This story is finally over!! There's a longer note at the end of it so I won't waste a lot of your time right now. Thank you so much for your reviews and favorting! This story has been a lot of fun to write for you guys, I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing it. You all deserve the reindeer cookies I'm going to be baking soon (hmm…If I can find a way to send them through the computer, I will, ok?). Seriously though, you guys are all great!

Disclaimer: If I owned SWAC…I don't know what I would have happen, really. I guess it's a good thing everything's owned by Disney!

Episode 21:

Sonny: So Far

Chad Dylan Cooper Will Never Admit His True Feelings To a Girl

As was the custom after every taping of So Random!, Sonny and Tawni planned on meeting up with Grady, Nico, and Zora after their appearance on Got'cha! and going out for ice cream. It wasn't only the two actresses making their way toward the rest of the cast once the final credits rolled. For some reason, Chad tagged along as well.

Tawni felt confused as she kept glancing over her shoulder at the two supposedly feuding stars. Of course she knew Sonny and Chad didn't really spend all their time fighting because they hated each other; she, along with everyone else at Condor Studios, could tell the two teens were really flirting. Seeing the footage Gilroy showed though, watching the chemistry during a moment Sonny and Chad had been alone and able to show their real selves-

Let's just say that the tween queen had no idea how close Sonny had gotten to the enemy since her arrival in Hollywood.

The same way it wasn't a secret about Sonny and Chad, most people knew how much Tawni wanted to be the main star of So Random! again. If Sonny ever started dating the Mackenzie Falls actor, it could be exactly what Tawni needed to get what she wanted. It would be so easy to convince Sonny she should be on the drama instead (she might even be the one to suggest it, wanting to spend more time with her boyfriend). Tawni Hart would become the star she'd always wanted to be.

Pushing Sonny into Chad's arms sounded like a pretty good plan to Tawni as she walked ahead of the couple who was laughing behind her (a good enough plan to bring an evil smile to her lips as she started to think of ways to force the two forbidden lovers together), but it wasn't long before her smile faded. Would it be fair for Sonny to get Chad in the end? He was one of the day's greatest actors, not to mention one of the highest popularized male among tween girls. There was also the fact that he was Tawni's ex (even if she had only been six at the time, she still counted it as a relationship). What was she saying by handing him over to Sonny? Would she be giving up her own spotlight so some newbie from Wisconsin could steal it?

For all Tawni knew, Sonny and Chad hadn't admitted to liking each other. She had turned off the camera before hearing what they had said to each other, and when they came back to the stage and faced Gilroy, both of them kept their mouths shut about anything that had taken place in their conversation. All Tawni could do was hope the rest of her cast had managed to see the interview. She was anxious to know what they thought about the secret moment Sonny had somehow forgotten to tell them about.

Spotting the other three members of her cast before Sonny and Chad, Tawni turned to face the happy couple, laughing along with them like she'd been listening the entire time and had heard whatever joke they were laughing about. When their laughter died down and two sets of eyes stared at her, she slapped Sonny's shoulder.

"You," she said, still laughing loudly, "Are way too hilarious! I think I need a break from laughing so much. Why don't you two wait here while I go take a breather?"

"Um…ok," Sonny agreed, her words coming out more so as a question than a statement.

Tawni kept laughing as she walked away from Sonny and Chad (the two of them exchanged glances as they watched her leave), not stopping until she was standing with her other cast mates.

"Hey, Tawni! Are you and Sonny ready to-,"

Grady didn't get to finish his greeting before the blonde girl pushed him, Nico, and Zora behind a corner, sneaking a look over her shoulder as she did so, like she thought maybe someone was watching her. The other three protested loudly until Tawni slapped each of them in turn, warning them to be quiet.

"I need to talk to you guys without Sonny or Chad overhearing me," she informed the small group. "Please tell me you watched the show the three of us were just on."

"How many times are you going to make us tell you?" Nico sighed as he shook his head. "We were sitting in the audience the whole time."

"Sorry. Sometimes I forget things that don't have the word Tawni in them." Not giving anyone else a chance to speak, Tawni leaned in closer, lowering her voice. "Did you guys notice that super sweet moment between our newest cast member and our oldest enemy?"

