TOW AT THE CHAPEL
 
by: Eileen
 

This is my first attempt at fanfic. It has major spoiler information in it. Let me know what you think.

(Scene: A Las Vegas wedding chapel. Monica and Chandler enter. They're in the vestibule. They approach
the receptionist.)

CHANDLER: We wanna get married.

RECEPTIONIST: OK. Fill out this paperwork and have a seat. You'll have to wait until the preceeding
wedding is over.

(They sit.)

CHANDLER: (talking to himself) Full name? Chandler Stephen Bing. Birthplace? New York City, N.Y. (He
looks over at Monica's paperwork.) Your middle name is Eustance?

MONICA: It's a family name, all right!?

CHANDLER: Err. OK. (He takes the clipboard from her, gets up and puts his and hers on the counter. He
sits back down beside her. ... He begins to hum.)

MONICA: What are you singing?

CHANDLER: "The Wedding March," why do you ask?

MONICA: Because that's the graduation theme. You know, "Pomp and Circumstance."

CHANDLER: No way!

(From the chapel we hear the real march. Chandler seems hesitant, uneasy.)

MONICA: Chandler, are you sure you really want to do this? ... Chandler?

(Flashback to Joey and Chandler's hotel room in London. Joey and Chandler are in the bathroom listening
to Ross and Monica argue in the main room.)

MONICA: Oh, my God. You're even dumber than I am.

ROSS: Excuse me?

MONICA: Ross, how long have you been planning this wedding?

ROSS: I don't know, a month?

MONICA: Emily has probably been planning this since she was five ó ever since she took a pillowcase and
hung it off the back of her head. That's what we did. We dreamed of the perfect wedding ... and the
perfect place ... with the perfect four-tiered wedding cake (She starts to cry.) with the little people on
top. (Chandler opens the bathroom door, tosses Ross a box of tissues and closes the door again.) ... But the
most important part was that we had the perfect guy who understood just how important all that other
stuff was.

(Present day ... at the Las Vegas chapel.)

MONICA: Chandler? (More emphatically) CHANDLER?

CHANDLER: I'm sorry, what?

MONICA: Are you sure you really want to go through with this?
CHANDLER: Yes. I love you and I want to be with you. It's just that ... It's just ...

MONICA: (Nervously) It's just what?

CHANDLER: I forgot to give you your anniversary present. (He's fishing through his jacket pocket.)

MONICA: Well, that can wait, can't it?

CHANDLER: No. (He gets down on one knee if front of her and pulls out a ring box. He opens it and
places it in her hands.) I have a different kind of proposal for you.

MONICA: (Incredulous) Different? Chandler, you already proposed. We're in a chapel, remember?

CHANDLER: Hear me out. I wanna marry you ... tonight ... and again back home.

MONICA: What?

CHANDLER: We get married here tonight, but we keep it a secret. We'll just tell everyone we're
engaged and then we can have a big wedding, the kind you've always wanted, back home, with the little
people on the cake. Uhh, you know how it goes.

MONICA: (Crying. She utters something unintelligible.)

CHANDLER: What? ... Please tell me those are tears of joy.

MONICA: Yes.

CHANDLER: Is that "yes" to the proposal or "yes" to the tears?

MONICA: Both.

(He cups her face in his hands and then kisses her tenderly. He takes the ring out of the box and slips it
on her finger. She buries her head in his chest.)

CHANDLER: Uhm, need a tissue or will my jacket do? (He goes up to the counter.) Do you have any
Kleenex?

RECEPTIONIST: Of course we do. People cry at weddings ó before, during, after, the next morning when
they realize they made a drunken mistake.

CHANDLER: Ahh, OK. You should write romance novels.

RECEPTIONIST: Yeh, anyway, it's your turn.

(Chandler walks over to Monica and hands her a tissue.)

CHANDLER: We're up.

MONICA: We're up what?

CHANDLER: It's baseball talk. We're up at bat.

(She stares at him, puzzled.)

CHANDLER: (Sighs.) They're ready for us.

