Listen to Your Heart – Chapter Three
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Chandler awoke to the feeling of his bed bouncing. Blearily squinting one eye open, he peered around the semi-darkness of his bedroom, trying to locate the source of the disturbance. His eye settled upon his 3-year-old daughter, jumping up and down on the foot of his bed. He groaned inwardly; why did such a small person come with so much energy? And why did she decide it was a good idea to wake him up before noon on a weekend?
"Daddddy!" Michelle moaned, bouncing harder on the bed, in an attempt to capture his attention, "Waked up sleepyhead!"
"Mishi," he replied in his best 'I'm-tired-and-trying-to-sleep-please-leave-me-alone-and-go-back-to-sleep-for-another-five-hours' voice. "It's early... can't you go watch cartoons?"
"But Daddy, you albways watch them with me!" He smiled sheepishly at her words, it was true, spending Saturday mornings watching cartoons with Michelle was one his favourite weekend rituals. Sometimes Joey even came over from across the hall to watch with them. Not that seeing Joey in Chandler's apartment was a rare occurrence. Seeing Joey in Chandler's apartment was actually a far more common occurrence than seeing Joey in Joey's apartment, especially when there was food around. Joey always managed to pinpoint exactly when breakfast and dinner were being served and appear in the apartment seconds later. Chandler's train of thought was broken when Michelle bounced on the bed again.
"I'm just really tired, sweetie. I promise I'll watch with you next week, alright? Can't you just go get Joey to watch with you today? Just be careful when you go across the hall. He'll be awak-"
Michelle interrupted him, "Anyway, Daddy, it's not cartoon day today! Today's Toothday!"
"Tuesday?" Chandler's eyes shot open and he sat up in bed abruptly, frantically searching through the junk on his nightstand for his alarm clock. He located it underneath a pile of papers and stared at it, its bright green digits were proudly declaring that it was indeed Tuesday. Tuesday at 8:47 in the morning, to be more exact. Which meant he had exactly 13 minutes to get Michelle dressed and ready for preschool.
"Holy shit, it's Tuesday!" Upon seeing Michelle's frown, he added, "Shoot. I meant shoot, honey." He jumped out of bed as his mind processed the fact it was Tuesday. He picked Michelle up off the foot of his bed as he rushed out of the room to get her dressed.
"Mishi, if you knew it was Tuesday earlier, why didn't you tell me then? Now you're going to be late for school," Chandler told her as he pulled a purple t-shirt, with a cartoon angel design over her head, after removing her pajama top.
"I trieded, Daddy! But you kepted snoring and snoring and I bounced and bounced and bounced on your bed forever and ever and you wouldn't waked up!" Michelle explained dramatically. Chandler smirked at her antics. "You need to learneded to stop being so sleepy," she advised him.
"I'll try, sweetheart," he grinned, as he straightened the pale lavender overalls he had just finished buttoning on to her. Snatching a matching hair tie from on top of her pink dresser, he hastily pulled her hair into a pony tail. He smiled at her, gently admonishing, "Now c'mon, we're going to be late for school if we don't hurry."
He picked her up and set her on the couch in front of the television. "I'll just be a second, okay, honey? I've got to get dressed," he explaining dashing back towards his room.
A minute later he emerged from his bedroom fully dressed. He picked Michelle up off the couch and snatched her book bag from its resting place on the adjacent coffee table, all in one rushed movement. As he hurried out the door, he paused to glance at his watch. 8:54, not bad at all. They might still manage to be on time if they hurried…
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Both father and daughter were belted into Chandler's car and halfway to her school, when Michelle interrupted Chandler's concentration on driving as fast as he possibly could without being reckless, "Daddy, I'm hungry."
"What do you mean you're hungry?" Chandler wondered, exasperatedly, "You just had cereal for breakfast!"
"No, I didn't! You forgotted to make breakfast." Chandler cursed under his breath. Where was his head today?
Michelle was hungry. What options did he have? He could return home, but it would likely take too long to return home and get breakfast to get Michelle to school on time. He couldn't just send Michelle to class without having eaten something, either... Just then he spotted a café to the side of the road: Central Perk. It would have to be good enough to grab a quick bite to eat, he decided.
Quickly, he pulled over and parked his car, dashing to the back seat to unbuckle Michelle from her car seat. Once freed, Michelle held out her arms to him, indicating she wanted him to carry her. Sighing, Chandler reached down and picked her up, jogging hurriedly into the café once she was securely settled in his arms.
As he joined the crowd waiting to order Chandler scanned the menu looking for something Michelle would like that would also qualify as a suitable breakfast, "Mishi, do you want a chocolate chip muffin or a blueberry one?"
