Chandler was sitting in his living room in his tshirt and underwear, watching tv from the stern of the boat. He felt sated. The previous evening he'd tangled himself with Rachel in the empty laundry room, after taking her to his favorite Chinese restaurant. They'd run into someone from his office and he'd had the surreal experience of introducing the most beautiful woman in the world as his girlfriend. If he'd felt any less for her, he would have been a touch insulted by how long his coworker took to convince they were together.

"Together"… things with Rachel were… more than just sex, he thought.

His heart was a stuttering mess in his chest. Who could he talk to? Certainly not Joey, serial ladies man, and Ross was out of the question. Monica already knew about them, but she was Rachel's best friend, and anything he mentioned to her was sure to be filtered out to Rachel. Phoebe was suspicious, something Rachel had mentioned to him already. Who did that leave?

"Hey- oops," Kathy greeted him before going pink when she saw his boxers.

"Hey. Sorry I didn't know you were here. Let me grab something." She nodded and he went back into his bedroom and emerged in a pair of sweats.

"Cartoons?" she asked, raising an eyebrow at the tv.

"Yeah, there's just too much peace in the world, ya know? I need to see a cat get hit by a mallet-wielding mouse to balance it all out," he quipped. Kathy smiled and he tentatively tried the waters. "So I know we've talked about this before, but I could use some advice."

Kathy looked at him curiously, propping her hip against the counter while she began eating some yogurt she'd removed from the fridge. "I'm all ears."

"I'm just stuck on this whole relationship thing," he said, noticing when Kathy tensed. "Sorry, we don't have to talk about this again."

"No, it's alright," she said, her voice full of understanding. She circled the counter and sat across from him, giving him her full attention. "Please go on."

He nodded. "I'm just typically not a commitment kind of guy. And I've never really been in l-love before," he stuttered slightly on the word. "Not saying I am in love now, I just… I need to know what my feelings are. My instincts are to cut and run but whenever I think about doing that, I feel this horrible cloud descend over me."

Kathy nodded, taking another bite and thoughtfully frowning at the ceiling.

"I have an idea," she said. She straightened, setting her yogurt down in the boat between them. "Set your feet on the floor, straighten so your head, heart, and pelvis all line up." He did as he was instructed. "Now close your eyes."

Kathy took him through a breathing exercise, and he felt tension melt from his shoulders, his head growing warm and foggy like a peaceful summer day.

"Now, you know what you want, Chandler," she said, her voice cutting through the darkness. He hadn't realized his eyes had drifted closed. "You know what you want. Picture both outcomes."

He pictured it, Rachel on his arm at the coffee house, taking her to work functions, exchanging gifts at Christmas, kissing her beneath mistletoe, and on New Years, and on her birthday. He pictured worst case scenario, Ross never speaking to him again, but Rachel still in his bed, in his life.

He pictured freedom. He pictured single hood and zero responsibilities. He pictured the fights they would have, the emotional work he'd escape by running.

It was then so very clear. He wanted the work. He wanted the pain and struggle that came with being with her. If he didn't have Rachel, his freedoms seemed a small comfort.

He slowly blinked open his eyes, meeting Kathy's gaze as she stared at him. He grinned.

"Tell me if you don't like it and I'll stop," he declared before launching himself into her arms and squeezing her. "You small little genius redhead!" he declared.

He leapt out of the boat. He was ready to tell her, then he paused. No, he would do something special, plan out an evening for them and then he'd tell her.

