This takes place after It's That Time Again. The gang has started back to school. Chandler, now entering his senior year, thought that this year would be the best year of his high school career, but things took a turn when Monica told him that she was pregnant. They were both devastated. Monica's father wasn't upset with her, but her mother isn't speaking to her. Chandler's mother was a little upset, but she's supporting him. Let's see how things develop from here......
 

"I'm so scared Chandler."

"I know you are. So am I," he said holding her tightly.

She broke the hug, and looked into his eyes.

"How are we gonna do this?"

"I don't know, but we'll figure something out."

"My mom's not even speaking to me."

"She's gonna come around. What about your dad?"

"He's okay. I can tell that he's disappointed with me though."

"They're just in shock."

"What did Nora say?"

"She told me that she was a little upset, but she's seems fine with it now."

"I can't believe this is happening. I feel like I'm ruining your senior year, and your life."

"Monica, stop that. You didn't get pregnant by yourself. It took the both us of to make this happen."

"I know but...

"We'll be fine."

"How can you be so sure?"

"I don't know."

"I still can't believe this!"

"Come on now Mon, don't go to pieces on me."

Monica looked at him with tears in her eyes. She knew that he was just as scared as she was, but he was just trying to make her feel better. She took his hand in hers.

"I'm sorry."

Chandler gave her soft kiss on the lips, and caressed her face with the back of his right hand. Seconds later, Ross walked in.

"You guys all right?"

"As well as can be expected."

Monica wiped her tears as Ross came in and sat down.

"It's gonna be okay Mon. We'll help out."

"Thanks Ross."

A week later, while Monica was in the kitchen, Judy walked in. She wasn't expecting Monica to be in the kitchen. She barely left her room since she found out that she was pregnant. Judy walked right passed her as if she didn't even exist. Monica sat at the table looking at her. Judy giving her the silent treatment was killing her.

"You're disappointed in me aren't you?"

Judy looked at her, then turned away.

"You've always been disappointed in me. While you were pregnant with me, you were probably wishing for another boy huh?"

"What would make you say something like that?"

"It got you talking to me."

"Monica, I don't have time for this right now."

"Mom, whether you like it or not, I'm your daughter and you have to deal with me."

"What do you mean whether I like it or not?"

"You don't like me do you?" Monica asked with tears in her eyes.

"You're my daughter."

"You didn't answer my question."

"Of course I like you."

"I bet you wish you hadn't had me."

"Monica!"

"It's true isn't it?"

"No, that's not true! I can't believe you're talking like this."

"Well, it's how you always make me feel. If this were happening to Ross, you would not be treating him like this. I didn't chose to get pregnant. Every time I mess up you just write me off."

"That's because you can't do anything right."

Monica glared at her. Judy was just as shocked to hear that come out of her mouth as Monica was.

"I knew that's how you saw me," Monica said with tears streaming down her face.

Monica ran upstairs to her room and slammed the door. She laid on her bed crying. Although she had the support of Chandler and her friends, she still felt utterly alone. She couldn't remember one time where Judy had been proud of her. Monica even worked hard to make the honor roll, but she never got the kind of praise Ross got when he did well in school.

Chandler had just hung up the phone, when he got a call from Monica. She was crying hysterically.

"Mon, what's wrong?"

"It's my Mom. We had a fight."

"Mon, calm down and tell me what happened."

"I can't stay here right now."

"I'm on my way."

Chandler hung up the phone before Monica said another word. Monica put on her jacket and went outside to wait for Chandler. She sat outside on the porch until he showed up. When he arrived, he noticed her sitting on the porch with her head in her lap. He got out of the car and rushed over to her.

"Monica, sweetie, I'm here."

She looked at him with tears streaming down her face. Her eyes were red from crying. Chandler took her by the hand and lead her to the car. He opened up the door for her and closed it when she was inside. When he got in the car, he looked at her. He had never seen her like this before. She had seen him cry, but he hadn't seen this side of her. Seeing her like that brought tears to his eyes. He was angry with Judy for upsetting her like this.

When they got to his house, Nora was coming downstairs. She saw the look on Monica's face and went over to hug her. She began to cry again.

"It's okay sweetie. Your mother's just upset. I think she'll come around," Nora said softly.

She was trying to calm her down, which took a while. Chandler watched his mother while she held Monica in her arms and realized that he had more respect for her than he thought he had. He saw his mother in a new light. At that moment, she was a nurturing mother, not a woman with a guy his age waiting in the bedroom for her.

When Monica stopped crying, they sat down on the couch. Chandler laced his fingers through hers.

"I'm sorry to come here like this Nora."

"It's okay. We don't mind."

"I can't believe she said that to me."

"What did she say?" Chandler asked.

"She said that I don't do anything right. She's always putting me down, hurting my feelings. I don't even know why she had me in the first place."

Chandler and Nora exchanged looks. They felt really bad for her.

"Honey, take it from me, she may not act like she loves you, but she does. Chandler and I have always been distant, which is my fault, but I love him more than anything."

"You never put him down though."

