If Love Is All We Have, Chapter Twelve
"Sweet Revenge"
Chandler heard Monica's muffled screams as she was dragged up to her room. He turned to Frank.
"Let her go," Chandler warned again.
"Not likely, Peter," Frank laughed.
Suddenly, the door to the office opened, and Thomas came in.
"Chandler, what--uh, how?"
"Thomas, come in, son. I was just about to ask your brother how exactly he managed to return from the dead."
Thomas looked at Chandler, as an eerie silence fell upon the room. Frank picked up on this, and realized that Chandler had not acted alone.
"Which one of you would like to tell me what is going on?" Frank hissed.
Chandler looked over at Frank, with his mouth tightened, and his eyes full of determination.
"Thomas doesn't know anything."
Franks looked at Thomas, who was still looking at Chandler. Franks approached Chandler slowly, and pulled out his revolver.
"I am having a hard time believing you, Peter," Frank hissed, then cocked the gun at put it to Chandler's head.
Chandler felt the cold steel of the gun on his temple, pressing against his head menacingly. He closed his eyes, and awaited his fate, thinking only of Monica as a tense silence again filled the room. But before Frank could pull the trigger, Francesco came barging into the room.
"Sir," Francesco interrupted, "We have a problem. Another shipment has been lost."
"What?"
"In the Atlantic. It was picked up by a British Naval carrier."
"Which shipment?"
"The big one, sir. The one coming from Uzbekistan."
Chandler and Thomas looked at each other, each trying to determine whether or not Francesco was telling the truth. They looked at Francesco, who refused to look at either of them.
"This is a disater. We've already had to clean up that other mess," Frank was beginning to panic.
"Your Uzbeki contact is on his way here, sir," Francesco said solomnly.
"Shit. Okay, Francesco, take care of Peter. This time, make sure he's fucking dead before you leave him," Frank said angrily, as he walked out of the office.
"Francesco, what the hell is going on?" Thomas asked, after Frank had left the room.
"All of the shipments have been sabotaged. The shipments will never reach the Americas, and Frank's contacts will be very, very unhappy."
"How did they get sabotaged?" Chandler asked warily.
"I don't know," Francesco lied, winking at Thomas and Chandler.
Chandler let out the anxious breath he had been holding, and followed Thomas and Francesco out of the office. They walked up the stairs, watching as Frank rushed around the foyer below, trying to fix the unfixable. Once they were out of Frank's earshot, Francesco turned to Thomas and Chandler.
"You guys have to get out of here. I'd imagine that Frank is going to have a few very angry and very dangerous people visiting him shortly."
"I need to get Monica," Chandler said, rushing toward her bedroom.
"Thomas, go pack. Take only what you need," Francesco whispered
"What about you?"
"I want to make sure Frank doesn't follow you out. Hurry," Francesco said, as he watched Frank from the shadows of the corridor where he and Thomas stood. Frank was pacing the floor nervously, as he tried to talk to one of his contacts. It was obvious that the man on the other end was not interested in excuses.
***
Monica layed on her bed, her legs curled up to her chest, and her arms hugging her legs protectively. She felt utterly helpless, and completely alone. After all that had happened, after all that she and Chandler had been through, she was sure that they would find one another again. She sighed, letting out another shaky, teary breath. She didn't want to live, if she couldn't live with Chandler. That was when it hit her. She didn't have to live...she could take her own life. Then Frank wouldn't get her child, and he would lose. At least he would lose this battle. Monica's mind raced, and the more she thought about it, the better it sounded. Suddenly, she heard her door swing open.
"Monica," Chandler called out, as he rushed into the room.
Monica sat up and turned toward the door.
"Chandler? You're okay!" Monica yelled and hopped off of the bed.
"Monica, we have to get out of here. Frank's contacts...they're coming after him. It's a long story, but we have to go now!" Chandler rattled, as Monica hugged him fiercly.
"Okay. Are you sure it's safe?"
