A/N: *sigh of relief* Finally got this done! :) I've been pretty busy recently and haven't been able to post this, one, because the site went down for a little bit, two, because I'm getting ready to pitch my book to a few publishers and three, because Twitter keeps distracting me :P So just busy busy busy.
So I feel like Sonny did an okay job describing everything in this chapter, but I do want to re-iterate, yes, Chad acts slightly differently in this chapter because, well, parents don't hit kids on the Disney Channel. I don't think it's unreasonable to assume some tears will be shed in Chad's position, no matter how much of a Hollywood Bad Boy he is. No one's really complained of OOC'ness yet, but I just wanted to be sure that was out there :P Chad will be back to his old self soon, I hope people realize that that's what Sonny's trying to do for him.
Thanks to all my readers, reviewers, lurkers, etc. :) I love you all!! And thank you to those of you who don't usually review and took the time to do so last chapter. I REALLY appreciate it :) Enjoy!
Random thought for this author's note: Am I the only person on this planet who's a Tawni/Grady shipper?
---
Sonny groaned slightly, wiggling around in her uncomfortable position.
She blinked a few times, trying to regaining her eyesight, taking in her surroundings. After a moment or so, she remembered that she'd fallen asleep in Chad's dressing room. A faint emergency light crept through the crack of the door, coming from the hallway.
Finally feeling something heavy on her chest, Sonny looked down.
She smiled at the boy she held securely in her arms. His chest moved lightly up and down, his arms were wrapped tightly around her, and his mouth was open slightly, a teeny hint of drool on the side of his lips.
She smoothed his bangs back, giggling when he smiled faintly in his sleep. She saw nothing more than a scared little boy in her arms. She no longer envisioned the perfect Chad Dylan Cooper with his perfect life, perfect friends, perfect parents...
Now she saw the boy in the journal. The timid, sweet guy that needed her.
She heaved a sigh, running a hand through his hair when his smile faded and was replaced with a pained expression. Several tosses and turns later, she assumed he was having a nightmare.
She bit her lip, pulling him closer to her chest protectively. Her heart ached for him. She shook at the way he looked so helpless in her arms. It terrified her that she couldn't offer him the protection he needed... She hated that she had to ask someone for help, she knew things would never be the same for him, she hated doing this to him...
But she hated the thought of him being hit again even more.
Sonny rubbed his back and whispered a few soothing words when she felt him waking up. She smiled a bit when he lifted his head and looked sleepily up at her. Her heart swelled when he smiled lightly at her.
"Sonny?"
Sonny nodded, running a hand through his hair. "You fell asleep. Good morning..."
Chad's smiled widened a bit, sighing as he rested his head on her chest again, reveling in the unfamiliar feeling of being safe and loved.
"I love you," he whispered. Sonny wrinkled her nose worriedly at his exhausted tone, but appreciated the sentiment nonetheless.
"I love you too," she whispered back, kissing the top of his head. A comfortable silence followed, both of them simply enjoying the feeling of being in each other's arms. Several minutes later, Chad sat up.
"Well... I better get home, my parents were expecting me back before ten last night," he said casually, stretching his arms over his head.
Sonny's eyes widened slightly, sensing a struggle coming on. Clearly he'd forgotten their exchange last night... That or he was choosing to ignore it.
"C-Chad," she said, her voice cracking. She willed herself to be brave, knowing she couldn't let him go back them. "Chad, you're not going home."
She couldn't read the expression he'd made. If she had to guess, she would say it was a mixture of fear, confusion, and anger. He shook his head slowly, standing up and inching for the door.
"N-No Sonny, I need to get home... I'm really late..."
Sonny dove for the door, throwing herself in front of it.
"No Chad, you're not going back," she spat back confidently. Chad's face showed visible anger this time.
"Sonny, you can't tell me what to do, now get out of the way,"
She panicked when he grabbed her waist, easily guiding her away from the door and grabbed the door handle. She threw her arms around his waist making herself as heavy as possible. She shut her eyes and tried to block out his protests as he began struggling against her.
"Let go of me! You don't get it, Sonny! I have to get home!! I'm already in so much trouble for not being back last night... They're gonna kill me, Sonny! The longer I wait, the worse it's gonna get, please Sonny, please!!"
Sonny cringed at the way his voice cracked. Keeping her arms firmly around his waist was perhaps the hardest thing she'd ever done in her entire life. She would give anything to be able to let go, stop the heart-breaking sound of his pleas, let him run home and know that he would be safe. If only justice were as kind.
"Chad, stop," she said firmly. "I'm not letting you go back there. I love you too much to do that to you, stop..."
She felt him tense up, most likely due to the tone in her voice, and he finally stopped struggling. Eventually he turned around and pulled her into a hug, desperately willing himself to not cry as she rubbed his back.
"I--I don't know what I'm going to do, Sonny..."
Sonny shook slightly, absolutely terrified that this boy's future basically lied in her hands. She hated that she was currently the one causing him so much pain. She inhaled deeply, making a decision. She wanted to give herself a bit more time to find a way to approach this situation and, more importantly, she wanted Chad to have time to calm down before she threw his life completely off balance.
"...You need some time to relax, Chad. Why don't you... come back to my house for a little bit? We can leave after work today..."
She smiled affectionately when he sniffled into her shoulder. "What's your mom gonna say?"
Sonny patted his back gently.
"I'll tell her your parents are out of town and that you didn't want to be alone. She'll definitely go for that."
"And when my mom flips her lid and calls the police on me?" he mumbled into her shoulder.
Sonny sighed, pulling away from him and lifting his chin.
"I just need you to trust me, okay?"
