I carefully shut the door behind me, making as little noise as possible, the tiny "click" of the door latch sounding like an explosion to my paranoid ears. I turn to face the bed and Chandler's sitting there, smiling at me.

"Hey, Gorgeous."

I feel my heart flutter as a smile breaks out over my face; his eyes light up when they see me, and it does things to me that no one else has ever been able to accomplish, things I can't really even describe.

"Hey," I answer softly. I take a couple of steps over to the edge of the bed and he pops up on his knees, reaching for me. My arms go around him as he kisses me softly, and I melt like butter. "I missed you today." It seems ridiculous; I woke up with him this morning, saw him at breakfast, saw him after work, ate dinner with him, and he only left my apartment a couple of hours ago, but for most of that, I had to keep my hands off of him.

"I missed you, too," he answers, his arms tightening around my waist, his lips finding mine once more. I lean in to him, my hands slowly stroking up and down his bare back, skimming the waistband of his boxer shorts.

"I like when you're mostly naked," I tell him with a smile. "Saves me some work. It's almost as good as when you're completely naked."

"Speaking of naked," he says, his hands sliding around to the front of my robe, giving the sash a little tug. The robe falls open and he slides it off my shoulders, revealing a flimsy piece of lingerie beneath it. His breath catches in his throat. "Oh, Monica."

"I've been doing some shopping," I tell him.

"Money well spent," he assures me, his fingers softly tracing up and down my sides, making me shiver. He pulls at me a little and I climb on to bed with him, our lips finding each other once more. Slowly, we sink down onto the mattress, pressing our bodies close together, our arms wrapped tightly around one another.

Despite having missed each other all day, our actions aren't frantic; maybe it's because I'm over earlier than usual and we have a bit more time, but we're just enjoying each other.

"Oh, yeah. I went to the doctor today," I tell Chandler in between kisses.

He pulls back a few inches, his brow furrowed. "Everything all right?" he asks, and I can hear the concern at the edge of his question. I smile; it's sweet that he cares.

"Just my lady doctor," I reassure.

"Again I ask…"

I lean up and kiss his cheek. "It was only a checkup."

"Oh." He pauses, and his face screw s up in concentration. "I thought that wasn't for another few months."

I smack his chest. "Would you stop that? It's creepy that you guys know those things about us."

He grins and grabs my hand, linking our fingers together. "I know things because I care, okay?"

"You know things because you're creepy."

"You're still bitter because Joey and I know you and Rachel better than you know us. But anyway," he continues before I can argue with him. "Why did you go to the doctor so early?"

"Well, as it happens, my sex life has changed drastically recently, so I thought it'd be a good idea to go and get everything checked out."

"And..."

"All is well, thank you very much. But, I do have a surprise for you."

He grimaces. "I don't even want to imagine what sort of surprise you could bring me from that office."

"Fine," I tell him as I pull away, mock-pouting. "Forget it, then."

"Aw, c'mon Monica." He wraps his arm around me, pulling me back to him, stroking my cheek. "I didn't mean anything by it." He pulls my face to his, kissing me gently.

I moan softly, smiling against his lips. "I don't think this surprise is going to live up to your expectations now."

"Try me."

"I decided to go on the pill." I take a deep breath, wondering how he'll take this. Will he see it as too forward? Should I have talked to him about this first?

"Ooooookay," he says slowly, looking confused.

I look at him expectantly.

"You lost me."

"It means that, if we want, we won't have to use condoms all the time."

His eyes actually light up. "Really? I've never had sex without a condom. Well, I mean, aside from that one time we kind of almost did."

"Neither have I. I kinda want to try it, though. I mean, if it's with you."

"Well, let's get started!" He pulls me to him, kissing me passionately, rolling on top of me.

"Whoa, big fella! That's not how it works."

"Is there a secret password or something?"

I roll my eyes, laughing. "I just took the first one today. The doctor says to wait for one p…." My eyes grow wide and my mouth clamps shut. This is really something we don't really talk about.

"One what?"

"Nothing," I say, shaking my head vigorously. "We'll just have to wait a month or so."

He smiles and kisses my forehead. "Monica—were you going to say 'period'?"

I cringe, feeling my face grow warm. I can't find my voice, so I just nod.

