"Mr Condor, you cannot be serious!" Sonny sighed on her cell phone, the rest of the So Random crew standing next to her, waiting in anticipation for the denouement of the conversation. Sonny held the phone away from her ear and everyone heard the yelling of a very frustrated middle aged man on the other end of the phone. "But I have a flight to catch back to Wisconsin! It's Christmas Day sir! You cannot expect any of us to work…I don't even care if it's time and a half…my best friend Lucy's been feeling down and - yeah, I do love my job…yeah, we all do…no, we wouldn't want to be fired for working one more day…okay sir, we'll be there."

She hung up her phone and sighed. No one needed to ask her what was wrong. She sat on the arm of the sofa and threw her phone away, looking up at everyone.

"We're working Christmas Day!" She whined, burying her head into a pillow. It was the news that no one wanted to hear. They all assumed they had the day off, because Marshall was going home to New York for the fortnight, Tawni was going on a cruise with her parents, Zora was going on a trip around various alien sightings for some reason and Nico and Grady were going to Disneyland with their families. Sonny was finally returning to Wisconsin; her best friend Lucy was going through a hard time in school without her, and she wanted to go back and comfort her friend.

"No! I'm going on a cruise! And does he not realise the presents that I will not be able to open?" Tawni fumed, taking out her cell and dialling frantically. "This is not happening!"

"I'm supposed to be going to Scotland to see the place with the most alien sightings!" Zora complained, "I've never been there before!"

"No Disneyland?" Grady sighed.

"I'm not going to Wisconsin either," Sonny sighed, worrying because Lucy hadn't been picking up her phone for the last few days. Her Mom promised to visit her family, but Sonny hadn't heard anything since. "He said that someone in the studio requested we work it, because a Christmas special would bring in the big bucks."

"The Falls!" Nico exclaimed, and Sonny gasped.

"No!" She insisted, but it had to have been one of their cast members. Could it have been the one person in the world that Sonny just couldn't stand? Surely not. Who didn't enjoy Christmas?

"Yes," she turned around to see Chad Dylan Cooper standing in the doorway, looking even more smug than he normally did. He had that stupid smirk on his face that she just wanted to wipe off. She didn't want to admit that his stupid smirk made her feel warmer than she should, and made her heart beat increase. "Surprise Randoms! I guess we'll be spending Christmas together!"

"You're the reason I'm not going on my cruise?!" Tawni snapped, clenching her fists. Chad nodded his head, smiling. "You're the reason Mommy and Daddy can't give me presents until Boxing Day?!"

"Yeah," he nodded, his golden blonde hair falling down towards his eyes. "Come on now, I mean The Falls were going to work this on our own, but then I thought that with you guys in too, Mr Condor would make more money, and hello Christmas bonus!"

"You're doing this all for money?" Sonny asked, shaking her head. She wasn't surprised; she wanted to be surprised, because she was probably the only one who believed that Chad had a good side to him, but there he was being the same guy she hated admitting she knew. "My best friend has been feeling horrible lately and now I probably won't get a flight to see her and assure her that I am always there for her! She's being bullied at school Chad, and you care more about money?"

"I hope that you get abducted tonight," Zora hissed, something that no one understood. Sonny hated the fact that no one was surprised by how selfish he was being. Even when Sonny told him the truth, he looked at her with those empty blue eyes of his and shrugged his shoulders.

"There will be another flight," he told her, but he didn't sound sure. He didn't even sound like he cared.

"It's Christmas Eve Chad! They will all be booked solid!" She snapped. She wanted him to look at her the way he sometimes looked at her when they were getting along. She could swear that he had sparkly eyes when he looked at her like he gave a damn. Now he just looked like a robot. "Great, thanks a lot Chad! You must really be stuck for plans if you want to ruin everyone else's. Merry Christmas!"

And with that she stormed off, and attempted to leave yet another voicemail on Lucy's answering machine. The last she'd heard from Lucy, was when Lucy told her that some kids were giving her a hard time, because they had been so close and now she didn't have an ally. Now it was just going to look bad that she was forced to cancel her plans all because of her job.

