AN: Another chapter for you guys. Hope you like it. Please R&R!

Disclaimer: I own no one. They all belong to Bright/Kauffman/Crane. I do, however own the character of Sophie.

Chapter 16: Making Plans

Chandler was sleeping soundly on his couch after giving his bed up to Monica the night before. After almost a week in town, Monica decided to finally go see her parents. Apparently, it didn't go well. Chandler had just put Sophie to bed when she came by. She was in tears, but wouldn't tell him what had happened. So he told her to get some sleep, thinking maybe she would feel better in the morning.

Chandler awoke abruptly when he heard a pounding on his door. He pushed the blankets off him and stumbled to the door in just his pajama bottoms. He pulled the door open and came face-to-face with Ross and Carol.

"Sorry, Chandler." Carol told him. "I tried to stop him from coming here."

"What's going on?" he rubbed his eyes.

"Where's Monica?" Ross demanded.

"In my bedroom." He told him and saw the anger on his face. "Ok. That came out wrong. I let her sleep in my room last night while I slept on the couch."

"Are you sleeping with my sister?"

"What? No. Of course not."

"Then why is she staying here?"

"Because your parents upset her last night."

"Ross?" Monica came out of Chandler's room in her pajamas. "What are you doing here?"

"He thinks we're sleeping together." Chandler told her.

"We are not sleeping together." Monica told him. "Chandler offered me refuge from staying at mom and dad's."

"And that's all?"

"Not totally," she mumbled. "I have something to tell you."

"Daddy?" they all turned and saw Sophie coming out of her room. "Why are you all yelling?"

"Sorry, kiddo." He picked her up and she laid her head on his shoulder as he glanced at the other three. "If you're all going to continue to yell, do it outside."

Carol followed Chandler into the living room as Monica and Ross went out onto the porch to talk. Chandler put Sophie on the couch and turned on some cartoons for her as Carol watched the scene on the porch through the window.

"What's going on?" he joined her at the window.

"I think she just told him." She said. "He got very still."

"Please let it go well for her," he mumbled.

"Wait. They're hugging." Carol told him. "I think he took it well."

"Thank goodness." Chandler sighed as he went back to Sophie who was involved in Sesame Street. "Are you hungry, Soph?"

"Yeah." She said softly. "Can I have a waffle?"

"Of course." He went to the kitchen and got a frozen waffle out of the freezer and stuck it in the toaster.

Chandler got Sophie settled at the table with her waffle and a glass of milk as the door opened and Ross and Monica came in. Ross was still comforting her as they sat in the living room.

"So mom and dad don't know yet?" Ross asked.

"No." she said softly. "I don't want them to know yet. It's your guys' wedding. The focus should be on you right now. I don't want to ruin it by announcing my news just yet."

"You wouldn't ruin it." Carol told her.

"I don't want too many people to know yet." Monica told them. "But I want you guys there when I tell mom and dad."

"Of course we'll be there." Ross told her. "I'm on your side."

"Thank you."

"Daddy, I'm done eating." Sophie came out to them holding her empty plate with syrup all over her face.

"Let's go get you cleaned up." Chandler took her to the bathroom and they heard the water from the sink running.

"That's going to be me in about three years." Monica said softly.

"You'll get through this." Ross assured her.

"Ok. All clean." Chandler came back out with Sophie.

"We should get going," Carol told Ross.

"Yeah. We still have a lot to do." Ross followed her to the door. "Call us if you need anything, Mon."

"I will." She told him as they walked out the door.

"Let's get you dressed, Sophie." Chandler started to take her to her room.

"Are we going to the bookstore today?" she asked him.

"It's Friday, isn't it?" he smiled at her.

"Can Monica come with us?"

"If she wants to."

"I'd love to come with you." Monica smiled at them. "Just let me get dressed real quick."

"I want to pick my clothes." Sophie told chandler as he closed the door to her bedroom.

"Ok." He watched her open the drawers to her dresser and pull out a multi-colored skirt, a bright yellow t-shirt, and a big blue bow for her hair. "If you're wearing that skirt, you're wearing the matching shorts underneath. It is way too short."

