PREPARATIONS FOR OUR LIFE TOGETHER
BY CREASSYA



This takes place three years after Hollywood Style. Since Chandler and Joey's movie debut, they've received dozens of scripts, and barely had to go on any auditions. Chandler quit his job eight months after his second movie was released. Chandler and Monica haven't gotten married because of Chandler's busy schedule. He wanted to complete a few more movies and make guest appearance on talk shows and sitcoms. He knew that Monica wanted a fairy tale wedding, and he was willing to make that happen. He was doing his best to get out there and make himself well known to the public. So far, his movie career was going really well. He had done five movies and only one didn't do well at the box office and quickly disappeared from the theaters. Now that Chandler has taken some time off, he and Monica plan their dream wedding.
 

Chandler walked into his apartment feeling exhausted. Joey and Ross were sitting on the couch playing the play station.

"Boy do you look beat. Did you take care of everything?" Joey asked.

"Yes, I have. I can't wait to see the expression on Monica's face after we say our vows!"

"And at the reception," Ross jumped in.

"Yeah, I still can't believe you pulled it off."

"Me either."

"I still can't believe the two of you are famous."

"Yeah, we can't even hang out at the coffeehouse anymore. I miss it," Chandler said.

"Me too."

"So, you nervous yet?" Joey asked.

"About the wedding?"

"Yeah."

"A little."

"You know your vows?" Ross asked curiously.

"Yeah, I've only been working on it for a year."

"Dude, we're SO gonna party tomorrow tonight!" Joey shouted.

"Yeah we are!"

"And you're okay with Monica having a bachelorette party tonight?"

"Ross, I trust Mon."

"I know, but do you know what goes on at bachlorette parties?"

"Not the same thing that goes on at bachelor parties," Joey said.

Chandler and Ross looked at Joey and then back at each other.

"What?"

"Never mind," Chandler said shaking his head.

The girls were at the Plaza hotel in the penthouse, waiting for the rest of the guest to show up. Monica had told them not to get her a stripper, but she didn't know that they had taken it upon themselves to hire a stripper anyway. Cassandra had arrived a half hour ago. Being that Cassandra went out of her way to make sure that she and Chandler not only got together, but stayed together, she was Monica's maid of honor. Phoebe and Rachel had no problems with Monica's decision. She had helped Chandler and Monica out a lot from the start, and she had known Cassandra longer than she had known her or Rachel. Cassandra went over and sat on the couch next to Monica.

"Three more days!"

"I know. I'll be Mrs. Monica Bing," She said smiling.

"Mrs. Chandler Bing."

"You know what I mean."

"Of course," She said grinning.

"Cassandra, I just want to thank you for always, always being there for us. I don't know what we would have done without you."

"Hey, you guys deserve most of the credit. You two never gave up on each other."

"I wouldn't go that far."

"Well, you guys were determined to make it work and you hung in there."

"With your help. Thanks," Monica said.

The two of them embraced for a few seconds. Monica pulled back with tears in her eyes.

"Oh don't do that, you're gonna make me cry."

"Too late," Rachel said coming over to them.

"Okay, no time for that. It's time to party!" Phoebe said.

As soon as Phoebe turned up the stereo, the phone rang. Monica went across the room and picked up the phone. It was Chandler.

"Hey sweetie."

"Hey. Are you girls behaving yourselves?"

"Yes, we are."

"Good."

"Aren't you sweet. Calling here to check up on me."

"I just wanted to tell you that I love you, and I want you to have fun tonight."

"I love you Chandler."

"Have fun."

"Thank you sweetie."

Chandler hung up the phone with a smile on his face. Sometimes he was amazed at how well he and Monica were doing in their relationship. It seemed as if their love grew stronger and stronger with each passing day.

"Hey, why didn't you let me speak to Cassandra?"

"Oh, I'm sorry."

Joey shook his head and reached for the phone. Seconds later, Phoebe answered the phone.

"Hey Pheebs, can I speak to Cassandra?"

"Sure."

"Cassandra!" Phoebe shouted.

Joey took the phone away from his ear until he heard Cassandra's voice.

"Hey gorgeous."

"Hi Joey. Miss me?"

"Of course I do. I haven't seen you in six months. Do I get to see you tonight?"

"Of course."

"All right. I'll see you then."

"Bye."

When Cassandra hung up the phone, Phoebe came over to her smiling.

"So, gettin some action tonight?"

"How'd you guess?"

"I'm psychic."

"Oh that's right."

