Sorry for the late update.

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Disclaimer: Don't own SWAC.

Chad.

xXx

After about an hour of everyone lounging and digesting our food in the huge living room, Lucy perked up her idea.

"Hide and seek time!" She announced happily, and danced around the room as if she were the most excited girl in the world. And she probably was. I mean, how many six year old girls get to command Chad Dylan Cooper into playing hide and seek with them?

Let me tell you, not many.

"What?" Sonny said, dumbfounded at the idea, but then she seemed thoughtful and she was almost as excited as Lucy. "Oh, my gosh! That's brilliant."

I'm pretty sure the best idea she's come up with was one that any other six year old in the world could come up with, too.

"What part of the house would you like to play in, Luce?" I asked.

Jayden scoffed. "Let's play with the whole house!"

"Woohoo!" Sonny was ecstatic. And as I looked at her beautiful face, I realized that I could deny Lucy's puppy dog face any day- but not Sonny's.

"Fine." I groaned, sitting up. "Those pancakes are still making their way down." I mumbled and stood, shaking my head to wake up. I was so full I could crash onto the couch once again and just sleep till noon like Sonny wanted to. But I couldn't.

"Sweet." Ray said. "Who counts first?"

"Oooooh! Lucy raised her hand to the sky and Sonny laughed.

"Why doesn't…" Sonny looked around the room at the rest of us, her finger making her way around Lucy before she poked her in the stomach and started tickling her. "Lucy start?"

"Haha- oh- haha- okay!" Lucy gasped, laughing hard. "Okay."

"Let's make some sort of boundaries so this doesn't go on forever." I said. "How about we keep the comfy part of the house off-limits."

"Fine." Sonny groaned.

Abby smacked my leg. "Can I be on Jay-jay's team?"

"Of course, Abby." I smiled at her as she ran to Jayden, and Jayden spun her around dramatically. I caught the look Alex was giving them- one of pure admiration and what I would say was love- but looked away immediately so I wouldn't feel jealous of the kid. I caught Sonny's eye, but she quickly looked away.

"Okay," She smiled, clapping her hands together. "And we're allowed to use the intercoms."

"Thank goodness," Scarlett said. Isobel giggled.

"Now." I said sternly. "Remember what always happens when we play hide and seek—"

"Yell through the intercom if you need help or get lost," Every single person but Sonny quoted me.

"Quote, Chad Dylan Cooper." I smiled at them.

"Whatever," Sonny rolled her eyes. "Lucy, count to…one hundred!"

And we were off.

When everyone was pretty much spread out the house, I found myself following behind Sonny. She wasn't exactly aware of my presence. I watched her as she ran her fingers through her thick, shiny brown hair and it bounced playfully around her shoulders as she walked. I caught my breath, remembering how cute it was to see her flip her hair up close. I closed my eyes to remember the feeling of my own fingers in her hair, on her soft skin, and I bit my lip. Shaking my head, I opened my eyes and didn't realize what I was doing until it was too late.

"Sonny!" I called. She gasped and turned around.

"Don't do that!" She complained. "You scared the life out of me."

But I could still see it in her lively brown eyes. "Where are you going?" I asked.

"Why are you following me?" She answered with a question. Oh, how I hated when people did that- especially the one person I wanted answers from. Desperately.

"I wanted to continue our conversation from the kitchen now."

"I'm kind of in the middle of an epic game of hide and seek."

I sighed quietly, frustrated. She continued to make her way through the house with a purpose. We were still on the first floor. Most of the kids had immediately ran up the stairs, getting as far away form Lucy as possible in their limited time. She was looking down hallways she was barely familiar with and randomly following them. We were in the hallway where there were random party rooms, celebration places. I recalled showing her the elegant black and white rooms with the Grand Pianos and the red roses and watching her eyes trail over the beautiful room and the instrument she had stared at with such admiration.

"Sonny, we need to talk!" I groaned.

"Maybe you should go the other way?" She suggested in an innocent tone. "Lucy might find us both if we're in the same place, and then—"

"I'm being serious, here, Munroe."

"Well, so am I." She shrugged, looking into random rooms. I followed. "She'll get two for the price of one trip around the first floor. Did you now you're less likely to be found if you're closest to the seeker?"

