TOW THEY'RE IN DANGER

By Creassya
 

This takes place after The Adjustment. Chandler and Monica have agreed to see a psychiatrist to help them deal with Monica's blindness and their near death experience. Chandler is also worried about the third suspect coming to find them.
 
 

Chandler and Monica are in the psychiatrist office. It's their first session.

"Okay, Chandler, both of you have described what happened nearly two months ago when the store you went into was blown up. Now I want you to describe your feelings about the after effects of that morning. I want you to describe how you feel about Monica being blind." Dr. Richardson said.

"I hate it. I wish it would have been me instead."

"Chandler, I hate when you say that."

"What else are you feeling?" Dr. Richardson demanded.

"Fear. When I'm not dreaming about the explosion, I'm dreaming about the third suspect they haven't found yet. I keep seeing a guy with a mask on, pointing a gun to my head. Just when he's about to shoot me, I wake up." He said with his head down.

"Monica, what do you think about what Chandler has just said?"

"I think that he's being paranoid for nothing. This guy is probably somewhere in Mexico. He would be stupid to try to get revenge." Monica said.

"Monica, this guy probably has my wallet. If he does, then he knows where I live."

"Okay, before things become heated, I want to know how Monica feels about her being blind." Dr. Richardson said looking at Chandler.

"I'm just glad that the explosion didn't kill me or my friends. I want to get my sight back, but I just have to get used to things being the way they are."

Dr. Richardson notices the frustrated look on Chandler's face. She also felt that Monica wasn't expressing her real feelings.

"Chandler, I notice that you don't agree with what Monica has just said."

"She's hiding the way she really feels."

"What?" Monica asked angrily.

"Mon, you show no pain. You're pretending that this situation isn't bothering you." He said.

"Well, what do you want me to do huh? You want me to cry day and night? That's not gonna make things better. I'm still gonna be blind."

Monica, there's nothing wrong with expressing sorrow. I can tell that you're holding in a lot of pain. That's not good. From what Chandler has said, it doesn't seem like you've allowed yourself to grieve.

"I've cried for days after this happened." Monica said.

"Have you allowed yourself to cry since then?" Dr. Richardson asked.

"No. I just haven't been that sad. I have people around me that love me and helps me. Besides, the lost of my sight is only temporary."

"And how do you feel about that?" Dr. Richardson asked looking at Monica.

"Well, I'm just glad that it's not permanent. Things could have been a lot worse." Monica said trying to sound convincing.

"See what I mean." Chandler said frustrated.

Monica is getting upset with Chandler, but is trying not to show it. She was trying really hard to keep a positive attitude about her blindness, but they didn't buy it. She just wished that this whole nightmare would end.

Phoebe and Joey are walking to Central Perk. She kept looking behind her because it felt like someone was following them. She felt silly for being paranoid, so she dismissed the feeling. What she didn't know, was that someone was following them. Once Phoebe and Joey took their seats on the couch at Central Perk, the guy that was following them stood in the window long enough to take a few pictures of them and he left.

Ross is in the park with Ben. They're playing catch with Ben's ball. Neither of them notice that a guy is taking pictures of them. When They stop playing catch and walk over and sits down on a bench, Carol shows up to pick up Ben. The guy took pictures of her too. He left shortly after so he wouldn't be seen. He knew that the police were still looking for him so he had to be careful. He decided that he would go to Central Perk. He needed to follow them around as much as possible to find out everything they knew.

Phoebe and Joey are at Central Perk when Chandler and Monica enter. The guy was sitting in the back by the pay phone. He watched the couple come in. He recognized Chandler. The last time that he was in Central Perk, he only saw Chandler from the side. Chandler and Monica take a seat on the couch next to Phoebe and Joey.

"So how did the first session go?" Phoebe asked.

"A little frustrating. But I guess that's to be expected." Chandler said.

"How was it for you Mon?" Joey asked.

"It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be." Monica said.

"Monica...."

"Chandler, let's not start this right now okay?" Monica asked irritated.

"Are you two okay?" Joey asked.

"He seems to think I'm being too positive." Monica said.

"That's not what I'm saying Monica. I just think you should acknowledge your real feelings." Chandler said softly.

"I don't wanna talk about this right now. We'll disgust this later Chandler." She said upset.

"Sorry we asked." Phoebe said.

"Hey Chandler, why don't we go to movie tonight?" Joey suggested trying to change the subject.

"I don't feel much like it." He said.

Monica was sensing the hurt in Chandler's voice. She felt bad for him. He was having such a hard time. She wanted him to get out and enjoy himself. He was so busy taking care of her that he wasn't taking care of himself. Joey and Chandler notice the sad look on Monica's face.

"Mon, what's wrong?" Joey asked concerned.

"Chandler, I want you to go out with Joey. I really want you to enjoy yourself. You haven't done that in so long. You've been too busy looking after me." She said reaching for his hand.

"Are you sure honey?"

"Yes,. It would really make me happy." She said with a smile.

"Are you sure you're not just trying to get rid of me?" He asked grinning.

"No. I just want you to do something for you."

"Thanks honey." He said giving her a kiss.

"Great!" Joey said excited.

