Hey guys! It's another update! I know, super-quick. It's coz I was enjoying writing it :)

Ha, didn't I say this would be an awesome Channy chapter? Well... it's kinda right. There are Channy moments, but this is the first day Sonny guest stars on Mackenzie Falls, so they'll also be Mackenzie/Sonny's character moments too.

I must say though, I enjoyed writing this chapter. So I really hope you guys like reading it :)

And to stop any confusion - the italic parts are Mackenzie Falls scenes. The quotes and stuff will be sometimes written as the actor/actress saying them, sometimes as the character saying them. Basically, Sonny/Kaitlyn, Sara/Daphne, Chad/Mackenzie, Ferguson/Trevor, Portlyn/...Portlyn (awkward) and etc... you get the idea. Hope this hasn't confused you more!

I don't own SWAC! :P I did in my dream last night though. I met Demi! Ha :D

And... onwards!

Chapter 43-There's Just So Much Drama!

Sonny's POV

I wake up the day after Abby's birthday with a grin a mile wide. Yesterday was so much fun! And, to me, it felt like we were a family. We were so close and had a blast… and it made me even more excited for the day when Chad and I have kids of our own.

The rest of the weekend goes by, and Monday comes faster than expected. And that makes me nervous, because this is the week that I have to guest star on Mackenzie Falls to pay back for mine and Chad's bet. (You remember the bet? The one where they drew? Yup. Carry on)

I got the script on Sunday – Chad brought it to me. But he couldn't stay long – he was going to visit his Dad and Melanie with Josh and Abby, so I spent the day horse-riding, reading through the script and hanging out with Tawni when she called me and asked if I wanted to hang out. So she came to my house and we messed about. She even had a ride on Sonshine, me supervising on Capriccio. Why was I on Chad's horse rather than my own? Well, Chad's probably trained Capriccio to buck like crazy whenever Tawni is near, so I thought she'd be safer on Sonshine. Hey, I said probably – don't believe that I'm right. Then again, just in case…

I walk into the Mackenzie Falls set on the Monday, wearing the uniform Chad dropped off on Sunday with the script. I remember admiring myself in the mirror earlier – I thought I looked pretty good. I especially loved the little red rose that my character would wear in her hair. It really topped off the outfit, and would be the structure of an adorable scene with my character, Kaitlyn, and Mackenzie at the end of the show.

The moment I enter, I notice Chad stood in the middle of the academy's courtyard set, flicking through his script, and I feel my heart flutter when I see him in his Mackenzie outfit. He always looks so cute in his Mackenzie outfit.

He looks up from his script and sees me, before running my way with a smile spreading across his face.

"Hey…" He says, grinning, "You look… incredible."

I feel a blush creep up on my cheeks, and hide behind a curtain of hair.

"Thanks." Is all I can say. It's funny that, even though we've been together all these years, I fall in love with him again every time I see him.

"Let's get started!" He grins, taking my hand and leading me to the set. I approach the cast and say hi, before noticing the small gang of producers, stood by the side, watching my every move. It's kinda scary.

Why are they watching me so closely? Well, the actress who plays Mackenzie's love interest, Chastity Ann DeWitt, aka Chloe, had to go to London for a movie, so the character Chloe has been removed from the show, for now at least. Which means that the producers of Mackenzie Falls are watching carefully. They're going to be bringing in a whole load of guest stars in, and then see which is more popular with the viewers and the cast and crew. Whichever seems more appealing to everyone will be offered the chance to become a regular on the show, and Mackenzie's new love interest. And I'm one of the girls in the running.

To be honest, as much fun as this would be to be my own boyfriend's love interest in his TV show, I really don't mind which way this goes. Sure, it would be awesome to be a regular on Chad's show, and to be his love interest (it means we can be gushy on camera!), and our casts get along better now, so it won't be as awkward for any of us. But then, it may be hard to work two shows, and just because our casts are getting along now doesn't mean we're all the best of friends. So I'll just go along with it and see where the wind blows.

"Okay everyone, let's get started!" The director, who's name is Rhonda, says as Chad and I find one familiar red-head in the mix of actors and actresses. Sara. Yep, it's her first episode too, and she's one of the possible contenders for Mackenzie's love interest. I don't think she wants it though – it'll be a little awkward for both her and Chad to do love scenes, considering they're cousins.

