*smiles innocently* Heyy, guys...

*collapses to knees* I am so so so so sorry for the late update! But you know what? I'm back with an awesome update (well, in my opinion), and it's pretty long too! :D

Just to let ya know, last chapter I got a review asking if someone could choose Sonny's wedding dress. Anyone else wanna help with the wedding, for when it comes along? Like, the cake or something? That would be lovely of y'all to help out - it stops me from touring around the internet so I can just get to the writing!

Anyways... it's time to get reading, am I right?

I don't own SWAC.

Onwards :P

Chapter 49 - Lookout Mountain and A New Home

Sonny's POV

The party is so much fun – my cast were the ones who organised it. And I have to admit, they really did an awesome job! It all goes too quick though, and it comes to an end super fast. Although… not before Tawni clinks her punch glass with a little spoon, yelling out "Speech!" to the room. She turns to me and Chad, along with the rest of the room, and I suddenly feel nervous. Speech? Do I have to? What am I supposed to say?

Chad's got it covered. "Uh… hey, guys." He begins, "Uh, first of all, I'd like to thank you guys so much for coming… I honestly didn't know about this party, and I don't think Sonny did either, so neither of us has prepared anything. I guess I just wanna say thanks to everyone who's been so awesome to me and Sonny during our whole lives, and thanks to whatever force brought her to me."

A universal 'aw' spreads across the room, and I hug Chad, grinning. Everyone then looks at me and I realise it's my turn to speak.

"Uh… hey, guys." I say, "Chad's already said most of it, I guess. But I wanna thank my cast for organising this party… it's so amazing. I'd like to thank all my friends and family for everything they've done for me… and most of all, I'd love to thank Chad, for being there for me, for loving me, and for being possibly the best boyfriend I've ever had. Now I'm just so excited to see what our relationship has in store, but I know, whatever happens, I will never stop loving you."

Before Chad or I can say or do anything else, a squeal comes from the corner of the room, and we turn to see Tawni, Zora, Chastity, Alice, and the two fan girls from this morning, holding up the banner, and we both start laughing.

"GO CHANNY! CHANNY FOREEEVVVEEEERRR!" They yell, causing everyone else to cheer similar things. Chad and I burst out laughing, before our laughing dies down and we turn to each other with loving smiles.

"I love you, in case you didn't get it." I say to him, "More than anything."

"And I love you more than anything." He replies, kissing me lightly on the cheek, and I feel happy until I realise we have an audience. They've all stopped chanting and are now staring directly at us. It's kinda awkward, but Chad's got a plan. He grabs my arm and runs towards the Prop House door, doing a little tuck-and-roll on the way, forcing me to go along with it. We reach the door, everyone watching, before Chad winks and says goodbye with his trademark;

"Peace out, suckahs!"

We leave the studio, laughing, before we arrive at my car outside in the parking lot. I lean up against it and he stands in front of me, our foreheads and noses touching, our breathing synchronised. Chad kisses me softly on the neck, all the way up until he reaches my lips. He kisses me softly, before he wraps his arms around my waist and deepens the kiss. I copy, wrapping my arms around his neck, before realising what we're doing and shoving him off lightly. Chad tilts his head, confused, and I laugh when I see the lipstick stain around his mouth.

"Sorry sweetie," I say, handing him a tissue, "But that had to stop there. We're in a public place and people could walk past at any time! And it's still pretty light, even for about half eight."

Chad shrugs, "So let's go somewhere where we have more privacy."

"Chad…" I say darkly, "I know what you're thinking… I'm not willing to go that far, even if we are engaged."

Chad frowns, "I wasn't thinking that at all! I was just thinking we could have a romantic picnic on top of Lookout Mountain."

I laugh, "How can we do that when we have no picnic basket?"

"Ah," Chad smirks, walking over to his car and opening up the back, "That's where you're wrong, m'lady."

I burst out laughing when I see him drag the picnic basket out of his car boot, and I smirk, "You sure are well-prepared, Chaddy." I say. He shrugs.

"You can just call me hopelessly romantic. So… hop in the car. Let's get going!"

