“You’re, you’re Alex Bing!” Laura said in shock.
“Um,” Alex didn’t know what to say.
“Oh my God! I can’t believe it!” Laura replied as she moved over and sat down on Alex’s bed. “You never said anything...”
“Of course not,” Alex replied. “My mom doesn’t want Chandler to find us. She needs some time to figure everything out first. If we’d gone around saying we were Alex Bing, Dereck and Monica Geller, Chandler would have come got us a long time ago!”
“Wow!” Laura said softly. “This is so cool. I always thought Alex, you, would be pretty cool and you definitely are! So..”
“Stop,” Alex interrupted her. She could hear her mom coming down the hall. Laura froze. “My mom’s coming, just wait until she leaves,” Alex whispered. Laura nodded and tried to pretend everything was okay.
“You guys getting ready for bed yet?” Monica asked as she poked her head around Alex’s door.
“Yep,” Alex replied.
“Okay then, are you going to sleep in the basement?”
“Yeah,” Alex nodded quickly.
“Good-night,” Monica grinned at them, able to tell they wanted her to leave.
“‘Night,” Alex and Laura replied in unison. They held their breath as they waited for her to leave.
“So you really only turned eleven today, right?” Laura asked after Mon had left.
“Yeah,” Alex nodded. “Only eleven.”
“Wow,” Laura was still in shock. “So who’s Ken?”
“You mean my ‘dad’?” Alex did the little “ thing with her fingers.
“Yeah.”
“His real names Rob, and Lawrence’s real name is Lawrence. Rob was a good friend of my mom’s when I was born and he’s always wanted to coach a high-school baseball team. He was a banker back in New York. I don’t know why though. Anyway, he told my mom that he wasn’t going to let us go unless he came with us. My mom said sure because it’s not as obvious with three kids instead of two and ‘married’ parents.”
“So... Alex,” Laura paused. “That feels so weird, calling you Alex. Can I?”
“Sure,” Alex nodded. “Just make sure you don’t do it when anyone else is around.”
“Right,” Laura nodded. “This will be our secret!”

Alex waited until her mom was out of site, then she logged onto ICQ. She was happy to find that Mr. Big was online, and sent him a message. A few seconds later, she had a reply.
“Hi, how is everything going?” Alex read to herself quietly. She had spent many hours over the last couple months talking to him. They’d shared their problems, although Chandler never mentioned herself, her mom or Dereck. Their latest conversations had been about school. It was almost the end of the year, and as a grade six student, she had to take an exam in every subject so the state could find out how well grade six students were doing.
Now Alex wasn’t failing any of her classes, she was pretty close. “Not bad, my mom got me a tutor, someone in grade eight,” Alex wrote back. “What about you? Have you solved all your  problems?”
“Unfortunately no,” Chandler replied. “I’ve got a barrel of them hidden in the closet if you wanna share a couple!”
Alex giggled. “LOL =)!” She typed. “No thanks, I’ve got enough myself.” Besides, she continued to herself, you and I have got the same problems.
“Doesn’t it seem like you finally solve a problem and get five more? I wonder if it ever ends,” Chandler wrote back.
“I really don’t know. You know, for the first time in my life, I’m beginning to really understand what damage gossip can do.”
“Really,” Chandler replied. “Too bad. It’s something no one should have to experience. I’ve gotten it first-hand myself.”
“Oh, I haven’t had it completely first-hand. It’s worse,” Alex typed. “It’s my mom. It’s the news in town that she’s having an affair.”
“Oh my God! That must be horrible for you!”
“I know. But I’m sure she loves my real dad.”
“Why, don’t you live with you real dad?” Chandler messaged.
“Of course I do!” Alex’s sudden nervousness caused her to pour out a lengthy message until ICQ warned her of the 400 character limit. “Why wouldn’t I live with my father? I did just explain about my mother’s supposed affair, didn’t I? Yes, of course I live with my dad! AND my mom! And my two brothers and dog. And three fish!” Alex impulsively added the last pet as a red herring. She smiled to herself at the pun of using ‘fish’ as a ‘red herring.’ “It may have sounded like I don’t live with my dad, I admit, but I really do! And so does my mom. Sorry you didn’t understand. I guess I didn’t make it clear. Sorry! Yeah, my dad is really the coolest guy you could ever meet. He loves to play N64 with me and has the biggest video collection ever! He isn’t perfect - he often messes up, but I love him anyway................................................. lol return of the dots.”

Chandler smiled to himself, leaning back against his chair. Talking to ‘princess’ on ICQ always made him happier, She reminded him of Alex, although she was a year older. And unlike everyone else he talked to on ICQ, she didn’t seem to realize who he was.
“Chandler?” Lionel asked from the doorway. Chandler had finally got him to relax a bit.
“Yes?” Chandler looked over at him.
“Nicholas Langford Ozaransky is here to see you.”
“Great!!! Send him in,” Chandler replied excited.
“Chandler!” the man who walked into the room shouted happily.
“Oz!” Chandler stood up and the two guys hugged.
“It’s great to see you again,” Oz said as he sat down opposite Chandler.
“I know, it’s been so long,” Chandler replied as Oz gave him a once over.
“What’s wrong?”
“What do you mean?” Chandler asked puzzled. “Haven’t you read or looked at the newspaper/tv in the last few months?
“Why, has something happened? I thought things were great with you and Monica.”
Chandler closed his eyes and leaned back in his chair, his mind drifting to his family. He shook himself back in to reality after a minute. He reached up with one hand and angrily brushed aside the tears that always formed when he was thinking of Alex and the rest of his family.
“What’s wrong?” Oz asked worried. “What happened?”
“I drove them away Oz, it’s all my fault,” Chandler whispered.
“What do you mean? What happened?”
“They left. Monica had another kid, Dereck who she claimed was mine. And he is, I was just too stupid, and said it wasn’t. I started dating Kirsten. She was blonde and hot, but couldn’t replace Monica. Anyway, to make a long story short, I messed everything up and Monica took Alex and Dereck away.”
“Where?”
“I don’t know. I’ve been looking for them, but I can’t find them anywhere. They’re gone man, gone!” For the first time since he’d found out they’d left, Chandler let the tears flow.
“Oh Chan,” Oz moved his chair over nearer his friend. He didn’t know what to do, so he just sat there quietly. After a while, Chandler started to calm down.
“I’m sorry,” Chandler whispered. “I’m sorry. I guess everything’s finally catching up with me. I don’t think I’ve cried over this situation yet. I want... I need to get Alex back, and if possible Mon to. Even if it’s only as a friend, not anything more.”
“What about this baby, Dereck?”
“I missed seeing Alex grow up, and now I’m going to miss seeing Dereck grow up,” Chandler said sadly.
“I don’t know what to say,” Oz replied. “Other than keep looking. It’s the only way you’ll ever find them. Who knows what will happen, maybe they’ll come back on their own.”
“I doubt it,” Chandler shook his head. “I really hurt them. Monica went away for eight years because she wasn’t sure how I’d react. She’ll probably stay away a million years because she knows how I’ll react!”

"Oh my God. Aren't you...aren't you Joey Tribbiani? And oh my God! You're Joey Tribbiani!"
Joey and GJoey were on a walk in Central Park with Joelana in her stroller. They turned to see a man standing behind them.
GJoey smiled. "That we are."
Joey gave a bit of a half-hearted grin. He didn't much like male fans, because usually their interest was in his wife. "Hey, man."
"I-I just can't believe this!" the guy cried. "You guys are such great actors! Aw, and this must be Joelana. You're such a sweetheart."
Now GJoey was lowering to Joey's level of thinking. She didn't like people admiring Joelana, mostly because she wanted Joelana to stay out of the spotlight. This was difficult when both her parents were pretty well at movie-star status.
"Can I have your autograph, I mean autographs!" The man laughed and smiled at Joelana. Joelana cooed.
"Sure, man," Joey replied. Anything to get rid of him.
He exchanged looks with GJoey and could see that she agreed. She took out a pen and handed it to Joey. They both signed a piece of paper that the man held out.
"Oh, wow!" he cried. "Thanks! Bye!"
He turned and jogged the opposite direction.
Joey and GJoey continued on their walk. They were both accustomed to the attention they received while in public.

A few blocks away, there was someone who was not accustomed to the attention they received while in public-Phoebe Buffay-Lombard.
She sat in Central Perk singing and strumming her guitar. It was a sad song, Philip noticed. Most of her songs had been depressing ever since Monica and her kids had disappeared. Although the two weren't as close as they once had been, Phoebe hadn't been whole-hearted lately.
This song was about her life events.
"-then I lived with a girl who let me eat cookies o'er the sink! Imagine how that made me feel and think! I moved out with my grandmother, then she died. And I cried. I met my real mom and my brother soon then I grew up and married that goon!" She stopped and pointed to Philip. Philip grinned, knowing she meant it in fun. "Now my best friend's gone and moved away. What will happen on tomorrow's day?"
Philip, her biggest fan, erupted into applause. "Go, Pheebs!"
But today Phoebe had another fan in the audience.
"Yea, Phoebe!" a voice came from the back.
At first Phoebe thought it might be Gunther, but it wasn't. It was another handsome guy. He came up and to put it mildly, threw himself humbly at her feet.
Phoebe couldn't help giggling, as she had never received such attention for her music. But when she saw Philip give her a puppy-face from his seat, she gave the man an autograph and sent him on his way.
"I'm sorry, sweetie," she said, sitting beside him and giving him a peck on the cheek. "I just can't keep up with my fans these days."
Philip rolled his eyes and kissed her back.

Laura, Jamie, and Alex were on their usual week-end bike ride to the video rental store and the Candy Shoppe. Then to the park to play before heading back to Alex’s house for a sleepover.
“Oh-my-God!” Alex cried, staring across the playground at a middle-aged couple near The Bed&Breakfast.
“What, what is it, Al?” Laura asked, scanning the park for anything strange.
Jamie gave Laura a funny look for calling Robyn “Al,” but soon forgot about it as she glanced at what Robyn was pointing to.
“Those two people!” Alex continued, beginning to panic. “They’re-they’re my grandparents!!!”
“Oh!” Jamie said. “Well perhaps they’ve come to visit for the weekend.”
“Ahh…no, I don’t think so. See,” Alex explained, “they’re my mom’s parents, and they had a humongous fight right before we moved. They don’t even know we moved here.”
“Ohhh.” Laura winced. “Well we’ve got to run home and warn your parents…that is, if you don’t want to be seen by them while they’re here. Come on.”
Alex and Jamie followed Laura to their bikes, Alex’s heart beating a mile a minute. What if they saw her? She would have to stay low and quiet.
They rode quickly back to Alex’s house. Alex asked her friends to please wait outside while she talked to her mother about what was going on.
“Mom?” Alex poked her head in the kitchen door. Monica was feeding Dereck some mushed pears at his high chair.
“Oh, Al-Robyn, you’re home! Look! Peter is starting to eat a bit!”
Alex looked at Dereck. His tongue hung distastefully out of his mouth with a bit of mushed pears on the tip.
Alex laughed. “He doesn’t seem too wild about it.”
“Any news? Where are Laura and Jamie?” Monica wiped some pear off of Dereck’s face and on to his Winnie-the-Pooh bib which she had cross-stitched.
“I asked them to wait outside,” Alex explained. “And I do have news. I’m afraid it’s not good news, either.”
Monica sighed. “We just can’t catch a break, can we?”
Alex shook her head violently. “We definitely can’t,” she agreed. “Grandma and Grandpa Geller are here, in town. I saw them while we were at the playground!”
“What?!” Monica leaped up, spilling pears all over the kitchen floor. She ignored the mess lying at her feet and stared at Alex. “Please tell me that was a late April Fool’s joke!”
Once again Alex shook her head. “I’m afraid not. I saw them there, plain as day.”
“They are kind of plain, aren’t they,” Monica added, half to herself.
Alex paid no attention to this. She was to anxious by the situation. “I think they’re staying at Fred and Gina’s Bed&Breakfast. They were walking on the path near there. Besides, that’s the only hotel in town, unless they’re staying in the city and are here just for the day.”
“Let’s hope they are just here for the day,” Monica pleaded with no one in particular as she stooped to clean up the pears. Not even the news that her parents were here could phase her out for that long of a time.
“Just in case, you, me and Dereck had better stay in the house for the next couple days. Rob and Lawrence should be safe, but we’d better be wary,” Alex warned. Under normal circumstances, she knew, Monica would not be happy about her parents arrival, but under the circumstance of hidden-identities, she knew that internally her mother was having a fit and would need Alex’s guidance.
“You’re right, you’re right. But where’s Lawrence, just in case. Ohh, what if they recognise him?”
“They’ve never seen Lawrence before in their lives, and Lawrence is playing outside with some friends from kindergarten, remember? We’ll be safe as long as we stay indoors. Now I’m gonna go get Laura and Jamie, we’re going to have our sleepover as planned, and everything will be fine.”
“Okay…” But Monica wasn’t so sure.

"Mon, I saw your parents..."
"I know, I know," Monica replied. "Alex told me she saw them near the Bed&Breakfast."
"Well, we're safe. They'll probably be bored with our one-horse town within the hour," Rob predicted.
Monica laughed.
The doorbell rang.
"Rob, can you grab that? I've got a pie in the oven."
"Tsk, tsk!" Rob scolded gently. "Don't you remember that you can't cook, Kelly?"
Monica smiled slyly. "Of course, Ken. I'm merely baking it to add to the fact!-Oh, dear, I just remembered. I conveniently forgot to add the sugar!"
Rob snorted and opened the front door. He gaped at the couple that stood in front of the screen door.
"Hello, I'm afraid we've lost our way," the woman said. "Could you give us directions? This one-horse town is so boring, we have to get out of here."
"Who's at the door, honey?" came Monica's voice from the kitchen. "Er...Kel, it's just a couple that has lost their way. Why, I say!" he exclaimed to Jack and Judy Geller, loud enough for Monica to hear. "Aren't you the parents of that missing woman? Oh, what was her name, again?" Rob snapped his fingers, feigning forgetfullness. "Oh, yes, Monica Geller! You, sir," he directed at Jack, "look just like her."
"Why, er, yes..." Judy bit her bottom lip in apparent fluster. "Jack, would you please explain?"
"Sure, Judy. You see, we know she's missing, but that of course is why we're on vacation!" He was obviously fibbing, and Rob sighed inwardly. "We're searching for her...and, of course, our sweet little granddaughter, Alexis."
"Well." Rob gulped. "Fancy that. Where might I direct you to go?"
"Well," Jack continued, "we're staying in the city. We only came here for the day, as we heard there was a charming restaurant at the Bed&Breakfast."
"Oh, yes, charming," Rob repeated.
"We're trying to find our way back to the bus depot," Jack explained.
"Um, well, I'm not quite sure where that is. I didn't even know we had a bus depot." At first Rob had been confident he would be able to get rid of them, but now he was panicking. "I'm, er, afraid you'll have to-"
"Why, hello, and who might you be?"
Monica entered the foyer cheerfully, rubbing her flour-covered hands on her apron. Rob's eyes widened. These were her parents! Surely she had understood his hint!
Monica winked at Rob, aside enough that her parents did not see. "Lost are you?" she continued. "Come on in, we'll phone the bus depot for you and get directions."
Jack and Judy stepped inside and wiped their shoes on the Welcome mat. Rob's mouth dropped open. They hadn't the slightest clue who this woman was! "Searching for your daughter, my foot," Rob muttered to himself.
"I'm Kelly, and this is my husband Ken." Monica offered a hand forward.
"We're Jack and Judy Geller," Jack volunteered. "As we were just saying to your husband, we're searching for our daughter. You may have heard of us."
Monica shook her head, trying to recall the names. "No, I'm afraid not."
"Er, honey, they're the parents of that missing woman, Monica Geller. You know, the one that was kidnapped?"
"Oh, yes, I remember now! I read about that in the paper a few months ago! Well if that isn't a coincidence!"
Rob mopped the sweat from his brow. A coincidence in more ways than one! he said to himself, still in shock.
Monica lead her parents to the kitchen. "Won't you have some apple pie?" she offered. "It's just warm from the oven, and I baked it myself."
Rob grinned to himself.
"That sounds great!" Jack responded hungrily.
Judy agreed. "All right." She said aside, to Monica, "We ate at that Bed&Breakfast restaurant, and to tell the truth, I could not eat a bite. It was absolutely disgusting!"
Monica nodded readily. "Oh, yes, for sure!" She dished up two pieces of pie. "Honey, are you hungry?" She smiled sugar-sweetly at Rob with a hint of sarcasm in her eyes.
"No thanks, darling, I'm not hungry." He was, however, very interested to find out how this would turn out. He took his usual place at the kitchen table. Jack and Judy sat down also, followed by Monica, who perched herself on Rob's knee daintily.
"Er, Kelly, the phone book," Rob reminded her, tapping his head with his index finger.
"Right!" Monica jumped up and returned with the White Pages. As she flipped through the pages, she spoke to Jack and Judy Geller. "So how are things in New York, then, Mr. and Mrs. Geller?"
"Terribly depressing," Judy answered, dabbing her eye with a tissue.
Jack had just dug into his pie, when he, too requested a tissue. Judy passed him one. He feigned a cough, spitting the pie out into the Kleenex. When he removed it from his face, his tongue was out and he was evidently quite disgusted.
"Mom!" Alex's voice came from upstairs. "Peter is crying! And are you baking pie? Cos I want some!"
"Oh!" Monica stood quickly, realizing that it was one thing for her parents not to recognize her, but they would surely recognize Alex! "Robyn, sweetie, stay upstairs, would you? We have company in the house, and you wouldn't want them seeing your brand new zit, would you, honey?"

