A/N: This is an entry for the Merge! fanfic challenge over at the wonderful friends-boards.com, of which I am a [very dedicated and loving :-p] member. So, this is just my place to put it. Due to many things, it's not very good, but I wanted to enter something. For my regular fic readers [if there's any left], my updates will continue soon. After all, my exams finish on Wednesday, and I miss writing. Anyway, on with the story. ;-) Sorry for rambling.
Special thanks to Katie, Jen and Becca for all giving their opinions. I love you guys.
- David
----
"Okay, you can put that over there, and that goes upstairs!"
Monica grinned as she flipped out her chart, running her finger down it as a man with a box labeled with a large number 23 stood in front of her. She looked up and told him to take it to the kitchen, tapping her foot impatiently as she waited for the next box, and next frightened removal man.
Chandler watched with wide eyes from the window inside, looking down intermittently at the sleeping babies, who were managing to withstand the racket the removal men were making as the boxes piled up inside.
Chandler watched as Monica frowned, looking over at him as the man before her dutifully held up a box- labeled "box of crap".
"Chandler!" she yelled. "Did you label this box?"
He shook his head. Monica sighed.
"Fine, just put it in the lounge," he heard her order, and the man almost ran into the house, passing behind Chandler.
"That is a scary woman you got there," he whispered to Chandler, who laughed. As he turned back, he heard a tiny cry, and looked down to see Erica stirring.
"Hey, baby girl," he whispered, leaning down to brush her cheek, and watching her eyes open. "Good evening," he said, scooping her gently up, and cradling her gently. He smiled as she gave a tiny yawn. "Aww, you tired, sweetums?" he cooed, rocking her slowly back and forth, and moving nearer the window again.
"#12… front bedroom!" Monica yelled, and Chandler laughed softly.
"That's your mommy, Erica," he said softly, pointing out of the window. "You'd better get used to organization, being up at 7 o'clock sharp, and not enjoying the delights of Melrose Place re-runs until after you've done your homework," he said, smiling as she yawned. "God, my jokes bore you already, don't they?" he said, watching her eyes close again.
"Chandler!" He looked up at her yell. "They're all done!" she said, motioning toward the removal men.
He sighed, laid Erica back down, and walked outside. "You better get in there, we don't want to leave them alone," he said, and Monica nodded, brushing his hand as he walked over to the removal men.
Monica heard the cries before she entered the house, smiling despite how they pierced her ears, and she walked over to the crib with soft footsteps, hearing the faint sounds of Chandler and the removal men.
"Well kids, looks like we are officially all moved in," she whispered, stroking Jack's forehead as she picked him up, her arms assuming the natural position of a mother, which was of course what she was meant to be.
As Monica softly sung a lullaby to Jack, Erica's screams became louder, masking the sound of the door clicking shut and the van finally drawing away. Chandler came silently up behind Monica and took Erica into his arms, Monica only noticing as the cries deceased, and only a soft whimpering came from the twins.
"You're really good at this," Monica whispered with sparkling eyes, as she looked over at Chandler.
He smiled, rocking Erica gently. "Well don't sound so surprised," he replied, and she sighed.
"I'm sor-" she started, but he cut her off.
"It's okay," he insisted. "I think you're allowed a little bit of doubt after my commitment phobia years," he said, and she smiled. "Plus, I did kind of freak out today," he added, looking down at Erica. "You gave me quite a fright," he cooed to Erica, who just squirmed.
Monica moved nearer, bending as best she could to surprise him with a soft kiss on his cheek. "I'm still sorry," she said. "I knew you'd be a great dad."
Chandler winked at her. "Still got a long time to prove that, haven't I?" he smiled, as Erica reached out a tiny hand and yawned. "You want to go back down?" he asked, gaining nothing but a wrinkled nose. "I can't wait until they learn to talk," he confided to Monica, as he rested Erica down into the crib again.
Monica raised her eyebrows. "Are you sure about that? Talking just makes them more eager for things, and those things cost money," she laughed, as Chandler sat down, sighing.
"Yeah, maybe you're right," he answered, leaning over the crib. "Okay kids, promise me you'll never say a word." They just rolled slightly in their crib. He looked up. "Should I take that as a yes?"
----
"Oh my god, who packed these boxes?!" Monica exclaimed, holding a saucepan and an alarm clock in her left hand as she stared into the box.
Chandler turned his head as he hung another shirt up in the wardrobe. "I'm guessing Joey, from what the lid says," he replied, and Monica groaned as she read 'Shiny things'.
"I wish we'd taken them with us now," she moaned, putting the saucepan on the bed and placing the alarm clock on the empty nightstand. "Then I'd be able to find what I wanted," she said, slamming a jar of salt down on the bed.
"Oh, come on, we'll get it all sorted eventu-"
Chandler was cut off by a loud scream from the room opposite.
"I'll get it," said Monica, letting the lid of the box go, but Chandler stopped her with a hand on her shoulder.
"No, I'll do it," he nodded, and she sighed.