I give Chad one last hug, grinning. "Good luck." I whisper.

"Ditto." He replies, pulling away from the hug and winking, before stepping off the stage along with everyone else who's not on this scene straight away, and only Chad is left on his own, sat on a bench.

"And…" Rhonda says with a smile, "Action!"

Chad's POV

"And… action!"

I'm sat on the bench in the middle of the Mackenzie Falls' academy ground, head in hands, sighing, because, according to the script, the love of my life has left me. Why? I don't know yet. Maybe she was lost in a hot air ballooning accident? (Hannah… ;)) All I know is, she'd gone. And she's probably not coming back.

"Yo, Mack Attack!"

I look up, looking around, before seeing my best friend, Trevor (aka Ferguson) heading my way, looking concerned.

"What's up?" He asks, sitting next to me with a frown. I don't look at him though. I take the advice from the many times my heart has been broken and decide not to make eye contact with him because it may set me off crying. Hey, Mackenzie can learn a lot from Chad. I've been through more than him, which is weird considering that drama in his life.

"It's Chloe…" I say, making my voice crack a little, "…She's gone."

"Gone?" Trevor repeats dramatically, and Mackenzie has to stop Chad from rolling both of their eyes at the dramatic nature of the show. That wouldn't look good on camera…

"Yep…" I say, "She called me last night, and said she had to go… she's left me, Trevor. I guess I just…" I add in a sarcastic chuckle, "…miss her. A lot."

"Man… that's tough." Trevor sighs, rubbing the back of his neck, "Sorry to hear about that, Mack. I know how much she meant to you."

I nod sadly, remembering the days when Sonny and I were apart and how upset I was then. I thank my lucky stars that now my sadness just acting for Mackenzie, rather than real life for Chad.

I then feel a tap on my shoulder, and jump up to see Portlyn (aka… Portlyn) behind me, smiling sadly.

"Hey, Mack…" She says softly, "Sorry to hear about your little girlfriend leaving. I think we're all gonna miss Christie…"

"Her name was Chloe." I correct her, rolling my eyes. Hmm… Portlyn, the crazy obsessive girl who won't get a hint that the guy doesn't love her. I don't think Chad has had to deal with one of those in his life, and I'm lucky for that. Oh, except for Marta, the girl who played the previous obsessed girl, Penelope. She tried to kill me and Sonny. That was scary…

"Aw, yeah." Portlyn says, "It's a shame. Oh well…" She sighs melodramatically, "I guess that means you're free to date! So, if you pick me up at…"

I groan, getting up and walking away, ending the scene.

Sonny grins at me, hugging me the minute I step off the stage.

"You were awesome!" She says during the embrace, and I laugh.

"Thanks, sweetie." I say, "Now it's your turn."

At that moment, Sonny tenses up a little. I try not to smirk. Nerves.

"Try not to be nervous." I comfort her, "It's easy when you're doing it."

"I'm not nervous!" She laughs, but I look down to her shaking knees and know she's lying. I look back at her with a smirk and she sighs, her cool-girl cover blown. "Yeah, maybe I'm a little nervous…"

"Don't worry about it." I say, grabbing her hands and smiling, "If you get stage-fright, just look at me. I'll help you through it."

"Thanks." She smiles, loosening, before hugging me and heading over to Sara on the stage, who she rehearses a few lines with. I sit and watch her from the side, waiting for my turn to join their first scene. I try hard to contain my excitement for my little Sonshine, watching her practice with Sara before the real thing comes along. She looks over to me, looking scared, and so I give her thumbs up. To which, she smiles, nods, and mouths, "I love you."

"I love you too." I mouth back.

"And… action!"

"So, this is the academy…" Sonny's character, Kaitlyn, breathes, looking around with a grin on her face while carrying a stack of books. "…It's huge! How are we not gonna get lost, Daph?"

"Believe me, Kait," Sara's character, Daphne, replies with a sigh and a smile, "We won't get lost."