"But daddy-"

Monica could hear Sophie argue with Chandler from the bathroom where she was getting dressed. She could hear Chandler telling her to wear something or they wouldn't be going to the bookstore. She finished getting dressed and put her hair in a simple ponytail with very little make up and walked out of the bathroom. She went into the living room and saw Chandler sitting on the couch with Sophie sitting on one of the plastic chairs from her activity table as Chandler attempted to put Sophie's hair in braided pigtails.

"Wow. You can do hair." She smiled at him.

"It took awhile for me to be able to do this decently." He told her. "I kept having to have Carol or Phoebe do this for me."

"Speaking of," She sat beside him on the couch. "What are Phoebe and Joey up to now?"

"Phoebe is now a licensed masseuse. Joey moved back in with his parents at his mom's insistence. But they'll both be at the wedding. Actually, they might be at the bookstore."

"They always come for Storytime." Sophie said as Chandler finished securing her hair with ponytail holders.

"Ok. Let's go." Chandler stood up and they went to get their shoes on and walked out of the apartment and got into his car.

They arrived at the bookstore in the middle of town and all walked in. Sophie ran to an area in the corner where there were other little kids and one of the bookstore workers with a pile of books beside her on the small couch she was sitting on.

"You stay in this area with the other kids and listen to Miss Sue," Chandler told Sophie. "I'm going to look for some books for school."

"Ok, daddy."

"She'll be fine, Chandler." Sue told him.

Chandler walked to the business section to look as Monica just wandered around the store. She found herself standing in the parenting section and staring at the rows and rows of books. She took a random one off one of the shelves and sat on a nearby bench to skim through it.

"What are you looking at?" Chandler sat beside her as he held a thick book in his hands.

She showed it to him and he saw that it was a baby checklist book for pregnancy. He gave her a reassuring smile and she sighed.

"I just found myself in the parenting section." She told him.

"It's going to be ok." He told her. "You have it all planned out. You and your Nana worked it all out. It doesn't matter if your parents don't like it when you finally decide to tell them. It's your life, not theirs."

"I know." She sighed. "This is just so hard."

"Of course it is."

"Monica?" they looked and saw Phoebe running towards them with Joey following behind her. "You're back?"

"Yeah." She smiled at them. "Maybe for good."

"Really?"

"What's with the book?" Joey saw the book that Chandler had tried to take from Monica without them seeing.

"It's mine." Chandler told him.

"No, it's not. It's mine." Monica took the book back. "Chandler's just trying to cover for me."

"So you guys are-"

"Not Chandler, just me." Monica told them. "That's why I came back. So that I could be around friends that might be able to help me. Though I don't know how."

"Well, I still have everything from when Sophie was younger." Chandler told her. "It's all in storage. I can take you over there sometime and you can take whatever you want."

"Really?"

"Of course. Although if you end up having a boy, you probably won't be able to use any of the clothes."

"Thank you for everything."

"So who else knows?" Phoebe asked.

"Just you guys, Ross and Carol, and my Nana." Monica told them. "I don't want anyone else to know right now."

"It's safe with us." Joey assured her.

"Daddy," Sophie came running up to them with cookie frosting on her as she held a paper bag puppet. "Look, I made a kitty."

"Very good." He smiled at her.

"I'll take you to get cleaned up," Phoebe took her hand and led her back to the bathrooms.

"I should go pay for these," Chandler stood up with his for school and a book he was getting for Sophie as he took the book that Monica was holding as well. "I'll buy this for you."

"You don't have to-"

"It's fine." He smiled at her as he took it all to the check-out counter.

"All clean," Phoebe came back out with Sophie.

"Ready to go back home?" Chandler came back with his purchases in a brown paper bag.

"Can I play outside?" Sophie asked as they all climbed back into his car.

"For a little bit. We have the rehearsal dinner later."

"Ok." They got back to Chandler's and sat on the porch steps as they watched Sophie go back and forth on the sidewalk as she rode her tricycle.

"It's hard to imagine," Monica mumbled as she watched Sophie.

"It'll be ok." Phoebe told her. "We're all here for you."

"Thank you." She mumbled as they all continued to watch Sophie play.

AN: So what'd you all think of this chapter? The next couple of chapters will probably deal with Ross' wedding. Then it will be Monica starting to deal with her expectant motherhood and everyone trying to help her. So please R&R!