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Chandler stood by his front door eagerly awaiting her knock. Contemplating the random Magna Doodle, he felt a little strange knowing this would be the last time he'd be waiting here like this. The last time he stood in his spot in the early hours of the morning, staring at the back of the door whilst straining his ears to hear any indication that she was out there. It was almost a little sad that this would be the last time they met up like this and shared their secret encounter without the rest of the world knowing.

He shook his head at the poignant thoughts; it was silly. He should be excited that after tomorrow…well, today everyone would know and they wouldn't have to sneak around anymore. He could spend all night with her, every night with her, without the fear of being caught. It would be a good thing that everyone knew, at least that's what he kept telling himself.

A moment later the soft knock came, instantly pulling him from his reminiscing as excitement bubbled up to the surface. His thoughts now fully on the night ahead and he couldn't quite wipe the goofy grin from his face. He opened the door to reveal her standing in the hallway in her silk gown.

"Hey birthday girl," he greeted softly, delighting in the smile that lit up her face.

"Hey," she smiled back, meeting him halfway for a quick kiss.

Chandler quietly closed the door, stealing another kiss as he did, before eagerly grabbing her hand. He started to pull her towards his bedroom and she couldn't help but chuckle; he was so excited you'd think it was his birthday.

Once they'd reached his bedroom door he paused, "after you," he whispered, gesturing towards his door. Wondering what he was up to, she quietly pushed open both halves and smiled as she took in the scene.

There were a few candles scattered around, much like when they'd had the weekend at Ross', but unlike then there were some balloons, bunting and a small banner that hung at a slight angle above the bed that read 'Happy Birthday'.

"You like?" he whispered quietly in her ear, making her shiver as he came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"I like," she promised as she leaned back into his embrace, "this is so sweet…you're so sweet."

"I'm glad you approve," he murmured, placing a soft kiss on her neck, unable to resist nuzzling the skin he found there.

"I more than approve. I love it," she smiled turning in his embrace, her arms coming up to slide around his neck, "thank you."

"You're welcome," he beamed, pleased that he was the reason she was smiling like that. "I, uh, stole the banner from work."

She chuckled, which made him even happier, before she tightened her arms to bring him forward for a sensual kiss. It was a slow gentle kiss, both so content to be here together. As always with their kisses they couldn't keep it gentle for long. Passion, longing and desire shot through them causing the kiss to deepen as they pressed the full length of their bodies together.

Groaning, he walked her backwards towards his bed, desperate to feel as much of her as possible. He slid his hands under her silk robe and gently removed it. His eyes soaked in her body in the lacy black lingerie, his fingers itching to touch the creamy skin underneath but first he had to reveal another surprise.

Sitting up he made eye contact, grinning at her raised eyebrow. Slowly he removed his own robe, waiting for her reaction. He wasn't disappointed. Her face was priceless.

"You know I was wrong," she stated, reaching for the ribbon, "that is kinda sexy."

Panting, they collapsed on his bed, limbs entwined as they slowly recovered.

"Wow," he breathed. He didn't think sex would Monica would ever get old.

"I know!" she giggled, "this birthday is already my favorite and..." she glanced over at the clock, "it's only 3.00am."

He smiled, deliriously happy with her simple statement. He had promised himself if they ever got together that he'd treat her like a princess, like she deserved. He was determined to keep that promise.

"Well, I've got a little something to make it even better," he smiled, "your present!"

He untangled himself so he could roll over and reach his nightstand.

"My present?" she asked with a delighted laugh, "you don't want me to wait until dinner?"

"Nope," he said proudly as he pulled the small package out of the drawer, "I thought it would be nice to open when it was just the two of us and this way it gets to be your first present, plus technically it is your birthday…why wait?"

"Ok," she agreed eagerly, excited to see what he'd bought her.

He handed her the small, clumsily-yet-lovingly wrapped present and held his breath. He really wanted her to like them. It was her first, of hopefully many, birthdays together and he wanted her to remember it…for all the right reasons.

Curious, she carefully removed the giftwrap and smiled as she realized it was a jewelry box.

"Jewelry?" she asked excited, she couldn't remember the last time anyone had given her jewelry for her birthday.

He nodded, glad she was excited and very glad she hadn't assumed it was a ring. He was so grateful now that he'd paid the extra money for the necklace and the larger box it came in. He watched eagerly as she opened it and was relieved at her open look of delight.

"Oh my god," she gasped, her eyes still taking in the gorgeous jewelry set.

"You like them?" He was pretty sure she did but needed to hear her say it.

"I love them," she promised, tears starting to well up, "they're so pretty. I can't believe you got me these," she lifted her gaze from the necklace onto his smiling face, "I never expected anything like this," she thought back a couple of Christmases ago when he'd bought her gas station condoms. The boy had growned-up. She reached in and gently ran her fingers over the necklace and earrings in awe, "they look so expensive."

"You're worth it," he assured her softly, thrilled that she liked them so much. He resisted the urge to jump up on the bed and do his happy dance for fear it might ruin the moment. He'd done good.

"You're so amazing, you know that right?" she asked, closing the box and placing it carefully on the nightstand. She lay close to him, her fingers coming up to gently stroke his chin as she stared into his blue eyes trying to communicate just how incredibly special she thought he was.

"Well," the corner of his eyes crinkled as he smiled, "I do have one more small surprise which may hopefully push me from amazing boyfriend to totally and utterly amazing boyfriend."

