Disclaimer: I don't SWAC or Party…yet(:

Wow! I can't believe I already have 14 reviews from three chapters! You guys are great!

I'm so sorry I didn't update this sooner! School started up again from winter break and then I had a ton of homework every night. Next week I have finals, but I will try to update!

By popular vote (two), I will refer to Mel and Grady as Melady.

4. Party

Chad was chilling in his dressing room, trying to decide how to announce that he and Sonny were back together when he heard a knock on his door and a tentative, "Chad?"

He swung the door open, expecting a Falls staff member or an extra. Instead, Grady stood in front of him. "Hi, Chad," Grady nervously waved.

"What do you want, Random?" Chad uttered, obviously annoyed. Just because he loved Sonny doesn't mean he loved her friends.

"Well, um, I'm—I mean, you—no, wait—"

"Just spit it out already!"

"Ok, I'm taking Mel out tonight, and Sonny said—"

"Oh, right! You're going on a double date with us! So, what's the problem?" Chad questioned.

"I've never been to a 'cool' Hollywood party. I don't know what to wear," Grady mumbled, "so can you help me?"

"You want me to pick out an outfit for you?" Chad laughed.

Grady flushed bright pink with embarrassment.

"Oh, um, yeah, I'll help you," Chad said, laughing to himself.

"You will? Thanks, Chad! You know, maybe you're not such a bad guy!"

"Bad guy?" Chad's face fell, crestfallen.

"I mean, after you and Sonny bro—"

Chad interrupted, "But we're back together now, so I'm not a bad guy. Got it?"

Grady nodded, trying to stay on Chad's good side. "Got it."

"Well, then, let's get started! I still have to get ready, too, you know!" Chad exclaimed.

Chad and Grady headed to Grady's dressing room, and on their way, Chad literally ran into Sonny. He gave her one of his signature grins, the one that made her insides melt. In return, she flashed one of ear-to-ear smiles, giving him butterflies in his stomach. Ah, young love.

Grady opened the door to his dressing room, and Chad gagged. Empty pizza boxes. Rows of comic books. Plastic action figures. This place was a pig sty.

"Change of plans, Grady. We're going shopping," Chad declared. Anything to get him out.

"Oh, ok," Grady less-than-enthusiastically complied.

"To the mall!" Chad yelled dramatically, grabbing his keys and running to the parking lot.

Meanwhile...

Sonny relentlessly tried on outfit after outfit. "What outfit do I wear to a 'cool' party," she complained to herself, "and more importantly, what outfit do I wear now that Chad and I are back together?" She whipped out her phone and dialed Tawni's number.

"Hello!" Tawni answered.

"Hi Tawn! It's Sonny."

"Hey Son! What's up?"

"Well, I need your advice on this outfit-"

"Where are you?"

"In our dressing room...?" Sonny figured the call had been dropped because she didn't hear Tawni reply. Suddenly, the dressing room door burst open, and a panting Tawni entered.

"Hi...lemme...catch...my breath."

"Wow, Tawni, I could have just sent you picture of what I was wearing. You didn't have to run here," Sonny told her friend.

Tawni finally replied, "Well, then I wouldn't have been able to tell what's hot and not. I'm doing you a favor."

"Ok," Sonny smiled, "what do you think of this one? It needs to say cool, but not arrogant; in a serious relationship, but still fun; and back together with Chad, but not desperate to get back together."

Tawni faked gagging. "That says, 'Put me back in the closet before the paps get a picture!'"

"I...I thought it was cute."

"Sonny, Sonny, Sonny, when will you learn? Don't worry about it because we are going to the mall!"

Sonny's phone vibrated, indicating that she had received a text message.

Two new messages

Sonny unlocked her phone, eager to see what they read.

From: Chad

Hi Sonshine! Just so you know, I'll pick you up at six so we can have dinner together, and then we'll pick up Grady and Mel at 7:30.

Sonny quickly typed a reply:

To: Chad

Sounds good, babe! I can't wait to see you! Love you!

Sonny then read the second message:

From: Mel

Hey, what's the plan for tonight?

Sonny replied,

To: Mel

Chad and I are picking you and Grady up at 7:30 and then heading to the party.

While she was replying to Mel, Sonny received another text.

From: Grady

Help me! Chad's dragging me to the mall to find an outfit! D:

Sonny laughed. As much as Chad claimed to dislike her cast mates, he was still nice to them.

