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The Pause Part 2

By Joni (JOey and moNI)

"Mr. Bing? We’ve found Miss. Geller,” the words repeated themselves over and over again as Chandler raced to the hospital. His thoughts strayed for a second to Alex and Dereck. He’d left Dereck with Lionel. He didn’t know what kind of shape Monica would be in, and didn’t want Dereck to see her yet if she was in bad shape. Like he isn’t going to have to spend enough years in therapy as it is, based on our family. Chandler smiled slightly to himself at that though. Dereck had definitely been through more than most four year-olds.

And Alex. Well Alex was at school at the moment. And even though she and him had seemed to be getting on a lot better there was still that slightly awkward air between them. It was as if both of them could sense that any moment now things were going to blow. But now that Monica was found, wow he’d never felt so great full over any word before, hopefully everything would start to seem alright.

He knew Alex would be mad when she found out that he hadn’t gone and gotten her right away when he’d heard the news. But he had his reasons. He knew that in Alex’s eyes, in most people’s eyes his reasons wouldn’t be good enough, but after all they’d been through, after everything that had happened, he wanted to see Monica first, by himself.

He entered the hospital nervously. The last time he’d been in a hospital was the day Dereck was born, and that was definitely a day he would both love to forget ever occurred and also couldn’t be happier that it had. After all if that day hadn’t happened, Dereck wouldn’t be with them today.

Chandler stopped once to ask for directions, and then hurried up to the fourth floor. He found her in a private room with police officers guarding the door. It struck him as almost funny. Never would he have though ten years ago that he or any of his friends would be ‘special’ enough to deserve their own hospital room as well as need police guards. He approached the police officers, one who immediately stepped forward.

“She’s with her doctor right now, you’ll have to wait for her to leave,” the officer replied, motioning towards a couple of chairs.

Chandler nodded slowly, moving towards the chairs. He sat down and lead his head back, resting it against the wall, eyes never straying from Monica’s door.

Five minutes later, although it felt like an hour, the doctor emerged. She approached Chandler after the police had pointed her attention to him.

“Before you go in, I’d like to talk to you first,” Dr. Mills shook her head. “Why don’t you come to my office.”

Chandler followed the doctor down the hall into her small office. He sat down quickly, wanting to get this meeting over with immediately.

“Monica,” Dr. Mills started, then paused. “Monica doesn’t appear to have any injuries, except for a couple of bruises. She’s exhausted, which is to be expected considering the amount of trauma she’s undergone. We also believe that the trauma has caused...” once again the doctor paused. “We believe that Monica is suffering from temporary amnesia.”

Chandler couldn’t believe his ears. Amnesia? The scene felt as if it was right out of one of his movies. They finally rescue the ‘damsel in distress’ only to find out that there is an even bigger problem. “Wait,” Chandler interrupted the doctor. “You only said that you ‘believe, right? That means that she might not be.” Chandler sighed, relieved that this nightmare might actually not be happening.

“There’s another thing,” Dr. Mills looked down at her hands for a second before looking at Chandler. “We are now quite sure that one of her adductors was male. We believe that’s who she spent much of the time with as she’s, well to say this simply men freak her out.”

“What, what do you mean?” Chandler couldn’t comprehend the idea that Monica might not be happy to see him. They’d always been very close.

“She doesn’t react well to men. That’s one of the reasons she’s my patient. She had Dr. Morgan before, but she refused to have him come near her.” Dr. Mills gave Chandler a sympathetic smile. “I just wanted to warn you. If she doesn’t react well to you it’s probably because she’s not comfortable being around anyone male.”

Chandler nodded, dimly hearing what she was saying, but not quite believing her. He asked again if he could see her now, and she nodded. He walked slowly down the hall to Mon’s room. He paused at the door, before opening it quietly and slipping in.

Monica was curled up in a fetal position on the bed facing the window, asleep. Chandler pulled the lone chair over to her bed side and gently reached out and touched her back.

She reacted at once. Her eyes snapped open and her gaze jumped to him. Within half a second she had pulled herself as far from him as possible, staring at him with frightened eyes.

“I’m not going to hurt you,” Chandler reached a hand out towards her. “Don’t you remember me Mon?”

“Who are you? Get away from me! Don’t hurt me. Leave. Please, just leave.” Monica started to sob uncontrollably.

Chandler reached forward to give her a hug, but that just made her howl even louder. Chandler stood up and turned towards the door. He saw Dr. Mills standing there quietly. He looked at her sadly before leaving the room. He could dimly hear Dr. Mills going over and comforting Monica as the door closed behind him. He moved down the hall and out of the hospital seemingly surrounded by a fog of some kind. He got in his car, no destination in mind.

He found himself half an hour later in front of Alex’s school. He sat in the parking lot for a couple minutes before braving the crowd. He’d always hated going into Alex’s school. Everyone, well most people, were okay with Alex and Darren, but he still caused a scene. He usually went with Monica for protection.

He paused again outside the front door before opening it and walking inside. He headed straight for the office and quickly asked if they could call Alex down for him. He was signing her out when she arrived. She looked quite shocked to see him standing there.

“Alex, I’ve got some news for you,” Chandler said stiffly, not wanting to say much in front of the secretaries. “I’m taking you out for the rest of the day.”

“Okay,” Alex just continued to give her dad a strange look, but followed him out the door to his car. She climbed into the passenger seat and waited silently for Chandler to talk. When he didn’t talk, but just started driving she became worried.

“What is it dad? Is there news about mom?” Alex saw her dad flinch when she mentioned Monica. “Oh my god, that’s it isn’t it? She’s dead. They’ve found her and she’s dead!” Alex started to cry.

“No,” Chandler finally spoke up. “She’s not dead, but they have found her.”

“Well can I see her?” Alex questioned, the tears gone, excitement showing across her face. “Please dad, I’ve got to see her.”

Chandler nodded, “She’s at the hospital right now, that’s where we’re going. There’s a couple things I want you to know. Monica ... Mon has amnesia. You know what that means, right?”

“Right, they say it’s temporary, but they don’t know when it’s going to come back. Alex you need to understand that Monica might not recognize you.”

“Also,” Chandler paused, glancing out the side window as they passed by Blockbuster which had a large sign advertising Queen of Hearts still up even though it’d been a couple years. “Mon, well the new Monica, she’s different. They believe that one of her abductors must have been male, because she can’t stand being around any one male. She, she get’s very upset. I couldn’t even talk to her.”

“Wait a minute,” Alex held up her hand. “You’ve already seen her? You went and saw her without coming to get me first?”

“No dad, that’s not fair. I’m her daughter. I miss her just as much as you if not more.”

“Come on Alex,” Chandler said more desperately. He could already feel the depression sinking down on him. He couldn’t deal with this right now.

“No, forget it dad.” Alex turned away and looked out her window, ignoring her dad.

Chandler just sighed and decided to forget about it for now. He pulled back into the hospital parking lot and parked. Alex followed behind him silently as he lead the way to Mon’s room. He stopped outside the door, and told Alex that he’d wait out there for her.

Alex didn’t respond, just went and opened Mon’s door, closing it firmly behind her.

Monica wasn’t sleeping this time, instead her frightened eyes were glued to the door, and now, on Alex.

Monica was silent for a moment, staring out the window a few feet from the bed. When she realised that no one had answered the girl’s question, she looked over at her and murmured, “Hmm? Who were you talking to?”

She was a pretty young thing, about twelve, perhaps, with a light almond-coloured head of straight shiny hair and innocent yet aged brown eyes. Monica could see in the depths of those glimmering eyes a story of happiness, grief, love, and hate. A chill ran down her spine - it was a bit disgruntling to see such things in the eyes of a mere child. She wondered who this girl could be, and what exactly had occurred in her lifetime to make her such a dogged-eyed person. What had she said again? Oh, yes. “I’m Alex . . . Your daughter.”

Daughter? Since when had she become a parent? And how could any daughter of hers have such a disturbing past? Monica cleared her mind of those questions. She didn’t even know herself: she could be a crack addict or a murderer or at the very least a negligent parent - if of course she actually was one. In those cases, any child would be haunted for the remainder of their days until death licked the eyes shut.

Monica closed her own eyes, unprepared to find the answers to all these perturbing queries. Now was not the time, anyhow. Her life would unfold itself in due course. But what she would find when it did so . . . that was the scary part.

Alex looked up again to find that her mother appeared to be sleeping. She looked so peaceful just lying there: a frail figure clad in white garments with a mane of dark hair cascading over the shoulders. She looked almost as if she had been perfectly and meticulously arranged by someone . . . as if she were resting in her coffin, her entire life fed to death’s clutches. Alex grimaced at the irony - she was relieved to find that her mother still had life in her veins, but was dismayed to find that her the blood flowing through the arteries was not Monica’s.

Chandler turned away from Monica's frightened eyes to the nurse entering the room. She nodded to Monica. "I'm going to have to ask you to leave. There's a detective here to ask Monica a few questions. He wants to talk to her - alone."

Chandler glanced back at Monica protectively. "If you pardon my concern, I don't think she's in any shape to be interrogated by some stranger."

The nurse shrugged. "It needs to be done sometime...and might I remind you that right now everyone is a stranger to Monica. But don't worry, I'll stay here to ensure that the line of questioning doesn't over-stress your girlfriend."

With an angry frown, Chandler left the room. So a nurse was allowed in, but he wasn't? How fair was that? He gave a half-hearted smile to the man he assumed to be the detective standing at the door. The man entered the room after acknowledging Chandler's greeting.

Monica had been relieved when the guy called Chandler had left, but now she shrivelled back in fear once more as a second man came in. he smiled at her, and offered his hand. "Uh, hi, Ms. Geller, I'm Detective Vincent Goran. I'm here to ask you a few questions about your kidnapping."

Monica recoiled from the hand in front of her. It was just as scary as any horror film she'd ever seen. And what did he mean, "kidnapping"? The doctor had said she had been missing, probably kidnapped, but she couldn't remember a darned thing about it.

Detective Goran made a mental note that Monica seemed afraid of him - it might be important. He looked thoughtfully at her for a few moments, then spoke again.

Monica shook her head. She barely knew what home was anymore, let alone where it might be.

Monica spoke tentatively. "Chandler...Bing. He says I should remember him, but I don't."

"All right. I'm going to say a word, and I want you to reply as quickly as you can with the first word that comes to mind. Ready?"

"No, Miss Geller. Don't think about it. I don't want an answer from your conscious mind. I want one from your sub-conscious. I'm going to try again: red."

Detective Goran nodded, stroking his chin. "You're tired. I'll let you rest now. Thank you for your help, and I'm sure I'll be in touch soon."

As he left the room, the nurse stared incredulously after him. That was the weirdest detective she had ever met.

When the doctors finally agreed that it would be safe for Monica to return home, Alex thought she might jump for joy. That afternoon after school, Chandler and Dereck picked her up and they drove to the hospital to pick her up. Alex was frightened to see her mother in a wheelchair being pushed by a nurse coming out to the car.

"She's still very frail and tired," Chandler explained. "Remember, whatever has happened to her, both her body and mind have been through a lot."

The nurse and Chandler helped Monica into the passenger's seat. Monica did not greet any member of her family. She simply sat in the seat, shaking. Chandler put the safety belt over her and click it into place.

Alex couldn't help herself. She asked her father, as if Monica didn't even exist, "Why is she shaking?"

"She's probably frightened," Chandler replied. He got back into the car and started it up. "She doesn't know us. If you were being put into a car with three strangers, wouldn't you be scared?"

Alex looked away and crossed her arms across her chest. "Maybe. But she's my mom!"

"Well when is she going to start knowing again?!" Tears welled up in Alex's eyes.

The rest of the ride went on in silence, save the occasional whimper from Monica.

When they returned home, Chandler helped Monica up to her room, and she lay immediately down on the bed and went to sleep.