"You know, as it happens, I've been really good friends with a group of girls for some time now. I've been listening to all of you talking about this stuff forever. I'm actually not that uncomfortable with it."

"Really?"

"Mon, I've seen every single inch of you up close and personal the last few months. In fact, the only nights you've avoided me have been when you made up some lame excuse or picked a fight so you would think that I wouldn't know you were on your period."

"You knew what I was doing?!" I feel my face turning even darker red.

"Well, it seemed to matter to you, so I went along with it."

"I just thought that you'd think…" My voice trails off, not really sure what I thought he'd think, other than I just assumed he'd be pretty turned off.

"I just want to spend time with you. I don't mind spending the night with you without sex. It doesn't bother me to have sex when you're on your period. And if you feel better without me around then, that's fine, too. It's your body, Monica—you know best what you do and don't need."

I reach up and stroke his cheek, even though I still feel a little embarrassed by the whole conversation. "How'd you get to be so sweet?"

"I told you." He leans down and kisses me for a moment. "I've been around a bunch of girls for years. I've become pretty immune to all that girly stuff by now."

"Really?" I ask, doubtfully. "I've seen you get pretty grossed out when Rachel and Phoebe and I talk about our stuff."

"Nah, that's just so I don't get my man card revoked."

"Well, just for future reference, when it comes down to it, a guy who's comfortable with a woman's body and all that comes along with it goes a lot farther than a man card. At least when it comes to your girlfriend."

"Noted," he assures me, pulling my lips to his once more. I sigh in to his mouth, running my hand through his hair. "So." He shifts on top of me, his lips nipping at my neck. "A month, huh?"

"Give or take a few days." My heart starts to hammer, suddenly nervous. "Unless…I mean, maybe…did you want to try it now?"

He lifts his head from my neck, eyes growing wide. "What?"

I can't believe I'm even suggesting this. "We could try sex…without the…condoms…you know, now. If you want. I mean, we could. Or not."

"Monica…you don't have to do this."

"Do you not want to?"

He presses his forehead against mine. "When we're both ready, it'll happen. There's no rush. You're letting me have sex with you—that's pretty good in my book. I like to think I'm not one of those guys who pressures his girlfriend in to—"

"You've never pressured me in to anything," I assure him.

"Then why would you feel that it's something we have to do now?"

I shrug, feeling horribly insecure and self-conscious all of a sudden. "I don't know. I just…I really don't know."

"Look, I'm sure you've heard a lot of guys over the years—boyfriends or not—complain about having to wear condoms; those guys are idiots. And the girls that give in to them aren't that much better. I've never had unprotected sex, and I'm okay with that. If my options are to wear a condom or not get any…I'll wear the condom. I'll wear five of them. The fact that you want to go on the pill…that you want to do this with me…it's pretty incredible. But I don't feel like we need to rush it, you know?"

"Seriously—why are you so great?"

"I'm with a great girl," he says simply, then kisses me softly. I run my hands through his hair, pulling him closer, and sigh. This guy is pretty amazing.

"So, here's a question for you," he says suddenly, and I have to blink a few times to get back to the present.

"What's that?"

"Why haven't you been on the pill before? I mean, if it's easier than worrying about condoms…"

I shrug, tracing circles on his chest. "I was on it in college for a while, but it didn't always agree with me; it made me gain weight, and there's the potential for odd health risks, so I figured it wasn't worth it."

Now he looks terribly confused. "Then why do it now? It doesn't sound like the safest method."

"There have been some advances in medicine in the last few years," I assure him. "There's a wider variety out there now. They may not all affect me the same way. Plus, you know, we've been getting more and more carried away lately, and it's been getting harder to stop at times, and this way…we won't have to."

"Still doesn't seem worth your health."

"Tell you what—at the first sign of anything out of the ordinary, I'll stop. Sound good?"

"Sounds better."

I stroke his cheek gently. "You worry too much."

"I worry about you," he corrects.

"Well, it's a good thing you're here to keep an eye on me," I say softly, shifting my body against his a little.

"You're able to switch gears faster than a guy," he tells me, though I can tell by his body's response that he's not really complaining.