"What if it's both of them?" she pointed out, and he frowned.
"I'll manage," he said eventually, opening the door slowly.
Monica looked over her shoulder. "Call me if you need me," she relented, opening the box again. Chandler nodded, and made his way across the hall, sighing at the boxes lining the hallway.
"Awake again, huh?" he said over Jack's cries, silently thanking Erica for staying in her slumber. He scooped Jack up into his arms and rocked him, stroking his son's cheeks softly; grinning as the baby slowly stopped crying. "Wow, this is easier than I thought," said Chandler- and they proved to be the words of doom as Erica suddenly picked up Jack's cries; and soon they were both at it, and Chandler tried to shush Erica as he held Jack, but not succeeding terribly well.
He was about to call Monica, but heard a door gently opening and closing, and Monica appeared beside him.
"I couldn't do anything thinking you were here all alone," she said, picking Erica up.
Chandler smiled. "I just got Jack to be quiet, then Erica started," he sighed, moving nearer the crib.
"Ahh, children are fickle like that," said Monica. "We'll get used to it."
"We already have," he replied with a whisper, and they stared together at their newborn children, the dream they had both had for over two years finally a reality, a reality they could hold in their arms.
----
"Chandler!"
"What, Monica?"
"Do have those bottles done yet? They're making a racket!"
"In a minute!"
Chandler sighed and screwed the top back onto the bottle, gently turning it up to make sure it was tightly fastened, then took them both into his hand and started off up the stairs, wincing as the babies cries became nearer. The babies were sweet, but they could make a noise that would easily wake the whole street.
He pushed his way past the boxes lining the hallway and pulled the bedroom door open; the crying magnified even more as the barrier evaporated. He smiled momentarily as he saw Monica frantically making soothing noises as she held Erica in her arms, Jack screaming from his place on the bed. Monica heard Chandler's shoes squeak against the floor and looked up, her eyes making her look more out of her depth than Chandler could ever remember.
"Oh my god, Chandler, they won't be quiet!" she exclaimed, brushing her fingers against Erica's cheek in a futile attempt.
Chandler smiled ruefully and handed her a bottle. "Try this," he said, and she smiled before putting the bottle next to Erica, who gladly began sucking on it, and Monica broke out in a relieved smile, and started to rock her daughter in her arms.
"See? Works like a charm," Chandler grinned, picking a bawling Jack up and doing the same as Monica. Silence was immediate, as the new parents smiled at each other across the room. Slowly, Chandler watched as Jack was lulled to sleep, his tiny mouth slipping away from the bottle and his beady eyes closing, as a yawn escaped his lips. Chandler made a motion of silence to Monica, who playfully stuck her tongue out, and Chandler laid Jack down in his crib again.
He heard Monica come up behind him as he watched Jack sleep, and silently slipped an arm around her, smiling down at Erica, who was still full of life and sucking at the teat of the bottle. Chandler watched Monica's eyes sparkled as she stared at Jack, sleeping silently below them.
"Is Erica going to sleep?" whispered Chandler, looking down at her. Monica nodded.
"I think so," she said softly, and Erica's eyes slowly closed too, and Chandler took her from Monica's arms and laid her next to Jack in the crib.
"Are you sure they'll be okay in there?" Monica asked, leaning her head against Chandler's shoulder.
Chandler smiled. "They'll be okay for tonight, and we'll get another crib tomorrow, okay? We could've got one today if our supposed friends hadn't kept us in that coffeehouse for so long…" he said, smiling at her look.
Monica hit him lightly in the stomach. "It was our last day in that neighborhood, I think our children would want us to have that," she said, unable to hide a smile as he stared at her.
"Monica, dearest, I know," he said solemnly, and she hit him again, leant down to tuck the covers on Jack and Erica's blanket tighter around their chests, careful not to pull it up too high.
"God, they look so sweet lying there together," she whispered happily, her eyes welling with tears.
"Just like their mommy," replied Chandler softly, tucking his arms around Monica silently.
"Well, I hope Jack doesn't grow up to look like me," she croaked, tears rolling down her cheeks.
Chandler chuckled. "No, he'll look just like me, if he knows what's good for him," he joked, and Monica broke out in a smile.
"I can't believe this is finally happening," she murmured, and he rested his head against her shoulder.
"Me either," he breathed. "Seems like just yesterday we saw them coming out of Erica."
Monica looked at him with a crooked smile, tears still marring her face. "It was yesterday," she said, laughing. Chandler winked at her.
"I know, but it seems like such a parent-y thing to say," he told her, and she giggled again, playing lightly with the twins blanket again.
"I think you're supposed to wait until they go off to college or something until you say that," she replied. "But the sentiment was sweet," she added, stroking his cheek gently. He leant down and kissed her lips softly, savoring the sweet taste of her mouth as she resisted his attempt to pull away again.
She finally let him go, and he stared at her. She flushed slightly. "Sorry, but with everything that's been going on… I just haven't done that in a really long time," she explained, as tears sprung to her eyes again. He smiled, and brought his arms around her, holding her tightly.