Alex crumpled up her face and stared blankly down the stairs. What was her mother talking about? She didn't have a brand new zit, she didn't even have one zit, and even if she did, she wouldn't care about people seeing it.
Monica appeared at the foot of the staircase. She grimaced and nodded to the kitchen as she tiptoed up the stairs. "Alex! It's Mom and Dad in the kitchen. They lost their way and..."
"Oh my gosh! Don't they recognize you?" Alex hissed, completely amazed by this news.
"No, but they would definitely recognize you or Dereck. Do you mind just rocking Dereck to sleep again? He's only been napping for fifteen minutes, and that's not right. Maybe he just lost the lip of his bottle, that's all."
"Sure thing, mom. Good luck."
"Thanks. I'll need it," Monica replied, heading back downstairs.

"The bus depot is at Fourth and Baxter," Monica said, pointing at the address in the telephone book. "I think we can direct you from there. I won't need to phone them."
"Oh, right!" Rob suddenly remembered where it was. "Just go straight down this street toward the Bed&Breakfast, but go straight past it and straight past the playground as well. Turn left at the Candy Shoppe and you'll be on Fourth. Head straight for two blocks and you should be there."
"Well, thanks!" Judy stood up quickly, followed almost immediately by her husband.
They walked quickly to the door.
"Thanks so much for the pie!" Judy cried as they walked away. "It was quite lovely!"
Monica laughed, and sighed at the very same time. "Oh my God."
"Well if that doesn't clinch it!" Rob shouted, amazed. "That was the most unbelievable thing I've seen in my entire life!"
"And yet you did see it," Monica replied.
"They're completely dullsville!" he continued, still shocked from what he had seen a few moments before.
"I know," Monica answered. And she left it at that.

Alex logged on to ICQ and checked her messages. One of her ICQ chat pals, *Infamous5* had left her a message. It read:
"hey princess: i really need to talk to you about something PLS email me asap at [email protected]"
Alex didn't talk to this *Infamous5* person often. She wondered what she wanted. She opened Outlook Express and quickly typed an email to Infamous5 that she had received her message, but what was so important?
That past, Alex checked out who was online. Her face dropped in disappointment when she saw that her dad wasn't online. Maybe it's for the best, she decided. The more often I chat with him, the more I'll expect and hope.
Although Chandler wasn't online, Laura, Sandy-Lyon, was online, so Alex messaged her. "Hey laura what's up."
"Nothin' much," Laura replied. "I'm really bored. Wanna come over, alex."
Alex thought about this but it only took her a few seconds to make up her mind. "No thanx." She decided that it couldn't hurt to wait and see if her dad was going to come online.
"Awwwwwwwwwwww! Y not????" Laura replied.
"sorry, I just...i just gotta do something." Alex felt bad, but flooded with relief when Laura explained her mom was calling and she had to log-off.
About the time that Sandy-Lyon went off-line, *Infamous5* came on-line. She instantly sent a message to Alex.
"hey princess"
"what is it, infamous? it sounded kind of urgent" Alex sighed and stared at her list, yearning for Chandler's nickname to pop up suddenly. No such luck.
*Infamous5* messaged her back. "I guess its not that urgent i just wanted to talk to you I guess. Do you have Mr. Big on your list? that's all I wanta now."
Alex felt the back of her neck prickle. Why would she want to know that? It was just too weird. The fact that Mr. Big just happened to be her father...no way. It was just too much of a coincidence.
"Ahhh...i don't think i've ever heard of this 'Mr. big' your referring to."
What else could she say? If she told the truth...well she wasn't sure what would happen, but nothing good could come of it. It was practically the same as giving out personal information.
"oh ok I was just wondering, sorry. ive' been asking everyone cause when he comes online he won't chat w/me. i was just trying to get x-tra info. on him to find out may-b y he doesnt want to talk to me."
Alex breathed a sigh of relief because *Infamous5* hadn't pestered her about it. Maybe I could suspect something if she bugged me about it.
*Infamous5* didn't say goodbye, but immediately logged off. That made Alex even happier.
"You know what," she said to herself. "Perhaps I'll just log off of ICQ. I'm kind of freaked now, and dad's not coming..."
"Dad's not coming where?"
Alex whirled around.
“Oh, it’s only you Lawrence. I don’t know…Dad’s coming home…from work.”
“Oh! But it’s summer. He’s not at work.”
“Right!” Alex hit her forehead. “I forgot. Silly me.”
“Wanna go ride bikes?”
“OK, Lawrence, let’s go.”

It was midnight when Chandler hung up the phone. He had been trying to get through to the police precinct and had been on hold for several hours.
That evening he had seen on Entertainment Tonight that there was a new lead on what the show's hosts called the "Geller-Bingaling Case." (They were only joking about the "Bingaling," but it made Chandler wince when he heard it because it reminded him of Janice. Janice reminded him of how lucky he was with Monica, Alex, and Dereck, and they reminded him of what a jerk he was. Hence, the wince.) The new lead was supposedly a sighting of a girl Alex's age, a boy Dereck's age, and their kidnapper in Brooklyn.
So Chandler checked into it, but himself wondered why, if there was a kidnapper, why he would take them only to another part of New York, where even a five-year-old would recognize them.
Eventually Chandler spoke with a sergeant, only to be put on hold again when she went to go speak to her commanding officer.
He hung up and held his head in agony. Agony of a headache brought on by his heart, which was beating in pain for his family. Sometimes in some deviance, Chandler would hope that they were kidnapped. For then who would to be to blame for all this except the kidnapper? However, if they were not kidnapped, and ran away, he was completely to blame.
"No, you fool." Chandler rubbed his temples and spoke softly to himself. "You're to blame anyway. They weren't safe in their apartment...you let them return to it like an absolute fool. That's just what you are."
And a fool he was. He thought about how, three days after his family's disappearance, he had called the United Nations personnel to declare a peace treaty between he and Monica...wherever she was. They sent him a brochure on peace-keeping.
The pamphlet was on his bedside table. He picked it up and turned it over in his hands. "If only I had read this before I ditched my family for Kristen." Chandler didn't care any longer what her name was nor if he said it correctly. It just didn't matter. Nothing mattered. Nothing mattered except getting his family back. And he would.

The next day Chandler went over to the Schiller's place. Andrew welcomed him with open arms, and although she was polite, Alicia was inwardly filled with contempt for the man.
After Chandler said hello to Darren, and some of Alex's other friends, whom were also visiting, he and Andrew retired to Andrew's den.
"Cigar?" Andrew offered one toward Chandler.
"No thanks." Chandler stared glumly at the cigar case. They reminded him of Richard. "Oh my God!" he burst. He was being like Monica after she had broken up with Richard. How could something remind him of Richard? It kind of makes sense, Chandler thought, because anything and everything remotely to do with Monica, Alex, Dereck and their past reminds me of them.
Andrew did not question him about his outburst. Instead he offered him coffee or a beer.
"No thanks."
"Is that all you can say?" Andrew asked, laughing, and following, he offered Chandler all of wine, champagne, gin, scotch, coke, pepsi, 7UP, orange juice, water, apple juice, milk, a combination of them all.
Chandler replied, "No thanks" to each of them.
"Wow, you really can't say anything else, can you?" Andrew's brows knit with concern as he stared at Chandler. "They're making good progress on the case, aren't they?"
"No," Chandler said sullenly. "I called the police last night and was on hold for three hours."
"Wow! How could you stay on the phone that long?"
Chandler did not reply.
"Is there anything you want to talk about?"
"No thanks."
Andrew turned on the television and Chandler was content to watch the Knicks with his friend.

"Aren't you guys worried at all about Alex?" Sam asked, staring down, unusually interested in the second-hand of her watch.
"Of course we are," Darren replied quickly.
"Oh my God! Just looking at her father passing through here so sadly makes me want to kill whoever took them away!" Sam cried passionately.
"Me too!" Jane chimed in.
"Hmm." Katie raised her eyebrows and stared at her N64 control. "I don't know. She obviously wanted to go away. Alex is strong enough to resist whatever she doesn't want."
"What?" Sam wailed, a tear running down her cheek. "That's the stupidest reasoning I've ever heard! If someone kidnapped her she obviously wouldn't go at her will! Her kidnapper probably had a gun!"
"I'm sure he did," Katie agreed. "Therefore she didn't want to get killed, and therefore she went with him. Duh!"
Freddie protested. "You're being a jerk, Katie."
"Yeah," Cory agreed.
Darren said nothing. He wished he could get in touch with Alex. But how? He couldn't send letters back to her; his parents would surely notice that. What other forms of communication were there? Phone, but of course he had no number. Pager...Monica had had a pager for her catering business, but he didn't want to talk to Monica, he wanted to talk to Alex! That would never work. The only other way to communicate with his friend was the computer.
"Email!" he cried.
Sam burst into tears, and Darren realized she and Alex had always sent messages to each other through email.
Jane shot him a dirty look.
Darren grinned sheepishly. "Sorry."

“Dear Alex:” the email read.
“I got your email address from Sam’s diary. Yes, I know I should not have snooped in there, but what else could I do? I had to get in touch with you. I guess she just never thought to email you before. Anyway, I realize you probably have changed your email address since the move but I hope you still check this mail anyway.
“I really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really miss you! I want you to come back and yet I don’t want you to come back because…oh I don’t know! That just sounds like I’m on your side kinda and I’m kinda against you cos I want you to return! Just please try talking to your mom.
“I got an offer for a new movie but I’m not sure I want to do it. It’s with Liam Neeson and I kinda want to do it, only because he was in Star Wars, Episode 1. But I swear, Al, that’s the only reason! It’s tentatively called ‘Recommended Price.’ Now what is with that? Is that not the stupidest title you’ve ever heard.
“Well oh my god my mom is coming so I’m sending this right now.
“da”
As she read the email over, Alex thanked her lucky stars that she had set up forwarding of her old email address to outlook express where she also received messages from her new email address.
Alex guessed that Darren hadn’t had time to type his whole name out. He was pretty slow at typing, not at all like her. Well she was glad his mom hadn’t caught him. Either he’d be forced to tell the truth or she would think him to be dillusional and call the insane asylum.
She pressed reply and began a new email.

“Hey Darren!
“It is so cool that we can communicate through email! I am so glad you got an address. Now it will be so much easier for us to communicate with each other. You are lucky, I did get a new address, it’s this one. But don’t give it to a soul. I am getting my mail from my old address forwarded here, then to Outlook Express.
“Things are ok here. Well not really actually…my grandparents showed up in town…town gossip has it that my mom is having an affair…etc etc you get my drift??? But the good news is I found dad on ICQ and have been chatting with him often…he doesn’t know it’s me. But it’s so great to talk to him. I love him and I miss him so much.
“Speaking of missing, and since you were speaking of missing as well, I really really really miss you too. You, Sam and Jane are still my best friends even though I’ve made two great friends here, too, Laura and Jamie. I know you’ll understand.
“And because you understand that, I completely understand that you want to be in that stupid-titled movie with Liam Neeson. It would be so cool to be in a movie with a Star Wars person. I know you want to do it Dar, but were just seeking my permission, and I say go for it. Just because I’m supposedly ‘kidnapped’ or ‘disappeared’ or whatever doesn’t mean you need my go-ahead for everything you do. I love you anyway.
“Yours,
“Alex Bing.”

Chandler looked at the clock. The red number bore 3:00. And it wasn’t afternoon. He wished.
Chandler sighed and slipped into his robe and slippers. Sleep would be no problem if only he could chat with that nice little kid about his problems.
At his computer, he logged on to ICQ and was relieved to see that princess was online. Before he could even send her a message, he received one from her: “Oh my God, what are you doing up?”
Chandler raised his eyebrows but was too exhausted to be surprised by such a question. “I don’t know…but how did you know it was late here?”
“Well it’s midnight here,” was the reply. “I just assumed it was late where you were, as well.”
“Well you’re right,” Chandler confessed. “It’s three a.m.”
“holy cow you are up late. But why? a skeleton in your closet, i assume.”
“Hah,” he replied. “That’s right, only more than just one are lurking that I can see.”
“do you want to talk about it”
Chandler breathed a sigh of relief. princess was just too understanding. “I’d love too.” But as soon as Chandler hit the send button, he felt funny about pouring his worries on to a youth. Especially a youth that had worries of her own.
“ok, well I’m prepared to listen, so go right ahead.”
“You know what, never mind,” Chandler typed quickly. “Why don’t you tell me something.”
“ok I guess if that’s how you feel. my friends are over for a sleepover tonite but I couldn’t sleep. usually it’s just that I can’t sleep when I sleep over at a friend’s house. but at my own? I don’t know why I can’t sleep either, it’s so weird. I guess it’s because I’m just thinking about stuff…like my parents especially. And my grandparents.”
“oh no, now you’ve got problems with grannie and gramps?” Chandler replied, feeling relieved that he hadn’t relayed his problems to the poor kid.
“yeah. It’s just that my mom doesn’t really get along with them very well and they’ve come to town for the weekend. She’s really upset about it.”
“Hey, I kinda know what that’s like. My, er, old girlfriend wasn’t on the greatest terms with her parents either. After she started dating me especially…they really didn’t like me. I don’t know why…I guess I’ll never know for sure. Oh wait, I forgot. They must hate me because I’m the father of their grandchild and I have nothing to do with them. Silly me.” Chandler stared at his message somberly before hitting the send button. He couldn’t help bringing it up. He just couldn’t. His lover, his princess, his…son? were all that sailed through his head.
“oh boy, sounds like that's pretty bad,” came the return. “sorry you’re up against so much crap. Yeah my grandparents are so mean. Their so mean we could even be talking about the same people.”

