Ever wonder what happened after Chad put on the weird beard? Well, you are in luck, because that is what this chapter is all about. It takes place immediately after the episode "You've Got Fan Mail."

And there is some Channy goodness in the chapter :) Sonny is starting to develop feelings for a certain three-named jerkthrob…and he seems strangely taken with her as well.

Oh, and if they seem slightly OOC, I'm so sorry. Since SWAC is no longer on air, I haven't seen the show lately, and it's kind of hard to write about characters that I'm no longer fully familiar with.

And I'm so so sorry that there has been such a gap since the last chapter. Life is chaotic to say the least. But I AM going to finish this story. That is my goal for the summer. School gets out on the 18th, so hopefully updates will be a little more regular after that.

I do not own SWAC.

Happy reading :)

"Look, the smoothie isn't for me. It's for Chad Dylan Cooper. I'm not trying to be a jerk here, but I'd actually like to keep my job." Sonny followed the sound of Bart's panicked voice into the cafeteria. She had been trying to find him all afternoon. Bart was the only person over at The Falls that she felt comfortable talking to.

She found him trying to talk the cook into making him one of Chad's favorite watermelon pineapple smoothies. The problem was that Chad refused to pay for anything, and Bart didn't have any money to spend on the actor. Plus, the cafeteria was about to close for the day, and Marta didn't look at all happy about making a smoothie for nothing.

Sonny needed a favor from Bart, so she figured that helping him out might swing things in her favor. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a five-dollar bill.

"Here, Marta. That should pay for the smoothie, and you can keep the change." Sonny put on her friendliest smile and dropped the bill onto the counter. Marta just grunted in response, but she did turn and start measuring out the ingredients for the smoothie. Bart turned to Sonny,

"Thanks, Sonny. I'll pay you back when I get my next paycheck."

"It's no big deal, Bart. I would hate for you to go back to Chad empty-handed." Bart shuddered,

"That would have been bad. He's been worse than usual this week, what with the movie part and all."

"Ugh, I can only imagine. He's been following poor Josh around, which means he's been over in our part of the studio. I really had no idea that someone could be so shallow and conceited. So, I guess he has a big part then." Sonny was surprised to see something of a smirk cross Bart's face.

"A big part? Hardly! He doesn't even have any lines. I looked at his script while he was putting on his makeup. He's the mail guy pushing the cart in the background while two minor characters are talking. I'd be willing to bet that the whole scene gets cut before it goes to the big screen." Sonny couldn't help but laugh,

"Poor Chad! I'm sure he'll be heartbroken if he doesn't show up onscreen. Perhaps that will take his ego down to – " Sonny's sentence was cut off by another grunt from Marta. She plopped the smoothie down on the counter, picked up the money, and waved them away with another grunt. Bart reached for the smoothie, but Sonny grabbed it first.

"Let me take it to him, Bart. I actually need to talk to Chad about something else." At his skeptical look, she hurried on, "I won't poison it or anything. I promise. But I do need directions to his dressing room. Think you could help me out?" Bart shrugged,

"Sure, although, I don't know why you would want to visit him anyway. He's not very nice to you." Sonny sighed. True, Chad wasn't very nice to her – most of the time. But he had done her a huge favor today, and she couldn't just let that go. She owed him a huge thank you, but she couldn't tell Bart that. No one but her and Chad knew what he had done, and she intended to keep it that way,

"Yeah, he is pretty much a jerk, but I still need to talk to him."

Fifteen minutes later, Sonny stood outside Chad's door, nervously shifting from foot to foot. The smoothie was melting, and the cookies she had brought from home were rock hard. It was all she could do to keep from running as far away from The Falls as possible, but gratitude kept her standing there. Since both of her hands were full, she decided to kick the door to get his attention.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

"BART!" Chad's angry voice came screeching out through the closed door. She could hear him pounding towards the door. "You are so fired! Where have you been with my –" Chad flung the door open, "- smoothie." He blinked in surprise, then grinned, "Well, well, well, what do we have here?"

"We have a smoothie. Can I come in?" Chad's grin faltered slightly, but he held the door open wider and gestured for her to enter the room.

