DEADLY OBSESSION

BY CREASSYA
 
 

This takes place after Who's This? Just as Chandler and Monica come to a point in their relationship where things are running pretty smoothly, things began to go wrong. Someone is stalking Monica and it's beginning to frighten her. While at work she received spray painted roses and a terrifying note.

When Chandler got a call from Monica he was working late at the office. She sounded strange and wouldn't tell him what was going on until he arrived at her and Rachel's apartment. She was standing in the doorway of her bedroom when he entered. She went into her room and he followed. Once in the room he closed the door. She went into her closet and pulled out the white box and handed it to Chandler. He opened up the box and then looked at Monica who had tears in her eyes. He read the note and put the box on the bed. He was scared for her. This was no longer a secret admirer, this was an obsession. He didn't know what to say to her, so he held her in his arms until she stopped crying.

When Keith returned home, he got a message on his answering machine stating that his mother was in the hospital. He was so furious that he sat there with his fist bawled up. Once the message ended, he got up off the couch and began to lose his temper. He was knocking over tables, chairs, and lamps. When he was finished destroying his apartment he walked out the door. Instead of going to see his mother in the hospital, he went looking for his dad. He wanted to make his dad feel the pain that he inflected on his mother. He was fed up. He spent the whole night looking for his father, but with no luck. When he finally went to visit his mother, visiting hours were over.

Monica laid in bed next to Chandler. Even with his arms around her, she didn't feel safe. She expected who ever was stalking her to be underneath the bed ready to attack her. Chandler was sound asleep. He didn't feel comfortable going back home after reading the note Monica received at work. She snuggled closer to him and he woke up.

"Honey, you okay?"

"I can't sleep."

"I don't think you should go to work tomorrow." He said touching her face.

"I don't think I should either."

"Do you think it's somebody from work?"

"The thought crossed my mind, but I'm not sure. Chandler, I'm scared." She said with her head rested on his chest.

He held her tighter against his body. Neither one of them told the gang what was going on. Monica wanted to keep it low key. She didn't want anybody to know just yet. As she laid in Chandler's arms she began to feel a little safer. He held her in his arms throughout the night. When she finally fell asleep, he woke up again. He couldn't sleep knowing that someone was stalking his girlfriend. He wanted to go to the police but he and Monica knew that they wouldn't be able to do anything, especially being that they didn't know who was stalking her. Chandler decided that he would also stay home from work. He knew that if he went to work he wouldn't be able to concentrate. He would be too busy worrying about Monica.

The next morning, Monica accompanied Chandler back to his place. She wanted to get away from the apartment for a few hours. She was a nervous wreck. Chandler tried to get her to sit down and relax a little, but she insisted on helping him pack. He watched her as she neatly wrapped his dishes up and neatly put them in boxes. Helping him pack made her feel better. It took her mind off the person who was stalking her. After two hours of packing, Chandler needed a rest. He sat at the kitchen table while Monica was cleaning off the counters.

"Mon, come sit down for a minute."

"I'm fine."

"Honey, you're gonna past out from exhaustion."

"I said I'm fine Chandler." She snapped.

Chandler got up out of the chair he was sitting in and went over to her. He put his hands gently around her waist and held her from behind.

"I'm sorry sweetie. I just can't relax." She said taking a deep breath.

"I noticed."

"This is the kinda thing you see happening in movies or soap operas. I never thought I'd been going through this."

"No one ever does."

Keith arrived at the hospital to visit his mother. When he entered the room, he was surprised that she didn't look worst than she did when his father put her in the hospital when he was fifteen. The doctors informed him that she's been in and out of consciousness. He sat in a chair by her bed and held her hand. Tears formed in his eyes, but he wouldn't let them fall. He refused to show weakness. He wondered where his father was. He had been to his job to find him, but they said that they hadn't seen or heard from him today. Keith wasn't sure what he was going to do when he saw his father, but he knew that he wanted him dead. He wished that he had had a normal childhood. He always told himself that he would never treat a woman the way his father treated his mother, but he was beginning to realize that he was turning into the man he hated most. He tried to control Monica the way his father controlled his mother. He didn't want to be like his father. He wanted a woman in his life that he loved who loved him back. He wanted a family. The kind of family he was deprived of as a child because of his father.

Days later when Chandler and Monica returned to her and Rachel's apartment, Monica noticed an envelope addressed to her with no return address. She opened it while Chandler went to the bathroom. She noticed that it was a letter from the person who was stalking her.

Dear Monica,

I'm sorry for the spray painted roses and the note. I was having a bad day. I know it's no excuse, but I'm truly sorry sweetheart. You mean so much to me. I don't want to hurt you for anything in the world. I know you were probably scared when you saw the note, but I didn't mean it. I wish I could take back what I did, but I can't. I just want to tell you how sorry I am and how much I love you. I'm so sorry honey, please forgive me.