Chandler sighed but ignored Alex's question this time. He walked away slowly shaking his head. This was just as hard on him as it was on Alex, but he had to remember her age. She was at a vulnerable point in her life, and for her to have so much stress placed on her emotions was duly unfair. He glanced back at his daughter, standing solitary in the hallway with a quivering chin. Chastising himself for ignoring her, he turned and went back to hug her. Alex welcomed his hug and clung to her father. There they stood, crying together, until their hearts had been emptied onto their faces.

Lionel gazed down at Dereck, asleep in his brand new race car bed. He was babysitting while Chandler and Monica were at the hospital for a critical check-up. They would be gone for awhile, as Monica would be receiving a battery of memory tests and being questioned closely. Alex was at school, Danielle out lunching with friends - the house was eerily silent. The silence hung warily in the air, reaching into his brain with its relentless claws and dragging out those dredged memories of - no. He couldn't let the image of Dereck's round and innocent face make him remember those times...the way things could have been. He couldn't let himself guess the eye colour, the shape of the nose's bridge, the redness of the cheeks...Lionel shut his eyes tightly in hopes of blocking the terrible and tempting beckoning.

The chime of the doorbell provided a momentary escape from that hazardous trap. For the first time in several months Lionel was grateful to listen to the ringing. Even a visit from a reporter was better than delving into the dark past.

He left the peaceful Dereck sleeping and slid the door shut softly behind him. As he made his way down the staircase, Lionel was discouraged to find that he had to bite his tongue to hold back the welling tears in the corners of his dark eyes. By the time he reached the foyer, the tears had been swallowed, and the memories buried - but the thoughts were still near to breaking the surface, and the sensitive covering layer was eroding all the time.

Lionel was surprised to see behind the door, not a reporter, but a handsome young man of perhaps twenty. He held a small suitcase in his right hand and had a backpack slung over his left shoulder. Though Lionel was sure he had never before seen these eyes before, the boy's face was strangely familiar to him. "May I help you?"

He stared into Lionel's sad eyes for a thoughtful moment before dropping his bags on the porch and embracing him fully.

Astounded as he was, Lionel allowed the boy to hug him. It felt natural, regardless of the fact that he was unknown to Lionel. When he finally pulled away, the young man's eyes were shining with tears. "Dad," was all he said.

When Alex and Katie arrived at the Bing household that afternoon, Alex was dismayed to find that Chandler and Monica were at the hospital again, forgetting all about her. No one, in fact, was about. Alex called out for Lionel, then for Dereck, but there was no reply. "Hm! That's strange." She turned to Katie. "Would you like to get a snack then go play foosball in the rec room? I've felt like playing all day!"

"Mm, no thanks," Katie answered. "I think I'm going to go read. That is, if you don't mind."

"Oh no, of course not!" Alex replied quickly. "Go right ahead. But if you get hungry or something, just grab something from the kitchen."

Katie smiled, then started for the upstairs guestroom where she had been sleeping.

Alex, however, followed her plan. She stopped by the kitchen long enough to gobble a few peanut butter cookies and a glass of milk, then made her way to the rec room. She couldn't, of course, play real foosball, but she could play on her newest video game, Mini-Sports.

Alex did a double-take as she entered the rec room. Lionel was sitting on the couch, chattering away - and on the floor, a guy of about Ben's age was building a Duplo city with Dereck. And not only that - the guy was bald!

"Alex!" Dereck jumped up and ran to his sister, grabbing hold of her and clinging.

Alex lifted her brother into the air and tickled him, making him squeal. Then, setting him down, Alex looked questioningly at Lionel. When he didn't explain, she fixed her gaze on the other guy - the bald one. Dereck went back to his Duplo.

At that moment Katie burst into the room. "Oh! Alex, someone else's stuff is in the guestroom."

The bald guy spoke up, standing. "Um, that would be me. I'm sorry. I guess Dad didn't know someone else was staying in there. I can move my luggage, though, if you like."

Dereck topped it all off by shouting, "Yippee!" as he tore down a Duplo building, spraying pieces everywhere. One block hit the stranger on his bald head, making him yelp in surprise.

Alex giggled. Whatever was going on here, it was the most comical thing she'd ever seen. She could imagine such a scene in one of Chandler's movies.

Katie joined in, covering her mouth as she snickered aloud. Lionel grinned, and even the bald guy, rubbing his wounded head, couldn't contain a snort.

Once the laughter died down, Lionel came forward. "I'll explain first," he volunteered. "This is my son Erik."

"I guess I never told you before that the reason your father and I became so close before he made it big was that we were essentially in the same boat. Your mother had just run off, and my wife had divorced me a few years earlier. I was working as a bartender, and he came in every day. We became quite close."

"Divorce? But - but your wife lives with us!" Alex sputtered, glancing over at the grinning Erik.

"Danielle is my second wife," Lionel explained. "But Yvonne, my first wife, left me almost twenty years ago. See, she never wanted children, and when she became pregnant, she wanted to get an abortion. I wouldn't let her. We had a huge fight about it. You know how I love you and Dereck, Al. I really wanted this child." Lionel paused for a breath and smiled lovingly at Erik. "But then she left one day, and a year later I received notice that Yvonne was divorcing me. She didn't ask for any compensation. I'd always assumed she'd gone through with the abortion."

Here Erik took over the story. "I've been in and out of foster care my whole life. My foster parents were told that my mother hadn't wanted me and no one knew what had happened to my father. They didn't tell me when I asked, of course. They didn't want to hurt me, so they would always say something like my mom couldn't afford to keep me. Ignorance is bliss, but it's not blessed. So a few years ago, I began to do some investigating. After school one day I went down to the social services central office and snuck into the file room. I found my file quickly - it was listed under my mother's maiden name, the name I've had for my entire life. It was then that I found out that my last name is really Lionel and that my dad was still alive - Doug Lionel. The file contained a little biography on him, but it gave no information as to his whereabouts. Hoping that he was still in New York, I started to call all the D. Lionels in the phone book. No Doug. And then one month ago - on my 20th birthday - I read an article in the paper about your mom's disappearance, Alex. It mentioned my dad. That's when I figured out why he wasn't in the phone book - he lived here with you guys. I was shocked, to say the least, but overjoyed. It took me this long to get up the courage to come here, but since I'm over eighteen, I was allowed to leave foster care, and here I am!" Erik shrugged and smiled at Lionel, whose eyes were brimmed with tears.

At the sniffle beside her, Alex turned to Katie. She was crying, too. "What a beautiful story!" Alex suspected, however, that Lionel and Erik's story was not the only reason she was crying - for it was a little reminiscent of her own situation. Only she had no daddy to run to.

"I'm so happy we had no homework tonight!" Ben cried, as he closed the door to Chandler's mansion behind him. He and Brook had been invited for dinner, and it was the perfect night for it. After a hard day of exams and critical analyses, they had no boring homework to take care of.

"I know, it's great," Brook agreed, removing her coat and scarf. "That's the good thing about test days. I wonder where everyone is?" Lionel hadn't answered the door as usual and they had let themselves in.

"Well Alex is probably in the rec room," Ben guessed. "When she phoned to invite us she told me she has a new video game that she's engrossed in. She's playing that, most likely. She said it has foosball on it for one or two players, and I can't wait to try it with her!"

Brook smiled as Ben chattered on. Whenever he talked about Alex he got so excited. It was almost as if they shared a sibling relationship - but without the usual rivalry.

When Ben paused, Brook asked, "Didn't you say she said something about a 'surprise'?"

They proceeded up the stairs toward the rec room. Within, Alex was indeed playing a video game - but she wasn't the only one. There was a guy playing with her. At their entrance, Alex and the guy looked up.

"Hey!" the guy greeted them. "You must be Ben and Brook. I've heard a lot about you from Alex."

"Hm..." Ben was not impressed. "And she told us so much about you, too...Your name, for example...I think she called you 'the surprise' or something."

"Yeah!" Alex piped up. "He's Lionel's son and he's SO cool! Now if you'll excuse us, we're in the middle of a foosball tournament."

"Lionel has a SON?" Brook mouthed to be. "Hey, why don't we go over there and start a real foosball tournament, Ben?"

The foosball table was in a distant corner of the room, and there they could converse without being overheard by Alex and Erik.

"There's nothing wrong with ME," Ben protested, narrowing his eyes at Erik. "Where does this guy, whoever he is, get off showing up and interrupting our lives?"

"He's hardly interrupting our lives," Brook argued. "I'm sure when you hear the explanation of his coming here you'll agree."

"Yeah," Brook snapped, as a row of soccer players on her team kicked the ball into Ben's goal. "But I'm obviously more accepting than you are. You're being a big, jealous baby."

At that moment Alex skipped up beside Ben and threw her arms around him. "I beat Erik!" she exclaimed joyfully.

Brook gave a disgusted look to Ben that seemed to say, "See, Alex still thinks you're Number One. Why were you acting like such a little brat?"

"Oh, there's no need," Alex interjected. "I'm better than Ben, too. Don't feel bad!"

Erik laughed. "I won't, Alex. But that's not what I meant. I meant maybe I should explain about why I'm here, since Ben and Brook don't know."

The four sat down on the couches and Erik proceeded to explain what he and Lionel had told Alex earlier.

"Do Chandler and Monica know?" Ben asked, still a little miffed. The story had softened his views of Erik a bit, however, and now most of his choler he felt toward Brook for her condescending words and glances.

"Not yet," Alex replied. "they've been at the hospital all afternoon." At the thought of her mother, Alex felt disheartened. Monica still refused to rise up from her memory loss.

Surprised at Ben's statement, Alex answered defensively. "Of course he'll be happy! He'll be excited for both Erik and Lionel. I mean Lionel is practically his best friend. And Lionel told me once that it would be very risky for Danielle to become pregnant now because of her ovarian cancer back in 2007. Now they can have a son."

Ben cleared his throat. "You're right. But Chandler has enough worries without a stranger free-loading about his house."

Erik himself looked a little riled at Ben's so unwelcome greeting. "Well I'm not planning on staying here long, anyway. Only until September. I've been accepted to NYU on early acceptance, and I'll probably live on campus. I'm looking into both traditional rez and on-campus apartments."

Pursing his lips, Erik glanced at his watch. "Oh, thanks for reminding me. Alex, we should probably eat soon - I have to be at work at eight." He looked triumphantly at Ben. "I've been working at Walgreen's since my grad. It's really great - I've learned a lot about pharmaceuticals, which is good because I have an interest in medicine. After I finish my Bachelor of Science degree I might go onto that. I also earned some scholarships, and if I continue working part time, I've got it covered myself."

Ben turned a bright red, and looked to Brook for comfort from his embarrassment. He was dismayed to find that condescending look again.

In the middle of dinner, Chandler and Monica arrived home. It turned out that Lionel had phoned Chandler to tell him the good news, and he greeted Erik with a friendly pat on the back and a "Welcome to the family, son."

Upon their arrival, Dereck raced for his mother and latched on to her leg. Alex was tempted to act similarly, but refrained herself, terrified of that distant gaze in Monica's eyes.

Erik stood, and said, "It was nice meeting you, Ms. Geller, Mr. Bing. Thank you for allowing me to stay with you. I've got to get to work, though." Turning to Ben and Brook, he thanked them for coming over to meet him. Then before Erik left, he gave a hug to Lionel.

Ben looked at her questioningly. She didn't have to be home till ten, and he till ten-thirty. But he was afraid to argue, so without a word of refusal, he agreed. He kissed the top of Alex's head and thanked Lionel and Danielle for dinner.

Once out the door, Ben asked Brook what was up. She didn't answer immediately. He got into the driver's seat of his car and stared at the silent Brook beside him. Then when he began to drive, she finally spoke up.

"Ben, what is wrong with you today? That Erik is such a nice guy! I could hardly believe your...your utter insolence!"