"But it's just… so… big!" Kaitlyn sighs dramatically, and I have to stop myself from laughing at how awesome Sonny is at the dramatic sigh. I was holding in my laughs so much, I almost forgot my cue. And I would've, had Ferguson not tapped me on the back and motioned to the stage. Wow… that was a close one. I get up, putting on Mackenzie's sad pout and coming in view of one of the cameras.

"Hey, check it out!" Daphne says, her voice dropping a little, "Cute guys!" I try to hold a smirk. Awkward… nope, I'm gonna be professional about this. Which means Chad stays in the back and doesn't complain about the family thing, and Mackenzie stays out in the front, sad-eyed and moping about the love of his life.

"Let's talk to them…" Daphne continues, reminding me that we are rolling, and I should be acting right now.

"No! We can't talk to them!" Kaitlyn says, dragging her friend back a little. Not that I can see though, because I have my back facing them. I just know that because of Sonny and Sara's practicing earlier.

"Why not?" Daphne asks.

"Do you not know who that is?" Kaitlyn asks, cueing her to point at me – not that I can see, once again. Knowing Sonny though, I'm sure she's nailed it. She always does. "That's Mackenzie – the owner of the Mackenzie Falls! The richest guy in this whole place! We can't talk to him!"

This was even harder not to smirk at. Yes, Mackenzie had become quite a celebrity in the academy and the town around it that, of what I know, is nameless. Gosh… seven years of this show and the town doesn't have a name? Weird… in fact, I don't even know Mackenzie's last name! Huh, this show is so badly structured, now that I think about it…

"I am not talking to him, you talk to him!" I hear Sonny say, waking me from my daydream, and remember that I'm still acting. And then I remember this is my cue to back up a little. And a little more… little more… and then…

WHAM!

Right into Sonny, which hints her to drop the books and stuff she's carrying. And that reminds me that this is the point I have to turn around and help her up. We haven't rehearsed this part of the scene – since Sonny and I have so much 'chemistry' already, they thought that our parts together would come naturally, so there was no point wasting time.

So, both of us are on our knees, gathering a load of books, apologising, and I suddenly remember this from one of Mackenzie and Chloe's first scenes together. Well, duh. That's the point. Surprisingly, that type of meeting has already been used twice on the show – when Mackenzie met Chloe, and now. You'd think it would've been used more, considering how clichéd and repetitive Mackenzie Falls is.

"I'm so sorry…" Kaitlyn says, "I'm such a klutz…"

"No, it's fine," I say, "I wasn't looking."

"Neither was I…" Kaitlyn laughs, shrugging, but then she looks up, and that tells me to do so too. I then see Sonny, my beautiful girl, looking perfect in that uniform, and I'm speechless. Which is good, because Mackenzie is supposed to be speechless at this moment.

"Hi…" Kaitlyn says, a hint of a smile creeping onto her lips.

"Hey…" I reply, finally waking from my Sonny-trance.

"…Hi…" Kaitlyn repeats, this time laughing a little, and my stomach churns. She's using the Sonny-laugh… which makes it hard for me to be the one who isn't enjoying this moment. I get up, clearing my throat a little, before handing the books to Sonny and smiling meekly at her.

"Sorry again…" I say, "Um…?"

"Oh, Kaitlyn." She says, smiling. The Sonny-smile… damn, she's not making this easy for me to pretend to not want to like her. Right now, I like her as much as normal, maybe more. Wait… make that love. Love her even more than normal.

"Mackenzie." I say, shaking her hand, and she grins. I then clear my throat again, letting go of her hand, which falters her smile a little. That annoys me though. I miss the Sonny smile…

"So, are you new?" I ask her, and she nods.

"Well, kinda," She explains, "My Dad is thinking of moving to the town here, so I'm here for a few days to check out the school." What did I tell you? No town name. I sure hope Kaitlyn doesn't ask Mackenzie about his last name. Imagine – "What's your last name, Mackenzie?" "I… don't have one!" Cue dramatic stare into the distance. (A/N: This bit was courtesy of nangelgirl923. Ha, check that out, Hannah! More credit! ;))

"Cool…" I say, before finally pretending to notice Sara. "And… who's your friend?" I ask.

"Oh, I'm Daphne." She says, giving me a small wave, "I'm moving here too. Well, I've already moved here."

