Hello guys, I had a lot to do lately and to work off all the stress I decided to write a little something. Well, when I started to write this story I thought it's gonna be just a short one, but now, here I am, having already written more than I ever did for another story.

So, if you enjoy the first part of my new story: good for you, there are a lot more chapters to come. If you don't enjoy it: don't read it! :)

Oh, what I need to tell you: This is off canon. It starts after TOW Ross finds out and I know that it's right after Ross and Rachel kissed for the first time. Just assume that didn't happen and concentrate on the part with our favorite couple. ;)

"Good morning," Phoebe yells as she enters apartment 20. She is breathing heavily because she ran up the stairs. Some guy outside of her own apartment started to talk to her and now she's really late for breakfast at Monica's. And everybody knows what Monica does whenever someone turns up late.

"Hey, Pheebs," Rachel says from the couch, where she is sitting with Ross.

"Where is Monica?" Phoebe asks and looks around the living room and kitchen. Nothing. There is not even coffee yet.

"We don't know. She obviously hasn't woken up yet." Ross shrugs.

"What? Monica? It's almost nine on a Sunday morning!" Phoebe can't believe it. "That never happened before!"

"Maybe she went to bed late yesterday, I don't know," Rachel says. "I spent the whole night at Ross'."

"Aren't you worried?" Phoebe asks.

Rachel shrugs. "We just guessed she's still sleeping."

Phoebe walks over to Monica's bedroom door, knocks and – when she doesn't get an answer – opens the door. Monica's bed looks like nobody even slept in it. It's all tidy.

"She's not there, guys!" Phoebe turns around to face her friends.

"What?" Ross jumps up from the couch. "Then where is she?"

Monica chooses that moment to walk into the apartment. Before she's able to do anything Phoebe and Rachel start to bombard her with questions.

"Guys, I'm alright," Monica tries to calm down the girls. "I fell asleep at Chandler's when I went over there in the morning."

"What?" Rachel asks.

"Why? Were you really that tired?" Phoebe adds.

"Well, no, just …" Monica stutters. "I … well, apparently I'm a loser nobody likes. I don't have a job, no one wants to date me and not even my parents like me. I mean, I can as well bury myself now, because I don't seem to have a future at all." Monica walks over to the door of her bedroom, her shoulders slouching.

Phoebe and Rachel look at each other. "What?" Rachel mouths.

"Monica? What's wrong?" Ross, who gets up from the couch as he sees his sister like that, asks.

"Why don't you ask Chandler?" Monica mumbles, then she walks into her bedroom and closes the door with a loud bang.

Rachel and Phoebe sit down on the couch and also Ross sinks down again.

"Do you understand that?" Ross asks, thinking that maybe the girls get his sister better as he does right now.

Rachel shakes her head slowly. "No, what is wrong with her? Why would she say something like that?"

"I mean, it's not Monica to tell us things like that. Of course, she is not the most self-secure person in the world, but this was really weird," Phoebe says.

"And what did she mean by 'Ask Chandler'?" Rachel asks.

Ross shrugs. He honestly doesn't understand Monica at the moment. "Where are Chandler and Joey anyway?"

"Well, Joey was on a date last night, which went really well, because he doesn't seem to be back yet," Phoebe says. "And I have no idea where Chandler is. Normally he is here every morning to get breakfast. It's weird that he isn't here the one time Monica doesn't make any."

"Maybe he went to work," Rachel suggests.

"Oh, Rachel, come on, it's Sunday. Chandler doesn't go to work on a Sunday," Phoebe says, feeling more and more angry with Chandler. She can't say why, but something isn't right and she just has the feeling that it's all Chandler's fault.

"Then where is he?" Ross asks, looking towards Monica's bedroom worried, because his sister is still in there, not making any sound.

"I think he got into a fight with Monica. That's the only explanation on why she is so down and he's not there," Phoebe says. "And do you know what makes me really angry? That he was the one who did that to her. Chandler! He loves Monica, why would he do that? Why?"

"Phoebe, calm down," Rachel laughs. "You don't even know if you're right about it."

"I'm sure she is," Ross joins now. "That idiot hurt my little sister and now I'm going to hurt him!"

"We need to ask him what happened. Maybe he doesn't even know what going on. Maybe he …"

The door opens again and Chandler walks into the apartment, with a big smile on his face. "Good morning, children!"

"What did you do?" Ross asks angrily.

"What? Oh, yes, I'm sorry I'm late, but this morning I had the best sleep since forever! It was so relaxing and …"

"No, you jerk," Phoebe interrupts him. "What did you do to Monica?"

"Monica?" Chandler asks confused.

"Yes, don't act like you don't know what we are talking of, Chandler!" Phoebe sounds pissed.

"She came in a few minutes before you and was really down and said stuff like she's a loser and nobody likes her, not even her parents," Rachel tells. "And when we asked her what's up, she told us to ask you! So what did you do to her, Chandler?"

Chandler's smiles fades. "Oh no. Oh no, no, no, no! I … Shit … I didn't want to exercise today, because, come on, it's Sunday and she was standing in front of my door at six in the morning. No one exercises on a Sunday, you understand that, right?" Chandler takes a deep breath after all this rambling.