We arrive at Lookout Mountain at about nine o'clock. The air has changed in the last 30 minutes – the air is cooler, chilly, and I'm shivering a little until I put on Chad's jacket (which he gave me – don't give me that look. I was desperate and he was willing). The stars have all come out now, sparkling high in the sky, and Chad has laid down a blanket on the slightly damp grass. We're sat together, sipping cans of Dr Pepper. It's one of those stereotypical romantic nights, and it feels perfect.

Ha, I'm such a sucker for romance.

"Sonny," Chad says gently, his eyes glistening with hope in the light of the reflection from the full moon above us. He takes my hands tightly in his and smiles, looking directly into my eyes, "You know what I said in the party, during the speech? About how much I love you…?"

"Yeah…" I say absent-mindedly, flashing back to the moment when he reminded me that he loved me more than anything in the world, after I'd told him the same. It was pretty sweet.

"Well it's true." He says, and I grin.

"I know." I say.

"And I don't wanna be cheesy…" He shrugs, and I laugh.

"No, no!" I say, "Be cheesy! Me like cheesy."

He chuckles, "You little nut."

"Not nut." I say with a crazy grin, "Cheese."

Chad rolls his eyes, "Dr Pepper making you hyper again?"

"You know it!" I smirk, remembering one of our first dates, where I had Dr Pepper and did go… kinda crazy. Let's just say, I wasn't allowed anything with fizz for another 5 months after that, and Chad was always checking I didn't order it when we went to restaurants.

"You remember what happened last time?" He'd say, and I'd just roll my eyes. (Yep, self experience… I get very hyper on fizzy drinks :/ And I didn't realise how crazy this part was until I re-read it. Huh. Continue.)

"Anyway…" Chad says, ignoring my intentional immaturity and squeezing my hands comfortingly. "I didn't expand on it coz I knew our little fan girls in the back of the room would've probably died."

I snort at the memory of Tawni, Zora, Chastity, Alice, and the two random fans girls who squealed at everything sweet or romantic that me or Chad were saying. It was cute at first, but by the end it was getting kinda old. They, especially Tawni and Chastity, were a little too obsessed with the fact that we were engaged.

Already.

"So…" Chad goes on, "I just wanna say something." He looks at me, azure eyes un-blinking. I gaze into his eyes as he takes a deep breath and I suddenly feel calm, peaceful, secure. It feels like a dream, but it's not. I'm wide awake, and I've never been more happy to be so.

"Well…?" I say, teasingly, "Go ahead."

Chad smirks, letting out a little snigger, before looking back up at me, regaining his posture. His hands are kinda sweaty, but I can't blame him. It's probably the sweat coming off my hands and onto his.

…Okay, odd train of thought.

Moving on.

"Sonny," He repeats sincerely, "You may already know this, but you are the most beautiful, talented, caring, adorable… perfect young woman I've ever had the pleasure to meet."

I suddenly feel my cheeks flush dark red, and I smile shyly despite myself.

"Chad, that's sweet, but I'm not perfect…"

"You are." He insists, "Well, to me. To a lot of people. Your arrival changed Condor Studios forever, and for the better. I mean, just look at Tawni! She actually… cares nowadays! The rivalry between our two shows is pretty much gone… and me? Gosh, if you hadn't showed up and made my life better… I'd have committed suicide a long time ago, believe me."

My gut sinks, "Chad, don't say that…"

"But it's true." He mumbles, smiling sadly, "You… you made me better. I was that jerk who hated everyone, the one who thought he was it. You changed that. You brought out the good in me, Sonny, and I could never repay you for it. I'm forever grateful to you. Thank you, for being there. For changing me. For making everything better. For… being you."

About half-way through Chad's little speech, I feel a tear roll down my cheek, and I wipe it away absent-mindedly. It isn't alone though. After Chad finishes, a whole flood of tears follow the first, and I instinctively collapse into my fiancé's chest, wiping my eyes on his shirt.

"Oh, Sonny, I'm sorry…" He stutters as I pull my head up from his chest, wipe a sleeve across my face and tuck the hair that is damp from tears behind my ear.

"Don't be." I say, my voice cracking, "That was so sweet, Chad. Thank you too."

Chad's eyebrows furrow, "For what?"

"For making my life complete." I sigh, "I had rotten luck when I was younger, with guys. I didn't think I'd find someone as perfect as you."

Chad snorts emotionlessly, "I'm not perfect, that's for sure."

I giggle a little, smiling, before repeating his words; "You are. To me."