"I didn't pay much attention to him, and that's the same as putting him down."

"No, it's not. Words hurt. They stick with you. She's always treated Ross better than me. I would always try to be the best at everything, just to prove to her that I can do something right. She just proved to me that no matter what, I'll never be good enough for her."

"You want me to go over and talk to her?" Chandler asked.

"No."

"I don't mind."

"No amount of talking to her is gonna make a difference."

"I wouldn't say that. Look at me. You sat down and talked to me about the way I was treating Chandler."

"Yeah, but she's hopeless."

"Don't give up her Monica."

"Why not? She gave up on me."

"I'm sure everything will work itself out. You want anything to eat?"

"I'm not hungry. I'm too upset to eat."

"You have to take care of yourself. You gotta eat something. I'll fix you a sandwich."

"Thanks Nora."

"No problem sweetie."

When she disappeared into the kitchen, Monica leaned her head against Chandler's shoulder. He rubbed her arm and kissed her forehead.

"I love you," Monica said softly.

"I love you too."

When she finished her sandwich, she and Chandler went up to his room. Ten minutes later, the phone rang. He got up to answer it.

"Hello."

"Chandler, is Mon there?" Ross asked.

"Yeah, she's here."

"Thank God."

"Why, what's going on?"

"Well, my parents just got in this huge fight over Monica. My dad was pissed off at my Mom for upsetting Monica, and he was afraid that she might had run away."

"She's over here. She was just talking to me and my Mom."

"Is she okay?"

"She's doing a little better."

"All right, I'll tell my dad."

"Okay."

Monica watched him hang up the phone. He walked back over to her and sat on the bed.

"Who was that?"

"Ross."

"What did he say?"

"He wanted to know if you were okay. Your parents had a fight about your Mom pissing you off."

"I'm glad I left when I did."

"So, when do you go back to the doctor?"

"Next week."

"So, they'll be able to tell how far along you are?"

"Yeah."

"I'll be there."

"I can't believe we're gonna be parents before we graduate. And what about your prom? I'll be too fat to go."

"If you don't wanna go, I won't go either."

"Chandler, it's your senior prom."

"So. I can go to yours," he said grinning.

He inched closer to her and placed his hands on her legs. He gazed into her eyes and planted soft kisses on her lips. The attention she was getting from Chandler made her feel so much better. He didn't even have to say much. Just knowing that he was there by her side, made all the difference in the world.

When it got late, Jack called Chandler's room and asked to speak to Monica. Chandler handed her the phone.

"Hi dad."

"Are you okay?"

"I feel a little better."

"You want me to come and get you?"

"No. Chandler's bringing me home."

"I'm sorry honey."

"You don't have to apologize for her."

"I know. I'm sorry that you have to go through all this."

"Me too. Thanks for being there for me."

"I love you honey. I'll see you soon."

"Bye dad."

Monica handed the phone back to Chandler to hangup.

"You ready to go?"

"Not really, but let's go."

Monica got up off the bed and put her shoes and jacket on. Chandler watched as she took her time. He knew that she didn't want to go to home. When she was ready, he went over and hugged her.

"I wish I could stay here."

"I wish you could too."

"Chandler?" she asked breaking the hug.

"Yeah."

"Can you please make sure that I don't treat our child like my mother treats me?"

Chandler touched her face. Her sad eyes were pleading with him. He didn't want his child to be treated like they were treated. He was grateful that things were slowly improving between him and his mother, but he knew that it would be a long time before he saw the important that he really wanted. She spent more time with him, but he wished that she would stop dating losers and bringing them home.

"Same here."

Monica took his hand and they walked downstairs. Nora was sitting on the couch watching TV when they came downstairs. She stood up and Monica went over to hug her.

"Thanks Nora."

"Anytime."

Monica was quiet the whole way home. He didn't know what to say to her to make her feel better. Part of him felt extremely useless. When he pulled up in front of the house and turned off the engine, he looked over at her. She was biting her nails. Chandler got out of the car, walked around to her side, and opened the door for her. She looked at him for a few seconds before she got out of the car. He gave her a kiss on the cheek and closed the door. They walked to the door and stood there until Monica pulled out her keys.

"Call me, okay."

"I will," she said.

He walked off the porch while she was putting her key in the door. When he got to his car, he realized that she should go in with her. Monica went out of her way to smooth things over with him and Nora. He wanted to be there holding her hand. When she opened the door he ran back up on the porch.

"What's wrong?" Monica asked.

"I'm coming in with you."

"Thank you," she said softly.

As they were walking in, Jack and Judy were coming out of the kitchen. Judy sat on the couch and Jack went over to her.

"Are you okay?"

"A little."

"Good," he said pulling her into a hug.

Chandler looked over at Judy, who was looking down at the carpet. He wanted to yell at he so badly, but he knew that it would only make matters worst. He vowed that if she upsets Monica again, he would step in. He felt responsible for her now. When they broke the hug, Jack looked over at Judy. He was waiting for her to say something. She noticed him staring and finally looked up.

"Monica, I'm sorry for what I said. I didn't mean to say it."