To: Grady

We're headed to the mall right now too! See you there! haha :)

"Ok, Tawni, let's go!" Sonny yelled at her roommate, planning how she could "run into Chad" at the mall.

Tawni squealed, psyched to go shopping.

At the mall...

"How about this store?" Tawni pointed to a small but expensive boutique.

"How about no?" Sonny replied. She knew the clothes there were too fancy or too immodest for her liking.

After going through at least eight more stores, Sonny spotted a dress in the window of a store she had never noticed before.

Before Tawni knew Sonny was gone, Sonny was in the store, dress in hand, and sprinting to the dressing room.

Tawni was about to follow Sonny into the store she believed Sonny entered when she spotted two blonde guys she didn't really want to talk to. But the guys saw her before she could disappear, and Tawni didn't want to make a scene.

Chad and Grady walked over to Tawni. "Hi Tawni! What are you doing here?" Grady greeted.

"Um, it's the mall. It's a public place," Tawni retorted, obviously annoyed. Then Tawni's ringtone for Sonny went off, which was "Me, Myself, and Time." "Hello? Sonny? Where are you?"

Chad couldn't hear the other end of the conversation, but if Tawni had asked Sonny where she was, that meant that Sonny was here with Tawni.

"Ok, I'll be right there," Tawni ended the call. "Bye, boys!" Tawni muttered, running into the store that Sonny said she was in.

Grady began to follow Tawni before realizing that the store was for girls-there were dresses, bras, and shoes everywhere. Thankfully, Chad stopped him. "Grady, don't go in there. It's not cool for a guy to do that," Chad explained, trying to avoid further humiliation. "Besides, she's probably getting an outfit for the party. Speaking of which..."

Three hours later...

Sonny was in the dress she had seen at the store while Tawni was talking to the boys. Though she was disappointed that she had missed Chad, Sonny knew this outfit was worth it-even Tawni agreed that it was perfect. The dress was strapless, pale pink, and cut off three inches above her knee. She matched it with a white three-quarters sleeve cardigan. Her chestnut hair was down, but Sonny dressed up her head by wearing silver chandelier earrings. Her make-up was light and natural, and it brought out her brown eyes.

It was 5:30, and Sonny waited for Chad in her dressing room.

Chad, on the other hand, was still at the mall with Grady, trying to find the right shirt. Annoyed, Chad finally went into his favorite store, grabbed a random shirt in Grady's size, and bought it. He drove to the studio, speeding even though a ticket would slow him down more.

Chad knew what outfit he would look good in. But "good" wasn't enough for tonight. Tonight, he was nervous. He ended up wearing a light blue shirt, navy blue tie, and khaki pants. Chad took a deep breath and walked to Stage 3, right to Sonny's room. Chad hadn't told Sonny that dinner meant meeting his family.

At 6:10, Chad and Sonny were in Chad's car.

"Sonny, did I tell you that you look beautiful tonight?"

"Maybe three or four times," Sonny giggled.

"Well, you look beautiful," Chad looked over at Sonny and said just loud enough for Sonny to hear, "I love you."

Sonny smiled, "I love you, too."

They rode in comfortable silence for a few minutes before Sonny asked, "Chad, where are we going?"

"Well," Chad began, "we're going to my house for dinner."

Sonny realized that she had never been to Chad's house. She was pretty sure he lived in a mansion, but she had no idea where it was.

"Oh."

"And...my family is going to be there," Chad nervously stated.

"Oh."

"Is...is something wrong with that, Sonshine?"

"No, nothing's wrong. I just...I've never met your family. I'm kinda nervous, Chad," Sonny explained.

"Well, don't worry, I'll be right next to you the whole time," Chad reassured her, trying himself to stop worrying. He grabbed Sonny's hand and squeezed it, knowing that his family would love her. He pulled into his driveway, and Sonny looked surprised.

"This is your house? I thought you lived in a mansion," Sonny commented. Chad lived in a house-two stories, a few windows, and a garden gnome out front.

"Well, there's a lot you don't know about me. Come on, let's go inside."

"Wait, am I too dressed up?"

"Of course not. I told my family to dress up too, so you'll fit right in."

Chad got out of the car, opened Sonny's door, and interlocked their fingers. Hand in hand, they walked up to the front door, and it swung open before Chad even grabbed the doorknob. A woman with blonde hair and blue eyes stood in front of them. She wore a black skirt and a white frilly blouse.

