Broken Hearts (part 8)

"Mon? Can I bring my new boyfriend over for dinner tomorrow night?" Rachel asked.

"She's not your Mom," CHandler reminded her.

"But she is a Mom," Joey said. Chandler sighed.

"Sure, any special dietary requirements?" Monica asked in her professional caterer voice, which made Chandler laugh since she was wearing sweatpants, and an old T-shirt of his with something that looked suspiciously like baby sick on one shoulder, her hair was tied back into a messy ponytail, with wisps hanging over her face, and she was carrying three week old Daniel.

"Nope," Rachel said.

"So are you gonna tell us his name or do we have to guess?" Phoebe asked. Rachel smiled and shook her head.

"No, I want it to be a surprise."

"Why?" Ross asked, but Rachel wouldn't say. Even when Monica and Phoebe pestered her about it when the guys weren't there, she wouldn't tell.

The following evening, the gang, minus Rachel, gathered at Chandler and Monica's apartmen. Monica was trying to rock Daniel to sleep before Rachel and her date arrived, but he still seemed very wide awake.

"We're here!" Rachel called and her very familiar date entered. Chandler and Monica both gasped as Mark came in behind Rachel. Mark looked slightly shocked to see Daniel, but didn't comment. Chandler's hands clenched into tight fists by his sides as he resisted the urge ot punch Mark. He toook Daniel off Monica and went to put him to bed. Chandler didn't want Mark around Daniel any longer than he had to be. Ross was also tense at seeing Mark again, but everyone expected that, it was the reason Rachel had been unwilling to tell them who her new boyfriend was.

"Monica, a word?" Chandler said through clenched teeth. She hurried after him into Daniel's room. "Get that fucking bastard out of here," Chandler demanded as soon as she closed the door.

"I can't! The others will want an explanation, especially Rachel!" she said desperately. She didnt' want Mark around any more than Chandler did. "You think I want him here? You think I want him around our son?"

"How should I know? For all I know he coudl be Mark's son anyway!"

"You know he's yours!"

"No, I dont't Mon."

"So what, you want a paternity test?"

"Yes," Chandler said seriously.

"Fine. I don't care. It'll just prove you wrong."

"Monica, I don't care about being wrong, don't you see that? I want to be wrong! I want Daniel to be my son!"

"I'll ask the doctor at his six week check up," Monica promised reluctantly. She hated that Chandler didn't trust her, but if it made him feel better, she would do whatever he wanted.

When they went back out inot the livingroom, the ganga was already sitting around the table. Mark looked up at them, worried about how they would act. Moncia avoided his eyes. Chandler had his arm possessively around Monica's waist, but his touch on the slit of skin where her top didn't quite meet her skirt, was cold. She knew that Mark's presense had reverted Chandler back to his angrily possessive, jealous phase, which she had thought he had got over.

Phoebe, Joey and Ross were sat alone one side of the table, Mark and Rachel were sat on the other. Monica had to sit next to Mark, and Chandler sat on the end, between Monica and Ross.

Monica served the meal, smiling at everyone except Mark as she did so, although he and Chandler were the only ones who noticed. Barely two minutes after Monica sat down, she felt Mark's fingertips brush her knee. She knew she couldn't stop him without Chandler noticing, especially since he was watching her like a hawk. She had once welcomed the different-ness of Mark's touch, but now she hated it.

As the meal progressed, Mark's hand slid further up her leg, then back to her knee, then up her thigh again, each time going a little further up, making her squirm. The others exchanged smiles, assuming it was Chandler who was making her squirm like that, even though hoth his hands were on the table, they didn't notice them. Chandler himself narrowed his eyes, but quickly slipped his own hand under the table as well, so no one would notice that it hadn't been there in the first place. He rested his hand firmly on her other leg, making Monica feel even more uncomfortable.

Not until they were drinking their coffee, and Chandler's hand was back on the table, in full view of everyone, did Mark dare to slip his hand into Monica's panties. She jumped away, without actually leaving her seat. Chandler looked daggars at Mark, and everyone else looked shocked.

"Chandler, I know you guys are in love and all, but do you have to finger my baby sister at the dinner table, while I’m right here!" Ross said. Chandler silently held up his hands to show that it wasn’t him. He had put up with a lot to keep Monica’s adultary from their friends, but he refused to have Mark finger her while he sat there watching. Joey’s looked confused, then a grin spread across his face, showing he was thinking something dirty.

"It wasn’t me," he said.

"Monica?" Phoebe asked, as confused as all the others. "What’s going on?"

Rachel’s eyes fell on Mark’s hand, which was still under the table. She stared at him in shcok. Ross followed her gaze, appauled. Joey and Phoebe took a moment to work it out, but once they did, their eyes widened in shock. Chandler just looked numb, and very unhappy.

"Monica, I’m sorry. I can’t defend you anymore," he said. "I’m in too much pain. You’ve hurt me too much. I can’t keep letting you kill me slowly like this."

"Mark? What the hell are you doing?" Rachel demanded. She stood up and backed away from Mark and Monica.

