Epilogue

December 31, 2017

It was a typical morning in the Cooper household: Chad was nowhere to be found and Sonny was running around trying to prepare breakfast. She had tried telling Chad there was no reason to buy a mansion, but had he listened to her? Of course not (when did he ever listen to anyone who wasn't named Chad Dylan Cooper?). Thanks to his insistence that their small family needed to live in a huge house, Sonny found herself literally running through her kitchen. She grabbed the eggs from the fridge on one side of the room, threw them over the stove located on the other side, and stopped at the sink resting along the far wall to drop off the dirty dishes. Her life would be much less chaotic if she had a tiny kitchen, one where everything was within her reach without having a ten mile span between.

"Ok," she mumbled to herself, pausing at the island in the middle of the room to catch her breath. "I have the waffles done, the pancakes should be finished any minute, the eggs are almost scrambled, there's silverware and orange juice on the table…Why do I still feel like I'm forgetting something?"

A loud wail reminded Sonny of what she was forgetting: Paul wanted his breakfast, too.

"You don't need to cry!" Sonny cooed, gently lifting the four-month old child from his high chair. "Your breakfast is ready. I was going to feed you in a minute if you'd just been a little more patient."

Taking a seat at the table, Sonny cradled Paul in her arms, rocking him gently. When he continued crying, she tried another tactic to shut him up: she stuffed a bottle into his mouth.

"There. Don't you feel better now? I know my ears do!" Sonny said as her son fell silent, relishing in the goodness of his milk. "I bet Daddy and sissy are hungry, too, Pauly. Chad! Makayla! Breakfast is ready!"

By the time Paul finished his bottle, he and Sonny were still the only occupants in the kitchen. Chad was usually late for meals - Sonny would find him in their bedroom most of the time, making sure he looked up to his Chad-Standard before coming to get his food - but Makayla was another story. She loved to eat and always appeared two or three minutes after hearing Sonny's call.

How come Chad AND Makayla were skipping out on breakfast?

Lying Paul down in his crib (Chad made sure each and every room in the mansion held a crib, just in case he was holding Paul when his arms got tired. "After all," he told Sonny, "I'm an actor. If I hurt my arms carting the baby around too much, how do you expect me to act?"), Sonny decided it was time to hunt down the rest of her family.

Living in a mansion made it almost impossible to find people when looking for them. There were so many rooms to check, too many doors to press an ear against and listen for any sign of life on the inside. Sonny checked the room she and her husband shared only to find it deserted. Makayla's had the same result. Where were they?

Finally, Sonny heard it. The sound that would lead her to her two missing people: laughter.

"Shh!" Makayla was hissing when Sonny pushed open the door to the entertainment room, where every video game system and DVD known to man awaited use. "This is my favorite part!"

"Mine too, mine too!" Chad agreed.

On the screen before them, an episode of Mackenzie Falls was playing. Sonny rolled her eyes. She should have known Chad and Makayla would be together watching one of their two favorite shows.

"Guys," she called out since both her husband and daughter were paying more attention to the TV than her. "Guys! Breakfast is ready!"

"Aww!" Chad and Makayla whined in one voice. "Just five more minutes!"

Sonny gave them their five minutes - not because she thought it was a good idea to leave the food out for so long but because, even after six years, the relationship between Chad Dylan Cooper and Makayla Munroe Cooper still dazzled her.

A lot had changed for both Sonny and Chad since the day Makayla was born. Makayla, forced into an early birth due to Sonny's blows to the stomach, almost died on the same day she took her first breath. It was mainly thanks to Chad's mom that Makayla lived. Mrs. Cooper refused to leave her side, made sure she had the proper machines hooked up so she could breathe and eat, and kept a 24 hour watch on the infant. Sonny was convinced that had Mrs. Cooper ever left the room or trusted another nurse to watch over her, Makayla would have died. She was so tiny and weak…But what baby wasn't when it made its first appearance two months ahead of schedule?

