Disclaimer: I don't own Sonny with a Chance nor do I own a plotline that I'm sure has been used in multiple forms of media by different people over the years.

I took a seat on the couch, wishing I was anywhere but here right now. Unfortunately, life doesn't work that way. Here I sat, with my best friend and worst nightmare ten feet away physically but a million miles away emotionally, waiting to find out if he would become a father. I've had better days.

….

"Can I ask you a question?" I finally asked, breaking the silence. Skylar and I had been sitting on opposite ends of the couch for what felt like hours now, and judging by how low the sun was in the sky, it probably had been. As an afterthought, I added, "You can say no if you'd rather not hear it."

Skylar turned to face me, his eyes politely curious. "Of course you can." He smiled softly. "If I said no, you'd probably ask anyway."

I shrugged in agreement and moved so I was sitting cross-legged on the couch facing Skylar. "Well, I just know how torn up you were by everything with Brit…." I trailed off, chewing my lip thoughtfully. "Why wait this long? Why not take a paternity test the second everything was out in the open? If it was me, I would want to know immediately."

Skylar squirmed uncomfortably, avoiding my gaze. "It's not that simple. With all the problems Brit had already in the pregnancy, no one wanted to take any chances. We decided to wait until she had her amniocentesis, which was earlier this week. Believe me, I don't think anyone was happy about the delay, but…well, it is what it is." We lapsed back into silence, the quiet thick with a thousand worries and unanswered fears.

I pretended to be extremely interested in the setting sun until, right as the sun disappeared from view, Skylar spoke up again. "I am sorry, you know. About last night. I shouldn't have kicked you out when you were that drunk. I wasn't being a very good friend. I let my temper get the best of me, when I really should have been making sure you were okay."

I sighed, walking across the room to turn on the lights. As they flickered on, I watched him intently from across the room, my arms folded across my chest. "You're right. You shouldn't have. It was a really crappy thing to do." I bit my lip. "But I also know I'm partly to blame for everything that's happened. Skylar, you have to understand. What happened with Chad, it was self-destructive. I was in a really bad place, and I didn't want to feel the way I did anymore. I didn't want to feel anything."

"Sonny, you broke up with me." I waited, unsure of where the conversation was going. "Was I thrilled you slept with Chad Dylan Cooper less than a week after we took a break? Of course not, but that's not why I'm mad. I'm mad because you lied to me for two years. You never told me the real reason you left Hollywood. Were you honest about anything? Was I even your best friend, or was that a lie, too?"

"Skylar…"

He sighed. "No, Sonny, honestly. Because I told you everything, every little thing. Sonny, I told you every damn thing and you didn't think that was something you should mention?"

I walked over and sat down on the couch facing Skylar, grabbing his hands and holding them in my own. I expected him to yank them away, or get angry again, but when he didn't, I found the courage to speak. "I didn't tell anyone. I was so humiliated, and I just wanted to forget it ever happened. You know me better than anyone, Skylar, so you know I'm not exactly the most stable person to begin with. Is it so unrealistic to believe me when I tell you I didn't say anything because I didn't want to face it? I was tired of people looking at me like I was out of control. I didn't want you to run the other direction, and by the time became close enough that I knew I could trust you, it didn't seem worth it to drag up old issues."

I was suddenly acutely aware of the fact that we were only inches apart, leaning into each other with such a broken desperation I felt the need to look away as though it was a fatal car accident waiting to happen.

As I released Skylar's hands, he spoke up. "Do you ever realize that we refer to each other as best friends way more often than anything else?"

I blinked, surprise coloring my cheeks. "Yeah, I do, actually." I bit my lip, my thoughts threatening to spill over past my lips. "Do you ever think it's because we're trying too hard to be in love?"

"I love you, Sonny." He was quick to say it, and I wondered if it was a habit or if he was just that sure. Finally, he admitted, "I've definitely had doubts about that recently, and I wish I could look you in the eyes and tell you that you were right, and that all of this could just be over because I'm not actually in love with you. It would be so simple." He took a deep breath. "But that wouldn't be honest. I am in love with you, and I know you've tried really hard to be in love with me too, but you're not, and that's okay." He smiled sadly. "The reason we refer to each other as best friends most of the time is because, for you, that's all we ever really were, and for me, I need that more than anything else. I can live with just being your best friend, but I can't live without you."

I closed my eyes, taking all of this in. He was right, and I was afraid to admit that. It felt as though we would never be on the same page, and that killed me. But the truth was I had complicated feelings for a man incapable of truly loving me, and a total lack of romantic feelings for a man who desired nothing more than to love me. "I want to be in love with you."

He nodded, grasping my hand gently in his own. I could feel his body shaking slightly as he spoke. "I know you do." He laughed, and a small sob followed it as he lost control of his emotions. "I wish you loved me too, but you don't."

He straightened up, letting go of my hand and wiping his eyes. "We'll get through this. I will get over you, and we'll be okay. I promise. I'm not going to leave you again."

"I'm so sorry," I whispered, looking him in the eyes and hating myself more than ever. He shushed me, and I knew he understood. Tentatively I wrapped my arms around him, and he hugged me back. Things weren't going to be okay immediately, but eventually they would get back to normal.

As we pulled apart, I heard a key turn in the lock and suddenly the air in the room seemed heavier. I sprang to my feet, watching as Chad came into the living room, Brit behind him. "Okay, let's get the show on the road. Who wants to do the honors?" He held an envelope in his right arm, a grim smile on his face.

I looked around, realizing everyone else was holding their breath as though they were stone statues frozen for all eternity. Once I realized no one was planning to move, I snatched the envelope from Chad, opening it quickly, and looking at the results. My jaw dropped, and I handed the envelope to Brit. "Congrats, I guess." I took a deep breath and told the boys, "Neither of you are the father."

CLIFFHANGER! Thank you for reading! I had the majority of this written a while ago but I left it alone until I was totally ready to finish it in a way that I was satisfied with. There's definitely still more to come in this story. SMILES!

LOL