The next day…

"Alright, this is getting ridiculous!" Sonny exclaimed, accepting yet another bouquet of violets from a delivery man. She had been forced to monitor her dressing room for the entire morning, as every half hour, another handsome man in a uniform would knock on her door and present yet another vase for her to find a place for on her side of the room.

She placed the latest arrangement on the corner of her desk, sitting down to wait for the next shipment to arrive. She crossed her arms, frustrated that gifts could cause so much stress.

Like clockwork, Sonny heard a knock on the door a half an hour later, and she sighed, slowly making her way over to the door to continue her mindless routine.

"Thanks!" she said, putting on her best artificial smile and taking the vase from the man. She began to close the door, but the man stopped it, pulling a piece of paper from his pocket.

"There's a note that comes with this one," he said with a smile (this one genuine) as he handed over the paper.

A note? That was definitely breaking the cycle.

Sonny mumbled some sort of thank you, closed the door and opened the note. On it, it read:

Dear Sonny,

Please take these violets (which I know are your favorite flower) as a token of my apologies to you. For everything. Everything I said or did, everything you thought my last note was lacking. I would never try to buy your heart back with a bear, nor would I expect you to fall that easily. All I ask is that you let me explain myself. Let me do the talking, not the bear.

James

"Oh please," Sonny laughed, throwing the note in the trash as she did yesterday. Did he really think that flowers would be a step up from a bear? It's the same cold, emotionless gesture. He may be new at the whole apology thing, but come on. Besides, Sonny's favorite flower was the yellow violet, not the blue-purple ones James was sending her (she loved the irony of the yellow).

He obviously knew nothing about her, and therefore made no effort to get to know her when they were together. Yet another reason why he was undeserving of this "chance to explain" that he begs of so.

"A waste of time." That was all she could say. She had wasted her time on him (and on Chad), and now he was wasting his time trying to get her back.

She wasn't going to crack, that was for certain.

The next day…

"Delivery for a Ms. Monroe!" a voice called from outside Sonny's dressing room. Feeling slightly better than the previous day in light of her conversation with James, Sonny skipped to the door and accepted the package. Marching back to her desk, she sat down, opened the box, and removed its contents.

"Cheese?" Tawni grimaced from behind. "Ew."

Sonny broke out into an enormous grin as she examined what was in front of her. Several wheels of Wisconsin cheese, each a different size and flavor. She was perpetually homesick, and little things that reminded her of where she came from were always treasured. Someone from home must have wanted to cheer her up. But why would someone from home be sending her something now? It wasn't National Cheese Lovers Day or anything (that was January 20th).

Spotting a card at the bottom of the box, Sonny grabbed it and scanned it for a name:

Dear Sonny,

I hope this gives you a little taste of home (no pun intended). You don't give me enough credit for knowing you, really knowing you, and liking you for more than just your beautiful looks. Maybe this can help change that. Enjoy, and just know that if you thought I was giving up that easy, think again. Please call me.

Forever Yours,

James

Sonny pondered the note for a moment, examining her cheese wheels once, then twice, before crumpling it in her hand and shooting it into the trash can. As if some cheese scraps would change anything.

But she had to give James props. He was actually…thoughtful.

The next day…

"Five minutes to show time people!" the director called from behind the So Random! Set. One bad thing about filming live: being late was not an option.

Sonny adjusted her hot pink one-sie absentmindedly, trying to "get into the zone" before she had to go onstage. Sicky Vicky, though her best character, required a few moments of prep. She reached her hand up to her face, scratching her nose between her extremely geeky-

"Ohmigosh. Where are my glasses?" She couldn't believe it. Sonny was constantly forgetting those stupid glasses, leaving them at rehearsal, the Prop House, anywhere, really.

What was she supposed to do now? She didn't have time to go anywhere, and she certainly couldn't go on live television without them. She was completely screwed.

Doing the only thing she could think of, Sonny crouched down into a fetal position, hoping that if she just stayed there long enough, her problems would go away. She should have known problems like Marshall were impossible to avoid.

"What on Earth do you think you're doing, Sonny?" Marshall exclaimed, looking like his usual stressed-out self. "We're on in…" he checked his watch, "three and a half minutes!"

How was she going to explain this? "I know, Marshall, but you see, I lost my glasses and-"

"Hey boss," a nervous looking intern interrupted, seeming unsure of what he was doing. "Some man says he has a package for Sonny Monroe that he needs to deliver."

"A package!" Sonny could see Marshall's stress levels rising, if that was possible. "We're minutes away from show time!"

The intern seemed to debate that for a moment, and then said meekly, "But he says it's urgent. He has explicit instructions for Sonny to open it BEFORE the show."

"But, uh, I…I don't…fine. Whatever. Give it to her. But just be ready by the time the show starts." He took a deep breath and went off to talk to the rest of the cast.

"Here you go," the boy said, handing over the small box. He pointed at the bold print on the label. "See? URGENT."

By this point, Sonny knew a James package when she saw one. In the midst of an accessory crisis, the last thing she wanted to do was read another cocky, unremorseful note and stare at a Wisconsin cowbell (or something similar).

Sonny sighed, putting the box on a chair nearby and hoping to return to her former state of complete panic.

"Um, I don't mean to be pushy," the intern said, this time more stern. He was still there? "But I was finally given a job to do here, and it was to make you open that box. So please, make my life easier and just open it."

Sonny sighed. What the heck. Her career as Sicky Vicky was already ruined, so why not humor the kid? She quickly tore the box open and let the contents of the package slide onto her hand.

No, it couldn't be. She examined the object in front of her again.

How?

Sonny cradled the pair of horrid, thick glasses in her hands, still not believing what she was seeing. How did James know? Who would think to do this? Her heart was beating a mile a minute.

"ONE MINUTE!" Sonny heard the director boom. "PLACES PEOPLE!"

Quickly fashioning on her glasses, Sonny hurried to her position on set, taking with her the small scrap of paper that she found at the bottom of the package. She ripped it open, searching for answers, but finding:

Dear Sonny,

Don't freak out. I told you I knew you better than you thought I did. Heck, I know you better than you do! Break a leg, and know that you're biggest fan will always be there when you need him. I just wish you would call him once and a while!

All my love,

James

Sonny giggled at the note, quickly stuffing it into her pocket as the ten second countdown began to commence. Not only had he saved her skit, but he had made her laugh for the first time in what seemed like forever. He was relentless, shameless, and all-around annoying, and yet, somehow, Sonny still found herself giggling like a kid at his messages and thinking about him. Just him. And for the first time, thinking of him did not conjure up the feelings of hatred and regret that had plagued her for so long. Instead, there was something quite different. Something completely new.

She had never seen this side of James, and she had to say, she kind of liked it.