---
Sonny smiled as Chad clung gently to her arm. It had been obvious on the entire drive back that Chad had been attempting to regain some of his dignity, often only succeeding in losing more of it. Sonny tried to assure him that it didn't bother her. She was become less scared and more fond of this side of Chad. This Chad was honest, pure, human... He had faults and got scared like everyone else. Understandably so he wouldn't act so tough and uncaring, considering what he was going through. It made her giggle the way he tried to cover up this more human side to him. It reminded her that there was still some Chad Dylan Cooper in there, even in the face of fire.
Sonny pulled her keys out of her pocket, unlocking the apartment door and walking inside.
"Allison Melody Munroe, you are in big trouble!!"
Sonny sighed, followed by a slight wince when Chad's grip tightened on her arm. She noticed him shaking slightly when her mother came storming out of the kitchen, making a beeline for Sonny. The look in her eyes was all too familiar to him.. She was going to hit her... He just knew it.
"Do you have any idea how out of my mind with worry I've been?" she snapped, grabbing Sonny...
Into a hug.
He hadn't been expecting that...
Sonny rolled her eyes with a smile as she hugged her mother back. "I'm sorry Mummy... Chad and I got a little caught up in work at the studio and we sort of fell asleep..."
Chad looked on in awe at the mother and daughter as she pulled away from Sonny, placing a gentle hand on her cheek and smiling at her.
"Give me a call next time, okay baby girl?"
Sonny smiled back and nodded. "Yes, Mom. I promise."
Chad bit his lip as an unpleasant feeling welled up in his stomach. Had he not grown up getting everything he wanted, he might have recognized the feeling as jealousy.
"Hello, Chad!" her pleasant voice greeted him. "What brings you here?" Chad shifted his weight nervously from foot to foot before answering.
"Oh, erm... My parents are... out of town, and Sonny--"
"I told him he could stay here until they get back," she finished confidently for him, sensing his discomfort. He was surprised when her mother smiled.
"Well of course he can," she answered before giving Sonny a serious look. "Granted there's no funny business going on in that room at night."
Sonny blushed, looking down at the ground. "Mooom!" she groaned.
Sonny smiled sheepishly when her mother laughed, turning to address Chad.
"Well you're always welcome here, sweetie. There's cookies in the oven and blankets in the closet, so make yourself at home."
Chad nodded shyly while Sonny's face lit up.
"Tell me they're homemade, Mummy..."
She did a little happy dance in her spot when her mother nodded. Sonny took Chad's hand and led him off to her room as instructed by her mother, and sat down, placing the blankets in her lap. She sighed contently, looking over at Chad, surprised at his still gloomy demeanor.
"... Chad? What's wrong?" She didn't understand... She thought coming here would help him relax. She knew her mom was a very gentle and doting person; she was sure that would be the ticket to cheering him up.
Instead, he buried his face in her shoulder again and cried.
Sonny sniffled, turning and hugging him.
"I'm sorry Chad... Please tell me what's wrong?"
Chad sighed deeply, refusing to look up at her. "Your mom's so nice... I didn't really expect it, I guess... I'm... I'm really...."
"...Jealous?" Sonny offered. She closed her eyes when he nodded.
"You're not jealous of me, Chad. My life's not that rosy. My mother hates Hollywood, we can get really into our arguments sometimes... I don't have a father..."
"I'd rather have no father at all than one that insists on how worthless you are..."
Sonny sighed and shook her head. "And I'd do anything, including taking on a little abuse, to have my father back..."
Chad held her a little tighter. "You don't know what you're saying, Sonny." He lifted a hand and gently stroked her hair. "You're the most beautiful and sweet girl I've ever met... You don't deserve that. From anyone."
Sonny shivered slightly, feeling the familiar scared sensation welling up insider her again. She scooted closer to him and rester her head on his chest.
"Sounds like we could both learn a few things from each other..." she sighed. "I'm sorry Chad, I'm trying to be strong for you, but... Truth be told, I'm a real baby sometimes... I'm used to being taken care of, I've never really had to take care of someone else before..."
Chad smiled, leaning over and placing a kiss on her cheek. "How about we both take care of each other?"
Sonny beamed up at him. "Deal."
She closed her eyes contently as he laid back on her bed, taking her with him. They stayed in each other's arms in silence for quite some time before Chad's even breathing indicated to Sonny that he'd gone to sleep. The lights went off outside her room, indicating her mother had left for bed as well. She smiled, gently maneuvering her way out of his arms and carefully pulling her blanket up over him.
She stopped in her tracks when she heard him mumble something at her. She turned around to face him again.
"Hmm? What was that, Chad?"
"Don't tell anyone, Sonny... Promise me you won't tell... I'm trusting you..."
Sonny bit her lip, nodding reluctantly. At the moment she was more concerned with him getting some rest, and even more concerned with making sure she didn't have to hear the heart-shattering sound of him crying again.
"Y-Yes, Chad... I promise..." Anything to make him happy...
She brushed a few bangs from his forehead, smiling as she left her room, making her way to the kitchen for a glass of water.
She nearly jumped out of her skin when she turned the light on and found her mother sitting at the table, gripping a mug of coffee, staring intently at her daughter.
"Sonny, what's really going on here?" she asked seriously.
Sonny's heart raced, realizing she was caught. She wished she didn't have to be in the position. She wished she'd never found that stupid journal. She wished she had just passed it by, or at least thrown it in the lost and found box, so she could fall in love with the old Chad and be blissfully ignorant to what went on with him behind closed doors.
She swallowed nervously as she turned her head to gaze at her closed bedroom door, knowing Chad was asleep on the other side, none the wiser.
"...Alright," she said after a slight pause, pulling up a chair. "It all started on the steps of the studio two months ago..."
