"Monica, I am not getting you more chocolate," Phoebe said sternly to what
was once Monica, sitting on the couch. Now the raven haired beauty had been
changed into a mass of tangled hair, dirty clothes, and wet cheeks.

Monica stood up defiantly. "Then I'll get them myself," she said matter-of-
factly.

Phoebe used the only thing she could think of as a last resort. "You might
see Chandler in the hall!"

Monica stopped and new tears formed down her cheeks. Phoebe moved to Monica
and put a reassuring arm around her shoulders. "Monica, you've got to bounce
back, okay? Don't let Chandler know he's gotten to you."

"But he has gotten to me!" Monica wailed, clutching at Phoebe for dear life.

"Yes, but, Monica, you are the strongest person I know," Phoebe began. "If
you can't get better from a relationship that never was to begin with--"

"But it was," Monica insisted. "I didn't just lose Chandler as a possible
boyfriend, I lost my best friend."

Phoebe hugged Monica tighter. "Look, Monica, I know I don't understand
because I've never been through this, but my mother killed herself, okay? I
got better, I'm not upset anymore . . . well, not very much. If I can do that
then you can do this."

Monica looked hopefully up at Phoebe. "I guess so," she finally said, a
little reluctantly.

"You guess so? You should *know* so," Phoebe said, grinning. She, Rachel, and
Ross had been trying to get through to her for a week now and she was finally
giving in. Phoebe should have used her mom as an excuse earlier. "Now you go
in that bathroom and you take a shower because you look and smell like hell."

Monica laughed and did as Phoebe said.

Phoebe made a happy squeal as soon as she heard the water running and raced
across the hall to go talk to Joey.

"Hey, Pheebs," Joey greeted, giving her a kiss as way of greeting.

"You'll never guess what!" Phoebe said excitedly, her words rushing together.

"Probably not," Joey agreed.

"Guess who is taking a shower right now," Phoebe said proudly.

"Um . . . okay, this is a hard one . . ."

"Monica!" Phoebe broke in. "I used my mother to get her to feel sorry for me
and she did and now she's taking a shower and she's not demanded chocolate! I
just pray to God that she didn't gain more than five pounds from all of this
constant eating. I mean, she's been going through a gallon of full fat ice
cream every day. Not to mention those Dove chocolate bars she kept making us
all buy . . ." Phoebe trailed off when she saw Chandler at his doorway,
listening.

"Why don't we go over to my old apartment?" Phoebe suggested, taking Joey's
hand. She stopped. "Wait, wait. She can't see you yet. You'll remind her of
that insensitive jerk who cheated on her."

"Chandler?"

Phoebe nodded. "Hey, though, can I use your phone? If she hears me talking to
Ross over there who knows what it'll do." Phoebe picked up the phone and
dialed Ross's number quickly, still grinning from ear to ear.

* * * * *

When Monica got out of the shower she took a deep breath and moved to the
scale, closing her eyes for a minute or two that seemed like forever before
finally getting the nerve and glancing down. Only three pounds . . .!

Monica smiled, knowing she could shed them off by dieting for another week or
two and some major exercising, and proceded to get herself ready as if she
were going on a date. One thing that could make her feel better was wearing
a butt-load of makeup and having her hair up.

When she stepped out of the bathroom in her fuzzy robe she saw Rachel sitting
on the couch and Phoebe on the chair beside her. She moved across the floor
softly, wondering if Phoebe and Rachel noticed her, when she was suddenly hit
with the memory that started everything.

Phoebe and Rachel were at her side in a moment when she began to cry, fresh
makeup running across her face, and low moans coming from her for several
minutes before she quietly disentangled herself from her two friends and
walked back to the bathroom to wash her face again. This time decided not to
put makeup on for fear of another break out of tears.

When Monica came back into the living room, her face looking normal again,
Phoebe and Rachel were waiting nervously for her.

"I didn't go back a step if that's what you're wondering," Monica said
knowingly. "I have officially decided that Chandler is out of my life. I
mean, come on, who cares about all those years of friendship. He's a jerk,
just like every other member of the male gender."

"Right on," Rachel said, smiling. "So . . . you're okay now?"

"No," Monica said. "But I'm pretending to be for your guys' sake. Did I get
fired from work?"

"Well . . ."

"Eh." Monica shrugged. "See, this is good. I can start over fresh. You know,
maybe I should move out of this apartment. Too many memories."

"Monica, no," Phoebe scolded. "You know that this apartment is huge for the
price you pay for it. If you don't want it let me have it!"

"I was trying to attempt at joking," Monica said flatly. "Maybe it's too soon
for that. How's Ross doing with the Carol thing?"