Ben sighed. "I know, Brook. I'm sorry. It's just that when I went into the rec room and saw Erik playing with Alex in the exact spot where I would usually be sitting, I just blew a fuse. You know how I feel about her."

"I do, but do I know how you feel about other people? I didn't think you were such a jealous guy. You don't own Alex, and you can hardly blame her for letting such a nice guy as Erik into her life so easily. And for God's sake, they were only playing a video game. Do you think that means she wants Erik for a cousin instead of you?"

"Do you live with your father, Ben?" Brook practically shouted. She was losing her temper, and fast. "Do you?! Yes! Up until today Erik hasn't had a parent. Or did you miss that part of the story? You should be pleased that his life is finally changing now."

Ben shook his head. "Listen, Brook, where do you get off telling me all this crap? I thought you would be more supportive of my feelings!"

For the rest of the trip the couple drove on in uncomfortable silence. When Ben pulled into Brook's driveway, he turned to Brook, sure that he'd rather be out of pride than a girlfriend. "I'm sorry, Brook. You're right; my behaviour was uncalled for. I'll call Erik tomorrow and apologise."

Brook glanced at Ben. "I know you're sorry, Ben, but I wonder if you're sorry for the right reasons." Brook got out of the car and frowned at Ben. "See you tomorrow."

Ben sat for a moment, thinking. It was really all right. That's just the kind of person he was - STUPID. He smacked himself in the head before backing out of the driveway.

Alex hadn't expected Chandler and Monica to get home by this time, and Katie was sitting with them for dinner. In other words, her presence was quite obvious. Maybe it was time to tell Chandler about her - after all, she'd been staying there for a bout a month now, and he might wonder why Erik wasn't staying in the upstairs guestroom, which was the main one.

Fortunately, Chandler told her he needed to talk to her. Monica retired immediately to her bedroom, and Chandler and Alex moved to the livingroom while Lionel and Danielle cleared up the table.

"How have things been going lately?" Chandler asked his daughter, looking her straight in the eye.

"Okay, I guess," Alex replied, averting his gaze quickly. "I mean, as good as they can be with Mom so out of it."

Chandler nodded. "I've noticed that Katie's been over here a lot lately - have you two been getting along better?"

"Yeah, about that...Katie's been living here, Dad. I might have told you back when she first came to me, but it was right about the time I came back from running away and I was still really mad at you. I didn't think you'd understand. I'm sorry." Alex hung her head guiltily.

"Oh my God, how could I have been so dumb?" Chandler cried. "I don't even notice something like that? What kind of a father am I?"

"It's not like that Dad. You've had a lot on your mind, and I've gone to great lengths to hide it."

"It's a long story. The essence of it is her mother is a drug addict, her father abuses her, and her sister is suicidal. She needed an escape from that, as you can probably imagine."

"Oh my God." A look of genuine concern and compassion crossed Chandler's face. "Well she's certainly welcome to stay here. That won't change at all. But you do realize that I'm going to have to call social services, don't you?"

"Darren already did," Alex said. "He told me. The thing is, when I told Katie that they were going to help her, she begged me to keep her hidden and not tell even Darren or Sam or Jane that she was staying here. She doesn't want to leave and go live with strangers. Can't we adopt her or something, Dad?"

Chandler looked taken aback. "Well, Al, I'll see what I can do, but I don't think that's the best thing for our family right now. I think it would be better if perhaps she go to a normal foster family."

Alex was downcast, but she nodded understandingly. "Sorry again, Dad. But what was it that you wanted to talk to me about?"

"Well, I found out more information about Mom's condition today at the hospital. Her memory loss appears to be long-term. The doctors suspect that the trauma of something that happened to her while she was missing was so painful that her mind erased itself so that she wouldn't have to live with such suffering. It may take quite awhile for her to remember us. Just so you understand that."

Chandler nodded. "The other thing is, I'm supposed to sit down with her every day and go over something that should be familiar to her. A song she knows, a photograph, her diary, an object. I thought her letters would be a good place to start. If you get a chance, you should do the same thing. You've lived with her all your life so you probably know even better than me what's familiar to her."

Smiling, Chandler stood up. "Thanks, Alex. You're being very grown up about this."

Alex nodded. But when Chandler had gone, a big fat tear rolled down Alex's cheek.

"Yes," Lionel answered. "Ben, I think it's just great that you're making an effort to be his friend. I know he's two years older than you, so it's really nice of you to do this. I wonder if you two will both end up at NYU next year. I'm so proud of him! I was able to take a look at his high school transcript today, and I found that he was a bit of a slacker in his sophomore and junior years, but by the time he hit grade 12, he figured out that he should smarten up. His grades that year were just fantastic. And the way he has worked so hard to make enough money for his first year. It's just fabulous."

"He is pretty amazing," Ben agreed. "But honestly, Lionel, with such a miraculous happening as having a son show up out of nowhere, you'd think him amazing even if he was a juvenile delinquent."

Lionel laughed. "You're probably right, Ben. I think he's in his room. He's staying in the first basement guestroom on the right when you go down the stairs."

Ben felt uncomfortable being so flattered by Lionel, especially with the horrible way he had treated Erik the previous day. He had thought about it all night long last night and all that day, and he realised that Brook had been right about everything. First of all, he had been completely unfair to Erik. He really did seem to be a nice guy. Secondly, when he had first apologised for his behaviour, his motive was to get back in Brook's good books, not because he felt sorry for what he had done. Now he realised how terribly he had been acting, and he planned to set things straight.

Ben opened the door and walked into the room. This was one room in the Bing mansion that he had never entered before. He had rarely been to the basement at all, yet there were eight guest bedrooms there. He had stayed in the first one on the left before some Thanksgiving or something...he couldn't quite remember when or why. He remembered what it looked like, however, and this room seemed identical to the one he had stayed in, only completely backwards.

Momentarily, Ben's suspicions about Erik's motives for being there returned, but he brushed them aside.

"Yeah," Erik agreed. "I won it in an essay contest a couple of years ago. The topic was on the technological advances of the last decade of the twentieth century compared to where we are now. I placed third, and this was the prize."

"Nice job!" Ben congratulated him. "Yeah, anyway, I came to apologise for acting like...well, like a kid yesterday."

"Well..." Ben stared at his feet. He felt like a little boy being reprimanded by his teacher for name-calling or something. "I was jealous that you hit it off with Alex so well. I know it's stupid, but I couldn't help feeling that way. We're really close. Because of that I wasn't treating you as well as I usually treat people." Ben looked back at Erik, who was grinning. "You knew how I was acting!"

He laughed then, and it was infectious. Ben joined in. When it died down, he apologised again, and Erik accepted.

"I'm filling out another scholarship application," Erik replied. "That's actually one of the examples I used for that essay: can you believe back when we were little you had to fill stuff like this out by hand? That's the thing that's great about today's wireless connection to the Internet - paperwork has virtually vanished."

"I guess I need to get on that, too," Ben sighed. "It's just such a pain in the butt, even though it's online."

Ben nodded. "Yeah. I mostly have problems on the parts where you have to write about yourself. I never know what to say. I mean, I've done volunteer work and stuff, and I really should be able to fill out the questions, but they're always asking for details."

"You know what you should do," Erik suggested, "is draw up a Performa for every question. You may think every question is different, but they're really all quite similar. If you write up something about everything you've done, and blah-blah-blah, you can mold that one piece of work to fit each particular question. And that way you only have to write something once, and hardly worry about it again. See, that's what I've done here."

Erik opened up the word program and selected a document. He copied it, then pasted it into the text box provided on one of the questions. "Now I just change a few words to make it answer the question, and I'm set."

"Wow, that's a great idea!" Ben said admiringly. "Erik, I'm glad you showed up."

"Of course. You were being quiet, but Brook was on fire! God, she was practically yelling. All of a sudden I hear this, 'He's hardly interrupting our lives!!'"

"Yeah, she was pretty mad at me," Ben admitted. "But just so you know that's not why I came to apologise. I actually do feel bad."

"I really want to go to the New York Film Academy, but I don't know if I'll get in. Your marks have to be really high, and most people who get in have had a ton of experience."

"Film?" Erik cocked an eyebrow. "So who do you take after? Your uncle or your cousin?"

"I don't know if I take after either of them, though I'm sure they've influenced my decision lot. I'm kind of interested in writing movies, et cetera. I may not be good at writing about myself, but I love movies, and I think I have some good ideas for some too."

"Thanks," Ben replied. "I'm hoping. Brook is looking into NYU though, same as you."

"Yeah," Ben agreed. "Most of our friends are moving on to other places. But we both like New York a lot, and it's - well, home."

"Sorry I don't know how you feel. I've never felt like I really have a home. I guess I won't till I'm out of University and maybe have a home and family of my own. But I don't see myself in a 'home' any time soon."

Ben frowned. "Erik, you should look at home as wherever you're living. Don't feel down because you don't have your own house. Home doesn't have to have a true definition."

"My, my, getting philosophical, are we?" Erik grinned. "No seriously, Ben, you're right. Thanks. I guess we've both learned something today."

"Well I've got to get to work," Erik said, standing. "Sorry to run off now that we're friends. I've got an earlier shift tonight."

"It's okay," Ben replied. "I'll walk out with you. Maybe we could get together again soon."

Ben smiled. It was nice to have things ironed out. And wait until he told Brook! Today was a good day.

"That's good," she replied carelessly after Ben had finished explaining how he felt like he and Erik were becoming friends.

After a slight pause, Ben went on. "So, um, do you want to go out to the movies on Friday like we planned?"

Brook shrugged. "I guess so. Listen, I have to go." She glanced at her watch. "If I don't see you at school tomorrow, I'll see you Friday night."

As Brook left Ben's house in a rush, Ben shook his head after her. What was up with her? He thought she would be happy that he was becoming friends with Erik. And Friday was Valentine's Day. Oh, man, this was going to be terrible.

Rachel came into the livingroom a few moments after Brook had gone. "Is something wrong?" she asked, immediately sensing Ben's struggling emotions.

"Not really," he replied, shrugging it off. "It's just that Brook was acting a bit weird. She's been like that a lot lately. Well, just since yesterday actually, but it feels like forever."

Rachel clucked her tongue and seated herself on the sofa beside Ben. She patted him on the back and consoled him. "Don't worry about it. If you want my opinion, she's probably at 'that time of the month.' That's all. Trust me, if we women are acting weird, it's probably because we're PMS-ing, and it's nothing personal: there's just something weird going on in our bodies and it's not fun to go through."

Ben watched as she left. He knew she meant well, but he was pretty sure that wasn't the case. His stupid actions from the day before had struck him down pretty hard.

“Guess what!” Jane almost shouted out as soon as Alex and Sam walked through their classroom door.

“What?” Sam replied, looking slightly eager to know. Alex on the other hand didn’t even seem to be paying attention.

“Thank god you’re here, she’s be dying to tell us but refused to do so until you guys got here,” Freddy said, rolling his eyes. The rest of their friends had been gathered around Jane when Alex and Sam entered.

“What!! You made us think it was something really exciting and important and it was only that we’d be getting our matchmakers back!” Corey cried out in disbelief.

“Hey, it is exciting,” Katie defended Jane. She turned her back to Corey so she could talk with Jane. “How’d you find out?”

“I heard one of the grade eights on Student’s Council mention it in the halls. Said we’d be getting them in homeroom. I can’t wait!”

“I can’t believe you guys are getting so worked up over this,” Alex finally spoke up. “I mean come on guys, it’s a stupid game that the Student’s Council does every year cos we’re stupid enough to pay a dollar to get our sheet.” With that she walked away, leaving even the guys, who hadn’t been too excited about it, to stare at her back in disbelief. Alex was one of the nicest people they knew.

“I wonder is something happened when she went to get her dad,” Sam wondered aloud, watching Alex walk to her desk. Alex sat down, folded her arms on the desk and rested her head on them.