"Sex," is all I say, as if that explains everything. He shrugs and nods, so I guess it's good enough for him. He kisses me for a few moments before I shove him on to his back, his eyes growing wide. I climb on top of him, kissing him hungrily. "You know," I say, kissing my way down his throat. "All this talk about contraception and menstrual cycles has really turned me on."

I feel his chuckle rumble up through his chest. "Oh, baby, we know all about dirty talk." His hands slide under my lingerie and I can feel him grow harder as he moans. "Jesus, Mon—no underwear? You've got to warn me when you're going to do that."

I grin and wiggle my hips against him a little. "Isn't it more fun to be surprised? Besides, every time I wear underwear over here, I lose it. Your bedroom is a Bermuda Triangle for my panties." I see a guilty look run across Chandler's face for an instant, and I realize he knows exactly where they are. "You're keeping my underwear, aren't you? You have them squirreled away around here somewhere, don't you?"

His mouth opens and closes a few times, trying to find a good excuse as I raise an eyebrow at him. "I'm just trying to give you a reason to come back."

"That's weak, buddy. How can I know to come back for my underwear if I don't know you're keeping them here? Besides, I don't think I need that as my reason to not come back. The only thing the underwear-stealing is accomplishing is making me buy more."

"Look, okay, I know it sounds a little weird, but I kind of like having some of your stuff over here. It's probably too risky for you to keep actual clothes over here, but at least it's something."

My mouth dries out—Chandler wants me to keep clothes at his place. I don't know how to process this. That's huge.

And more of a turn on than I'd like to admit.

"At least tell me this," I whisper. "Are they clean?"

"Ew! Of course they are. I may be a pig, but I'm not an animal." He looks confused for a moment as he tries to figure out if that makes sense, and he looks utterly adorable.

I shake my head as I sit up. "Okay, big fella—pants off."

"And they say romance is dead."

I sigh as I slide off him and he shifts around a bit to remove his boxers. I grab a condom from the nightstand and flick it at him. He rolls his eyes dramatically as he tears open the packet. "I have to do everything around here."

"Well, there's one very important thing you can do by yourself if you don't stop being such an ass hat."

His hands still as he almost chokes on his laughter. "Did my girlfriend just call me an 'ass hat'?"

"'Fraid so," I tell him, biting my lip to keep from laughing.

"And did she also tell me I could go screw myself?"

"I didn't say that; I may have implied it…"

He shakes his head, rolling on the condom. "The things I put up with for a hot piece of ass."

I snort as I climb back onto the bed. "Touché." To exact revenge, I impale myself on him with no warning. I moan as I watch his eyes roll back in his head, our mood immediately shifting from playful to serious. His hands come up to stroke my sides through the silky material of my negligee as I rock back and forth on him. "Want me to take it off?" I ask, my voice already breathy.

"Leave it on." His hands slide up to my breasts, squeezing them roughly for a few moments before going back to my hips.

I love his hands; they're magic. They always seem to know just where to touch and how to touch it with very little guidance from me. Right now, his hands are a delicious form of torture as I feel the heat of them through silk, and not being able to feel the skin-on-skin contact that makes me quiver.

He bends his knees behind me and I shift down a bit, the angle changing, deepening, and I groan as my hands brace themselves against his chest, my fingers digging in to him. "Ohhhhhhhh, God, that's good," I moan as I move my hips against his.

His hands slide down my thighs, his fingers so light on my skin it almost tickles. I ache for more contact, but I feel like tonight we're in for a bit of cat-and-mouse, both angling for the upper hand.

I fall forward a bit, my hands reaching out to hold on to his headboard, my breasts in his face. I slide against him, hoping he'll take the hint, when I feel his mouth on me, biting at me through the silk and lace. My entire body shudders, the feel of his lips on me still intense, even through the material.

His teeth graze my nipple and I hiss out, "Yesssssss," as my hips push against him a little faster.

His hands slide back up legs, this time moving under the negligee, maintaining contact. His fingers skim across me delicately, one hand stroking my stomach, the other moving down to my pelvis and I jerk against him.

I clutch the headboard until my knuckles are white, trying to control my movements, trying to ignore his hands on me, his lips on me; trying to pretend that I'm in control of this.