"No, but it's safer than staying here. C'mon," Chandler took Monica's hand, and led her down the corridor, where they met up with Thomas.
"Are you ready?" Chandler asked his brother.
"Yeah. Let's get the hell out of here."
As the group proceeded down the hall, they heard a rhythmic popping sound in the distance. Seconds later, Francesco appeared in the hallway.
"The Uzbeki contact is here," Francesco said breathlessly, "and he's not alone."
More popping was heard, and it became evident to Chandler that it was gunfire, coming from the perimeter of the compound.
"How are we going to get out of here?" Chandler wondered aloud, "How can we get out without being noticed?"
"They are moving toward the house. Chances are, they are going to leave the perimeter open as they do it. Come on," Francesco said, leading the group down the stairs and around the back of Frank's office. He keyed into a small, dark room.
"What is this place?" Monica whispered.
"Frank is pretty paranoid--apparently with good reason," Francesco chuckled, "This room leads to the control room. Frank has bugs and cameras located throughout the compound. They all feed into this room," Francesco opened another door to reveal another dark, slightly larger room, filled with monitors and recording equipment.
"From here we should be able to see most of the compound, and figure out the best way to get out."
Francesco and Chandler studied the monitors for several minutes, trying to map a way out of the compound.
"It looks like the west end is going to give us the best option," Chandler muttered, his eyes scanning the monitors.
"I agree. We should move now. There are a lot of them, and they are hell-bent on killing everyone in the compound," Francesco replied.
Chandler nodded and grabbed Monica's hand, as Francesco led the group out of the control room and back into the hallway. They made their way down toward the west exit, and out the doors into the sprawling garden.
"Okay, keep moving that way, and you should be able to climb the gates along the perimeter. Move quickly, and keep your eyes open," Francesco whispered.
"You're not coming?" Chandler asked.
"I have some things I need to take care of. Take this," Francesco handed Chandler his gun, "but get rid of it before you try to cross the border."
"Got it," Chandler nodded. Chandler shook Francesco's hand, and thanked him quickly, before running toward the gates.
*
Chandler, Monica and Thomas rushed toward the west gates, using the various trees and foliage of the garden as cover. There were men with guns scattered throughout the compound, all looking for Frank, who had conveniently disappeared as soon as they had shown up. Suddenly, two gunshots rang out, much closer to the group than before.
"Get down!" Chandler yelled to Thomas, as he wrapped his arms around Monica and pulled her to the ground, shielding her body with his own. When the next set of shots were fired, they seemed much further away. Chandler popped his head up and scanned the area quickly. As soon as he felt confident that it was clear, he stood up, and pulled Monica up onto her feet.
"Thomas, come on," Chandler whispered, and Thomas stood up. As the group moved toward the gate, Chandler heard a rustling in a nearby bush. Before he could turn, a shot rang out, and Chandler saw Thomas fall to the ground. He pulled out his gun and shot at the bush, pulling Monica behind him. A Uzbeki man fell out of the bush, covered in blood and unconscious. Chandler dropped the gun and rushed toward his brother.
"Thomas," Chandler whispered, picking up his head gingerly.
"Doesn't even...really hurt," Thomas choked out, then chuckled.
"Okay, we have to get you to a hospital," Chandler said, "So you just hang on, okay?"
"Chandler, you'll never make it out of here with me," Thomas argued.
"I'm not leaving you!" Chandler yanked at Thomas' shirt, and saw that he had been hit in the chest. Thomas coughed, and groaned, his eyes growing heavier with each passing second.
"Thomas, just hang on, okay?" Chandler was growing desperate, knowing in his heart that he couldn't take his brother with him.
"Chandler, go, take care of Monica...and your child."
Chandler sighed heavily, then nodded slowly. He watched helplessly as Thomas lost consciousness, then set his head back down onto the ground. Several gunshots brought Chandler back to reality. He stood up, and took Monica's hand, and led her toward the gates.
