Love Birds

AN: this is an alternate ending to the Shake it Up episode 'Hot Mess it Up'

Enjoy :)

"For the last time Rocky, i am NOT going to that stupid dance with Mr. 'Twinkle pants'!"

"Aww! You're already starting to talk like him!" Rocky teases as she and Cece return to the apartment.

Cece glares at her for a moment, then rolls her eyes. "Forget it... Ok? I mean... Its bad enough i have to be seen with him, but in THIS?"

She holds out an over-twinkled glittering sparkling dress of many colors.

"Oh, look on the bright side!" Rocky confides.

"...what's the bright side?" Cece asks, losing her patients.

"YOU ARE!" Rocky laughs, enjoying every moment of her best friends misery.

By the time Gunther came by to pick up his date, Rocky had already left and Cece was still in her dance outfit from rehearsal.

"Is my little cardinal ready to soar?"

"No..." Cece groans in annoyance.

"That's because you haven't put on your dress yet!" Gunther shouts in excitement.

Cece squints and turns away. "Okok! I'll put the dress on just... Wait for me outside!"

"I'll await your appearance my tiny birdie!"

As Gunther finally leaves the apartment, Cece starts to rummage around, panicking to think up some crazy way out of what hot mess Rocky guilt her into.

"That's it!"

As always, she had a plan. One more complicated and sophisticated then anything she'd ever come up with before...

"I think i've come down with the flu! ...cough!" Cece moans to her friend over the phone. "I don't think i can make it to the dance tonight! Ohhh- this is terrible! ...cough cough!"

"Really?" Rocky smites, putting her hand on her hip and laughing. "THAT'S your master plan?"

"Ohh..." she continues on, although it's clear Rocky's not falling for it. "What was that? I couldn't hear you. My head was buzzing with all this pressure..."

"HA! The flu doesn't give you sinus problems! Oh, smart one!" she catches, being the brainiac that she is.

Cece takes the phone away for a second. "Why does she have to be so SMART?"

"I heard that!"

Cece stomps her foot and grits her teeth.

"I saw that!" Rocky notes.

Cece looks around the room, freaked out now.

It's almost five minutes later when she puts her next "fool-proof" plan to the test.

"Are you ready my gorgeous flicker-bird?" Gunther questions with his odd disturbing smile as Cece approaches his car.

"Not quite. You see... Funny thing is..." she pulls the soaking wet dress from behind. "I accidentally dropped my dress in the toilet!"

Gunther's smile turns into a peculiar look.

Cece continues. "Looks like we can't go to the dance tonight! Well i'll just-"

"Not to worry!" Gunther explains. Cece jumps from the abruptness of his declaration.

"I had make extra for your puppet, but it'll probably fit you!"

Then, the sparkling blond uncovers an exact identical of the ruined dress Cece held, only dry and shinier.

Cece freezes. Her quick wits fail her now as she desperately thinks up any excuse before she's forced to appear in public with Gunther in that disgusting outfit! It's too late for that though.

"Come! You can change once we arrive!" Gunther insists and heaves the grieving girl into his car. Before Cece can react, the crazy boy speeds off, nearly hitting the fire hydrant.

"Hey! Gunther!" Rocky greets as Gunther enters the gym. Cece's no where to be seen.

"Heloo!" he smiles obnoxiously.

"Where's your girlfriend? I'm dying to see her in that dazzling dress!"

"She in the hallway." he informs her. They chat for a minute, which is mostly just Rocky trying to embarrass Cece even more, until finally Gunther calls-

"Oh Cece! Your BF and your BFF are waiting for your entrance!"

She reluctantly mopes into the gym, her face filled with horror.

"I look like i rainbow threw up on me!" she complains. Rocky continues to mock her poor suffering friend.

"Oh, Cece! You look fabulous!"

"Yes!" Gunther interrupts. "And now, it is time to show our status to the world!"

He poses awkwardly, jazz hands out and face beaming.

"I am Guntha!"

Cece throws her hands out too, chiming- "and i'm dyeing inside!"