She began to quicken her steps when I didn't respond. I felt tongue tied with rage and awe as I watched her resist me. It was insane, really. What this girl did to me made me really confused. The way she could roll her eyes and not care less about what I was saying one minute, and the next she'd be looking at me like I was the only thing in the world she wanted as she hung onto my every word. I recalled touching her as innocently as possible yesterday night on the deck, feeling her up as much as I could without having her notice. But she had noticed. She was fully aware of what I was doing to her and she welcomed it, wanted it. But then she'd act like it never happened. And it irritates me when one of the sweetest moments of my life was forgotten by the one person I shared it with.

I reached out to touch her as she walked briskly, trying to make her turn and look at me. It would be half an hour at least before Lucy found us, and I feared that she would think I didn't care about her, like Jayden had said earlier, if I didn't say anything soon enough. What we shared and what she had said and what I didn't say was driving me up the wall. I needed to tell her that I cared for her. Deeply. And I needed her. Constantly.

But I can't do that when she won't even turn around!

"Ready or not," A voice said through the intercom, and I recognized it as Lucy's. Here I come!"

Rolling my eyes at Sonny's alarm, I gripped her wrist with my hand and dragged her to the farthest wall, opening the door that led from the basement to the attic.

"Let's go." I said simply. I pushed her on the first step and she went upstairs. "Stop at the second door."

She opened the door as I told her to- the thought made me smile, she listened!- and then ran to the end of the hallway. "Here!" She exclaimed, and whipped open the door. We were greeted with a closet.

"Why would you—" I began, but she had already shoved me in the space and got in herself, slamming the door behind us.

Darkness.

I reached blindly for the string and finally clasped my hand over it, pulling it down quickly. Sonny winced at the light. She was on the opposite side of the closet. The whole thing was about four feet wide and four feet long. Blankets were the only thing stored inside.

"So, you stay here and I go? Or do you want to go?" She said quickly. When I didn't answer after a nanosecond, she nodded. "Okay, I'll go." And reached for the knob.

My hand flashed out and grabbed her own, gripping it tightly so she wouldn't try to reach for the knob again. Catching the hint, she withdrew her hand from my grasp and went to the opposite wall, farthest away from me. She slid down the wall and sat against it.

"What are you doing?" I whispered.

"Sitting."

"That's not what I meant."

She looked at her feet, still hidden in her socks. She was still her pajamas, as we all were, and I noticed how cute she looked despite the situation.

"Why did you follow me?" She said glumly.

"I thought you wanted to be followed." I shrugged, sitting at the opposite wall. "Doesn't every girl run so she can be followed?"

Sonny didn't say anything.

"You ran because you wanted to get away from me." I stated simply, and her expression just stayed blank. "Because you didn't want to talk about what happened last night."

She grabbed a random blanket and draped it across her feet, to hide some part of her.

"You put the blanket over you because you're embarrassed," I recalled my last decipher behavior class. "And you don't want to be visible to me."

Her eyes widened and she stared at me.

But I just pointed to myself and said, "Actor."

She looked away again.

I sighed, looking at her shy state. I'd never seen her so…embarrassed. Confused. Vulnerable. She had practically given her deepest, darkest secret to me and now I wanted to talk about it? It was probably horrible for her. And yet I couldn't bring myself to stop the words from forming.

"Do you regret what you told me last night?" I whispered. As I remembered the way she stared at me, like any word I would or wouldn't say would either break her or complete her, the pressure dawned on me once more.

She swallowed and sighed. "I don't know."

Slowly, as to not push her, I crawled over to where she sat. She turned a fraction of her head toward me then turned away.

"Or…" I let the cockiness slip into my voice. "Do you not want me to leave you," I brushed the hair away from her face so I could see her crimson blush. "Because you need me?" She gasped. "Or do you regret leaving you door unlocked so that I could come in your room to wake you up, and then hear you sleep-talk my name because you were dreaming about me last night?"

She slapped me with her mouth agape. "How- when did- I…"

"I take that as a yes? You were dreaming about me?"

"Was not." I guess she found her voice again. "And if you were, it would be me destroying you."

I pretended to wince. "Ouch."

She just stayed all stubborn.

"What was it about?" I urged on.

This was possibly the most enthralling thing I'd ever experienced. She had dreamed about me- me. And she said my name in her sleep, and she gripped that pillow probably thinking it was me. The thought made me want to laugh giddily.

"Shut up." She mumbled.