Chad didn't think of Sonny when he was driving to the hotel he was spending the night in. He didn't think of her as he ordered Chinese from his suite. He definitely didn't think of her when he was getting changed into his pyjamas and turning on the cable. The thing about Sonny Monroe was that she simply didn't understand what it was to work in Hollywood. None of the Randoms understood it. Sometimes one had to give up days like Christmas, and sure it sucked, but the bonuses made up for it. If she couldn't hack losing one measly day, then she couldn't work in Hollywood. Chad understood the dynamic of it, that was why he suggested it to Mr Condor, because it would be inevitable.

Chad turned off the TV at around about midnight, and went to bed after reading for about an hour. It was dark outside, and the stars were decorated so clearly across the sky. He kept the curtains open, because he kinda liked looking out at the stars. He thought it was romantic. That was his ideal date with a girl; watching the stars with her. If he ever had the chance, he wanted to take Sonny to watch the stars…but only because he wanted her to appreciate Hollywood and not the stupid tiny state of Wisconsin she came from. He had to stop thinking about her.

It was about two am when Chad woke up to the sound of the door slamming. "I can press a button for security at any second!" he immediately snapped, sitting upright on the bed. At first he couldn't see anything, only the darkness of the room. Everything was bathed in stars, and at first he didn't notice the shape of a small person standing on the foot of his bed.

"Damnit!" He gasped, immediately turning on his bedside lamp. His heart was pounding, and his hands were shaking. He was surprised to find Zora standing on the foot of his bed with a small smile on her face, like breaking and entering was her new hobby. "What the-"

"Don't curse!" She snapped, walking up to his side. Chad edged away when she stood close to him, because he could have sworn that she was ice cold. "Hello Cooper."

"How did you get in here?" He demanded, looking at the door, which remained firmly closed, and the balcony doors that were also closed. There were no open windows, but something had slammed when she entered the room. He looked at the ceiling, no open vents or anything.

"There's not enough time for that," she told him impatiently. "Hi Chad. I should tell you this now, I'm not really Zora."

"Who on earth are you then?" He asked, checking to make sure that his head wasn't gushing with blood. Banging his head didn't seem like such a crazy theory.

"I am the ghost of your past," she smiled.

"What?" He replied, sniggering. Okay, this was past freaky. Chad pressed the button that called for security, but he was surprised when it didn't make the beeping sound it normally did when you pressed it. This wasn't his first encounter with a crazed person breaking and entering. He looked worriedly at the button, then back at Zora, who smirked.

"I'm dreaming," he replied, and slapped his forehead. He couldn't believe that he hadn't thought of it before. It had to be the reason that Zora was even in his room. How could Chad not realise it? Chinese food had a habit of making him have crazy dreams.

"If that's what you wanna believe, then that's cool," she nodded her head. Okay, fine, Chad would go along with this. If it was a dream, what was the harm.

"If you really are a ghost, why would you take the form of Zora?" He asked, crossing his arms smugly. This ghost wouldn't make Chad Dylan Cooper sweat; even in his dreams he was confident.

"Because she's tiny, and unfortunately I am not invisible to the naked eye…yet," she replied, shaking her head and looking towards the ceiling. "That would've been a smart gift, huh guys? They asked me to visit you tonight, on account of, you know, making everyone miserable this Christmas."

"Hey, I only suggested we work so that we could all get a big pay check," Chad insisted, and then he laughed. He was actually defending himself to a ghost! He was defending himself in his own dream, and in his own dream, the ghost still didn't look convinced.

"Just take my arm would you? We've got a lot to do tonight," she replied, holding out her arm. Chad immediately shook his head. "Come on! Zora was not kidding when she said she could organise an alien abduction, and trust me, I am definitely more friendly than those aliens!"

"Fine," Chad snapped, grabbing the girl's arm. He couldn't describe the next thing that happened in a way that would make sense. The girl's arm was as cold as a snowflake, and he closed his eyes for just a second, and when he opened his eyes, he was back at home. His actual home.