His hand leaves my stomach and moves up to my shoulder, releasing me from his mouth. He pushes down a strap, moving the material out of the way until my breast is free. He starts to move his other hand away from my pelvis; I let go of the headboard and grab his wrist, keeping him there. Balancing carefully, I release the bed from my other hand and pull down the other strap until both breasts are available to his ministrations.

He takes one in his mouth and I nearly collapse on top of him, moaning loudly. I grab a hold of the bed again, desperately, and tighten my thighs around his hips, stilling his motions. I grind myself down on him, rotating my hips against him rapidly, creating magnificent friction that radiates down to my toes. He increases the suction on my breast, his free hand coming up to caress the other as his hips try to push against me.

I whimper.

We're so good at sex it's ridiculous.

I move up and down him several times rapidly, unexpectedly, and he releases me from his mouth with an audible pop as his head falls back against the pillow, his eyes slamming shut for a few moments. I feel a wave of smugness wash over me at his reaction.

I do it again, a loud groan escaping his lips, his fingers tightening against me, causing me to buck against him several times before I reign myself in.

His fingers move against me quickly all of a sudden and I throw my head back, a low, strangled noise escaping from deep within my throat.

I clench my inner muscles around him and his body jerks up into me involuntarily, and I push back against him roughly, my hips slamming down on his.

"God, Mon," he whispers, his voice almost sounding choked. "I think we're going to kill each other."

I try to nod my head, his words only half-way registering.

"I think we're both going to win this one."

That gets my attention. I look down at him, little beads of sweat rolling slowly down the sides of my neck. His face is strained; he's barely maintaining control.

He's the sexiest thing I've ever seen.

I bring my face down to his, our lips crashing together, my hands wrapping around him. My hips start to move against him frantically. His hands slide up my body, the fabric of my negligee bunching around my waist. His hips come off the bed slightly every time he thrusts into me. What started as a long, continuous moan morphs in to me crying out each time our hips collide, his mouth mostly muffling my voice.

"Oh, Chandler, YES," I whimper as I kiss him, fairly certain that most of the words are lost in translation.

His fingers dig in to me, his grasp large enough to spread from my hips to my ass, and he pounds into me rapidly, the sound of our fleshing hitting against each other filling the room.

"Yeah, baby, right there," I tell him, feeling almost delirious from the sensations. "Ohh, right there, right there, righ—YESYESYES!"

His body starts to jerk uncoordinatedly against me as I find my release, the orgasm washing over me in tidal waves of ecstasy. His buries his face in my neck as he moans. He keeps pushing his body against mine, both of us prolonging this for as long as we can. I grind my hips against him, moving my hips as quickly as I can, my fingernails digging in to his back as I clutch him as tightly as possible.

Just before I think I'm going to pass out, the feeling starts to subside and I collapse on top of him, moaning as I breathe heavily.

"Jesus," he mumbles as he strokes my thighs.

"I know," I answer, my limbs shaky and weak. "Was that a simultaneous orgasm?"

"Pretty sure." His chest rising and falling rapidly, his heart thumping beneath my ear.

"I think that's the first time that's happened for us."

"I think that's the first time that's happened to me EVER. God, that was intense." I laugh lightly and nod my head, agreeing with him on both points.

"I don't think 'intense' is the right word for it," I murmur.

"No, it's a word. We just need more words."

"Magical?" I offer.

"That's a good one. Earth-shattering?"

"That's two words."

"It was a two-word kind of orgasm," he tells me.

I muster the strength to lift my head and grin at him. "Yeah, it was."

His hand slides around my neck, pulling my lips to his, kissing me slowly, and even though I don't have the energy for sex again right now, my heart rate picks up.

"Could we just kiss forever?" I mumble around his lips. "Because I think I'd be okay with that."

I feel his fingers slide through my hair, keeping me close, and I take that to mean he agrees with me.

I move to slide off him and he immediately tightens his arms around me. "Don't go," he whispers.

"I'm not going far," I reassure him. "I'll be right next to you." Reluctantly he loosens his grip and I situate myself next to him, curled into his side, his cheek resting on top of my head as his hands stroke me gently.

"So, a month, huh?"

I smile and press a kiss to his chest. "Give or take."

I expect him to say something else, but he just sighs sleepily. I grab his comforter with my toes and tug at it until I can reach it with my hands and pull it over our bodies.

It'll be interesting to see what next month brings.