A/N- Thanks so much for all the lovely reviews. Sorry for the delay with this one. I'll be a little slower in posting the last couple of chapters as I scrapped what I had and am currently rewriting…doh!

"Chandler!"

Chandler blinked in panic as Ross suddenly crashed through the door into apartment 19.

"What?" he asked in confusion, not moving from his barcalounger.

He had his answer when a pair of panties landed in his lap. He was pretty sure they were Monica's. Opps.

"Would it help if I told you they weren't mine?" he asked innocently.

"Chandler!"

He was definitely not a happy camper.

"Fine, I'm sorry-"

"Sorry?" Ross questioned pissed, "you had sex on my couch! And do you know how I know? My date found them behind a cushion!"

"Oh."

"Yes 'oh' and when I told her it wasn't like that and that they probably belonged to my sister, she called me a 'perverted weirdo' and promptly left."

"Oh," he repeated, trying his hardest not to look amused.

"Chandler!"

It hadn't worked and he still couldn't quite keep the smile from his face, "ok, ok I'm sorry we had sex on your couch."

Ross glared at him, probably trying to assess the sincerity of his apology.

"Was it just the couch?" He finally asked but Chandler's face gave him away. "Chandler!"

"I'm sorry," Chandler tried again to wipe the smile from his face and replace it with his pathetic puppy dog look. "We just really wanted to spend some time together- just the two of us."

Ross continued to glare at him, not falling for it for a second.

"We felt really bad about using your apartment," Chandler lied. He knew for a fact that when Ross had been dating Rachel they'd done it on Monica's couch…and kitchen table. "We were just so desperate to see each other and don't worry, Monica totally disinfected everything afterwards…well and before."

Ross studied him a moment before finally shaking his head and relenting a little, "just never never share any details about what you did and where; otherwise I'll have to move apartments."

"Promise." It was the easiest promise he'd ever made.

Nodding relieved, Ross collapsed onto the other barcalounger. Chandler resisted the urge to point out that him and Monica had done it on there too.

"I take it then it's going well between you guys?"

"So well," Chandler beamed. "It's just amazing. The best!"

Ross couldn't help but smile back, "that's good to hear. I can't remember seeing either of you look so happy."

"Thanks," Chandler grinned, he was damn happy at the moment, "by the way are you free for lunch one day this week?"

"Why?" Ross asked suspiciously.

"Well, it's Monica's birthday coming up so I wanted to buy her something nice and…well I can't really ask anyone else to come with me," he shrugged slightly.

"Why not?" Ross whined, "Rachel loves shopping."

"I know," he sighed, "but I want to get her something from boyfriend Chandler opposed to friend Chandler."

Ross gave him a look, "please stop talking about yourself as a third person – it's weird."

"I," Chandler rolled his eyes, "I just meant as her boyfriend I'm going to get her something special, whereas friend Chandler would just buy her the latest wondermop…possibly with the extra attachments if he was feeling generous."

"Oooh, can I steal the wondermop idea?" Ross asked.

"Sure, if you come shopping with me."

"Why do you need anyone to go with you?"

"Because," he looked slightly uncomfortable, "it's important I get her something really nice and I could do with an opinion." He debated trying to use the puppy dog look on him again; it worked on the other Geller a lot better.

"Fine," Ross reluctantly agreed, taking pity, "as long as boyfriend Chandler isn't buying his girlfriend any lingerie or anything involving a sex shop."

"I've checked with him and he promises he won't….not whilst you're there anyhow."

Ross shook his head and gave him a mock glare.

"Just joking," Chandler held up his palms in defense, "don't go all big brother on me."

"Ha ha," he dead panned. "Ok, how's Friday?"

"Ah, on Friday lunch people from work like to go to the local bar and socailise together….so yeah, Friday sounds great," he grinned, "thanks man."

Just as Ross headed towards the door it opened and Monica came in, "hey Ross," she greeted.

"Yeah whatever," he muttered, as he left the apartment.

"What's the matter with him?" Monica asked as she joined Chandler on the barcalounger. She climbed onto his lap, his arm automatically slipping round her waist pulling her to him.

"I don't think he appreciated the souvenir we left him," Chandler explained with a wince as he pulled the underwear out of his pants' pockets and daggled them infront of her.

"Opps," she blushed slightly, ducking her head, which gave Chandler a chance to drop a kiss into her hair. "Did Ross touch these? If so I'm burning them."

"In that case, I'll keep them as a souvenir of my own," he waggled his eyebrows before tucking the offending item back into his pocket.

She laughed pulling him in for a quick kiss, "so was he mad?"

"Just a little," Chandler shrugged, "but I apologized lots so we're good."

"Thanks," she sighed rubbing her hand on his chest.

"Say, Joey's out at an audition..."

She could hear the suggestive tone in his voice.

"Really?" she grinned back coyly, "what did you have in mind Mr Bing?"

"Well…" he suggested casually, "as we failed to have sex in every room at Ross' place…"

"We didn't make it out the living-room," she pointed out.

"Exactly, so we really need to do better in our own apartments."

"Where?" she raised her eyebrows.

"Bathroom?" he suggested.

"kay," she giggled, jumping out of the chair and running to the bathroom, Chandler hot on her heels.

Friday lunchtime found Chandler and Ross standing outside Chandler's store of choice.

"A jewelry store?" Ross asked surprised, "you aren't proposing to her are you?"

"What? No," he looked panicked by even the suggestion, "it's been less than 2 months… that would be crazy. Even Monica would think that's crazy…right?" he didn't sound too confident.

Ross merely shrugged.

"Dude!" Chandler protested.

"Come on this is Monica," Ross pointed out, "you knew what she was like when you fell in love with her. If you aren't proposing stay clear of any rings…or anything that comes in a box that's ring-shaped. Otherwise you're gonna get her hopes up and it's gonna be the worse birthday ever."