Michelle looked thoughtful, carefully pondering her options. "Sweetie, we don't have all day," Chandler reminded her, gently, as the peroxide blond man behind the counter looked on impatiently.
"Umm... Blueberry," Michelle declared, before wiggling to indicate she wanted to be let down. As soon as her feet hit the ground, she was running off to explore the seating area.
"Be careful, Michelle!" Chandler called after her, but Michelle was already out of earshot.
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Monica turned from her position on the ratty, orange crushed velvet couch at Central Perk to face the counter, positive she had heard Chandler's voice, but she couldn't spot him amongst the crowd waiting to order. She shrugged it off as wishful thinking. Of course, it hadn't surprised her that she'd heard his voice, she seemed to be imagining she was seeing him or hearing his voice on a regular basis, ever since they'd had dinner last week. A part of her still wished he would come bursting into her apartment telling her how wrong he'd been and how much he'd missed her and how he couldn't deny that she was the most beautiful woman he'd ever met. Then he'd look deep into her eyes and caress her cheek gently, leaning in and slowly, softly kissing her, before his deep passion for her overcame him and he'd deepen the kiss. Melting into the kiss, she would return it with equal fervour, expressing the depth of her feelings for him and then he'd–
A small girl - no more than three or four years old - interrupted Monica's reverie by stumbling over her foot as she tried to run through the small gap between the couch and the coffee table. The little girl went crashing to the ground. Upon contact with the floor, she immediately burst into tears.
Monica looked startled for a moment, giving a cursory glance around to see if the child's parents were anywhere in the near vicinity. Upon seeing no one poised to comfort the little girl, she bent down to her level to see if she was all right. The girl didn't seem to notice and continued wailing incoherently at the top of her lungs. With the loud hustle and bustle of Central Perk during it's peak hours surrounding them, no one else even seemed to take notice. Monica decided it was up to her to make sure the girl was okay.
Monica whispered in a comforting voice, "Shh, it's okay, sweetheart, are you all right? Is your Mommy or Daddy here with you?" Monica questioned, quickly scanning the girl for any signs of blood or injury. Relieved, she found nothing.
The girl quieted slightly, sniffed and rubbed her eyes, wary of this new stranger. Her Daddy had always told her never to talk to strangers and she didn't know this woman.
"My Daddy tolded me to never talk to strangers," she told Monica, turning away from her, hoping she would take the hint and go away.
"Well, your Daddy would be right, it's not usually a good idea to talk to strangers. I just wanted to make sure you weren't hurt, you took quite a tumble." Monica smiled at the little girl, who had by now stopped crying all together. Seeing that the little girl was warming to her, Monica offered, "I can help you find your parents, if you'd like."
The little girl looked at her with big blue eyes and shrugged and Monica felt herself melting, "Is your Mommy or Daddy with you?" she asked a second time.
The little girl looked at Monica appraisingly. This stranger didn't seem mean at all, she decided. She might be able to help her find her Daddy, too. After some deliberation, she stood up and offered the stranger her hand.
Monica smiled as she grasped the child's hand, her maternal instincts immediately kicking in, dialed up to full blast. For some reason she felt a connection to this little girl. Pulling the little girl up off the floor, Monica helped her onto the couch. When the girl was settled on the couch her little feet dangled a good foot off the ground. Monica couldn't help but find it adorable as she began swinging them back and forth, looking like a little girl off a postcard.
"My Daddy's here," the child shrugged, "Daddy says some famnies don't gots a Mommy and a Daddy, but that don't make them less spesal," she told Monica knowledgeably.
"Your Daddy is absolutely right," Monica agreed, "All families are special." The little girl nodded and smiled, as if proud that Monica agreed with her tidbit of wisdom.
Monica looked at the little girl, realizing that she didn't even know her name. "What's your name, sweetheart?"
"Michelle. But everyone callses me Mishi!" she informed Monica with delight, her little pony tail bouncing happily.
"Wow, such a pretty name, for a very beautiful little girl. My name's Monica," Monica told Michelle, in return.
"Our nameses both start with 'M,'" Michelle told Monica proudly. Monica pretended to look like she was thinking for a moment, and then nodded enthusiastically, as if she had just realized. "Wow, that's true! They do! You must be really smart," she told Michelle.
Michelle shrugged modestly, and informed her, "I'm in preschool. I'm aposed to be going to school now. But Daddy's buyding muffins, 'cause he forgotted to make breakfast."
"Uh oh," Monica smiled, "You must be hungry then."