"Look familiar?" The ghost asked him. He looked around at the wallpaper from Sesame Street, and the posters of dinosaurs and characters from his favourite shows. It was a room he hadn't visited in such a long time, and he felt a funny lump in his throat when he remembered it. He hoped that he would never see this room again.

"What the-"

"Don't say it," she replied, and then she patted his back. "I'm your past, remember? Refresh your memory now, where was your favourite place in here?"

Chad looked at the chest on the foot of his bed. He walked over to it and touched it. It was solid silver and a gift from his Mom. It had pictures of wolves on it, and bears. He remembered hearing stories about the animals on his box, and he used to sit on his bed and look at it when he was younger, just waiting for the creatures to come alive. He was told it was a magic box. He pulled the chest to the side to reveal the spot under the bed he used to hide in. He almost had a stroke when he saw his younger self hiding under the bed.

"What is this?" He asked, waving to the kid, but he didn't see him. Chad had to admit it, he didn't look too bad as a child. He knew it was wrong to think that, but his parents were not wrong when they told him that he was beautiful.

"Chad! Where are you?" Chad almost gasped when he saw his Mother storming into the room. Her strawberry blonde hair and pearls brought back so many memories and the feelings of dread and sadness when he smelled her perfume. "Damnit George! We'll be late for the party if we can't find him!"

"I told you the Nanny should have came to collect him last night," Chad watched with more shock as his Father walked in with the same gelled blonde hair Chad sported, and a suit on with a bow tie. "But no, you insisted that we spend Christmas morning with the boy."

Chad walked over to the bed, and crawled under it, to look at the boy he used to be. The boy was clutching toy trains and he was holding his breath. Chad remembered it well. It always smelled so dirty under there; he was convinced that the sewer system was under his floorboards.

"Shh Thomas! If they can't find me, they'll have to stay, and then we can all have Christmas dinner," the boy whispered to his toys. His whispers were normally what got him caught by his parents. Chad felt his own heart almost stop when the chest was pulled away, and his Mother pulled him out from under the bed.

"Look at you Chad! You're a mess!" She snapped, grabbing his arm, her nails digging in like claws. His Father glared at him, and pointed to his watch frantically.

"What have I told you son? Mommy and Daddy are busy," he scolded, putting on his jacket. "I swear Mary, sometimes I wonder what made you want kids."

"I wanted a girl George," she called back, and then Anita appeared through the door. Chad remembered Anita so well, with her raven black hair and imaginative stories. He remembered the many Christmases that he spent with the woman. They would stay up late watching movies and eating leftovers from the dinner she had eaten earlier with her own family. When she told him what happened on Christmas Day with her family, it made him wish that his own parents wanted to spend time with him, instead of disappearing to different parties with strangers they didn't even like most of the time.

"Goodnight beautiful," his Mom smiled, her velvet gloves making his face itch. She kissed his cheek quickly. His Dad quickly shook his hand and then they disappeared out the door. Chad stood beside the young boy, and sighed. He never wanted to live this again.

"Come on Chad," the ghost said, taking his arm again. Chad blinked for a second, expecting to watch Anita embrace his younger self and tell him what she did every year: "Who needs them, right? One day you'll have so many things to do on Christmas, you won't need them."

When he opened his eyes, he gasped again. He was about eleven or twelve this time and he was in the dorm of the boarding school he was in right before he was noticed by the talent scouts. The plain walls were covered in the posters of heavy metal bands he listened to. It was a phase. He was sitting on his bed, reading a note that rested on his lap:

"Chad,

Sorry we can't take you home this Christmas, but Daddy and I got invited on this wonderful cruise with some friends. It's such a drag for children, so we're sending Anita to come and get you so you can spend Christmas with her. Love you beautiful. Mom."

He wasn't surprised. His parents sent the same note with a different excuse every year. As he grew older, Chad became convinced that his birth was only to feed his parents' egos. They didn't actually want the responsibility of being parents; they just wanted the good looking kid to show off to their affluent friends and to compliment their middle class lifestyle.