Kathy was pink cheeked beside him, though he hardly noticed. He'd awakened something in her just as surely as she'd awakened something in him. He just didn't know it yet.

~~~~~

Joey was an expert drinker, dater, and friend. He'd include "sexpert" under the dating category if asked. Given his areas of expertise, he tended to be able to tell when someone was sexually satisfied, especially if that someone was a dear friend.

He'd had his suspicions about Chandler for a while now, but his friend was such a neurotic basket case, he didn't immediately recognize the signs. Toned-down, sexually-sated Chandler was practically functioning at a normal level of relaxation.

He eyed his best friend, who was sipping coffee at their table while reading the paper, humming and popping his foot up and down.

"You seem happy," he commented. Chandler looked up, surprised.

"I guess I am," he said.

"So who is she?" Chandler blanched at his words and Joey arched an amused eyebrow. That was not the reaction he'd been expecting. Chandler straightened, placing both feet on the floor.

"No one! I mean- no. I mean- I don't know what you mean."

Joey laughed. "Dude relax," he said. "I'm happy for you. Whoever she is has made you totally blissed-out so she's good in my book." Chandler paused at that.

"Blissed-out?"

"Yeah," Joey said. "I'm just not sure why you want to keep her a secret. I want to meet this girl."

Chandler laughed a little strangely. "Yeah, I've been trying to figure that out. I wanted to see if it was going anywhere, and I'm worried you guys are gonna freak."

That piqued Joey's interest. When Chandler refused to budge on more details, and Joey saw how truly concerned he was, he stood and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Dude, I've already seen how you feel about her, so whenever you're ready, you'll have my support man. 100%."

Chandler's eyes widened, and he stood, hugging Joey tightly.

"Thanks, man."

"Don't mention it," he said laughing, a little abashed.

"I want that for you too," Chandler said, pulling back. And so Chandler suggested Joey narrow down his focus to Kathy. Joey could do that, he thought. In fact, Kathy's birthday was coming up.

"Could be an opportunity," Joey mused.

"Listen," Chandler said, "I have the perfect thing. Let me get her a gift she'll love and you can say you got it."

"Are you sure?" Joey asked, dark brows furrowing. "I was going to stop by Office Max on the way home."

Chandler's face froze and he patted Joey on the shoulder. "Yeah, let me do this for you."

Joey smiled. "Okay, thanks man."

~~~~~~~

Rachel's heart pounded. It was insane, this rivalry, this dread, this determination to crush the competition into the ground, but her fist tightened around the sharp pencil she was holding. Today was the day.

She grabbed the magazine, eyes narrow. She would finish the crossword. And she would do it alone.

She stared at the first hint, and mulled it over. Her eyes darted between the hint and the boxes.

She would circle back. She moved on to the second hint.

"Ooh a crossword! Can I help?" Phoebe asked, perching on the arm of her chair.

"No!" Rachel snapped, causing her friend to jump back up to her feet. "I'm sorry, honey. It's just that last week I got all but three answers and I really want to finish a whole one without any help."

She turned her attention back to the crossword, and Phoebe sat on the couch. Rachel could do this.

"Fine, but you can't help me develop my new universal language," she said airily. Rachel was more than happy to not be helping with that, and turned back to her crossword.

The front door swung open and there was Monica, wheeling in her new catering equipment, a large smile on her face. Rachel took it that the funeral went well.

Rachel watched as a catering business developed in front of her, then lingered around the apartment, puzzling over the words.

When Chandler came over, she made out with him because she was only human and couldn't resist that beautiful man, but her mind was constantly turning over the crossword. His hands in her hair, his lips on her throat, she found herself asking.

"You know what we should do?"

"Hm…?" he asked into her neck, rolling his hips forward against hers, causing her to gasp.

"Go see… the 1996 tony… award… winner…" she managed to say, her voice breathy. Chandler looked up at her in amused disbelief.

"Are you seriously thinking about broadway right now?" he asked, breath fanning over her face. She shivered, and grinned.

"Do you happen to know the name of that one?" she asked.

He dropped his head to her shoulder, hot breath on her chest.

"Greece?" he asked, planting a kiss against her chest. She frowned, grabbing the magazine beside her and checking.

"No…"

He planted a kiss lower, between her breasts. "Rent?"

"Rent! Yes!" she pulled back and sat up, writing the word into her crossword with a flourish. He arched an amused eyebrow at her.

"I really must be pathetic to lose my girl to a crossword puzzle," he said, teasing.

"You didn't lo- Oh, pathetic!" she cried, scribbling down another word.

"Hey," came Joey's voice from the doorway, and Rachel was suddenly very grateful for her crossword challenge. How had they gotten horizontal out in the middle of the living room anyway? Chandler really was a drug for her.

"Hey!" Chandler said, springing up quickly. He must have tucked himself into his belt, because Rachel couldn't spot the outline of him in his pants. Hopefully Joey wouldn't notice.

"You got it?" Joey asked, and Chandler lifted a wrapped present from the bag he'd brought over.

"It's an early edition of her favorite book," he informed Joey as the man shook the package, hoping to hear something.

