Adultery, Part11


INTRODUCTION: Not many parts to go now... I hope... Im gonna finish this series as soon as I can. I appologize for taking so long with writing new parts, but I'm swamped at school right now.
DISCLAIMER: The "Friends" characters belong to Bright, Kauffman and Crane.


Chandler woke up with a headache on a Sunday morning. Monica wasn't in bed next to him, she hadn't come to bed at all last night. He was thankful. He could never sleep if she lay next to him anymore, he always ended up getting up and going to sleep on the couch.

He got out of bed and decided to get dressed first and take a pain pill later. He needed to work, his and Bill's firm was starting to suffer from their private lives. He took a shower and got dressed, deciding not to shave. He grabbed himself an aspirin from the jar that Monica kept in their bathroom and swallowed it down with some water.

He walked over to his upstairs office and went inside. He turned the light on and saw Monica on the sofa bed, waking up from the sudden light. He suddenly got mad.

"Get out" he coldly said.

"Chandler?" she said sleepily and squinted. "I was just--"

"How nice, maybe someday I'll care. Until then, get the hell out. I don't want you sleeping in here!"

Monica sensed a long argument coming up. She wasn't in any mood for it, so she quickly got out of bed and started turning the sofa bed back into a sofa.

"For crying out loud, don't you think I know how to do that?" Chandler hissed. "I said get out, and I meant it!"

Monica angrily snorted at him, then hurried out. She went to their bedroom and stepped into the shower. Chandler sat down by the computer, not bothering to fixing the sofa bed. He started to catch up on some work he had fallen behind on.

*

Lukas sighed and managed to get his brother out of the crib bed. He was surprised that their mother hadn't already, but he was in no mood to ponder over what was going on. He realized that his parents were having trouble and he wondered if his father had managed to say something that hurt their mother. He seemed to know all her weak spots and he knew exactly what to say to hurt her. Lukas had never heard him do so, but he knew that he was capable of it.

He decided not to help Max get dressed. It wasn't his responsibility. He left his brother and went downstairs to watch TV. Max came down after a few minutes and whined that he was hungry.

"Well go talk to Mom or Dad" Lukas said. "I can't make you breakfast!"

"I want French toast."

"You're gonna have to get Mom to make that for you."

Max looked grumpy.

"But Mom's in the shower."

"Well she can't be in there for long, can she?" Lukas pointed out. "Max shut up, I want to watch this!"

"She's been in the shower a long time!"

"Then she'll be out in a second."

Max pouted, but realized that he wouldn't get anymore help from Lukas at this point. He went up the stairs to find his dad.

*

Chandler didn't even hear him enter, he was busy working. Max went up to him and stopped by his chair. Chandler didn't seem to notice him now either.

"Dad I'm hungry" he said.

"Then have some breakfast" Chandler mumbled, not thinking of the fact that he was talking to a three-year-old.

"But I want French toast!"

"Good for you" Chandler mumbled.

"Dad!" Max whined. "Are you listening?"

Chandler mumbled something and didn't look up. He kept his eyes on the computer screen and continued with his work while Max tried his best to get some attention.

"I'm really hungry!"

"Go talk to Luke, he can fix you breakfast!"

"But I want French toast, Daddy!" Max whined again. "Lukas can't make that!"

"Then talk to Mom, stop bugging me!"

"But Mom's in the shower!"

"She'll be out soon."

"That's what Lukas said, but she's been in the shower for hours!"

"I was talking to her fifteen minutes ago" Chandler mumbled.

"Daddy, make me breakfast!" Max begged. "I'm starving!"

"I don't have the time for that" Chandler mumbled and logged on to the Web to send a file. "Go knock on the bathroom door, your mother will get out of the shower in a minute!"

"Dad!"

"Max, I'm trying to work!" Chandler angrily said and gave him a glare. Then he returned his eyes to the computer screen. "Talk to Monica, stop bothering me!"

Max sighed and left the room. He walked over to his parents' bedroom and entered. His mother was still in the shower, he could hear the water running. He went over and knocked on the door.

"Mommy?"

He got no answer. With a heavy sigh he went back downstairs where Lukas was still in front of the living room TV.

"Lukas! Daddy won't make me breakfast and Mommy won't leave the shower! Make me breakfast, I'm hungry."

"Eat a fruit" Lukas replied and gestured to the bowl on the dining table.