Chad smiles, sighs a little in relief, before dragging me into a big bear hug. I accept the hug by returning it, before pulling away and kissing Chad lightly on the cheek. He then kisses me on the nose, before then going on to the mouth. We first kiss gently, then it gets more deep, then really passionate, and when I open my mouth to let in the tongue, I know I may be taking it a little too far. Okay, so Chad and I are engaged, but I'm not one to go that far, even right now – even with the stars shining down on us in the most romantic place in California… I'm a morality nut, my grandparents was a strict Christian, and I wanna wait until Chad and I are married before we go too far. I push Chad off as lightly as possible, matt down my hair, and smile at Chad apologetically.

"Sorry, Chad…" I say, "But I don't wanna go too far before we're married."

Chad shrugs, "That's fine. And I don't wanna ruin your innocence until we're married."

I smile, "Good."

"Good." He teases.

"Fine."

"Fine."

"So are we good?" I ask, and he grins, putting an arm around me.

"We're great." He says, kissing my ear noisily, and I laugh, "In fact… we're perfect."

Chad's POV

Two days go by, and Monday comes quick. Monday – the day that me, Josh, and Abby are moving in with Sonny and her Mom. It's kinda sad leaving this house, coz we've lived in this house for so long. Don't give me that look. So Chad Dylan Cooper gets attached to these sentimental things. Yeah, I'm human, if you haven't yet noticed. It's just that so much has gone on in this house… including the day when my mother was rushed to hospital, and, er, never came back. This is also the house that I met my new mother – well, step-mother. Sure, no-one can replace a mother, but Melanie sure is close.

And this house is also the place where I fell in love with the love of my life all over again. Of course, I'm talking 'bout Sonny. She gave me that second chance that I never deserved, and I'm so grateful that she forgave me. I don't know where I'd be without her – but off the rails is probably the description I'm looking for here.

I don't know where I'd be without Sonny. I love her to freaking bits, and I'm proud to call her my fiancée. I sure know I don't deserve her… she's way too perfect for me. I'm so blessed to have her… she is just my rock. My inspiration. The way she walks so easily through life. The way she's changed my life, for the better.

I told her all that, on Saturday night, and she was so understanding. She listened to me and told me that I meant the same to her, and then we kissed. And so she didn't want to go too far – so what? I know what she means – I can wait, and I want to wait. I don't want to destroy her innocence, not since all this time I've been protecting her.

"Chaddy?"

I hear a voice wake me from my Sonny-trance, and look down to see Abby, dragging her Lovey Horse that Sonny got her for her birthday behind her. I smile when I see her.

"Hey, big girl." I coo, which makes her giggle. She likes it when I call her a big girl; I've been calling her that ever since her fourth birthday.

"Are you okay?" She asks, tilting her head anxiously.

"Of course I am! What would make you think…"

It's only at this moment when I feel a tear roll down my cheek, and I chuckle. My Sonny-daydream has got me all bubbling up. I wipe the tear away, before shooting a grin at Abby to assure her everything's fine.

"I'm fine, sweetie. I was just thinkin'." I say, picking her up and squeezing her in my arms. She prises herself free from my grip, falling onto the couch, giggling a little. Josh comes down the stairs, a couple of suitcases trailing behind him, and he slumps into the couch, his eyes glued to his phone screen the whole way.

"Lemme guess…" I smirk, "Tweetin' Zora?"

He blinks, before looking at me sceptically. "How did you know that?" He asks, spooked, and I shrug, holding in a laugh.

"Let's just say I know you. You're my predictable lil' bro."

Josh groans, elbowing me, before looking up at my face and smirking a little. "Been thinkin' bout Sonny?"

I gasp at his spot-on guess, and he stifles a laugh.

"I know you." He explains, "You're my predictable big bro who's a little too obsessed with his girlfriend."

"Fiancée." I correct him, and he laughs.

"And there's my proof."

I roll my eyes at him, before hearing a honk of a horn outside. Sonny. I left my car at her house yesterday (I know… stupid), so she's driving us back 'home'. Well, it will be home, soon. I walk up to the door, where outside, Sonny is sat in her red car, smiling at the door. When she sees me, she grins.

"Hey, Chad Chad Chaddy Chad Chad." She coos, singing the last bit in memory of the best song ever (ha, yeah right), "Ya comin'?"

