to his side to face her. He watched her eyelids flutter, her mouth slightly opening then shutting again.
Hell, what was he doing watching her sleep? Chandler sat up and slapped himself.
"Ow." Chandler moved his jaw and winced.
He was sure that he had heard something a few moments before. It had come from the right side of the room. Whatever he had heard had gone through the wall from Rachel's room.
He got up from the bed, walked over to the wall and placed his ear on it. He had heard shouting, even a few tears.
"Because Ross is in love with you!" He heard Kip's voice burst out. Chandler jumped back in shock. What the hell was Kip doing in Rachel's room?
He glanced back at Monica, who had her eyes open now.
"Did you just shout really loud?" She asked sleepily.
"No. Kip is in Rachel's room." Chandler hissed, placing a finger on his lips.
"Ok, he's either talking really loudly or those walls are way too thin." Monica replied, arching an eyebrow.
"I think it's a little of both." Chandler told her, placing his ear on the wall again.
"What is Kip doing talking to Rachel, in her room, the night before his wedding?" Monica demanded, joining Chandler.
"It's all gone quiet." He whispered.
Monica sighed and stepped back. "I'm sure it's nothing."
"I heard Kip tell Rachel something about Ross." Chandler mumbled worriedly, still keeping his ear on the wall.
"What about?"
"I can't tell you."
Monica folded her arms. "Can't…or won't?" She teased.
Chandler grinned. "Both." He suddenly jumped back. "Oh jesus…"
"What?!" Monica quickly leaned back against the wall. Chandler tried to pull her back.
"No, Mon, you don't wanna hear what I think is going on…"
"OH MY GOD!" Monica freaked.
"Shhh!" Chandler flapped his hands at her and pulled her backwards.
"Sorry, but, Kip and Rachel are-are…" Monica paced the room. "What the hell are they doing?"
"Well, correct me if I'm wrong but I think…I think there's a little making out going on in there." Chandler quipped, in spite of the feeling of the dread building up inside him.
"This is so bad." Monica's eyes widened even further.
"I don't think we should stay in here." Chandler told her nervously.
"We can't go out there now," Monica argued. "What if Kip suddenly walked out at the same time? He'll know that we know about him and Rachel. And Ross is only sleeping in the room opposite…what if he heard me walk out of here?"
Chandler grinned as he imagined the look on Ross' face if he saw his sister walk out of his best friend's hotel room in the early hours of the morning.
"Well, you can't stay in here all night either." He pointed out. "All your clothes are in your room…you don't have a night gown-thing…" He stopped and flushed.
Monica smiled uneasily. "I can't sleep in this dress. The material will be ruined by morning."
For the first time all night, Chandler took a proper look at Monica. Her hair was pinned back, and she was wearing a red evening dress that fell just past her knees. She looks beautiful…she was easily the most beautiful woman downstairs.
"I don't look that good." Monica broke into his thoughts. She smiled at him shyly, blushing deeply.
Chandler looked away. "Sorry." He murmured sheepishly. He looked back at her and smiled.
They stood silently for a moment, trying not to look the other in the eye, the noise coming from the room next door suddenly forgotten. It was as though Kip and Rachel's antics had brought the two of them closer together.
"Umm…I guess…I could sleep on the floor." Chandler said quietly, breaking the tension that he felt building around them.
"Are you sure?" Monica asked him gently.
"Yeah…of course." Chandler laughed uncomfortably. "We can't exactly sleep in the same bed, can we?"
"Why not?" Monica blurted out. She flushed as Chandler's eyes widened at her. "Well…why not? We're both mature adults. We both need somewhere to sleep and your bed is the only option. You sleep one side, I sleep the other."
Chandler gave her a small smile. "Are you sure you trust me?" he joked.
"Of course I do Chandler. We've been best friends for nearly three years now." Monica reminded him. "Just…don't look under the covers."
Chandler grinned. "I'll try not to."
"Ok…um…look away. No peeking." Monica fiddled with the back of her dress as Chandler turned his back on her.
He clicked his fingers, not bearing the tense silence. "You could wear one of my sweaters!" He exclaimed.
"Really?" Monica smiled in relief. "Thank god."
"Yeah…thank god." Chandler laughed uncomfortably.
Monica glanced at the clock on the night-stand. 7a.m. She blinked the sleep away from her eyes and started to move. She couldn't. She glanced under the covers to see what was stopping her and she smiled uncontrollably.