"We can do more than that, if you want," he said, breaking the silence, and she laughed, smiling over his shoulder at her new family.
----
"Chandler, get the bottles! No, wait, I need more powder! No, get the bottles!"
Chandler just stopped dead as Monica yelled at him, the screams of the babies coming from beyond the door he was stood next to, feet facing opposite directions as he flicked between bathroom and kitchen.
"Look, this is ridiculous!" he called back, over the whimpering of the twins.
Monica groaned. "What's ridiculous? Just get the bottles!"
Chandler sighed, pushing the door open. "We're both exhausted, they won't stop screaming, and I have to keep running down the stairs to get fresh heated bottles!"
Monica stared at him, rocking Erica quickly back and forth in her arms. "I didn't know it'd be cold tonight, Chandler. And it's not my fault there's no oven upstairs."
"Well, yeah, but it's still ridiculous. Every room is a mess, I can barely get down the hallway!" Chandler exclaimed. "And all I want to do is lie down," he admitted.
"Chandler, we can't. These are our children; we can't just leave them to cry all night," said Monica defiantly.
"I wasn't suggesting that we would," he said. "But how are we supposed to unpack while we're dealing with screaming babies?"
Monica shrugged, still trying to quiet Erica. "I don't know. Maybe we unpack tomorrow?"
"They'll still be crying then!" Chandler said with wide eyes.
"Chandler, what do want me to say? That I can magically get them to stop crying so we can go and unpack? I don't know what to do any more than you do," she snapped, rocking Erica. "Ssh, Erica," she whispered, her voice quickly changing from her distressed tone.
"No- I don't know!" Chandler sighed. "But we have to unpack at some point. And if we're looking after the babies all the time, we'll never do it!"
Monica watched Erica's cries decease and the baby fall asleep again, and set her down in the crib before saying anything more.
"They won't be crying all the time," she said, as they sat together on the floor, Chandler crossing his legs over. "And we'll just have to unpack the stuff while they're asleep," she said.
"Well, I could have come to that conclusion," said Chandler sarcastically.
Monica smiled. "Yeah, looks like you wasted a lot of breath for absolutely nothing," she said, laughing as he leant his head against the wall with a sigh. Her smile fell and she put her hands forward, moving so she could speak into his ear. "Look, I know it'll be hard. But Chandler… we have children now. We have a family. And we will look after them, and we'll be a happy family, because that is what the Bings were meant to be. They weren't meant to be a star of a gay burlesque show and an erotic novel writer who kisses their friend's brothers; they were meant to be this."
Chandler smiled. "I know," he whispered. "And thanks for reminding me of how screwed up my parents are," he said, and she smiled as he winked.
----
"Are they asleep?"
Chandler looked down at Monica's head, resting against the soft cushion at the top of the bed, legs curled up beneath her. She yawned, and he smiled, kneeling down beside her and planting a soft kiss on her forehead.
"I think you'd hear them if they weren't, don't you?" he said, and she smiled, rolling her eyes.
"They sure are exhausting, though," she commented, sitting up to let him sit, then letting him wrap his arms around her. "I still can't believe we got two," she said, resting her head against him.
He raised his eyebrows. "Yeah, that was a surprise," he said.
"A nice one, though… right?" she asked, cautiously.
He smiled. "I know I freaked out at the hospital, Mon, but that was just surprise. I'd never separate them. They're both my children, and I will take care of them both."
"Wow, that was surprisingly deep of you," she said finally, and he laughed.
"Yeah, I must be growing up," he whispered, staring at the wooden door of the bedroom and sighing. His eyes lit up suddenly. "Oh, come downstairs," he murmured. "There's… kind of a surprise down there," he said, eyes twinkling.
She smiled, eyes holding apprehension and excitement, and let him silently lead her down the staircase into the living room, which she noticed immediately was devoid of boxes. Her eyes were drawn to the fireplace, or more specifically, the bright flames burning within it. The orange flickering was echoed throughout the room, as dozens of candles lit up the room with shadows, and the windows reflected the light, the quiet suburban street seeming miles away.
Monica gasped. "Oh my god, Chandler, it's so beautiful!"
He smiled, pulling her into the middle of the room. "You did it once for me… I thought that now we've got everything I promised you, I'd do the same for you," he smiled, and she grinned in amazement, staring into his eyes.
"You know I love you just as much as I did back then, Chandler Bing?"
"Well, I love you even more," he replied, and she laughed. "Not that I didn't love you less than you did then, because I didn't. I loved you as much as I possibly could. But, y'know, maybe my heart grew-"
Monica put a finger on his lips. "Chandler," she whispered. "I know."
He kissed her lips softly, and she wrapped her arms around his neck, but the silence was suddenly broken by a loud yell, and Chandler sighed.
"I'd love them just as much if they didn't stop screaming all the time," he groaned, and she laughed, and they trooped upstairs as the clock on the mantle struck 3 o'clock.