With Mrs. Cooper taking care of Makayla, the other nurses were free to help Dr. Peterson, who was doing everything he could to wake Sonny from her C-section. Apparently she woke up long enough to learn that her baby was a girl, but while Makayla was cleaned up, Sonny's head slammed against the pillows and her body fell limp. She was weak, both from labor and the injuries that had led to Makayla's early delivery. Everyone who gathered to welcome Makayla into the world - the casts of So Random! and Mackenzie Falls, Mr. Cooper, Bryson and Kimberly, Mr. and Mrs. Munroe, Grandma Munroe, Uncle Tim and Aunt Suzy, Taylor, Hope and Bentley - were told that Sonny may not make it through the night.

Chad would never forget the first forty-eight hours after Makayla's birth. He refused to visit Makayla at all during that time (how could he look into the face of the tiny baby who injured the love of his life?). He simply sat in the hospital's waiting room, his head buried in his palms. Horrible thoughts ran through his mind. What would he do if Sonny died? Could he continue on without her? Would he even want to? What was the point in being alive if Sonny wasn't? She was his sunshine, the only thing that truly brought him happiness. Acting was great but living in a world where Sonny was dead? It didn't help that Mrs. Munroe kept bawling her eyes out. Conversations took place too, conversations that Chad never wanted to hear spoken. What would happen to Makayla if something did happen to Sonny? How could a funeral be held in private without reporters finding out?

It felt like a miracle to everyone when Dr. Peterson announced Sonny had awakened. She was very weak but perfectly fine in the brain. Mr. and Mrs. Munroe were the first two allowed in to see her. When Chad took his turn, Sonny noticed the change in him. He was more solemn than he had been before. He sat down in the chair beside her bed, gently took her left hand, and slipped a ring on her finger.

"Marry me," he said. "I know, I know. You already did marry me. Well, I want to get married again, only this time, I want to do it the right way. I don't want you agreeing just because you're pregnant and I want both our families to be there. I want it to take place in a huge church. I want to watch you cry while your dad walks you down the aisle. I want everyone to see how much I love you when the preacher says, 'You may now kiss the bride' and I kiss you hard and long enough to make everyone else in the room uncomfortable. I want this wedding to be Mackenzie Falls worthy. And, once everything is done and over with, I want to take you home, both you and the baby, and I want the three of us to be a family."

Although she was caught by surprise, Sonny did not object Chad's offer. The wedding wasn't held right away, mainly because of Sonny. She wanted to watch Chad and Makayla together for awhile and make sure Chad was serious about raising her as his own daughter. She couldn't believe he wanted to raise her - there was no way to go back in time and make Makayla his - but whatever Chad experienced while Sonny was out cold at the hospital really did stick with him. He spent every spare minute with Sonny. He played with Makayla and even took his fair share of 'diaper duty'. When Sonny asked why he suddenly was acting so different, Chad's only response was a careless shrug.

"I thought I'd lost you the night Makayla was born," he explained. "I never want to feel that way again."

Just because they got married six short months later did not mean Sonny and Chad stopped being Sonny and Chad. They both knew the basics about child care but once they were on their own inside the mansion without Mrs. Munroe around to help, the fights began. Chad would feed Makayla too much and Sonny would get slopped on when she tried burping her. Sonny would put Makayla down for a nap and Chad would play with her before she was ready to be woken up. Chad would watch Mackenzie Falls with Makayla sitting on the couch beside him and Sonny would scoop her daughter up, saying Mackenzie Falls was too dramatic for someone so young. In the middle of the night, when Makayla cried, somehow it was always Sonny's turn to see what was wrong.

On top of having a newborn, a new marriage, and stress from lack of sleep, Sonny and Chad had to say goodbye to Condor Studio if they planned on working for DelMingo. Sonny hated the idea of leaving So Random!, but she knew the parents of kids who watched the comedy would not like a teen mom there acting as a role model. Tears flowed freely down her cheeks as she told the Randoms goodbye. Chad told her she was worse than Makayla, although Sonny swore she saw him crying, too.

