A/N – I have a confession. I totally forgot Monica was unemployed at this point in the show…opps…but as this is AU just imagine she got her job at the restaurant...sorry!

"Hey," Chandler greeted, collapsing in the tatty chair next to his roommate, "you doing ok?"

"Yeh," Joey nodded, "I was a little bummed but it's not like we were that serious and Monica's advice was good. I'm thinking we hit a strip club, just to make sure I'm fully over it, then I'll hook up with someone tonight. That should do it."

Chandler smiled slightly, shaking his head at his friend's easy logic. He wished his love life were that simple.

"I, uh, I have something I need to tell you," Chandler admitted, "and I wanted you to hear it from me."

Joey frowned, Chandler rarely used his serious tone, "what's going on?"

"Ok, look…" Chandler swallowed, trying to work out how to tell him this, "when I first met Kathy I had a little…well kinda big…crush on her and the others all knew about it."

"Really?" Joey frowned, "you liked her?"

"Yeah," he nodded. "I, uh, didn't do anything or say anything to her though, I promise; I'd never do that to you," he hoped that were true.

"Oh," Joey mused, then to Chandler's disbelief merely shrugged, "that's ok then, as long as you didn't actually do anything."

"I didn't."

Joey nodded. Chandler closed his eyes relieved. He didn't know if he deserved Joey's easy forgiveness but he'd take it. He wanted to just draw a line under the whole Kathy incident and focus on Monica.

"Do you wanna ask her out?" Joey asked causing Chandler to open his eyes and look at him.

"What?"

"I'm not seeing her," he shrugged again, "if you like her and want to ask her out you're welcome to."

"Thanks," Chandler frowned, surprised at how simply Joey would have let Chandler have her….if he'd wanted her, "but I'm not interested in her anymore."

Joey frowned, "already?"

Chandler studied his friend a moment. Should he tell this to him? If Monica was talking to Rachel it was only fair he confided in Joey, right? It was more his secret anyhow and it would be him needing comfort if she decided not to take the next step in their relationship.

What the heck.

"I'm completely head-over-heels in love with Monica."

He watched as Joey jerked back in his seat eyes wide.

"Monica?"

"Ye-ah," he wet his lips nervously.

"Seriously?"

He nodded.

"Woah," Joey blinked. "I didn't see that coming! Since when?"

"A long time," he confessed with a wistful smile. "A very long time. It started out as a little crush, which I tried to ignore but it just kept getting stronger until…boom."

"Boom?" He raised an eyebrow to which Chandler just shrugged apologetically. He didn't know how else to describe it and was pretty sure his friend had never been in love like this.

"Does she know?" he asked, "I mean earlier, were you…?"

"Yes and no," Chandler shook his head. "She knows but only found out yesterday. She came over last night to talk some things over."

"Oh," he still looked confused, "so are you guys getting together?"

That was the million dollar question.

He sighed heavily closing his eyes as hope and longing shot through him, "I hope so, Joe," he confessed, "I really do…but it's complicated."

"How come?"

He opened his eyes and looked over to his roommate. Where to start?

"It's a long story…"

Half an hour later the boys entered apartment 20 and were hit with the smell of pancakes.

"There you are," Monica smiled at them, her eyes lingering on Chandler for slightly longer than necessary. Her thoughts going back to the amazing kisses they'd shared earlier, her lips still tingling. "We were going to send out a search party."

"Yeah," Phoebe joined in, "we were worried, it's not like Joey to miss out on pancakes."

"We were having 'guy time'," Joey shrugged, sitting at the table, smiling as a plate of pancakes were placed in front of him.

"Guy time?" Ross frowned from the couch. "Why wasn't I invited?"

"You can come next time," Chandler soothed sarcastly, "we're gonna drink beer and hunt some squirrels…I'll send you a memo," Ross narrowed his eyes and shot him a glare as Phoebe muttered "poor squirrels". Chandler rolled his eyes at the pair of them, "We were talking about Kathy," he admitted, shooting a look to Monica hoping she wouldn't misinterpret anything. "Her and Joey broke up and I wanted to let him know that I used to have a crush on her."

