Hello, here I am back, with another story. This story focuses more on Chandler, on the aftermath of his childhood injuries, at first it is sad, since Chandler's relationship with his parents was always complicated, he had loved them and they had hurt him, and probably he, feeling that his ability to deliver was total, was scared of commitment in relationships. But observing his attitude towards his friends, his unconditional support for Joey and his dedication to Monica, led me to consider that, of the six friends, he was the one who loved the most deeply, generously and unwaveringly. Obviously Friends was a comedy of situation that could not be devoted to deeply exploring the personalities of the characters, but I think his was outlined through the progress of the plot. Finally, in this story Monica, with her passionate, tenacious and competitive spirit, will help Chandler find roots in his past.

I hope she catches them, and they tell me your opinions, through them I know if I'm on the right track.

Remember English is not my native language, I hope the translation is correct, I check it, but sometimes I miss some incorrect, sorry.

I repeat, I am not the owner of the characters, I only rely on them for the sheer pleasure of practice writing stories without any economic interest, and these two characters inspire me.

CHAPTER 1 – HELENA

The day was cloudy and rainy, it seemed more like a fall day than a spring day, Chandler had just finished a meeting with the creative team. He was satisfied with the result of the same since they had managed to advance in the assembly of several campaigns.

When he arrived at his office, he had an email from his travel agent confirming the flights and hotel reservations in London and Paris.

In ten days he would go on a trip with Monica to celebrate their 10-year married anniversary. They would first go to London for 6 days, and then by train they would cross the English Channel to reach Paris and enjoy another 6 days.

It wasn't the first time they planned a trip for their anniversary, they started doing it when Erica and Jack turned 2, but the first three had gone to nearby places, Vermont, Chicago, Florida, and for no more than a week, but when the children were older, the getaways went further, although never longer than 12 days since Monica did not want to stay away from the children for longer and, to tell the truth, he did not want to either, the first one was Madrid and Barcelona, and the second to Rome and Florence.

But this trip was special since they had been married for 10 years and they wanted to return to London where it all began, and to Paris, the romantic city they had always wanted to visit.

While he was reviewing the email to verify that everything was correct, his assistant Susan told him that he had a call of Mr. Garibaldi from Las Vegas.

Just hearing the origin of the call worries him…

Había viajado a Las Vegas hacía un mes para acompañar a Helena, que iba a ser operada de un cáncer de próstata, y como su padre estaba algo asustado, le había pedido a Chandler que la acompañara en esta situación. Desde su matrimonio y sobre todo tras el nacimiento de los mellizos, su relación había mejorado mucho ya que Helena amaba a sus nietos y viajaba a menudo a NY para visitarlos llevando decenas de regalos para todos.

Chandler picked up the call...

"Hello Chandler, this is Fred, is everything okay there?"

"Yes, Fred, everything is fine here, but something is wrong…. Hum ... it's weird that you call me, is dad okay?"

"Yes, for now, yes, and although she doesn't want to tell you, so as not to worry you, I think you should know that after the studies that were done after the operation, they detected metastases"

"Oh god … I thought that everything had gone well, that they had removed everything…. that it would only require a few sessions of x-rays and chemotherapy, which according to the doctor would be light, to ensure that it did not spread."

"Look, the rays and the chemo are soaking them up pretty well…. with the usual inconvenience of this type of treatment…. But what worries me and I wanted you to know is that the prognosis is not good... the doctor estimates no more than a year to live, since being a chain smoker, who currently continues smoking and does not want to quit, it has damaged her itself, to its respiratory capacity and that aggravates the other conditions".

"Fred…. I'm going there this weekend."

"No, no Chandler, please don't do it, she made me swear that I wouldn't tell you anything for now and I don't want her to get nervous... she's currently in good spirits, her optimistic character helps her"

"But Fred..."

"Look Chandler, there's still time, and I need space to convince her... Helena told me that you had planned a trip with Monica, please I ask you to do it, if you come here you won't be able to do anything, you would only make her feel bad, she would feel that it is a nuisance, she wants to make up for many things from the past by seeing you happy, that's why she's excited for you to travel, yes, send her photos so she can see that you're happy enjoying yourself, that's going to do her good, and when they come back we'll see each other"

"Fred, thanks for telling me, I just ask you to keep me up to date, I'm going to call dad before I leave, I'm not going to tell anything about this, but, I repeat, please keep me informed of how things are going, even if this outside"

"Look, don't worry, nothing is imminent, but I think you had the right to know the truth and start assimilating it, I don't think it's good for you to find out suddenly" Fred told him

They both parted ways with a mutual promise to keep in touch.