"But you it's what you meant."

"Monica, lets's not start this all over again," Judy said.

"Your mother's right sweetheart. We'll discuss this another time. It's late."

"Fine."

"Thanks a lot Chandler," Jack said.

"No problem."

Chandler kissed her on the forehead and left. Without another word, Monica went up to her room. She changed into her pajamas, and pulled out her diary. She sat on her bed and began writing.

I'm so upset right now. I don't know how I'm gonna get to sleep tonight. Me being pregnant is stressful enough, but then my mother giving me the silent treatment, and then telling me that I never do anything right, has made it even worst. I've always felt like a failure in her eyes. I don't know what I've ever done to her to make her see me the way she does. I know that the things I was accusing her off weren't nice, but it's the truth, Why else would she treat like I'm not apart of this family. Everyone is supporting me except for my own mother. She's the person that I really need to stand by me, regardless of how she feels about me being pregnant. Nora and Chandler keep telling me that she'll come around, but I just don't see it. I know it killed her to apologize to me. I just wish that we had that close relationship that I see with other girls who are close their mothers. To me it's only natural to be close to your mother. I guess it's something that I'll never experience. Although it's been this way since I can remember, I'll never get used to feeling like this. I don't know why she can't see what this is doing to me. I'm scared, and I need a mother. I'm just thankful I have someone like Chandler by my side, and friends that are always there for me. I don't know what I would do without them. They've always been a good support system. I wish my mother was.

Monica

She put her diary away and sat there staring into space. She felt her eyes watering again. She sat on her bed crying. Chandler called her twenty minutes later.

"I wish I didn't have to bring you home."

"I'll be all right."

"But you're still crying," he said softly.

"It's my hormones. I'm usually not this emotional."

"Are you going to school tomorrow?"

"Yeah. Anything to get out of here."

"Well, it's late, I'll call you in the morning. Try getting some sleep."

"I don't think that's possible."

"You need sleep."

"I know."

"If you can't get to sleep later, you can wake me up."

"I don't know what I would do without you."

"Me either," he said softly.

"Good night."

"Good night angel."

When Chandler hung up the phone with Monica, he turned out the lights and pulled the covers over him. He wished that Monica was lying there in his arms. He hated to see her upset. He wanted to get back in his car and drive over to her house to get her when he heard her on the phone crying. He knew that more than anything, Monica was hurt more by Judy's actions than by the pregnancy itself. He was surprised at how Nora was handling the situation. Although she claimed to have been upset about the news of becoming a grandmother, she didn't seem at all upset with him. He suddenly got out of bed, walked out of his room, and stood at his mother's bedroom door. He knocked on the door, and she told him to come in.

"What's wrong Chandler?"

"Nothing. Well....I just wanted to thank you for being there for Monica, and for being so understanding about the pregnancy."

Nora smiled. Chandler walked over to her and gave her a hug. She hugged him back tightly. She was in shock. She couldn't remember the last time Chandler willfully hugged her, much less thanked her for anything.

"I love you Mom."

Nora had tears in her eyes. Times like these made her glad to be a mother. When they broke the hug, Chandler smiled when he noticed that Nora was crying. He was beginning to realize more and more that his mother was actually human.

When Chandler came to pick Monica up for school the next day, she was already outside waiting for him. He got out of the car as she was coming off the porch. They gave each other a kiss and he walked her to the car.

"Where's Ross?"

"He's upstairs."

"I'll see if he wants a ride to school."

"Okay."

When she got in the car, Chandler knocked on the door.  Jack opened the door and motioned for him to come inside.

"Listen Chandler, I'm sorry you had to get involved with what happened last night."

"I'm already involved."

"I know. I just mean that I wish you hadn't witnessed it."

"Me either. I hate to Monica upset."

"Me too. Anyway, thanks for being there for her."

"It's no big deal."

Seconds later, Ross came downstairs.

"Hey Chandler."

"Hey, need a ride?"

"Yeah. Where's Mon?"

"She's already in the car."

"All right. I'm ready."

Monica sat in the car wondering what was taking them so long, when they emerged from the house.

"It's about time," she said as they got in the car.

"I was talking to your dad."

"What did he say?"

"He just wanted to thank me for being there for you last night."

"Oh."

When Monica got to school, Rachel spotted her and wanted to know what happened between her and Judy. Monica didn't want anyone to hear, so she and Rachel went into the bathroom. When they got to the bathroom, Monica looked under each stall to make sure no one was in the bathroom to over hear their conversation. Once the coast was clear, she began telling Rachel the story. Even though no one was in the bathroom with them, Monica kept her voice low. She was still telling the whole story while they were leaving the bathroom. They stopped by Rachel's locker so that she could get her books for class. The halls were now empty.

"So, is Chandler going with you?"

"Yeah."

"I still can't believe you guys are gonna have a baby."

"You and me both."

When they walked off, she turned the corner and watched them walk down the hall. Cynthia, Chandler's ex-girlfriend stood there with a smile on her face.

"Well, what do ya know."
 

NASTY RUMORS........IS UP NEXT!