Alex giggled as she hit the send button. Same people, indeed. Little did Mr. Big know that’s exactly what they were talking about. He was probably thinking of her grandparents as little old shriveled people called Mr. Fred and Mrs. Mary Smith. But in reality, his old girlfriend’s parents and Alex’s grandparents just happened to be Mr. Jack and Mrs. Judy Geller.
She smiled at the screen when she received Chandler’s reply. Not because he was being his usual witty self (which he wasn’t because of his deep depression), but because it was nice just to know that it was him. She missed him terribly. Rob was great, and while he had grown into kind of an elder brother to Alex, he could never replace Chandler.
Ever since Alex had met Chandler Bing, big movie producer, a few years earlier, her life had seemed to fly. It seemed to her that just yesterday she was standing in line waiting to be called in for the Audition for a movie called King of Hearts. Little had she known then that within the hour she would also meet her long-lost father. It was almost like a soap opera.
Alex contemplated this soap opera as she continued the depressing and yet enlightening conversation with Mr. Big. She had hoped that her parents would marry, and was delighted when Chandler had asked for Monica’s hand in marriage. She turned him down, and Alex thought she might never forgive her mother for that. Had she taken the time to think…had she taken the courage to say “yes” rather than “no,” then perhaps the soap opera would not have continued.
Unfortunately, that was not the case, and it continued on. The movie tapings flew by and soon enough they were at the premier of the movie. She remembered her parents fighting when Monica
gave birth to Dereck. Chandler fought that Dereck was not his child, and Alex thought she might never forgive her father for that. Had he taken the time to think…had he taken the courage to say “yes, we made a mistake and Dereck is my child” rather than “no, he is not my child,” then perhaps the soap opera would not have continued.
But it did. And it all began with Kirsten Hampshire. Alex had avoided thinking about Kirsten until this point in her life, but now she realized: Kirsten was at the heart of the problem, in there fighting against Alex’s family values. She was gone now, of course, but by now it was too late. (“En retard,” Alex thought, taking the irony from a term she had learned in french, which meant “Too be late.”) By now Monica had moved her family on. And here she was, and while she was enjoying her new life, she missed her father, and that was the point.

Alex was upset at how quickly the summer disappeared. Before she knew it she was back at school, back and was already receiving her first report card.
“Now everyone calm down. Your report cards are right here, and I will call you up one by one to receive them. Then you may leave. Please don’t share your grades or pester others about their grades: it is not nice.”
Alex’s name was near the top of the list because of her surname, Bellar. First Karen Alhousie was called up, and Alex was second.
“Robyn.”
The teacher handed Alex her report card and her heart leaped into her throat. She was not looking forward to opening this envelope.
But as she left the school, her curiosity was overbearing. She opened it.

After Darren got home the first day of filming, he ran straight upstairs to his computer so he could email Alex. He found a quick email from her.
“Darren:
“You know what sucks? I’m so upset because I am practically failing all my courses. Well, I got mostly C’s on my first report card, same as on my final report card for last year. That’s probably because I had to skip a grade so that at least because I look like Alex Bing but I’m not her age. Does that make sense? When I read it over it doesn’t to me but I hope it does to you.”
Alex went on with more complaints about school, especially about her awful social studies teacher, Mr. Macford.
Darren was so excited about this movie that he couldn't help but pour out how fun it was, etcetera, etcetera. After he wrote it all though, he felt angry at himself. This was totally selfish! For the moment Alex had to put her acting career on hold. Gloating about the great time he was having with his career would only upset her even more. He deleted the message and started again.
This time he wrote a letter that completely slandered the film. He wrote of how much the stupid thing sucked and how he wished he had never taken the job offer. But no, he thought afterwards, this letter was too self-centered. He had complained so much about being in it that it sounded like that was his only care.
With a sigh, he clicked new mail for the third time.
"Dear Alex," it began.
"I'm finding it really hard to write to you. I'm afraid I'll offend you somehow. First I wrote you a letter about how much I'm enjoying this movie with Liam Neeson. Then I thought that was too selfish. So I wrote you a letter about how much I hated this movie with Liam Neeson. But it sounded like I was caring only about myself. So I'll tell you this: I am enjoying the movie and that's all I'll say about that.
"Sam and Jane really, really miss you. I wish I could assure them that you're all right. I tried to, but when I did it didn't come out right and Sam ended up broken down in tears. That day was the first day I emailed you. Your dad had come over and he watched basketball with my dad. After he left Dad said that Chandler was really depressed. And I believe it. Who wouldn't be if that happened to him? I'm sorry, I'm being weird again. I'm starting to wish I had never gotten this stupid email address.
"Did you get the N64 game that just came out? It's called 'Scorched Earth.' I got it and it's really cool. It's about these aliens that come to earth and they set it on fire, and you have to save the world before it burns right down to the core! It really reminds me of Kirby's Dreamland, that really old collector's game that your dad has. Remember how on the final badguy you're in the sky and as you fight him you're going down towards earth, then you have to kill him before you hit the ground? It's like that. It's so neat. There's eight characters you can choose from to play as. They each have really cool powers. You really should get it and play it with your new friends.
"Hm, what else can I tell you that won't make me feel weird? What to say, what to say. Oh yeah, did I ever tell you that I heard Chandler admit to Dad that he got some letter about Dereck's DNA and he really is the dad. I think you knew about that letter, but now Chandler's actually saying he's the dad...and he wishes that you guys would come back wherever you are. Well I think most of all he wishes for your safety. That's most important.
"Too bad about your low report card grades. I'm doing good in everything but English. I suck at that. I got a D on a paper I just wrote...oh man am I bad at that subject.
"I saw Joey and Joey and Joelana at the set today. They were in the building for some other business, but knew I was in that and dropped by to say hello. They were really nice about it but I think also they were thinking, why'd you take a movie offer when Alex is missing. Actually, they probably weren't thinking that because I think they were there for a new movie too! Oh, I don't know! I feel weird again.
"Well I'd better go, Alex, before I totally make you feel horrible. Sorry about all this. It's just funny without you around. Funny in more ways than one. Say hi to Mon for me-oops, no don't do that, she'd probably ground you.
"Bye, love from
"Darren.
"P.S. What does 'LOL' mean you keep putting it in your emails."
Darren quickly pressed the send button before he could delete that email as well.

The email that Darren received in reply came but two hours later.
It read:
"Darren: Go to the below website URL and download ICQ*2010*C. Follow all instructions in the Install Wizard. As soon as it's ready, open it and click on the button that says "I*Seek*You." There will be a box to type in a handle, an ICQ# or something else which I can't remember. Type in the handle box "princess." That is my handle. Then click the button beside that says "Ask for authorization." OK? I'll be on ICQ until midnight about, that's three a.m. your time. I should be on when you get it downloaded.
"luv,
"Alex (princess, lol) I will tell you what lol means after you download ICQ."
 
It was still only eight o'clock when an authorization message popped up on Alex's computer screen. "Tommy-Hearts" was requesting authorization.
"That's him!" Alex cried gleefully, recalling Tommy as Darren's character's name in Queen of Hearts.
She quickly authorized him and sent him a message.
"Darren, is that you??"
"yes, boy i'm glad i found the right person. otherwise it would be really bad. so what does lol mean?"
"Ha ha," Alex replied, giggling.
"Don't laugh at me!" Darren protested. "What does it mean?"
"Ha ha!" Alex messaged back. "Laugh out Loud!"
"oh great now you're laughing out loud! what is wrong with you???"
"LOL=Laugh Out Loud"
"Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh."

“So, Ken, there’s a Professional Day coming up here pretty quick and I was wondering if you want to do something,” Arthur said casually, leaning back in his chair. “We could go fishing, you know how to do that, don’t you? Oh, am I stupid, I forgot that the reason you came here is because of the cod fishery problems in New Brunswick! Oh, dear. So how about it? I know a great little spot not four miles down the road from this here town. We could go early, right when the fish are waking for breakfast. Then you, Kelly, Lawrence, Robyn and Peter could come to my place after and we’ll have a barbecue!”
“Wow…” Rob said nervously, biting his lip. He had never been fishing in his whole entire life, regardless of what he had said. “Sounds like you’ve got the whole day planned for us, don’t you.”
“Oh, I’m sorry,” Arthur said non-chalantly. “Because you used to be a fisherman, I just assumed that you know how to and quite enjoy fishing, do you not?”
“Well…” Rob grasped at loose straws for words. “You see, I’m only accustomed to fishing with, um…nets, of course. That’s what we used. I don’t know how to fish with…sticks.”
“Sticks! My word,” Arthur gasped. “We don’t fish with sticks either! By the way, Ken, I believe they’re better known as fishing rods or fishing poles. And if you don’t want to use those, well, you must have some old nets lying around someplace that we can use.”
“But didn’t you say we were going fishing at a river?” Rob fibbed. “A river won’t be deep enough for the nets…” He laughed nervously. “Unless it’s the Nile, of course.”
“I said no such thing!” Arthur laughed. “It’s a little inlet off of the ocean. Sure, it’s not the Atlantic like you’re used to! It’s better! It’s certainly a lot warmer, temperature wise!”
“An inlet, hey?” Rob repeated thoughtfully. “Well an inlet is no good either, I’m afraid. You know what? I just remembered. I’m taking my family into the city and we’re going to the zoo that day. I don’t think I can make it. So sorry! Well, I’ve gotta run, Art! See you around!”
Rob ran from the room.
Arthur Hastings laughed, shaking his head. He leaned over and tapped a key on his laptop keyboard. This would be a good time to write to his good friend M. Hercule Poirot.
“Dearest Poirot:
“I’m having such fun with the Bellars, better known as the Gellers! It is so delightful to tease them so…why just today I invited Ken Bellar, or Rob, to go fishing with me, as of course he must know how! When he lived in New Brunswick he was a fisherman! But no, dear me, Ken is not accustomed to fishing with anything besides nets.
“Poor kids. I’m so cruel to them.
“Your friend,
“Hastings.”

“Hello?”
“Hi Sam, it’s Rob,” Rob replied. “How’s everything going?”
“Good,” Sam said slowly. “Where are you? The last I heard you were supposedly dating Mon.”
“Well I’m not, although I am with her right now,” Rob replied, laughing. “We’re married!”
“You’re what!?” Sam answered shocked.
“Mon wanted to leave because of everything that was going on, so I offered to go with her, Alex and Dereck. With Lawrence of course. We changed our name to Bellar and have been pretending that Mon, I mean Kelly and I, Ken, have been married for years and moved out here from Canada.”
“Wow,” Sam said softly. “Thank you for phoning though. Josie’s been going crazy.”
“Yeah, I figured that, that’s why I decided to phone,” Rob replied. “Also, I was wondering if you guys could do us a favor.”
“Of course,” Sam replied instantly.
“Well, you see, it’s sort of weird that we’ve been living here for like eleven months, and we haven’t had any family come visit us. I was wondering if you three would come out and pretend to be Kelly’s brother. IE, the kids Uncle and Aunt and cousin.”
“I’ll have to talk to Josie about that,” Sam said slowly. “Why couldn’t we just say that Josie’s your sister.”
“Because, the whole world knows that Josie’s only got one brother, and his name’s Rob, and he disappeared about the same time as Monica, Alex and Dereck did. I mean, Chandler was even quoted saying I kidnapped them.”
“Oh, you didn’t read the other article,” Sam said slowly. “Chandler denied that. He said he was woken up at 3 in the morning by a reporter and was so frusterated that he told the reporter that for all he knows you could have kidnapped them. He doesn’t actually think you did. I heard somewhere that supposedly Monica left a letter behind.”
“Yeah, she did,” Rob agreed. “I told her she shouldn’t, but she felt bad leaving without saying good-bye.”
“Just a minute Rob, Josie just walked in the door. I’ll ask her about your plan,” Sam interrrupted him.
Rob paced the kitchen as he waited for Sam to come back. Instead, though, Josie picked up.
“Rob!” Josie said excitedly. “Of course we’ll come to see you. I’ve missed you, and Mon. How’s she holding up?”
“Not good, it was going around town that she was having an affair with this guy named Bruce,” Rob told his sister. “She sort of was, but not really. She can’t seem to get away from gossip no matter what. You should come out. She probably needs some girl to girl talk with someone who knows the truth.”
“You’re probably right,” Josie agreed with him. “When do you want us? And where will we stay?”
“You can stay with us, we’ve got a guest room. When can you get some time off?”
“Oh, what about next week?” Josie answered after she talked with Sam for a minute.
“Great!” Rob said thankfully. “Just remember, Sam’s Kelly’s brother and the kids are Robyn, Lawrence and Peter. I’m Ken, by the way.”
“Okay, right,” Josie wrote it down. “And what’s your last name?”
“Bellar. The ‘B’s’ for Bing, the ‘ellar’s’ for Geller, and ‘a’ instead of ‘e’s for because of our last name, Gellar,” Rob explained quickly.
“Okay, see you in a week,” Josie said. “Bye.”
“Bye!” Rob replied. He looked over at the door to the kitchen as he heard it opened. Monica walked in. “Hey Kel, guess what?”
“I don’t know,” Monica replied tiredly. “What?”
“Sam and Josie are going to come out and see us!”
“But,” Monica argued feebly.
“Don’t worry, it’s all sorted. Sam’s your brother, remember?”
“Right,” Monica gave Rob a tiny smile. “It’ll be nice to see them. It’s been too long.”
“They’re excited to see you and Alex,” Rob told her as he gave her a quick hug. “Any news on VIP?”
“No, he hasn’t been in the news lately,” Monica shook her head. “Though I noticed the other day that Darren’s starting another movie. I wonder if Robyn knows.”
“Who’s excited to see me, and you’re wondering if I know what?” Alex asked as she walked into the kitchen to grab a snack. “Could I BE more hungry?”
“There are some tortia chips in the cupboard,” Monica told Alex. “And I got some salsa today. “
“Great!” Alex hurried over to the cupboard and poured herself a huge bowl of chips.
“Are you going to eat all of that?” Rob asked skeptically. “You don’t want to spoil your appetite.”
“I won’t,” Alex reassured him. “Besides,” Alex added, a sparkle of laughter in her eye. “Mom’s cooking sucks. Anyway, what are you answers?”
“To what?” Rob paused. “Oh, right. My sister Josie and her husband Sam are going to come visit. Sam’s going to pretend to be Kel’s brother. And Monica just noticed that Darren’s going to be in another movie.”
“Oh, I knew that,” Alex replied, forgetting that she shouldn’t. “It’s got a really stupid name.”
“How’d you know that?” Monica questioned. “It was only in the newspaper today.”
“Oh,” Alex thought quickly. “Mr. Reynolds mentioned it during drama.”
“Well, he’s sure being paid a lot,” Monica believed her. “Can you believe it, he’s getting 3 million for it.”
“Well, he’s good and all the kids love him,” Rob replied.
“I guess so.. but it still seems like a lot,” Monica replied. “Oh well.”
“I heard that the Joey’s are probably going to be doing another movie soon,” Alex told her ‘parents’.
“Really?” Monica asked. “I never heard that. Where was that, I must have missed it.”
“Oh, it was on the internet,” Alex lied. Well, it wasn’t really lying, Alex thought to herself. It was on the internet, only it was in the form of an email from Darren! “I’ve got to get back to my video game. Thanks for getting it for me. It’s just as good as ... the internet said it would be.”

