Disclaimer: No profit is made from this work, its purpose is to promote the show it is based upon.

AN: This takes place during "Sonny and the Studio Brat." I got the idea while watching "The Legend of Candy Face." I'd say more about what specifically inspired this, but that'd ruin the story. I hope you enjoy.

Green Pants

The last of Tawni's Baby Blush nail polish was being used up and she wasn't even going to get the satisfaction of seeing it sparkle on her own nails. She scowled at the mirror where she could see Sonny sitting on the floor giving Dakota a manicure to get her ready for "the club" that night.

"Be careful!" Dakota snapped suddenly. "I want to look my best for Chad," she added, her voice softening on the name.

Tawni fought to keep from gagging. She needed to get out of the room fast, not only because she wanted to keep her lunch down, but because sooner or later Dakota was going to realize who the most attractive member of the So Random cast was and with her fingernails nearly done that left her toes. Tawni shuddered and slowly rose from her seat. She stopped for only a moment to grab something out of her closet before slipping out the door.

Once out in the hall she ran for the relative safety of the Prop House, her burden clutched tightly to her chest.

"Oh thank goodness," she sighed when she finally made it, leaning against the closed door in relief.

"Hi, Tawni," Zora said quietly. She was sitting on the couch, the ceramic shards that had once been Gnomey laying on the coffee table before her.

"Hi." Tawni walked slowly over and sat beside her. "How's it going?"

"Gnomey was the first casualty in the fight against evil. How do you think it's going?"

"Bad?" Tawni offered with a small smile.

Zora finally turned her head to look at her, her expression one of derision. Tawni sighed, dropping the smile.

"Of course it's bad," Tawni sighed. "But are you gonna be okay?"

Zora pulled back slightly, clearly alarmed by the way this conversation was going.

"Don't give me that look! I can be deep! I can have layers!"

"Since when?"

Tawni frowned. "You remember our first week here? When we were all still getting used to the show and to each other?"

Zora nodded for her to continue.

"It was horrible! None of us got along, not even Nico and Grady! And we had nowhere to go except our dressing rooms and the set and then finally -" she paused, grinning happily - "Marshall brought us to the Prop House and said we could hang out here as much as we liked. Suddenly Nico and Grady were best friends forever and I didn't want to claw the eyes out of that other girl -"

"Her name was -"

"Don't say it," Tawni said primly, putting a hand over Zora's mouth. "And you, after you'd disappeared into every hiding place available, found Gnomey. You came out of that sarcophagus hugging him like he was a big, ugly teddy bear. You didn't hate everyone anymore after that."

Zora looked back to the shattered remains with a sigh.

"That's why I want you to have these," Tawni said. She picked her green pants up from beside her on the couch and held them out to Zora.

"You're giving me your pants?" the girl asked incredulously.

"That evil little monster was right about one thing: they do look like Gnomey's. So I want you to have them."

She pushed them closer to Zora, giving her a look that said she wasn't about to hold the things forever. Zora took them hesitantly, still wondering if there was something she was missing here.

"Estelle from wardrobe can take them in for you, just tell her I sent you." With that Tawni stood and headed for the door.

"Tawni?" Zora asked cautiously.

Tawni paused and turned around. "Uh huh?"

"Why are you being nice to me?"

"Because. You're Zora," Tawni said seriously. "You're my - well, my Zora."

"But why aren't you ever this nice when Sonny says you should be?"

Tawni scoffed. "Because I don't care about most of the things Sonny wants me to. And anyway, she should know better than to tell Tawni Hart what to do." Tawni flipped her hair over her shoulder as she spun back towards the door.

"Tawni?" Zora called again as Tawni stepped outside.

"Ugh! What?" Tawni snapped, leaning halfway through the door.

"Thanks."

Tawni gave her a rare genuine smile. "No problem, kid. But remember, you tell anyone about this, you die."

Zora nodded fervently though Tawni was already long gone. When the door to the Prop House had finished swinging lazily closed Zora looked back at Gnomey's remains and hugged the pants to her chest with a small smile.

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