"Great, thanks for you vote of confidence," Chandler muttered entering the store. He was not going to screw her birthday up. Quite the opposite, he wanted her to have an amazing birthday.

"So what are you after?" Ross asked glancing around at the various cabinets.

"Something nice," Chandler shrugged to which Ross rolled his eyes. He really wished Rachel was here in his place.

Ross walked over to the nearest cabinet and studied the jewelry, "oh how about this," he called Chandler over, "a pearl necklace."

"No," he quickly dismissed, remembering the pearl necklace he'd wanted to buy Janice before discovering she'd cheated on him, "no, pearls."

"Ok-ay," Ross sighed and continued to scrutinize what was on offer, "oh, what about this bracelet?"

Chandler peered over his shoulder to get a better look at it, "hmm," he debated, "it's ok but it's not really grabbing me."

"Dude, we're in a jewelry store- nothing should be grabbing you."

"Yeah, point taken," he shrugged easily.

"Ooh, what about those dangly diamond earrings?"

"Nope, they remind me of my father."

Ross shook his head, unable to tell if Chandler was joking or just being awkward. It was sometimes hard to tell.

"Well, what about these earrings, they're very pretty."

"Yeah, wow they are," Chandler agreed looking at them, "I can totally picture her wearing them."

Pleased that they'd actually found something Chandler liked, Ross quickly called the assistant over. The assistant was a little too snooty for Chandler's taste but he smiled politely as the man offered the earrings to him for further inspection. He had no idea what he was meant to be looking for; he didn't know much about jewelry but they looked nice and he was pretty sure Monica would like them. That was the important thing.

"I think we've found a winner," Chandler smiled looking to Ross who clapped him on the shoulder.

"Good choice man," Ross grinned, relieved that the trip had turned out to be fairly painless.

Chandler's smile faded though, as he watched the small square earring box snap shut. Ross' statement about ring-like boxes building up Monica's dreams and turning her birthday into a disaster fresh in his mind. He couldn't be responsible for that.

"Wait! That's how they come?"

The snooty man paused in the action of placing the box in the small brown paperbag, "would you like our gift-wrapping service, sir?"

"No," he shook his head quickly, sharing a panicked look with Ross, "that's not what I meant. I need a bigger box...one that doesn't look too ring-shaped." The man looked at him unimpressed. "I don't want to ruin her birthday," he tried but the man continued to look at him. "Rossss?" he begged his friend to help.

"Ok, ok," Ross stepped forward taking over, "would it be possible to swap this earring box for say a necklace box?"

Chandler blinked surprised, "you know what a necklace box looks like?" he whispered.

"I was married," Ross shot back.

"Not really," the man said patronizingly, "but you can buy the matching necklace. That box has a space for the earrings. They make a lovely set."

Ross glanced to Chandler with a shrug. Chandler shrugged back helplessly.

"Can we see the necklace?" Ross finally asked.

The assistant disappeared for a moment before coming back with a much larger flatter box – Ross had been right. Opening it Chandler looked at the necklace and it was nice. Not quite as nice as the earrings but they did work well together. He could imagine Monica wearing the set. Maybe he should get the both he mused…until he saw the price. Ouch.

"What do you think?" Ross asked.

"I don't know," he sighed. "I either ruin her birthday and become the worse boyfriend ever, or I buy the two and don't eat for a month."

"Tough call."

Chandler shook his head at the lack of sympathy. He glanced back down at the jewelry set. He tried to imagine her reaction, to picture her opening it and seeing the pretty necklace and earrings. She'd know he'd done his best to get her something thoughtful. Something nice. Something she could treasure.

"Fine," he finally sighed, decision made. What the hell? "I'll take the both." He just prayed she'd like them; it didn't look the kind of shop that would do refunds.

He handed over the box and his credit card.

"Aw, you really do love her," Ross teased, "either that or you're really really terrified of the whole engagement thing," Chandler shot him a look, "or both," he concluded.

That night the jewelry sat safely hidden in his bedside cabinet as Monica and Chandler laid cuddled in his bed.

"Hey, uh, I've been thinking," he tried to sound casual but Monica knew him too well.

"About what?" she asked tightening her hold on him momentarily, smiling into his embrace when she felt one of his hands come up and slowly stroke her hair.

"About telling the others," he ventured caustiously.

"Really?" she pulled out of his embrace slightly so she could look up at his face, "how come?"

"I…" he took a deep breath and looked down at her, "well it's your birthday coming up and I want people to know by then."

"Why?" she asked confused.

"Because," he seemed a little embarressed, causing her to run a reassuring hand down his chest.

"Hey," she pressed gently, "talk to me."

"I," he broke eye contact, finding it easier to talk to her shoulder, "I want to get to be your boyfriend for your birthday. We're all going out to dinner together as a group and we're going to be dressed up and I'm not going to be able to keep my hands off you. I don't want to have to keep my hands off you. I wanna be able to hug you, hold your hand, smile at you and steal several birthday kisses. I want to be able to stand on the dance floor whilst you dance around me and let the whole world know that you're my girlfriend. I want our friends to see just how happy we both are and most importantly, I wanna spend the whole night with you in my arms without any secrets or guilt."

Monica just blinked for a moment, "wow," she swallowed, wiping away what suspicously looked like a tear, "that was beautiful Chandler. I want all of that too."

"You do?" his face split into a beaming smile which Monica instantly copied.

She nodded smiling at him, again marvelling at this side she never knew he had. He really was the sweetest guy ever.

"So when should we tell them and how?"

He shrugged, "I'm not sure," he admitted, "we've got a couple of weeks until your birthday, so let's play it by ear. We're bound to find the perfect opportunity to tell everyone…"

TBC….