"You mean the part where the lights went out and the two of them stared into each other's eyes and they talked about how even a bowl of egg salad will never be enough to end the cold blood between our two shows?"

The other three stepped away as a dreamy expression crossed Grady's face.

"What were you saying, Tawn?" Nico changed the topic.

"What? Oh yeah, I almost forgot! I was saying that we can't let another moment like that happen between the two of them again," Tawni replied. "I don't know what Sonny and Chad said to each other while they were backstage, but I have a feeling it was something a little bit too good. It's up to the four of us to break them up before anything really happens."

It was Grady who, finally snapping out of his trance, seemed appalled by Tawni's words.

"Why do we have to put a stop to them?" he whined. "If they both like each other, shouldn't we leave them alone?"

"Don't you remember the last time Sonny left us for Mackenzie Falls? We were miserable without her," Tawni explained, looking from face to face to face. "We had to dress up in those stupid super-hero costumes and-,"

"And you experienced trusting," Zora added on.

"Don't forget caring!" Nico and Grady said in one voice.

"The minor details are hard for me to remember," Tawni shrugged. "The point is, what if Sonny and Chad really do like each other? What if Chad convinces her to stay on Mackenzie Falls and leave So Random! behind? Not only will our ratings fall, but we won't be able to get her back this time. Not even dressing up as lame superheroes will beat spending the day with her boyfriend."

Tawni was proud she had that excuse to fall back on. The last thing she wanted to do was admit her real reason for wanting to push Sonny and Chad apart was because she didn't want Sonny to have things better than her. Using the shows as her reason didn't make her sound as zealous as she felt inside.

Her excuse seemed to fly fine with her cast mates. The boys thought over her reasons as Zora started jumping up and down in excitement.

"Let's go with Tawni's plan, let's go with Tawni's plan!" she chanted.

"Why are you so eager to break Sonny and Chad up?" Nico asked, placing his hand on Zora's head, holding her down so she could no longer take her feet off the ground. "You're afraid she might leave us for the Falls?"

"No," Zora answered, shaking her head the best she could with Nico's hand there. "I still haven't had a chance to use my hatchet! This would be the perfect opportunity!"

"Actually, I was thinking more so we do it tonight, while we eat ice cream," Tawni said nervously, hoping Zora hadn't somehow managed to stuff her hatchet into her pocket. "I thought maybe the four of us could work together to scare the two of them into not having feelings for each other."

"How are we going to do that?" Grady asked, sounding confused.

"I don't know," Tawni shot back, rolling her eyes. "I'm the pretty one; you can't expect me to do all the work here!"

Nico held his hands in front of his chest, stopping whatever words were about to leave Grady's mouth.

"For the record, I don't believe breaking up our two friends is moral in any way, shape, or form, and if we get found out, I'm putting the blame on you guys," he said before breaking into a smile. "With that said, let's start brainstorming ways to do this!"

All four members of the So Random! cast put their heads together, their soft voices blending as they put their brains to work. It wasn't long before they devised a plan they believed to be perfect. If everything went the way they hoped, Sonny would never dream about leaving their cast and Chad wouldn't ever want to join them for ice cream again.

When they finally met up with the couple in jeopardy, Sonny smiled at them, having no idea the conversation that had just taken place.

"Hey, guys!" she greeted her cast happily. "Is it alright that I invited Chad out for ice cream with us? I told him you guys wouldn't mind if he tagged along for one night."

Nico walked over until he was standing between Sonny and Chad, having to push them apart to reach his destination. He put an arm around each of their shoulders, but Chad was the one he turned his smile to.

"Of course we don't mind an extra guest," he said, giving the Mackenzie Falls star an extra tap to the chest. "Actually, we'd love to have you tag along, Chad. We'd all enjoy your company more than you know."

Neither Sonny nor Chad understood Nico's strange behavior, but when Sonny shrugged her shoulders, Chad decided to forget about it. If Sonny wasn't worried, why should he be?

It didn't take Sonny long to figure out why Nico couldn't stop smiling, Grady kept acting nervous, Zora was jumping around, and Tawni kept by Chad's side every second: they were all making sure she didn't get too close to Chad. Although she appreciated the gesture, Sonny was tempted to tell her cast to back off. She was capable of knowing whether or not Chad was the type of person she should be friends with or not. Really she didn't need everyone keeping such a close eye on her.