**
Once Chandler and Monica were over the west gates, they made their way toward Prague. They walked to the train station, and as Monica went to buy tickets to London, Chandler went into the bathroom to try and wash Thomas' blood off his hands. Now out of harm's way, Chandler let the full effect of the evening hit him with full force. He suddenly felt extremely tired. He slumped against the wall, and slid to the ground, his eyes welling up with tears. He wasn't sure how long he was there, before a British man entered the bathroom, and told him that there was a pretty dark-haired woman looking for him. He nodded slowly, then pulled himself together, and walked out of the bathroom.
"Are you okay?" Monica took Chandler's hands in hers.
"Not really," Chandler whispered, then smiled weakly.
"What can I do?"
"Let's just get out of here," Chandler said quietly.
**
~One Year Later~
Joey came flying into Central Perk, looking for his friends. He spotted them on the sofa, and made his way over to them, as he tried to catch his breath.
"What's up, Joe?" Ross asked.
"I just got a postcard...in...the mail," Joey said breathlessly.
"And you came running all the way down here to tell us that?" Rachel asked, puzzled.
"It's to all of us!" Joey said excitedly, handing the card to Ross. Phoebe and Rachel huddled around Ross to get a closer look.
~Dear Joey, Rachel, Phoebe and Ross,
We hope that this note finds all of you well. We wish we could tell you where we are now, but it's best for everyone that we don't. We wanted to let you know that we are okay, and we are together. We have a daughter, she is about five months old now, and we wish she could get to know her aunts and uncles, but we are afraid that right now, it's impossible. We love and miss all of you, and you are always in our thoughts and hearts. We'll try to be in touch soon.
M & C~
"They're alive?" Rachel looked up from the postcard with tears in her eyes.
"Do you think they'll ever come back?" Phoebe wondered.
"I dunno. I hope so," Joey replied.
"At least they have each other," Ross said, and the others nodded.
~*~
That's uh, pretty much it. Don't know where else to go on this one so, uh, The End. LOL.
Please review, as I am unsure about the "action" sequences, LOL.
"Sweet Revenge"
Chandler heard Monica's muffled screams as she was dragged up to her room. He turned to Frank.
"Let her go," Chandler warned again.
"Not likely, Peter," Frank laughed.
Suddenly, the door to the office opened, and Thomas came in.
"Chandler, what--uh, how?"
"Thomas, come in, son. I was just about to ask your brother how exactly he managed to return from the dead."
Thomas looked at Chandler, as an eerie silence fell upon the room. Frank picked up on this, and realized that Chandler had not acted alone.
"Which one of you would like to tell me what is going on?" Frank hissed.
Chandler looked over at Frank, with his mouth tightened, and his eyes full of determination.
"Thomas doesn't know anything."
Franks looked at Thomas, who was still looking at Chandler. Franks approached Chandler slowly, and pulled out his revolver.
"I am having a hard time believing you, Peter," Frank hissed, then cocked the gun at put it to Chandler's head.
Chandler felt the cold steel of the gun on his temple, pressing against his head menacingly. He closed his eyes, and awaited his fate, thinking only of Monica as a tense silence again filled the room. But before Frank could pull the trigger, Francesco came barging into the room.
"Sir," Francesco interrupted, "We have a problem. Another shipment has been lost."
"What?"
"In the Atlantic. It was picked up by a British Naval carrier."
"Which shipment?"
"The big one, sir. The one coming from Uzbekistan."
Chandler and Thomas looked at each other, each trying to determine whether or not Francesco was telling the truth. They looked at Francesco, who refused to look at either of them.
"This is a disater. We've already had to clean up that other mess," Frank was beginning to panic.
"Your Uzbeki contact is on his way here, sir," Francesco said solomnly.
"Shit. Okay, Francesco, take care of Peter. This time, make sure he's fucking dead before you leave him," Frank said angrily, as he walked out of the office.
"Francesco, what the hell is going on?" Thomas asked, after Frank had left the room.
