Well, my friends and fellow Tawnico fans, this story is drawing to a close. Please send me any ideas for a sequel or side-story, or different oneshots, because I'm willing to write more. I want to write more, I just need the ideas! Only one more chapter after this, but I hope you've all enjoyed reading this.

I know uploaded this kinda randomly…

I don't own Sonny with a Chance, or any of the characters.

Chapter Nine: It's About Time

Half an hour into their dinner, Tawni was laughing loudly at one of Nico's better jokes.

"S-Stop, please, I'm gonna choke," she pleaded through gasps of laughter, and Nico had to suppress a victorious smirk.

The Tawni he was seeing tonight was very, very different to the one he remembered when he'd first met her three years ago…

Nico walked into the Prop House, Marshall at his side. The portly man seemed nice enough, though it was as though he was always worried about something or the other.

"Thanks for showing me 'round, Marshall," Nico told the other man politely.

"It's not a problem, Nico, we're glad to have you as a new member of So Random!," Marshall replied, and then paused, beginning to look nervous. "Well, most of us are, anyway." With that parting note, Marshall left a confused Nico wondering what he meant.

"Oh, hey!" A plump, blonde boy entered the room, a friendly smile on his face. "You must be Nico!"

"Yep, that's me," Nico confirmed, returning the grin. "And you're…Grady?"

Grady nodded. "Be careful in here 'til you're used to the place, alright?" he said very seriously. "You never know where she's going to be, watching your every move."

"Who?"

Grady walked over the sarcophagus behind the couch, and kicked it open, revealing a young girl, a sly, guilty smirk on her face. She had a mischievous look in her eyes, and her hair was tied wildly in different twists. Her clothes were also quite unusual.

"He means me." The girl stepped out confidently. "My name's Zora. I'm nine."

"She likes hiding in there." Grady rolled his eyes.

"Well, if you had to share a room with Tawni and Mandy, you'd hide in vents and sarcophaguses too," Zora retorted, stepping back inside and swinging the heavy lid shut.

"Anyway, I gotta go, Nico," Grady said suddenly, apologetic. "Marshall wants to see me in his office in five minutes."

"Oh, that's cool," Nico said easily, settling on the couch, and Grady left with a parting wave.

Five minutes later, a beautiful blonde entered the room, looking haughty and disdainful. "Who are you?" Her voice was snide.

"I'm, uh, Nico," Nico replied nervously, standing up. "You must be Mandy?"

The girl sniffed. "No, I'm Tawni, Tawni Hart."

"Well, it's nice to meet you," Nico told Tawni sincerely, and held out a hand for her to shake. When she didn't take it, he dropped it awkwardly back to his side.

"Alright," Tawni said finally. "Three rules, Nico: don't talk to me unless we're rehearsing a sketch; don't look at me unless we're rehearsing a sketch; and do not try and get me involved in anything you do, unless it's rehearsing a sketch."

She left then, her head held high, and Nico plopped back down. This was going to be a lot harder than he'd first thought…

"Nico?"

Nico snapped out of his thoughts at Tawni's quiet voice. He met her once-again curious gaze.

"What were you thinking about?" she asked.

"The first time I met you," he replied, and she cringed, looking embarrassed. "Yeah, not my best memory of you," he teased. "Not the best first impression either."

"I'm sorry," she murmured apologetically.

His eyes widened, partly in disbelief, partly in complete surprise. "Tawni, I was just kidding."

She shook her head, seeming determined to continue and say sorry. "But I have been horrible to you and the others. I think Sonny's the first new cast member I actually liked pretty soon after she first got here. So I want to apologize for all the horrible things I've said and done."

"Um, thanks?" Nico looked confused. "But Tawni, I was just kidding, you know."

Tawni smiled, reaching out to place a hand on his. "I know. But like you said before, it feels like—and is—the right thing to do. So I'm going to do it."

