A/N: And woah, this drabble is M-rated. Didn't nail Monica's personality but at least I'm trying. The timeline is a bit of a stretch, but please go with it :) Unsure about where I ended this chapter since the next one will probably pick up almost right away. Eh. That will leave me with the opportunity to write Chandler. Oooh. I'm looking forward to that. Also, I'm not even going to apologize for updating so infrequently. Because that's what I do. Let's blame Castle. /End rant

If you didn't catch it: THIS CHAPTER IS M-RATED :0

The One After London Time

She was lying in her bed and listened to him breathing. She was facing away from him, none of their body parts touching. She was naked and nervous. She didn't want him to wake up. She didn't want to know if it was going to be awkward. If it was, they would have to stop. Her breath hitched. She didn't want to stop. She didn't know what this she had with him was, or what it could be. She couldn't phantom why they never had done it before. She wanted to spend more time with him and that scared her. They had only agreed to be friends who had sex. That was probably all he wanted. She didn't know what she wanted. She was afraid to get too attached.

"You awake?" His raspy morning voice sent shivers down her spine. For a few seconds she debated to pretend sleeping, but decided that it was best to face the problem head on.

"Yes," she whispered, having trouble to find her voice.

She felt him shift next to her and nearly jumped out of her skin when he wrapped his arms around her. He kissed her hair and her eyes drifted shut, content.

"Aren't you going to say good morning?" She could hear amusement in his voice and she smiled softly. Turning in his arms, she found herself face to face with eyes that studied her intently. There was no awkwardness between them. It felt right. Unidentified emotions overwhelming her, she pressed her lips to his, not caring about morning breath for one second. His eyes were twinkling.

"Morning Chandler."

"Morning Monica."

She ran her fingers through his hair and felt his hands roaming her back, and suddenly the little distance between them was too great. She hurriedly scooted closer to him and placed her head against his chest. He seemed to understand. His arms were wrapped around her in a secure embrace.

"What time is it?" She murmured, enjoying the closeness, his arms, their legs tangled up in each other.

"It's 6 soon." She felt his breath on her hair.

"Joey's going to wonder where you've been."

She felt him shake his head. "If he did, he would have come looking. From what I know, you and I watched a movie and I came back after he went to sleep."

Anxiousness surged through her and she moved a little out of his embrace so she could look him in the eye. "We have to be more careful."

His brow was furrowed and she could see that he was confused. "Why?"

She ran her fingers soothingly through his hair again. "If Joey had come looking…" she trailed off, realizing that they never had discussed it. "We are going to keep this between us, right?"

"Oh." Realization dawning on his face. "Yes, I think that would be best."

Silence fell over them. She felt uncertain about what subject to breach next.

"What are you doing today?" He was averting his eyes. She tried to catch his gaze to figure out what he meant, but he refused to look at her.

"Unpack," she stated softly, when it became clear he wouldn't look at her. "Since I became preoccupied last night."

Finally looking at her, he swallowed. "Do you think maybe we could help each other unpack?"

Her heart jumped. Doing something as ridiculous as helping each other unpack could only mean one thing: He was offering to spend time with her. At least that was what she thought. He could mean that he wanted sex. She had to be sure.

"By unpack you mean?"

She was staring at him, her insides screaming at him to say what she wanted him to say. He moved closer and rested his forehead against hers. His eyes were closed. She could feel his quick breaths on her face.

"By unpack I mean unpack."

Her heart was beating so fast that she had to take a heavy breath to steady herself. Closing her eyes she whispered "I'd like that."

He leaned in and kissed her. Basking in emotional pleasure, she shivered and opened her mouth to meet him halfway. Warm, wet and arousing. She heard him sigh softly against her mouth and she swung her leg over his hip, inviting him closer. Needing him closer. His mouth left hers to trail kisses down her neck to her shoulder. She felt him shift and she rolled with him, his weight pressing her pleasantly into the mattress.

Her leg slipped from his back as he trailed his kisses lower. When he reached her breasts she arched her back to give him better access and she felt him smile against her. She pulled her fingers through his hair, urging him to continue and he happily obliged.

His hand between her legs. His lips on her breast. Deep, shaky breaths.

"Chandler…"

He locked eyes with her and seemed to understand. He pulled away from her and she shivered when cold air hit her. Even though he would be right back, the distance felt unbearable. Rolling on a condom he pulled her close again. She kissed him, trying to convey some of her emotions.

Facing him, she straddled his legs, allowing him to fill her slowly, eyes drifting shut in pleasure. He wrapped his arms around her again, holding her close. For a little while they sat enjoying the feeling of being as close as people can get.

Then she started to move. Tentatively at first, but as pleasure overtook her senses, with more urgency. His hands were everywhere and she kissed him more passionately than she'd ever done before. Eyes squeezed shut, every muscle in her body tense as she came; she managed to bring him there too.