I scooted closer to her. Now, I had sandwiched Sonny Monroe between the closet wall and my own body. She gasped, as she was forced to turn toward me.

"I think you were dreaming about me," I began as she started to grimace. "And you were admitting how crazy you are for me, and desperately telling me not to leave you alone."

She looked so enraged that I wished I had a camera. That's when she whipped the blanket off her and practically growled at me. She put her hands on my shoulders and pushed me down fiercely. "I swear to God," She said, leaning in dangerously close. "I will kill you."

"Will you?" I asked with a smirk. And just because I was kind of turned on, I felt like irking her even more by wrapping my arms around her waist which hovered over me and pulled her body against me. She was laying on top of me with her hands on either side of my face, her hair surrounding us.

Her eyes flashed with plenty of different emotions. I could barely catch any of them before that glint in her eye turned from lively to mischievous. She leaned down even farther. "Yes," She whispered, one hand coming up to trace the outline of my jaw. "I will."

"And all because," I whispered, a little breathless. "You couldn't stand the fact that I know you dream about me."

"Every. Single. Night." She murmured in my ear, and she whipped her hair to one side of her face in the most attractive hair flip I'd ever seen as she lay atop me. She came back down and her nose skimmed mine. "Don't leave me Chad," She quoted with a smirk. "I need you." She whispered.

I couldn't help but be aware of what was going on. I mean, really. Is it every day that the most gorgeous girl in the world is on top of you in a closet and really close to kissing you and whispering in your ear how much she needs you? No. No, I think not. Because then I would feel a lot more alive.

"And that's just it, Munroe." I said, pushing the hair out of her face because it had fallen once again. "Before you start to doubt me, I needed to tell you that."

Her eyes lost the teasing sparkle and she stared at me like when we both knew that we were having one of those little moments. She rolled off me and I immediately missed her close proximity. She propped her head up on her elbow and said, "Tell me what?" In a sighing kind of voice.

I traced her cheekbone gently with my fingers and she closed her eyes, letting out a deep breath. "Tell you…that I care about you. A lot, Sonny. A lot. And I don't know why I didn't say it last night."

She stared at me with a soft smile. Not a playful smirk, but a real, soft smile. And I smiled back. But then the smiles disappeared and we just stared at each other. And then we both leaned in a little bit farther.

This is it. What I've been anticipating ever since, well, a long time. As my nose skimmed hers, I was ready.

But was she?

And then the door whipped open.

"Found you!"

xXx

Sonny.

xXx

There's a reason why I don't like to have those close-proximity, gushy moments with Chad.

Because. They. Are. Always. Interrupted.

And that can really frustrate a girl who has had plenty of close-proximity, gushy moments with the same very attractive boy!

I sighed, running my fingers through my hair like I do when I'm thinking or I'm stressed. We had played two hours of hide and seek this morning, and then we all kind of relaxed and did our own thing. Jayden kept giving me these looks that made me want to punch a wall. And I knew why, because I know who those little looks were about. It's like she can see it in my eyes when I'm thinking about that dumb blonde boy. He's making me crazy. And Jayden knows- oh, does she know. I bet you she's telling Chad to do this to me so I crack and…and…well, I don't know!

It's been hours since I made eye contact with Chad. The only time I did was when we were discussing what to do next with the children. And every time we did that, I wondered what it would be like to have children with Chad, and then I would blush furiously and look away. And Jayden saw everything. I couldn't help my mind from racing with thought after thought about what could happen with him. Or what could have happened in that closet if Lucy hadn't opened that door and giggled like a maniac as she saw us leaning in. That was when I practically jumped out of that room and stayed a minimum of three feet away from Cooper. And I couldn't help but want to close that little distance. What would have happened if she hadn't been there at that moment? Would I have leaned away form Chad, ruin the moment? Would I have kissed him and realized that I've wanted to for a very long time now? Would that sign of affection have opened my eyes or make me even more distant to the relationship I shared with Chad?

I didn't know.

And it kind of makes me want to smack that little smirk off his face.

And now, he cares about me. Deeply. Now, there's a reason why that last word was added. I mean, how many guys told me that they care about me? A few. But none of them had touched my cheek so gently that I wanted to cry, and whisper to me how deeply they care about me, and then brush my hair out of my face and lean in a little closer. And I've never leaned in a little more either. Those boys meant very little to me. But Chad…apparently he meant so much to me that he had the need to show up in my dreams. So, now, every person in this house is aware of the fact that I was dreaming about Chad when they awoke me, and they didn't say anything. They hadn't commented on how I had admitted in my slumber that I never wanted Chad to leave me because I needed him! For some reason I wasn't aware of.

