A/N: Hello everyone! I know this storyline has been used a bunch of times already, but I couldn't resist. I had to write about it. This story's dedicated to –FriendOfTheFallen-x for giving me the idea; or rather, prompting me to write it. I need two more "yes" reviews before writing as sequel to Guess Who's NOT Coming to Guest Star!, so read and review the story to tell me what you think! I've also got a couple new story ideas…we'll see how many of those materialize into actual stories. Thank you, and please enjoy!

Chad: So Far

"Give it up for Chad Dylan Cooper!" Gilroy announces. Right on cue, I walk out from behind the curtain and greet the applauding audience with a "Sup, y'all?". Tawni looks at me with obvious disgust, but Sonny's expression is harder to decipher. It's a mix of confused and – worried? Why would she be worried?

As I sit down next to Sonny, she greets me with fake enthusiasm. "Hey!" she says, giggling for the benefit of the audience, before leaning in closer to me with an angry expression on her face. "What are you doing here?" she asks furiously. I clear my throat before answering, knowing that she isn't exactly pleased to see me.

"I'm here to promote my book," I say with a smirk.

"You wrote a book?" Sonny replies, confused. I laugh. Yeah, right. Like I would write a book.

"No," I snort. "No, I read a book." Even though I actually didn't. But Sonny doesn't have to know that. She rolls her eyes at me before turning to face Gilroy again, whose eyes are carefully following our every move.

"So, what are you two whispering about? One of your 'secret dates'?" Gilroy asks. This guy is clearly grasping at straws. I look at Sonny and we both burst out laughing, even if it is a bit forced.

"I'm just here to talk about my book," I remind him.

"Actually, you're not," Gilroy informs me. "I wanted you both here so I could get your reaction to this. Let's roll the clip!" I sit upright and turn to the television screen, Sonny mirroring my actions. Up on the big screen is – well, us. I recognize it instantly; it's when I got away with dazzling Sonny after that nightmare of a peace picnic.

"Do they, Sonny? Do they really?" my onscreen self charms Sonny with a smile.

Crap. This isn't gonna make Sonny happy. Her anger that I'm here is going to pale in comparison to this clip. She's clearly in shock right now, but I know she'll explode soon.

"Look, it was sweet of you to put that picnic together. Way sweet. But the bad blood between our two shows has run too deep for too long to be healed by a bowl of egg salad, and even the best of intentions."

I watch the television screen with a contemplative look on my face. Hmm. Not bad. I guess I really do have some persuasive powers. After all, I'm not the greatest actor of our generation for nothing. Sonny stares at the clip with wide eyes and an extremely worried look on her face. Guess she isn't proud of being hoodwinked by Chad Dylan Cooper. Gilroy's eyebrows are raised impossibly high, and his expression clearly says "I've got them now." Oh, no, you don't!

"Just because you wish for something doesn't make it so." How deep. I wonder which episode I stole that line from.

"Oh, Chad Dylan –" It's so easy to win over Sonny if you just know how. And clearly, I know how.

"Shh." Sonny immediately quiets and gazes at me – onscreen, of course. In real life? Not so much.

The clip ends, much to my relief, and Sonny is furious. Haha. Maybe I should have warned Gilroy – getting on Sonny's nerves isn't something to do lightly. Sure, she's happy and "sunny" most of the time, but when she gets annoyed…watch out.

"Where did you get that?" she demands. Gilroy is unfazed.

"Didn't know you were being filmed, huh? Apparently someone at Mackenzie Falls doesn't like Sonny very much," he spills. Really? No way! Did you figure that one out all on your own, Gilroy? After all, there's no way that someone at the Falls doesn't like the leading actress of our rival show, right? Someone's a little slow. "So, as we say on the show…Gotcha!"

"What? You 'gotch' nothing, that was totally taken out of context," Sonny explains. Was it, Sonny? Was it really?

"That's what I do! If I were to wait for things to be in context, I would not have a show," Gilroy explains. Oh, how I wish he didn't right now. "Still, it seems like you two got a little something something going on. Care to comment?" This guy is way persistent.

"Yup!" Sonny says, startling me. She does? "Right after this commercial break!" she continues, beaming. Ah. I see.

"We're not taking a break," Gilroy replies, befuddled. Sonny grips my wrist and stands up, pulling me with her.

"Well, we are," retorts Sonny as she drags me off the stage.

"You're leaving me here by myself?" Tawni stands up in a panic. Oh, don't pretend you don't want the time to yourself, diva.

"Yes."

"YES!" Tawni squeals before rushing over to Gilroy. Ha. I knew it. Sonny yanks on my hand, and we go backstage.

"I can't believe Gilroy tried to do that to us!" Seriously? She couldn't tell? That guy's face just screams "JERK!"