"Hi! I'm Chad's mom, Kristy. You must be Sonny," the woman introduced herself, smiling. "Come on in."

"Thank you," Sonny entered.

"Henry, dear, Chad's home," Kristy called up the stairs. "And he brought Sonny!"

"SONNY MUNROE IS HERE? Ahhh!" A little girl ran up to Sonny and hugged her.

"Sonny, this is my sister, Ella. She's a huge fan of So Random!" Chad explained.

"Aww. Hi, Ella. I'm Sonny. How old are you?"

"I'm six years old. I'll be seven in twenty-two days," Ella grinned.

Sonny's heart melted. This adorable child, Chad's sister, was a mini version of Chad, but in girl form. And she was a fan!

"Well, happy almost birthday, Ella!"

Then a man with dark brown hair and a proper mustache came downstairs and put his his hand out for Sonny to shake. "Hi Sonny. I'm Henry. It's a pleasure to finally meet you." Sonny shook his hand, still holding onto Chad with the other.

"Sonny, this is my step-dad, Henry," Chad told Sonny. Chad saw Sonny's eyes glance at him, but she didn't say anything and smiled. "I believe that we are still missing someone. Ah, here he is. Randall, this is Sonny. Sonny, this is my step-brother, Randall."

"How old is he?" Sonny mouthed to Chad.

"Thirteen," Chad formed without sound.

Randall had dark brown hair like Henry, but his eyes were bright green. Henry's were brown.

"Hi, Randall. I'm Sonny Munroe," Sonny gave Randall a warm smile.

"I know who you are, Sonny. Chad talks about you all the time," Randall replied, returning the smile.

Sonny got the feeling that Randall wasn't acting like usual, but after an awkward pause, Kristy said, "Well! Dinner's ready, so let's go eat."

They walked into the dining room, Chad and Sonny still holding hands and trailing behind everyone else.

Sonny looked at Chad like she was going to ask him something, but instead she kissed his cheek. "They seem lovely, Chad."

They sat down at the table, and Chad and Sonny finally released their hands, just to rejoin them under the table.

At first, Sonny was quieter than usual, but she was soon in her element, cracking jokes. Everyone genuinely laughed, and soon it was 7:10.

"We have to go now, Sonny." They were supposed to pick up Grady and Mel in twenty minutes, and Chad knew it only took ten minutes to get to their apartments. But he also wanted to talk to Sonny alone.

"Oh! You're right. Well, it was nice meeting all of you," Sonny smiled, standing up to leave.

Everyone said their goodbyes, and Chad and Sonny left.

Once they were back on the road, Sonny finally broke the silence. "So, you have a step-family, Chad?"

"Yeah...Henry married Mom four years ago, right about when I began working on The Falls. They got engaged before I even auditioned for Mackenzie, so fame had nothing to do with their relationship," Chad explained.

"Chad...are you ok?" Sonny asked, noticing Chad's eyes beginning to water.

"What? Yeah, it's just...sometimes, I miss my dad."

"Chad, you can tell me anything. You know that. What's wrong?"

"My dad...he...he left us. Me and my mom. It was the three of us for eleven years. When he found out they would be having another kid, he bolted. Said one was more than enough. It's my fault he left, Sonny. It's all my fault."

Sonny made Chad pull over. She held him in her arms while he sobbed. "Chad, I know what it's like to lose a parent. My dad died when I was eight." Chad looked at Sonny. She continued, "he...he died in a car accident. He died, but I lived. I just had a broken arm."

Chad calmed down, but tears still ran down his cheeks.

"Chad...we don't have to go to the party if you don't want to go. But then I have to text Mel and Grady and tell them," Sonny said when the clock read 7:25.

"No, we said we'd double with them. We'll double with them for the party," Chad said quietly.

"Then I'm driving," Sonny demanded.

"What? But...but...fine," Chad sighed.

They switched seats, and Sonny drove to her Mel's apartment complex. But that point, Chad had fixed himself so only Sonny knew he had been crying.

Chad and Sonny switched seats while they waited for Mel to come out. By the time she did, it was 7:40.

Chad drove to Grady's apartment and then to the party, which started at 7:30, and arrived at 8 on the dot.

Chad and Sonny were immediately recognized upon arrival.

Paparazzi began shooting questions at them like bullets.

"Chad, is it true that you and Sonny are back together?"