The next week Monica became obsessed with getting the house clean and ready for their visitors. She vacuumed all the rooms two times a day, instead of one. She also went and cleaned Alex’s room, causing Alex to freak out, although Mon didn’t know why. She set up the guest room and on the day of their expected arrival, went and bought flowers for the guestroom.
It wasn’t until they were sitting in the family room after dinner that the guests arrived. Alex was playing Nintendo with Lawrence, Dereck was playing with blocks and Mon and Rob were reading the newspaper when the bell rang.
“They’re here!” Lawrence shouted excitedly. He had become a very out going kid since their move, surprising both Mon and Rob. He raced out of the room to the door, Alex right behind him. She was excited to meet some more people who’d be able to tell her about what her mom was like when she was younger.
“Hey Lawrence,” Josie greeted her nephew. She turned to Alex. “You must be Robyn.”
“Hey niece,” Sam laughed as he stepped into the house holding their’s bags, Rayanne behind him. He dropped them as soon as Monica and Rob walked into the room. Dereck was in Rob’s arms, causing Sam to smile. If he didn’t actually know the truth, the five looked like the PERFECT family. “MONICA!” He moved over to her quickly and gave her a hug.
“Shh!” Monica said, after she pulled away. She closed the door behind them. “My names Kelly, dear brother.”
“Right, sorry sis,” Sam replied with a grin. “You look great!”
“It’s the California atmosphere. Not as tense as New York,” Monica gave a small smile. The adults lasped into silence for a moment, until Dereck broke it.
“Wah!” Dereck screamed from Rob’s arms. “Wah!”
“Oh no, what now?” Monica groaned as she took Dereck into her own arms. “Oh, I think that’s it. I’ll be back in a moment guys, Just need to get Dereck changed.”
“Okay,” Rob smiled at her as she disappeared upstairs. He turned back to look at his niece, who he could see hiding behind her parents. “Hey Rayanne!”
Rayanne just stuck her thumb in her mouth angrily and didn’t say a thing.
“She doesn’t like Rayanne,” Josie explained. “We call her Ray, as in a sun ray.”
“Hey Ray,” Rob turned his attention back to Rayanne. “How’s my favorite niece doing?”
“She’s your only niece,” Alex cut in.
“I know,” Rob pretended to look offended.
“Come on Ray,” Sam coxed his daughter from behind him. He lifted her into her arms and brought her over near her uncle. “Say hi to Uncle Rob.”
“Ken.”
“Right, Uncle Ken.”
“Hi,” Ray said softly, taking her thumb out for a moment before jamming it back in.
“Here, let me show you to your room,” Rob picked up their bags. “Mon’s been cleaning like crazy since she found out you guys were coming. Oh, and by the way, Kelly can’t cook.”
“Yeah, she sucks,” Alex added to make sure they got his drift.
“Right, I’d never let her cook for me,” Sam grinned. “She might poison me!”

“Hey Mon,” Josie walked out on the deck where Monica was sitting, watching Alex and Laura play in the back yard.
“Hey Josie,” Monica waved her to a seat. “What’s up?”
“Shouldn’t I be asking you that?” Josie grinned at Mon. “Do you want to talk about what happened? You know, a girl to girl talk. I know you haven’t had one since you left, considering no one knows who you really are.”
“I suppose it would be nice to get it off my chest,” Monica agreed. She paused, and breathed deeply. “I miss him Josie.”
“Of course you do Mon,” Josie told her. “He’s been in your life since you were about sixteen. He was your best friend for years, your boyfriend for years, and the father of your children for years, although he didn’t always know it.”
“I want to go back, but....”
“Why don’t you?”
“I can’t. I can’t let him win. Every time I let my self get close to him, he does something that drives me away.”
“Might I remind you that he didn’t do anything the first time?”
“Yeah, but look at how he reacted about Dereck. He would have reacted a thousand times worse. I mean now, he likes being a dad, but back then... he didn’t want anything that had to do with a lot of responsibility. He tried to take the easy way out. Committing while not committing. It’s complicated.”
“Love’s complicated Kel, it always has been.”
“Not for you,” Mon shook her head. “You got your first newspaper assignment, went to the school and fell head over heels in love with your teacher. And he did the same. The next thing you knew, you were kissing on a ball park in front of millions, and then kissing in a church where you were getting married. You’re love life’s been a piece of cake compared to mine.”
“I’m not going to argue with that,” Josie laughed slightly. “But you must admit, you did get two amazing kids out of the whole deal.”
“I know, and I wouldn’t trade that them for the world,” Monica looked over at Laura and Alex who were lying on the grass, laughing about something. She watched as Alex stood up, and imitated one of her classmates or teachers, causing the two to laugh even harder. “I love them to pieces, but I also love Chandler, and I must admit, that even though I hate being in the public eye, I wouldn’t care if I knew I was going to spend the whole time with him by my side.” Monica paused. “Of course there are down falls the everything. I never think of Chandler as the cheating type, and the fact that he dated Kirsten show’s that he might just be tempted to. And with his job, all the pretty actresses, how can I be sure that he’d never cheat?”
“Because you know that he only dated Kirsten to get back at you!”
“But what if we get in another fight?”
“Of course you’re probably going to fight, but Mon, you love Chandler and he loves you. Isn’t that all you need?”
“I don’t know.. I just don’t know. I know I want... need him to be the father to his kids for me and that I need him in my life, if only as a father to the kids,” Monica sighed. She felt the tears start down her face.
“I know Mon,” Josie moved over beside her and pulled her into a hug. “But don’t worry, I’m positive everything will work out in the end. If you and Chandler are meant to be, then I’m sure you’ll be together. And I know you guys are meant to be. Given, I’ve never seen the two of you together, but when ever you talk about him, you always get this look in your eyes. Whenever he’s talked about you in interviews and stuff, he always has the same look.”

“Hey Alex?” Laura paused her friend in the middle of one of her imitations. “Why’s your mom crying?”
“What?” Alex turned to look at her mom. She could see her sitting with Josie on the deck. Josie was holding her in a hug. “Oh, I know. I heard Rob telling Sam when he was on the phone, but only cos I was going to call you and picked up the phone. I didn’t realize he was on it. Anyway, he was saying that Josie should have a girl to girl talk with my mom, since she hasn’t been able to have it with anyone she’s met out here, cos they don’t know who she really is. I’ve heard her crying at night’s sometimes. I need my dad to find us soon. She’s not going to last much longer. I think she’s starting to get depressed. She’s not like that when she’s around me, or Dereck or Lawrence, but when she’s by her self she’s always down.”
“That sucks,” Laura nodded. “Did you tell Darren that?”
“Yeah, I’ve almost been hoping that he accidentally or on purpose tells his mom or someone. From what Darren says, my dad’s really depressed.”
“They need each other,” Laura said with a knowing smile.
“I know, and I want my dad back. He may not have been perfect when he was trying to get back at my mom, but I love him anyway and he’s always so much fun to be with. I mean, how many dad’s have Nintendo wars with their kids? And he always listened to me. He called my his ‘princess’.”
“Is that why that’s your ICQ name?” Laura asked.
“Yeah,” Alex nodded. “But so far no one’s caught on. I have to hid ICQ anyway. My mom would freak if she saw the names of the people on my list. Like my dad’s nickname is Mr. Big. I don’t get it, but from what I do understand about my parent’s relationship, it had a significant meaning. And Darren’s name is Tommy Hearts. Tommy being the character he played in QofH.”
“Yeah, that’s pretty obvious, though I don’t get the Mr. Big either,” Laura looked back over at Alex’s mom. “Why don’t we get a bike ride. They’re going to get suspicious if we’re sitting here all serious.”
“Right,” Alex nodded. The two got up and hurried around the house to the front where they got on their bikes and continued their conversation.
“You know what?” Alex told Laura. “I almost gave away the fact that I’ve been emailing Darren. I know all these things about my Aunt Joey and Uncle Joey that I shouldn’t have. I pretended I just found the info on the internet. That worked because neither my mom nor Rob know their way around the internet.”

“Come on Ben, you haven’t wanted to do anything since Alex disappeared. Can’t we please go to this dance?” Brook begged Ben as the exited the school. “Everyone’s going to be there.”
“I already said I don’t want to,” Ben told her frustrated. “I can’t even think about having fun when Alex could be kidnapped, dead or who knows what!”
“I’m sure she’s fine Ben,” Brook replied. “I mean, Chandler told us that Monica had left a letter to him saying that they had decided to leave and that it was too late.”
“But that doesn’t make sense Brook, from what I know, and according to my parents, they were and have always been crazy about each other.”
“Ben, you’ve got to stop thinking about this and getting on with your life.”
“I’m sorry Brook, but I can’t,” Ben replied. “Alex was like a sister to me and Monica’s someone who’s known me since I was born. She’s always been someone I can talk to. I was visiting Chandler the other day and oh my god! is he ever depressed. He never cracked a smile or anything. I was getting depressed being in the same house with him. His Nintendo’s been collecting dust. He hasn’t played since Alex left and same with his VCR. And he’s a DIRECTOR!”
“I know Ben, but I feel like I have to bend over backwards so I don’t upset you. We never do anything fun anymore and I’m starting to wonder just what kind of a relationship we have!”
“We don’t have to have an relationship if you can’t deal with the fact that my cousin disappeared, my uncle’s depressed and the rest of my screwed up life has been making me upset, then we won’t have a relationship. And you know what? It’s probably better that we don’t. I don’t want to look back on this period of my life and feel guilty cos you felt like you were being bound in a relationship with me. Why don’t we end it right now, right here!” Ben was angry and depressed. He knew, but at the same time he didn’t know what he was doing.
Brook gave him a hurt looked, then stalked off in the other direction. She knew she didn’t want to leave him, but until he got over everything she also knew she didn’t want to be with him. She wanted to have fun, not waste her life waiting for people to come back.

Brook was lying on her bed when the phone rang. She picked it up, hoping that it was Ben. She’d seen him at school and he had been really down. She was starting to worry about him.
“Hello?” Brook asked eagerly.
“Hi, is this Brook? It’s Chandler.”
“Oh,” Brook tried not to sound disappointed.
“You sound pretty down,” Chandler observed. “Let me guess, it’s because of Ben.”
“How’d you know?” Brook replied shocked. She was shocked for a couple of reasons. One, she didn’t think that Ben had been talking to Chandler much lately, and two, she was surprised that he’d care, or remember, what with everything going on with Monica.
“Ross and Rachel, Ben’s parents, went on a trip. Ben’s staying with me for a couple of weeks. It’s a very depressed house hold if I do say so myself. Ben’s depressed about Alex, Monica and Dereck leaving and breaking up with you. Which by the way, I don’t think he actually wanted to do.
“Oh,” Brook didn’t know what else to say. “What about yourself. How are you holding up?” She tried to change the subject.
“Not very good,” Chandler admitted. “It’s hard. But that’s not why I was calling. I was wondering if you could come over to baby-sit Joelana. Joey and Joey are dragging me out of my house. Ben was going to do it, but he’s been to distracted lately and the Joey’s aren’t very comfortable leaving Joelana with him, not that I blame them. Oh, and Ben would be here to, though.”
“Sure,” Brook heard herself saying. “How come you’re phoning and not one of the Joey’s?”
“Actually, it’s Ben’s responsibility, but he didn’t seem to eager to do anything about it. Besides, I’m not sure on how good terms the two of you are and you’re the only one who’s every baby-sat Joelana, besides Ross, Rachel, Phoebe, Phillip and... and... Monica,” Chandler whispered the last name, tears springing to his eyes. “Anyway,” Chandler tried to compose himself. “It’d be for Friday night next week from about five until who knows how late.”
“Okay,” Brook nodded, even though she knew Chandler couldn’t see her.
“Great, can you get a ride out here? Or should I, or someone else pick you up?”
“I can get a ride out, but I’ll need a ride home,” Brook answered.
“Well, depending on how late, why don’t you plan on spending the night,” Chandler suggested. “I mean, knowing the Joey’s, I’m going to have to get drunk or be miserable... actually, at the state I’m in, I think I’d have to get drunk.”
“Okay,” Brook laughed. “I’ll see you Friday!”

“So what are we listening to? Rap? Country? Oldies?” George asked, picking up the cd case as Jamie hit play on the stereo.
“Gate7Gals,” Jamie replied, bobbing her head to the music.
“Aw, do we have to listen to them?” Alex whined. “’n Tune is so much cooler than Gate7Gals. They’re too squeaky, you know, their voices.”
“Speaking of squeaky voices,” Rob teased. “What’s up with your whining, honey?”
“I hate the Gate7Gals,” Alex pouted, crossing her arms over her chest. “They totally, completely suck.”
“I like them!” Jamie protested.
“I hate ‘n Tune and Gate7Gals,” Laura griped, pulling out her Lacy Blue disc. “Lacy Blue is so the best singer. Eek, I hate this stupid Gate7Gals song! Turn it off, Jamie, for the love of God turn it off!”
It was the day of the annual neighbourhood picnic, the day after Thanksgiving. Clark, Lawrence and Rayanne were running barefoot around the park chasing each other. They might have been playing tag only they all seemed to be “it.”
Monica stepped between the three bickering girls. “If you all don’t stop, I will choose the music.”
“You can be our arbitrator!” Laura cried, remembering a term she had learned in social class.
“I know you’re a good student,” Alex said,” but how, pray tell me, especially on holidays, do you remember stuff we learned two chapters ago in social studies??”
“Well,” Laura replied dryly, “that is one particular term that I tend to remember, at least since our test on that chapter. Remember when we were going over the exam and Mr. Macford called on the person who was grading mine? My definition of arbitrator was wrong and Macford laughed and said I needed to go for a catscan if I didn’t know that.”
Alex rolled her eyes. What a jerk stupid Mr. Macford was. She remembered well a few times when he had “warned” her about her need for a catscan.
“Yes, I’ll be your arbitrator,” Moncia decided. “And I choose…Lady in Red.”
“Aw, Mom, not that boring old fogie music!” Alex protested.
“Hey, it’s the kind of music we ‘old fogies’ like!” Nancy said. “Now I have some news for all of you.”
Monica continued to change the cd. Any news of Nancy’s was probably a new bit of biting gossip from around the neighbourhood.
“I’m going to have a baby.”
Jamie gasped. “Really?! I’m going to be a big sister?”
“No, a big brother, actually,” Nancy teased. “Yes, you’re gong to be a big sister!”
“Ohhh, I can’t wait!” Jamie exclaimed. “This is too cool!”
“It’s no big deal,” Alex said non-chalantly, knowing that was a stretch of the truth. When Dereck was born, she had been more than a little excited. But being Robyn, elder sister of two younger brothers, she had to act her part.
“Yes it is,” Laura said enviously. “I wish I had a sister or brother.”
“Maybe you will some day.” Her mother smiled at her.
Laura smiled back.
“Like I said,” Alex repeated, “it’s no big deal. When your parents want to go out, who’s stuck babysitting? When your mom is cooking dinner, who’s stuck entertaining and changing diapers? When the baby cries in the middle of the night, who’s up far into the night trying to sleep?”
“Sounds like the mother’s job!” Monica exclaimed, scooping up Dereck from his playpen. “Lighten up, Robyn. Don’t burst their bubbles!” To anyone else, Monica’s talk meant little. Only Alex read between the lines…Chandler had destroyed her when he wouldn’t care for Dereck.
After being congratulated several times by everyone, Nancy suggested to the girls that they go tree-climbing. “You don’t want to listen to the music,” she said, “and we’re tired of your bickering. If you’re going to bicker, do it elsewhere.”
Laura, Alex, and Jamie agreed that tree-climbing sounded fun, but objected to the bickering part. “We weren’t bickering!” Laura cried, but forgot about her argument two seconds later as she chased after her two best friends.
From the top of the tree they chose (after a bit of arguing over which one to climb) you could see for a few miles in every direction.
“Oh my God…” Jamie said, distracted by a tiny figure off down the road. “Isn’t that Bruce Lovell over there?”
“Where?” Alex cringed at the name. That was the guy who had made her mother act all weird a few months before.
“Over by Starbucks to the left.”
“Isn’t that they guy that was harrassing you guys, Jamie?” Laura asked, peering at the tiny shadow with interest.
“That’s the one,” Jamie confirmed, sighing. “I thought he was in New York until January. At least that’s what I heard from some eighth graders talking at school.”
“Why were they talking about him? They don’t even live in this town.” Alex was very curious.
Jamie bit her lip and looked nervously at Laura, blushing. “Well…Robyn, I don’t know how to tell you this, but everyone in the city knows about your mom’s affair, too.”
“She did not have an affair!” Alex cried adamantly. “She would never ever cheat on my dad!” This was a passionate subject for Alex, especially after what Chandler had thought of Monica when he found out about Dereck. “But how did they all find out?” she continued with wonder. It seemed impossible for a little gossip to spread that far.
“Bruce Lovell was once well known in the city,” Jamie replied. “His mother lives there and he often visits her when he’s not in New York. In fact, I heard that the reason he doesn’t actually live in New York is because he often needs to take care of his mother. She’s an…an…”
“An invalid,” Laura finished.
“Right, an invalid,” Jamie continued, smiling at Laura. “Thanks. Right, she’s an invalid, terminally ill or something too. He has to take care of her and she can’t be moved across the country, that would be too dangerous. That’s why he lives out here. But he doesn’t live in the city because he says he likes small-town life better. I remember when I was younger I saw him with this lady and he was talking about how he always wanted to move to a nice little cottage with gardens all around and no one around for miles. No telephone, too, I remember him saying. I remember that of course because at that age I was obsessed with the phone. I insisted on dialing every time my mom needed to make a call. Silly, I know, but when you’re young, you always have a thing. The telephone was my thing. Oh! And I remember him saying he wanted a dog,” Jamie said thoughtfully, noticing Sweep playing frisbee with Sam in the field. “A dog…I don’t know why though.”
“He’s weird,” Laura put in, cheering as Sweep leapt into the air to catch the sailing frisbee. “Whenever I see him walking around town, he always has his camera with him. He developsh is own photos, I hear, he has a darkroom in his house.”
“I wouldn’t want to go into his house,” said Alex, a shiver crawling up her spine. “He freaks me out. I wonder why he’s back from New York so soon.”
“I don’t know,” replied Jamie. “But I won’t feel settled until he’s gone again. Just his presence makes my skin crawl.”

