Disclaimer: See last chapter

~ Chapter Nine ~

Chad looked down at the photograph he held in his hands, large tears dropping into the delicate frame that held the precious photograph. He shook his head, sniffing and wiping away the tears that seemed to have a permanent mark on his face since Sonny had gone two weeks ago.

He bit down on his lower lip, closing his eyes as he wondered what was happening to her right then, if she was still alive. He wasn't sure what was worse – her being dead or her being at the hands of someone. He shuddered at both thoughts, neither was worse, both of them was never supposed to happen – not to her, not to his Sonny.

"Can I come in?" He looked up at the girl as she walked into his dressing room, he noticed her red eyes and the dark circles and he nodded slowly. He knew she understood how he felt, she was just as upset as he was.

"That's a beautiful photograph." She pointed at it and smiled a little, he nodded and grinned down at it, tracing Sonny's face as she beamed at the camera.

"It was taken a few weeks before.." He trailed off and closed his eyes, not even wanting to think about that night. He kept wondering what he could have done, if he had been ten minutes earlier, or if he had been ten minutes late. Maybe if he had done what she suggested before, and stayed in the studios for their date. Maybe, she would still be there with him.

He sighed, shaking his head as more and more tears ran down his face, he wanted to wipe them away and shrug off Tawni's touch, telling her that Chad Dylan Cooper doesn't get upset about such menial things.

But then again, this wasn't menial, it was Sonny. And she wasn't just Sonny, she was his Sonny. And he knew for a fact that when he was with her, he wasn't Chad Dylan Cooper anymore, he was Chad, just Chad – the boy was irrevocably in love with Sonny Munroe.

"You know it's not your fault, right?" Tawni raised an eyebrow, sitting down next to him as he shook his head and looking up at his reflection in the mirror. The two had become close over the past two weeks, sharing happy memories they had of Sonny and being there for the other when one of them was down – which was often.

"I just keep thinking about that night and how I could have done something different, I could have saved her." He shook his head as Tawni put her hand on his and smiled,

"There was nothing you could have done, and there is nothing you can do to change it. Nobody blames you Chad and I know for a fact Sonny would never blame you."

"I guess.." He muttered, looking down at the photograph again – Sonny had her arms wrapped around Chad's shoulders and he had his around her waist. Both of them grinned at the camera as Portlyn took their picture for them after Chad begged her.

He smiled when he thought about their kiss after the flash went off, both of them just standing there in each other's arms, just happy to be together. He wondered if they could ever be like that again, if she would ever be in his arms, if he would ever feel her lips on his again, if he could ever look into those deep, brown eyes that held so much emotion. He wondered if he would ever get to say 'I love you' to her again, and if he would ever hear her say those words back.

Tawni bit down on her lip as she watched the boy she used to loathe so much beat himself up over something he could never have prevented. She sighed, thinking about her best friend, how much of an impact she had made on everyone she met and all her fans since joining the show nearly a year ago.

She watched as the boy in front of her crumbled – the boy she had met three years ago was just a mere shadow of the boy that was sitting in front of her right now. His broken exterior was nothing compared to the inner grief and guilt he was feeling.

She wondered if Chad Dylan Cooper would ever come back, or – like Sonny – he was gone, possibly forever. She shook the thought off, Sonny wasn't gone, Sonny would walk through those doors one day and they would all be able to hold her in their arms and tell her how much they missed her.

She laughed a little at the thought, she, being Tawni, would pretend to not care and would pat Sonny on the head a little and tell her not to take the spotlight away from her pretty face again before walking off and pretending that she never cried over the girl.

"What's funny?" Chad muttered, glaring at her, Tawni shook her head and smiled,

"I was just thinking about Sonny, and if she walked in right now – how I would probably react." He nodded,

"You would pretend like you never cared about her." She nodded, heaving a deep sigh before looking back up at him,

"What about you? What would you do?"

"I would run up to her and take her in my arms and promise that I would never be a jerk to her ever again, and then I would kiss her and tell her how much I missed her and how much I love her." Tears fell down his pasty face as he thought about it,

"And then I would make sure I never let her out of my sight ever again." She nodded,

"Chad Dylan Cooper wouldn't get in the way?"

"I wouldn't let him, he means nothing to me anymore, she's the only thing that matters." He whispered, Tawni nodded,

"I wish I could say the same for Tawni Hart."

"Fame makes people change but we are always there deep down – it just takes the right people to bring the real you back out." He smiled at her before standing up,

"I have to rehearse – again." She nodded and stood up as well, watching him as he left and shaking her head. Sonny had to come back to them, she had to be okay.

A/N: Next chapter will be up as soon as I get ten reviews =D