"Alright, thanks man," Joey said. He checked his watch. "Alright, I've got an audition now but I can't wait to give this to her tonight. You're the best."

He walked out.

"What was that?" Rachel asked. Chandler turned toward her, waggling his eyebrows.

"I've decided to play match maker."

"You?" Rachel asked, guffawing.

"Yes, me. I think things might work out with Kathy, so I got her a gift she will absolutely love and Joey will be that much closer to happiness."

"Well aren't you sweet," she said, grabbing his collar and pulling him close. "And what, can I ask, got you in such a romantic mood?"

"It doesn't stop there," he said, eyes sparkling with mischief. Rachel arched a brow. "I want to have a romantic evening. Just us on Friday. What do you say?" he asked.

Rachel nodded, butterflies kicking around in her stomach.

"That sounds nice," she said.

~~~~~~

Warm, wet lips were Chandler's new favorite thing. Rachel's tongue ran side to side, stroking up his length, tracing the edge of his head. He watched his shiny, wet skin sliding between her swollen, pursed lips. She was frowning in concentration, blonde hair pulled to the side. Her throat contracted around him, sliding back down to the base, and his eyes rolled back into his head. She had gone to quickly and pulled off of him, choking.

"You okay," he asked, his voice pure rasp and sex.

"Yeah sorry, rookie mistake. It's just been a while. I don't do this for just anyone," she said, arching a flirtatious brow at him. She fixed her blue eyes on him, then pursed her lips around his cock, sliding slowly down with her tongue dancing along him.

He groaned, his hand knotting in her hair, which was spilling into his lap. Her eyelashes kissed the tops of her flushed, lightly freckled cheeks. Her lips were full and kiss bruised, mirroring his own. Her apartment was empty, it was the weekend, and he had her all to himself. They didn't need to worry about hiding from Monica.

Was this heaven? Rachel rolled her tongue and contracted her throat around him with a hum, her blue eyes flicking up to meet his. His pleasure senses were overloaded as he stared at her, losing himself in the image. His heart stopped and his hips flinched forward. It might be heaven.

Her hands gripped the inside of his thighs, supporting her weight as she moved carefully up and down on him. The piercing blue of her eyes on his, sent shivers down his spine, and he groaned. He pushed her down, and she obliged, pressing her face into his crotch with a hum that made his toes curl. Her free hand moving to cradle his balls.

She was tight, warm, and wet, doing skillful things with her tongue to him that had his toes curling. She shifted, and golden hair moved across her bare chest, her stiff nipple winking at him, her full breasts coming into view between golden strands, her tapered waist below that, her tan skin dewy with heat. Her blue, dark fringed eyes were on his as she moved her mouth over him, and her hand crept up his hip, skating across his skin and driving him mad.

"Wait, I'm gonna-" he said trying to warn her, but when she realized what he was saying she sped up her motions, bobbing more intensely.

He came hard and fast, holding her in his crotch and thrusting forward, back arched with pleasure. She swallowed around him, her tongue continuing to move side to side, and he groaned from the lovely exploding ache of it all.

He flipped her over, and she splayed out on his bed like a golden goddess. He kissed down her body in a warm, wet trail, leaving goosebumps in his wake. He palmed her breasts, watching the golden skin bulging between his fingers, feeling and twisting her nipples until she gasped. He loved the ways she arched and moved beneath him, sensitive to his touch and tongue.

He spread her legs wide and stared, meeting her heated blue eyes with his own. She had to look away from the intensity of it, her cheeks flushed as he stared then slowly leaned forward and began to lick and touch.

He was tasting her and she was bucking. He held her hips tightening his hold when she clamped her thighs around him. He pressed his hands into the soft, warm clench of her thighs, pressing forward and kissing her core more deeply and thoroughly than he had before, her name echoing in his head like a prayer.

He was learning her ticks. He knew the pressures, the rhythms, the hums that she liked. He knew enough that when she whined a whine that was over-sensitive, he pulled off of her clit and popped her toes into his mouth, causing her jaw to slacken and her head to roll back before he began attacking her wet center again. He stayed at the doors of her being and worshipped with a prayer that was all tongue and suction and she danced beneath him.

When she shattered, crying out and curling golden and sweaty around him, it was beautiful.

They laid curled together afterwards, in the dark in the embrace of one another. Love was curled in that room, and he wasn't afraid of the thought any more.