Friday evening arrived quickly, and Brook waved good-bye to her dad as she got out of the car at Chandler’s. She walked slowly up the steps, dreading seeing Ben. She rang the doorbell and waited for someone to answer.
“Hi Brook,” Joey greeted her as he pulled the door open and welcomed her inside. “How’s it all going?”
“Okay,” Brook smiled at Joey. She had noticed that he seemed to always be in a good mood, no matter what happened.
“Great!” Joey took her coat and hung it up.
“So, are you replacing Lionel for the day?” Brook questioned with a laugh.
“No, but he’s got the night off,” Joey replied, laughing as well. “Now, let’s go find Joey, she’s got a whole list of things to tell you. Paranoid if you ask me.”
Brook just laughed to herself as she followed Joey down the hall to the kitchen. GJoey was trying to feed Joelana. Joelana was throwing the food and GJoey was trying to doge it. Ben sat at the counter, not doing anything and Chandler was laughing as he watched his sister.
“Oh Brook, thank god you’re here,” GJoey moved away from her daughter. “I don’t know what’s with her tonight. She’s definitely into her terrible two’s.”
“Okay,” Brook smiled again. It was something that she found she did a lot when she was with the Joey’s or Chandler.
“I think the best thing to do, is feed her again later when she’s more hungry,” GJoey looked over at her daughter, who was smiling triumphantly. “I just have a couple of things I wanted to tell you before I leave. She needs to be in bed by eight, even though she’ll protest. She can watch cartoons if she wants or play a game with you. If you would read her a couple of books, that usually helps put her to sleep. Oh, she needs a bed time snack. You know where all the junk food is.”
Brook nodded, taking everything in, although her glance kept straying to Ben. The three adults noticed this, but didn’t say anything. The two teens could work everything out on their own.
“Oh, and Brook?” Chandler finally spoke up. “Thanks for doing this and help yourself to any food or whatever. We’ll be back when we get back.”
“Okay, bye,” Brook waved as they all left.
“Bye Joelana, Brook, Ben,” The three adults said as they left. Ben didn’t even acknowledge them.
“Okay Joelana, how ‘bout we get you cleaned up?” Brook suggested as she moved Joelana’s chair back so she could get off of it.
“Okay!” Joelana shouted and raced out of the room. Brook quickly ran after her and followed her over to a bag that she assumed the Joey’s had brought. Inside were pj’s, and some clothes. Brook picked out sweatpants and a t-shirt and then followed Joelana into the bathroom. She helped Joelana was her face and hands and then change clothes. When they were done, they went back to the kitchen to see how Ben was doing.
“Ben!” Joelana ran into the kitchen and over to him. She pulled herself onto his lap, and Ben gave her a small smile.
“Hey Joelana, what’s up?” Ben asked his sort of cousin.
“Cartoons!”
“Okay,” Ben laughed. Brook smiled at the two, it looked like Joelana was going to help him out of his depression.
Ben stood up, carrying Joelana with him and the two, with Brook following, went over to the tv room where Ben turned on Bugs Bunny.
They watched cartoons for an hour before Joelana insisted she was hungry. Ben had lightened up, and was even talking to Brook. The three went back into the kitchen where Brook and Ben made macaroni and cheese while Joelana watched and drew. When it was done, the three sat down and ate together, Joelana behaving.
After dinner the three watched more cartoons and played candy land with Joelana. At ten to eight, Brook changed Joelana into her pj’s and the three grabbed fruit roll-up’s from the ‘junk cupboard’ and headed up to the room Joelana stayed in on her visits. Ben grabbed the two books that were in Joelana’s bag, and with Joelana in the middle, the two teens read the stories to her, and then turned off her light.

After Joelana was asleep, Ben and Brook walked down the stairs to the basement. They stood quietly in front of Chandler’s video collection, and looked at the titles. It was Ben who finally spoke up.
“I’m sorry,” Ben said quietly.
“About what?” Brook replied confused.
“Breaking up with you, I didn’t mean to,” Ben sighed and turned away, unable to face her.
“I know you didn’t,” Brook replied to, turning him around so he was looking at her. “I’m sorry I got upset at you, I know you’ve been having a really hard time. I just don’t understand why it’s effecting you this much! Is there something else that happened too?”
“Um,” Ben didn’t want to admit it, but he knew he wouldn’t be able to hide it from Brook. “My mom, my real mom came and saw me a couple of weeks ago.”
“Oh,” Brook didn’t know what else to say. All she knew was that his real mom had been a lesbian and then when she got divorced from her partner, had become an alcoholic.
“She’s still an alcoholic, and she came by our house, wanting money. My parents weren’t home so I had answered the door. I managed to get her to leave, but I never told my parents.”
“Why not?”
“Because I know they’d be mad,” Ben sighed and turned back to the rows of video’s.
“Of course they’d be mad,” Brook agreed. “But not at you. They’d be mad at your real mom for coming. I doubt they’d have wanted you to see her. They would have tried to protect you. You need to tell them Ben.”
“I know, but then they left,” Ben pulled a video off the shelf and stuck it into the player. He moved over to the couch and sat down. Brook went and sat beside him. “I had argued to stay at home alone for a couple weeks, and I was allowed. It was my idea to come stay with Chandler. I must admit, they were shocked when I asked them, but they asked Chandler and he said yes. Besides, I think it makes them a bit relieved to know I’m staying with somebody, and that Chandler’s not alone anymore.”
“Ben, I want you to tell them that she came by,” Brook looked him straight in the eye. Ben finally relented and nodded. “Has this ever happened before?”
“Um,” Once again Ben debated between hidding the truth. “Yeah, but it’s been more recent that it’s happened a lot.”
“Do you want to see your mom?” Brook asked.
“No, I think of Rachel, my step-mom as my real mom. I love her so much and she’s so nice to me. She treat’s me as her own son. I hate my mom, she’s a drunk and proud of it.”
“Then tell your parents, they could get a restriction order or something so that she can’t see you,” Brook told him.
“I suppose,” Ben leaned back against the couch. “Let’s drop the topic now, please? Anyway, the movie’s about to start.”
“What one is it?” Brook acknowledged his plea.
“Love Never Dies,” Ben grinned at her sheepishly. She threw a pillow at him in response. It had been the movie they’d gone to see on their first date together. It hadn’t been a hard choice to make. Brook loved romantic comedies and Ben wanted to see the newest movie his uncle had directed.
“Didn’t you hate Anderson in this one?” Brook questioned. It was the same topic that came up every time they watched it.
“Yeah, I can’t believe Uncle Chandler used him,” Ben replied. “But he told me that he didn’t have a choice, he had to. If he had a choice he would have used somebody else.”
Brook smiled back at him, and the two leaned back to watch.

It was nearing the end of the movie when Ben paused it and turned to look at Brook.
“What?” Brook asked self-consciously.
“I just wanted to ask,” Ben paused. “Would you like to go out sometime?”
“I thought you’d never ask,” Brook laughed back. “Of course, I’d love to.”
Ben hit the pause button to start the movie again, and Brook moved over so she was leaning against him. This was how the three adults found them when they arrived home later, except that now they were in the middle of their third movie.
“Ben, Brook,” Chandler called out as he came down the stairs.
“We’re in here,” Ben shouted back.
“Hi guys,” Chandler walked into the movie. “What are you watching?”
Ben and Brook looked at each other before answering.
“Queen of Hearts,” Brook finally answered. “I love this movie.”
“Thanks,” Chandler replied, trying not to show the emotions that were rising in him as he saw Alex on the screen. “Why don’t you finish the movie and Brook, you might as well stay here tonight.”
“Thanks,” Brook told Chandler.
“I’ll see you two in the morning,” Chandler turned away quickly, but not before the two could see tears forming in his eyes. They glanced back at the tv and realized that it was the scene where Chandler and Monica had to make out.

Alicia couldn’t sleep. She was worried about Chandler. Yes, it was true. The man she despised so much was actually receiving some gratification from her. She couldn’t help it. The poor guy! Had his family one minute and they were gone the next.
He brought it upon himself, she reminded herself. He was asking for it, and ended up on the receiving end of a big mess.
She sighed and reminded herself of her great fortune…her wonderful family, her wonderful husband, her wonderful son. She needn’t be worried.
But the fact was that she was worried…very worried. Not only about Chandler, she decided, but also about Monica, Alex, and Dereck. Monica was strong, she knew, but was she strong enough to stand up against a dangerous man or woman kidnapper? She may waver, especially if her children were threatened.
Suddenly Alicia sat straight up in bed. Andrew stirred beside her but did not wake.
Where was the one place authorities or anyone for that matter had not looked for clues to Monica’s whereabouts? The internet!
Alicia slipped on her bathrobe and her slippers and padded triumphantly out of her bedroom. She should not use their computer, as that would wake Andrew. She would use Darren’s computer, in the rec-room.
She turned on no lights but instead walked straight through the dark room, amazingly enough, not tripping over any video games or toy cars. She sighed. “How many times have I told Darren to turn off his computer when he’s done using it?” she muttered as the screen flickered on.
She pressed the Internet Explorer icon, remembering how Darren had mentioned once that Netscape sucks and Internet Explorer should be used. He had also said he had just downloaded the new version of IExplore, Version 64.0.
The connection was automatic, so Alicia didn’t have to wait. But when she reached Darren’s homepage of www.yahoo.com, she had no clue what to do next.
“I guess the first thing to do,” she mumbled, “is to type something in this box here.”
She clicked a text box next to a button that said, “Search.” This all was so foreign to her. Her brain was muddled.
“What should I search?” she wondered aloud. She tapped the keys nervously with her fingertips, lightly enough so no characters showed up on the screen. She typed in Monica Geller, and a message appeared, stating, “No matches found for ‘Monica Geller.’”
“Dang it.” Then she noticed a little icon nearby the message. It was titled ‘People search.’ She clicked it, hoping this time she would be more successful.
“8, 450 matches found for ‘Geller, Monica.’”
Alicia was getting fed up. Maybe this search was in vain-she would never find the right Monica Geller in this muddle of names and addresses. It would take her forever to wade through it all, and even that might not work in the end!
As she twirled the mouse nervously around the screen, a bar popped up at the bottom of the screen. On the bar were two smaller bars: one that read, “Yahoo! Search Results-People Finder” and one that read “Inbox-Outlook Express.” Alicia shrugged in curiosity and clicked on the Inbox-Outlook Express bar.
A new-what was it called?-window, that was it-popped up.
“Welcome to Outlook Express for Darren Schiller,” read the title at the top of the window. Below was a box filled with many emails, Alicia knew, as she had seen Andrew use this program many times. Still, as completely computer illiterate as she was, she was a little new to this.
She scrolled through the messages, not expecting to find anything that Darren would object to her seeing.
Oh, boy, did she find something that Darren would object to her seeing.
This email was from Alex Bing!
“How can that be?” she wondered. “Unless, of course, he received this email before Alex went away.”
But that was impossible. The date beside the sender was “November 25, 2011.” This email was only four days old!
She clicked it, her curiosity now peaked. She wondered just how this could be possible.
“Dear Darren:”
it began.
“How have you been? It’s me, Alex, of course. I don’t think anyone else knows your email address, do they? People would mob you if anyone besides me knew. Well, I did tell Laura. So she likes you as an actor…but I made her swear not to write you and swear not to tell a soul.
“Happy Thanksgiving. We’re having a festive time here. Rob’s sister and brother-and-law are here to visit for the holidays and she’s making a big turkey dinner for us. By “she” I mean Josie, Rob’s sister, not Mom. Here, she must abandon her cooking abilities and pretend to suck. The whole world knows that Monica Geller was once a caterer. Josie and her husband, Sam, are posing as Mom’s sister-in-law and brother instead of the other way around. Josie Gellar is that really famous person, that person who wrote that article on “Never Been Kissed.” I made her tell me the story today. It’s really interesting and I’ll tell you about it sometime. Or ask your mom, although that may be suspicious. Mom told me that Alicia and she talked about it once.
“Remember that Thanksgiving-was it last year or the year before?-when you and me had to cook the dinner? That was a disaster! And we thought the turkey was burning! Oh, man, were we in for a surprise!”
Were they in for a surprise? Alicia thought, still recovering from the shock of finding this email. I bet they weren’t as surprised as I am now! So Monica wasn’t kidnapped at all…they ran away…and it was with that Rob guy.
Breathing in deeply, she countinued.
“Oh, yeah, now I remember. That was the Thanksgiving Lionel told me about. -Mom wouldn’t be happy with him if she knew that he told me, but hey! I’m in the movie business I know about that stuff. So sue me!- You know, the one where your parents had the gigantic party the night before…and then came Dereck. You know the rest! Ah, that fateful day. Yes, that must have been the day because the reason we had to cook was because everyone else was-lol-too drunk to do it!
“I have a weird life, you know that, Darren. I won’t go into details cos you know all the details! But really, I have a weird life, you know.
“How come you haven’t been on ICQ lately, I miss talking to you. It’s the same with my dad. He hasn’t been on lately either. I’ve only been talking to Laura, that’s it.
“Well, I have to go now. It’s really late, actually only 10:30 but Mom said I have to go to bed early even though it’s vacation because tomorrow we go on a picnic with our neighbours. Did I ever tell you about them? One person was our realtor from when we moved here, and her husband, who is Rob’s best friend and also his boss here. Then there’s the realtor’s sister, her husband, and then their friends. The friends have a kid my age, I think I told you about her, Jamie. They’re coming and so is Laura’s family. Also Sam and Josie and their daughter. It will be such fun! I can’t wait.
“Picnic, you say? When there’s snow on the ground? I just realized how weird that must sound. Well, Darren, I guess I never told you, but we’re in California. It’s always fairly nice weather here, so we can picnic any time we like! I really miss skating, though, and tobogganing and Central Park when it snows. I really, really miss it.
“Love your best friend always,
“Alex Bing.”
You won’t be missing it for long, Sweetie, Alicia thought, rubbing her hands together. Not after I tell Chandler where you are.
She exited Outlook Express and returned to the Yahoo! People Search.
She decided to narrow down the search. For country, she chose USA and chose CA for state. She had no clue what city, but this should narrow it down.
“Sorry, no matches for Geller, Monica’ in CA, USA.”
Alicia sighed. She seemed to have forgotten that Monica would be under a pseudonym.
It took all night to search through all the emails, but Alicia finally found it, “Kelly Bellar, Ken Bellar, Robyn Bellar, Peter Bellar, and Lawrence Bellar.”
“Who is this Lawrence kid?” Alicia muttered, praying to the heavens that Monica and Rob had not had a child together.

“Chandler, I need to talk to you! Meet me at Central Perk at noon today or else you’ll regret it for the rest of your life!” Alicia’s harried voice came over Chandler’s answering machine.
He had been quite surprised to find a message when he awoke that morning, but nevertheless, it was there. When had Alicia called? It must have been quite late, or else he would have heard the ring. He had been wide awake until four a.m.
It must be important, Chandler decided, especially because Alicia had been so cold and distant toward him lately. I’ll go, he said to himself. I’ve got nothing better to do.