"I don't want a fruit!"

"Then go hungry. Your choice."

Max frowned and came close to starting to cry. At least that would get him some attention. But then he changed his mind and went back to the kitchen. He managed to move a chair over to the counter, then he climbed up on it. He looked at the speed dial buttons on the phone and wondered which one went where. There were little notes that indicated that, his mother had made sure of that. But he was too little to read. He lifted the phone and pressed one of the buttons. He most likely knew whoever the number went to.

"Hello?" he heard Phoebe answer.

"Phoebe?" he said.

"Yeah. Who is this?"

"Max."

"Max?" Phoebe said, surprised that he would call her. "What's up?"

"I'm hungry. I want breakfast."

"Okay…" Phoebe said, unsure.

"Daddy won't help me. He says he has to work. And Lukas just sits in front of the TV. And Mommy won't get out of the shower. Could you come over and make me breakfast?"

Phoebe held back a deep sigh. She wanted to tell him to go talk to his parents again, but knowing how shy Max was he most likely wouldn't have called her up if he didn't think he had to.

"Okay Max… I'm gonna come over… But you know, your Mother's probably gonna be out of the shower before I even get out the door."

"Thanks Phoebe."

*

After almost forty minutes in the shower Monica turned the water off. She had never showered for more than five minutes before, except for when she'd showered together with Chandler. But today she hadn't been in the shower for long before she had started to cry. And she knew how mad Chandler got each time he saw her crying or saw that she had cried. He didn't think she had anything to cry about since she had placed herself in this situation. And she was scared of his anger. He wasn't himself when he was mad like the way he was mad with her now. And she didn't think she could take much more of his anger. So she had stayed in the shower and cried for over twenty minutes, feeling more and more sorry for herself. Then she had stayed in the shower, hoping her eyes wouldn't be red and puffy once she got out.

She dried herself and got dressed. She cast an eye on the clock and decided to go get Max dressed. But when she walked into his room he wasn't there, so she figured Chandler had taken a work break and dressed and fed him. She shrugged her shoulders and went downstairs to have some breakfast. She was starving. She wanted a pain pill as well, her head was aching after the crying she had done. She felt awful, as usual.

She walked into the kitchen and saw to her surprise that Phoebe was there, making French toast. Max was sitting by the kitchen table eating and Lukas was opposite him eating breakfast as well, and reading a Donald Duck magazine. Melissa was seated next to Lukas, busy with a colouring book.

All four of them looked up when they heard her enter. Phoebe looked accusing, Max looked disappointed and Lukas looked grumpy. He returned is eyes to the magazine after just a second. Melissa gave her a short glance as well, but Monica saw nothing special in her eyes.

"Well hello Monica" Phoebe said sharply. She was obviously annoyed. "How nice of you to come downstairs. May I ask what in god's name you were doing in the shower for so long? Seriously Monica, what kind of mother are you?"

Monica looked shocked and recoiled slightly. But she said nothing.

"You know, you brought the whole situation on yourself. And in all honestly you deserve it. But if you wanna spend your time feeling sorry for yourself then go right ahead. That's all up to you. Even if I have to say that I don't think it's much like you to do so, but on the other hand, what do I know? You had us all fooled, didn't you? It's not much like who I thought you were to do what you did four years ago either, and especially not to keep quiet about it!"

"What did she do?" Lukas asked, looking up from his magazine with a curious look on his face.

"Curiosity killed the cat" Max said to his older brother who made a face at him.

Phoebe saw the pleading look in Monica's eyes, begging her not to tell them. Phoebe got even more angry than she had been. It was an insult that Monica thought she would tell somebody else's children that their Mother had cheated on their Father. It was Monica's and Chandler's job to tell them, not Phoebe's. She ignored the question Lukas had asked and turned the stove off and pulled the frying pan away from the hotspot. She placed her hands on her hips and turned her attention back to Monica.

"Where was I?" she asked. "Right… You know, feel sorry for yourself all you want to, but what kind of a mother are you when you take it out on your children? Max had to call me this morning and ask me to come over and make him breakfast because neither you nor your poor husband could be bothered! Now, I can understand Chandler, he's at least got something to be angry and upset about, but YOU?"

Monica turned on her heel and fled. She had heard enough. She couldn't take yet another person yelling at her, it was all too much. She didn't have a single person on her side and everyone seemed to love telling her so and telling her why.