She had been sleeping on her side facing away from Chandler. She remembered at some point in the night that she had woken up to find a still sleeping Chandler roll over and move his arm to rest around her waist. He had held her quite tightly and, instead of wriggling out of his grasp, she had encouraged his strong grip.
Now, she could quite easily lie there all day. The warmth of his body resting against hers was so comfortable. She could catch the scent of his cologne on the sweatshirt she was wearing and her mind whirled. She had never been this close to Chandler before. She craned her neck around so that she could see his face. His eyes were still closed, his hair very tousled on his head. She very carefully pulled out of his grip and rolled over so that she was facing him. His arm stayed in the same position, this time resting on her back. Hesitantly, she snuggled closer to him. He wasn't wearing a shirt and she sucked in her breath as she wrapped her arms around him.
"Oh my god," She whispered, grinning. This was very bad. She was a bundle of nerves and excitement. She was seeing Dave, she reminded herself, a little unconvincingly right now.
She looked under the covers to look at his body. His legs looked so toned. She almost died when she saw the way his boxers gripped round his backside. She had never felt so attracted to anyone in her entire life.
"Monica, what are you doing?" Chandler asked.
Monica froze. She had snuggled up so close to his chest that she had woken him up.
"Mon…" Chandler's voice had a slightly amused tone to it now. "Are you seriously checking me out?"
Monica bit her lip, not daring to lift her head back over the covers. To her horror, Chandler pulled the covers away and stared down at her. He grinned shyly.
"Well, aren't we the nosy sleeping partner." He remarked, chuckling.
Monica's stared at him in shock. "You've been awake the entire time, haven't you?!" She shrieked, sitting up. She covered her eyes with her hands in embarrassment.
Chandler sat up too and removed her hands. "Yes I was…" He replied, staring at her in the eyes.
Monica stared at him wordlessly. What was happening to her? This couldn't be Chandler Bing that she suddenly wanted to fling her arms round and kiss for dear life?
She swallowed hard. "We have a problem." She whispered.
"Uh-huh." Chandler replied, his eyes never leaving hers.
"You're my friend…but…"
"But…" Chandler encouraged, lifting his hand to briefly touch her cheek.
Monica leaned in and kissed him softly. He kissed her back, running his hand up her face and into her hair.
Chandler paused. "Monica…I'm falling in love with you." He told her, kissing her again.
"No…" She gasped, pulling away. "You can't."
"Why?" Chandler whispered. His eyes were so sad she almost couldn't bear to look at him.
"Dave." She said simply. Chandler looked away, his eyes downcast.
"Oh yes, I almost forgot about the love of your life." He mumbled, crawling out of the bed.
Monica grabbed his arm and pulled him back. "It's a little more complicated than that." she whispered.
"How can it be?" He demanded, suddenly angry. "You've just spent the entire night in my arms and then you wake up and…and…" He stopped, shaking his head in confusion. "Mon, I'm so mixed up. I don't know how you feel."
"What I feel is…is that we shouldn't do this again." Monica whispered.
"What is it about Dave?" He asked, kneeling on the bed. "What is holding you to him? It can't be love…I know that, because I think you love me."
Monica looked up at Chandler, startled. She had never seen him so sure of anything but there he was, in front of her, quietly confident about her feelings. She couldn't tell him the truth though. She had to stay with Dave.
"I think I should leave." She decided, quickly getting out of the bed. She discarded Chandler's sweater, not caring that he could now only see her underwear. She pulled on her dress from the night before and started to open the door.
"Leave?" Chandler quickly pulled on his shirt and trousers. "Wait…Mon…we've gotta talk."
"There's nothing to talk about." She told him firmly, quickly walking out of the room and down the hallway.
"Nothing to talk about?!" He asked in disbelief, running after her.
Monica whirled around to face him, the tears running down her cheeks. "Yes…you don't understand." She implored. "Just…just leave me alone." She walked away from him without another word.
End of Chapter 2
-how's that for Chandler-torture lol. Some of you may think it's silly for Chandler and Monica to be paranoid about who might see them walk out of the hotel room together in the middle of the night as they've been friends for years and could easily lie to Ross that they had got caught up in the DVD…but I hope you sensed the hidden layers of the situation. Neither of them really wanted to be apart that night after learning of Kip and Rachel's secret and their own bubbling chemistry.
By the way, reviews are welcome, after all you do want to see what happens next, right? haha a little clue: I'm going to be turning the clock back a little...