The ice cream shop was only a short walk away and once the group of six arrived, it was less than five minutes before they all sat in one booth, ice cream in their hands. For some reason, the Randoms handed an entire bench of the table over to Sonny and Chad, Nico, Grady, and Tawni facing them, Zora pulling up an extra chair. Only after Sonny placed her spoon in her mouth, taking her first bite of ice cream, did Zora decide to speak up.

"So, have you two kissed yet?!"

Nearly chocking on her food, Sonny pulled the spoon out of her mouth before it had a chance to become lodged in her throat. Beside her, Chad started laughing nervously.

"I really don't think kissing is proper table conversation," he said, desperately wanting to change the topic.

"So you're saying the kiss was so bad you don't want to talk about it?" Zora nodded her head as though she knew exactly what Chad was talking about. "I totally understand. Back when I was dating Holloway, I refused to ever let him kiss me. I mean, even if it was just a simple hand kiss, he left his slobber everywhere! It was dating a st. Bernard!"

"Now, Zora, I'm sure Sonny and Chad don't want to hear about your romance problems," Tawni scolded the younger girl. "You and Holloway don't even talk anymore, do you? A lot of romances end that way. The happy couple think they can solve all their problems by dating, but really, all they do is create even more."

"I heard the same thing," Nico chimed in. "Some people spend months and months hating each other to cover a crush they've been trying to hide from each other. Most of the time, it ends up better if they just keep the crush a secret. Hating is better than never talking, which would be what happened if they decided to break and the fighting didn't stop."

Three heads turned expectantly to Grady.

"I like pie," he stated, cracking under the pressure.

Chad shook his head as he climbed to his feet, leaving his barely touched dish of ice cream behind.

"Well, I think it's pretty obvious what you're trying to tell me," he said, already heading toward the exit. "Chad Dylan Cooper can take a hint."

Sonny started to follow after him, but Zora moved her chair, blocking Sonny from leaving the booth.

"Wait!" She sat on her knees so she could see the blonde actor over Zora's head. "Chad, you don't have to go! They came up with all these lines beforehand, they're trying to-,"

"Keep us apart," he finished for her. "I know what they're trying to do, Sonny. Maybe there's a reason they're trying so hard. Maybe there's a reason we haven't been together all this time."

This wasn't happening. It couldn't be happening. Not now, not tonight, not after the conversation that had taken place backstage at Got'cha! Chad couldn't just walk away after everything simply because the Randoms told him to. He'd never listened to them before. Why should he do it now?

"Chad?" Sonny's voice was small.

"Thanks for letting me come out with you tonight," Chad said, looking at all five faces in turn. "I'll catch you later."

He turned to leave, the cast started exclaiming over their victory, and Sonny was the only one who watched the three-named jerk throb as he headed toward the door. He pushed it open with his back, letting his eyes swirl in the table's direction one last time-

Sending a wink that left Sonny breathless despite what had just happened.

There were a lot of things Chad Dylan Cooper led people to believe he would never do. To the public and anyone working at Condor Studios, he wanted his image to be a lot tougher than the nice person under his exterior. Sonny Munroe was the only one who could make him break each and every one of his own rules. She was the exception to everything, including unlocking his heart. No other girl had such a strong hold on him as she did; no one else knew which key was the right one to use. But Sonny knew the secret and she didn't plan on ever forgetting it.

Whether everyone was fighting against them or not, Sonny wasn't giving up her spot as Chad's exception.

Author's Note: It was way too hard to come up with what Sonny and Chad actually said to each other (in my head, I think they either admitted to liking each other or 'having feelings' for each other). Sorry, but just like me, you're going to have to wait until season 2 to find out what happens next. Since this story is following the show the best I can make it do, I didn't want to add in anything that could take it the opposite direction as what Disney wants to go. So I left it open: the So Random! Cast could be jealous, Sonny and Chad may have a relationship they let go public, or a secret love could blossom. The story is open either way so, judging on my schedule once the new season starts, where it goes, and your reactions to this story, there may be one for the next season as well. Thank you to everyone who took the time to read this!!

In you reviews this time, does anyone want to share what they think really happened in the season finale?