He would have been waiting for Anita. They would then spend the night in his empty house talking about the wonderful plans he was going to make in the future. He would try and forget the fact that his parents obviously couldn't stand him.

"Cooper, so glad I caught you!" Principal Heston exclaimed, bursting through the door. Suddenly the whole thing seemed to familiar to Chad. He could feel his heart pounding, and he wanted to cover his ears so badly. "Your Nanny, Anita. I'm sorry son, but she was killed in a car accident yesterday."

It still hurt for Chad to hear it. The woman had practically raised him, and she had died driving to collect him. He looked at the boy sitting on the bed; the boy who had nowhere to go. The only person that gave a shit about his life was dead. He remembered feeling numb. He obviously couldn't cry about it in front of the Principal, but he remembered pretending that he was fine. He would spend Christmas in his house. Chad lied and said that his parents would be waiting for him the moment they found out, but of course they weren't.

Chad spent that Christmas, and the one after that in his empty mansion. He managed to find a Chinese place that was open, so he ate Chinese. He didn't know how to make the proper Christmas dinner, because his Mom had never been home to make it, and he didn't even think to ask Anita. He tried calling his parents, but they never answered their phone. Funny how they answered it so quick when he called to say he had the job on Mackenzie Falls.

Chad blinked again, hoping to escape the scene, and when he opened his eyes, he was sitting in his bed again. He could hear himself breathing loudly. He could feel his eyes watering, so he quickly wiped the tears away. He was still shaking from hearing about Anita's death, again. It was something he never wanted to re-live. That was when he knew he was alone.

"Oh crap!" He cursed, when he saw Tawni Hart standing at the foot of his bed. He tried to stop shaking and remove the scared expression on his face. "Are you really Tawni?"

"Nah," she shook his head. Chad had decided to accept the dream no matter what. He just couldn't believe that his mind was allowing him to see everything he wanted to forget. He had repressed all of those memories, and as far as everyone was concerned, he had grown up with the most beloved parents anyone ever had.

"Where's the ghost of my past?" He asked, realising that Zora had been gone since he found himself back in his hotel room. Tawni smirked, like she was enjoying all of this.

"She's the ghost of your past," she replied, "I'm the ghost of your present."

She said it so naturally, like he was a fool to have thought anything else. This dream was by far the strangest thing that had ever happened to him. Had he been watching something weird on TV? This just didn't make sense, and it was starting to freak him out.

"I'm sorry, I forgot that I was in Charles Dickens' mind," he replied sarcastically, stepping out of bed. "Okay, will you just take me your little trip already? I have an early day."

"My my, aren't we cranky," she replied, holding out her arm. "Don't worry, this one won't be long. I need my beauty sleep too you know, and you think you're the only one who needs visited tonight?"

"I didn't know A Christmas Carol was based on a true story," he replied. He felt like he was turning into himself again. He imagined that he had been watching the famous story on TV before he fell asleep. Chinese food and TV, there's a combo he would never try again so late at night.

He opened his eyes to find himself in the Randoms' prop house. He saw Sonny and Tawni lying on the sofa and the floor, watching TV. He quickly hid behind one of the costumes they wore when performing one of their sketches, but the ghost rolled her eyes.

"No one can see you," she insisted, with a loud voice to demonstrate her point. The real Tawni and Sonny didn't even look up. "Didn't you get that before?"

"No offence, but I don't exactly go back in time every night of the week, so pardon me for being a little lost," he hissed, clenching his fist.

"What do you think Chad's doing?" Sonny asked Tawni, who's scorned expression hadn't disappeared since she realised she wasn't going on a cruise with her parents. "Taking happiness from kids?"

"I don't even care," she replied, flicking the TV channels. Sonny sat up straight and sighed. Chad hated it when she looked so miserable. He didn't know why. He hated it too, because it made him want to help her, and he shouldn't have to help anyone, but himself.

