Big Yellow Taxi

Fandom: Sonny With A Chance
Rating: All Ages
Pairing (if any): Channy
Summary: Set in future; Chad Dylan Cooper thinks about Sonny, and how much she has changed since he first met her. Starts off sad, ends happy (not by my choice. *glares at plot bunnies with Channy shirts on*).
Author: Zen Clarke
Author's Note: This isn't a songfic, FYI. Rest at bottom
Spoilers: Nothing-nothing big/important.

Big Yellow Taxi

Chad Dylan Cooper was the ‘Brad Pitt’ of his generation, minus the cheating on girls. He never approved of that. He was 26, a blonde, hot, and extremely successful. He had everything he wanted, and could have anything he ever wanted. Except the one thing he truly wanted.

Chad plopped down onto his couch after a long day of work at the movie shoot, and turned on the radio with his remote. Big Yellow Taxi was playing, by Casting Crows. He grimaced. The song always made him sad. And slightly annoyed, because he couldn’t help but analyze it thoroughly. In fact, he probably put more thought into what it meant than the songwriters did. He sighed and shook his head, before turning the radio back off and flipping on the TV instead. Even worse, the thing he always thought of when he heard the song was giggling and talking to the camera. Apparently, the E! True Hollywood Story was doing one on the also very successful, Sonny Munroe. It had just started, and like a train wreck, he couldn’t stop watching.

She used to be the most beautiful woman he’d ever known. She was always natural, and herself. She never wore makeup, except when on set, but afterwards, she always took it off again. They had been frienemies when they’d worked in the same studio. Sometimes they would get along, and just sit comfortably, watching TV. Other times, they’d want to kill each other. But somehow, underneath all the ‘fine’s and the ‘good’s, it was all in good humor. Actually, over time, there were less fights, and more hugs. Less arguments, and more jokes. She had changed him – he’d been a complete and total jerk, but she had taken the time to smooth away his rough edges and find the kind and considerate person underneath.

“Alison first got her start in acting on the popular show, So Random!”

He remembered between the last two seasons of Mackenzie Falls, he was cast for a lead role in a movie. He’d left for six months, and when he had come back, he’d asked to see Sonny. Those six months had been a nightmare without her. He would  call her everyday, and as soon as he hung up the phone, he missed her, and it liked to have killed him. He knew why it had nearly killed him. He was going to tell her, as soon as he got back, that he loved her. When he had come back, they said she wasn’t going by Sonny anymore. No, now she was Alison Monroe. He’d walked over to their table, and sat down next to the new girl they must have gotten during his absence.

“Hey, Chad Dylan Cooper,” he’d stuck out his hand and given his trademark smirk. She just giggled and shook her head. She then stood up to go get a fro-yo. “What’s with the new girl? And where’s “Alison”?” he put air quotes around the name sarcastically. Tawni had shook her head, with a grin, and pointed back at the new girl. He’d turned to look at her, and then he saw it – underneath all of the dark makeup and straightened hair, whitened teeth and tan – there was his Sonny. “Sonny?” he choked out. She grinned at him.

“Hey, Chad,” she said. He didn’t tell her. He never did. Because the Sonny he had known was gone. Completely. She was a totally different person, who was always traveling, shopping, and partying. She became a bit of a diva. It took a while, but eventually, he’d pieced together the story; that they had a guest star, Miley Cyrus, who was talking to her about how at one point, she had almost completely lost her fame and became one of those ‘Where Are They Now?’ stars. Cyrus had told her that she tried spicing up her wardrobe, and now she had a whole clothing line, and millions of fans that refused to abandon her. Sonny had said she might try that, and Cyrus was more than happy to help her. Miley was not a bad person. She had simply taken Sonny out on a shopping spree. Sonny was the one who slowly began to change. Even Tawni got annoyed with her after so long.

“As most of you know, by now, the whole cast of So Random! has changed…”

The cast hadn’t changed all at the same time – it had happened slowly. Nico had been the first to leave the set, as he was the oldest. They all had left eventually, but not before the audience grew accustomed to the actor or actress that replaced them, much like Sonny replacing the actress before her. Finally, Zora was the last one to leave. The show still had high ratings, and had actually lasted longer than Mackenzie Falls (much to his snobby friends’ disappointment).