When the communication ended Chandler felt shocked, although there had been years of disagreement with his father, recent times had helped to repair his wounds, he did not forget, it was impossible to forget the pain, the loneliness, the confusion of his childhood days and youth, since that was almost all he had to remember of what his life was like in those years, but he had managed to forgive and start a relationship from "today forward" and the last years, since his marriage, had gotten quite close, ... for all that the idea of a near death filled him with sadness.

Returning home, Monica, who knows him more than herself, saw the sadness in her husband's eyes.

"Hello... what's up honey..." and she approached to give him a tender kiss.

"Not good…" "Where are the kids…"

"They are at Phoebe's house, today they have a sleepover for Sofia's birthday"

"Oh…. true, I had forgotten…"

"Okay, Chandler, please what's up..."

"I got a call from Fred , dad has metastases and the doctors don't think he has more than a year to live"

"Oh god,… but we thought the operation went well…"

"It seems not… Fred called me secretly from dad, because dad doesn't want me to know yet, so he asked me not to go and say anything when I call her …. and he asked me to go on a trip and send her photos, dad wants to see us happy and to be sure that we are having fun… "

They both remained silent, trying to assimilate the news.

Monica had taken a liking to Helena, she did not understand how a father, who was so present and affectionate with the grandchildren could not have been so with Chandler, but she understood that her life decision must have been difficult to make and, without a doubt, the most Nora's belligerent must not have helped the father-son relationship.

And now, just as they were close, Chandler would lose his father again, but this time for good. Monica reached out and pulled him close to hug him and Chandler sank into a tight embrace with his loving wife, she was the haven of him.

For Chandler it was devastating news, for years he hated his father, he decided to abandon him as he felt that Charles had abandoned him also, but the years, maturity, made him understand that it must have been difficult for his parents to face an adolescent marriage, too unwanted, forced by a surprise pregnancy, and to top it off with totally different life expectations. He had come into the world at a bad time and in a bad place, and his parents weren't mature enough to take responsibility for a child.

That's why he was so afraid of being a father, he was terrified of behaving like his parents had done to him, but at that time in the bottom of his heart he knew that if he ever had children he would never abandon them, they would never go through what he passed. Over time and with the help of Monica and his friends he had matured and when he became a father he felt it was the most moving and incredible experience of life.

In recent years, he also realized that his father really loved him, perhaps at first his dad did not know how to show it to him, the constant fights between his mother and father were rarefied Chandler's feelings towards both, however, for a long time his father had tried to get closer and he, with his anger and stubbornness, had not wanted to see him or speak to him.

Now Chandler felt uncomfortable about that behavior, but he had never had tools at that time to make him act otherwise, when he had them and mature managed to get close to his father and start a new relationship and unfortunately it was going to end soon.

Now knowing his father's short future urged him to be more aware and close to his dad, even though Helena shouldn't notice it would help Chandler make up for some lost time.

The days and expectations of the trip, to celebrate his anniversary with the woman he loved more than his life, calmed Chandler's spirits, keeping his sadness for his father deep in his heart, allowing him to face the trip with joy.

Erika and Jack were left in the care of Judy and Jack, although they had the support of Rachel and Phoebe at all times.

Their stay in London brought back unforgettable memories, they stayed at the same hotel, and Chandler had managed to reserve the same suite that Ross had occupied for their wedding night. 13 years later they managed to indulge in making love in that suite, with the same anxiety and desires of that night when everything had been conspired to prevent the meeting.

This time they had enough time to get to know and tour London, its emblematic buildings, the beautiful parks, and the unforgettable walk along the Thames.

During their stay in London they met Nora, who was passing through promoting her latest book, they only got together for a dinner, since Nora is always with hundreds of commitments.

Chandler kept silent about his father's health, he didn't know if Nora was going to receive the news with disdain or if he would go into hysteria and call Helena discovering the secret, he wanted to avoid both situations.

