"Maybe he went to the bathroom," Phoebe said, nonchalantly. Joey shrugged.
Ross and Rachel looked at each other. He suspected from the look she had given Chandler that she knew where he had gone. He walked over to her and led her away slightly from Joey and Phoebe.
"What's going on?"
She laced her fingers with his, nearly in tears. "I'm not sure, but I hope…oh, I hope it's what I think it is."
Ross gave her a confused look - a new realization slowly dawning on him - just as Jack walked up to them.
"How's my little girl?" he said, a small smile on his face, looking at Phoebe and Rachel. "I'm gonna go see her - have a little Father-Daughter moment before the ceremony..."
"No!" Rachel said, panicked. The other four just looked at her. "I mean, um, she might not be, um, completely…ready. Ah, Ross…Ross, let's go check."
With that she gripped the hand she was holding and half dragged him down the hallway toward the bride's room. Phoebe, Joey and Jack looked at each other for a moment and then followed them.
###
"Chandler…why are you back here?" Monica asked, blinking her eyes, trying to determine if he was real or just a figment of her imagination. Despite herself she began to tremble. She tightened her grasp on the fabric of her dress to try to still her hands.
Chandler took in the image before him. She was breathtaking - beautiful in every sense of the word. But she'd been crying and he was sure she'd been crying over him. And he was determined that this would be the last time, God willing, she would ever cry over him.
He swallowed hard then slowly started to walk toward her.
"No. Don't," she said, her voice shaking, her eyes pleading with him to stay away from her. "I can't…I can't be near you now."
He stopped. His heart was beating so fast he thought he might pass out.
"You've already said whatever you needed to say and I'm…I'm doing what I'm supposed to do, please just go," she pleaded, looking around as if trying to find the best way to escape, then adding in a whisper, closing her eyes. "Please leave, please Chandler…"
Tears pooled in his eyes as he listened to the pain in her voice. It was the same pain he felt in his soul, and he knew. He knew right then without a doubt that she felt exactly the same way he did - that they had been going around in circles trying to deny it. They'd been sacrificing each other - following a plan set forth to make others happy, but not them.
Bullshit, he thought. This was the right thing - they were the right thing. They were meant to be together and if it had to happen at the 11th hour so be it.
He was going to make it happen.
"No," he said, his voice deep, his intense gaze locked on her.
Hearing him speak she lifted her eyes to him and gasped at the look of determination on his face.
"I need you," he said quietly, slowly making his way toward her again. "I've always needed you."
Monica's heart hammered in her ears. Frozen in place, she kept her eyes on his as he made his way to her.
"I want you," he said slowly, his voice and confidence growing stronger with every word, gaining encouragement from the desperate look in her eyes. He could tell she was shaking. "I want to make love to you again…and never stop."
A small cry escaped her lips as he closed the gap between them and gently reached up to hold her face between his palms. Her eyes closed for a brief moment as tears streamed down her cheeks, over his fingers.
"Tell me," he said softly, searching her face, "tell me you love me as much as I love you. I'm so in love with you…"
Nearly sobbing and scarcely breathing she clasped her hands over his.
"If you can't, I'll go…but Mon…" he said, his voice cracking, his lips millimeters from her own. "Please tell me you won't marry him. Tell me you love me. Please…"
She felt his hot breath on her lips as she stared into his beautiful blue eyes, bright with tears. Then she closed her eyes and in a raw voice quietly begged, "kiss me."
His lips engulfed hers as they pulled their bodies closer together. He tasted her tears and felt the emotion behind them. She clung to him, desperate to not let go - desperate to stay in his arms and feel his lips on hers forever. They broke for air, breathing fast and heavy, his tears mixed with hers.
"I need you…I want you," she whispered between fervent kisses, digging her fingers into his back under his suit jacket, as his lips continued to find hers, euphoria shooting through his body. "I'm so in love with you, Chandler. I love you, Chandler…"
He kissed her hard and deep and she responded just as passionately. Then in a flash she remembered where they were and the situation they were in and she pulled back, anger at him suddenly taking over and she pounded her fists on his chest.
"What took you so long?!" she cried, all her emotions right at the surface. He understood and pulled her tightly to him so her assault, which had surprised more than physically hurt him, would calm. He closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths to steady himself. She followed suit and soon began to relax.
"It is well-documented that I am an idiot when it comes to relationships," he said after a few moments, in a tone he hoped sounded like a joke, but his voice was shaky. "I'm hoping you can help me with that."
He felt her smile as she let out a shuttered breath and continued to relax in his arms.
"I'm not much better," she said softly.
He grinned.
Slowly he pulled back to look into her eyes, both of them a mess of sweat and tears. "You won't get married today?"
She smiled, having never felt so certain of anything in her life. "I won't get married today."
He smiled and pushed some tear-soaked hair off her forehead and away from her eyes.
"You won't go to California," she said quietly, still clinging to him.
"I won't go to California," he whispered. "I'm never leaving your side. I swear you will get so sick of me…"
She put a finger to his lips and shook her head "no." She smiled at him and pushed even closer into his embrace. "This is the only place I ever want to be."