"Eh, he's a jerk," I brush it off. "I can't believe I read that book for nothing." Not that I actually did, of course. But I have to put on a show.

"You know, Tawni and I made a pact earlier that we wouldn't tell anyone's secrets, and I think we should do the same thing," Sonny suggests nervously. And at the mention of "secrets," I get a bit nervous too. Sonny and secrets together remind me of a rather private secret about Sonny that I have. Maybe I should change the subject.

"Okay, fine, I didn't read the book!" I confess out of the blue. Sonny looks at me like she has no idea what I'm talking about. "Oh! Oh, you're talking about between us," I say like I didn't know that when she proposed the pact. She nods and smiles like she's regretting that she ever mentioned it. I'm kinda regretting it too. "Yeah, we don't have secrets." Then something occurs to me. Maybe she feels the way I do. Maybe she has a secret about me the way I have a secret about her! "Do we?" I ask quickly. Sonny's eyebrows shoot up like Gilroy's.

"…I dunno," she answers, drawing it out. "Do we?" Her expression becomes confused again. "I mean…wait a second, like us – liking each other?" She says it like it's a weird idea. Does she really think that? I laugh uncertainly.

"Yeah, I mean, I don't really wanna talk about my feelings in front of a live studio audience." If I did wanna tell her, I wouldn't tell her in front of God knows how many people!

"Yeah, yeah, right," Sonny agrees immediately. "I mean, especially feelings that we've…never talked about before." I laugh in the same tentative manner before processing what she just said.

"Yeah...you have feelings?" I ask. She realizes it too, and responds with the same question.

"Wait, do you have feelings?" Should I tell her? Should I not?

"I mean…since you're really asking…and it's just – just the two of us…" I say before Sonny bursts in, clearly on edge.

"Right! And there's, like…no cameras this time or…anything…" she trails off. I gather up my courage and speak.

"I really, it's just…" I can't say it. I just can't.

"No, listen. It's what I'm here for," Sonny reassures me with a sympathetic expression, and I smile back. How could I not? "You go first," she adds quickly.

"No, you go first," I contradict almost as fast.

"You go fir– well, same time," she compromises.

"Yeah," I agree anxiously. Can I say it? Can I really? I doubt it.

"One," Sonny starts to count. She doesn't look so sure of herself either. What if she doesn't like me? What if she's going to say that she thinks I'm a conceited jerk, and when I tell her I like her she looks at me with disgust? No, no, she couldn't. Could she? Oh, where is that famous confidence now?

"...Two," Sonny continues, now looking like she's waiting for me to say something.

"Right, I was gonna say that," I tell her. She doesn't look convinced. "Uh, two and a half." I was gonna say "three," but I couldn't. Great. Who would have guessed that Chad Dylan Cooper is a coward? No one. Especially not himself. Oh, what the heck. This is ridiculous. CDC doesn't make a fool of himself like this. I muster up my courage, and speak. "Three-I-really-like-you-Sonny," comes out in a rush. I open my eyes to see Sonny staring at me.

"I never would have thought that those words would come out of your mouth," she says breathlessly. I lock my eyes to hers, hoping she'll say next what I want most to hear. "I really like you too, Chad. Really."

I'm so shocked that all I can do is stand there and gape at her with my mouth wide open. Is she serious? Am I dreaming? If so, I hope I never wake up. Wow, that was cheesy, even for an actor in drama. Sonny sighs, which makes me wonder if I spoke aloud.

"That was...so much easier than I thought it was gonna be," she confesses. My mouth begins to function again, and I close my jaw before offering up my most dazzling, heartfelt smile. Sonny grins back before starting to return to the stage, and all I can think is that talking to Gilroy is the last thing I want to do right now.

I brush my hand against Sonny's back as she walks past me, and walk the few paces it takes for her to stop. She looks at me with a question in her eyes and a beam spread across her face, and I almost forget what I'm going to say. Almost.

"Sonny, let's ditch this place. Come on, I'll take you out to lunch." I try to employ that coaxing tone that I used in the clip Gilroy showed earlier, and it works.

"Oh…fine."

"Fine." I can't resist.

"Good," is her automatic reflex.

"Good." I give her the look, the look that I know melts her.

"Fine," she smiles. "Besides, it sounds like Tawni's having fun anyways." I can hear Tawni squealing "Rubber pencil!" from the stage and don't really want to know more. Instead, I take Sonny's hand and walk out the doors with her. She smiles at me again, and suddenly, I'm walking on sunshine. Get it? Ha ha. Funny, handsome, intelligent, talented - Sonny's getting the whole package here. But somehow I think that I actually got the better end of the deal. It probably has something to do with the way her eyes are sparkling like diamonds, or the way she's grinning at me like there's no tomorrow, or the way she's squeezing my hand like she'll never let go. Probably.

A/N: Extreme fluff. XD Please review!