"What plans do you think he's missing out on?" Sonny asked, "They must be pretty lame if he has to make everyone else pay by working."

"They will be," Tawni replied, "Not that I even care, you know, because he's ruined my Christmas, but Chad will be in a hotel room tonight."

"Why?" Sonny asked.

"No Tawni! Of all people, don't tell Sonny!" Chad begged the blonde, but she couldn't even see him. Of all the people in all of the world, Sonny Monroe didn't need to know this. He only told Tawni, because they had a tiny fling years ago, and she had asked him why he was making a reservation at a hotel for Christmas. He made her promise never to tell anyone.

"He's alone on Christmas," she replied, and she said it casually as well. "He doesn't see his parents at all, and he doesn't have anyone to go to."

"I thought he had these awesome parents who gave him awesome things and made the best dinner ever," Sonny replied, because that was what he told her. He sighed, and kicked the wall in frustration. He told her that, because she couldn't know the truth. If Sonny knew the truth, then she would be able to look past the cocky surface. No one else could look through it, because they weren't the girl she was. She was such an excellent judge of character. She would see through it. She was the only one who knew him well enough.

"Yeah, wouldn't you lie too if your parents left you with a nanny until she died? Wouldn't you lie if you spent Christmas alone after that because your parents couldn't even be bothered calling you?" Tawni replied, and each word made Chad vow revenge.

"Wow," Sonny replied, and was that pity on her face? Chad glared at the ghost and then looked at Sonny again. Oh no! There was her pitying him. All of those months of being cocky and distant ruined by the stupid truth. If she even thought that she could talk to him about it, she was wrong. Chad Dylan Cooper didn't need anyone's pity. Chad Dylan Cooper didn't need anyone in general.

"I wish he had said something! I bet that's why he's making everyone work! So he isn't alone! Jerk! If he had told me, I would've invited him home with me!"

"Eeuw, why?" Tawni asked her in disgust, and even Chad was wondering. He would never say yes to her invite anyway, but why was she even asking in the first place? They didn't like each other, and that was that. Sonny Monroe was Chad's sometimes friend, and mostly his enemy. She wasn't the girl who pitied him. That made him way too vulnerable. "I'm not going to get the Gucci fragrance because of that loser! And I'm not lying by a pool right now on a cruise, because of him! Why would you invite him?"

"Because Tawni," Sonny replied, shrugging her shoulders and smiling. "He needs to know that someone cares for him. He needs to know that someone loves him, even though he doesn't deserve that someone to love him, because he is such a jerk. I hate myself for it, I really do! But somehow, Chad Dylan Cooper has made me fall in love with him! Jerk!"

"What?!" Both Chad and Tawni gasped in unison. What? Now Sonny was in love with Chad? Come on, this was ridiculous, and so obviously not true. She was only saying that because she had to. He was so onto her. She was only trying to make him look a little better. He wasn't in love with her. He hoped that she wasn't serious, because no way was she getting the gesture returned. Sonny Monroe had shiny hair and that was it. She was just a pretty girl. That was all. Chad Dylan Cooper did not do falling in love. It just didn't happen to him. He wouldn't know the first thing about it, and if he was honest; love didn't make his life any better, did it?

Chad opened his eyes to find himself standing beside his bed. He looked, and saw Sonny Monroe standing on the foot of his bed. The ghost before had disappeared. He looked at the clock beside him, and saw that it was almost nine am. He had to be waking up soon. He had allowed for work to begin in the early afternoon, but he was cutting it fine at nine am. Hadn't his wake up call been for eight?

"Are you the future?" He asked. He didn't want to admit it, but he was glad that he was seeing Sonny, even though she was a ghost. He didn't feel so afraid anymore, even though she looked so sinister. He never felt afraid when he was around her, well apart from when she was looking at him sometimes, or when she was saying she loved him.

"I could be," she replied.

Chad then almost got a heart attack when the real Sonny burst through the doors of his hotel room and ran up to the bed. Chad saw himself lying on the bed, asleep. He was wearing the same pyjamas he was wearing now. She ran up to him and shook him, but he didn't move.