Nico had stiffened as soon as her hand had met his. The tingling in his fingertips… It was the exact same feeling he'd had all those weeks ago when he and Tawni had brushed hands… The fuzzy feeling in his brain, making him unable to think straight… The butterflies in his stomach, making him even more lightheaded… The sparks up his arm, like electricity…

Nico wasn't very good at getting girls. He knew it. His friends knew it. Heck, his boss's uncle's receptionist knew it! But all those girls he'd ever hit on? He'd never felt for any of them the way he'd been feeling for Tawni these past seven or so weeks.

Tawni drew back her hand when she noticed Nico was frozen. Her forehead crinkled in a small, puzzled frown, and opened her mouth to question, for what felt like the thousandth time, what was wrong.

That was when Grady appeared with dessert, placing the cake in front of Tawni and the ice-cream in front of his best friend, who finally shook himself out of his love-struck daze long enough to hurriedly finish his dessert.

99999

Twenty minutes later, Nico had driven Tawni back to the luxury apartment she lived in with her mother. Both teens had been utterly silent since Grady had appeared to give them their dessert.

Nico stopped the car just outside Tawni's apartment block, rushing around to the other side to hold the door open for the blonde.

She smiled at him in thanks before stepping out carefully, and dug through her purse for her keys. Nico locked his car meanwhile, and walked her up to her apartment door.

Tawni smiled when she heard the sound of her mother watching reruns of Friends, one of Mrs. Hart's favourite shows, other than So Random!, of course. She then turned to thank (A/N. I don't usually do this, but did anyone notice the alliteration in the last four words? So not intentional!) Nico.

They just stood there for a few minutes, still in silence, Tawni feeling too shy (Tawni, shy?) to speak up. This didn't usually happen to the all-confident, all-glamorous, all-beautiful Tawni Hart.

"Well…" Nico avoided Tawni's gaze, and then continued in a mumble. "I know it wasn't really a date or anything like that, but I hope you still had a good time."

"I did," Tawni reassure him. "I definitely did. Thank you, for everything. And…" She reached up on her toes slightly to press her lips to his cheek.

Blushing lightly, she turned back around again to open her door, but a hand caught her wrist.

Slowly, Tawni was spun back around to face a determined looking Nico. Her eyes met his, her expression turning to one of utter confusion at the now, suddenly unreadable expression on Nico's face.

And, without another thought, Nico leaned in and kissed her, right on the mouth.

Tawni didn't move for a second, too shocked, and then kissed back, her cheeks burning, her mind swirling with excitement and disbelief.

Then, suddenly, she pulled away quickly, her fears and insecurities coming to her mind.

Nico leaned back to his full height to gaze at her, slightly hurt, but mostly puzzled. "What's wrong, Tawni? Why did you—?"

Her eyes narrowed, traces of tears visible as she interrupted. "How do I know that I'm not just one of those many girls you hit on her for a few weeks, and then lose interest in?" Her voice quavered a little, though it was barely noticeable.

Nico's eyes widened, realization dawning. "No, Tawni, I swear to you—"

"You hit on practically every girl you see, Nico. How do I know I'm not just one of those girls?"

Nico's expression became serious as he took Tawni's hands in his own, pulling her very close. "Tawni, you're the only girl my age I didn't hit on or crush on when I first met you. You were so unusual. Maybe it was because you were horrible to me, but I've met a lot of girls like you, and I hit on all of them." He tightened his grip on her smaller hands. "You're so…different, Tawni. In some ways a good different, some ways bad. Nobody's perfect, Tawni, but I think I love you just the way you are. I don't love you despite your flaws. I love you because of them."

Tawni's blue eyes were now clearly tear-filled, but she gave Nico a shaky smile. "That was beautiful, Nico. A-And…" She smiled even wider. "I love you, too."

And with that, their lips met again in a sweet kiss, and at the same time, the same thought rushed through their heads.

'It's about time…'

Review, review, review! Ideas, ideas, ideas! Spread the Tawnico love!

Thanks to all those who review, it really boosts my confidence!

I'm sorry that was kinda crap, and I hope the next chapter's better.

Mwah!

I Like Writing Romance

(Really, I do!)