“Alex!”
Darren typed urgently.
He had dismayed to not find her on ICQ when he logged on that morning before heading off to school. Instead he opened Outlook Express and started composing an email.
“Last night my mom found out where you are…I don’t know why or how but I think it has something to do with us corresponding by emails. I’m really sorry! I don’t know how she found out! But she’s meeting your dad at Central Perk today with all the details and I’m positive he’ll be coming by tonight! Tell your mom, I guess, I don’t know what you should do….ahhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!
“Darren.”
Darren hit send quickly and rushed out the door, hearing the warning from Alicia that he would be late for school otherwise.
The email never reached Alex. Had Darren not been so anxious to send it, perhaps he would have typed the email address correctly.

Phoebe, Philip, Ross and Rachel were all at Central Perk when Chandler arrived. All of them were delighted to see him—lately he had not left home often, wallowing in depression.
He was received with a chorus of, “Heys” and “Chandlers” and “How ya doin’s.”
“Hey, Ross. Hey, Rach. Hey, Pheebes. Hey, Philip. I’m doin’ as bad as ever, how are you guys?”
“Awww, sweetie,” Rachel consoled him, rubbing his back.
“We’re so glad to see you back, Chandler!” Ross exclaimed, clapping his friend on the back. “Even though we all know you’re responsible for the disappearance of my sister…”
Chandler shot him a dirty look. “Now, Ross, you know that I-“
“Yeah, I’m only teasing,” Ross explained. “Sorry, man.”
“It’s ok.”
“So what’s the occasion for your travels?” asked Phoebe with raised eyebrows.
“I knew that would come up,” Chandler replied. “Actually, Alicia told me to meet her here for twelve o’clock. I guess I’m a little early. But what else do I have to do but sit around and wait for Monica?”
“That’s not the right attitude!” Rachel chided. “You need to be out there…doing something!”
“See? See? See?” Chandler cried. “You don’t know what to do either! Why is it all my responsibility, huh?”
“Sorry,” Rachel said quietly.
After Chandler had ordered a coffee, Alicia bounced in.
“Chandler, darling!” she cried happily. “I do believe I’ve found you!”
“Really…” Chandler replied dryly, rolling his eyes at her. He hadn’t felt kindly toward her since she had been acting coldly to him. “I could have sworn what you found was my family…”
“That’s it!” Alicia cried. “And I thought I would have to play 20 Questions with you!”
“What?” Chandler jumped up, spilling his hot coffee. “Ow-ow-ow-ow!”
Everyone leaned forward. “You mean it? How do you know where they are?” Ross was especially interested, of course.
“Where where where where?”
“I see we will have to play 20 Questions,” Alicia said impatiently. “Only you’re asking the questions, and I have all the answers.”
“All right then, I have my 20 questions ready,” Chandler said, spouting them out incessantly. “Who tipped you off, what did you learn, when did you find out, where were you when you learned this, why did you find out and not me, and how? How? How? How? How?”

Driving to the airport, Chandler kept hitting himself on the head. Of course they’d have changed names. Robyn Bellar. Kelly Bellar. Peter Bellar. His family.
Reaching the airport Chandler parked his car and grabbed his luggage, which consisted of a small carry on bag he always kept ready for emergencies like this. Entering the airport, her hurried over to the American Airlines booth. People, recognizing him, stepped out of his way and he made it quickly to the desk.
“Mr. Bing, we’ve got your ticket right here,” The attendant produced his ticket with a flourish from under the counter. “They’re holding the plane at gate B12. It’ll take you to Sacramento California. There’s a car waiting for you at the airport. You’ll have to drive from there.”
“Thanks,” Chandler smiled at the man. It was the first time in months that he’d let a smile cross his face. He took the ticket and hurried in the direction the attendant had pointed.
 
Once on the plane, Chandler tuned out as the stewardess gave the safety presentation. He watched without seeing as the stewardess pointed to the many exits and reassured panicked passengers that it is safe.
After they were in the air, another stewardess came by to give out drinks and answer questions. Chandler smiled at the irony that the movie for the 5 and a half hour flight was Queen Of Hearts.
Accepting a glass of coca cola, Chandler leaned back in his seat.
When the movie started, an hour later, Chandler found himself watching Alex, sadness in his eyes. He ignored the meal, having always thought that air plane food SUCKS.

Chandler was watching the movie peacefully, enjoying the looks people shot him once in a while, looks of admiration and looks that said, “There’s the guy that directed this awesome, movie!”
He tried to ignore the looks that said, “There’s the guy that dumped his wife and two kids for a blond bimbo named Kirsten!” and “There’s the guy that didn’t take well enough care of his family to protect them from a kidnapper.”
So, Chandler was watching the movie peacefully, when it came to the portion where Nick, or Joey as Chandler better knew him as, stormed into Natasha’s boss’ office to see if the rumours were true. Chandler had played Mr. Gibbons, the boss, himself, Monica acting as his wife, Mrs. Gibbons. Nick found them making out on Mr. Gibbons’ desk, and of course, assumed, that the rumours were true. [Note: See “Plot of QofH the Movie” to understand this better.]
Chandler shrank back in his seat. Now all the looks had turned to “There’s the guy that’s making out with that girl on the screen!” The only consolation for Chandler was that soon he would be seeing Mrs. Gibbons. As the movie finished, Chandler sighed and relaxed in his seat, sleeping away the last 1 and 45 minutes of the flight.

Groaning, Chandler opened his eyes to see a stewardess looking at him.
“We’re here Mr. Bing,” the stewardess told him. Instantly awake, Chandler sat up and grabbed his bag from under his seat.
He hurried off the plane and over to the car rental desk, ignoring the stares he was getting from other people.
“Mr. Bing,” the man at the rental desk greeted him. “We’ve got your car all ready for you. Here’s your key. We just need you to sign these papers, and then you can be on your way.
“Thanks,” Chandler quickly signed the papers that were given to him and took his key.
“Your car is parked on level B, number 32,” The rental guy told him as he hurried away. Chandler nodded his thanks, and left.

It was nine p.m. when Chandler arrived at the airport…really midnight his time. He was exhausted after his long trip and the effect of jetlag.
He picked up his rental car-quite satisfactory, a Lexus-and checked himself into a nearby hotel. The hotel was satisfactory as well, but only reminded him of when Alex, Rachel and Phoebe had set him up on the weekend with Monica at the hotel.
Though exhausted, Chandler slept lightly that night.
He checked out at seven a.m. and started on his way to the address scribbled on a scrap of Monica’s letter…the one she’d written first after she’d run away pregnant with Alex.

He arrived at Alex’s school just after lunch. He raced into the office.
“Excuse me!”
“What is it?” asked the secretary. “What can I help you with, Sir?”
“Um, may I please see…” Chandler glanced at the letter, “Robyn Bellar?”
The secretary nodded and picked up the phone. She dialed three numbers. “Mr. Macford? May I see Robyn Bellar in the office, please?”

“She’s writing a test!” Mr. Macford spoke harshly into the telephone.
Alex glanced up from the essay protion of her exam and wondered who was being asked for. Fifty-fifty it’s me, thought Alex with a giggle. Because it has to be a she.

“I’m sorry, Mr…. oh, I didn’t catch your name,” the secretary said to Chandler.
“Um…” This woman obviously didn’t recognise him! “My name is…Mr. Perry.”
“All right. I’m sorry, Mr. Perry, Robyn is in the middle of an exam. Is it all very important or should I just give Robyn a message at next break?”
“Um, don’t tell her I’ve been here,” ‘Mr. Perry’ replied. “I want it to be a surprise.”

“Chandler,” Monica whispered, her mouth suddenly dry with shock at seeing the extraordinary. She stared at the shadow…the shadow that could not be. And yet-it was. She saw him with her own two eyes. “Time for trifocals,” she muttered.

“Monica,” Chandler whispered, just stepping out from the school. He could not believe it was her…after the long months, he was finally seeing his beautiful love once again. There she was…standing across the street, and in her arms was his baby boy. A deep red flush crept into Chandler’s cheeks. He couldn’t believe after all this time he was seeing them again. All at once he was overcome with an undefinable love for his family, for life, and he thanked the heavens for helping him find this love again.
He couldn’t help but just staring at them for a moment. He looked at Monica standing in front of the flower shop, gazing in at the roses and tulips. Dereck sat with his head up, completely alert and aware of everything around him. A bird flittered by and he cooed. Chandler thought he hadn’t seen anything so special, so lovely, so beautiful, ever in his life. This was life.
And then he realized that he had tears running down his face. It wasn’t the first time, but it was a wonderful feeling because these were tears of happiness and joy. The tears had been building themselves up as bitterness and hurt, but they were flowing as just the opposite.
But something else was built up inside too…Monica’s name.
“Monica!” he screamed from across the street. “Monica!”
Her face snapped his way.

So it was Chandler!
“Oh my Lord.”
Had she not thought of Dereck at the last second, she would have fainted dead away. Instead, she grasped at the windowsill of the flower shop and willed away her headache.
She glanced up. Chandler was running across the street, straight for her.
“I’m dillusional, I’m dillusional, I’m dillusional, I’m dillusional, I’m dillusional, I’m dillusional,” she repeated incessantly, over and over again.
But she wasn’t.
And it was only a few seconds more before she felt Chandler’s arms around her and tears were dripping down her face.

“So, er, what are you doing here?”
After a few moments of embrace, Monica spoke up nervously.
“I could ask you the same thing,” Chandler reminded her.
“You’re Chandler Bing,” Monica continued hurriedly. “People will notice you here.”
“If they didn’t notice you,” Chandler replied, “they won’t notice me. Besides, I’ve just come out from this school asking for Robyn Bellar and no one recognised me there!”
“The secretary is an old fogie,” Monica shot back. “A nice old fogie, mind you, but an old fogie all the same.”
“Ah, it’s just like old times!” Chandler reminisced. “Arguing over the silliest things…why I remember when…”

“Shhh…” Monica hissed, holding a finger to her lips. The shock was lifting itself from her shoulders and floating away. This now seemed more real to her than she wished. But what was he doing here? He hadn’t answered her question when she asked.
“Come,” she continued. “We’ll take a walk in the park.”
“Aren’t you worried someone will see us there?” Chandler teased, taking Dereck from Monica’s arms and kissing the top of his head.
Dereck shrieked with happiness as Chandler lifted him high in the air.
“Not really,” Monica replied, leading the way. “Everyone is at a baby shower…Nancy is having a baby!”
“Does that explain why the streets are abandoned?”
“Yes,” Monica laughed. “When something exciting like that happens in this town, everyone’s there. I’m not because I felt a little sick to my stomach…”
“I think that if I was expected at something like that for anyone-except you-I would conveniently feel a little sick to my stomach as well.”
Suddenly Monica’s eyes narrowed. She realized that this was the man she hated so much. She had forgotten momentarily. That crack reminded her of something. “Do you like pie?” she asked.

They didn’t go back for pie. Chandler convinced Monica to take the walk in the park first. She readily agreed, as long as he agreed to eat the pie she give him.
He promised, on his honour.
Monica grinned.
Even Dereck smiled.
“Aw, he’s smiling at me!” Chandler said contentedly.
They began walking through the park, trees casting their leafy shadows on to the cobblestone pathway. Birds twittered and it would have been the perfect day, were it not for this whole, darn thing.
“So, elly Bellar, care to explain yourself?” Chandler asked bitterly, handing Dereck back to his former girlfriend. The should-be happiness of the atmosphere around him reminded him why he was there.
“Care to explain?!” Monica exclaimed in repetitiveness. “What do you mean by that, Mr. I’ll-Just-Come-And-Interrupt-Your-Lives-Today!”
“I mean—why are you here? Why did you run away? Why did you leave me?” Chandler demanded, tears coming to his eyes once more, remembering the sharp pain in his heart when he first found the note Monica had written to him announcing their departure.
“Why did you disown Dereck? Why did you pick up that V.B.B.?” Monica shot back, anger building up inside of her.
“What a V.B.B.?”
“You should know!” Monica shouted, spooking Dereck when she stamped her foot on the ground. He began to cry. Monica rocked him and rubbed his back until he calmed down a bit before continuing in a low but bitter voice. “Don’t you remember that trashy blond bank-breaker that you picked up and threw in our faces? That is the V.B.B.-The Very Blond Bimbo. Oh my God. Chandler! Do you know how you destroyed Alex’s trust in you, her love for life, her vibrance, her joy, her her her her her love for life, her her her vibrance…”
“You already said that.”
Monica shot him a look.
Chandler stood there and took it. He knew he deserved it.
“After you did that I wondered why I ever allowed her to audition for your silly, stupid, pathetic movie! I thought it would lead to something nice for all of us: you, me, and Alex! That ‘something’ that we had while Queen of Hearts was being filmed, you remember don’t you? That was so special…and it was all ours! Chandler, we didn’t need marriage, we didn’t need fancy…stuff, we didn’t need your money, we didn’t need your fame-“
“Well, technically we did otherwise Alex would never have met me…” Chandler cut in.
Monica gave him a dirty look and continued on her passionate rage. “One night!” she yelled. After she did, she glanced down at Dereck to make sure he was all right with her yelling. He was asleep. That was good enough for her, and she continued to yell. “One night was all it took, when I told you about Dereck! After that night I could have spit in your face the next time I saw you, I swear! I hated you for what you did!”
“You know, it actually took two nights when you get right down to the nitty gritty. Not only when you told me about Dereck but…well you know.”
“Dereck was ours, whether you wanted him or not! It wasn’t something we could have decided on, Chandler. It wasn’t something I decided on either-it was just something that happened. Considering how drunkw e were that night, we evidently had no control over anything at all! And when I told you of our mistake, Chandler, you threw the blame completely on me. I don’t understand you, Chandler! I have turned the whole stupid plot over and around in my head an infinite number of times, and can still find no trace of exlpanation as tow hy you would do that! Not a shred, Chandler, not a tiny little bit! I hated, despised, detested, loathed you!--absolutely abhorred you. I still hole you in contempt for what you did to my chiuldren by cutting them out of your life…and for cutting me out of your life. It’s so completely revolting just to think about it! It’s just unbelievable…it’s just, um…”
“Calm down and we’ll find a thesaurus for you,” Chandler said sarcastically soothingly.
“Don’t try to be funny,” Monica snapped. “This is serious.” She turned to look into his eyes, and she did so with contempt. “Look at your son, Chandler.”
Chandler’s eyes wavered.
“I said ‘look at him!’ He has the gift of innocence. Don’t you see it? Probably not, considering you couldn’t make it to the birth of either of your children. I admit it was my fault with Alex, but Dereck?” Monica ended her rampage with gasps for air.
“Are you quite finished?” Chandler asked tiredly.
Just Chandler saying that made Monica want to continue. So she did. “Innocence,” she repeated, ignoring Chandler’s comment. “He has innocence. And it’s too bad you don’t. He must get innocence from my side of the family. Oops! Silly me, how could I forget? We’re not a family! And you are not part of our family! So of course he would get the innocence from me!”
“Oh yeah?” Chandler couldn’t think of anything to argue with…all she said was true. “So…You mentioned pie?”

