Chapter 1: Tonight

"Ow!"

Monica Geller bristled as her best friend, Rachel Green, attempted to take up the hem of her dress. The beautiful daughter of Jack and Judy Geller pouted as Rachel continued to bustle at her feet. "I still don't see why you can't take it up an inch?"

Rachel cocked one disapproving eyebrow. "Would you want to tempt Joey? Or any other boy, for that matter?"

Monica blushed at the thought of the gentleman caller with whom her parents had set her up. Joey Tribbiani was a friend of her brother's, and had ties to a good family with sound financial dealings. Well…. sound as they could be, anyway. Joey was nice enough, but Monica didn't feel like she could love him. Though the man clearly admired her, and was loyal to a fault, especially to her brother, he didn't strike her as someone who was serious.

The door to the little apartment opened, and Ross Geller walked in, Joey trailing in his wake like some kind of manservant – deferential, to his dear friend. With a smile, Ross gave a wave of his hand, and Monica spun.

"You look beautiful," Ross praised. Behind him, flushing deeply, Joey nodded, unable to take his eyes off her. Monica beamed sweetly.

"I'd feel that much more beautiful if your girlfriend would take up my dress an inch…"

Ross chuckled. Monica turned back to Rachel. "Please, Rachel! One little inch?"

Rachel and Ross shared a look with each other. Rachel sighed. "Half an inch, and then you get to that dance on time!" Monica gushed, thrilled at least to have achieved a compromise. After the hem was taken up, she shyly allowed Joey to loop his arm through hers and escort her to the party.

Chandler Bing hadn't wanted to attend this dance tonight. The party had smelled like nothing but trouble, especially with rumors that representatives of the Geller and Tribbiani Mafia families would be there – two criminal enterprises that had formed an alliance here in the underworld of New York City.

Once upon a time, Chandler had been involved and even founded a rival street gang himself. The group wasn't a family by blood, per se, but they were as close as one. Chandler had stepped away from the group once he had found honest work at Central Perk, one of the coffee houses downtown – the owner, Gunther, had become a close mentor, and even sometimes left the place open for Chandler's former brethren, the Tags, to hang out.

Chandler hadn't felt right about leaving his work and poor Gunther in the lurch, and so close to closing time, but Tag, his friend and the namesake of their gang, insisted that he go. This was what found Chandler slipping into a gymnasium on this warm summer evening, observing the dancers as a wall-flower from the edge of the floor.

It didn't take long before the Tags and the Gellers-Tribbianis to square off. When the chaperones attempted to bring everyone together for a dance, the attempted partnering off led the young people to rebel and engage in a passive-aggressive dance-off.

Suddenly, Chandler spotted her, from across the crowded room. In that moment, the sights, the sounds, the whole rest of the world fell away. It was like he had tunnel vision, entranced by the beauty of this woman…

…. who, inexplicably, seemed equally drawn to him.

Within moments, both Chandler and this mysterious woman stood directly across from each other.

"You're…. you're not thinking I'm someone else?" Chandler nervously asked, and he was almost tempted to look over his shoulder to see if there was indeed another who had captured her attention…. But no, she was staring right at him, mesmerized.

"I know you are not," the woman gazed at him, entranced.

"I…." Chandler chuckled awkwardly. "I knew something never before was going to happen, had to happen, but this is…."

"My hands are cold," she whispered. Taking his palms in hers, she clasped them close, between her, drawing them to her chest. Chandler gulped, feeling his heart hammer in his ribcage. "Yours, too." She touched his palm, marveling at how it all at once felt…. "So warm…."

Chandler stepped into her. "So beautiful….."

He must have breathed it aloud, for the way her expressive, sparkling eyes expanded, and she nodded dumbly.

Like a magnetic pull, Chandler felt himself drawn closer and closer to this enchanting girl. She seemed equally transfixed by him. Leaning in close, even though they had only just laid eyes on each other, their lips hesitantly met.

The kiss all at once seemed to last forever, and yet end as soon as it began. Abruptly, hands were seizing Chandler by the shoulders and throwing him back.

"Get your hands OFF, you Tagger scum! Stay away from my sister!" An angry gentleman with curly, dark hair berated Chandler hotly.

"Sister?" Chandler gawped, for he now recognized the man he'd upset as none other than Ross Geller, heir to the Geller crime family.

Ross, meanwhile, was rounding on the beautiful lady who was apparently his little sister. "Couldn't you see he's one of them?!"

