Truth Unknown (part 7)

When Ross brought the kids home, Chandler was moping on the couch. Monica still hadn't come back downstairs, and he was starting to wish he hadn't got mad at her, even though he didn't think he had done anything so awful. He tried to act cheerful when Beth came bouncing in, closely followed by Ross and Shay. Beth launched into a story about something that had happened at the park, but Chandler wasn't really listening. Shay looked at him pityingly, which he hated. She shouldn't be pitying her father.

"Where's Mon?" Ross asked. He wondered why Chandler looked so miserable, maybe they'd had a fight or something and Monica was avoiding him.

"Still in the shower," Chandler said sarcastically.

"Is everything okay with you guys?" Ross asked worriedly.

"No, they're getting divorced, you're a bad influence on them," Shay said with just as much sarcasm as her father. Ross wasn't dumb. He sensed there was something else going on, but that he wasn't being let in on it.

"I'll just go take my bad influence away then," he said, a little hurt. Chandler shrugged, uncaring. Beth waved cheerfully.

"Dad, what's going on?" Shay asked as soon as Beth went upstairs to her room.

"Your Mom just needs some time to herself," Chandler said dejectedly.

"Why?" Shay asked.

"Your guess is as good as mine honey," he said.

"Well why don't you go up there and talk to her? That's what you always tell me and Beth when we have a fight," Shay suggested.

"We havent' had a fight," Chandler insisted. Shay looked at him sceptically. There was a knock on the door. "And I can't go up there because Ross probably forgot something."

"Sure, saved by the knocker," Shay joked. Chandler grinned feebly at her and went to answer the door.

"Is Monica home?" a strange man asked. Chandler looked at him suspiciously.

"Who are you?" he asked.

"Her boyfriend," the stranger answered.

"What?" Chandler answered, shocked. He couldnt' believe Monica would ever cheat on him, but a little voice in the back of his mind suggested that maybe she hadn't been raped, maybe she was sleeping with another guy, which would explain why she didnt' want to have sex with him anymore.

"I'm her boyfriend, my names Matthew Riley. Who are you? Her brother or something?"

"I'm her husband," Chandler said coldly. Matthew looked a little surprised.

"Can I come in?" he persisted.

"Whatever, just hang on," Chandler said, giving up. If Monica wanted to cheat, he was past caring. He didnt' realise he was simply in shock. He called Shay and Beth and told them to go into the kitchen and stay there. Then he let Matthew in and told him to go upstairs. Matthew was very surprised at Chandler's passivity, but it made what he had to do much easier.

As soon as he was slumped in a chair in the living room, Chandler realised what had just happened. Monica was cheating on him. How could she? And how could he just let her boyfriend into his house with his kids? Chandler was suddenly struck by a horrible thought: what if they weren't his kids? Then he quickly dismissed it. There was no way she could have fooled him for eight years. But Oh God, she was cheating on him. Chandler put his head in his hands and cried. At the sound of their father crying, Beth and Shay peeked round the kitchen door, looking frightened.

"Get back in the kitchen!" Chandler snapped at them. Shay held his gaze for a minute or two, but Chandler couldn't stand to see the sadness in his daughter's eyes so he stood up. "I have to go," he said.

"Where?" Shay asked instantly.

"Joey's" he answered quickly, not yet sure if he actually would.

"Why?" Shay persisted.

"I love you both, remember that," Chandler said, ignoring Shay's question.

"You sound like you're not coming back?" Shay said quietly.

"Daddy why are you leaving and not coming back?" Beth asked, picking up on that.

"I love you," he said, then hurried out before they could ask any more questions.

"Is this about the rape?" Shay called after him. Chandler ignored her.

"What's rape?" Beth asked, not understanding. Was it like a fight? Shay didn't answer, she pushed past her sister and started up the stairs. She wasn't halfway up before she heard a muffled scream. It was Monica. Shay froze, terrified. Beth was now standing at the bottom of the stairs, looking up at her sister, she too had heard the scream. Shay went back down the stairs and pushed Beth into the kitchen, shutting the door firmly.

"Help me," she said, pushing the table against the door. Beth helped as much as she could, although she didn't understand what they were doing or why.

"won't we get in trouble?" she asked as Shay picked up a chair and put it on top of the table.

"No," Shay said shortly, piling all four of the kitchen chairs up.

Upstairs, Monica was sat on the bed, pressed up against the headboard. She was terrified. Matthew crouched over her with a knife held up against her cheek. His other hand was over her mouth.

"If I move this hand," he said, meaning the one over her face. "You won't try to call for help, will you?" he asked, knowing she was too afraid. She shook her head. She wouldn't. She had heard the front door slam shut, and hoped Chandler had taken the kids someplace safe, but she couldn't be sure that the three of them weren't still in the house. If her attacker killed her, he could easily go downstairs and kill Chandler, Shay and Beth as well. "Good girl," he said as he cautiously moved his hand and she stayed quiet. "Now, you've been good so far, haven't gone running to the police or anything. That's good," he said in a low voice. Monica squirmed in his firm grasp, but he pressed the knife harder against her face and she stopped. Monica felt his free hand start to work on the fly of her jeans. She was terrified. This man had raped her before, in a dark, deserted park. Now he was going to repeat the experience in daylight, in her own home, in the same bed she had shared with Chandler for most of their married life. The thought made her sick.