"Chad? Wake up!" She yelled in his ear, and he could've sworn his ears actually started ringing. He still didn't move in the bed. His eyes remained closed. "Wake up! We need to talk about you cancelling Christmas! Chad!"

Chad started to get worried when he still didn't wake up. Sonny continued shaking him, but it was like he was in a coma. Sonny shook him frantically, and her expression changed to one of concern. "Chad! Come on Chad! Will you just wake up? Please wake up! My Mom already called and told me Lucy was in the hospital after overdosing on pills! Please wake up! You have to be okay! Please don't let this cancelled Christmas go to waste!"

Chad turned to face the ghost of Sonny in shock. He really wasn't waking up, and when he touched his outer self's forehead, it was ice cold. No matter how hard Sonny was shaking him, he refused to get up. The ghost stared at him blankly, and pointed to the scene, which Chad was forced to watch. He was just lying there motionless, watching Sonny call for an ambulance on her cell, tears in her eyes.

"I think he's dead! I don't know, I see pills next to him! The hotel said he wasn't waking up when they called at eight, and I thought that I would try and talk sense into him! Hurry up and get here!" She was screaming down the phone, before returning to the bed. "You can't be dead. You just can't be. You're supposed to stay alive and annoy me. And then you're supposed to tell me that you're annoying me, because you actually like me, and then we're supposed to date! You're ruining it! Idiot!"

"Okay, this isn't happening!" Chad snapped to the ghost, pointing to the scene. "I'm dreaming!"

"Are you?" The ghost asked him, "Chad, maybe this isn't a dream. You remember how people say that before you die, you get to look back on your life? What if you woke up a little before one and took some pills, because let's face it, you're miserable, and what if this whole encounter was your life flashing before your eyes?"

Chad didn't want to believe it. He closed his eyes hard and begged himself to wake up, but when he opened his eyes, he was watching doctors try to wake him up, with no avail. He watched Sonny standing at the side, tears streaming down her eyes. He couldn't stand it. He didn't want it. He didn't want this to be goodbye. He was supposed to tell her that he actually loved her. He was supposed to tell her that he was only mean, because it was easier to keep up the charade that he was choosing to be so distant.

"I'm not dead!" He insisted, shaking his head. The ghost just nodded towards the scene in front of him. The doctors were shaking their heads and packing up their equipment. They were giving up on him? Why the hell were they doing that? He wasn't dead! He couldn't have been dead! He was only asleep! For God's sake! Why couldn't they see that?

"He's dead?" Sonny replied, after they told her. She immediately ran to the bed, and tried to feel for his heart beat. This was what he couldn't stand; watching her like this. He liked to know that she cared, but she didn't have to experience this. She would never know how he felt.

"I don't want this," he told the ghost desperately. "Please don't tell me that this is all real. I know that the past happened and I think the present did too, but this doesn't have to."

"Why shouldn't it?" The ghost asked. Why was she being so heartless?

"She doesn't need to go through it," he insisted, pointing towards Sonny. "I need to tell her that she's not stupid, that we were supposed to at least date! I don't want to leave her like this!"

"You want to live again Chad?" She asked. It was the cruellest thing she could mock him with, but she remained with her arms crossed and a smirk on her face.

"I swear I won't make them work! I won't be such a jerk! I won't make fun of Sonny! I will un-ban Zac Efron from the set! Please just don't let me die like this!" He begged. He actually got down on his knees and tugged at the ghost's skirt. He could hear Sonny crying, and it drummed through his head, worse than any headache he ever had.

"Fine."

RING RING!

Chad sat upright on the bed, and immediately picked up the phone.

"Good morning sir, this is your wake up call," the receptionist told him politely. Chad gasped and looked around him. The clock read eight am. He looked around, and was sure that the room was empty. He looked at himself, and looked for any pills beside him, but there was only water. He looked at the foot of his bed, but there was no one there.

"What day is this?"