"One sec, lemme just get the suitcases!" I reply. I lead Abby to the car, opening the door and putting her in her seat. Josh gets in the other side, leaving his suitcase at the back of the car, which leave me to put everything in.

Yippee.

I open the back of the car, throwing the case into it (and I mean throwing – I'm good at being untoward to Josh, in a brotherly-joking way), before trudging back into the house and dragging Abby's and my own suitcases, plus one Josh left behind – so five of them. Luckily, Abby's are smaller, and therefore not as heavy.

I huff as I pull the cases to the car, loading them into it, squashing them all together, before I see one suitcase lift into the car on it own.

Spooky.

Oh, no, wait.

Stood next to me, accompanied by her usual can-do perky attitude, is Miss Sonny Munroe (soon-to-be Cooper), smiling at me in all her cuteness.

"Need a hand?" She chirps, and I laugh.

"That would be awesome, m'lady." I say with my trademark wink, and she giggles in that old stupid-cute way, before helping me place the last few bags in. After that, we drive off. I watch the house as we drive away from it, and sigh.

So long… I'll always remember the times we had…

We arrive at Sonny's house about 20 minutes later, with the Californian sunshine blazing in our eyes. Lucky Sonny brought her sunglasses – purple and yellow, of course. Mine, however, are somewhere packed in a suitcase, so I just have to shield my eyes. It's not too bad though. I've lived in California for as long as I can remember – the blinding sunshine isn't a big deal for me.

I undo Abby's seatbelt, and the moment I get out of her way, she runs towards the house, a little pink tornado, and I laugh. I know what she's spotted – the horses. She's never seen them before, which is partly my fault, coz I wad worried she'd want to ride them and then get hurt. But hey, I can't stop her from seeing them now, can I?

Sonny puts a hand on my shoulder, smiling, and even with the sunglasses I manage to get lost in her eyes.

"Hey," She says, "She'll be fine. I teach her how to ride when she's old enough.

I pull a face of horror, "On one of those beasts? Uh, no thanks!"

Sonny rolls her eyes teasingly, "Then we'll buy her a little pony. Either way, she's gonna want to ride a horse, and I'm not gonna hold her back."

I let out a little moan of defeat, looking from from Sonny's persistent eyes to Josh, who is holding Abby up so she can reach Capriccio's nose, to the Lovey Horse toy dangling from its hoof because of the way Abby's gripping it, and I sigh, raising my hands in a form of giving up.

"Fine," I murmur, and Sonny claps triumphantly, London Tipton-esque.

"Good!" She says, before running over to where Abby stands. I hear her tell her that Chaddy's gonna buy her a little mini version of one of the horses, and Abby grins, before running up to me and hugging my legs, saying;

"Thank you, Chaddy! You're the bestest!" I sigh.

Why were some girls born with such charm?

Especially my two girls.

We then walk into the house, where Connie is stood in the living room, smiling. A banner reading "Welcome, Coopers!" is hanging over our heads. The atmosphere is kind, full of excitement. It feels safe.

It feels like a home already.

Connie walks over and hugs Josh, who pulls away from the hug and pulls out his phone. I try to resist rolling my eyes.

Typical Josh.

Connie then hugs Abby, picking her up and swinging her around, which of what I know is Abby's favourite way of being greeted.

"Auntie Connie!" She squeals, and Connie laughs.

"Hey, sweetie!" She says, "You like the house?" Abby nods. "Well, just wait till Sonny shows you your room!"

Abby gasps, before running up to Sonny and clinging onto her legs tightly. "Show me! Shooooowww meeeee!"

Sonny laughs, "Alrighty, big girl, c'mon…" She grabs my little sister's hand and drags her towards the staircase, and I watch them a little of the way, before turning to Connie. The air between us feels kind of awkward – I don't know whether to hug her or just nod kindly. She breaks the awkwardness, smiling at me, and I break into a grin.

"Auntie Connie!" I say, flinging my arms open and mimicking my little sister, and Connie smirks.

"Please, Chad." She says, "Since you're my future son-in-law, you may as well call me 'Mommy'."

A cloud of dust suddenly forms in my throat, and there's a stinging sensation in the back of my eyes from unshed tears. I blink at the memory that my real mother would want me to move on, by now…

"Mom!" Sonny gasps. She's half-way up the stairs, Abby in tow, but she's turned back to give her mother a stern glare about mentioning who's taking the mothering duties here. Connie gasps, holding a hand to her chest.