“I’ll go talk to her,” Darren suggested. He didn’t wait for a reply though, as he had already been moving towards her.

“So.. “ Jane pushed Alex’s problems from her mind to turn back to the group. “How much do you want to be that Alex and Darren score high on each others?”

Corey and Freddy groaned at the remark and hurried away to their desks so they could discuss something more manly, like cars. But the rest of the group huddled closer around Jane so that they could talk without being overheard.

Five minutes later the teacher had them all sit down. Darren was still sitting next to Alex, trying to comfort her, but with no success. Alex refused to move her head off her arms, knowing that she might break down into tears if she saw the look she knew was in Darren’s eyes.

Their teacher, Mr. Heidehall announced, with a drum roll from the class, that the matchmakers had arrived. Everybody started frantically searching for the dollar they knew they had somewhere, and when they couldn’t find it, turning to their friends to beg for money. Mr. Heidehall started down the side of the room, handing out the forms to those with money.

When he reached Alex, Alex didn’t reply. He looked down at her concerned, but didn’t say anything. Instead he took the two bucks Darren gave him, and handed Darren his and Alex’s papers.

Darren hadn’t even glanced at his when his and Alex’s were ripped from his hand by Jane, Katie and Sam. The three of them bent over the two comparing the results. When a loud giggle erupted from the trio, Darren knew what was on his sheet. He smiled slightly at the thought, he wasn’t going to deny that he liked Alex, but he wouldn’t admit it to his friends either.

“Class, CLASS!!” Mr. Heidehall had to holler to get their attention. “Announcements guys.”

The class expectantly turned towards the TV. Their student council president, an eighth grader, appeared on the screen with someone who was probably his friend. Most of the announcements were quite boring so most tuned them out, looking over their matchmakers sheets instead. But when “matchmaker” was heard, the whole class became silent.

“We though people might be interested in some stats from the matchmakers. We have three “couples” that tie for highest matched scores. These are: Vanessa Wiliamson and Mark Epson in Grade 8, Nancy Cornwell and Todd Oxford in grades 7 and 8 and Alex Bing and Darren Schiller in Grade 7. The highest matched scores for best friends go to ...”

After Alex and Darren had been announced, the class had gone nuts. Everyone wanted to see their sheets, and were trying to fight Jane, Katie and Sam for them. To Darren and Alex however, the hustle and bustle went unnoticed. Alex just wasn’t paying attention to anything, and Darren was too worried about Alex, and was looking at her protectively. (Something that didn’t go unnoticed by their friends).

Valentine's Day crept up on Ben, and before he knew it Brook was knocking on his door, all set for going to the movies.

But when Ben opened the door, Brook took a sudden step backwards in surprise. "Why are you so dressed up?" she asked suspiciously. "We're only going to the movies."

Ben looked down at his fancy attire, then looked deep into Brook's eyes. "I thought we'd actually stay in tonight."

Brook narrowed her eyes, but she was grinning. She followed him in. "Mm, something smells delicious."

"That would be the lobster. Uh, Mom and Dad went out to celebrate Valentine's, so we'll have the house to ourselves."

Ben led her into the kitchen. The table was set for two, and a set of candlesticks flickered its flames in the center.

Ben held a finger up to his lips. "Don't say a word." He pulled out a chair for her, over-dramatically playing his role of gentleman.

At the end of a wonderful evening, Brook stood in Ben's arms on the front porch. "Did you actually cook that meal?" she asked.

"I know," he replied. "Oh, I almost forgot." He pulled something out of his pocket. It was a small velvety case. He handed it to Brook. With an excited look, she opened it slowly.

Inside lay a gold necklace with a small red heart attached at the end. There was an inscription on the heart. It read, "B&B."

Brook looked up into Ben's eyes and shook her head sadly. "Did you think you could bribe me back?" she asked.

Brook laughed. "I know, Ben. I was kidding...kidding. It's lovely. Here, put it on me." She handed him the necklace and he placed it around her neck.

Ben was about to lean in for a kiss when Brook turned and ran down the stairs. She turned and waved. "Talk to you later, Ben!"

With a wry grin, he waved back. He was disappointed to have missed a kiss, but the old Brook was back.

"Yeah, Ben?" Chandler paused his "work" that he had been doing so diligently. His guys froze on the screen halfway through their attack.

"Um...well..." Ben stammered. Why did he have to be picked to ask Chandler? "My grade, well...actually, us grads wanted to ask if you'd be out guest speaker." Having finally gotten it out of his system, Ben collapsed in a chair.

"Oh, I think I can." Chandler tried to sound confident. Public speaking had always scared him, especially after the incident of Ross and Emily's wedding.

"Great!" Ben replied, now comfortable. "I don't have all the details yet but I think you'd get a 10-20 minute spot. Everyone's going to be so excited!" Ben thanked his uncle again before rushing out of the room.

Later that evening, Ben was still in a great mood over Chandler's agreement. Ross and Rachel had been trying to ignore his excitement, but finally at dinner Rachel gave up. "Okay, Ben, what's up?"

"That's great, Ben. I'm sure he'll be able to give an interesting speech." Rachel could remember some of his...more interesting ones.

"I'm on the grad committee at school and so I suggested him for it. Everyone thought it'd be really cool to have him there."

"He would have been there anyway." Ross finally joined the conversation after having sat their watching them. "You know he wouldn't miss your grad, Ben."

"You and Brook are going to have a huge cheering section. Me, your dad, Joey, Joey, Joelana, Chandler, Monica, Alex, Dereck, Phoebe, Philip, Darren, Alicia and Andrew, Brook's parents and family, Erik and the Lionels." Rachel started to talk faster as she became more excited. "Oh, and I'll have to take you shopping for a tux and...Oh, I wonder if Brook will let me help her find a dress...and oh! I can't wait to get a new dress for this..."

"Mom, MOM!!!" Ben interrupted Rachel. "You do realize that it's still four months away."

Chandler was happy that he could help Ben out by speaking at the commencement ceremony, but he wasn't happy that he would have to do it with Monica still afraid of him and unsure of who he was. He wondered when she would come out of it...the doctors had said it could take from several months up to several years. Since she had come home last month Chandler had been submersing Monica in memories as advised by the doctor, but nothing seemed to tweak her mind.

He sighed and shut off his computer game. Maybe it was time for another "session." Chandler made his way up the stairs toward Monica's bedroom and rapped on the door.

Chandler shrugged at the strange greeting, then opened the bedroom door. He found Monica stretched out on her back across the unmade bed, staring studiously at the ceiling, her clothes strewn about the room.

Chandler grabbed a throw blanket off the rocking chair in the corner and hurried toward the bed. "Here, wrap this around yourself."

But as he approached, Monica leaped up so that the bed stood between them, and gazed at him fearfully. "Don't, please don't."

"I'm not going to hurt you," Chandler assured her, frantically grasping for answers to what was going on here. Sure, Monica had acted frightened around him ever since she had been found in January, but she had never been like this.

"You're shivering!" Chandler exclaimed. "Please, put the blanket around yourself!"

Monica wrapped her arms around her frail body, and backed away. "I don't want...no, please. I'll eat! I swear..."

A chill passed down Chandler's spine, freezing him to his very soul. Her strange behaviour perturbed him.

"Leave me alone! Please! Leave me alone!" By now Monica had backed right to the French doors leading out to the balcony. "My legs hurt. That's too tight!"

Then, like an ice cube had been sent down his back, Chandler realised at once that Monica was dazed...perhaps sleep-walking? She wasn't aware of what she was doing...she wasn't aware of where she was or what was going on. It made him wonder, in fact, if maybe Monica was acting out something that had happened to her while she was missing.

Still chilled to the core, Chandler made up his mind that he should stay here. He didn't want Monica to hurt herself. As calmly as was possible, he walked back over to the rocking chair and seated himself there. Then he watched silently as Monica, whimpering, gathered up her clothes and began to dress herself. Then she crawled under the bedcovers and closed her eyes.

"I don't like the sound of this," Detective Goran said, shaking his head as Chandler finished up his recount of Monica's bizarre behaviour from earlier that day. "I really don't."

"I really don't..." he went on. "And yet I do...because I think it will help lead to her kidnappers."

"Just a hunch," the detective replied. "If possible, I'd like to see Monica again. I've been putting it off until she started to get her memory back, but maybe it can't wait. I'm worried, in fact, that if I wait any longer, her memory will return all but for the thoughts of the whole kidnapping episode. And then we'll be completely lost."

Chandler's buried anger at the police rose to the surface. "Well what have you been doing for these two months?" he exclaimed. "Just sitting at your desk eating donuts?!"

"I don't eat donuts," Detective Goran replied with nonchalance. "And no, I haven't just been sitting around. I've had other cases too, actual murder cases. As part of the Major Case Squad, my line of work rarely strays from murders. I got this one, however, because Monica's practically a celebrity. Don't worry, I've been working on it. I've been delving into her past, building up a list of suspects, constantly adding and taking names off."

"Oh...sorry I jumped all over you. It's just that I've had problems with the police over this...they thought Mon had just run off again like she did a couple of years ago." Chandler combed his fingers through his hair. "Can I see the list?"

"Er...I'd rather if you didn't," he replied. "But I can tell you one thing: I'm positive that this crime was not committed by a stalker or fan or stranger. It was a personal crime...someone Monica knows did this."

"Yeah. I've been investigating around the area she was found. I've determined that she was probably not being held in that area, the reason being that if she had been in the same proximity as her kidnappers at that point, they probably would have caught up to her before anyone else. Remember, she was found in the early morning, at about four a.m. when not many people are about. Another one of my guesses is that, since she was found in The Village, her memory probably piloted her there." Glancing through some papers attached to a clipboard, Detective Goran continued. "She used to live there, as did you, I've discovered."

"That's right, we lived in the same apartment building," Chandler said. "So you think that when she left she already had the amnesia and something in her brain told her to go to that area...maybe she remembered it as home or something?"

"Precisely. When I talked to her in the hospital, I asked her if she knew where home was. All I got out of her was that it's in New York, but I'm still pretty sure that that's why she was there. It makes the most sense."

"You're right," Chandler agreed. He stood. "You can drop by tomorrow if you like. Meanwhile I'm going to keep a close eye on Mon. See you later."

"See you." As Chandler left the precinct, Detective Goran stared thoughtfully after him.

Breaking into a cold sweat, Monica shot straight up in her bed, waking from an already invisible nightmare. It haunted her silently until she realised that her nightmare was real - she still didn't have an identity, and she still didn't have a life. It seemed as though she would always be condemned to this prison - a lock of knowledge and a mind held in utter black.

Checking the searing red numerals of the clock radio beside the bed, Monica felt a biting chill crawling along her neck. It was 1:59 a.m. She watched with horror as it clicked to 2:00. For what seemed to be the hundredth time in a row, she had once again woken to this...this soul-wrenching time. Wondering why the time of two a.m. seemed to control her sleeping patterns, Monica dove under her quilt, hiding from the ever-gazing eye of what seemed to be a demon staring through her. Though Monica was confused about this persistent feeling, she was sure that there was something very male about the demon. It was true. Ever since she had woken from peace to this symbolic death, Monica had been terrified of men. She felt helpless around them, as if at any moment they could harm her and she would be unable to defend herself against their wrath.

Monica moaned. As usual, her fear would not be allowing her to sleep again that night.

Monica didn't know quite how to answer Detective Goran’s question. After a hefty pause she replied truthfully. "Every night I wake up at two a.m. I don't know why."

Detective Goran nodded. He could see by the heavy bags under her eyes that Monica had been losing a lot of sleep.

"That's because you were asleep." He smiled. "Did he tell you exactly what you were doing while sleepwalking?"

"Mm-hmm...he told me that it seemed as if someone was attacking you in your imagination." The detective pulled a notepad from his pocket and flipped through it. "You said your legs were hurt...do they hurt now?"