Monica seemed to relax slightly and Chandler offered her a little smile. To his relief she returned it.

"Used to?" Ross frowned. "As in you don't anymore? Since when?"

"Yesterday," Rachel said, "opps, aw crap!"

Chandler glared at her and then raised an 'I-told-ya-so' eyebrow to Monica who ignored him.

"How do you know?" Ross queried.

"We talked yesterday," Rachel said truthfully, to which Chandler could only nod.

"Wait," Ross frowned, "you've spoken to Rachel and Joey and not me?"

"He spoke to me too," Monica added smiling, unable to resist any chance at winding up her brother.

"What?" Ross turned to Chandler pissed. "You've talked to everyone but me? I thought we were best friends?"

"I haven't spoken to Phoebe," he offered lamely.

"And that won't be forgotten," Phoebe warned in a stern voice, making Chandler frown worriedly.

"So you guys are ok?" Monica asked Joey, trying to help Chandler vacate the hot seat.

"Yep," Joey shrugged still digging into his pancakes, "we're fine. Oh, Ross we're heading to a strip club in a bit to help me get over Kathy. Wanna come?"

"Uh huh," Ross accepted eagerly, not noticing Chandler's wince and the guilty look he shot Monica's way.

"A strip club?" Rachel asked, "This early?"

"Breakfast buffet," Joey shrugged, around a mouthful of pancakes. "You can pay extra for whipped cream."

Everyone pulled a face.

"What?" he protested.

Shaking her head Monica started collecting her bits, "right, I have to be at work."

Chandler watched her grab her coat and they shared a brief look before she bid her farewells and left.

"I've, uh, just gotta get something from the apartment," Chandler said abruptly, making up an excuse for the sake of only two people as he quickly darted out of the door and after Monica.

"Monica!" he shouted, dashing down the stairs and catching her in the entrance way.

"Hey?" she frowned surprised, "what's the matter?"

"I just wanted to apologize…for the strip club," he said, slightly out of breath, "Joey really wants to go and I feel partially responsible for the whole Kathy thing."

He watched in surprised as she stepped up into his embrace, her arms going around his neck as his hesitantly settled on her hips. "God, you're cute," she smiled, causing him to smile too, realizing he wasn't in trouble, "we aren't even officially dating yet."

The way she said 'yet' caused his stomach to do a little flip.

"But thank you," she continued, "I really appreciate that…" she looked at him carefully, "which you knew because you know me so well," she realized. He knew the thought of him with strippers would bug her and had gone out of his way to reassure her…they really weren't Ross and Rachel.

He nodded and was amazed when she reached up and kissed him tenderly on the lips. It was soft and sweet and lingered for just a moment making his toes curl and heart ache. It was over much too quickly.

"Thanks Chandler," she stepped away, "I really have to go to work now. Have fun…just not too much."

He laughed softly, his fingers forming the scouts honor sign, as he watched her leave. He let out a wistful sigh before walking back up the stairs. He entered his apartment, deciding to grab a quick shower, slightly surprised to see Joey standing there.

"Everything alright?" Joey asked concerned. "You took off quite quick."

"Yeah," Chandler assured "I, uh, I just wanted to make sure Monica was alright…with the strip club."

Joey laughed shaking his head, "you aren't even together and she's got you under her thumb."

"No she hasn't," he protested weakly, although in truth he didn't mind; he'd love to be under any part of her. "I just don't want to do anything to upset her right now. I don't want to blow my chance with her over something like this."

Joey finally nodded, clapping an arm on Chandler's shoulder, "my boy's got it bad."

Chandler frowned, slightly disturbed by his choice of wording but just nodded.

"She called me 'sweet' though," he informed him proudly, "and kissed me again."

"Really?" Joey grinned, "that's great. Well, not the 'sweet' thing but the kissing's always good."

"What's wrong with 'sweet'?" Chandler asked with a frown.

"It's not exactly manly is it?" Joey pointed out.