“Bye Laura!” Alex shouted as she turned the corner and Laura kept on going straight.
“Bye,” Laura looked around to make sure no one was listening. “Al!”
Alex ran down the street happily. She had gotten a B+ on her math test and was in a great mood. She ran into her house and shouted for her mom. She was disappointed to find no one home. Not her mom or Rob! She sighed and hurried up the stairs. She was determined to boost her mark in math now that she realized she wasn’t as bad at it as she thought. Besides, she thought to herself, only a couple of days until winter holiday!
Entering her room, she threw her bag on the floor and turned on the radio. She was about the change the station when her dad’s name caught her attention.
“Chandler Bing was spotted today in town, and according to the info I’ve received, it appears he’s been spending his time with Kelly Bellar and little Peter. The three were last seen leaving the town park and heading in the direction that could only mean, they were going back to the Bellar’s house!”
“WHAT!?!?!?!” Alex screeched as she heard the announcement! Her dad was here? He’d found them? “YESSS!!!” Alex screamed as she realized that maybe she was finally going to be going home.
“What?” Rob asked as he ran into her room as he’d just arrived home with Lawrence. “Is everything okay?”
“My dad’s here, my real one,” Alex told him excitedly. “I was listening to the radio and they said that Chandler Bing’s here and he spent the day with my mom and brother!”
“That’s what the commotion had to have been about,” Rob said as he finally realized why all the teachers had been acting weird. “I guess you dad came to see you first and they wouldn’t let him and they phone your mom. Oh, and you know what? The secretaries didn’t recognize him!”
“They didn’t?” Alex asked in surprise. “I thought everyone knew who he was.”
“Well, I guess some people don’t,” Rob was about to continue when they heard the door open downstairs and people enter talking. “Looks like they’re back.”
Alex wasn’t even listening as she ran out of the room and down the stairs. Right by the front door, which is very near where the stairs end, Chandler and Monica stood talking, Monica holding Dereck.
“DAD!” Alex shouted as she nearly flew down the stairs and into her dad’s arms. He picked her up in a hug and swung her around. “Dad, I missed you.”
“I missed you too Princess,” Chandler replied back as he held her tight. “I can’t believe you guys left almost a year ago! I’ve missed you three so much.”
“I missed you a lot too, how did you find us?” Alex asked, wondering if Darren gave her away.
“Alicia found the emails you sent Darren, seems like you two have been corresponding for a long time,” Chandler told her. “I’d be mad at you, for making him keep it a secret, but if you guys hadn’t talked, I’d never have found you.”
The four turned and looked up the stairs as they heard a set of footprints.
“Sorry,” Rob apologized for interrupting. “I was just going to see what Lawrence was doing.”
“You...” Chandler could hardly get out the word as he turned to look at Monica, a hurt look on his face.
“Daddy, it’s not what you think,” Alex said immediately. “Rob came with us because he wanted to get away from his job and he brought his son, Lawrence. Mom and him pretended they were married, cos you wouldn’t be looking for a married couple with three kids, and a dog, and three fish,” Alex watched Chandler’s face carefully at the mention of the fish. She’d convinced her mom into getting her three after her conversation with her dad where she said she had three. Chandler didn’t react at the mention of the fish, though, and Alex sighed frustrated.
“Is that true?” Chandler asked Mon, Rob had already slipped away.
“Yeah,” Monica said quietly, refusing to look at him.
“I, I don’t know what to say,” Chandler shook his head slowly. “I still can’t believe everything I’ve done and I definitely think that I’ve already had the worst punishment possible,” Chandler said sadly. “I lost you guys and I didn’t mean to. The three of you, you mean the world to me!”
“So you’re acknowledging Dereck as yours now?” Monica asked bitterly.
“Of course Mon,” Chandler gave her a puppy dog look, but for once it didn’t work.
“Why couldn’t you trust me Chandler, why?”
“I, I don’t know,” Chandler shook his head, as if trying to clear his thoughts. “I was starting to think that you didn’t want to be with me anymore so I just assumed...”
“Well, you know what assuming does,” Alex tried to lighten the mood. “It makes an as..”
“We know,” Monica interrupted her. “Alex, why don’t you take Dereck and go put him down for his nap.”
“Why me?” Alex questioned. “You spent the whole day with dad, why can’t I spend some time with him now?”
“Alex,” Chandler told her sternly. She glared at her parents but took Dereck anyways and went upstairs.

After she’d put Dereck in his bed, Alex quickly phoned Laura.
“Guess what!?” Alex told Laura as soon as she came on the phone.
“You’re dad’s in town!”
“How did you know?” Alex asked confused.
“It’s all over the news Al, except they haven’t made the connection yet between you and Alex. LOL,” Laura laughed. “Can I come over? It’s soo boring here.”
“Sure, my mom and dad are talking and they made me leave.”
“Maybe it’s a good thing,” Laura said hopefully. “Maybe they’ll be able to finally sort everything out and get back together.”
“Well, maybe the sorting stuff out, but I don’t think they’ll get back together, not for a while anyway. But you know what? This probably means I’m leaving!”
“But you can’t!” Laura cried out. “I’m going to come over right now. My mom needs the phone.”
“Okay,” Alex replied and hung up. She paced around the room for a couple of minutes, then when she knew Laura would be arriving ran down the stairs to the door. She met Laura outside of her house as she pulled up on her bike.
“Let’s stay out here, please?” Alex begged. “It’s too tense in my house.”
“Sure,” Laura nodded. “Let’s go to your back yard.”
The two walked around the house and were surprised to see Monica and Chandler sitting on the deck, talking.
“Oh, sorry,” Alex said quickly. “I thought you guys were inside.”
“That’s okay Al,” Chandler smiled at her. He was thankful that she’d interrupted them, as things had been getting tense. “Who’s your friend?”
“This is Laura,” Alex introduced her friend. “Laura, this is my dad.”
“Hi Mr. Bing,” Laura said shyly.
“Oh, mom?” Alex turned to her mom. “Yeah, Laura already knows...”
“I figured that awhile ago, but didn’t say anything because I thought it was good that you had someone to remind you who you really are,” Monica smiled at her daughter.
“Why don’t you two go get some candy or something,” Chandler suggested pulling a five dollar bill from his pocket. He handed it to Alex. “I’m sure when you two come back Mon and I will be finished talking.”
“Okay,” Alex said quickly and she ran off with Laura.

After Alex and her friend had run gleefully away down the street, Monica turned to Chandler. “So…you wanted pie.”
“Yes,” Chandler replied, suddenly reminiscent of the past. “I’ve missed your pies…Lionel can bake a bit but he doesn’t even compare to you.”
“I know.”
Monica fetched the pie from the kitchen, a sly grin crossing her face. Not one piece had been cut yet.
“And I bet you’re hungry from your journey, too,” Monica continued, handing the pie pan and a fork to Chandler. “I made it for my neighbour, Dawn Morgan, down the street. But since you’re so excited for it, you may have it and I’ll make another for Dawn tomorrow.”
“Okay!” Chandler dug the fork into the pie. “Mmm…peace is my absolute favorite! It’s almost as if you knew I was coming and baked it for me!”
“If you want to think of it that way.” Monica held up a hand. “Now befor eyou begin, remember your promise to eat whatever I give you—the whole pie.”
“I remember,” Chandler said, mildly surprised at the reminder. “I’ll try, and I don’t imagine that it should be much of a problem>”
“Then go ahead, and enjoy!” Monica cried, strangely delighted at the eent.
Chandler shrugged and lifted the fork to his mouth. “Hmm…”

Monica sat back and watched as Chandler’s smiling face turned white and he grimaced.
“Monica. There’s something wrong with this pie!” He choked back the sticky peachy goo in his mouth.
“Oh, dear,” Monica said innocently. “I wonder…perhaps I missed an ingredient!”
“Yeah, like sugar!” Chandler cried. “I can’t believe this was for a neighbour! What’d she ever do to you???”
“She called me an 87xLog( star,” Monica said, her eyes narrowing. “But it’s much more satisfying to watch you eat it.” [Note: 87xLog( means Porn -->Right, Dawn? You know who you are! Stop calling me (moNI) that!!!!]
“Why’d she call you that?” Chandler asked, trying to change the subject.
It worked.
Monica’s eyes narrowed again. “Because rumour had it that I was having an affair with this guy, and she thought I was a slut. Anyway, Chandler, I’m sorry, but there are no refunds in the Bellar household.”
“What’d you do?” yelled Rob from his study. “Did you pull the same trick on him as on your parents a few months ago?”
“Yup!” Monica yelled back.
“Your parents, as in Jack and Judy Geller?” Chandler questioned, staring in distaste at the sugarless pie. “I didn’t call you a Porn star,” he muttered.
“Yeah, long story. Speaking of stories, I’d like to have yours, Chandler. I swear I went hoarse during our walk through the park. It’s your turn now.”
Chandler scooped up a forkful of pie and nibbled at a slice of peach on the end of the fork. “Well first,” he began, “I have to say I’m sorry. I’m sorrier than a man on death row.”
“Just remember that you are on death row with me,” Monica said, grinning to herself.
“How could I forget?” Chandler asked, glaring at the pie. “I’m sorry, Mon, I really am. You should know from Alex and Dereck that everyone makes mistakes. I just made a few more than you.”
Monica nodded in agreement. “Definitely.”
“But I have noticed a pattern in your behaviour.”
“In what way?”
“You run away from your mistakes. You found out about Alex and ran away…Then you ran away again…”
“But you ran away, too,” Monica objected. “You ran away from the responsibility of Dereck.”
“I thought you said it’s my storytime.”
“Sorry, you’re right.”
Chandler took a deep breath and continued.
“I didn’t mean to do all that stuff, Mon. I was so hurt when I jumped to the conclusion that you had been cheating on me…and then I was even more upset because I then realized that even if you had ‘cheated on me,’ like I assumed, you weren’t actually cheating on me, because we were supposedly just friends. And when I met Kirsten, I decided that I would take the opportunity because I would never have a chance with you. You say you hate me, but I love you…more than words can say, and more than I can show. You’ll just have to trust me. Listen, I know I’ve been a first-class jerk…for the last couple years, but I’m sorry for it. Genuinely sorry for it. I know it sounds stupid, but I did everything I did because I love you. I rejected Dereck because I loved yuou and thought you loved someone else. I started dating Kirsten because I thought that would shoe you how I felt. I thought you would come back tome then. I heard about this Rob guy and assumed the worst, which only drove me closer to Kirsten and farther away from you. I took Dereck for a DNA test because…I thought I could prove that you were wrong, and I thought that would give me satisfaction. But even if you had been wrong, it would have not have given me satisfaction. To tell the truth, Monica, when I received the results of the test, I felt a certain joy. You know, the joy of giving life. You must know it.”
Monica rolled her eyes. “Of course I know it; I’ve had two children, haven’t I? You men will never know the true feeling of giving life. You get the fun part, the cushy job. We girls get the painful part, remember? The part you will truly remember for the rest of your life.” Monica couldn’t help shutting her eyes tightly, ironically feeling sick to her stomach.
“But I was in pain,” Chandler argued. “To get that and the realization of what I’d given up was too painful to endure. Especially after…I found your empty apartment…”
“Did you keep the note?” Monica asked sharply.
“I’ve kept it with me always,” Chandler replied solemnly, pulling out a slightly creased piece of paper. He handed it to Monica.
A tear slid down her face as she read carefully over the note. Had she really written this? It had been so long…Yes, she certainly had. She remembered the exact time on the oven as she scribbled it hatefully before she fled to the other side of the country.
“I wrote this,” she murmured, her hate passing over to herself. Had she actually moved her children away from their father, regardless of what an idiotic jerk he was? Had she been that stupid? “Well I am here, so I must have.” Maybe it was all a terrible nightmare and she would wake up soon, safe in her bed…the bed she had had when she and Alex were living at Chandler’s mansion.
“What?”
“Nothing,” Monica sighed. But it was just the opposite. It was everything…everything incorporated in the terrible nightmare. No…just a dream. But she hoped the dream turned out as she hoped.

“So how have you been enjoying life here?” Chandler asked Alex as they sat before the tv, which Alex had just switched off. She had whupped his tush at Smash Teens, and also at Scorched Earth.
“I love it here,” Alex said, leaning back against her fluffy pillow. “I have two great, wonderful friends, Jamie and Laura. They’re both so great to me. And Rob is so great as well. He’s like a big brother to me. (I was an only child for the longest time, Dad, until Dereck, and Rob is just the coolest.) Only he’s not as cool as you.”
“Why not?” Chandler asked teasingly.
“Because he could beat me at Smash Teens,” Alex replied slyly.
“Oh, you, princess!”
Alex giggled. “Yeah, it’s really great here. The weather is awesome—we can bike and rollerblade and climb trees and swim all year round! I love the sunshine. There’s a little candy shop down the street, as you may know, and I’m allowed to go there whenever I want. The drama club is so much fun especially with Nick, and now Laura! All the kids love me…they were so impressed when a sixth grader was able to join the club.”
“Well, none of them has ever been in a movie before,” Chandler reminded her.
“True, true,” Alex agreed. “But there are certain things I don’t like about living here.”
“Like what?” Chandler prodded her.
“Well for one thing, and the most major thing, I think, is the secrecy. I live in an absolute shroud of secrecy. I can’t be myself…I mean I can be myself, but not too much like myself, otherwise I would give myself away. I had to tell Laura…I mean, she figured it out on her own, but it was too obvious for me to deny. But I couldn’t use my real name (which I love, by the way) and I couldn’t be the best actress I can be, and I couldn’t talk about the things I love most: you, Darren, Sam, Jane, Joey and GJoey, Ben…those aren’t exactly things are they?”
Chandler shook his head in agreement.
“You see what I mean?”
“Yes, absolutely,” Chandler replied. “I can’t understand how Monica could have done that to you.”
“With all due respect, Dad,” Alex said blandly, “shut up—I don’t want to get between you two. I love you both, and yet I hate you both. Yes, it’s true. It’s not only Mom’s fault. It’s your fault too. And I’ll never forgive either of you.”
Chandler stared at her…he was completely taken aback.
Alex leaned over, laughing, and gave her father a humongous bear hug. “Don’t take it so seriously, Dad,” she chuckled. “I’ll never forgive you two, but you think that means I don’t love you? You’re quite mistaken.”
“Phew!” Chandler gasped. “For a moment there I thought you had me. So what else don’t you like about living here? I want to have all the details.”
Alex laughed again. She couldn’t help it. “You sound like Bella,” she said. “Or Nancy. Those two are our neighbours—they both live for gossip. ‘Nancy? It’s Bella.’” Alex feigned a conversation between the two friends. “’I have the latest about Chuck and Annie.’ ‘Then give me all the details, darling, I must have them now!’”
Chandler chuckled. “They must be quite a pair.”
“They are. Sometimes they’re fun to listen to,” Alex confessed. “Well I don’t like the low grades I’ve been getting—social studies is my worst subject. But I have the stupidest, awfulest teacher ever.”
“I don’t think awfulest is a word,” Chandler observed.
“It may not be,” admitted Alex. “Which would explain my low mark in english, as well. Anyway, this stupid stupid stupid stupid stupid stupid stupid social studies teacher is the lowest creature on this planet. I swear he sinks lower than a worm’s belly. His name is Mr. Macford.”
“Boy, that’s a lot of stupids. He really must be…stupid.”
“Oh believe me, he is. Once he came up to me after writing an in-class essay and he had misunderstood something I had written, I guess…cos he told me that he hoped I would never become a political leader because of my weird views. I was like, excuse me? He is such a jerk. And if anyone gets a stupid little piddly question wrong, he tells them they must need a catscan. He always swears, laughs at people, and talks about taping people’s mouths shut. Once he kicked a kid in my class when he wasn’t listening. Not that I like that particular guy, but I hate Mr. Macford.”
“He sounds like a real piece of work. He sounds more than all those stupids you gave him. He needs to be fired.”
“Definitely.”
But Chandler knew Alex didn’t realize the serious nature of Mr. Macford’s offenses. Kicking a student was absolutely unnecessary and uncalled for, and besides that, against the law. He could have his teaching lisence revoked.
“Another thing I really don’t like is the fact that there’s gossip going around that Mom was having an affair. Everyone in our ‘family’ was laughing at everyone who thought so, half because she couldn’t possibly have an affair when she’s not even married.”
Chandler snorted.
“The other half,” she continued, “is because Mom would never do such a thing! It was a really weird day that day…I heard her tell this guy she was in love with him—strangest thing I’ve ever witnessed in my whole entire life. It kind of upset me. Then I talked to Mom and she said she wasn’t really in love with him, but was at a kind of mixed up time in her life.”
“Well I guess so!” Chandler exclaimed. “She must still be in shock from moving here, I imagine!”
“I also guessed that she was still kind of trying to get back at you,” Alex said, her eyes straying to the empty television screen.
“Probably also true,” Chandler agreed.
The talk of an affair triggered something in Chandler’s memory. Affair…oh, yes, Monica had mentioned it that day, mentioned how she had been the talk of the town when people thought she was having an affair. But where else had he heard it before today?
“Princess!” he exclaimed.
“What?” Alex asked.
“You’re princess!” he cried. “I-I can’t believe I was talking to you all that time, sweetheart! How could you not have told me! You knew, you knew didn’t you?”
“I knew,” Alex confessed. “But don’t tell Mom.”
“I haven’t told her much in a year,” Chandler replied. “Why would I tell her that?”