Sonny and Tawni's dressing room was nothing compared to Chad's. His room was huge. She would have enjoyed looking around at all of his pictures and awards, but she had come on a mission. Chad closed the door and rounded on her,

"So, Sonny, what brings you here?" Sonny smiled at him and held out the smoothie,

"I brought your smoothie for you." Chad raised his eyebrows at her. "Alright, I have another reason for being here." He took a step towards her,

"Don't tell me. I'm sure that I can guess. I knew you'd come around, Sonny. You just couldn't resist my charm could you? The girls always end up falling for me in the end. It's ok to admit it, Sonny." Chad lifted up his hand and placed it on her cheek, "Don't hold in your feelings, Sonny. It's not healthy." She suddenly had a difficult time breathing. And the room felt strangely hot. A dreamy smile crossed her face,

"Yes. No. I mean-" The full realization of what he had just said rushed back full force. "Chad! That is not why I am here." Chad withdrew his hand faster than she would have thought possible. He actually looked rather embarrassed. She almost got the impression that he had wanted her to admit that she had feelings for him.

She considered that possibility for a moment. Somehow it was not all that surprising. After all, they had had a moment earlier. And he had pretty much admitted that he cared when he stepped out onstage dressed as "Eric." He had shown that he had a nice side. Chad like her? The thought was strange, but not altogether unwelcome.

Wait, did she just think that? Of course it was unwelcome! She loathed Chad Dylan Cooper. He was a stuck-up, conceited jerkthrob who cared more about his hair than about being nice to people. Sure, his hair was rather perfect, and his smile was well- charming to say the least, but still – he was a Hollywood heartbreaker.

Then again, maybe he was just pretending to be a jerk when the cameras were on and the paparazzi were around. He could be the nicest guy in the world. His hand had felt wonderful and warm on her cheek. Surely a true bad boy wouldn't have hands that nice. Sonny looked over at Chad. He was rather handsome. For the first time, she understood why girls all over the country had fallen in love with him.

"Uh, Sonny? Are you going to tell me the reason that you are here?" The sound of his confused voice shattered her thoughts. Sonny shook her head to clear any lingering thoughts of Chad from her mind. She was not going to fall for him, no matter how sparkly his eyes were.

"Right. Well, I brought you these, as a kind of…well, as a way to say thank you." She held out a gift bag to him. "They're my grandma's famous chocolate chip cookies." Chad reached into the bag and pulled out a beard. He gave her a strange look,

"This does not look like a chocolate chip cookie, Sonny." She could help but give a small giggle,

"No, it's not. It's the beard. You know, the weird beard. I wanted to thank you for helping me out, Chad. I don't know what your motivation was, but you really got me out of a bind. If you hadn't shown up and put on that costume, everyone would have known I was a fraud." Sonny reached out and took his hand, briefly squeezing it, "Thank you, Chad. I don't know what I would have done without you."

Chad squeezed her hand back, but didn't say anything. She waited for him to release her hand or to laugh at her, but he didn't do anything. He just stood there, holding her hand. Sonny had no idea what to do, so she just left her hand in his. It felt comfortable somehow, as if her hand was meant to be in his.

A knock on Chad's door made them both jump. Sonny jerked her hand away, and Chad took a few steps back from her, putting his finger up to indicate that she should be silent,

"Yes?"

"It's Bart, Mr. Cooper, sir. I'm supposed to tell you that the next scene will be starting in twenty minutes."

"Thanks, Bart. Let them know that I'll be there shortly." Chad waited until Bart's footsteps faded away before turning to Sonny. She smiled tentatively at him,

"So, anyway, thanks. And I want you to have the beard. I don't need it anymore." Her smile got bigger, "maybe you can wear it in your movie. You know, make yourself a little more memorable?" To her surprise, Chad laughed. Not a fake, Hollywood laugh, but a real laugh,

"Yeah, that would make me memorable. Look, Sonny, it was nice of you to bring me this stuff, but you need to leave now. I've got to get ready for the show. The magic of Mackenzie Falls doesn't happen without the star, you know." The abrupt change in his tone took her by surprise,

"Oh, of course. I'll let myself out." She turned around and hurried out the door.

As she walked back to her dressing room, it began to occur to her just how strange the meeting with Chad was. For one, he hadn't really been a jerk at all. He'd actually acted like he liked her, and not just in a friendly kind of way. But it was her reaction to it that had taken her by surprise the most.

Could she possibly be falling for Chad? How ironic that her first Hollywood crush would have the same first name as the boy actor that she had fallen for all those years ago.

Sonny sighed and began to walk a bit faster. The more space that she put between herself and Chad Dylan Cooper, the better. She couldn't afford to fall for him. And she had probably just imagined his interest in her.

Dating Chad Dylan Cooper was the last thing that she needed on her mind.

Oh Sonny, denying your feelings for Chad will not make them go away. And I do love seeing a softer side of Chad!

Review and let me know what you think!