"I didn't expect you to. But do you remember taking a cab to the area of your old apartment building the morning you were found?"

"Well, I phoned a bunch of taxi companies and found a record of a woman fitting your description taking a cab from outside The Ritz to that place. You don't remember that at all?" When Monica shook her head, he went on. "I have an appointment with the cabby who made the claim for this afternoon. I may find out more then. I also wanted to ask you a bit of a personal question. You don't have to answer if you don't want to, but have you been scared of men lately?"

"A little," she admitted. "I know it's stupid. I don't even know you. I don't even know Chandler. So why should I be frightened?"

"Oh no, it's not stupid at all," he assured her. "You've been through a lot of trauma. And don't feel bad about it, because it may help me find your imaginary attacker from yesterday." He rose. "Good luck with your memory, Ms. Geller. I don't think I'll need to talk to you again, at least for awhile."

He met Chandler on his way out. "I got what I wanted out of her," he told Chandler, "but I doubt her memory loss will actually help me much. I have some good tips, and I'm working off those."

"I wanted to ask you though...I know this wouldn't be hard evidence, but I still need your opinion. Do you suspect that Monica was sexually abused while she was missing? I mean, based on her actions from yesterday."

Chandler's stomach somersaulted. He had guessed as much, but hadn't cared for the idea at all. "It crossed my mind," he gulped. "What do you think?"

"It's possible," Detective Goran confided. "It would explain her sudden fear of men. Here's another one for you...had Monica's eating habits changed much from usual before she disappeared? I'm asking because the doctor's records showed that she had gained ten pounds between last September and when she was found."

"Well," Chandler replied, "I don't remember her over-eating before she disappeared. But I did notice that she hasn't been eating as much as usual lately. She eats very little each day, in fact. And except for the barest of meals and trips to the hospital, Mon's been staying shut up in her room. It's devastating for my kids, especially Alex."

"I'm sorry," Detective Goran said soothingly. "I'm sure things will be smoothed over soon enough. One more thing: are you aware of how many times Monica has been bathing each day?"

Chandler sighed. "I was wondering if I should tell you. Every time she strays from her room she's more of a mess than the last time - hair elfed in knots, dirty clothes, and not the most pleasant smell about her. It's so unlike my old Monica."

He let himself out, and drove straight toward the cab company. The cabby’s name was Alfred. He shook hands heartily with the detective upon his arrival, seemingly quite excited to be involved.

After introducing himself, Detective Goran showed a picture of Monica to Alfred. "Is this the woman you picked up outside the Ritz on January 18th at four a.m.?"

"Eh...yeah, that's her. Add a few pounds and muss her hair a bit and that's her."

"Well see, that's the strange part. At first she said she wanted to go to Magik Mountain - the amusement park, you know. But then on the way, she suddenly asked me to let her out, so I did."

"Well, ah, she paid in cash and we only have to record it when our customers use Fast Cab to pay - you know, that little card that we swipe and it automatically pays the fee."

"I thought it would be the other way around," the detective commented. "Especially with the recent counterfeit operations going on here in New York."

"Why did you lie?" He glared down at the short, slightly-balding man, hoping to intimidate him into honesty.

"Man...I'm sorry. I just didn't want her to get into trouble. My boss has really been cracking down on people who don't pay. That's why I recorded her description - we're required to if someone gets away without paying. He keeps contacts with the police because it's usually those people who don't pay us that end up being juvenile criminals or something. When my boss told me why you were coming, I didn't want you to think that maybe she had faked her kidnapping or something."

Detective Goran stared at him suspiciously. Most people didn't protect those that ripped them off. He went on to a different question. "Did she say anything else while in the taxi?"

"She kept muttering about her faith. How it had let her down in her darkest hour or something. Nothing important, I'm sure. It's her personal business if she thinks her religion didn't help her when she needed it or whatever."

"You're an intelligent man," Alfred said meaningfully. "I'm sure if it means anything, you'll be the one to figure it out."

"Mm-hmm," he replied, doubtful of Alfred's sincerity. He really was a poor actor, if he was acting. "Well thank you for your time. I'll be in touch."

As Detective Goran began to leave, Alfred licked his lips and walked in the opposite direction, towards a bathroom. The detective stole one last glance at the man before he disappeared behind the bathroom door.

Ben had a particularly spry step as he jogged up the steps to Brook’s door. He was excited at Chandler’s agreement to speak at their commencement ceremony, and couldn’t wait to tell Brook. He had some other news for her, too, but he wasn’t sure she would appreciate it as much - he figured that while he had the news about Chandler as a buffer, he should tell her both at once.

Brook’s father answered the door. “Hey, Ben. Come on in. Brook’s upstairs studying. You can go on up.”

“Okay, thanks.” Ben slipped out of his shoes and went up to Brook’s room. The door was closed, and music was blaring from her stereo. She evidently didn’t hear his knocking, so Ben invited himself in. Brook was sprawled on her bed poring over a chemistry textbook.

She looked up and gave Ben a wry smile. She turned down her music, then replied. “Not exactly. Just for a unit test. But I’m hoping to start around prom time in a month. So what’s up?”

“Well actually, I came to talk to you about that prom time. I have good news - Chandler has agreed to speak at commencement.”

“Oh, Ben, that’s fantastic!” She leaped up and threw her arms around his neck. “I’m so excited - everyone will be!”

Ben beamed. “Yeah, I was pretty pleased with myself. Um…I have some other news, too.”

Brook backed off and looked at him intently. “Well? What is it? You don’t look as excited about that.”

“Oh! Oh, I am,” Ben assured her. “But I’m just not sure you’ll be excited about it. See - I applied to the New York Film Academy, and I’ve been accepted there.”

Brook fell back on her bed in utter shock. “Well - well you’re not going to go there, right? I mean, you got accepted at NYU, too.”

“Well, actually…yes I am. Brook this is what I really want to do. Please understand.” He leaned down over her and put on an obscure puppy-dog face.

She glared back up at him and pushed him away, rolling over on to her stomach. Her words were muffled by her quilt and Ben could hear her sniffles. “No, Ben, I don’t understand. You never told me this before - here I’ve been planning all the great things we’d do together living on the NYU campus - and you’re not even going to go there!”

“But Brook, we’ll still see each other on the weekends and in the evenings-”

“No! You say that now, but it will never work out that way. We’ll plan times to get together, but we’ll have different friends, and sooner or later we’ll drift apart. It’ll never work, it’ll simply never work. You can’t go there, Ben.”

An angry fire forced its way up Ben’s throat. He couldn’t deal with this childishness any longer. “Who are you to tell me where I’ll go to school?” he accused. “It’s really none of your business anyway. I’m sorry I even told you. I knew you would get upset.”

Brook sat up, hugging her pillow. “Oh, you knew, did you? Do you think I’m some sort of monster who’ll bite your head off if you come near?”

“I didn’t think you’d be trying to control my decisions like this. I thought you loved me enough to support me in this.”

“I thought you loved me. But you obviously don’t. It’s either me or the school, Ben. Take your pick.”

“You think I’d give up my dreams and goals just for some female companionship? You’re sadly mistaken, Brook.”

In dire frustration, Brook flung her pillow at the door behind Ben, then broke down in sobs.

"I know! I think I know who did it, but I'm not sure...I'm almost at the end. I can't wait to find out if I'm right!" Katie's face was lit up with total content, and Alex couldn't help but feel a warm glow. It made her happy that Katie was happy here.

Katie nodded, and Alex seated herself on the edge of the bed beside Katie. "So what's up, Alex?"

"Well...Katie, I'm sorry, but I told my dad that you were here. And he thinks that you should go into foster care."

"I'm sorry, Katie. But I agree with him! You can't stay here with us forever. I - I asked him if he would adopt you, but he feels like we have enough family problems. Not that you're a problem, Katie, but with my mom in the hospital and everything! You understand?"

Katie nodded. "I do understand, Alex. You guys have a ton of stuff to worry about. I'm just being an extra burden by staying here."

"Oh, no, it's not that, Katie. You're welcome to stay as long as is necessary." Alex's face burned. She just felt terrible doing this, and horribly embarrassed now that Chandler hadn't said yes that Katie could stay forever. But when she thought of it, it really would not work. "I'll go with you to talk to social services, Katie. I want to help you as much as I can."

"That might work." Katie's face was solemn, but Alex could see she was fighting back tears.

Alex left before she could make Katie feel even more unwelcome. She knew that her friend was nervous about staying with strangers. It was something that no one should have to do, in an ideal world. But it had to be done in this situation.

Katie stared at the closed bedroom door blankly. Her life was changing so much, and she felt she had no control over how it changed. When she had run to Alex, that had been her own decision; she was free to do as she wished with her life. Though as she thought those words, Katie realised that it was with that very attitude that her sister Karen had attempted suicide more than once. She mustn't let herself fall into that trap of complete control.

Katie replied, and was surprised to find that this time her caller was not Alex, but Erik.

"Listen, I just talked to Alex, and she said you might be feeling a bit nervous about talking to social services and finding a foster family. If that's the case, I might be able to help you out."

"How?" Katie whispered. It felt like her feelings were hopeless, and she would never be able to overcome them.

Gently, he went on. "It's not that big of a deal, honestly. The people who act as foster parents are very loving and caring individuals. I never...er, rarely, had a bad experience as a foster child. My parents were great, and I usually had other kids to play with and talk to when I felt down. The last foster family I was with, I stayed with for about three years, and I'm keeping in touch with them now. There were four other kids there, two little boys and a girl of about your age. While I was there I was like a big brother to them, and I think my foster parents were sad that I finally decided to leave since I had such a profound impact on the kids' lives."

"Do you think that whoever I'll be staying with will have an older brother or sister? I miss my sister."

Alex had recently told Erik all about Katie's situation, including the part about her suicidal older sibling. He went on, choosing his words carefully. "I'm not sure. I'm sorry you're apart from your sister, though. Maybe once you're settled she could come and visit you. Or...maybe live with you."

He planned on going with Katie and Alex the following day. Perhaps then he would be given the opportunity to tell social services about Karen Chilton and get her help as well.

Interrupting them, Sweep came ripping into the room. Eyes wide, Erik leaped onto a chair to avoid her. Sweep, however, went straight to Katie and put her paw up on her lap.

At Katie's curious stare, Erik laughed nervously. "I'm - not too fond of dogs." He stepped down from the chair and began to creep toward the door. "So I'll talk to you more tomorrow, Katie. I hope you feel a bit better about it now."

Erik quickly slipped out the door, closing it behind him. He gave a sigh of relief, then headed back to his own room.

It was settled the next day. At social services there was a short and demanding list of foster families willing to accept another child, and the woman that they talked to was able to speak with one of them about a date for them to take Katie in.

After things were ironed out, Erik asked Alex and Katie to wait in the car outside.

"Listen," he said to the woman, "her sister has still been living with her parents: the drug addict and the child abuser. She's seventeen now, but she needs to get out of there before she turns eighteen. She's attempted suicide twice that I know of. Katie was smart enough to escape from that home situation, but I don't about Karen. She needs help. Anyway, I have their address." He removed it from his pocket. "She needs out as soon as possible."

The woman nodded vigorously. "Oh, yes, I agree. We'll send someone over as soon as possible. She may want to press charges against her father for abuse."

Erik seriously doubted it from all he had heard from Alex. But he nodded, anyway. "Oh, and, if it's possible, do you think she could stay with the same family as Katie? I know Katie would love that."

"I'll see what I can do," she replied. "Thanks for bringing Katie in. I'll be coming over to the Bing household next week to collect her and take her to the Bernards’. The foster kids they already have attend the same school as Katie does, so at least she won't have the trauma of a change of friends and school environment."

“Oh, hello,” Alex greeted Brook. “Ben’s not here right now. But you can still come in if you want.” She held the door open wider to allow Brook entrance.

“Thanks.” She stepped into the foyer. “But I’m not here to see Ben. Is Erik home?”