"Sonny, did Chad beg you to take him back?"

"Are you just friends or are you back together?"

Chad smiled at Sonny, who was beaming. Grabbing her hand, Chad whispered in her ear, "Ready?"

Sonny nodded slightly, but Chad still saw it. He knew that if he answered any of the questions, the paps would twist his words, which is why his plan was ingenious. He had asked Sonny about it in the car, and she had believed it would work.

Channy was going to do what very few dared to do in front of the cameras.

Chad grabbed Sonny's face and kissed her hard on the lips.

A collective "ooooh" was heard from everyone-paparazzi and celebs alike.

When Chad pulled away, he could tell from Sonny's expression and the questions being asked that his plan had worked.

Channy walked into the building, once again holding hands, and Melady followed behind. Melady quickly disappeared into the crowd, and everyone kept coming up to Chad and Sonny to say hi.

There was something strange about the way everyone was acting. And their breath smelled funny...almost as if-

"Chad!" Sonny grabbed his arm. "The punch is spiked!"

Chad looked around. He had been at parties where people snuck alcohol in before, but he never drank any of it. He saw what it did to the other people. And these people were definitely drunk. "You're right. Don't drink anything, Sonny."

"Chad, I think we should leave. This isn't a good place to be, and we can't really talk here."

"Ok, let's go."

"Wait, what about Mel and Grady?" Sonny realized.

"Text them, try to figure out where they are."

It wasn't hard to figure out their location without texting them. Sonny looked toward the food table, and there they were, camping out by the chocolate fountain.

They were acting a little strange too. A little too friendly with each other.

"Chad? Is it possible to spike a chocolate fountain?" Sonny gasped, hoping it wasn't true.

"Well, I guess it's possible...oh no. No no no no. You don't think..." Chad replied.

Sonny and Chad ran to their friends. It was too late-Grady and Mel were drunk off chocolate. Chad grabbed Grady and Sonny grabbed Mel, pulling them away from the fountain.

Mel and Grady stumbled, but Sonny and Chad pulled them to the car.

"Chad, we can't just drop them off at their homes if they're drunk," Sonny stated. Mel and Grady were out-of-it in the backseat, not aware of anything.

"Well, what are we supposed to do? It's not our fault that they ate the chocolate fountain," Chad argued.

"I don't know what to do! I guess we should just...drop them off at their apartments and hope they can take care of themselves. It's no like you knew the fountain would be spiked, right?"

"Of course not! And I would've told you and your friends if I had known!"

Sonny sighed. "You can drive to Grady's house first. Make sure he makes it inside and then put him in his bed. The last thing we want is someone to find him passed out on the floor."

"What are you going to do?" Chad asked.

"I'll stay here with Mel and make sure she stays here."

"Don't let her throw up in my car!"

A sound made them turn around in their seats.

"Too late?" Sonny apologized.

Chad groaned. His perfect night with Sonny was going all wrong-almost as wrong as their first date.

Chad got Grady settled and then Sonny got Mel settled.

They were back in Sonny's apartment and sitting on the couch when Sonny felt obligated to apologize, "Chad, I am so sorry about how tonight went-well, the party. I really enjoyed meeting your family. Thanks for...for trusting me. It's not easy to tell someone about family."

Chad smiled a toothless smile, more like an upside-down grimace. "Sonny...was it my fault he left?" Chad said quietly.

Sonny leaned into Chad's shoulder. "It wasn't your fault at all, Chad. Your dad left because he's a jerk. Look on the bright side: now you have Henry and Randall."

"Ha! I wish it were that way."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I get along with Henry just fine, but Randall...we aren't usually on good terms. He doesn't like me. He thinks I replaced him when Henry and Mom got married. He likes to pick fights about everything. That's why I haven't introduced you to my family until tonight."

"Chad, I understand. It's not your fault that he feels that way. It's just been me and my mom for so long, and if she got remarried, I would probably feel replaced as well. He'll come around. Just look at us. We used to fight all the time! And now...I love you, Chad," Sonny snuggled as close as she could to her boyfriend.

Chad kissed the top of her head. "I love you, too, Sonshine."

That was the last thing Sonny remembered before slipping into sleep.

Mrs. Munroe came in at midnight and was about to tell Chad to leave when she saw them both asleep, cuddling on the couch. She quietly left the room, not wanting to ruin their peaceful slumber.