"I'm so sorry, Chad!" She apologises, "I didn't mean it in any offensive way, honest…"

"No, no," I say, wiping my eye as if a tear has appeared when really it's still hiding in my eyes, trying not to spill.

It's been so long, I don't want to bubble up about it any more. Sure, losing a parent is a hurt that never goes away, but I've moved on. I cry every now and again about it, in bed, but I've moved on. I'm okay with calling Melanie my step-mother; Connie my mother-in-law.

I'm fine.

"It's okay," I assure Connie, and she sighs, relieved, before smiling.

"I am really sorry about it…" She continues, and I chuckle, realising where Sonny gets her good manners and over-apologising from.

"It's fine." I say, before smirking, "Mommy."

Connie laughs, hugging me softly, before she offers to help carry in the suitcases.

"Oh, no, it's fine, Ms Mun- Mom. I can't do it myself…"

"No, I insist," Connie says, before turning to her daughter, who is still frozen on the staircase with Abby, who looks rather confused. "Sonny, you can show the kids to their rooms, right? And then you can show Chad your shared room…"

I then feel very hot. Shared room? Wow. Ms Munroe sure has a lot of trust in me.

Or maybe not – she then looks at me sternly, "Shared room," She stresses, "Not bed."

"Yes, ma'am." I say, feeling a little uncomfortable, but I do understand what she means. But, as Sonny and I discussed Saturday night – not until we're married.

Connie smiles as she can see that I'm not joking with her, and we head out to the car together. Strangely enough, we end up messing about, joking with each other, like I used to do with my mother. I don't say anything I may regret and I stay on Connie's good side. She even reminds me that she's glad to have me as a 'son-in-law', and is proud of me for being so caring to Sonny.

"She never had… luck with the boys in Wisconsin…" She says, regretfully, "Don't tell her I've said this – but they'd cheat on her, dump her for no reason… they'd use her, basically. Never in a, um, sexual way… but you understand what I mean? I'm just glad you treat her right."

I smile, "Well, she deserves it, you know? Without her… I don't know what I'd be, but I'd probably be off the rails. I really do love her for that."

"I know you do." She grins. "And for that, I'm thankful. I know you'll make a perfect husband for her, no matter how young you both are."

I smile at Connie, and I feel that feeling of belonging; like the cloud of nerves that was rustled up on the way here has finally settled in my chest, to just leave sunshine and happiness.

Okay, so that's a little cliché, but who cares? It's how I feel.

It's just perfect.

Sonny's POV

After dropping Josh off at his room, which is just like his old one – adorned with computer consoles and things likes that, I drag Abby up to her room (I say drag, but considering how excited she is to see the room, she's basically the engine in this operation…) where I swing open the door, and wave my hands out in a show-esque way, grinning.

"Here it is!" I chirp, and Abby's eyes open wide, and she runs straight for the bed, jumping on it, giggling. I watch her for a few minutes, trying to not let the child inside me join her, before caving in and running to join her. I jump on the pink-duvet bed, doing little star-jumps in-between each. Abby and I jump, synchronized for about 10 minutes until my feet collapse before me. I tumble down, dragging Abby down with me, before we both explode in a fit of giggles. My arm aches a little from collapsing, and my legs are, meh, dead, but I just spent 10 minutes embracing my inner child.

And it was a heck of a lotta fun!

I then take a moment to relax as Abby notices the mountain of soft toys in the corner of the room, and I spend that moment marvelling at the awesome job me and Chad made of Abby's room.

The walls and doors and painted in 50 different shades of pink, just about, but they look camouflage-y. This is because Chad and I couldn't choose between an all-pink room, or an animal-based room (considering her love for animals), so we settled for a pink jungle! There are about five piles of soft toys that Chad and I found from our old collections, toy shops, etc, including a 5-foot giraffe and a few lion hiding behind the space between the wall and the closet.

All I know is, I wish this had been my room as a child. I love it.

I then feel Abby's gaze on me, and I turn to see her with a teasing smile.

"I'll race you on the horsey!" She giggles, running over the larger-than-life horse, and I sit on the giraffe next to it, rearing it up like a horse and 'riding' it.