Chandler and the guys were at his apartment laughing and drinking beer. Michael and a few of Chandler's friends from Florida flew in for the wedding. Not only were they happy for Chandler getting married, but they were looking forward to seeing some celebrities. No one but Joey and Ross knew about the surprises that he had in store for Monica during the wedding and reception. It was something that he knew she would enjoy and never forget.

Monica had just finished opening all her gifts and was putting everything in the bedroom. Phoebe turned on the stereo again, this time louder. Ten minutes later, there was a knock on the door, so she turned it down. Monica opened the door. A cute guy in a suit stood in front of her.

"Are you Monica Geller?" He asked.

"Yes, is there something wrong?"

"Yes, there is. I'm the hotel manager. We've been getting complaints about the noise that's been going on in here tonight."

"But this is the penthouse."

"It doesn't matter."

Phoebe and Cassandra came to the door to see what was going on.

"Oh hey, who's the guy?" Phoebe asked.

"He's cute," Cassandra said grinning.

"Hey, you wanna join us? We're having a party," Phoebe said.

"Phoebe, he's the hotel manager. He said that he's been getting complaints about us."

"That's crazy. Come in here."

Phoebe grabbed him by the arm and lead him into the penthouse. When he walked into the room, all the women stopped what they were doing and looked at him.

"Who are you?" Monica's friend Sonya asked.

"Yeah, is there anything we can do for you?" Cassandra asked.

"Well, the question is not what you can do for me, it's what can I do for you."

"And what can you do for us?" Phoebe asked.

He went over to Phoebe and touched her face. She smiled and began undoing his tie. Monica looked at her in shock.

"Phoebe, what are you doing!"

"What? I'm just having a little fun."

Just then, Cassandra and Rachel walked over to them and started taking off his suit jacket and shirt. Once his shirt was off, he turned around to face all the women in the room, and started dancing. Monica smiled and shook her head, finally understanding what was going on. The women started hollering and cheering him on.

"I'm gonna kill you guys!" Monica said grinning.

While he was dancing and slowly taking off his clothes, he went over to Phoebe and started dancing with her. He then made his way over to Rachel. He danced in front off her as she rubbed his chest. After dancing with Rachel, he resumed his position in the center of the room. When he had taken off all his clothes, with the exception of his underwear, Sonya danced over to him, and jumped in his arms with her legs wrapped around her waist. Monica laughed at her. She had never seen that side of her before. She knew that she was a little wild, by some of the stories she told her at work, but she had no idea.

When he made his way over to Monica, she shook her head and backed away. He continued to dance towards her. He backed her into the wall as everyone in the room cheered. He backed away from her just a little, then he picked her up and began swinging her around.

Chandler, Joey, and Ross, were now the only ones in the apartment. Ross was drinking a beer while Chandler and Joey were on the play station. They were like ten year old children. One minute they were arguing over who cheated, and the next, they were laughing and giving each other high fives.

"I wonder if the girls are having this much fun?" Ross said.

"Don't worry Ross, we'll be partying tomorrow night," Joey reminded him.

"So Joey, what's up with you and Cassandra?"

"I'm meeting her tonight."

"No, I mean, what's up with you two? For the last few years you've been coming to visit each other, you sleep together, but you see other people."

"We're having fun. And besides, I haven't been seeing anybody else lately."

"We've noticed," Chandler added.

"We care about each other, but we're just not ready to be in a serious relationship."

"That's obvious," Chandler commented.

Ross walked into the kitchen to throw away his beer bottle, and came back into the living room with another one.

"Don't you think you've had enough?" Chandler teased.

"It's only my second one."

"Hey, save some for us," Joey said.

"So, are we having a stripper?"

"No, no stripper. Just the guys sitting around playing poker and drinking."

"Awww, C'mon Chandler," Joey urged.

Chandler gave him a look that said that he meant what he said, and there was no changing his mind.

"Well, we have to respect his wishes," Ross said.

"I know, but no stripper?"

"Joey, let it go," Ross said smiling.

"Yeah okay."

When the girls were finished cleaning up, they sat around talking about the wild bachelorette party they just had for Monica.

"I still can't believe Sonya jumped on him like that," Monica said laughing.

"I can't say that I blame her. I would have done the same thing it wasn't involved with Jimmy," Phoebe said.

"Well, I had a great time!" Cassandra said.

"What about you Mon?"

"I had fun."

"Are you gonna tell Chandler?" Phoebe asked.

"Maybe."