But, anyways, now Chad was gathering all the kids into the main Grand hallway and telling Jayden that it was her turn to choose what she wanted to do next. She smiled.

"Um, duh! Campfire songs and s'mores!"

Everyone cheered and I smiled at the girl. She might as well have grown up with me.

"Okay, go get coats on!" Chad ordered. And we all ran up the stairs.

I got into my room and looked for something to wear. I stripped down, and then put on some skinny jeans and a light purple tank top. There was a knock on the door.

"Who is it?" I asked.

"Why? Don't what Chad coming in?"

"Shut up, Jayden. Come in." I rolled my eyes.

But, no. I didn't want Chad coming in.

She noticed my clothes. "It's kind of chilly out there."

"I know." I sighed, and grabbed the grey zip-up sweatshirt I planned to wear over the tank. Jayden nodded.

"So," She said, putting Abby on the ground and getting a sweatshirt from her suitcase. "How embarrassed are you about this morning?"

"Very embarrassed." I said in a monotone.

"Don't worry, Sonny. I know that he dreams about you too."

Before I could turn around and ask her if there was really hope that could be true, she had left my room. Sighing, I grabbed my tan Ugg boots from my closet and slipped them on.

Fifteen minutes later, I was grabbing a whole bunch of newspaper from the recycling in the garage. I grabbed a huge bunch of it and came back inside and ran straight into Chad.

"Watch where you're going, Cooper." I nudged him and continued.

"Watch who you're dreaming about, Munroe."

U jumbled up a piece of paper and threw it at his head, hitting him square on the skull. He grumbled and through it back carelessly.

"Can you do me a favor?" He asked.

"Depends."

He rolled his eyes. "Would you grab my guitar out of my room? It should be on the wall on the left."

My eyes widened. "Since when do you play guitar?"

"Um. A long time." He waved the question off and I just looked away.

"Okay." I said.

If possible, Chad Dylan Cooper just became a lot hotter to me. And then, because of my racing mind, I pictured us becoming famous rock stars together with our favorite electric guitars.

For a moment I just stopped, shaking my head at myself in shame.

I walked upstairs and opened the door to Chad's room hesitantly. I looked around the familiar space quickly before my eyes settled on a beautiful black guitar case I had never noticed before. My eyes widened and I stared in awe. Even the case was mind-boggling. I grabbed it with my right arm and went back downstairs, holding it extra careful so I wouldn't destroy something so incredible.

"Thanks." He said with a smile.

"Where did you get it?" I asked immediately. I'd only seen it for the first time a minute ago, and I already wanted it. I thought about my own tan guitar in my loft in my room.

"It was a gift." And that's all he said.

As the time flew we were all making our way through the backyard. Everyone was walking briskly. Alex and Jayden were holding all the graham crackers and the marshmallows. Scarlett and Lucy held the chocolate bars. I held the lighter and a whole bunch of paper. And Chad held the most gorgeous thing in the world. But then I looked at his face and watched the case pale behind his gorgeousness. I sighed, looking away. One more second of that and I would have been drooling.

We stopped in a clearing. Sticks and rocks covered the forest floor and a couple of carved tree trunks lay around a thing of ashes, obviously a place where something like this had happened before. The kids ran to the benches, but Scar and Isobel ran to something else, and before I knew it they were swinging on a teeter-tot.

I laughed, and followed Chad. He put the guitar down and we worked together to make decent fire build. When he nodded, I turned the lighter on, smiling like the pyro I was, and then watched the flames lick up the wood and paper hungrily. Chad sat down and I stared around the clearing. Everyone seemed to look at Chad, so I just unconsciously sat down next to him. He seemed pleased.

"Okay, what first?" He said.

As the kids suggested song titles, he began to strum a few to make sure it was in tune. To my musical ear, it seemed absolutely perfect.

"I practiced this morning." He told them with a wink.

They all rolled their eyes.

"Have you written anything lately?" Jayden asked.

"Um…No, Jayden." He said flatly.

Everyone talked, waiting for him to start playing a song.

"What do you know how to play?" I asked.

"Everything." Alex said with a proud smile. "Chad's the best guitar player ever!"