"Really?" she giggled, "another surprise? Shoot." He was really spoiling her.

"Ok," he wiggled his eyebrows, "guess who got the day off work?"

He waited for her response.

"You did?" her face lit up even more, "really?"

"Uh huh," he grinned his fingers stroking patterns on her arms and her back, "I knew you had it off anyway so I thought it would be nice to spend it together…maybe spend it doing a little more of this," he gestured between the two of them, "unless you already made plans?"

He was really hoping she hadn't.

"No," she reassured him, "I haven't. I thought I might do a bit of window shopping, maybe go for a light lunch but I'd love to spend the day with you. Thank you!" she pulled him down for a quick kiss, "you are more than totally and utterly amazing, you're brilliant," she kissed him again, "sweet" another kiss, "fantastic," another peck of the lips, "caring…simply perfect."

This time when her lips met his he didn't let her pull away. He placed a hand on the back of her head holding her to him as their kiss deepened.

They knew with a lazy day planned tomorrow they didn't need much sleep, which suited Chandler perfectly. He still wanted to make this birthday a memorable one.

Chandler looked at himself in the mirror as he straightened his navy and black tie. They'd had the most amazing day together. Sure, he'd lost the battle to spend the entire day in bed and had endured New York shops. But to be honest he hadn't minded, he'd actually enjoyed it. Just spending time with her, just the two of them had been really nice. They'd gotten to be a couple, holding hands, hugging, sharing kisses and flirting. It had given him a glimpse of what it was going to be like for them after they'd told everyone and now he was genuinely looking forward to it.

He knew his self-confidence wasn't the highest by a long shot. He'd be lying if he said he wasn't still a little worried about what the girls' opinions would be, but after the night and day they'd spent together he was on a high. He knew he was making Monica happy, as happy as she made him. He knew they were in love even if they hadn't properly said it yet, and that in itself was enough to make him feel that bit better about himself. Their relationship was amazing, no one would be able to convince him otherwise and it could stand up to their friends' comments.

At the end of the day it was their relationship and they were happy. More than happy. That's what mattered.

He shrugged on his jacket and took one last look at the time. It was 7.45…he was late…on purpose. He knew he was playing a dangerous game. They wanted enough time to tell people before they headed for the restaurant, however, he wanted to be the last to arrive at her apartment. He knew Monica would be wearing some beautiful dress that would hug every curve and he didn't think he would be able to not look at her or resist touching her. He didn't want that to be the way their friends found out about their secret.

Praying that he'd waited enough he squared his shoulder and headed out of the apartment into number 20.

"Hey," he greeted, scanning the room. Joey was on the couch, Rachel balancing against the armchair putting on her shoes and Ross by the fridge. No Phoebe or Monica.

He walked over to Ross, leaning past him into the fridge to grab a bottle of water so at least he had something in his hands.

"Hey," Ross greeted, "just to warn you Phoebe's meeting us at the restaurant."

"Ah," damn, "does Mon know?"

"Yeah, she took it well though, she's in a very good mood…" he narrowed his eyes at his best friend, not wanting to contemplate the reasons.

"She should be," he shrugged casually, giving nothing away, "it's her birthday after all."

"Right," Ross grinned shaking his head slightly just as Monica stepped out of her bedroom.

Chandler barely held in his gasp as his hands tightened on the unsuspecting water bottle. She looked absolutely breathtaking. He'd been right, she was wearing an elegant but clingy dress which not only hugged but accentuated all her curves. It had a plunging neckline revealing more than enough cleavage and up the side of the dress there was a slit, which teased him with glimpses of bare leg as she walked.

He had no clue how he was going to get through the night.

She spotted him instantly, taking in the gorgeous fitted dark suit and slightly mused hair. God he was so cute. Then she made the mistake of looking at his face, her eyes locking with his. They were intense pools filled with love, lust and desire. She swallowed hard.

"Dude, you're drooling," Ross nudged him none too gently, not appreciating his best friend looking at her like that, even if they were dating.

Chandler blinked breaking eye contact and taking a few steps away from Ross. His fingers fumbled to open the bottle and he took some much needed swigs of the cold water.

"Monica you look amazing," he heard Rachel saying the words he wasn't allowed to. Not yet.

"Thanks Rach."

"Ooh, I like the necklace and earrings."

He risked a look and saw that she was wearing them; the ones he'd gotten her. He smiled proudly.

"Thanks they're new," she said simply, not going into any detail, "We better go catch those cabs, we don't want to keep Pheebs waiting by herself."

Joey jumped up eagerly heading straight for the door, one step closer to some good food. With a smile Rachel followed him shaking her head, Ross close behind her.

Chandler grabbed Monica's arm, her skin burning where he touched her, "think we can make an excuse to grab a second cab, say in 10 minutes?" he asked huskily.

Whether it was something in his voice, the look in his eyes, or the heat of his skin she couldn't tell. Something went straight through her and she wanted him now. She simply nodded.

He ran quickly out the door, "Ross!" she heard him shout, "Monica's just doing something with her makeup so we'll make our own way there. See you in bit."

Grinning wickedly she grabbed him the second he came back, pinning him against the closed door. They didn't have time for any finesse. They kissed hard and fierce as Chandler's hand started to slide up her leg before pausing in shock.

"Commando?" he asked pulling back slightly.

"Uh huh," she breathed, "I thought it was my turn to surpise you."

TBC…

I hope you enjoyed :o)