Hey, do you still remember me? I finally managed to write another short story for this one. Can't believe how long it's been, but I have some crazy months behind me and couldn't even come up with an idea to write about. This is one from the very, very beginning when Chandler had just moved in with Kip and Monica was still living alone. It's a very short one, but I hope it helped to get me back into the business of writing. :)

Finding one

Chandler knocks at the door of apartment 20. He hears footsteps inside. They are very rushed. Then Monica opens the door, with a panicky look on her face.

"Chandler," she exclaims. "What happened?"

"I'm bored," Chandler says.

"What? I'm sorry, I really don't have time for you right now. The apartment has to be spotless and I'm only on the second round of cleaning right now. There is still so much to do and I haven't even started with dinner yet and …"

"Hey Monica, take a breath! What is going on? Can I come in?"

"No, I'm sorry, but not today. Do you know how much stuff I still need to do until they come? I have only cleaned the bathroom twice and the pillows on the couch are not fluffy enough yet and they would want to see my bedroom and I didn't clean my wardrobe for three days and oh no, do you know what I just realized? I have to clean the stairs of the whole building, too. What will they think of me when they come up the stairs and see dirt on the stairs? That would be a disaster and I would have to …"

"Monica," Chandler interrupts her and puts one of his hands on her shoulder.

She looks at him. "You are still there?" It's not very often that someone listens to all of her rambling and not just walks away.

"Of course I am. I wanted to talk to you. But Monica, you are panicking!"

"I'm not, I'm just telling you what I still have to do before my parents come to visit me."

"Your parents? I thought the queen of England and the pope are coming to dine with you. Why are you so nervouse about your parents visiting?"

"You remember my parents, right?"

"Yes, but they didn't seem too horrible."

"That is because you were friends with Ross. They are always nice to Ross, because he is their son who can do no wrong. I on the other hand am doing everything wrong. But now I really have to continue all this stuff I talked to you about. See you later, Chandler!"

Monica wants to close the door, but Chandler puts one of his feet inbetween the door. "Let me help you, Monica."

Monica begins to laugh, hysterically. "Yeah, right. Because you know how to clean with my standards. No thank you, I have to do that by myself." With that she pushes Chandler outside of her apartment and closes the door firmly. A second later she is already back in the bathroom, on round three of cleaning it.

"Hey, where have you been?" Kip asks as Chandler returns to his own apartment.

"I wanted to visit Monica, but she is busy with cleaning and freaking out."

"Oh no," Kip rolls his eyes. "This girl is crazy when it comes to cleaning. Did she start rambling about it? All you can really do is walking away, because she won't stop, believe me."

"Well, she was really upset, because her parents come to visit today. Do you know what the big deal is with her parents?"

"No, she has never told me about them. But as far as I know this is the first time they are visiting her. Maybe that's why she's so nervous."

"Hm-hm," Chandler nods. His roommate doesn't seem to know anything, but Chandler has the feeling that there is more to it than just being nervous for your parents' first visit.

Later that night when Chandler leaves his apartment he bumps into Monica. She has tears in her eyes and sinks down to the stairs between their apartments. An older woman who Chandler recognices as Judy Geller is standing in the door, looking at her daughter.

"Monica," Judy says. "I didn't mean to make you sad. I was just wondering. Now that you are thin and living in the city I just assumed that there must be at least one man who is going to like you. I mean, there are so many men in New York and you …"

Monica hides her face in her hands, her shoulders shaking.

" … don't seem to be able to find one. I don't know what's wrong …"

"Judy, hey, let's give Monica a break, okay?" Chandler interrupts Monica's mom and pushes her back into the apartment.

"Who are you?" Judy asks confused. "I know you from somewhere."

"I'm Chandler, Ross' friend from college. I used to spend some Thanksgivings with you."

"Oh right, you hated it, didn't you?"

Jack is coming back from the bathroom, apparently unaware of what had just happened. On the table are three plates with what looks like apple pie and something that must have been vanilla ice cream before it all melted.

"What happened, Judy?" Jack asks.

"Oh, I was just talking to her and something must have upset her and she just ran out of the apartment."

Chandler doesn't say anything, but makes his way to the freezer to put new ice cream on the plates of Judy and Jake.

"Here you go, enjoy your desert," he says, looking at Jack, not being able to look at Judy right now. Something in the way she talks with and about Monica makes him really angry.

He grabs a big tube of chocolate ice cream out of the freezer and two spoons and hurries back outside, hoping that Monica is still there.