She winced as Alex nodded and led her down the stairs towards Erik’s room. Apparently Alex didn’t know about her break up with Ben - well, it wasn’t up to Brook to tell her, so she kept her mouth shut.

Erik shook his head. “Alex loves you, Brook! I don’t think Ben is in the right position to break another heart right now. He told Chandler though…and Monica doesn’t know who you are, so…”

Brook snorted. “You think he broke my heart? Hardly! He really means nothing to me, Erik. I hope I broke his heart, though. He deserves it.”

“Um…if you don’t have feelings for him, then why are you wearing the necklace he gave you on Valentine’s Day?”

Brook’s hand flew to her throat. She gulped. “I-I’d forgotten all about that. I forgot he gave it to me. It was just a bribe to get me back, just like I told him then - I was joking then, of course, but now I realize it was the truth.” She undid the necklace’s clasp and tossed it to Erik. “Here, take it. I have no use for it.”

“I’m sure you can find something to do with it,” Brook replied nonchalantly. “Anyway, I should probably tell you why I’m here. I wanted to ask you if you’d escort me to my prom.”

“I realize I’m a few years younger than you are, but you’re my friend and I’ve got no one to take me.”

“Oh, who cares about Ben?” Brook cried. “This is my life, and he’s got nothing to do with it anymore! He took his dibs on me away when he chose New York Film Academy over me.”

“But I know he still cares for you,” Erik said firmly. “It wouldn’t be fair to him for me to take you to the prom. I’m sure you two can work things out and end up going together.”

“I seriously doubt that, Erik,” she replied. “Know why? Because I won’t let that happen. I don’t want him, Erik. And he doesn’t want me. It’s that simple. Would I have given you that necklace if I really cared about him? We’re not going to work things out, and I want you to come with me.”

Brook shot him an evil glare. “He doesn’t want another chance, Erik. Now will you take me or not? A simple “yes” or “no” will suffice. I’ll find someone else if you won’t.”

“Okay, okay! I’ll go! But let me break it to Ben. Don’t you go flaunting it in his face…he already doesn’t really want to go.”

“That’s him for you,” Brook agreed. “Always the spoilsport. Well, thanks, Ben, see you!”

Erik stared after her. He wondered if she realised she had just called him “Ben.”

Arriving home from work early one morning, Erik went about his usual routine of reading the paper with a cup of coffee before he went to sleep. It was four o'clock and no one else in the household yet stirred, except for Monica who lay awake silently in her bed, but Erik of course was unaware of that.

After starting the coffee maker, he opened the paper and began to glance over the headlines, looking for the most interesting.

Erik leaped from his seat and ran up the stairs, taking three at a time. When he reached the upper level, he pounded on Chandler's door. "Mr. Bing! Wake up! Wake up!"

A few moments later, a groggy Chandler opened the door and looked questioningly at Erik. "This better be good."

"It's better than good...it's better than great...oh...Mr. Bing, someone has been arrested in Ms. Geller's kidnapping!"

Detective Goran stood menacingly, glaring across the table in the interrogation room at the woman and her defence lawyer.

"Aw, come on, what kind of a question is that, Goran?" the lawyer scoffed. "That's just pathetic."

"Your little games have not only destroyed Monica Geller's mind and her family, but they've landed you in prison. How do you like the facilities at Riker's? Are they enough to your liking? I hope so, ‘cause you're going to be there for a very long time."

"No she's not," the lawyer disagreed, "because you don't have a case. You have absolutely no evidence. You don't even have any witnesses! Oh, pardon me, you do have one, but she's experiencing a bit of memory loss."

"And who's fault is that?" Detective Goran growled, looking straight at the woman.

"Not my client's," the lawyer went on. She removed a blue folder from her brief case and handed it to the quiet prosecutor standing in the corner. "Motion to exclude Monica Geller from your witness list. I intend to prove that she's faking her amnesia. And when I do, I'll hit Judge Kripp with a dismissal motion. Come, Faith, we're done here."

Faith stood up, finally returning the detective's hard glare. She left the room, followed closely by her lawyer.

"We hardly have enough to keep her in Riker's," the prosecutor, Henry Sweeney, said to Detective Goran. "This isn't going to work out as well as you're hoping, Goran."

"What are you talking about?" he exclaimed. "We have the testimony of five doctors that Monica's not faking it."

"And DeCarlo will show up with fifteen doctors that top ours in prestige and will testify that she IS faking it. We're not going to last ten seconds out there."

"Well, fine, maybe we can't prove the assault charges, but what does that have to do with the kidnapping?"

"They go hand in hand," Sweeney replied. "I'm sorry, but we really don't have a case."

"But I can prove what she's done," Goran continued. "All I need to do is get her alone without Anne DeCarlo."

As Sweeney left the interrogation room, Goran flopped down in his chair. He glared into the mirror. It would take a few days, but he'd be able to get Faith alone with him - and then he'd get her. He'd get her AND her accomplice.

When I was interrogating you the other day, I couldn't help but notice that you looked a lot different from the picture that they put in the paper of you. You must be a master of disguise...but more to the point, a great actress. My cousin is a casting director, and he's looking for someone to play the part of Lady Macbeth in his latest movie, a modern version of Macbeth. Not only that, but he's been looking for someone exactly like you. When he saw your picture in the paper, he was absolutely astounded. Since you'll be getting out of Riker's soon, I told him I'd see what I could do since I already know you. If you're interested, please come and see me at the precinct as soon as you get out. Sweeney told me he was going to drop the charges against you, so you should be free as a bird soon.

Detective Goran looked up from his computer to see Faith Flood standing in front of him. A flash of satisfaction crossed through his mind, and he smiled. Then he rose and offered his hand.

"Uh, yes. Yes, that's right, I wrote you that note. Just a second." He picked up a clipboard from his desk, the nodded toward the interrogation room. "Let's go in there. We'll have more privacy."

"Oh, yes," Faith replied eagerly. "I've waited all my life for a role like that of Lady Macbeth."

"Really?" Detective Goran looked at her curiously. "I thought you had recently had a role quite similar to that. Er, what I mean to say is, what's the biggest role you've ever had as an actress?"

Faith threw her head back and laughed. She had a hideous laugh. "As an actress? Detective, I've been an actress all my life. My whole identity isn't actually mine. I rarely act to reflect my true emotions. My actions are always deceiving...my face always a mask."

"Interesting..." He looked her up and down. "Yes, you're just the kind of person he's looking for. Perfect!"

"What do you mean? Have you been around someone like my cousin before? And they were stupid enough to ignore your great ability? That's hard to believe," the detective scoffed.

"Chandler Bing!" Faith cried. "Can you believe it? There I was, baby-sitting his little brat of a daughter at her birthday party, watching her every move for horrible pay...I even used one of my ingenious disguises! But he never realised that I would be the perfect actress for his movie. I offered my services as a 'bodyguard' when I found out that there was still an opening for a character in 'Queen of Hearts,' the wife of the character he was playing. But then he chose his precious Monica to play the part, even though she's not even an actress!"

He raised his eyebrows. His suspicions were being confirmed. When he had linked up the word "faith" with "Magik Mountain" by delving into the past on the Internet, he had found an article about Chandler's long-lost daughter's big birthday bash at Magik Mountain, and how he and Monica had hired two bodyguards to watch the kids. One had been named Faith Flood, the other Frank Hardy. Then he had done some digging on the pair, and found that both had tried out for dozens of Broadway plays and New York based television shows, but had never made it. That's what had tipped him off that they had played the role of bodyguard in order to get in close with the big producer/director Chandler Bing. But at that Hardy's trail dissipated and he could find no trace of a Frank Hardy anywhere but in the Hardy Boys series of books. "So let me get this straight...the biggest role you've EVER played was only a BABYSITTER? Come on, Faith. This is Macbeth...Lady Macbeth. You've read the play, I assume?"

Detective Goran continued. "Lady Macbeth...the perfect criminal. She greedily and spontaneously convinces her husband to commit the darkest of sins, then must live with the horror of it all in her nightmares. 'Out out, damned spot!' I think my cousin is looking for someone with a little more experience as a criminal than you." He stood up and started for the door. "I think maybe I'd better withdraw the offer. I don't want my cousin to laugh in my face when I give him such an inexperienced actress."

Detective Goran feigned shock. "What do you mean?" He paused. "Oh wait a minute, you mean because you were arrested. That doesn't mean you're a criminal! The charges were dropped, remember?"

She laughed that horrible laugh. "Well maybe they shouldn't have been dropped. Little do you realize, my friend, but I actually did plan and execute the kidnapping of Monica Geller."

"What are you talking about?" the detective asked in false disbelief. "That wasn't you! It couldn't have been...we had no evidence proving that."

"Come on, you're gonna have to do better that, Miss Flood," Detective Goran replied. "You're just saying that so you can win me over and make me put in a good word with my cousin."

"I can't," he said, shaking his head. "I simply can't. I read your lawyer's motions, and she did such a good job explaining everything, that she convinced me, anyway. And obviously Sweeney too, since he immediately dropped the charges. He didn't even want to bother taking up the judge's time."

"No, she was lying! That's what defence lawyers are supposed to do, that's why she was so good at it! I really did it, I really did."

"Oh, yeah? Explain to me every detail of the crime, then, and maybe then I'll believe you. Like, for example, why would you kidnap her in the first place?"

"Because the damned woman had everything!" Faith snapped. "I would do anything to find that my old boyfriend, father of my child, was a Hollywood sex symbol with millions in the bank and the key to my career as an actress. But he's not...he's a cab driver, and he's an ugly little bastard."

"But Faith, money can't be a problem with you. I mean, when I got a subpoena on your bank statements, it said that you had over ninety thousand dollars in there."

"You want to know why?" she challenged him. "You'll find out in a minute...let me finish my story."

"The stupid woman wouldn't accept Chandler as her husband. She kept leading him on, running away and refusing his hand in marriage. And all the while she was drawing more attention to herself. Like what the hell was her problem? Could she not see what was being given to her? Where I come from, there's a saying: 'Never look a gift horse in the mouth.' But she obviously didn't come from where I come from. And can you believe she fired me just so she could rub away from her problems? I was so insulted. I wanted to take it all away...I wanted to destroy that. When I was working as a bodyguard for them, I could hardly stand being around her every day...her and her perfect life. If she went downtown and auditioned for Cats, she'd get in with the snap of Chandler Bing's fingers. But if I audition, I get laughed out of the building. Can you understand how embarrassing that is? But not Monica...she has the perfect life."

"You're right, she does," the detective agreed when Faith paused. "Damn her, she did. But not anymore." Faith smirked. "I sent her a letter, an old song from the nineties that described my feelings perfectly. I wanted to freak her out before we kidnapped her. Then, on New Year's Eve, we climbed up the balcony into her bedroom and held a gun to her head. Ohhh...it's so nice to have that power." She glanced at Detective Goran's gun on his belt. "Maybe I should've been a police officer...but I was meant to be an actress. We took her to an old warehouse on his company's property. Then we tortured her for two blissful weeks."

"Of course. Frank Hardy. He'd do anything to have me back. Even help me with the kidnapping. I mean, look at how beautiful I am. Look at how smart I am. Look at what an excellent actress I am. And he's a short, bald, bespectacled piece of crap."

"No..." Faith smiled across the table at Detective Goran. "My favourite part of the whole operation. Frank was at my beck and call...I ordered him to rape her. Ah, it was fun to watch her suffer and to see him do that for me. I've never been so pleased. I also made him force her to eat...she gained a ton of weight...she's not as beautiful as me anymore."

"To get rid of any evidence of Frank, duh...wait a second, how did you know about that?"

He patted his gun. "I'm a detective, remember? When Chandler told me that she hadn't been bathing or eating much, I guessed that she had done a lot of both of those things while gone missing. It's common in such situations that the victim will stop frequent activities that helped traumatise them once out of the traumatic situation."