Love,
Your secret admirer

Chandler came out of the bathroom and sat on the couch next to her.

"What's that?"

She looked at him and handed him the letter. Within seconds of reading the letter, he was visibly angry. Before either of them opened their mouth to say anything, Phoebe and Joey entered. Chandler folded the letter and put it in his pocket.

"Hey guys."

"Hey."

"Listen, we need to talk to you two about something." Phoebe said sitting at the kitchen table.

"All right." Monica said.

She and Chandler went into the kitchen and took their seats.

"What's going on?" Chandler asked.

"Well, Joey hasn't had much luck with finding an apartment. And we were just wondering...since your moving in across the hall in a couple weeks..."

"You were wondering if he could move in with me." Chandler finished.

"Yeah." Phoebe answered.

"Can't he ask me himself?"

"Yeah, well, I was a little too afraid to." He said shyly.

"Sure, no problem." Chandler said smiling.

"Thanks man!" He said hugging Chandler.

Keith was furious. He saw Chandler and Monica kissing outside her building. He had just bought her a necklace. He was going to sneak into the building and leave it at her door. Seeing her and Chandler together really angered him. He returned home shortly after seeing the two of them together. He paced across the floor for over two hours. When he went into the kitchen, he spotted a knife on the table. He pick up the knife and held it in his hand. When he thought of Monica with Chandler, he stabbed the table repeatedly. When he realized what he was doing, he dropped the knife on the kitchen floor. He went into his bedroom and closed the door. He had pictures of Monica all over his wall, night stand, and dresser. He sat on his bed and gazed at the biggest picture of her that was on his night stand.

Weeks later Chandler and Joey moved in across the hall from Monica and Rachel. They were settled in, but they still had some things in boxes. While Chandler and Monica were sitting in his recliner, Phoebe and Joey went into his room. He felt a lot better being closer to her now, especially with someone stalking her. Last week she had received a threatening phone call in the middle of the night. She told him that she thought that the voice sounded familiar.

Phoebe was lying on the bed about to go to sleep when Joey came over and laid on top of her. She opened her eyes and he began kissing her. She put her arms around his neck and he held her tighter. When they stopped kissing they looked into each other eyes.

"Joey."

"Yeah."

"I love you." She said touching his face.

"I love you too Pheebs." He said smiling.

"Really?"

"Of course."

"I didn't tell you that so you could say it back." Phoebe said.

"I know." He said leaning in to kiss her again.

Keith entered his apartment with his mother. She was just released from the hospital. His dad hadn't been heard from in weeks. He thought that he would have to force her to come home with him, but she wanted to. She was afraid to go back to her house she shared with her husband. She didn't say much. She was too depressed. Her jaws were still sore, which made it hard for her to chew, and she had bruises all over her back. He put her in his room and closed the door. He hated his life. He grew up with an abusive father and a weak mother, and he couldn't keep a girlfriend. He wanted Monica back in his life. He hated that she was with Chandler. He missed holding her in his arms and kissing her. She seemed much happier with Chandler and he resented that. He felt that Chandler was trying to move in on her while they were dating. He and Monica had their problems, but deep down, he felt that she was the one and he wasn't prepared to let her go that easily.

Chandler and Monica stood outside on the terrace holding each other. She felt much safer with Chandler just across the hall. For weeks she either slept at his and Joey's apartment, or he slept at her and Rachel's. Even though Joey moved in with Chandler, he still spent most of his time at Phoebe's. He spent at least three nights a week at her place, which gave Chandler and Monica some privacy. When it started getting cold, they came back into the apartment. Rachel was out on a date with a guy she met at the coffeehouse. While Chandler and Monica were cuddled up together on the couch, they phone rang. Monica was about to answer it, but Chandler stopped her. He picked up the phone instead.

"Hello."

"Your day is coming."

Chandler hung up the phone. He was getting tired of this guy.

"Was that him?" She asked.

"Yeah."

"What did he say?"

"He didn't say anything." Chandler lied.

Monica leaned back against Chandler and he held her close. He decided not to tell Monica what the person on the other end said to him. He didn't want her to worry. He called her at work every chance he got. He was worried about her. She was precious to him and he wanted to be able to protect her from this psycho.

The next day, he and Monica were leaving to go to work. She was just coming out the building as he was about to cross the street. Monica had called to him and he turned around to see what she wanted. By then, he had already stepped off the side walk. All of a sudden Monica noticed that a car was speeding down the street.

"Chandler look out!" She shouted.

He turned and saw the car heading straight for him. He stood frozen for a few seconds. When the car neared him, he jumped out of the way just in time. Monica ran over to him in a hurry. She hugged him and he stood there in shock. It was apparent that the person in the car wanted to run him down and kill him.
 

WHAT'S KEITH GOING TO DO TO CHANDLER AND MONICA NEXT?

FIND OUT IN THE NEXT ONE......THE ULTIMATUM