And of course she is, sitting on the same spot, her face still hidden in her hands.

He plops down next to her and opens the tube of ice cream.

"Chandler, I think we don't know each other long enough to steal food out of each other's fridge," she mumbles. It's clearly an attempt to joke.

"I thought you might want some ice cream. It helps to make you feel better."

"And why did you bring two spoons?"

"Well, you know … I was kinda hoping you'd share with me?"

Monica smiles a little bit at him and nods. "Of course."

They both enjoy the ice cream in silence for a while. Chandler is not sure what to say or how to start a conversation like that. He has never experienced something like that and crying women always make him feel uncomfortable.

"Do … do you want to talk about it?" He asks after a while.

"There's not much to talk about. Just … my mom … being my mom."

"She wasn't being very nice."

"No, but I'm used to it."

"If it makes you feel better, Monica, you don't have the worst parents," Chandler begins.

"How do you know that?"

"Because I have the worst." Chandler sighs. He didn't want to tell anyone about his parents, ever. Kip has tried to get something out of him a few times, but he was always able to avoid giving answers. Chandler can't believe that he is now actually about to tell someone about his childhood.

"Worse than Why can't you find one single man who likes you?"

"Oh, yes, multiple time worse. Let's just say two things for the beginning: My mom writes erotic novels and my dad has a gay burlesque show in Las Vegas. Is that enough already?"

Chandler winks and Monica cannot help but laugh at that. He looks so adorable with his look of suffering on his face.

"Keep going," she demands.

And then Chandler tells her everything. Everything. He doesn't think he has ever talked so much without a break, but he just can't stop. He's trying to make everything as funny as possible, for Monica's sake. She deserves to laugh at least a little bit today. And she is laughing a lot. Both of them have forgotten about the ice cream a long time ago already, Chandler so into telling his story and making jokes and Monica listening to him and laughing.

"Please tell me that's not true! Please tell me you are just making all of this up to entertain me," Monica pants, but Chandler shakes his head.

"I'm not, unfortunately."

"Well, I think you win. Your parents are worse."

"Thank you," Chandler says and laughs.

"I'm so sorry, Chandler," Monica suddenly says.

Chandler sighs and puts his arm around her shoulder. "I got used to it. I'm sorry for what happened to you tonight."

"Well, it wasn't the worst thing my mom ever said to me. I got used to it as well."

"Wow, both of us really didn't have a great childhood, right?"

"At least your mom doesn't ask why you are still single every time you see her, does she?"

"No, she doesn't do that. But she once wrote a novel about a guy, who was a little too similar to me. And do you know how she called him?"

"Chandler?"

"No, that would have been too obvious, even for her. She named him Chando."

Monica begins to laugh again. "That's not even a name!"

"Do you think Chandler is?"

"Well …," she begins, but Chandler hits her in the side playfully and laughs.

"I think I should head back inside. They are probably already wondering what takes me so long."

Monica gets up and wants to walk away, but Chandler holds her back.

"Hey, Monica!"

"Yes?"

"Don't let them bring you down. You are a wonderful person!"

"Thanks, Chandler. Just try to tell that to my mom."

"Okay," Chandler says and opens the door to her apartment.

"Chandler, don't …" Monica tries to hold him back. But too late. He is already in the apartment.

"Monica, are you alright?" Jack gets up, worried about his daughter.

"Yes, I'm okay, Dad." She gives her father a quick hug.

"What is he doing here?" Judy asks, pointing at Chandler.

"He's just about to go," Monica says and looks at Chandler pleadingly.

"Yes, I'm only here to tell you that Monica has found one."

"What?" Judy looks at him with a big questionmark all over her face.

"Monica found a guy in New York who likes her," Chandler explains.

"You did?" Excitedly Judy turns to Monica. "Why didn't you tell me earlier?"

"Yeah, why didn't I tell them?" Monica asks and turns to Chandler.

"Me," Chandler shrugs. "She found me. I like her. A lot actually."

Judy rolls her eyes. "Oh, kids, you and your jokes. I was actually thinking you finally have a boyfriend, Monica!"

"Well, than you would have needed to be more specific," Chandler explained. "You just asked for a guy who likes her and here I am."

"Yeah, but you are just Chandler," Judy says.

Chandler turns around to face Monica and shrugs. "I'm just Chandler." Then he gives her his lopsided grin that she already begins to love so much.

Monica nudges his side with her shoulder. "You are certainly not Just Chandler."