Alex hoisted her backpack off her back as she stopped at the locker she shared with Laura. She was late for school, but she needed to drop off her math text and pick up her social. Once she done that and put away her coat, she closed her locker and leaned against it, sighing. It had been a late night. After she’d gone to bed, her dad had come up to her room like he use to and they’d talked late into the night. He’d stayed in the guestroom because even though Monica wasn’t very happy right now, she felt bad making him stay in the bed and breakfast. Beside’s, her mom had said the food was awful.
When Alex had finally woke up, she’d gone down and found her dad waiting for her in the kitchen, ready to make her whatever she wanted. She knew that he was doing this because he wanted to show Monica that he could be a good person, but she also knew that he was doing this because he wanted to. She had a long breakfast with him, talking some more, not even realizing she was late. Monica had freaked when she arrived home and found Alex eating breakfast. She’d just dropped Lawrence off at school. She dragged Alex to the car, and taken her school, leaving Chandler alone with Dereck for the second time that morning. (Rob had gone to the school earlier because he’d had a staff meeting.)
Opening her eyes, Alex decided she had to face everybody sooner and later. She walked slowly down the hall to her classroom, glad no one was in the hall to see her. She paused once again in front of the door to her class, then opened it and walked in, trying not to be noticed. She winced as the whole class started whisper. She just knew it was about her, her family and her dad. She looked around the classroom and caught Laura’s eye. Laura smiled sympathetically and waved Alex over to the desk next to her.
“And why are you late?” Mr. MacFord questioned her.
“Um, I slept in cos I was talking with my dad late last night and then when I woke up, late, I talked with him while I ate breakfast,” Alex replied. She didn’t notice Laura who was waving her hands, trying to stop her.
“Wasn’t your dad at the staff meeting at the high school this morning?” Mr. MacFord asked, reminding Alex why she hated him.
“Um, no?” Alex lied, unsuccessfully.
“Yes he was, I was there!”
“Why?” Alex asked.
“Because, so why are you really late?” Mr. MacFord demanded.
“I already told you,” Alex was getting inpatient. “I slept in because I was up late talking to my dad, and then when I got up this morning I was talking to him again, and didn’t realize I was late for school!”
“Okay, if you won’t answer my question, why don’t you tell the class something they, and myself are eager to know. What’s Chandler Bing doing in our town? Is he nice? Did you meet him? I’ve been following the story of how his kid Alex, her brother and her mom disappeared.”
Alex almost laughed at how much Mr. MacFord sounded like fans she’d met or seen talking to GJoey and Joey. “He came out because he figured out where Monica, Alex and Dereck are!” Alex replied. “He was talking to my mom about it.” Alex glanced over at Laura and almost laughed. Like herself, she was desperately trying not to laugh. Alex was a bit better at the control, having been in drama.
“So where are they? I mean, the only new kid in town that’s around’s Dereck’s age is your brother Peter...” Mr. MacFord trailed off as he finally clued into what was going on. His eyes went wide as he stared at her in shock. “You’re Alex Bing!”
“Way to go Einstein,” Alex said sarcastically.
“Your mom remarried?”
“No, of course not. Rob, or Ken as you know him, has always been a good friend of hers and Lawrence, which is his real name, is Rob’s son,” Alex explained.
“Wow! I can’t believe we’ve had you guys for almost a year, and none of us figured it out!” Mr. MacFord said, still in shock.
“That’s not true,” Alex shook her head. “Laura figured it out.”
“How did you figure it out?” Alana asked Laura.
“Well, it was little things,” Laura said slowly. “Like the fact that Alex knew so much more about Queen of Hearts and the cast then she should. She also had a signed poster for Queen of Hearts, and she’s the only one who hasn’t signed it. Besides, look at how good she is in drama.”
“Weird, I never put those things together,” Alana said as she thought about everything. “So your name’s really Alexis, right?”
“Yeah, but don’t call me that,” Alex replied. “I hate Alexis. I’ve always gone by Alex.”
“Okay class,” Mr. MacFord interrupted the discussion. “We need to get to work. We’ve only got three days until winter holidays!”

The rest of the day went by quickly, although Alex was dying to leave the school. Everyone she knew and a lot she didn’t kept coming up to her and asking her questions. I guess it’s the first time a celebrity has come to this town, Alex thought sarcastically. She couldn’t go home right after school though, because she had drama. She loved drama, but didn’t want to go because everyone there would want to know what it’s like to be in a movie.
She made it through, dodging the questions until Nick, now in grade eight jumped in to her defence. He and her had become good friends, because they had been the youngest. Although, since the rest had graduated, a lot more people had been let in, and even though most hadn’t known, Alex was still the youngest. They’d put on a play for the Christmas Concert and Alex and Nick had gotten the main roles. They were by the far the best actors in the group. It was nearing the end of rehearsal when a voice at the door made everyone froze.
“Hi!”
“Hello Mr. Bing, come on in,” Mr. Reynolds invited him in. Chandler stepped into the drama room nervously.
“Hi, I just came to get Alex. I know I’m early, so I thought I’d just drop by. I hope that’s okay.”
“Of course it is,” Mr. Reynolds reassured him. “You should have seen our play for the Christmas Concert. Alex was awsome in it! Alex, why don’t you introduce your dad to everyone else.”
“Okay,” Alex said slowly. “Well, I’m pretty sure most of you know who this is, I mean, we are in drama class.” The class laughed. “Anyway, dad, this is the drama group, and that’s our teacher, Mr. Reynolds.”
For the last ten minutes, everyone just talked to each other, although there was a circle around Alex and one around Chandler. When it ended, Laura, Nick, Mr. Reynolds, Alex and Chandler stayed behind as all the other students left excited.
“Dad, you met Laura yesterday, but this is another of my good friends, Nick,” Alex introduced the two.
“Nice to meet you Nick,” Chandler shook a very nervous Nick’s hand.
“You’re a great director Mr. Bing,” Nick said in awe. “I love your directing style. I’ve watched every movie you’ve ever directed.”
“Thanks,” Chandler smiled at him. “I always loving hearing comments. I’ve heard that you’re one of the great actors in this group. Is that what you want to do, or something else?”
“Well, I’d like to be an actor, but being a director would be pretty cool too,” Nick replied, finding it easy to talk to this adult.
“Well, I’ve been thinking about directing a new movie,” Chandler told him. “You should come by for a visit if that’d be possible. I’m sure you’d love the experience, and Alex will probably be on the set.”
“That would be awesome!” Nick told him excited.
“Well, tell you parents, and maybe we’ll be able to arrange something,” Chandler told him.
“Thanks Mr. Bing,” Nick replied. “I’d like to stay and talk with you some more, but I’ve got to go. Bye!”
“Bye,” Chandler waved as Nick left then turned back to Mr. Reynolds who’d been waiting patiently. Alex and Laura had gone off to the side where Alex was going over a part Laura was playing in a play. Alex was giving her some pointers and reading all the other parts.
“Nice kid,” Chandler told Mr. Reynolds.
“Yeah, one of the great actors is right, and looks like we’ll be losing our only other one, Alex,” Mr. Reynolds sighed. “It must be great working only with actors who can act.”
“Now that’s not true,” Chandler protested. “Did you ever see Love Never Dies? I hated, please don’t repeat this, I hated directing Anderson as the main character. They guy can’t act if his life depended on it. It was awful, we used his stand-in guy for most of the shots that we could. The stand-in was a better actor!”
“I suppose that’s true,” Mr. Reynolds admitted.

“Guess what Alex?” Chandler asked her as they walked out to the car a few minutes later.
“What?” Alex asked eagerly. She loved getting surprises from her dad.
“We’re not going back to your house yet,” Chandler told her mysteriously.
“Why not?” Alex questioned, climbing into his rented car beside him.
“Cos I’ve decided that I’m going to make up for what I did to you in New York,” Chandler replied. “We’re going ice skating.”
“But there’s no ice!” Alex protested.
“Ah, but I’ve got connections,” Chandler replied with a laugh.
Alex watched as they left the town and entered the city. Ten minutes after that, they were parking in front of a large arena.
Alex jumped out of the car excited and she followed her laughing dad into the building. It was almost completely empty, except for a few janitors and people working. They smiled at the two as they walked by, no one realizing that it was Chandler Bing and Alex Bing.
Chandler stopped at one counter where two pairs of skates were waiting. He picked them up, and led Alex through a set of doors.
On the other side was a large, Olympic sized arena (is there such a thing?). The two stopped at a bench were they pulled the skates on and tied them up. Chandler led Alex over to the edge where the stepped onto the smooth ice. There was music coming out of the speakers over head, and for a while, the two skated around the outside, getting use to their skates.
It was what Alex had always dreamed of doing with her dad, before and after she’d met him. They raced each other from one end to another and he taught her how to skate backwards. After a while, he produced two hockey sticks and a puck and the two played one on one, laughing the whole time.
It was a magical experience in Alex’s point of view. Just the two of them on the ice, the arena dark, and music playing softly in the back ground. The father daughter day she’d waited her whole life for.
As for Chandler, it was about the same. It was definitely one of the best times he’d ever had with Alex and it was one he would remember forever. Ever since he met her, he’d wanted to make her happy and wanted her to love him as much as he loved her. He found that this experience brought them so much closer together, even though neither of them were talking much. They found they didn’t need to; that they could communicate with out words.
After a couple of hours, they put away their skates and left the building. Chandler took Alex out to dinner for KFC. They got the food as take out, and drove over to the ocean where they watched the sunset as they ate in the car. When they were finished, Chandler started up the car and the two headed back to Alex’s house. Alex fell asleep halfway back, and Chandler kept glancing over at his daughter lovingly.

Pulling up back at the house, Chandler turned off the car and climbed out. He went around the car and opened Alex’s door. He picked her up, realizing just how much she’d grown since he’d met her. He carried her up the steps to the front door where Monica met the two.
“How was your evening?” Monica whispered as she held the door open for him.
“It was fun,” Chandler smiled, remembering everything. “I had the greatest time. You’ve done a great job with her Mon.”
“Thanks,” Monica smiled back at him. “Let’s go put her on her bed. She’s probably exhausted, staying up late last night, going out tonight...”
Chandler nodded, carrying Alex up the stairs. Monica followed behind, and the three went into Alex’s room, where Chandler lay her down on her bed. He left the room so Monica could get her changed then returned to give Alex a kiss.
After he’d done so, he stood with Monica, watching Alex sleep. Monica moved to leave the room, but Chandler just stood there, watching.
“Chandler,” Monica whispered. “Aren’t you coming?”
“Yeah,” Chandler finally turned away from looking at Alex. “I love her so much Mon.”
“I know you do,” Monica nodded, taking his arm and pulling him out of her room.

The next day Monica needed to go out and get groceries. She wasn’t exactly looking forward to the chore, considering everyone now knew who she really was. Rob was at the school teaching, Lawrence and Alex were at school and Chandler and Dereck were left behind.
“Come on Mon,” Chandler begged. “Why make him suffer? He’s my kid too, you know.”
“I know, I know,” Monica sighed. Chandler had been arguing for ten minutes, for Monica to let Dereck stay with him.
“Just think Mon, if you take him with you, you’re both going to be mobbed. I know how bad people can get, and so do you! Does Dereck really need to find out now? At such a young age? We’ll be fine, I promise.”
“Fine,” Monica gave in. “But if anything goes wrong, I’ve got another pie...”
She left the threat unfinished, and Chandler winced at the thought of another sour pie. Chandler took Dereck from Mon’s arms and the two watched as Monica left.
“Okay Dereck,” Chandler turned him so they were facing each other. “What do you want to do?”
Dereck just gurgled happily at his dad. “You want to go play with your blocks? Okay.” Chandler looked at Dereck, and Dereck just smiled back. “Okay, blocks it is!”
Chandler carried Dereck over into the family room where his blocks were sitting in a box. He dumped them out onto the floor and sat Dereck down, sitting down beside him.
Dereck immediately dived into the blocks, laughing happily, and Chandler laughed with him. As Chandler watched him play, a sad feeling came over him. Dereck was already one, and this was the first time he’d played with him.
After playing for awhile, Chandler picked Dereck up and sat with him on the swing on the front porch.
“You know what Dereck?” Chandler asked his son as the two rocked back and forth, Dereck sitting in Chandler’s lap, staring up at his dad. “I’m your daddy, you’re real daddy. That’s right, I’m your dad, and I’m going to be there for you for your whole life. And I do love your mom, even if she says I don’t.” Chandler paused as he got an idea. He didn’t notice that Monica was arriving home. “Can you say daddy? Come on, say daddy.”
Monica walked up the stairs to the porch in time to here the last part of Chandler’s speech. She stood at the top, to see what Dereck would do. He was looking up at his dad, eye’s wide and mouth open in a smile.
“Come on Dereck, say daddy,” Chandler prodded his son along. He hadn’t heard Dereck talk yet, and was wondering if he could.
“Daddy,” Dereck said so quietly that Chandler and Monica weren’t sure if they heard right. A huge smile spread across Chandler’s face, and Dereck, happy about the smile said it again, louder. “DADDY!”
“Oh My God!” Monica whispered in shock. She’d been trying to get Dereck to talk for awhile, and he’d never said anything until now. And it was to Chandler, at that.
Chandler looked up, hearing Mon’s voice. “Did you hear that?” Chandler asked her excitedly, and Monica nodded as she moved over to the two.
“Hey Dereck,” Monica picked him up out of Chandler’s lap. “Can you say mommy?”
“Mommy,” Dereck replied, a grin on his little face. “Mommy....Daddy...”
Chandler and Monica looked at each other, their faces full of excitement.
“I can’t believe this,” Monica said as she sat down beside Chandler on the swing. “He’s never talked before and you’re the first person he talked to.”
“I know!” Chandler replied, happy. “I can’t believe I got to hear his first word!”
“I can’t believe that either!”
“Well thanks,” Chandler replied sarcastically.
“No, not that way. It’s just that I never thought you’d be around to hear his first word, but I’m glad that you were!”

“I miss the snow,” Alex sighed, staring out the window.
It was Christmas Eve, and Alex was bored…unsettled…missing the snow of New York.
“Don’t worry,” Chandler consoled her. “You’ll be seeing snow soon enough.”
Yeah right, Alex thought, and padded off to bed. “See you in the morning.”
“Good night, princess.”

When Alex awoke the next morning the first thing she thought was, My dad is here and it’s Christmas morning!
“Yes!” she cried, forgetting her hopes for snow.
Things couldn’t be better!
But they could…she looked out the window and saw snow for the first time all year. At first she didn’t believe her eyes. But when she rushed out on the front step, she had to believe it.
“Dad?” she cried.
“I have connections,” Chandler replied simply. “Never underestimate that.”
 

“Hurry up Alex, Jamie, Laura,” Chandler shouted from the family room in Mon and Rob’s house. He was still visiting, having not wanted to go home yet. “There’s only a couple of minutes to go!”
“We’re coming,” the two shouted back and the group in the family room could here the three coming down the stairs.
Laura and Jamie’s family had come over to spend New Years with the... Geller/Bellar/Gellar/Bing family. (LOL) Everyone was in the living room except for the three girls, although the arrived quickly. The group watched the TV as the clock ticked by and started on the last minute of 2011.
“Monica,” Chandler pulled her to the back of the room, so no one would notice the two. “Would you, Dereck and Alex move back to New York?”