Disclaimer: I don't own SWAC, Disney, or anything else copyrighted.

A/N: I know, it's weird to see a note at the beginning... and sorry about this chapter not showing up. I don't know why that happened. But, after thinking about it and reading a couple of reviews, I will admit, this chapter is the final one in this story. Don't worry, there will be a sequel, but I feel like I've done all that I can for this story... Chad dealt with drugs, and well, he's on his path to sobriety. I meant for this story to be seriously focused on Chad, definitely with Channy in it, but then I ended up having more Sonny side-stories... don't get me wrong, I loved writing them, and I'm glad you all liked those, too. I think the reason for my block on these past few chapters is, like I said, I've done all I can for this story. The sequel (currently untitled) will focus on both Chad and Sonny, with both of their current, past, and even future problems. The first chapter in that story will take place directly after this chapter. I want to thank all of you who had my story on alert, put me as a favorite author, put this story as a favorite story, and I want to especially thank those who reviewed this story. Your reviews made me want to write more, as quickly as possible, and your suggestions helped me write the story as well. I hope you all really enjoyed this story, and I hope you will continue to read into the next one!

"Man, that's... that's... wow," Alex said, sitting back in his chair and staring at his friend.

Chad nodded, also sitting back in his chair. "Yeah." He had just told Alex of the events that took place earlier with Sonny. He was grateful that they were sitting towards the back of a restaurant, so he could talk freely with his best friend, and didn't have to leave out any details.

"So... she didn't know she was pregnant?" Alex asked.

Chad shook his head. "Not at all."

"Well, don't women, like..." Alex paused for a moment, thinking. "Don't they have that intuition? Y'know, motherly instincts or whatever?"

Chad shrugged. "She could've been busy and didn't notice."

Alex nodded. "True."

"Do you think she would've told me?" Chad quietly asked.

Alex's face became thoughtful as he stared off slightly. "Based off what I've heard of her... I only met her once, talked to her one other time... if she were to somewhat easily tell you today what had happened, if she knew... and everything was okay... I don't think she would tell you immediately, maybe... but, eventually, yes, I think she would."

Chad nodded. "I think so, too."

"Have you told your parents?" Alex asked.

Chad shook his head. "No. I'll tell them tonight or tomorrow."

"How do you think they'll react?"

Chad shrugged. "I'm not sure. They certainly won't be happy, but..." Once again, he shrugged. "They'll be sympathetic."

Alex nodded and checked the time. He sighed. "Sorry to cut this short, man. My brother and sister are in town, and my parents want to have this little 'family gathering' thing tonight."

Chad laughed. "Tell Jay and Izzy I said hello."

Alex laughed as they stood up and started walking out of the restaurant. "Oh, I haven't told them about us. I won't get into gritty details, don't worry. They're going to leave hearing that message from you, though."

Chad chuckled as they stepped outside. "Tell your parents I said hello, too."

"Same to yours," Alex said. He gave Chad a small wave and said, "Talk to you later, man."

"See ya," Chad said, returning the small wave and walking over to his car. He got in and checked the time. It was a little after 4:30, and Chad didn't have any plans. His parents were currently out of town, and wouldn't be returning until either that night or the next day. He decided to take a nice walk on the beach. He used to do that a lot early in the career, even when he was little; those walks helped him think and relaxed him tremendously. He knew a smaller beach that would be perfect to walk on, without the distraction of the papparazzi and fans and other things. It took him about twenty minutes to get there, and when he was arrived, he was grateful to see that there weren't many people there. He got out of the car and took off his shoes, tossing them into the passenger seat; he didn't like wearing shoes on the beach. He rolled up his jeans to his knees and headed towards the beach. He was glad to feel the sand wasn't too hot as he walked towards the water. He stepped his feet into the water and sighed.

He stood in the water for at least five minutes. He walked around in it a little bit as he got lost in his thoughts. He was so happy to be friends with Alex again, and was grateful everyday that Alex wasn't the type to blow up in somebody's face. When they were little, their parents would comment on, even though they looked so much alike, and even acted slightly alike, their main difference was that Chad had a temper, and that Alex was more calmer. He was glad he had Alex to confide in, and he knew Alex felt the same way about him. He could talk to his parents, and he used to be able to talk to Sonny, but he knew Alex understood him the most, even though they didn't talk for a couple of years.

He was also grateful that his parents were so supportive of him. He knew he wasn't the best child, especially in these past few years, but they didn't love him any less. This whole ordeal brought them together again, and Chad didn't even notice any shift in them until five, six months ago. He and his Dad had discussions about drug using, relapsing, stuff like that. His Mom didn't like talking about stuff, and preferred staying away from drama and such, so any time he and his Mom spent together was fun and joyous, something people wouldn't normally expect from Chad.

But, there was a difference between Chad, and Chad Dylan Cooper, CDC, The Chadster, the version of Chad people "knew". Chad wasn't sure of himself a few years ago, even just six, seven months ago, so he just became Chad Dylan Cooper, the egotistical jerk who shoved puppies, had a million girlfriends, and was teen Hollywood's bad boy. As he experienced rehab, counseling, and relapsing, he was able to find Chad, and see who Chad really was. Chad is just a laid back person, who honestly enjoys spending time with family and friends. He has eyes and a heart for one girl, and if they'll ever be together again, who knows.

He decided to plop down onto the sand and stare off into the horizon. The sun was slowly setting. He brought his knees to his chest and restd his head on his knees. Sonny continuously popped into his head. Seeing her cry the way she did earlier broke his heart, and even thinking about it continued to break his heart even more. She sounded so devastated, so confused, so upset... he hated that. He knew he couldn't make her feel better with a bit of backrubbing and encouraging words. The thought of her keeping all that information to herself and a few select people upset him; he understood her not telling the whole world, but not telling her Mom? He knew her Mom had moved to Wisconsin a couple of months ago, but he thought they were closer than that.

He sighed and shook his head. He could think about it all he wanted to, but he couldn't go back in time and fix anything. He knew things were slowly getting better, though. He felt better than he ever had before, and he truly never wanted to return back to his old ways. He was lucky he hadn't seen any of his old "friends"; he didn't want to be influenced by them again. His counselor said a second relapse isn't quite as common as relapsing the first time, but wouldn't rule it out, especially if those guys were to somehow walk back into Chad's life.

He stretched his upper body, mostly his arms, before laying back in the sand. He shut his eyes and laid there for a few moments, enjoying the peace that the beach brought. Suddenly, a voice could be heard behind him:

"Chad?"