"Me, too," he answered, holding her securely against him.
Taking a deep breath he said what he never thought he'd have the chance to say to her, never thought she would want to hear from him. But he knew without question that it was what they both wanted. He knew he meant, and would live up to, every single word.
"I promise I will make all your dreams come true. I want to make them come true, Monica. I want to spend my life with you - only you."
Fresh tears came to her eyes as she reached up to cup his face in her hands.
"I want us to have a family…kids… and…and be happy," he said, as he began peppering kisses on her cheeks. "I promise you, Mon, I will make you happy. I promise…"
Her heart felt like it was going to burst. She laughed softly behind her tears as she leaned up to kiss him again.
"You already have."
###
Ross and Rachel stopped in front of the door to the bride's room. It was open only a few inches. They couldn't see in but they could hear that Monica wasn't alone.
Chandler was with her.
"Please tell me you won't marry him. Tell me you love me. Please…"
Ross looked at his wife and mouthed "what?!"
Rachel, who was already in tears, quickly put a finger to her pursed lips to tell him to be quiet. Soon Joey, Phoebe and Jack were upon them. Seeing Rachel's look they all stopped and were silent.
Joey and Phoebe quietly moved closer to the door. Jack hung back a little from the group.
"Oh my God…" Joey whispered, his eyes wide, as he looked at Phoebe. Almost all they could hear were whispers, movements, heavy breathing, yet there was little doubt as to what was going on inside the room.
Phoebe gasped softly and immediately put her hand over her mouth.
Ross looked at his Dad and saw confusion and surprise etched in his father's features. They gave each other a small smile.
"What took you so long?!"
The eavesdroppers couldn't make out Chandler's muffled reply, but they all looked at each other and grinned.
Joey nodded away from the room, gesturing to the group that maybe they should leave, but no one turned to go. They stood still, in awe of the moment playing out on the other side of the door. Ross looked at Rachel. She was beaming.
He reached out to her and she turned into his embrace.
"You knew, didn't you?" he asked softly.
She nodded, looking up at him. "But not until last night."
He shook his head in disbelief. "Wow. I bet it's one hell of a story."
She smiled and nodded again as she whispered, "She's completely in love with him. And I just…I knew he was being all 'noble.' He's in love with her, too. Oh, they're gonna be so happy together!"
He chuckled lightly at his wife's enthusiasm, but he didn't disagree with her. He looked at the door, his heart swelling for his sister and his best friend. "Thank God he stopped her then."
"Thank God," Rachel echoed quietly.
Jack moved a step closer to the door.
"I promise you Mon, I will make you happy. I promise…"
Jack smiled, truly feeling relieved. His Little Harmonica was going to be just fine. He looked at his son.
"I'll go talk to Richard," he whispered to Ross. Ross nodded.
"I'll go talk to Mom," he quietly replied, as he squeezed Rachel's hand. Both men turned to go.
Joey and Phoebe looked at each other.
"We should man the doors and let people know what's going on," she said quietly. Joey smiled broadly and nodded. They followed Ross and Jack down the hall.
Rachel wiped her tears and took a deep breath. She knocked gently on the door.
"Can I come in?" she asked.
"Yes," she heard Monica's breathless reply.
She opened the door and found the couple clinging to each other, both smiling as she entered - eyes rimmed red from crying but looking happier than she had ever seen them. She hurried over to them and hugged them both. All three had tears in their eyes.
"I am so, so happy for you, I just cannot, oh!" she pulled them both into another hug.
Pulling away a bit Chandler chuckled, "So…you knew?"
Monica blushed, arm around his back, her hand firmly gripping him at the waist.
"I…I told her last night," she said, looking up at him. Chandler smiled.
"Good," he said, pulling Monica close and looking at Rachel. Her beseeching glance to him, cluing him in to Monica's distress, had been the final push he needed.
"Thank you," he mouthed to Rachel, his eyes shining. She nodded and smiled as he pulled her into their embrace one more time.
NOTE: And so here it is…this past spring I heard a new song by one of my favorite American country artists Sara Evans called "Slow Me Down." And I had watched TOW The Proposal around the same time. The chorus of the song just got to me and I thought "someone should really do a fanvid with this using clips from TOW The Proposal" - and I have no talent to do that whatsoever! Then I thought "what if Chandler had to stop Monica from marrying Richard?" - and BOOM! an AU Mondler fic was born! I wrote the middle of this chapter, where they finally (& yes, dramatically) admit to each other how they feel, in about an hour that same day and it was the first thing I wrote for this fic. It has gone through a couple small changes and additions as the story progressed, but it is pretty much what I wrote that afternoon in early April. Then I had to figure out how to get there - and I didn't want to do it in the she-accepted-Richard's-proposal-instead-of-Chandler's kind of way, because I can't even wrap my imagination around any fanfic that has that storyline anyway. So, this is what I came up with - and we're not done yet. One more chapter and an epilogue to go. :) Thank you so, so much for all the incredible feedback. Words can't even express…