Hello, it's me again! I've been watching a lot of season two and three lately… And I just love cute pre-Mondler moments. So, I thought, why not have more of them? That's when I started to write little one-shots, that each continue after an earlier episode. The stories are just gonna be about the friendship between Chandler and Monica, because that's the thing between the two of them that amazes me the most. :) I hope you enjoy even though there's no romantic stuff in it. Please tell me if you do and if you want to hear more. :)

*I Care*

"Where's Chandler?" Monica asks.

Rachel, Phoebe and Joey are sitting at the small wooden table in Rachel's sister cabin and playing cards. After a really long drive up here they have finally arrived half an hour ago. Everyone decided they wouldn't unpack their stuff for just one night, but Monica couldn't not do it. Just imagining her clothes trapped in the bag for more than a few hours sent cold shivers up and down her back. But when she looked into the bedroom with three bunk beds in it, she noticed that you are probably not even supposed to unpack your bag when you're staying in a cabin. Because there wasn't even a closet. But Monica, by just being Monica, found a solution. She spread her clothes on the only chair and put some of it on the clothes hanger at the door. She wasn't completely satisfied with it, but she would be able to live with it for this weekend.

"I have no idea," Phoebe answers. "We asked him if he wants to play with us, but he didn't want to. I don't know where he went to."

"Do you wanna play with us, Mon?" Rachel asks.

Joey nods excitedly. "Yeah, please, Mon. We wanna play strip poker!"

"No, we don't!" Phoebe and Rachel shout simultaneously.

"Fine, I wanna play strip poker! This is boring!" Joey says and throws away his cards.

Monica laughs at Joey. Then she shakes her head. "Thanks, I think I'm going to look for Chandler."

"I don't think he's fun to hang out with right now," Rachel says quietly.

"I'm gonna go find him anyway," Monica shrugs.

She grabs her jacket and opens the door. The cold air that hits her makes her shiver. It's already late and dark outside. Her eyes gradually become adjusted to the darkness and she spots Chandler on a bench a few steps away from the cabin. He has a cigarette between his lips and his face buried in his hands. He's wearing only his sweater and must be freezing. Monica walks back into the cabin and grabs his jacket as well.

"Hey." She whispers when she's standing right in front of him.

He just looks at her, taking another pull on his cigarette.

"Can I sit with you?"

"Sure." He shrugs.

Monica sits down next to him and puts the jacket over his shoulders.

"You alright?" She asks.

"Yes, sure. I'm just enjoying the fresh air."

"Chandler, come on, it's freezing out here. Why aren't you playing cards with the others? Joey really needs someone to support his wish for strip poker. He gets voted down every time he suggests something."

"I don't feel like playing."

"This whole break-up-thing gets you more than you expected, right?"

"It brings back bad memories."

Monica stays silent. She doesn't know what to say and sometimes it's better to say nothing anyway. Chandler finishes his cigarette and wants to light a new one right away. Monica grabs the cigarette from his lips and throws it in the snow.

"Hey! That's not what you're supposed to do with these things!"

"I don't want you to smoke!"

"But I do."

"It's bad for you. You might not live as long as we do and I don't like that thought!"

"Who cares? I don't think anyone cares if I'd die earlier. It doesn't matter. I can as well sit here the whole night, smoking and freezing my ass off."

"So you are cold? Chandler, come on, let's go inside. It's nice and warm in there!"

"I don't wanna go inside yet. But feel free to go."

Monica sighs. It's harder than she thought it's going to be. "I'd like to stay here with you if it's not a problem for you."

Chandler shakes his head.

"Okay," Monica says and jumps up a little while later. "If you don't want me to freeze to death you have to at least take a walk with me."

Chandler looks at Monica and chuckles. "You are bossy lately." But he gets up and takes Monica's arm anyway.

"You only realize that now?" Monica asks and chuckles as well.

"Okay, let's take a walk. Walking makes you live longer; that means I can smoke more cigarettes then."

Monica rolls her eyes, but laughs.

"Was that funny?" Chandler asks surprised.

"No," Monica shakes her head, still laughing. "I just imagined a Chandler without the jokes. Like you said earlier, you started with the sarcasm when your parents got divorced. Just imagine how dull you would be if your parents hadn't got divorced!"

"Thank God I'm funny!" Chandler lets out a relieved laugh.

"Chandler, you know how much I love you, but you're not funny! Well, not all the time!"

"Ouch, that hurt. And, if I remember correctly, you laugh at every joke I tell!"

"I do not! I roll my eyes and ask myself how I can be friends with such a guy!"

"Mon, let's be honest: Maybe you don't want to laugh at every joke I make, but you at least grin every time. I sometimes see you try to hold back your smile!"

"That's not true!" Monica shouts, but knows that she has been caught. That's what she does. She might not want to laugh at his, at times, stupid jokes, but she almost every time does anyway. She tries to hold it back, but sometimes he truly is funny and all the other times she smiles because it's Chandler and he looks so damn cute when he's trying to crack a joke and make everyone laugh but no one does.

"No, of course not," Chandler chuckles, puts his arm around her waist and pulls her close to him.

Monica smiles contently. Rachel wasn't right before. Chandler is fun to hang out with, even today. Even on his worst day it's still more fun to hang out with him than to play cards with her friends but without him. And he seems to enjoy this walk as well. He hasn't tried to light another cigarette since they had started walking.

"Let's go back, alright?" Monica asks after another while.

"What? You ask, you not just command?"

"Chandler, I'm not that bad. I wanna hear your opinion, too."

"Okay, I much rather stay here for a little while longer."

"No way! We're going back!"

Chandler laughs and squeezes Monica's shoulders. "Please, Mon, don't ever change!"

When they come back into the cabin, Rachel, Phoebe and Joey are already sleeping. The cards are still lying on the table and Monica can't resist to put them away. Then she gets a wet cloth and starts to wipe the table.

Chandler comes out of the small bathroom and chuckles quietly. "Oh, Mon…"

"What? Who knows what Joey convinced the other two to do!"

"Mon, stop," Chandler gets the cloth and throws it into the sink. "Let's go to sleep."

"Well, I wanted to go now anyway," Monica says and walks towards the bedroom. "What a day, huh?" She asks quietly, careful to not wake up the other three.

"Yeah, it wasn't my favorite," Chandler whispers back.

"But it ended pretty well, right?"

"Of course. I couldn't have imagined a better ending. Thank you, Mon!"

Chandler leans in to hug her, but Monica backs away.

"Hey!" He says offended.

"No! I'm not going to hug you! I'm sure you stink of cigarettes!"

"Mon, come on, I brushed my teeth!"

"No!"

"Monica, please," Chandler pleads.

Monica rolls her eyes. Then she gives him a quick peck on the cheek. "Good night," she says and crawls under her covers.

"Good night, Mon!" Chandler whispers.

Monica smiles into the darkness. It really was the perfect ending to this exciting day. Then she remembers something Chandler has said before. "Chandler? I'd care," she whispers. She isn't sure if he's already sleeping or if he's listening. "You have to stop this stupid smoking, 'cause I care a lot!"