"Joey, this is Monica, ok? She knows me, she knows I'm not manly. Trust me, her thinking I'm 'sweet' is a very good thing."

His roommate still looked unconvinced but shrugged anyhow, "so, you think you're gonna get together?"

Chandler sighed and shrugged, "I hope so, but at the same time I really I don't want to get my hopes up. I've liked her for too long and if she decides I'm not good enough," he shrugged slightly, "I actually don't know what I'm gonna do."

Joey winced, seeing how much his friend wanted this, "I'm sure that won't happen," he promised, "she spent the night in your bed and you've kissed. It's gonna happen... but if it doesn't I'll take you to lots of strip clubs. As many as you need."

Chandler laughed and cracked a smile, "thanks man that makes me feel so much better."

"Any time," Joey nodded missing his sarcasm. "Now hurry up and shower cause I wanna see go see strippers."

Chandler sighed as he watched Joey get taken away for yet another lap dance as he glanced at his watch.

"You alright?" Ross asked with a frown, surprised by his friend's lack of enthusiasm.

"Sure," he lied badly.

"Are you sure you're over Kathy?" Ross persisted, "You know, if you spoke to Joey I bet he'd be happy for you to ask her out."

Why were the Gellers of this universe so obsessed about him and Kathy?

"He already offered," Chandler told him, "and I turned him down because I'm not interested in her."

"Why not? What's changed so suddenly?"

Chandler sighed, debating what to tell him. He couldn't tell him the complete truth because he didn't want Ross to get stuck in the middle should she decide against trying a relationship. That wouldn't be fair on him.

"There's another girl," he said carefully, very aware he was talking to the said girl's brother, "one that I've really liked for a long time, a lot longer than Kathy. She recently found out I like her and there's a small chance she may like me too. She's spending the next couple of days thinking about it."

"Really? Who is it?" Ross asked, surprised that this was the first he'd heard about it.

Chandler winced, "I don't want to name names in case she decides she doesn't like me like that."

Ross frowned, "come on, man, it's me."

He didn't want to tell Ross that that was part of the problem. If Monica wasn't his sister he'd probably have told him a while back.

"Look," he compromised, "I promise, if things go in my favor, I'll tell you who she is before I tell Phoebe."

Ross chuckled and nodded as he took a sip of his drink, "deal."

They sat in silence for a moment, Chandler not paying attention to the jiggling flesh in front of him.

"What if she's like most women and decides she doesn't want you, will you still tell me?" He watched surprised as Chandler's face fall, "Sorry, I was just kidding," he quickly tried to reassure, watching as Chandler half-heartedly shrugged. Ross frowned realizing something, "You really like this girl don't you?" It was rare to his friend like this.

"Yeah," Chandler confessed softly, "completely in love with her."

Wow. Ross raised his eyebrows, "Do you think she'll go for it?" he asked curiously, wishing he knew who it was but respecting his friend's privacy.

"God, I hope so," Chandler swallowed, "but realistically I don't know. It could go either way."

His mind played back to their early morning talk, to their kisses and their conversation before she left for work that morning. All seemed positive but he wouldn't, couldn't get his hopes up. There were lots of reasons why someone like her wouldn't want someone like him.

"I hope it works out, Chandler," Ross said, patting his arm, "I'll be there either way ok?"

"Sure thanks," he tried to smile but knew it probably looked more like a grimace.

He was grateful to see Joey return and used that opportunity to escape to the bar. Seeing all the lonely drunk old men perve over these women only made Chandler want Monica even more. He didn't want to end up old and alone, having to pay for his kicks before returning to an empty apartment. He wanted to just be with her so badly.

He just needed to prove to her that he was worth it; that he was worth the risk. Is that what he should be doing this weekend? Instead of letting her have time to think and no doubt think of all the negative points, should he be demonstrating to her how good they'd be together?

He knew they'd be damn good together if she gave him the chance…he just had to show her that.

And he would.

TBC...

I hope you're all still enjoying this. Thank you for your reviews! Much appreciated.