"Excuse me sir?"

"What day is this?"

"It's Christmas Day."

"Thank God. It's not too late."

He hung up the phone and immediately pulled out his cell phone. He had work to do. He had to keep blinking to ensure that he wasn't dreaming this miracle. He had to keep blinking to ensure that he was still alive, and he wasn't really a ghost.

Sonny and the rest of the Randoms waited in their prop house to begin work. Sonny and Tawni had barely slept a wink and couldn't imagine having to perform to an audience later on. Sonny had to make her promise not to tell anyone what she had stupidly admitted the night before. It was so stupid, and she was feeling a little too merry after Tawni had added something special to the egg nog they had. That was all it was, she didn't really love Chad Dylan Cooper. She was mad at him. She still hadn't heard from Lucy, and it was all his fault. She hated having to leave that message the night before telling her best friend she couldn't visit on Christmas Day, because everyone had to work.

"What are you guys doing here?" Talk of the devil; hey, the devil was actually standing in the doorway. Chad stood there with shadows under his eyes; he looked like he hadn't slept a wink. Good, thought Sonny. He didn't deserve to sleep. He didn't deserve a thing.. What a jerk! It was so annoying! Why did the stupid jerk have to be so cute?

"Don't do that," Tawni snapped, glaring at him with so much hatred. "I'm not on a cruise because of you!"

"That's all taken care of," Chad replied. "I called the cruise people, the cruise is meant to leave in an hour right? I delayed it so it won't leave for two hours. You can pack. Oh, Nico and Grady, your Moms will be here a.s.a.p. to get you guys for Disneyland. Zora, your Mom's coming too, oh and Scary Potter - sorry I love calling you that - I managed to get you a flight that leaves in an hour."

He actually said it like he meant it. Chad was actually playing this kind of joke on them. Sonny was not going to believe that one. The guy loved playing jokes, and he loved it even more when she fell for them, well, today was not going to be the same. She was going to outsmart Chad, and he was going to feel so stupid for trying to play a joke on her on a day like this.

"Hello, you better get moving!" He insisted, pointing towards his clock.

"Whatever Chad," Sonny replied, crossing her arms. "Of all the jokes you decide to play, this is the one? Well, we're not going to believe it, are we guys?"

"Hey, there's my Mom!" Grady yelled. That was when Sonny blushed, and looked. It was his Mom, and she was actually asking him to get packed. No way, it wasn't true. He wouldn't have done that. Chad Dylan Cooper was not that thoughtful. He would never do something so nice for another human being. Sonny looked, and Zora's Mom had showed up and Tawni was being told on the phone to hurry up.

She looked at Chad, who smiled smugly.

"You really did it?" She asked, and he shrugged his shoulders.

"Merry Christmas," he replied, staring at the ground.

Sonny quickly gathered the suitcase that she had left in the prop house when she thought she was leaving the night before. She still couldn't believe it, and she was waiting for the cameras to pop out and tell her it was all a joke.

"Why?" She asked, as he walked her out to his car. He said he would give her a ride. Chad wanted to tell her, but it sounded absolutely ridiculous. I was visited by three ghosts who taught me the meaning of generosity. Yeah, it wasn't happening. "Why did you do it?"

"Just because I hate this time of year doesn't mean everyone else should cop it," he replied, staring straight ahead. He couldn't believe he just said that. It was so lame. Plus, it was honest. He was never this honest with anyone, let alone a Random. "But sweetie, you owe me big time."

"Fine."

"Good."

"So glad we agree on it."

"You think you're so big Cooper."

"You think you know it all Monroe."

"What don't I know?"

"That I love you."

Sonny looked at him all wide eyed for a second.

"Oh I knew. You know what I also know?"

"What?"

"That I feel the same way and I'm inviting you to Christmas dinner with me."

"That is just fine."

"Good."

THE END

Author's Note: Okay, it was bad, I know. I had just watched It's A Wonderful Life and I wanted this written in a night. It's 4am where I am just now. Just review and please be honest. I appreciate the help.