Since DelMingo was an hour away from Condor, Chad bought a mansion closer to the new studio than his old house. The Randoms and Portlyn visited frequently - they refused to stay away from Makayla for long periods of times - and Sonny's face beamed whenever they showed up. She was one tired girl. She worked long hours on All the Days of Our Lives, came home at night and took care of Makayla, and somehow still found time to make meals and clean and put Chad's laundry away. No matter how tired she was, Chad rarely found her without a smile on her face. He tried helping her, but he seemed to make things worse instead of better. He knew it was going to be a good day when one of the Randoms stopped by; they always helped Sonny out, whether it was by cooking (not likely) or playing with Makayla (more likely). That would leave Sonny with less work, which meant she had a few extra hours to nap.

Makayla was definitely not the easiest baby to take care of. Her early entrance to the world left Sonny worried. She couldn't go a whole night without rushing into Makayla's room, even if she wasn't crying, to check and make sure she was still breathing. If Makayla didn't eat as much as Sonny wanted her to, there was another reason to fret. If she sneezed or coughed, Sonny was ready to rush Makayla to the doctor. Makayla was smaller than any baby Chad had ever seen and yes, Dr. Peterson did warn him and Sonny to be careful with her, but in his eyes, Sonny was a little too cautious.

Whether Sonny was too overbearing or not, Makayla led a very healthy lifestyle. She ate her fruits and vegetables (or at least, Sonny and Chad thought she ate them. Really she threw them on the floor and let Cupcake, who Mr. Condor gave to Chad as a going away present, gobble them up). She studied hard and knew how to count and sing her ABC's. She ran around the backyard with Chad playing tag and catch and hide-and-seek and whatever other games she could think up. She was short for her age, which she loved to complain about, but Sonny was thankful that was Makayla's only problem. Dr. Peterson warned she may develop slower than other children or be disabled like a lot of premature babies were.

One thing Sonny and Chad agreed on when it came to Makayla's names for them was that Chad would never be 'dad'. Sonny wanted Makayla to know that there were bad people in the world, but at the same time, she didn't want to tell her daughter too much information at one time. From day one, she referred to herself as 'mommy' and Chad as 'Chad'. It wasn't until one day when the three of them were going for a walk in the park and Makayla overheard another kid calling for their dad that the question came up:

"Mommy? Why do I call my daddy Chad instead of daddy? Isn't everybody supposed to have a mommy and a daddy, not a mommy and a Chaddy?"

"You do have a mommy and a daddy," Sonny told her. "It's just…You've never met your daddy, Makayla. He was not a nice man and he's suffering now because of that. I don't know if you'll ever get to meet him."

Makayla's big brown eyes turned to Chad. "If Chad isn't my daddy, then who…"

"I'm Chad Dylan Cooper!" Chad said, cutting off her question. "You like me better than some weirdo guy locked up in prison who doesn't even love you enough to meet you, right?"

Her eyes lighting up, Makayla nodded her agreement. Chad picked her up, raised her above his head, and took off running down the path with a squealing girl held firmly in his grasp while he did his best to sound like an airplane. Sonny watched them, shaking her head in disbelief. She never believed Chad could pull off being a father, much less with a kid who wasn't even his.

Now, Makayla was already six years old. To Sonny, it felt like yesterday when she left the hospital with a tiny daughter in her arms. She had Paul to fawn over (who got his name thanks to Pauly, the bear who Sonny and Chad both watched as young children), but she missed the days when Makayla was the one keeping her up in the middle of the night. She was finally beginning to realize that that little girl was gone. She'd been replaced by the girl currently focusing on Mackenzie Falls and sitting next to Chad Dylan Cooper.

"Turn the show off," Sonny stated firmly.

"In a minute!" Chad protested. "There's only five minutes left-,"

"Fine. If you won't turn it off, I will!"