"All of the shipments have been sabotaged. The shipments will never reach the Americas, and Frank's contacts will be very, very unhappy."
"How did they get sabotaged?" Chandler asked warily.
"I don't know," Francesco lied, winking at Thomas and Chandler.
Chandler let out the anxious breath he had been holding, and followed Thomas and Francesco out of the office. They walked up the stairs, watching as Frank rushed around the foyer below, trying to fix the unfixable. Once they were out of Frank's earshot, Francesco turned to Thomas and Chandler.
"You guys have to get out of here. I'd imagine that Frank is going to have a few very angry and very dangerous people visiting him shortly."
"I need to get Monica," Chandler said, rushing toward her bedroom.
"Thomas, go pack. Take only what you need," Francesco whispered
"What about you?"
"I want to make sure Frank doesn't follow you out. Hurry," Francesco said, as he watched Frank from the shadows of the corridor where he and Thomas stood. Frank was pacing the floor nervously, as he tried to talk to one of his contacts. It was obvious that the man on the other end was not interested in excuses.
***
Monica layed on her bed, her legs curled up to her chest, and her arms hugging her legs protectively. She felt utterly helpless, and completely alone. After all that had happened, after all that she and Chandler had been through, she was sure that they would find one another again. She sighed, letting out another shaky, teary breath. She didn't want to live, if she couldn't live with Chandler. That was when it hit her. She didn't have to live...she could take her own life. Then Frank wouldn't get her child, and he would lose. At least he would lose this battle. Monica's mind raced, and the more she thought about it, the better it sounded. Suddenly, she heard her door swing open.
"Monica," Chandler called out, as he rushed into the room.
Monica sat up and turned toward the door.
"Chandler? You're okay!" Monica yelled and hopped off of the bed.
"Monica, we have to get out of here. Frank's contacts...they're coming after him. It's a long story, but we have to go now!" Chandler rattled, as Monica hugged him fiercly.
"Okay. Are you sure it's safe?"
"No, but it's safer than staying here. C'mon," Chandler took Monica's hand, and led her down the corridor, where they met up with Thomas.
"Are you ready?" Chandler asked his brother.
"Yeah. Let's get the hell out of here."
As the group proceeded down the hall, they heard a rhythmic popping sound in the distance. Seconds later, Francesco appeared in the hallway.
"The Uzbeki contact is here," Francesco said breathlessly, "and he's not alone."
More popping was heard, and it became evident to Chandler that it was gunfire, coming from the perimeter of the compound.
"How are we going to get out of here?" Chandler wondered aloud, "How can we get out without being noticed?"
"They are moving toward the house. Chances are, they are going to leave the perimeter open as they do it. Come on," Francesco said, leading the group down the stairs and around the back of Frank's office. He keyed into a small, dark room.
"What is this place?" Monica whispered.
"Frank is pretty paranoid--apparently with good reason," Francesco chuckled, "This room leads to the control room. Frank has bugs and cameras located throughout the compound. They all feed into this room," Francesco opened another door to reveal another dark, slightly larger room, filled with monitors and recording equipment.
"From here we should be able to see most of the compound, and figure out the best way to get out."
Francesco and Chandler studied the monitors for several minutes, trying to map a way out of the compound.
"It looks like the west end is going to give us the best option," Chandler muttered, his eyes scanning the monitors.
"I agree. We should move now. There are a lot of them, and they are hell-bent on killing everyone in the compound," Francesco replied.
Chandler nodded and grabbed Monica's hand, as Francesco led the group out of the control room and back into the hallway. They made their way down toward the west exit, and out the doors into the sprawling garden.
"Okay, keep moving that way, and you should be able to climb the gates along the perimeter. Move quickly, and keep your eyes open," Francesco whispered.
"You're not coming?" Chandler asked.
"I have some things I need to take care of. Take this," Francesco handed Chandler his gun, "but get rid of it before you try to cross the border."
"Got it," Chandler nodded. Chandler shook Francesco's hand, and thanked him quickly, before running toward the gates.