"No," the girl stood tall and proud, her eyes flashing with an admirable defiance. "I saw only him."

"There's only one thing an urchin like that is after…."

Chandler's blood boiled at Ross's innuendo, handed down in the form of a lecture, and he leapt forward. "That's a lie!"

"She would listen to her brother before she ever listened to you!" Ross snapped.

Tag moved between the men. "Chandler, there you are! Look, if you two characters want to settle this outside…."

Seeing a police officer heading their way, Ross declined, snapping his fingers to another man at his side and giving a jerk of his head. This other man now took the beautiful girl's arm.

"Come, Monica."

Chandler stood rooted to the spot, watching her go. Now, he had a name to go with the face of the most beautiful creature he had ever seen. Monica….. Of course, her name would be something as glorious as her lovely face. The most beautiful sound he had ever heard. He found himself floating out of the gym in a daze. Chandler had never heard that name before tonight, and yet he was quite certain that name would never again mean the same to him.

Half the night was already gone, and yet Chandler found himself running through the streets of the city, calling her name. A small part of him, in the back of his mind, knew he had not a hope of finding her again, but he had to try!

"Monica!"

"Sssssh!"

Chandler whirled around, and there she was, on a balcony quite high up. Freezing, Chandler's eyes darted over to a sign and he noted the street: Bedford Street. It was an apartment complex, and his north star, his angel, his Monica, was on one of the higher floors. Thankfully, they appeared to be a system of fire escapes where one could access the balcony safely.

The lover shared tender smiles for a moment. "Come down!" Chandler entreated.

"I can't….."

"Monica….!"

"….. My parents and brother will wake up….."

"Just for a minute."

She smiled at him sadly. "A minute is not enough."

"For an hour, then."

"Please…."

"Then FOREVER!" Chandler shouted it so loudly that Monica had to frantically shush him. "Then I'm coming up!" He dashed for the fire escape, climbing as high as he could until he was positioned directly under her stone balcony. He could hear voices coming from inside, as he boldly balanced on the fire escape railing, leapt straight up, and grabbed onto the edge of the stone balcony railing, intent on hauling himself up.

"Monica!"

"I'll…. I'll just be a moment, Dad!"

Chandler swung himself over the balcony railing and onto his feet just as Monica turned back from the window. In an instant, she was in his arms and he was kissing her lips desperately, causing her to let out a startled but pleased whimper.

The pair of lovers embraced, losing themselves in the kiss. When they broke apart, Monica drew back, her eyes wide with fear.

"It's dangerous! If my brother knew…."

"We won't let him know! I'm not one of the Tags, Monica! Not anymore."

She studied him admonishingly. "But you are not one of the Family. And I am not one of you…."

"And that matters how? To me, you're all the beautiful things in….!"

"Harmonica!" The call from her father caused Monica to lightly press her palm to Chandler's mouth. Taking his other wrist, she guided Chandler to the edge of the balcony, as far as possible, where they could be out of sight and alone. She blushed at how he was smiling at her, bemused.

"Harmonica?"

Monica only turned redder, smiling weakly. "His pet name for me."

"I like him already!" Chandler laughed. "And I bet he'll like me!"

Monica's eyes went wide with fear. "No. He is like Ross – afraid." A beat, and then she giggled. "Imagine anyone being afraid of you!"

"See?" Chandler smirked.

Monica blushed. "I see you."

"Oh, Monica, see only me!" Chandler beamed.

She nodded slowly, in her eyes a sort of promise. For what seemed like hours, the pair held each other and talked, about everything and nothing, until Monica's father began calling for her again.

"Just a minute!" Monica hollered back. She turned back to this man who, in but a single night, become her lover. "Tomorrow."

"Tomorrow," Chandler promised with a smoldering grin. "Where can I come and find you?"

"Alessandro's. I work the lunch shift as a chef. If I'm not there, I'll be at the Ralph Lauren boutique down just a few blocks until evening closing time."

Chandler and Monica shared one last kiss goodnight. Then he carefully swung off the balcony railing, hanging by his fingertips before boldly letting go and dropping for a hot-stopping moment until he grabbed the railing of the fire escape. Monica sucked in a breath, not releasing it until Chandler had scrambled safely down to the street. She gazed after him piningly, her heart lost, until he was but a speck in the distance:

"Good night….. good night….. Sleep well, and when you dream, dream of me….. Tonight…."