"I'm sure that they'll get him a stripper for his bachelor party tomorrow," Phoebe commented.

"You don't think he'll be mad do you?" Cassandra asked.

"No, of course not. He told me to have a good time. I'm sure he had a feeling that you guys would hire a stripper."

"I wish I had taken a picture of Monica's face when he came to the door posing as the hotel manager," Rachel said laughing.

"Thanks guys. I really had a lot of fun," Monica said smiling.

"It was our pleasure," Phoebe said.

"I bet it was."

Later that night, the girls arrived at Chandler's apartment. Cassandra stayed for twenty minutes, then she and Joey left together. Phoebe, Rachel, and Ross, left ten minutes after them. Monica leaned her head back against the couch. Chandler softly caressed her face, and she closed her eyes.

"Tired?"

"Yeah."

"Did you have fun?"

"Yeah, I had a great time."

"Did they hire a stripper?"

Monica looked at him. She knew the question was coming.

"Yeah, they hired a stripper, after I told them not to. You're not mad are you?"

"No. I had a feeling they would. I told Joey and Ross not to get me a stripper, but I know they will."

"Of course they will. And they're not getting the stripper for you, it's for them."

Chandler smiled. She was right. It didn't really matter to him whether there was a stripper at the bachelor party, but Joey and Ross really wanted one, especially Joey. Chandler didn't ask for details, and Monica was too tired to tell him what happened. She was falling asleep while Chandler stroked her hair. He leaned in and gently kissed her lips. He sat there looking into her face until she was completely asleep, then he got up off the couch, picked her up, and carried her to his room. He laid her gently on the bed, and stared at her.

"I love you Monica," he whispered.

The night before the wedding, the gang was over at Monica's apartment. Monica was sitting on Chandler's lap playing in his hair. They had just finished playing Pictionary. It was the guys against the girls. The guys won, and of course, they rubbed it in. Rachel looked at her watch, and came over to Chandler and Monica.

"Okay you two. It's time for Chandler to go. You'll see each other tomorrow at 2 p.m."

"It's still early," Chandler observed.

"I know, but she has to get her sleep. She has a big day ahead of her tomorrow."

"She does?" Chandler asked.

"Okay," Monica said, getting up.

"Hold up."

Chandler took Monica by the hand and they went into her room.

"Hey, none of that tonight!" Phoebe yelled.

Chandler closed the door for some privacy. He stood there looking at Monica with a smile on his face.

"I can't believe we're finally getting married."

"Me either," she said walking toward him as he stood against the door. She put her hands to his face and kissed him. They kissed each other as if they wouldn't see each other again for a few months. Chandler held her close to him tightly, but gently. He wanted to stay there and make love to her for the rest of the night. They stood against the door kissing for ten minutes before Phoebe knocked on the door for him to come out with his pants up. They broke the long, passionate kiss, and laughed. Seconds later, they were coming out of the room hand in hand.

"You two know that you're not supposed to have sex tonight," Phoebe said.

"Pheebs, we weren't having sex."

"Yeah right," Joey added.

"Well, anyway, let's go," Ross said getting up.

Chandler kissed Monica once again before leaving with Ross. Jimmy left soon after. Phoebe and Rachel were going to spend the night with Monica. Before Joey and Cassandra left, she told Monica that she would be back in a couple hours. Chandler had found them a big house in the Hollywood Hills, and there was still some last minute packing to do. Everything was packed except for some of her clothes. While they were helping Monica pack the rest of her clothes, Monica noticed that Rachel had tears in her eyes.

"Rach, what's wrong?"

"I just realized that this is our last night spending time with you. When you come back from your honeymoon, you'll be moving to Hollywood."

"Awww," Monica said hugging her.

Phoebe sat there looking at them with a smile on her face, and tears welling up in her eyes. She remembered when she had introduced the two of them. Their friendship got off to a rocky start and Phoebe didn't think that they'd ever become good friends. When Monica and Rachel broke the hug, they noticed tears falling from Phoebe's eyes.

"Oh Pheebs, not you two," Monica said with tears in her eyes also.

She went over to the bed where Phoebe was sitting, and gave her a hug. Phoebe had always been supportive of her and Chandler from the start, and she truly appreciated her for that. While they were embraced, Cassandra walked in.

"What's going on? What's with all the tears?"

"Where just sad that Monica's moving."

Cassandra crossed the room and sat on the bed next to Phoebe, and put her head on her shoulder once she and Monica broke their hug.