Relaxed and utterly confused she opened her eyes to find him staring mesmerized at her. Leaning her forehead she whispered softly "I know." Because she knew. Sex between friends shouldn't be like this. This overwhelming and breathtaking. It left her confused and scared, and yet, so utterly satisfied. She was sure he felt the same way.

"Is there something wrong with us?" His voice was shaky.

She licked her lips, trying to figure out what would be the right thing to say, without him fleeing the room in fear.

"No, I…" she kissed him softly. "It feels right somehow."

She took a chance. There was a million ways he could interpret it and she hoped with every fiber of her being that he would interpret it the way she intended it. Not possessive, not that they should be in a relationship, just that what they did felt right.

He stared at her, eyes soft and smiled. "Yes, it does."

Monica slowly eased herself off him and curled up on the bed. Chandler cleaned up with some of the paper towels she had on her nightstand before he laid down next to her.

"Rachel is coming back today," she sighed. "And Ross too, if he didn't find Emily." She turned to look at him, taking in his soft eyes and messy hair and realized suddenly that he was handsome. She felt her throat close and tried to shake the emotions, but she was left with an unmistakable desire for the man next to her.

"We have to be more careful then," Chandler said, oblivious to Monica's emotions next to him. "Rachel isn't as gullible as Joey."

He turned and stared at her, seeing the conflicting emotions on her face. "What?"

Even though she was terrified of saying something wrong, she still had an urge to express her emotions out loud. "It's just…" She couldn't meet his eyes. "You're really handsome." Blurting it out before she had a chance to reconsider. Great.

She could sense his confusion and a blush formed on her cheeks. When she finally looked at him again, she saw the hit of a blush on his cheeks too.

"Thank you, I…" he stuttered softly.

Monica hid her face in her hands. "I'm sorry. This is so embarrassing."

Chandler took her hands away and held them tight in his own. He smiled lopsided at her. "Really, thank you. You're beautiful."

Not understanding why she felt so embarrassed, but realizing that she was, she wanted to hide her face in her hands again. Seeing as Chandler held them, she scooted in close and tucked her face under his chin, to keep him from staring at her. "Thank you."

For a little while they laid in companionable silence, listening to the other breathing.

She felt Chandler clear his throat. "I need to go. Joey might wake up and I'm usually up by this time, so he's going to wonder if I'm not there."

Monica turned her head and saw the time closing in on 7. "You don't have to, you know. Since we all took the day off."

"Yeah, but I need to work off the jet lag as soon as possible."

She sighed. "You're going to be a mess since we almost didn't sleep tonight."

Chandler laughed. "Don't worry about it. This is something I'm more than willing to sacrifice sleep for."

They fell into silence for a few more minutes, Monica enjoying the thought of him willing to sacrifice something for her. She was trailing patterns on his arms and his hands were stroking her back.

He sighed heavily and kissed her lips lightly. "I really need to go."

She smiled compassionately at him and rolled out of his arms. "I might get up as well."

"Oh, don't do that." Chandler looked pleadingly at her. "You should sleep some more, since you have the opportunity."

She wanted to say what was on her mind, but was afraid it was too soon. She settled for the half-truth. "I don't think I'll be able to sleep, that's all."

Perhaps he knew what was on her mind. Perhaps he felt the same way. Chandler did at least not push the issue anymore.

Their clothes were neatly folded on the dresser because she had insisted. When they had moved from the living room to the bedroom they had brought their thrown-away clothes with them in case someone came in. Since they already had picked up the clothes they might as well fold them. Surprisingly Chandler had indulged her without complaint. The thought made her smile.

Chandler dressed sloppily, stating he was going home to shower and Monica roamed her closet for something to wear.

"I'll bring Joey over in a couple of hours and we can have breakfast," he smiled.

Monica, wrapped in her bathrobe, followed him to the door. "See you soon," she grinned softly as she wrapped her arms around him and kissed him passionately goodbye.

"I'll come over tonight?" Chandler voiced it as a question.

Sighing deeply, enjoying his hands on her hips, she answered. "Or I'll come over to your place. We'll see what works best."

He kissed her softly, one more time before leaving. After the door closed behind him, Monica allowed the force of emotions to hit her. Chandler. She was doing it with Chandler. In a way she hadn't realized it until now. London felt sort of like another dimension. Another life. Back in New York everything was the same, except now, it all was changed. Things about Chandler she'd never noticed or cared about suddenly became important. How he actually was handsome. How blue his eyes were. Realization hitting her, she sat heavily down on one of the kitchen chairs. She was crushing on Chandler. Leaning her head in her hands, she couldn't help but laugh at herself. It was ridiculous. She was crushing on her best friend. A guy who was freaking out the moment relationships and commitment was mentioned. They could never be anything. Yet, here they were, doing this.

Forcing herself to stop, Monica shook her head at herself. She shouldn't try to analyze. They were what they were and would become what they became. Currently, what they had was great and she shouldn't try to force it. She shouldn't even think about it. At least not so soon.