"Cool." I repeat, before clearing my throat again in a shy tone, like I don't want to talk. "Well, I've gotta go. See ya." And with that, I walk off the stage, and let the others finish their scene.

After the scene is finished, and re-shot over and over again, the morning is over, and lunch is called. Which is a relief for me, because even though having Sonny working with me made the work more fun, it was still a long morning. Unfortunately though, So Random still has about 20 minutes rehearsal, so Sonny has to go to do that. Which means I'm gonna be sat having lunch with my cast mates for 20 minutes. Joy. Not that I hate them, but I'd much rather hang out with Sonny. And, because I seem to go into stand-by mode when I'm not around Sonny, my cast notice my slight gloomy mood.

"Wassup, dude?" Skyler asks me as I pick at my lobster glumly. "You were on a high earlier."

"I know what's wrong…" One of the newer girls, Alice, says, before putting on a lovey-dovey face and sighing, "He misses his Sonshine."

"So what if I do?" I snap, "I have you guys for company. What joy."

"Hey! Easy on the sarcasm, bro!" Ferguson chuckles, "We know you miss her, but no need to put a downer on us! She'll be here in, like, 15 minutes."

"16, actually." I correct. Alice snorts.

"Whoa, dude, you're obsessed."

"He has been for years." Skyler informs her, "You'll get used to it."

"Thought of proposing yet?" Alice continues.

"Well…" I sigh. I have thought about it, duh, but I have to remember – I'm not even nineteen yet. Neither is Sonny. We're both eighteen – we don't want to be throwing away our lives so quickly. Even if we do love each other so much… plus, I don't think either of our families would be happy to hear about it anyway! Na, we're fine the way we are, for now.

"We just don't think it's right getting married so early in our lives."

Alice shrugs, "Well, that doesn't matter. You can still propose, and then wait a little while before you get married. You don't have to get married straight away… but if you love each other that much, it's worth a shot."

Huh. I never thought of that.

"And it's not like you guys are gonna break up or anything," Skyler adds, "I mean, you guys are, like, inseparable!"

"Well, I would…" I say, trying to find my way out of this, "But… I don't know how I'd do it."

"You'd think of something," Ferguson says, "Somehow you always manage to charm that girl, so it's not like now would be any different."

"Guys, I don't know…"

"Wait…" Portlyn says, finally getting involved in the conversation. "Does this mean… you don't like Sonny anymore?"

I growl. Of course. Portlyn had to open that can of worms, didn't she? Just because I don't want to propose to Sonny suddenly means that I've fallen out of love with her, apparently. Great. Just great.

"No!" Alice groans, "You guys are so good together! Please don't say that's true!"

"Something tells me it is." Skyler says suspiciously, "Normally he'd jump at the chance to do anything for Sonny."

"Have you found someone new?" Portlyn asks, "Coz I really didn't expect this, even from you…"

"Guys. Just shut up, okay? Shut up!"

Yup. That's it. I've blown. Fed up of all the questions, I tell my cast to shut up. But until the words get out, I don't notice how loud and angry they sound. When I look around afterwards, I notice every pair of eyes in the cafeteria is on me. I shrug at them all, in an attitude that faintly resembles the long-gone CDC persona, before turning back to my cast, glowering at each of them, before taking the dumb decision to open my mouth again.

"Let me get one thing straight –" I say, lowering my voice a little, "I've not – and never will – fall out with Sonny. Don't you dare to even think that. I love her more than my own freakin' life, and after everything that's happened between us I would never want to lose her again. I just don't want to propose to her yet, get it? So just shut up, leave it alone, and stay out of my love life."

And with that, being the drama actor I am, I storm out of the cafeteria, leaving a half-eaten lobster and a bunch of confused people behind me.

Well… that didn't go too well.

So now, I'm in Sonny's dressing room, sat on the couch, head in hands. Don't ask me why, but it helps me to think when I'm in here. And right now, I need a lot of thinking time.

My cast's words ring through my head. Especially Alice's – "You can still propose, and then wait a little while before you get married. You don't have to get married straight away… but if you love each other that much, it's worth a shot." I honestly didn't think of that. It's a possibility, sure, but it still doesn't help me make a decision. I mean, what will my family say about it? What would Sonny's family say about it?