Both Chad and Makayla gasped when the screen grew dark. Sonny shook her head. She never dreamed of having two dramatic people in her house instead of just Chad.

"Come on, sweetie," she said, holding a hand out for Makayla to grab. "Come downstairs and eat your breakfast, okay? You have a big day ahead of you."

"I do?" Makayla asked.

"Yes, you do," Sonny confirmed. "Don't you remember? Today is New Year's Eve! We're going to the party tonight!"

Makayla grimaced. "Is Bentley going to be at the party?"

"I imagine so," Sonny replied. "His mom is dating Chad's brother, after all. Why? Do you not want Bentley to go?"

"Not really. He tries to kiss me at midnight every year."

Chad tensed the moment he heard the word 'kiss'.

"Well, if Bentley tries anything funny like that again, you come find me, Makayla," he said firmly. "I'll teach that boy a thing or two about kissing MY girl-,"

Sonny whisked Makayla from the room, glaring at Chad over her shoulder. She wanted her daughter to learn how to deal with boys without violence. Besides, she thought it was cute that Bentley had a crush on Makayla. Even if Bryson and Hope ended up married (which Sonny hoped they would; she would love having Hope for a sister-in-law), Makayla and Bentley would not be related. They would actually be a cute couple.

"What?" Chad demanded, following behind his girls. "I was just trying to help!"

After all these years, Chad's way of helping was still just as bad as it had been when he was a teenager: never helpful, but more harmful than good.

Reporters stood along the driveway as the Cooper's limo arrived. Makayla knew why they were there: her mom and Chad were both television stars. Not that she was allowed to watch their show ("All the Days of Our Lives is much too grown up for you, honey," her mother always said), but she did own every episode of So Random! and Mackenzie Falls on DVD. She loved watching both shows - the comedy usually had her rolling on the floor in laughter while the drama brought tears to her eyes - but she knew she would never be happy simply sitting around, watching others act. She wanted to be an actress, too. She was hoping to find a man named Mr. Condor at the New Year's Eve party and show him how much talent she had. Maybe he would cast her in one of his shows!

"Stay close to me, Makayla," Sonny ordered as the limo rolled to a stop. "I don't want you getting lost in the crowd."

Holding Paul in one arm and grasping Makayla's hand tightly, Sonny moved quickly through the reporters. Chad stayed behind his family, keeping one hand on his wife's shoulder, the other on Makayla's, almost as though he was trying to shelter them from the reporters. Makayla didn't see what the big deal was about ignoring the questions thrown at them. Why shouldn't they stop to answer? They were famous! Everybody wanted to know every little detail of their lives. Why not share?

Nico greeted the Cooper's as they came through the front door. He held the New Year's Eve party every year at his house - which was not nearly as big as the mansion Chad bought his family - and invited everyone in Hollywood. Makayla smiled politely as he took her coat. He said something to her ("How are you doing tonight, Kayla?"), but she was too busy scanning the other guests to answer him.

She recognized many of the faces mingling in the main room. The entire cast of So Random! stood together, happily waving for Sonny to join them. A few members from Mackenzie Falls were there, too. Chad's parents called out to Makayla and she joined them long enough to hand over hugs. How come she was finding everyone except the people she wanted to find?

"Makayla! You're finally here!"

Kimberly Cooper threw Makayla into a hug before the six year old had a chance to realize what was going on. Kimberly, in the early stages of her teen years, was one of Makayla's best friends. As long as Makayla could remember, Kimberly had been her play-date. They had tea parties together, sleepovers, and loved holding So Random! marathons. Despite their age difference, Kimberly was one of the nicest teenagers Makayla had ever met. Most of them wouldn't make the time for a six year old at all. Kimberly made all the time in the world.

"Come with me," Kimberly said, taking Makayla's hand. "You have to see the size of the cake! I swear, it's as tall as you are!"

"Hold it!" Both girls stopped at Chad's shout. "You two think you're going to run off in a place this crowded?"

"Oh, let her go, Chad!" Sonny sighed. "Makayla will be fine. Besides, she has Kimberly looking out for her."