Michelle nodded and rubbed her stomach, telling Monica, "Muffins is my favite. Daddy can't cook muffins very good, though, so he albways has to buy them" she explained to Monica, crawling up onto her knees on the couch and turning around looking towards the counter, searching for her Dad amongst the crowd, but not seeing him.
"Hmm, I wonder where your Daddy went?" Monica asked Michelle, watching as she looked around, clearly looking for a glimpse of someone she recognized.
Seeing Michelle's shrug, she asked, "What's his name, then, honey?" Maybe if she knew his name, she could get Gunther to announce that his daughter was looking for him on the PA system.
Michelle looked at Monica like she was crazy, and put her tiny hands on her hips, explaining impatiently, "I tolded you! His name is Daddy."
Monica laughed, "Right. Sorry. I forgot."
So much for that idea.
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Chandler finished purchasing Michelle's blueberry muffin and a coffee for himself, handing over a few bills to the peroxide-blond man behind the counter. He shivered. That guy gave him the creeps. Chandler had never been one to believe in Phoebe's new-age aromatherapy aura crap, but even he had to admit that guy had an odd, insane aura about him that just gave him the creeps.
Chandler grabbed some napkins from the dispenser, knowing that within minutes of receiving her muffin, Michelle would have a blueberry covered face and hands. He turned to go find Michelle who had wandered off exploring the new area. She never went far, but this time Chandler couldn't locate her right away and it frightened him.
What if she'd been kidnapped? It'd be completely his fault for leaving his 3-year-old daughter unattended while he did what? Bought a muffin? Could he have been any more pathetic? In that moment, he certainly didn't think so. Chandler always knew he had a problem handling responsibility, but once Michelle came along, his lack of commitment and responsibility issues had faded to the background and he had devoted himself to making sure his daughter was happy and well taken care of. And until now, he'd done pretty damn well, if he did say so himself. Sure he had a little help from his friends, but they we're glad to help and they loved Michelle just as much as she loved them.
Chandler shook his head. Why was he acting like she'd already been kidnapped? He had probably just not spotted her the first time he'd scanned the restaurant. It was a lot larger than he'd originally thought. Michelle could be hiding anywhere. He scanned quickly again, still not spotting her. He fought to keep his panic down and think logically.
'The bathrooms!' he thought triumphantly.
He looked around for a sign for the restrooms, hastily running in the direction the neon sign indicated, when he located one. Quickly entering the men's room, he bent over looking under all the stalls for Michelle's little feet. No such luck. He exited the men's room and hesitantly knocked on women's bathroom door, calling out Michelle's name. Michelle usually didn't go into the women's bathroom, because she was so used to going into the men's room with him, but Chandler figured it was as good as any place he could look. Receiving no answer, Chandler turned back to the main seating area of the restaurant.
He was just about to start looking under tables for her when he spotted her sitting on the orange couch in the centre of the coffee house. He was about to call out to her when he noticed she was sitting talking to some dark-haired woman. A fierce protectiveness for his daughter kicking in, he stamped towards them, prepared to tell whoever this woman was off.
Michelle's happy face as he ran towards her, stopped him; he could only express relief that she was okay, "Michelle, there you are! Thank God, sweetheart! Please, please don't run off like that again! You scared Daddy!" he told her as he bent down to her level and pulled her into his arms, too preoccupied and deliriously happy that Michelle was okay and (for the most part) unharmed to care about the stranger. Quickly handing her her breakfast, he announced, "Here's your muffin, sweetie. We've gotta get go-"
Michelle interrupted, grabbing Monica's hand again and jumping excitedly, "Daddy! This is Monica! She was going to helped me finded you." Monica? Odd coincidence, Chandler thought, as he stared at his daughter's smiling face, that Mishi should run into a woman with the same name as the woman that Chandler had had to force from his mind all week, if he wanted to get anything at all productive done. He shoved the thought from his mind and focused on thanking this Monica instead. Chandler looked up towards her, his gratefulness evident. "Thank you very much, Mon–," he trailed off as his eyes met Monica's, and then widened in shock as he recognized her.
Maybe it wasn't so much a coincidence after all?
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I'm really glad everyone seems to be enjoying this so far :) I hope you all love Michelle as much as I do. She is so much fun to write. Working on this, period, has been a bright spot, recently, actually, since I've managed to catch a bad cold and been dumped with work over the long weekend (it's Thanksgiving here in Canada).
Anyway, thank you all for the reviews! They really do make my day. I hope you'll continue to enjoy and let me know what you think!
More Mondler and Joey/Rachel is on the horizon, I promise :)