He raped her. It didnt' take long, and Monica survived it only by focusing on the image of Chandler and the girls. When he was done, the rapist kissed her on the lips, as tenderly as a lover, and slipped out. She lay motionless on the bed until she heard his footsteps go down the stairs and him open, then close the front door.

Forcing herself to take every step, Monica got off the bed, fixed her clothes and went downstairs. She barely noticed the tears still falling down her cheeks, or the thin cut where he had pressed the blade a little too hard. She found Shay and Beth cowering in the kitchen, leaning agaisnt the wall, hugging each other tightly. They were both crying. But there was no sign of Chandler.

"Mom, who was that? Why were you screaming?" Shay asked.

"Honey, I'm sorry, you two were scared," monica said, crouching on the floor in front of them. She saw Shay's eyes land on the cut on her cheek and self consiously put her hand to her face to try and hide it. Beth flung herself forward into her mother's arms, sobbing. Shay followed suit. Monica realised Shay must know something of what had happened, because she wasnt' usually tearful.

"How come Dad left?" Beth asked, her voice muffled.

"Is he gone forever?" Shay asked, sounding younger than her eleven years.

"What?" Monica asked. She sincerly hoped the girls had misunderstood, that Chandler had simply gone to call the police or even Ross or one of their friends. He wouldn't have gone for good.

"He said he loved us, and never to forget it," Shay said "and he wouldnt' say if he was coming back or not."

Monica stood up and stepped away from the kids. She stared at them in horror, realising the dreadful truth of what was happening. Chandler had left, she had no idea why. She had a stalker (what else could he have been, to have found out where she lived) who had now raped her twice. As well as two crying children to deal with, and no way of comforting them, since all she wanted was for someone (Chandler) to take her in their arms and comfort her.

For the next week, Monica moped and cried most of the time. She kept Shay and Beth home from school, but they were just as miserable as she was. Shay especially, since she was convinced it was something to do with her Mom being raped that had made her Dad leave. Beth had asked Monica a couple of times what rape was, and recieved no answer other than a fresh flood of tears from her mother. Monica didn't answer the phone, even though she knew Chandler might be calling. She didn't want to have to talk to her friends or Chandler's boss explaining where Chandler was and why he had left. She still didnt' know why he had left.

The Friday after Chandler left, the whole gang came round. It was the first time they'd all been together in a year or so, and they all wished it could have been for something happier than the fact that none of them had heard from Chandler or Monica in a week and when they tried calling them, there had been no answer. Phoebe had first called on Tuesday to ask if Monica wanted to go shopping with her. She had called seven times that day, and more times in the days following. She refused to believe that Chandler and Monica would go away, especially during term time, without telling a soul. So she had gotten worried and called the others. None of them knew anything either, so they had all gone to Chandler and Monica's house and started knocking on the door, and shouting until Monica finally let them in.

"Oh my God Mon!" Rachel said softly.

Monica looked awful. She was wearing Chandler's sweat pants and his Knicks sweatshirt. Her hair looked like it hadn't been brushed for several days, she wore no make-up and there were dark circles under her eyes. The cut from Matthew's knife had left a red mark on her cheek, which was slowly healing, and she had a fading bruise around her eye from the first attack.

She tried to smile when she saw the gang, but it looked very forced. She let them all in and they sat in the living room. Ross was staring at her, like he couldn't believe what he was seeing, and Phoebe had her arm around her. Shay and Beth came in, looking slightly better than Monica, although just as unhappy.

"What the hell is going on?" Joey asked. Both Shay and Monica started to cry. Phoebe hugged Monica tightly and Rachel pulled Shay towards her.

"Chandler's gone," Monica said miserably. At hearing it confirmed yet again, Beth too started to cry. Phoebe, Joey and Rachel exchanged looks. Something serious must have happened to make Chandler leave, just like that. Ross was still staring at Monica.

"Oh God," joey muttered. He hugged Beth, trying to comfort her. She climbed into his lap and cried against his shoulder.

"He said he was going to stay with you," Shay remembered suddenly.

"What? I haven't seen him for ages," Joey said confused.

"What happened Monica, why would he just leave?" Rachel asked.

"I dont' know. A whole load of shit's been happening, but I thought he was dealing with it okay, and then..." Monica trailed off. "Shay, would you take your sister upstairs please?" she asked. Shay wiped her eyes and nodded bravely. The two girls left the room.

"Mon?" Phoebe prompted.

"After Open House at the kids' school, I was walking home, when a guy attacked me," she said. "He raped me," she added quietly.

"Oh honey," Rachel said sympathetically.

"The same man came here last weekend, and Chandler, Chandler let him in, I dont' know why he'd let a stranger in, but anyway, he raped me again, in my bedroom," she said, crying harder. Tears pricked in Rachel and Phoebe's eyes at seeing their friend so upset. "And Chandler left and I don't know why, or where he's gone or anything," she wailed.

"We'll find him," joey promised.

"Honey, I'm so sorry," Phoebe said. Rachel nodded.

"Would you like us to look after the kids for a while, so you can get yourself back on your feet?" she offered. Monica shook her head. The kids needed her, and she needed them too. They were the only reason she kept going.

"I swear I'll kill the bastard," Ross said in a low, fierce voice. Even he wasn't sure if he meant Chandler or the rapist.

TO BE CONTINUED...

Please review, flame if you want, I dont' care. Oh, and thanks to Anna P for the name of the rapist.