"At least she won't be that far from you," Rachel said.

"I know."

"I'll still keep in touch with all of you."

"We know, but you'll be so far away," Phoebe said.

Joey and Ross put the last of the boxes in the living room. Chandler walked into the living room, and sat on the floor in the corner.

"I'm gonna miss this apartment."

"Are you kiddin me? You gonna be living in the Hollywood Hills!" Joey said.

"I know, but I've been here for years y'know."

"You ready for tomorrow?" Ross asked sitting next to him.

"Oh yeah. I've been ready for this for years."

"You've done well for yourself. I'm proud of you."

"Thanks Ross."

Chandler sat there thinking of how much his life had changed in the course of five years. So much had happened. Even though he was now a celebrity, making millions, nothing could amount to his beautiful fiance' Monica. He thought about the wedding and all the trouble he had gone through to make it special for her. There were times that he wanted to tell her what was in store for the wedding and reception, but he wanted it to be a surprise. Earlier that night at rehearsal, he found himself getting choked up when he saw Monica walking to the alter toward him. They had been together for five years, a fact that still surprised him. At times, he wondered how she could put up with him. He was grateful for the way that she stuck by him. There were rumors about him cheating on her with a costar two years ago. He was furious. His costar Shelley Morgan, explained to Monica that it was a lie and that she was happily engaged and wouldn't think of coming between the two of them. He thought he would lose Monica, but she told Chandler that she loved him and trusted him and she always would. Monica was definitely the best thing that ever happened to him.

Monica rose from her bed at 8 a.m. the next day. She smiled to herself. Today was the big day. The day that she would become Mrs. Chandler Bing. She looked around her empty room knowing that today was the last day that she would have a room to herself. The last day being a single woman. The last day being Monica Geller. She looked at the engagement ring on her finger, and got tears in her eyes. She sat on the bed savoring the moments of peace from within in the room. Any minute now, Rachel, Phoebe, and Cassandra would come into the room. The rest of the day she would see people everywhere. She sat there for a half hour enjoying the peace and quiet.

Chandler stood in the bathroom mirror looking at himself.

"Calm down Chandler. You're gonna be fine," he told himself over and over again.

"Chandler, are you alive in there!" Joey yelled.

"I'll be out in a minute!" He yelled back.

Joey and Ross sat on the living room floor waiting for Chandler to come out of the bathroom.

"He's been in there for an hour. You think he'll come out?" Joey asked.

"I sure hope so."

At the Plaza hotel, Monica stood in the mirror at her reflection. She was standing there, fully dressed in her five thousand dollar wedding gown. Cassandra was putting her crown on her head and making sure that it stayed in place. Once the crown was on her head, Cassandra stepped back to look at her. She turned away from the mirror to face her bridesmaids and her mother. Judy had tears in her eyes. She didn't want her mascara to run, so she used a tissue to dap her eyes. They all smiled at how beautiful she looked in her wedding gown. The photographer told them to surround Monica so that he could get a few pictures of them. When he had gotten enough pictures of them, he took a lot of pictures of Monica by herself and with her mother. When the photographer was satisfied with the amount of pictures taken, he left the room.

Chandler stood at the alter with a smile on his face. He was really nervous and excited. He had to force himself to be still. He felt like jumping up and down. He knew that after they said their vows, there wouldn't be a dry eye in the place. It seemed as if he had been standing at the alter for hours. He was eager to see Monica's beautiful face, walking toward him, so that they could soon be joined together as one. He felt like a child on Christmas Day, standing at the top of the steps waiting to bound down the stairs to open presents. He told himself to be patient as Monica's mother slowly walked down the aisle. Next came the flower girl, then Ben, the ring bearer. The bridesmaids and groomsmen were now walking down the aisle. Joey and Phoebe were linked arm in arm, slowly gliding toward the alter. When they reached the front of the alter, they were directed to stand there for a few seconds while the photographer took pictures. Next, came Michael and Rachel, arm in arm, walking at the same slow pace as Joey and Phoebe had done. Behind them, Cassandra slowly and nervously made her way down the aisle. She felt all eyes on her and forced herself to smile in front of five hundred guests. Once she reached the alter and her picture had been taken, the doors were closed. Behind those doors, stood Monica and her father......
 

STAY TUNED TO SEE WHAT' SURPRISE CHANDLER HAS IN STORE FOR THE WEDDING AND RECEPTION IN.........
TO LOVE, HONOR, AND CHERISH, (A CELEBRITY WEDDING)