*
Chandler, Monica and Thomas rushed toward the west gates, using the various trees and foliage of the garden as cover. There were men with guns scattered throughout the compound, all looking for Frank, who had conveniently disappeared as soon as they had shown up. Suddenly, two gunshots rang out, much closer to the group than before.
"Get down!" Chandler yelled to Thomas, as he wrapped his arms around Monica and pulled her to the ground, shielding her body with his own. When the next set of shots were fired, they seemed much further away. Chandler popped his head up and scanned the area quickly. As soon as he felt confident that it was clear, he stood up, and pulled Monica up onto her feet.
"Thomas, come on," Chandler whispered, and Thomas stood up. As the group moved toward the gate, Chandler heard a rustling in a nearby bush. Before he could turn, a shot rang out, and Chandler saw Thomas fall to the ground. He pulled out his gun and shot at the bush, pulling Monica behind him. A Uzbeki man fell out of the bush, covered in blood and unconscious. Chandler dropped the gun and rushed toward his brother.
"Thomas," Chandler whispered, picking up his head gingerly.
"Doesn't even...really hurt," Thomas choked out, then chuckled.
"Okay, we have to get you to a hospital," Chandler said, "So you just hang on, okay?"
"Chandler, you'll never make it out of here with me," Thomas argued.
"I'm not leaving you!" Chandler yanked at Thomas' shirt, and saw that he had been hit in the chest. Thomas coughed, and groaned, his eyes growing heavier with each passing second.
"Thomas, just hang on, okay?" Chandler was growing desperate, knowing in his heart that he couldn't take his brother with him.
"Chandler, go, take care of Monica...and your child."
Chandler sighed heavily, then nodded slowly. He watched helplessly as Thomas lost consciousness, then set his head back down onto the ground. Several gunshots brought Chandler back to reality. He stood up, and took Monica's hand, and led her toward the gates.
**
Once Chandler and Monica were over the west gates, they made their way toward Prague. They walked to the train station, and as Monica went to buy tickets to London, Chandler went into the bathroom to try and wash Thomas' blood off his hands. Now out of harm's way, Chandler let the full effect of the evening hit him with full force. He suddenly felt extremely tired. He slumped against the wall, and slid to the ground, his eyes welling up with tears. He wasn't sure how long he was there, before a British man entered the bathroom, and told him that there was a pretty dark-haired woman looking for him. He nodded slowly, then pulled himself together, and walked out of the bathroom.
"Are you okay?" Monica took Chandler's hands in hers.
"Not really," Chandler whispered, then smiled weakly.
"What can I do?"
"Let's just get out of here," Chandler said quietly.
**
~One Year Later~
Joey came flying into Central Perk, looking for his friends. He spotted them on the sofa, and made his way over to them, as he tried to catch his breath.
"What's up, Joe?" Ross asked.
"I just got a postcard...in...the mail," Joey said breathlessly.
"And you came running all the way down here to tell us that?" Rachel asked, puzzled.
"It's to all of us!" Joey said excitedly, handing the card to Ross. Phoebe and Rachel huddled around Ross to get a closer look.
~Dear Joey, Rachel, Phoebe and Ross,
We hope that this note finds all of you well. We wish we could tell you where we are now, but it's best for everyone that we don't. We wanted to let you know that we are okay, and we are together. We have a daughter, she is about five months old now, and we wish she could get to know her aunts and uncles, but we are afraid that right now, it's impossible. We love and miss all of you, and you are always in our thoughts and hearts. We'll try to be in touch soon.
M & C~
"They're alive?" Rachel looked up from the postcard with tears in her eyes.
"Do you think they'll ever come back?" Phoebe wondered.
"I dunno. I hope so," Joey replied.
"At least they have each other," Ross said, and the others nodded.
~*~
That's uh, pretty much it. Don't know where else to go on this one so, uh, The End. LOL.
Please review, as I am unsure about the "action" sequences, LOL.