Still looking reluctant, Chad agreed to Sonny's plan. Kimberly and Makayla took off - but not to look at the cake. They had a mission: Find Mr. Condor. If he gave Chad and Sonny jobs on his shows, why not let their family members work for him, too?

"Hello there, ladies. How are you on this lovely evening?"

Makayla knew that voice anywhere, even if it did come from behind her: Bentley had tracked her down.

"Go away," Kimberly pleaded. She disliked Bentley almost as much as Makayla did.

"Aw, don't act like that!" Bentley said. "You don't want to treat the guy you'll be kissing at midnight so badly, do you?"

"Me? Kiss you? At midnight?" Kimberly scoffed. "Um, excuse me, but you're six. Six! I have a boyfriend anyway."

Bentley turned his attention to Makayla. "What about you? I bet you don't have anyone to kiss."

"Who cares if I do or not?" Makayla shot back. "I wouldn't kiss you if you were the last boy on the planet!"

"Oh yeah? We'll see about that in a few hours, won't we?"

But as midnight rolled around and everyone gathered to bring in the new year together, Makayla was nowhere to be found. Kimberly found her parents, Bentley allowed his mom to hug him, and Sonny was the only parent left wondering where her child had wandered off to.

"Kimberly," she called, tapping the girl lightly. "Bentley…Have either of you seen Makayla anywhere?"

"Not for a few hours," Kimberly replied. "The last time I saw her, she said she would be right back. Some guy wanted to speak with her."

Chad, who overheard his younger sister, felt his brow wrinkling. "Some guy wanted to speak with her? Who was he?"

"How am I supposed to know?" Kimberly asked, shrugging. "I'd never seen him before. He said he had something he wanted to show Makayla."

His blood was running cold when Chad pulled Sonny close to him. He told her everything - how on the night she had Makayla, he visited the man who raped Sonny in jail. How that man threatened that even if he couldn't get Makayla back since he would be behind bars, he had friends who would be more than willing to do the dirty work for him. Sonny's face instantly turned white. Makayla hadn't been seen for several hours. She was with a man Kimberly didn't recognize. The man wanted to show her something, which very easily could have been his excuse to draw her in.

As the clock struck twelve, Sonny and Chad were running through the house, shouting Makayla's name at the top of their lungs.

Makayla Munroe Cooper was gone.

It all started with a simple conversation in the commissary at Condor. From there, it went to a love-hate relationship. C.O.W. followed, and Sonny did everything she could to break Chad's heart, just to find herself falling more and more in love with him every day. Sure, things fell apart when Chad kissed Lucy and Sonny thought she may have TB, but everything turned out alright. Their love was even strong enough to survive when Sonny became pregnant with a baby that wasn't Chad's.

Some people claim to be in love. They say they love the person they're with and they always will love them no matter what. But what happens when a hardship comes into their lives? When one of the two people in the partnership does something wrong and the other person becomes upset? Sometimes, the couple will stay together and try to fix their problems. Most of the time, they will just give up. Divorce rates raise every year.

Sonny and Chad found a way to overcome their problems. Yes, they fought, and the path they followed twisted more than once. They always found their way back to each other in the end. Their love was too strong to ever die - no matter what obstacle life decided to throw in their way.

C.O.W. Crush of the Week.

B.U.L.L. Bottled Under Love's Labyrinth.

C.A.L.F. Caught After Love's Fall.

These stories belong to a couple who, despite their hardships, ended up with a happily ever after.

Lifeisveryshortsoami would like to think all of you for being fans of Sonny With a Chance and the COW trilogy. You have done more for her than you can imagine - leaving reviews, letting her know if her stories were good or bad, helping her enhance her writing skills…You, if you're reading this note right now, mean something to this author. To take the time to read all her stories and be there during the tough times…

Thank you for everything, Fan Fiction.

Oh, and one final note:

NEVER give up on your dreams. You never know when one might come true.