"But please go on, Miss Flood," he encouraged her, not wanting her to stop now. "It's amusing me."

At that Faith clenched her fists. "'Amusing' you? Do you think I'm funny, Detective Goran? Do you think I'm simply putting on a show for you?"

"Well if you are, you're putting on a damn good one," he confessed. "Even if you're making it all up, I'm convinced my cousin will applaud your performances."

"His name is Marc Harding, and he's currently doing time for rape. You two should get along very well. Would you please stand up, Faith Flood?" As he hand-cuffed the woman with bright red hair, he began to mirandize her. "You're under arrest for kidnap, assault and battery, extortion, and rape."

Katie looked up from her book into Darren's sympathetic face. "Pretty good, thanks," she replied.

It was lunch time at school, and Katie was just reading until her friends showed up. "Where's Alex?" she asked.

"Well, it seems they caught her mother's kidnappers this morning, and she didn't show up today. I'm not sure exactly why, but I guess it's kind of a big deal. Maybe they had to go talk to the D.A. about Monica testifying at the sentencing hearing and stuff. Whatever. Jane and the rest are on their way."

Darren wanted to know more about Katie's foster family, but she clammed up. Soon the rest of their friends joined them at the table.

She grinned. "No, I guess not. It's too bad, but I'm still proud of the whole Hans Gentil thing. I nearly broke my arm by patting myself on the back so much, though."

Jane giggled. "Well Alex should be happy that that jerk is going to prison, at least."

Katie tuned out the conversation. She had more important things to think about. She didn't mean to push Darren's questions away so abruptly, but things weren't going so well, and she didn't really want people to know. Mr. and Mrs. Bernard were also fostering Suzie Sire from the eighth grade and a high school boy named Ronald Beiseker, and they certainly would not go out of their way to be overly kind to Katie. The Bernards were very kind, however, so they sort of made up for Suzie and Ronald's meanness. Still, Katie felt out of place. She wanted parents to call her own, to love her, not only 'foster' her. She sighed. Oh well. If Erik could stand it for his entire life, she could live in foster care for a few years until she graduated from high school.

"So they arrested Faith Flood again Tuesday, and Frank Hardy a.k.a. Alfred Fisher yesterday," Philip told his wife as he refolded up the newspaper.

Phoebe's eyes widened. "Those people who were acting as Alex's bodyguards a few years ago? That's so scary...I wonder why it all happened. I feel so bad for Mon..."

"Yeah," Philip agreed. "And it turns out it was one of those jobs where one of the conspirators turns in his accomplice. The detective's major hint to Flood was when he talked to Hardy in disguise as Alfred Fisher. He dropped a bunch of clues for the detective to follow straight to Faith Flood. Apparently he was disgusted with her for taking all the ransom money and keeping it from him. He was so mad, in fact, that evidently he helped Monica escape. He just loaded her in his cab one morning - he's a taxi driver - and dumped her in the west village. And something Flood said tipped the detective off about Fisher actually being Frank Hardy."

"That's quite the story," Phoebe commented. "It's hard to believe it actually happened."

"The doctor will see you now," she went on, and led them to a small doctor's office down a long sterile hallway. The nurse left them then and they continued their silent conversation there.

When Dr. Guisewite finally entered the room, Phoebe flinched. His face was grim, and that could only worry her.

"Ms. Lombard, I regret that I have to tell you this, but...you won't be able to have children anymore."

"There were complications caused by the triplets that were seemingly invisible until we took these tests. I'm sorry that you can't have any more children."

Phoebe looked at him and said through her tears, "I wish you'd stop saying that. I have no children."

"She was surrogate mother for her brother and his wife fifteen years ago," he explained. "After we were married in 2006, we tried to become pregnant, but we never could. That's why we came in for the tests. We wanted to find out if something was wrong."

Dr. Guisewite nodded somberly. "I'm sorry that your suspicions have been confirmed. I do, however, have many ties to people in adoption services, and if you're interested in looking into that it won't be a problem."

Phoebe shook her head. "I want my own children," she said bitingly. "It's not fair. Well at least now I get to tell Joey that this was a selfless good deed - look what it's done to me."

For the next few days, Philip watched helplessly as his wife dug herself deeper and deeper into a perpetual depression. He tried to approach her, but she ignored him, allowing the utter self-pity envelop her mind and heart. Finally, as the fourth day drew to a close, Philip commanded her attention.

“Phoebe,” he said seriously, holding her chin and staring deep into her eyes. “I have something to say to you.”

She shrugged. “So say it already.” Her voice was a saddening monotone, and her vacant eyes seemed to stare right through Philip.

“I think we should consider adoption,” he said. “It’s a very good option for us at this point in our lives. We can’t have our own children, so if you ask me adopting a kid who really needs loving parents right now is the next best thing, if not better.”

“What!?” Phoebe leaped up and shoved Philip back. “That is what you have to say to me? Something insulting like that? Philip, I want my own children. If I can’t have that, then I don’t want anything or anyone.”

“Oh, come on, Phoebes.” Philip shook his head sorrowfully. “Grow up. I mean it.”

“I never should have had those kids for my brother,” Phoebe cried. “I mean, I rarely even get to see them - three children that I carried around in my uterus for nine months…well, more than that, even! They loved me so much that they were overdue. Dammit, they didn’t want to leave me and go to them! I’m a better mother than Alice. Even the triplets knew that!”

“Exactly!” Philip snapped his fingers. “I think you’ve got it now, sweetie. My point is exactly that: you would be - no, you are a wonderful mother. The best mother! And here you’re letting your talents waste away as you wallow in your depression…you have the chance to put them to use, Phoebes. I think you should take that chance.”

Sighing, Phoebe fell back into a chair. “I know you mean well, Philip. I’m sorry I yelled at you.” A tear rolled down her cheek, and she whispered, “But it’s just not the same thing.”

“Okay, what’s up, Rach?” Ross demanded smilingly. “I’ve never known you to call a family meeting before…”

“Yeah, no kidding, Mom,” Ben agreed. “Hurry up with the big news already.” At the moment he was wallowing in self-pity and anger at Brook, and he did not feel like facing his parents. He had recently learned of Brook’s plans to attend the prom with Erik. How dare she? He wasn’t even planning on going at all, and she had found herself a date as if they had never existed as a couple. And Erik…the traitor. Now Ben realised that he had been right about Erik from the beginning - first moving in on his cousin, now his girlfriend. It made Ben want to scream out to the world all his welled up rage. But for now, he’d have to swallow it back and smile for his mother as she excitedly held the family meeting.

“Well…” Rachel grinned. “I don’t know quite how to tell you two this. It’s quite shocking, really. I just hope you’re as happy as I am.”

She nodded, a wide smile across her face. “And - and that’s not all.” She glanced over at the silent Ben. “I’m going to have twins.”

“I feel the same way,” Rachel murmured, giggling. “Er, how do you feel about this, Ben?”

Ben stood up and started for the door. “It’s great news, Mom. Congratulations, you two.” He knew he sounded as if he wasn’t happy for them; he really was, but he just couldn’t show it with the way his own life had been going lately - down the toilet, that is.

“Alex?” Chandler walked up the stairs to her room as he called her name. He knew Mon would be upset that he had decided to interrupt her studying o tell her the news, but he couldn’t wait. He knew she’d be excited.

“Alex?” he called again as he neared her room. He knocked on the door and when she didn’t answer he opened the door.

As soon as Alex heard her door being open she leapt into action. She frantically clicked the stop button then the monitor button before jumping back onto her bed and grabbing her math text.

“Clap, Clap,” she glanced over at herdoor to see her father calpping at her antics while leaning on the door jam. “I’d give you a 5.6,” Chandler told her, a look of serious concentration on his face. “The computer was quick and soundless, but you’re still wearing the earphones, with no discman attached. AND you’re math text is upside down.”

Alex blushed as Chandler walked into her room and sat down beside her on the bed. “Are you going to tell mom?” Alex asked worriedly, knowing that her mom would be very upset to find out she hadn’t been studying.

“No, don’t worry about it. I’m actually not suppose to be up here,” Chandler admitted. “I just heard about a new project that’s going on and they would like you to come audition. I told them that you could go down tomorrow after your test, that is, if you would like to.”

“What’s it for?” Alex questioned, not sure if she wanted to take on any more than she already had. Besides, summer was coming up and she was dying for a break.

“A new TV show. It’s very last minute, and they need to cast people in the next two weeks so they can have the pilot filmed by the end of June. If you got it, you’d just be expected to film the pilot now, and the other episodes wouldn’t be filmed until late August if the show gets picked up.” Chandler told her, guessing what she was thinking. “It won’t ruin your summer vacation.”

“What’s the tv show on?” Alex was quite curious. There were so many strange tv shows on lately that she was wondering what kind of new one had been thought of.

“Well...” Chandler trailed off as he tried to think of how to explain it. “Do you know the story of Romeo and Juliet?” Alex nodded. “Well, I believe it’s about two families who live in the same city and don’t get along. One’s very well off and the other is lower middle class, almost poor. Both families have kids that attend the same school. (It’s a small town so there’s only one school.) It’s about the families dealings with each other and the situations around them. I’m not sure what family the character you’ll be auditioning for is in.”

“Can I think about it?” Alex asked Chandler. “I... I need to decide where my life is going first.”

Chandler nodded and left, thinking just how mature Alex was for her age. Given, she still played nintendo and acted like a kid, but when it came to making decisions it often seemed like you were talking to an adult.

Exactly two weeks later Alex received her phone call about the audition. She’d decided after thinking it over for a while that she couldn’t give up acting as it was her passion first and foremost. So she had told Chandler that she’d take the audition and before she knew it she was reading for the producers.

She had to admit that she was surprised that she got the part, even though everyone else had been telling her that it was given she’d get it. She hadn’t acted for the last couple years and had been afraid that she might have been a “one hit” kind of actor. Luckily for her, she wasn’t and she was set to star in what she hoped would be the next hit comedy series.

The day after the phone call had arrived, Alex found herself sitting around a large conference table with many others. There was going to be a short meeting in which all the cast were going to meet and receive the scripts for the pilot.

Alex looked up when she heard her name being called out. “Alex what’re you doing here?”

“Darren!” Alex looked at her best friend in shock. “What are you doing here?”

“Okay everybody, would you please take a seat?” The producer called out, and everyone hurried into the chairs. Alex and Darren sat next to each other, excited to be once again working together. Who could predict what this new series could hold in store for the two.

Phoebe sucked in her breath as she tiptoed into the livingroom where Philip was dozing on the couch in front of a noisy hockey game. As she flicked off the set, his head snapped up.

“Nope, it’s three to one now. Anyway, now that you know the score you won’t be needing this.” Phoebe shoved the remote into her back pocket.

Philip grabbed for it, but she leaped out of his reach and he was too lazy to fight for it. He conceded. “All right, what’s up?”

Pacing back and forth through the room, Phoebe gathered her thoughts before replying hesitantly. “Well, I’ve been thinking about all you said a few nights ago…you know, about adoption.” She began to sit down on the couch, but then gave a harsh yelp. “What the hell is in my pocket?!” Phoebe grabbed the remote out of her back pocket and flung it across the room, then sat again, quietly. “And since Rachel told everyone that she’s pregnant…well…I’ve been thinking that I’d like to give it a try. I want children, Philip, too badly to pass up this opportunity.”

Slowly, a smile crossed Philip’s stern face. This was what he wanted, too. “Oh, Phoebes, this is wonderful.” He stood, forgetting all about being tired, pulling Phoebe after him. He held her in his arms. “Just so long as you realize this is a big responsibility - we can’t just ‘give it a try,’ as you worded it. Adopting a child is an all or nothing deal.”

Phoebe nodded. “I know, Phil. I’m willing to do that - I’ll give everything I’ve got plus a whole lot more.”