"Yeah, and I can hang out with you Mon." Phoebe said.

The guy watches Monica and Chandler closely. A plan was forming in his head. He had an idea to get closer to the gang. He knew they wouldn't recognize him because they didn't see him that night. And he didn't see them. It was obvious to him that they were all close, so they must have been there that night, and he would soon find out.

Two days later Phoebe comes into Chandler and Joey's apartment with her date.

"Hey Chandler. I want you to meet Jake. Jake this is Chandler, Joey, and Ross.

The all get up and shake his hand.

"So how did you two meet?" Joey asked.

"We met at the coffeehouse. We'll have to talk later guys, we're gonna be late." Phoebe said.

"All right. Nice to meet you Jake?" Ross said.

"Same here." He said waving his hand and leaving with Phoebe.

A week later Chandler and Monica are in Dr. Lana Richardson's office. Their psychiatrist.

"Okay, we're going to start where we left off last week. Chandler, you were saying that Monica hasn't been expressing her real feelings about being blind, or about what happened to you in the store right?"

"Yeah."

"Do you still feel the same way? Be honest." Dr. Richardson said.

"Yes, I still feel the same way." He said.

"Monica, how do feel about what Chandler said?"

"Well....he's entitled to his opinion, but I'm just trying to deal with a stressful situation the best way I know how." Monica said.

"And how's that?" Dr. Richardson asked.

"By realizing how lucky I am. I survived an explosion and lived to tell about it. I managed to walk away without my sight, and with a few cuts and bruises."

"That's a really healthy attitude to have. Most victims don't carry around a positive attitude like that until they've dealt with the situation for a while." She said using reverse psychology.

"Thank you." Monica said.

"All right. Now, this is the a rough exercise, but it's really helpful."

"I'm all for it." Chandler said.

"Monica?"

"It's fine with me." She said.

"All right. Chandler what are some things that you don't like about Monica since the explosion?" Dr. Richardson asked.

"I don't like the way she hides her feelings. She didn't used to do that before."

"What else?"

"She doesn't like for me to talk about what happened that night. Y'know, my feelings about that suspect that's still out there." Chandler said.

"And how does that make you feel?" Dr. Richardson asked.

"I feel...I feel alone, and kinda depressed, like I can't talk to anyone about the way I feel."

"How did that make you behave? What did you do about it?"

"I would just go somewhere private, like my room or the bathroom, and cry."

While Chandler was talking about how he's been feeling, Monica felt like crying, but she held back her tears. Chandler was miserable and she hated it. She wanted so much to take away the pain he felt, but she knew she couldn't. She reached over and took his hand in hers and squeezed it. She was trying to reassure him that he's not alone.

Phoebe and Jake are at a restaurant finishing up their dinner. Phoebe was beginning to really like him.

"So, what happened to your friend? The one that's blind?" Jake asked.

"It happened in an explosion. We were in Virginia, on our way to Florida to see Chandler's Mom. We stopped to get gas and something to eat, and some guys beat up these two clerks and blew up the store."

"So where was she?" Jake asked.

"She was coming out of the bathroom behind the store."

"So she didn't see who did it huh?" He asked

"No. It all happened when she left the store." Phoebe answered.

"Wow. Did the police catch the people who did this?" He asked curiously.

"Well, they only caught two. The third suspect is still out there. He's probably out of the country or something." She said.

"Do the police have a description of the third suspect?"

"No, just that he's short, but that narrows it down to about ten million." She said.

"Yeah, you're right. Chandler must being going nuts I bet. Does he know anything?"

"He overheard them saying something about them blowing up the store because they weren't being paid or something. I don't actually know what he heard them talking about. He doesn't talk about that night."

"Yeah, I imagine it's difficult to relive something like that. So you ready to go? He asked.

"Yeah. Where are we going next?" She asked.

"The movies." He answered.

"Okay."

Later that night, Monica goes over to Chandler and Joey's. Chandler hears a knock on the door and goes to answer it. It's Monica.

"Chandler?"

"Hi honey."

Monica slowly walks closer to him. She stands there for a few seconds, then she reaches up to touch his face. He closes his eyes and they hug each other tightly.

"I love you Chandler. I'm sorry you feel so alone." She said holding back her tears.

"I love you too."

Monica and Chandler pull apart and she comes in and he shuts the door. He picked her up and carried her to his room. He gently lays her on the bed and goes to shut his door. He goes back over to Monica and lays on top of her. They start kissing and taking off each other clothes. Monica reaches up and starts to rub his chest. As she's running her hands all over his body, he starts seeing images again. He kept trying to block them out by closing his eyes, but that only made it worse. He was so frustrated. He wanted to stop having flashbacks, but it was impossible. He laid on top on her and cried. She didn't get mad at him this time. She held him in her arms and ran her finger through his hair and rubbed his back. Tears slid down her face, and she used her left hand to wipe them away. She felt she had to be strong for him, so she didn't let him see her cry.

The next day, Ross and his girlfriend Faye are sitting on the couch at Central Perk. Ross has his arm around her whispering something in her ear. The guy takes pictures of them and leaves.

"Ross you are too much."

"What?"