"Yee-haw!" I yell about a minute into it, before slightly regretting it.

Chad is now stood in the doorway, leaning against the frame, a smirk pulling at his face.

"Havin' fun?" He says in a Texan drawl, and I roll my eyes. "I think I'll leave you lil' darlin's to finish your hoedown."

"Very funny, Chaddy." I tease, using the same drawl, and Abby giggles at our accents.

"Wanna join us, Chaddy?" She asks, and Chad shrugs.

"No thanks," He says, "Horses aren't my thing."

"You have your own horse, idiot." I say, before pointing to the window that has a view of the field, "It's stood right out there."

"Oh, yeah… Capriccio…" Chad says stupidly, and I sneer.

"Yeah," I say, mimicking his tone, "Capriccio. So come have a go on Capriccio Jr!"

Chad studies my ride, before snorting. "A giraffe?"

"Yes, a giraffe." I say, "Just do it, you bore! Embrace your inner child for once!"

Chad blinks, dumbfound. "My what?" He asks.

"Just do it."

I get off the giraffe, dragging him to it, and he really gets into it, rearing it back like I've seen him do so heroically on Capriccio.

Right now though – he just looks ridiculous.

I take my phone out and take a sneaky picture while he isn't looking, before saving it as my screensaver.

He may look ridiculous, but he looks cute too. Ridiculously cute…

A few hours go by – we have dinner, watch a little TV and play a game (even Josh!), and at 10pm, I decide to hit the sack. Chad and I have an interview tomorrow lunchtime and we need to get up early to get there for make-up, things like that. (I'm not going to really write the interview, unless you guys want me to. I'll probably do it as a one-shot if you want me to, but it's not part of my plan. Sorry if I've disappointed anyone there) I trudge tiredly up to mine and Chad's room (trudge because I've spent so much time 'embracing my inner child', I feel like a storm that's died now, and it isn't a lovely feeling, believe me. I just wanna get into bed, now.

I collapse into my mattress, hugging my pillow, before I watch Chad do the same, and I laugh half-heartedly. Not coz I'm being rude – coz I can't build up the energy. I'm just… so… tired!

"Ya tired, Sonshine?" Chad asks, and I try to roll my eyes. But I'm so worn out, I don't have to energy to do even that.

"Well, duh." I say, my voice coming out dream-like. Chad smirks, before rapping on the side of my bed, holding out one of his hands. I take the hand in mine, squeezing it tightly. It's warm, comforting, and puts me half to sleep.

"Your Mom told me something about your life in Wisconsin." He says, "Apparently, guys would use you?"

If I had the oomph, I'd recoil in horror. Instead, I just sigh, "Well, if you think she meant sexually…"

"Not at all." He mumbles, "They'd just cheat on you and stuff, right?"

"Yeah…" I sigh, remembering the days where I was dumped by boys like a piece of trash. They're long gone, but the pain hasn't quite gone away.

"Well, believe me, Sonshine, they were idiots." Chad says, and I smile.

"I'm glad they did it though." I say, and his eyebrows crease.

"What do you mean?"

I shrug, "My Mom used to say – if you don't get your heart broken a million times, you'll never find that one special person who makes you happy. Basically… if they hadn't broken up with me, I'd never have been single when I found you." I then add shyly, "…I'd never have fallen in love with you. And if I hadn't fallen for you… life would be crappy."

"And if you hadn't fallen for me…" He adds, "I wouldn't have fallen for you either. And my life wouldn't have turned around like it has. And I wouldn't be telling you right now that I love you."

I shrug, "And I wouldn't be replying that I love you." I wink, and he smiles.

He grins sleepily, "Goodnight, Sonshine."

I feel a smile creep up on my lips, a blush on my cheeks, and as my eyes flutter shut, I reply;

"Goodnight, Chad. I love you."

As I drift into sleep, I hear the reply, "I love you too. Forever."

Wow. That was even more cliche when I read it through than when I first wrote it. Meh. But I hope you liked it anyways!

So, can you all review, pretty please? I've been so thankful for you guys and your reviews and stuff. It's been awesome, and although I'm sad to say the story will be finishing soon, I'm so glad that you guys have all enjoyed it!

But don't worry! It's not over yet - there's still a lot to come :D

So... review!

Thankies m'dears :P

~ Amy x