"Bad," Rachel answered. "We didn't tell you but . . . Carol's pregnant."

Monica gasped. "Oh, this is like a soap opera. I know you guys have called
Ross already, so when is he coming over?"

"We told him ten minutes," Phoebe said, wondering how Monica always knew
these things.

* * * * *

Chandler didn't come back as quickly as Monica. He hid out in his apartment
and let Joey take all the calls from the girl who he'd slept with. She'd
somehow decided that she and Chandler were meant to be together.

It was another week before Janice finally got fed up with it all and knocked
on his door.

Chandler slowly got up off the Barca Lounger and opened the door drowsily,
expecting Ross or Joey. Neither Phoebe nor Rachel were speaking to him, and
Ross and Joey were drifting away as well.

"Chandler, darling!"

Chandler jumped backwards when he saw Janice and Monica standing in the
hallway. He did one of his hand things. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Oh, I was just having a lovely talk with your friend here, Monica," Janice
said, smiling hopefully at him.

Chandler felt frustration flow through his blood. The sight of Monica trying
to look indifferent was setting him off. He could see she was hurt -- who
knows what Janice told her . . .

"Monica," Chandler began.

"Gotta go," Monica said quickly and was in her apartment before Chandler
could utter another word.

Chandler pushed Janice aside and knocked on the girls' apartment. "Monica!
Please, open the door." There was no answer so he spun around to inflict
his anger on Janice. "What the fuck did you say to her?"

Janice didn't seem to notice the angry tone in his voice. "Oh, I was talking
about how lucky I was to have found the love of my life." She giggled. "And I
told her how good you are in bed."

Chandler took a second before saying very slowly, "Janice, you and I do not
exist. That girl you just talked to? She's my . . . ex-girlfriend, I guess
you could say. *You*, my stupid, drunken mistake, are what broke us up. I do
not have any feelings for you whatsoever. In fact, I think you're whiny and
the sound of your voice makes me want to pour acid on myself and then a
handful of salt to top that off. Am I getting through to you?"

Janice burst into tears and ran down the hallway, making quick, high-pitched
gasps as she let out a whiny squeal.

Chandler hit his head against the wall once and rushed into his apartment.
Everything he had was gone -- Monica; the only one that mattered. He grabbed
some pills from the medicine cabinet in the bathroom and filled himself up
a glass. Because of one night the two friends he had left had been drifting,
barely talking to him anymore, and Monica and Phoebe, and even Rachel weren't
even talking to him.

A small hand grabbed his wrist as he began to open the bottle and he looked
in surprise at Monica who had streaks of dried tears on her cheeks.

"What you said to that girl was mean," Monica said finally as she put the
pills back into the medicing cabinet and dumped his paper cup into the sink,
then threw it away.

"It was the truth," Chandler said, surprised that Monica was letting him
talk to her. "You didn't believe anything she said did you?"

"No," Monica said. She snorted. "The day you declare your love for someone is
the day Satan invests in heaters."

"You don't think I'd tell somebody I love them?" Chandler questioned.

"I don't think you're capable of feeling love," Monica snapped. "You're
maturity is not even with your age, you know."

"You know, alcohol should at least take some of the blame . . ." Chandler
trailed off, realizing how ridiculous he sounded.

Monica stared at him coldly, then sighed and looked down at the floor, then
back up at him with a blank stare. "I want to be friends."

"I want more," Chandler whispered.

"You lost your chance," Monica informed him. "But we can still be friends,
okay? I may have lost you as a possible . . . the point is that I don't want
to lose you as a friend as well."

"If that's all you're going to give me then okay," Chandler said quickly
before she could change her mind. "But you have to make Phoebe and Rachel
talk to me again."

"I can't make them do anything," Monica said.

"Will you talk to me again?" Chandler asked softly.

"Yes."

"Monica, you have to know . . ." Chandler paused. His next words were choked
with emotion. "I didn't mean to hurt you. I don't think you can even
comprehend what kind of hell it puts me through to watch you hurt. Even more
so when I know I'm the cause of it."

"You deserve the hell," Monica said simply.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

I know the first three in this series were pretty long, and now I'm reduced
to this, but the next part of this fic belongs in a new section. Personally,
Monica's last words were powerful and strong and a good ending. But then, as
I go on I keep getting more and more full of myself. Stop with the praising!
(I'm totally kidding. I live on your reviews and IMs.)
~Haley

Okay, hi, it's me. Obviously. Who else would it be? Never mind. The point is,
this fic will never be continued. I'm just putting it back up because I miss
all of my Friends fics. They really helped develope my writing, so I want to
keep them up. But, I don't write Friends anymore so don't ask!:)