"We're supposed to be meeting your friends here, and you wanna go back to your apartment? Not very nice of you." Faye said smiling.

"Come on, you know you wanna." Ross said taunting her.

"You're right, I do." She said kissing him.

"Well, let's go."

"No. We're staying right here until your friends show up." She said smiling.

"And I thought you were fun." He said kissing her neck.

"I am. You'll see."

Chandler and Monica walk in and sits down.

"Cut it out you two." Chandler said.

"Yeah, cut it out." Monica repeated.

"Oh, I get it. You're doing one of my numbers huh?"

"Not really." Chandler said.

"You guys ready to go to the park?" Ross asked.

"Yeah, just waiting on you and Faye to finished making out." Chandler teased.

They all got up and left the coffeehouse.

Phoebe and Jake are at Chandler and Joey's. The three of them are eating Chinese food. Jake and Joey were talking about Joey's acting career. He seemed really interested. Phoebe couldn't believe her luck. Jake was cute and there was something mysterious about him. She couldn't put her finger on it.

"You can come check out the play that I'm in next week."

"Oh, that would be great." Jake said.

"I'll have the tickets in the next couple days."

"Great."

"Well Joey, we have to get going. We'll see you tomorrow." Phoebe said.

"All right." Joey said.

Phoebe and Jake leave and go back to her place.

A week later, Chandler and Monica are at their psychiatrist office.

"Okay, last week we were talking about the things that you don't like about Monica since the explosion. Now I want Monica to talk about the things that she doesn't like about you." She said looking at Chandler.

"All right." Chandler said turning to look at Monica.

"Monica go ahead. Explain what you don't like about Chandler."

"Well, I don't like the way he's always telling me that I should express my real feelings. If I was all depressed and didn't want to come out of my room, everyone would be telling me to look on the bright side, and be grateful that I'm alive. I'm doing that, but yet he's telling me that I shouldn't." She said.

"I'm telling you that." Chandler said.

"Let her finish Chandler."

"I hate that he still doesn't let me go to the bathroom by myself. I've told him a million times that I want to be as independent as I can, but I'm still having trouble with him. I mean, he lets me do a lot of other things that he didn't want me to do when I first lost my sight, but I would like to walk to the bathroom by myself. I already feel extremely helpless, but I feel even more helpless when he doesn't let me do things for myself."

"Chandler, how do you feel about that?"

"I feel helpless too. I have to sit back and do nothing. I want to be there for her and help her."

"Chandler, you can help me when I ask for help. You have to realize that you can't fix my problems. All you can do is be there me." Monica said.

"She's right. That's the mistake a lot of men make. They try to fix their spouse's problems and in the process they make the situation worse. The most important thing to do, is not to try to fix the problem, but listen instead. Being there for the person is the best thing to do. Despite what guys might think, us women don't want you to fix what ever's wrong. We just want your support. Don't try to be a hero thinking you can come and sweep us off our feet, and take away all of our problems, because it won't work. It'll just blow up in your face. Women often resent the men who try to come in and fix everything." Dr. Richardson lectured.

"I didn't know that." Chandler said.

"It's okay. A lot of men don't."

"That's the point I've been trying to make." Monica said.

"Do you have any anger bottled up?" She asked her.

"No. I've already expressed my anger with Chandler."

"What about anger from the morning of the explosion?"

"What do you mean?" Monica asked.

"Are you angry that you lost your sight? Did you ask yourself why this happened to you?"

"No. I mean, I was a little sad about losing my sight, but I wasn't angry. I probably would be angry if the lost of my sight was permanent."

"Monica honey, why can't you just admit that your angry for what happened to you?"

"Chandler, don't start." She said making no attempt to hide her anger.

"See, you're angry." He said.

"That's because you keep pushing me. You want me to be angry."

"Monica, I don't want you to be angry. I want you to admit that your angry. Why can't you do that?"

"Why can't you get off my back?" She snapped.

Chandler leaned back against the couch they were sitting on and put his hands to his face. With Monica denying that she wasn't sad or angry, he felt like they were getting nowhere.

Later that day Chandler walks out of his room and answers the phone. It was Monica telling him to come over. She said that they needed to talk. At first he told her that he just wanted to be by himself for a few hours, but she kept begging him to come over. She sounded scared. So he decided to go over and find out what was wrong. He walks out of his and Joey's apartment and stands in front of her and Rachel's apartment. He turns the door knob to go in, but the door is locked.

"Monica, what's going on? The door is locked" He yelled.

"Oh, sorry." She said unlocking the door and opening it."

"Why did you tell me to come over and then have the door locked?" He asked with his face frowned up.

"Sorry."

"Well, can I come in?"

Monica steps back to let Chandler in. When he walks in he sees that Phoebe is crying. He turns around and his face turns a ghostly white. Jake has a gun held to Monica's head and she's crying also. He was hiding in the back of the door when Monica let Chandler in.

"Jake, let her go. What the hell is?" Chandler said.

"Ask them who I am?" He said with a smirk on his face.

He turns to look at Phoebe.

"He's the third suspect." She said wiping her eyes.
 
 
 
 

WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN NEXT? STAY TUNED TO FIND OUT.....