"That might be right," Ross says. "But it doesn't explain why Monica is all bumped out because of something you've said."

"She was so terribly full of energy and was dancing in front of me and … and it was six on a Sunday morning, so I … I might have tried to bump her out. I might have said some things that I shouldn't have said about her not having a job or a boyfriend and how she disappoints her parents. That was the only way to stop her talking me into exercising. She was suddenly very sad and wanted to lie down on the couch. I was so happy and proud of me, because I was able to get some more sleep."

"Congratulations, idiot," Phoebe says.

"Phoebe, what …" Chandler begins, but Phoebe interrupts him again.

"She is in there, probably crying," she points to Monica's bedroom. "You know how insecure about herself Monica is, right?"

Chandler nods ruefully.

"Then why do you tell her stuff like that?"

"I was tired and I couldn't think straight. Good God, she wanted me to exercise and I was still sore from the exercising we did all week."

"That's not the point," Phoebe yells, her head red.

Rachel gets up quickly and puts a hand on Phoebe's arm. "Phoebe, calm down." Then she turns to Chandler. "Look, Chandler, maybe Monica exaggerated a bit …" She looks at Chandler. "Okay, maybe she exaggerated a lot, but that doesn't give you the right to tell her all these things. Out of all of us, I always thought you know and understand her best, Chandler!"

"I do. And I couldn't do anything to hurt her."

"Well, I think you just did," Phoebe begins, but Rachel holds her back again.

"I'm sorry, I'm so, so sorry, I didn't mean to do that."

"You shouldn't be apologizing to us, Chandler." Rachel says quietly. She points to the door of Monica's bedroom. "Go in there and talk to her."

"What am I supposed to say?" Chandler ruffles his hair with his left hand.

"Oh, now you ask us, what …" Ross begins, but Rachel shushes him.

Then she puts one of her hand on Chandler's arm to calm him down. "You'll say the right thing," she whispers.

Monica lays on her bed, with her face down when she hears a knock on her door. "No!" she yells. She doesn't want to talk to anyone. Everyone is just pretending to like her, probably only because they don't want to starve. Now that she thinks about it – and she has been thinking about it the last half an hour since she came back from Chandler's apartment – she asks herself why she didn't realize it sooner: that no one really likes her. It's clear: Rachel needs her, because she is the one that guarantees her a roof over the head. Ross was only hanging out with her because he wanted to get to know Rachel. Phoebe is probably just here because she feels like she owes Monica something for giving her the chance to live with her and for Joey she is just an attachment to all his other friends. And Chandler, well she thought he was different, but obviously he doesn't like her either. Maybe it makes him feel good to hang out with her, because that way he doesn't feel like the only loser in the group.

Someone knocks at her door again. Monica sighs. "I don't want to talk," she mumbles quietly, the person standing outside of her door probably doesn't even hear her.

Monica hears the sound of her door opening. "Do you need me to make breakfast?" She asks annoyed.

"Actually, I came to apologize," Chandler begins. "But after that I'd love some breakfast!"

Monica startles up, having not expected Chandler at all. "What do you want?"

"Monica, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to make you feel bad. Believe me, Mon, I … I wasn't thinking straight, I was too tired. I know that that's not an excuse, but … I didn't want to exercise and you didn't even listen to me. Don't get me wrong, it's not your fault, but I didn't know what to do. I'm sorry, Mon, I'm so sorry, can you …"

"You don't have to apologize for saying the truth," Monica mumbles.

"What?"

"I said, you don't have to apologize for saying the truth. You're right, I am a loser and I'm sorry that you are all forced to hang out with me. But if you don't want to, you can just tell me and then I will …"

"Stop, Monica, don't say that. We are not forced to hang out with you. I can only speak for myself, but I love to hang out with you. And I'm sure it's the same with the others."

"I can't stop thinking about all the flaws other people don't like about me," Monica says quietly.

"Monica…"

"What? What about my inability to keep even the easiest job? And why is no male human being able to stay with me longer than … a few days or weeks? I'm a mess!"

"Mon, these words came from me. I said them. But will you just take a second and look at me? I'm not the one to judge. I mean, I'm the biggest loser that has ever walked this planet.

"You're not, Chandler. You're funny and smart and charming."

"And you are caring and great and also funny. And smart. And charming."

"I don't know about that…"

"Hey, Mon, if I can accept all the things you said to me, I think you should accept the ones I said to you. It's only fair."

Monica sighs. He has a point. If she's looking at him now, she doesn't know why she thought earlier he would just hang out with her because he doesn't want to be the only loser in the group. Actually, he's always really sweet; he can't be acting all of it.

"You're right, Chandler. Thank you for coming to see me." She stands up from her bed and walks towards the door. "But don't say things like this morning to me again, okay?"

"Never!" Chandler promises. Monica's hand is already on the door knob when Chandler shouts. "Mon?"

"Yes?"

"Please don't ever forget that you're absolutely and one hundred percent my favorite person, okay?"

"Oh, Chandler, stop crawling. I forgave you."

"I mean it, Monica!"

"I know," she smiles. "How about pancakes for breakfast? I'll make your favorite!"