(He takes her hand and they walk toward the chapel door. As Chandler reaches for the door, it opens. Out
stumble Ross and Rachel in a drunken stupor.)

CHANDLER: OH, MY GOD!

MONICA: ROSS!!!!! OH, MY GOD, RACHEL!!! Ross, aren't two divorces enough for you?

ROSS: (With glee) Oh, look, Mrs. Ross, my little sister came to our wedding. ... I love you, Mon.

(He gives her a sloppy hug. He eyes Chandler.) And you, too, buddy. (Hugs him.)

RACHEL: Hey, Mon, you can catch my bouquet, so you can get married next.

CHANDLER: (Sarcastically) That's the plan.

MONICA: (Pulls Chandler aside.) Chandler, what about all that stuff you said about keeping this a
secret?

CHANDLER: Mon, they're so hammered they won't remember any of this. We'll just plunk them down in a
pew and they can watch. Maybe we'll get lucky and they'll pass out.

MONICA: What every wedding should have ó wasted witnesses.

(Chandler grabs Ross's arm and takes him into the chapel.)

CHANDLER: Come on there, pal.

ROSS: Wait, I'm on my honeymoon, and you're not my wife.

CHANDLER: No, I'm not, but you're my best man, so come help me get married.

(Monica puts her arm around Rachel's shoulders and leads her into the chapel.)

MONICA: And, Rach, you can be my maid of honor.

RACHEL: Matron. Matron of honor.

MONICA: You're so drunk that you married my brother on a whim, but you remember that?

(They help Ross and Rachel to the second pew and have them sit down. Chandler smiles at Monica, takes
her hand and leads her toward the altar.)

CHANDLER: You ready?

MONICA: Absolutely.

(The justice of the peace comes out from a side room.)

JUSTICE: Sorry about that. I was just watching "Ready, Set, Cook."

MONICA: I love that show! Have you ever seen him make ravioli?

JUSTICE: He's incredible. I like it when he ...

CHANDLER: Hello? Can we put chef chat on the back burner?

MONICA: I love you, but that was a really bad pun.

CHANDLER: Sorry. It's just that the tequila twins are looking a little green.

RACHEL: Hey, that's my maiden name!. (She pokes Ross in the ribs.)

ROSS: Oww!

JUSTICE: Are you two ready?

MONICA AND CHANDLER: Yes. (Monica takes Chandler's hands in hers.)

JUSTICE: Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today for this joyous celebration of holy matrimony.
Marriage is a sacred vow, one that's not to be entered into lightly. Do you (he pulls out a piece of paper),
Chandler, take (looks down at it again) Monica to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold from
this day forward, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health until in death do you part?
CHANDLER: (He looks at Monica and smiles, giving her hands a light squeeze.) I do.

JUSTICE: And do you, Monica, take Chandler to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold
from this day forward, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health until in death do you part?

MONICA: (Looks at Chandler and smiles.) I do.

JUSTICE: Is there anyone here who can show just cause why these two shouldn't be married? If so, he
should speak now or forever hold his peace.

ROSS: (Gleefully) I love you, guys. (He falls to the floor.)

JUSTICE: I'll take that as a show of support. By the power invested in me by the state of Nevada and
Clark County, I pronounce you husband and wife. ... (To Chandler) This is the part where you kiss her.

(Chandler pulls Monica to him and kisses her passionately. She wraps her arms around his neck. It's a
really long kiss.)

JUSTICE: Ahem. Ahem. ... Just a little red tape here that I have to go over. I'll sign your marriage
license, but you have to go down to the marriage bureau and sign it in front of them. You should have gone
there first, but just tell them Jack sent you, OK? You'll have to have those two (points at Ross and
Rachel) do the same. I'm entrusting you with their paperwork. Congratulations.

CHANDLER: Come on, Mrs. Bing. Let's get this squared away and get these two back to the hotel.

(They walk over to Ross and Rachel, and Monica helps Chandler pick Ross up off the floor.)

CHANDLER: (To Ross) So, did you say the right name this time?

THE END (but may be continued depending on the reception this gets.)