While taking a shower she played in her mind every moment Chandler and her had together since they hooked up. It left her smiling and burning with desire once again. She couldn't understand it. The more they were together, the more she wanted. Hearing the phone ring, she groaned, but turned off the shower and went to answer it.

She never would have expected the conversation that followed. "Monica? It's Ross…"

After hanging up with Ross, Monica stared dumbfounded at the phone for a few seconds. Poor Ross. Everything seemed to be against him these days. Suddenly feeling the urge to see the person that somehow always seemed to brighten her day, she quickly dressed and made her way over to Joey and Chandler's.

She entered without knocking, because that's what they did, and found Chandler relaxing in his barcalounger reading a comic book. Turning his head to see who it was, he smiled at her and swirled the chair around to face her.

"Joey's not up yet," his eyebrows rising as he stared questioning at her.

Crossing the room in one fluid motion she leaned down and kissed him, leaving him smiling at her.

"What's up?"

"Ross called." I missed you. "He's taking a flight home now."

Chandler was holding her hands and Monica sat down on the armrest next to him. "So he didn't meet Emily then?"

"Oh, he did," Monica sighed. "It's worse."

Chandler was now resting on of his hands on her knee and she was so aware of it, feeling the tingling running up her leg and leaving her stomach in knots. It was a familiar gesture that suddenly meant so much more. It was difficult to try to keep acting like everything was like before. Keeping track of the conversation, even a serious one, proved to be difficult.

"He was waiting for Emily when he saw Rachel on her way home and they started talking."

Chandler groaned. "Don't say that she told him."

Monica shook her head. "Even though it might have been better if she had."

Chandler stared surprised at her.

"Then anything of this mess wouldn't have happened," she explained. "It didn't seem like Emily was going to show up, so Ross convinced Rachel to go with him. But as they were boarding the plane Emily showed up and saw them together. So she fled and Ross chased her. But apparently Rachel had already boarded so she's probably in Greece by now. And Ross lost Emily at the airport and couldn't find her with any of her relatives or friends."

Chandler stared at her. "You're kidding!"

Monica smiled sadly. "Afraid not. I shouldn't really be here." She shrugged towards the door. "I should be over there to see if Rachel's gonna call."

Chandler was shaking his head. "It's just a little difficult to believe. Poor Ross."

Monica sighed. "I know. I feel really sorry for Rachel too. I mean, I kind of liked Emily before she married my brother even though she had already decided that she wasn't going to let him explain and let them work on their marriage, but I always thought him and Rachel had something special."

"I did too."

For a few seconds they sat in silence and Monica felt the tension and the unidentified emotions welling up in her. Suddenly she was overwhelmed with a feeling that something in this world had to be alright, and before she knew it she was sitting in Chandler's lap, kissing him as if the world depended on it. He didn't miss a beat and was kissing her back the moment he felt her lips on his.

The sense of urgency leaving her, Monica allowed herself to enjoy the moment. Hungry kisses. Soft kisses. When she felt Chandler's hands sneaking under her shirt to cup her breasts through her bra, she broke away. Chandler grinned at her.

"We can't do that," she mock-scolded, and he grinned wider.

"Oh, I know," his eyes were twinkling at her. "But there's nothing wrong with doing this." He pushed her bra out of the way and rolled her nipples between his fingers. A shot of arousal shot through Monica and she scowled at him.

"You like it," he winked at her.

Angrily she leaned in to kiss him, to wipe the stupid expression off his face. Chandler panted breathless at her and she gracefully got out off his lap and straightened her bra and shirt.

"I'm gonna go back now," she declared and Chandler was pouting a little. It made her laugh. "I need to see if Rachel will call and I have to start making breakfast."

"Fine," Chandler sighed.

"You can come too, if you like." She wanted him to come. Even if that meant that she would be distracted from what she was supposed to do. It frightened her. How she was willing to give up some order and organizing for him. And they didn't even have a relationship. And it was still during their third day together.

"I should probably wait for Joey," Chandler said apologetically.

Monica tried to pretend that she wasn't disappointed. She didn't fool him.

"It's just that he might be suspicious," he explained softly. "He didn't see me all night and then I'm gone when he wakes up."

"Yeah, no big deal." She waved it off. It shouldn't be a big deal. She was determined not to let it be one.

Chandler got up from the chair and kissed her. It made her feel better. It wasn't like he was rejecting her or anything. He was just being practical and she could appreciate that. She should appreciate that.

His hands framing her face he kissed her lips softly a few more times before letting go. He was a really good kisser, leaving her longing for more every time. They both sighed noticeably and then pretended they didn't. Still standing close together, totally invading each other's personal space, but it felt good. Why was it so difficult to leave? Chandler stroked her hair and she trailed a finger down the side of his face.

"Ok, really leaving now," Monica grinned. Somewhere in the future she could totally imagine them being one of those "no, you hang up first" couples. She shouldn't really think about it. Them being a couple. But as she mentally scolded herself, she realized she was totally okay with that idea.