Sure, they know we love each other, but I don't think they'd be happy about us settling down so quickly. But then… does it matter? I mean, it's only me and Sonny who matter here… right? Plus, the idea of getting engaged is to promise that you will be with this person for the rest of your life, and then marry them. Huh… but then, I've already done that with the promise ring. Oh crap… does that mean we're already engaged?

"Agh!"

I jump at the sound of a girl's scream, and turn to the door to see Sonny stood there, hands over her mouth in shock.

"Chad?" She asks after a few seconds of us just staring at each other. "What are you doing here? I thought you'd be in the cafeteria."

"I was." I say, before realising how suspicious that sounded. Well done, Chad. You've managed to scare the girl you're trying to protect here, and then worry her.

"So, why aren't ya there now?" She asks, blinking in confusion.

I would tell her, but I kinda can't, considering it involves her. What am I supposed to say? "Because I had a fight with the Falls kids about how I don't want to propose to you yet and they thought that I didn't love you anymore"? Yeah, that would be smart.

"Just coz." I say, and I hear her chuckle a little as she sits down next to me.

"Coz why?" She asks after a pause, "Gosh, you're not making this easy for me, sweetie."

That's my goal. "Well… just a disagreement with the Falls kids." I say. That's all she needs to know.

"Oh… what about?"

I groan. She's making this hard for me to keep a secret that is best kept, well, secret.

"Uh…" I say, trying to come up with some sort of alibi. I mean, I could tell her the story, it just doesn't have to be about us, right?

I come up short. "It's not important."

"Oh," Sonny frowns, before adding, "Well, I understand if you don't want to tell me… but maybe I could help if you did."

I notice the pout on her face, and feel bad. I don't like keeping secrets from her, it makes her sad. C'mon, Chad, think… think…

Sonny gets up, walking to her vanity, and it's that moment that I notice a picture of her, me, Josh and Abby. Abby! The alibi could be about Abby! After all, I care about her more than almost every girl in the world, and it's obvious I would have a fall-out with someone if they disagreed with me on something to do with her. Plus, maybe I could advice from Sonny this way on what I should do, without actually asking her about the proposing thing!

"Um, it's about Abby." I say, and Sonny turns to face me. Okay, this is it. No backing out. C'mon, Cooper, what next? "And the pre-school thing."

"Oh…" Sonny says, "What about it?"

"Well… my cast mates were saying how they think I should get her into a pre-school, but I don't know if it's too early. Sure, she's a great little girl and she'd cope, but I don't know… what if she didn't?" Translation – my cast mates were saying how they think I should propose to you, but I don't know if we're too young or not. Sure, we're in love and it's not like we'd be making the wrong decision, but I don't know… what if it really was the wrong decision?

"Well, do you think she'd be alright with it? Do you think she'd be able to handle it?" Sonny asks. Translation – do you think I'd be okay with you proposing? Do you think I'd be able to handle it?

"Yeah…" I reply. "At least, I hope so."

"Well then, maybe they're right. I suppose it's just up to you, Chad. You're her carer – it's all up to you." Translation – It's up to you. Wait… that doesn't help at all! "Was that any help?" Sonny asks with a smile.

"Yeah…" I say, putting on a fake smile, "Great advice, Sonny, thanks."

"You're welcome." She smiles, before getting up. "I'm gonna go back to the cafeteria, you coming?

"Uh, sure." I say, getting up, "It'll give me a chance to apologise to the others for overreacting."

"Okay," She says, linking her arm into mine, and I smile at her, before we walk out of the dressing room and to the cafeteria.

I'm still really confused though. My whole alibi thing just made it worse. Now Sonny's pretty much told me to make my own decision… how am I meant to do that when I was stuck on this decision in the first place?

Oh boy…

So... was that Channy enough for you? It sure beats writing Quite The Opposite right now, which seems to have a certain Sonny/Chad/Tawni love triangle aspect to it. Yuck.

Anyways... review? That would be lovely of you, dears. And, because of how thankful I am of you guys, I shall sign off with my name...

~Amy x