I laughed. "Is that so?" I didn't miss the hint of pink on his cheek.

"Yep. And he writes."

This caught my interest. "Is that so?" I repeated, slower this time. I was going to get an original song out of him tonight, then.

"Play the song I like." Jayden said with a smile.

Chad took a deep breath and put his fingers on certain frets and began to strum. I stood, nodding to the certain beat he was playing. I began to pass out all the things needed for s'mores. The chord progression he strummed ran through my head, and I began to recognize the song…kind of. And before I knew it, he began to sing.

"Beauty queen of only eighteen she

Had some trouble with herself

He was always there to help her she

Always belonged to someone else

I drove for miles and miles and wound up at your door

I've had you so many times but

Somehow I want more"

Marron 5 has always been a good band. They were consistent and their songs were extremely catchy. But as Chad strummed one of my favorite songs, I couldn't help but join in.

"I don't mind spending every day

Out on your corner in the pouring rain

Look for the girl with the broken smile

Ask her if she wants to stay awhile"

And then I stopped, listening to Chad's exceptional voice drift to my ears through crackling fire as the kids swayed from side to side. I listened to him sing the chorus.

His voice was great, no doubt about it. He had a good ear and I could tell how well he could play by how easily he moved his fingers as he smiled at me through the flames, not even looking down. I liked singing with him. Something inside me kind of…moved. And I felt like singing some more, but restrained, because Chad's was probably a lot better than mine.

After the chorus was done, he nodded at me.

"C'mon, Sonny." He strummed with a smirk. It sounds perfect with you."

I rolled my eyes and gave Ryan a graham cracker.

"Tap on my window knock on my door

I want to make you feel beautiful"

I sighed, and smiled at him with a roll of my eyes and began to sing. By myself, I guess, since he didn't continue.

"I know I tend to get so insecure

Doesn't matter anymore"

And then we sang together.

"It's not always rainbows and butterflies

It's compromise it moves us along

My heart is full and my door's always open

You come anytime you want"

I let him sing the bridge and the chorus alone. Everyone had a stick and marshmallow, so I felt I could sit back down. But as I did, Chad was singing the last part of the bridge and he looked at me sadly because I hadn't sung it with him. He stared at me as he sang the words.

"Comes back and begs me to catch her every time she falls, yeah…"

I smiled at him.

Now, don't get me wrong. I am completely aware of this cheesy moment. The crackling fire, the cool guitar and the beautiful voice, and the harmony and the meaningful looks. But I took it as funny, because it was just another gushy moment I could add to my Gushy Moments With Chad list.

Come to think of it, I should actually make one of those.

"Go on," Jayden urged. "That was great!"

"Nah," He waved off her compliment. "I just want a s'more." He gave the guitar to me and I set it down.

And then after a couple of s'mores, and Chad wiping chocolate off my cheek like the cheesy romantic he is, everyone tried to get on the teeter-totter. Chad and I stayed where we were.

"You never told me you played." I said simply.

He shrugged. "It wasn't a big deal."

"But, really," I urged. "Where did you get this guitar? It's really…beautiful."

Chad sighed, and looked at me with a certain expression. "I don't know where he got it. It was a gift."

"From who?" I asked.

"That's a story for another time."

His voice took on a different tone. It was hard, almost angry, but when I looked at his face he wouldn't look at me. I opened my mouth to ask another question, but thought better of it. I wanted to know where it came form and why, but I guess it could wait till tomorrow.

"You never told me you played either." He said. I thought about not answering, wondering how in the world he could decipher the fact that I played the guitar when I never even held it properly tonight, but then did anyway.

"Touche."

He laughed, and the mood shifted from tense to a carefree kind of atmosphere and stayed that way for the rest of the night.

One yawn from Abby and Jayden announced we would be going inside then. I kept my questions silent and helped get everyone to bed.

Chad walked down the aisle and smiled at me. "Everyone's down."

I nodded, and smiled back softly. And just because I wanted to, I took a crazy chance. I moved in closer and slyly let my hand brush against his. I got up on my tippy toes and pressed my lips to his cheek for just one second before I pulled back. I let my fingers slide off of his as slowly as possible before I smiled at him and said, "Goodnight, Chad."

xXx

So hopefully it was long enough to make up for my absence! I'll trey to be more frequent with my updates!

PLEASE REVIEW! :D