Philip smiled down at her. “Let’s do this then. And I think I know the perfect kid…”

“Joey,” Joey sat down beside her husband who was holding a sleeping Joelana. He’d been watching a cartoon with Joelana, but she’d fallen asleep early on. Joey, on the other hand had become totally engrossed in Monsters Inc. and so instead of stopping the movie and taking Joelana up to her bed, he’d continued to sit there watching the movie by himself. “Joey,” Joey tried again to get her husbands attention.

“Yes dear?” Joey replied, eyes never straying from the screen. “Hey!” Gjoey had grabbed the control and switched the tv off. “What’s up?”

“Whoa... slow down...” Joey paused, his face contorted in confusion. After a second he started nodding as he figured out what she had said. “Why?”

“Yeah, don’t you ever wish you could spend more time with her. I mean look at Monica, her kids adore her. They were both heartbroken when she disappeared. I... I often wonder if Joelana would be as upset if I disappear.”

“Joey....” Joey shook his head. “Joelana WOULD be that upset. I’m sure of it. So we’re not with her 24/7 but that’s okay. That’s actually good. We wouldn’t want her growing up not knowing what it’s like being independent. You can’t give up acting. Besides Joelana and, of course, me, it’s what you live for. Just think of how many upset people there would be in the world if you quit. Anyway, look at Chandler. Alex and Dereck love him to pieces as well and he’s not always around. I don’t think you need to quit at all. What we need to do is make sure that the three of us spend Q-time with each other everyday.”

“I suppose so,” Gjoey replied, still looking unsure. “I... I think I need to think about it some more first.” Gjoey looked down at her daughter. She’d do anything for her daughter’s happiness, but was she willing to give up her career? Her career was, as Joey had said, one of the three things she lived for.

"I don't know if I can do this." There were butterflies fluttering anxiously in Chandler’s stomach. His heart was pounding, his mouth was dry. He remembered from way back, long ago, Phoebe saying that it's harder to sing in front of kids because they listen. He was pretty sure these kids looked up to him - according to Ben, everyone was buzzing with excitement at the news that he was going to be their guest speaker. And if that was true, they would certainly be listening.

Besides that, Chandler yearned for the support of Monica. Though she had been gone from his life so long now, it seemed unusual that she wasn't back here with him instead of his brother-in-law. He had begun to accept that she wasn't coming back, however. Recently he had realised that the arrival of Mon in his life a few years ago back when he was directing Queen of Hearts had merely been a joke of the gods. "As flies to wanton boys are we to the gods," he mumbled, quoting Gloucester from Shakespeare's King Lear. "They kill us for their sport."

"Practising your speech?" Joey asked, brushing some lint off Chandler's tuxedo. "You're going to have to speak a little louder than that in front of the crowd." He grinned.

"You might say that." Chandler thought about the speech he had prepared - a rather redundant version of the usual "You can do anything - I mean, look at me" spiel.

Somewhere in the background of his mind Chandler heard his name spoken, echoing, followed by a thunderous applause.

"You're on, buddy." Joey gave him a good luck pat on the back, then shoved him out onto the stage.

Chandler found himself behind the menacing microphone and before a thousand eager students with their families. Seeing their expectant, naive eyes made something click in his mind. He couldn't tell them lies - whether it was what they expected or not, he hadn't been asked to do this to send them out into the world with his false words reverberating in their ears.

"I'd like to welcome you all here today," he heard a voice speak. Was that him? He couldn't be sure. "I'd also like to congratulate all the grads in this room. You've taken your first step. Parents, grab those cameras - look, they're walking! I hate to sound like an old fogie, but you know, I remember when I took this first step. It gave me a tremendous rush. I could hardly believe I was leaving the constricting gates of an all-boys private school and being cast out into the cold. The cold was a comfort, though. The warmth of school was too suffocating, the air was too thick for me. Outside, I was bundled up, but my face was tingly and the smell of life was invigorating and refreshing. And it didn't matter that I wore a hat, scarf and gloves, because everyone else wore them too. I mean, when I was in grammar school, I remember I refused to wear a hat all the time even when it was really cold. Everyone was like that - we didn't want to seem uncool. But here, I began to realize that the temperature was below freezing - who could blame me? Several times since then, I have actually been shopping for a new hat, a new scarf. You can understand that. I mean, they wear out after a few years. And when they get so threadbare, people can see right through to who is actually underneath. For me, personally, it took the love of someone close to me to realize that spring had arrived, and I could shed my outer layers." When Chandler paused to clear his throat, he looked up and spotted Ben sitting with his parents and Jack and Judy. A few seats down was Chandler's own family - and Monica. She was looking at him intently with glossy eyes, and her head was cocked.

He licked his lips and continued, ignoring the knife twisting in his heart, searching for the place where Monica was held so dearly. "Though I eventually lost her love, I'll never forget the gifts she gave me...peace with myself, integrity, understanding, and my son and daughter. Now I'm not saying that it will take you as long as it took me to find myself. And I'm not saying that you should remove the gloves right away. It will be cold out there for awhile, but each patch of ice you slip on and each frost-bitten toe will bring you closer to the eventual tremendous melting. When you leave here today, take my blessing, and remember that no matter what you lose - be it a scarf or a loved-one or both - it will make you a stronger person with a stronger sense of identity. Good luck." He nodded to the crowd and stepped down from the podium.

An applause erupted, rifting throughout. It soon became a complete standing ovation, as a chain of students began to rise. As Chandler began to walk off the stage, he thought he caught a glimpse of Monica picking her way through the crowd toward the door to backstage.

She was already there when Chandler stepped through the curtain. He stood, stunned, as Monica threw her arms around his neck and buried her face in his chest.

He placed his hands on her shoulders and looked hopefully into her eyes. "You remember..."

Monica swept Dereck up in her arms and leaned down to kiss Alex’s forehead. “I’ve missed my babies so much.”

“I’m sorry that I couldn’t be there for you before!” she murmured to Alex. “I wanted to…but I couldn’t.”

“I understand, Mom,” Alex whispered. “I’m just glad that you’re back.”

“I missed Daddy, too,” Monica said, putting an arm around Chandler, who had just joined them. “It’s hard to be away from your kids and husband like that…I knew you three were in my heart, but I just couldn’t find where.”

Chandler’s eyes widened, and he exchanged a disbelieving glance with Alex. “Husband???”

“Umm…” Chandler didn’t have an answer…how could you tell someone who thought you were married to them, that you’re not??? “Not exactly…”

Monica’s brow creased. “Well of course you are! Otherwise how could you have said all those nice things about me in your speech?”

“It’s a long story…” Alex shook her head, and helped a struggling Dereck down from their mother’s arms.

“Don’t you remember at all?” Chandler asked. “I’ve proposed to you more than a few times, but we’ve never been married.”

“I don’t understand…” Monica looked from Chandler to Alex, then back to Chandler. “I thought we were…ohh…I ran away from you.”

Chandler nodded. “That was a few years ago now. Monica…do you want to be married to me?”

Chandler bit his lip, unsure of how to react, save with utter joy. He wrapped his arms around her and drew her into an eager kiss. This time she didn’t pull away…he wasn’t used to this. He expected her to push him off, to break away, to start shouting. But she sunk in, and Chandler closed his eyes.

Alex grinned. Finally, it seemed, this chapter of her life would be closed, and they would all live happily ever after.

Ben gazed at himself ponderously in the mirror. Chandler’s speech had affected him more than he would like to admit, with all his talk about losing someone or something to gain something more. When he had heard that, it had hit him like a semi going sixty miles per hour with screeching brakes and a deadly impact. He had been stupid to give up Brook for a silly career in the movies…he wanted to be important like Alex and Chandler, but Brook really mattered more than all that. And now that he had lost her, he had been given the opportunity to gain the wisdom of a guru. “Love conquers all,” he murmured to himself, straightening his tie. He was going to go to this prom, cut in while Brook was dancing with Erik, and sweep her off her feet.

He smiled at himself with satisfaction. Things would work out for the best after all.

“Are you having a good time?” Erik asked Brook as they moved across the dance floor.

“The best!” Brook answered cheerily, but her heart wasn’t in it. No offence meant to Erik, but things would be all the better if she could erase the past, change Ben’s mind, and be in his arms right now. There was no way she’d ever admit it though. She shook her head, trying to, at the very least, erase the persistent thoughts of Ben.

“Wow, you’re a good dancer.” Brook was pleasantly surprised at Erik’s ability to dance. His classic moves reminded her a lot of Brendan Frasier’s dancing in Blast From the Past, one of her favourite movies. As they flew across the dance floor, Brook could feel all eyes on her, and while she like to think the reason was their great dancing, she knew the real reason was the simple fact that she was there. Without Ben. And as of yet he had not arrived at the prom.

His presence wasn’t missed for a long while, however. A few moments later, Brook’s eyes caught a glimpse of a hesitant Ben descending the stairs to the ballroom. “Dammit,” she muttered. So much for getting her mind off of him.

“Er, I just said ‘I’m tired.’ Let’s go get something to drink.” Coincidentally, the drinks were on the opposite side of the ballroom from the stairs.

“Well, all right,” Erik agreed. He obviously had not noticed Ben’s arrival. Brook grabbed Erik’s hand and pulled him off the dance floor.

Ben glanced around feverishly for any sign of Brook’s cute bobbing blond head or Erik’s rather stark one. He could not see either of them anywhere, but everyone seemed to see him. As he paced nervously throughout the ballroom, not one eye missed him. Everyone was wondering what would happen with “the perfect couple.” Boy, would he give them a surprise. A happy surprise. He was going to win Brook back, and that was final.

He approached his friend Dan and his date, Hannah, who happened to be friends with Brook. “Hey, guys, have you seen Brook?”

Dan nodded. “Yeah, I just saw her heading off the dance floor, man, going for the refreshments, I think. What’s happening between you two?”

“I wish I knew,” Ben said, half-jokingly. He glanced down at Hannah. Her face was scrunched up with pity. “What?” he asked her.

“Well…” She bit her lip. “I don’t think Brook’s too happy with you. She asked me and all her other friends to give you the silent treatment. She’s really ticked off.”

“I’m going to make it up to her,” Ben explained. “Thanks for being nice enough to not give me the silent treatment, Hannah.”

Ben nodded at his friends, then headed for the refreshments table with a pestering queasiness in the pit of his stomach.

As he approached the table, he finally saw the bald and blond couple…no…they weren’t a couple, Ben reminded himself. He and Brook were a couple. Not Erik and Brook. Ben and Brook. B&B. B&B. B&B.

“Brook…” His voice was soft, but she didn’t miss it. Brook spun around to face Ben.

“Er, I think I’ll go to the washroom…” Erik got out of there as fast as he could.

“Well they don’t need working out,” she interrupted abruptly. “I’m happy with things just the way they are.”

“Oh, come on, Brook, don’t be like that,” Ben pleaded. “We both know we want to get back together.”

“You may know what you want, Ben, but even then I think you’re sadly mistaken.” Brook turned her back to him and took a sip from her punch. “I don’t want to get back together. I don’t want you if you want to go to the Film Academy.”

Ben clenched his fists and bit his tongue, afraid he’d mess this up if she angered him. He wouldn’t let her do that. “But, Brook, I’ve decided to go to NYU.”

She spun around, eyes flashing. “If you’re saying that just to get me back, Ben Geller, then you may as well leave right now.”

“I’m not. I’m not saying that just to get you back. I think it’s the best thing for me. And for you. And for us. That’s why I’m doing it.”

“Whatever, Ben. I would believe you, except that I don’t trust you anymore.”

“Brook, this is stupid.” Ben set his face in an angry glare. She was making this extremely difficult. “If anyone should be apologising here, it should be you for trying to control my life’s decisions.”

Brook stamped her foot. “Dammit, Ben, you’re wrong. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go find my date.” With that, she walked away.