She ran into the bedroom and slammed the door shut, then she threw herself on the bed. It was so unfair. She knew she had done something very wrong, but her friends were being unfair towards her. In just a second they had forgotten everything she had done for them and shared with them over the years.

She didn't know which friend's clear side taking against her hurt the most. In one way it was Ross's. He took the side against his own sister. She had been there for him throughout all of her life, they had grown up together. They were family after all, yet now he sided against her without a second thought.

In one way it was Rachel. Rachel had been her best friend for so many years, and they both knew that she wouldn't have the life she now had if it hadn't been for Monica. Monica had taken her in and helped her get her life in order after she walked out on Barry. And Rachel had known her a lot longer than she had known Chandler, they had been close friends for decades. Now Rachel seemed to despise her.

And in one way it was Phoebe. If Rachel had been her best friend, Phoebe had been her most loyal. She had always known she could count on Phoebe to back her up and support her, and Phoebe as well owed her much. Now Phoebe seemed to be the one who was the most upset with her.

She sighed deeply. She knew very well which friend it hurt the most to loose. It was Chandler.

*

Chandler looked up angrily when all of a sudden someone reached over and turned the computer screen off. He got a bit surprised when he saw it was Phoebe. But most of all he was angry.

"Phoebs? What the hell are you doing here? And why the hell did you turn my computer screen off? I'm trying to get some work here, to you mind?"

"Yes, I do mind" Phoebe said and grabbed him by the arm. She pulled him to his feet. "You and I and Monica are going to have a little chat."

"Don't think so" Chandler said and yanked his arm free.

"Oh but I do" Phoebe replied and grabbed his arm again. She dragged him with her.

*

Monica looked up when the door opened. She saw that Phoebe was dragging Chandler along with her, and she quickly sat up. She felt thankful that she hadn't been crying. At least Chandler couldn't get mad about seeing tears in her eyes.

Phoebe pushed Chandler down next to Monica on the bed, and he demonstratively moved two more feet away from her. Phoebe shut the door and then walked over to them. Her hands were back on her hips and her eyes showed how angry she was.

"You two have got to be kidding me!" she said.

"No, YOU'VE got to be kidding ME" Chandler replied. "Damn it, I've got work to do! I don't have time to sit here and have some B-grade marital therapy session with a woman I'm not interested in saving anything marital with."

Monica looked away. She hoped he would rise and leave. She hoped Phoebe would leave as well. She couldn't take hearing much more of Chandler's comments and quips, especially not since she had no idea if he was really serious or just really mad. And more yelling from Phoebe was also something she couldn't take.

She looked up at Phoebe who had begun a long monologue on how irresponsibly they were acting and how wrong it was for them to put their own feelings above taking care of their sons. Chandler looked ashamed, and very guilty.

"If you two don't get a grip I'm gonna make sure that Monica's parents take care of the boys until you two are able to! You can't ignore them like you've done today!" Phoebe angrily said. "Especially you Monica!"

"Damn it I am not some sort of slave!" Monica cried. "For crying out loud, why am *I* the worst one in this case? I was in the shower for crying out loud! Chandler was just sitting by his rusty old computer, he's the one who told Max to his face that he couldn't be bothered making him breakfast! I was in the shower, I never spoke to Max! I thought he was still in bed! Yet somehow I'm the one who did the most wrong, explain that to me!"

She looked at Phoebe, who said nothing, and then at Chandler who looked more guilty. She felt slightly comforted by the look on his face. It felt good to know that she could make him feel bad by saying things just like he did with her all the time these days.

Finally Phoebe spoke again.

"You two have got to figure something out! You can't go on like this. Not when you have two sons who are directly affected by everything you do! Don't you realize how bad they feel? I can tell you, they're both feeling depressed over how their parents are acting together at the moment! You two have got to figure out a way to keep your problems away from the children, at least until you know what you're gonna do about them."

Monica jumped off the bed. She was sick of it all by now.

"I'm moving out" she declared, then left the bedroom.

Phoebe stared after her in shock. She had never expected that move to come from Monica. She turned her eyes to look at Chandler, unable to believe that Monica had just said what she had said. Chandler gave a short sob, then fell back on the bed, covering his eyes with his hands.


Review please. Any thoughts, comments or suggestions are very welcome. And if you didn't like it then please give me constructive criticism! I'd really appreciate your opinions on how I could make it better!