"Nothing," Mark lied unconvincingly. Chandler snapped when he heard Mark denying it. He punched Mark hard, then before any of the others really knew what was going on, the two men were fighting. Monica watched in horror as they punched and kicked each other. Rachel turned on her friend.

"You and Mark?" she gasped.

"Yes," Monica whispered. Phoebe and Joey looked at her disguested, while Ross pulled Chandler and Mark apart.

"You broke up me and Rachel, you had to break up Chandler and Monica as well," Ross hissed.

"It wasn't just me Ross. Your precious little sister did have something to do with it, you know," Mark reminded everyone.

"Don’t' remind me," Monica said. She didn't want to think about the mistakes she had make last year.

"You wanna explain this at all?" Rachel demanded.

"Not really. I'll let Mon and Mark get themselves out of this one," Chandler said, watchign Monica as she silently struggled for words, his face expressionless.

"Mark and I dated for a while," Monica said nervously.

"Dating? Don't you mean fucking?" Chandler butted in. Monica said nothing, she just nodded reluctantly.

""WE broke up ages ago. I thought it was over until he turned up tonight,"Monica said.

"So now you're blaming me!" Rachel retorted.

"It wasn't her fault Mon. I kinda invited myself. I had to see you," Mark said.

"So you were just using me!" Rachel screamed. "Using me to get to my engaged best friend!"

"Sorry Rach," Mark said sheepishly.

"You bastard!" Phoebe shouted. "Havent' you hurt enough people yet? Haven't you ruined enough lives? Broken enough hearts?"

"Phoebs," Chandler said quietly.

"The two of you are disgusting," Phoebe went on.

"Phoebs, I'd like you guys to leave," Chandler said calmly. Joey looked shocked.

"Are you sure man?" he asked. Chandler nodded.

"Yeah. I think its time the three of us had a little chat," he said. Monica paled.

"How could you do that to me?" Rachel asked Mark quietly. Ross put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her out of the door with him. Phoebe and Joey went ahead of Ross and Rachel. Chandler shut the door behing them.

"When I found you two, I wanted to avoid confrontation. I was just so shocked and hurt, I didn't want to get into long, drawn out discussions with the two people who broke my heart," Chandler said, still very calm.

"Chandler, don't let this change anything. I didn't invite Mark here. I didn't ask him to stick his hand up my skirt," Monica defended herself.

"You didn't stop him," Chandler pointed out.

"How exactly was I supposed to stop him without the other four noticing?"

"I am still here, you know," Mark reminded them.

"Shut up!" Chandler and Monica shouted together.

"No! You guys are talking about me as if I can't hear you!"

"Shut up! You actually think I give a shit about whether you're upset by the way we're talking aboutyou?" Chandler asked.

"I'm sos sorry. I know you guys have all your couple crap to resolve, but I don't want to have to listen to it all," Mark said sarcastically.

"The only reason we have 'couple crap' to resolve is because of you, so if you don't mind, shut the fuck up!" Chandler shouted. Mark shut up. "Good. Now, you get the fuck out of here right now, and don't even think about coming back. If you do, I swear, I'll kill you."

"Chandler, please don't say things you don't mean," Monica said.

"I do mean them. I hate that bastard. I would hate you too, if I could," Chandler said. Monica sighed. She had hoped she would never hear Chandler say he hated her ever again. It hurt more because she knew it wasn't just something he was saying, he really meant it.

"You know what? I'm gonna go. I'll leave you two to it," Mark said.

"What do you want? A bon voyage party?" Chandler joked meanly. Mark pulled a face that looked like he was trying to come up with a witty response, but it seemed he couldn't, because he just stalked out. Monica expected Chandler to say something more, but once Mark was gone, Chandler just sank onto the couch, looking totallt depressed.

"Monica, I want Daniel to have a paternity test. If he's mine, I hope we can put all this behind us. If he isn't, well I guess its up to you. I will never stop loving you, you know that," Chandler said, calm again. "Until we know for sure, I don’t want to talk about this again." Monica nodded. She hated that Mark's return had changed everything. She loved him. She thought they had got past her adultary, but obviously, he hadn't.

"Chandler, I'm sorry this happened. I'm sorry I made you go through this," Monica said.

"I don’t' want to talk about it. Lets just forget it until Daniel has a paternity test. Okay?" Chandler said firmly. Monica nodded again.

Over the next three weeks, before Daniel's next check up, Chandler tried to put an emotional distance between himself and Daniel. Monica knew what he was trying to do, and decided to let him get on with it, knowing he wouldn’t welcome her intervention.

Things were back to the way they had been when Monica was pregnant, including the way they spent their nights. Monica still kept quiet, mostly because she didn't want to wake Daniel by screaming. Chandler had started the rough, routine, unloving sex again the night after Mark came to dinner. He didn't really know why he resumed those horrible night, buthe just had so much anger and frustration that he needed to vent, even though he hated them as much as Monica did.

TO BE CONTINUED…

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