They showed the sketch staring Tawni and Sonny – the Check It Out Girls. He laughed, slightly. Sonny, before she became Alison. It was nice. He thought of the song Big Yellow Taxi, and his smile slipped off.

Paved paradise to put up a parking lot…

Very much, indeed, he thought sadly. Sonny had been perfect, and Hollywood and fame had torn down all of her quirky and naivety, and turned her into a typical diva actress. There were too many divas, and not enough Sonnys. Now, he could only see the Sonny he had known and loved – still loved, really – on E! THS. He saw himself being interviewed. Underneath his name were the words, “Fellow actor and friend.” He remembered that interview. It was from three years ago or so.

“She has the biggest heart of anyone I have ever met. She’s always smiling, making a joke, laughing…she’s just always there for you when you need her. She’s my Sonny!” he had added with a laugh.

He sighed, sadly, and heard thunder rumbling outside. Thirty minutes passed, and they were now discussing Sonny’s musical career. The satellite flickered for a moment or two, before continuing without any problems. He jumped when he heard a car door slam, and someone open his screen door and knock. He hurried to the door, seeing a big yellow taxi drive off into the night. When he opened it, he was shocked at what he saw. Sonny – er, Alison – Monroe, was standing in front of him, soaking wet in the rain, with her makeup running down her face. When her eyes met his, her face lit up in one of the biggest smiles he had ever seen. She threw her arms around his neck, and he froze, shocked, before his arms wrapped around her waste.

“May I come in?” she asked quietly. He nodded mutely, still shocked that she was standing there. She walked into his living room, and stood there, looking around, suddenly awkward. From the look on her face, he figured she thought he was going to make a snide remark about her dripping on his floor. He gave her a warm smile, walked down the hall, and returned a moment later with an arm full of towels and an old pair of sweats and an old T-shirt.

“Here,” he said, handing them to her. “Bathroom’s straight down the hall.”

“Thanks,” she whispered, and hurried off. She was back five minutes later, her hair still damp, but her makeup cleaned up and off. He hadn’t seen her with this little makeup in years. He led her over to the couch, where they sat down next to each other. She glanced at his TV, where she was dancing around, singing Get Back. He smiled at her nervously, and put it on mute. She looked back at him, and opened her mouth, closed it, thought for a moment, and opened it again.

“I’m sorry,” she said. He furrowed his eyebrows up in confusion.

“Sorry? For what?” he laughed.

“For becoming such a…I dunno, a diva, I guess. I was scared,” she admitted, her eyes meeting his. “I was scared that if I didn’t look cool, and act the way I did, that I’d end up back in Wisconsin, and my dream would be shattered, and I didn’t want that. I didn’t want to…” She trailed off, breaking eye contact. He tried to catch her eye,

“To what?” Her face turned red,

“I didn’t want to have to leave you.” This answer shocked him. “But in the process, I became a jerk, and I was worse than a jerk, because I didn’t even realize I was one!” She shook her head, and glanced at the TV. “I was sitting on my couch, with Fluffy, my cat,” she added at his confused look, “and I started watching this, because, well, I was being kinda vain, and I saw the Check It Out girls, and Tawni, and Nico, and Grady, and Zora, and you, and I remembered how much fun we used to have. And then I saw a sketch from after my transformation, and I hardly recognized myself. I looked over at the mirror nearby, and I suddenly found myself wondering who the heck was looking back at me. And I didn’t enjoy that feeling.” She looked down sadly. “But then they interviewed you, and you called me Sonny.” She looked back up at him and smiled, and he smiled, too. “I haven’t been called Sonny in nine years. And I missed it.” She shook her head, “I don’t want to be called Alison anymore – I don’t want to be Alison anymore! I don’t like her. I liked Sonny much more.” He put a finger under her chin and smiled softly at her.

“If it’s any consolation, I liked Sonny much, much more, too.” She laughed softly.

“When I saw your interview, I suddenly missed you. A lot. I caught a cab, and rushed over.” She laughed again. “Pretty stupid, huh?” He shook his head, solemnly.

“Not in the least.” And then he kissed her. “I love you, Sonny,” he whispered.

“I love you, too, Chad,” she grinned back at him. They kissed again, and six months later, E! was showing another special – Chad Dylan Cooper and Sonny Monroe’s wedding. And the song they danced their first dance together to was Big Yellow Taxi.