Paris was also among their pending dreams, they had imagined it as a place for their honeymoon the night they got engaged, but the delay in fulfilling that dream did not matter since Paris exceeded all their expectations, the romantic walks along the banks of the Seine, the Eiffel Tower illuminated at night, walking along the Champs Elysees, walking through the streets full of high fashion boutiques, where Monica thought "what would have happened to Rachel if she had moved here", and finally the bread, the cheese , the pate and the other exquisite foods that Monica was able to taste together with who was "really" her soul mate.

They took hundreds of photos that they not only sent to their children and the rest of the family, but they chose the most beautiful and joyful ones to send to Helena.

After a fantastic anniversary trip they returned home to be reunited with everyone, but especially the children whom they had sorely missed.

A few days after returning from the trip Chandler called Fred, to see how his father was doing and to see if he had managed to convince her about the news of her health.

"Hello Chandler, how was your trip, from the photos we saw that you were happy and you both looked very cute visiting wonderful places?

"Yes Fred, we really had a good time, the first time we had been in London, for Ross's wedding, we had practically not met it, also in that city our meeting took place, so Monica and I were quite emotional and romantic … although I correct you, the cute one is Monica, not me …" And he laughed.

"I imagine ... your father was very happy with each photo you sent, her face changed, and although she admits that Monica is beautiful, nothing equals her son, as you can imagine, for her you are the most handsome of all ... "

"To get to the point, Fred, you were able to convince dad to tell me about her health, I want to go see her and I'm afraid my concern will show on my face."

"Yes, Chandler, I told her that you needed to know now, that waiting longer would give you hope and then make your pain worse" "In any case, I didn't tell her that I told you, I just convinced her to call you and ask you to go see him"

"Thanks Fred, on Friday after work I will take a flight there, on Sunday night I would be coming home"

"Perfect, let me know what time you arrive and I'll pick you up" Fred told him

"No, don't leave her alone, I'll take a taxi, don't worry, anyway, I'll call you to let you know the time I arrive"

"As you wish, I will tell her that you are coming and she will be waiting for you happy to see you"

Chandler called Monica to tell her that that weekend he would travel to Las Vegas to see his father, Fred told him that Charles was willing to tell him everything about her health.

Monica knew it was going to be a hard journey for Chandler, hearing the news from his father and seeing her suffer will be very sad. Monica asked him if he wanted her to accompany him, but he preferred to make this trip alone, surely in the next few Monica she could accompany him.

On Friday Chandler left the office a couple of hours earlier with his bag and went directly to the airport, in the Taxi he called Monica to let her know that he was leaving. His flight left at 7:00 p.m., so he would arrive in Las Vegas after midnight.

He felt nervous, his hands were sweating, he wasn't sure how he would find his father.

Before boarding, he called Monica for the last time, she immediately realized by his voice his state of mind, and asked him to try to relax, that it was necessary for his father to see him calm. Chandler accepted the advice and during the flight tried to lower his anxiety.

When the taxi left him at the door of his father's house his hands trembled, he shook his body and put on a good face. Fred was waiting for him.

"Hi Fred... sorry for the time..."

"Hi Chandler, I'm glad to see you, Helena fell asleep, she was anxious to see you, but at the same time she was in pain so I gave her a sedative and she fell asleep, but I'm sure tomorrow morning she'll ask for you"

"It's just that it's hard for me to leave the office early and I have to calculate the traffic delay to the airport, you know how it is in NY, so I don't think I'll be able to arrive earlier in the future."

"No problem, I am more than used to sleeping late, the show ends at 12 at night, and until we come back and have dinner we never went to bed before 3 in the morning."

"How do you manage with the club?" Chandler asked.

"Well, better than we expected, Kitty took Helena's place and she performs very well, even being younger she also attracted more young audiences, so it's going well, Helena is happy with it, she loves that show more than herself, so she didn't resent having to give up her place to another girl, if the club is going well she's happy"

"Chandler I'll walk you to your room, do you want something to eat?"

"No thanks, I ate something at the airport before boarding and they gave us a snack on the plane so I'm fine"

"Okay, make yourself comfortable and rest, I'll come to look for you tomorrow, I'm sure Helena will want to have breakfast with you"