Woahhh new chapter! Yay! I'm enjoying revamping this so far, so enjoy it with me!


CPOV

Finally, after a long day filming I can't wait to go home. I look out the window and see pouring rain, so I double back and grab an umbrella before heading towards the exit. Suddenly, I hear soft, pained noises coming from around the corner. It sounds like crying. I slowly peer around the corner to see a small figure huddled into a ball near the doors. As much as I wish I could just pass by and pretend not to notice, it would be impossible to make that believable, so instead I try to figure it out. The long hair obscures the figure's face, but it's clear that, whoever it is, they're very upset. Carefully, I creep closer, listening to the soft sobs and wondering what could be causing them. "Um…Excuse me," I say finally, "Are you alright?"

Startled, the figure looks up, strands of hair sticking to tearstained cheeks. It takes a moment to register that this is Sonny, and when I finally realize it, I know I have to help. She sniffs a little, shrinking back against the wall, probably expecting some snarky reply. Instead, I slowly crouch down in front of her. "Sonny? What's wrong?" She watches me, suspicious for a moment, but realizing that I'm the only one left who could help her. She glances nervously out the window as I start to connect the pieces. "You're scared of the storm?" She nods slowly. I know there has to be more to the story than the fear of getting struck by lightning, but I don't ask. "How are you getting home?" I ask instead.

She trembles a little. "M-My car is there, but…" she looks helplessly out the window again, and I know she hasn't gotten into her car for a reason. I'm not very good at comforting people, but I know I can't just leave her here.

"Okay. I have a car coming to pick me up. I'm sure the driver could drop you off at home on the way or something."

But she shakes her head. "I d-don't want to go home," she insists. "There's no one t-there. I don't w-want to be a-alone…" She looks down at her lap, avoiding my gaze.

I take a moment to assess the situation. This isn't just fear of being struck by lightning, or not wanting to go out in the rain. Whatever the problem is, Sonny is terrified, and while it may be simpler to leave her here, I have a feeling that she won't be able to handle it alone, especially considering how she was handling it before I got here. "You could come to my house," I say before I can stop myself. "There's no one there but me. We can wait out the storm together."

Her eyes snap up, searching my face for some sign that I'm making fun of her. After the way I've acted, I can't blame her. This has got to be odd for her. Hesitantly, she nods. "O-Okay…if you don't mind…"

I see the car pull up outside and offer her my hand, pulling her up from the ground. She looks warily out the window again. "Don't worry," I say, taking her hand, "You're safe." This seems to calm her a little, and we run to the car together, trying to avoid the rain as much as possible. Our efforts seem to be in vain, as we both tumble into the back seat soaking wet anyway.

I feel Sonny's eyes on me, and after a while I turn to look at her. "What?"

She blushes and looks away. "W-Why are you being so nice to me?" she asks.

I sigh, disappointed in myself that she's come to expect I wouldn't have helped her. "You needed help," I say. She nods, jumping as thunder cracks over head. Tentatively, I put an arm around her, surprised when she leans into the touch. As we pull up the driveway and a bolt of lightning flashes across the sky, a small whimper escapes her. "Sonny, it's alright," I assure her gently. "We'll be inside in no time." She nods and squeezes my hand as we run up to the house. I open the door quickly, and she gratefully slips inside. I observe her for a minute as she shivers from cold and fear, and find that even tearstained and terrified, she is beautiful. "Let's find you something to change into," I suggest, and she nods, following me upstairs. Her eyes take in the house, but she stays silent as we enter my bedroom. I pull out some old sweatpants and a t-shirt for her, and show her to the bathroom where she can change. I dry off and change quickly before sitting down on the bed to wait for her. She is done in a few minutes, and together we go downstairs to figure out what to eat for dinner. She looks slightly calmer now, and though she still jumps at the thunder, she looks more and more like the old Sonny. "Hey Chad?" she says over our pasta dinner, "Where's your family?"

"Well, my dad had to go on a business trip, so my mom went with him, and they decided to turn it into a long vacation. They'll be gone for a month or two. My sister is with our grandparents for the summer. What about yours?"

"My mom had to go back to Wisconsin," she explains. "My aunt was sick, and they needed help running things back home." She looks down at her plate, blushing a little. "I'm really sorry about all this."

I smile. "Don't be sorry. I was getting kind of lonely here anyway. I feel her watching me, but she stays silent. After dinner, we settle down on my bed to watch a movie. Sonny relaxes finally, forgetting about the storm. As the movie continues, she subtly shifts closer to me. Though the storm seems to be dying down, a particularly loud crack of thunder sounds over the house, and she squeaks, practically jumping into my arms. She trembles a little, and I can't help but hug her. Oddly, the contact seems to soothe her a bit, and I hold her until she falls asleep against my shoulder. Asleep, Sonny looks like an angel; peaceful and beautiful. I watch her dream, listening to the even sounds of her breathing for a few hours. After a while, she frowns, muttering something. "Sonny?" I call softly. She stirs, but doesn't wake, and her voice takes on a more panicked tone. I shake her gently until she wakes with a gasp. Her eyes are wide with fear as they scan the room. "Sonny, are you okay?"

She nods slowly. "Yeah…sorry."

I rub her back gently. "It's fine, I just wanted to make sure you were okay." I pause, taking a breath, before asking the big question. "Sonny? Why are you so afraid of storms?"

She goes red a little, staring down at her lap. She's quiet for so long that I don't think she's going to answer my question, but suddenly, she speaks. "When I was really young, I was in the car with my dad during a big storm. He lost control and we crashed. I was alright, but he died on impact. Ever since then, I've been terrified of them. They always remind me of him, and I think one day I'll die in one too."

I carefully wrap my arms around her, pulling her closer. "I'm so sorry, I had no idea."

She smiles a little. "No one does except my mom. Most people just think I'm weird."

"Well I don't think you're weird," I assure her. "I completely understand being afraid of things associated with painful memories."

She looks up, curious. "You do? I thought Chad Dylan Cooper wasn't afraid of anything."

I chuckle. "Well, Chad Dylan Cooper might not be, but plain old Chad is."

She nods thoughtfully. "And what sorts of things is Chad afraid of?" I shrug vaguely, and she smiles. "Come on, you can tell me. I told you mine."

"Well," I start, "The thing is…Chad is afraid of lots of things for lots of reasons."

"Alright then, why don't you tell me just one of the things, so we're even?"

I hesitate, but I suppose that's fair. "I can't swim," I admit, "Because I was always too afraid of drowning in the pool to learn."

She smiles, snuggling closer. "Okay. You should try to get some rest too." I nod, but wait until she is deeply asleep against me to close my eyes. Holding her in my arms feels right, and I drift off into a peaceful sleep with her comforting warmth beside me.


Cute fluffytimes. Yay! Please review and let me know how you think I'm doing! It makes me happy.

Hugs and Butterfly Kisses,

TheSongSmith