After half an hour of total embarrassment, Cece's about had it. She confronts her in-supportive friend Rocky.

"I don't know how much longer i can take this!" she spurs. "I'm going insane- can i just dump him and get this over with?"

"You know..." she starts.

Cece's face brightens with hope.

"No!" Rocky laughs.

Cece half rolls her eyes in dread and irritant. "How much longer do i have to keep this up? Tinka over there is talking about a freakin wedding!"

"Where are you my darling cedar wax-wing?" Uppity Gunther calls, looking around for Cece.

"I'm right here baybee!" Rocky calls in her failed Cece voice, then pushes her bff forward.

"Ah! There you are!"

"Seriously? What the heck is a center wax-wing?"

"My silly little nut-hatch..." he grins and takes Cece by the arm.

"Suddenly i'm likin' the 'wax-wing'!" she comments aloud. Gunther pays no attention.

"It is time, to dance!"

"O.O"

In a desperate attempt to escape, Cece clings helplessly to a nearby drain-pipe.

"Common! The dance floor is this way!"

"Nooo i don't wanna dance!" She cries in distress. "I'm too embarrassed!"

"You know, Gunther, your new girlfriend is ticklish!" Rocky claims, then tickle's Cece by the sides.

"Ah! This isn't funny! Nonono!" she struggles, but Gunther carries her to the center of the floor, smiling the whole way.

"You know..." he starts, as he flings his date about in a flail. "You are the best dancer of all of Shake it up Chicago."

"Aw..." she smiles. "Really?"

"No!" he says, throwing the gullible female into a twirl. "But you should get used to me lying to you!"

"Yeah, i hope you're uses to me lying to you by the end of the night..." Cece mutters at arms distance of Gunther. Gunther pulls her in close again.

"What did you say, my beautiful screech owl?" he asks.

"Nothing! My nut-headed dumbo-bird!" she replies with a fake smile.

"You mean nut-hatch!" Gunther corrects.

"Riiiight."

"Attention!" Rocky calls over the PA. Could this get ANY worse? "Could i have everyone's attention please?"

A slow song begins to play, and Cece comes to realize: she's doomed.

"This song is a request from me to all you love-birds out there... You know who you are...!"

She makes squinty faces and little heart outlines in Cece's direction. She returns with an 'i'm gonna kill you!' look.

Gunther for the last time pulls his songbird close, and holds her there against her will. They dance to the soft and slow melody, Awkward as can be!

Finally the night comes to a slow down and the couples start to leave. Gunther is practically dragging exhausted Cece about. He's still hyper and enthusiastic as ever.

"Ha... The sun has gone and the stars dot the sky... Like the twinkles upon my jacket!" he metaphorizes.

Cece opens her eyes and finds herself oddly positioned over Gunther's shoulder.

"Where am i?" she groans, starting to fall asleep again.

"Heloo!" Gunther shouts. Cece's shocked awake and crumbles off Gunther's shoulder onto the floor.

"Ah! ...owwww!"

"How is my little morning dove feeling?"

"..." she glares at him, rubbing her head from the fall. "...what are we still doing here?"

Even the Dj was starting to pack up as the last song plays out.

"Your friend said that you told her you were having such a good time, you didn't want to leave!" he exclaims.

"Rocky..." she stresses to herself. She directs her attention toward Gunther now, who is waiting a response. "I fell asleep! What made you think i wanted to be here in the first place?"

"Oh, you silly little mocking bird! Don't try to fool Gunther!" he holds his hand up and

turns away. "I know you cannot resist my dazzling charm!" he gloats as he faces Cece again.

"No!" she responds, at her last straw. "Ok, no! I'm done pretending to be your girlfriend!"

"Ha... So cute! She's in denial!"

This was an outrage! She'd spent the whole night pretending to be 'Mr. lonely boy's' date and now HE'S the one being all uppity! In fact... he should feel privileged she asked him out in the first place! She is Cece, after all! Who doesn't want to go to the dance with her?

"Quit it!" she snaps. "Will you just listen?"

Gunther puts his hands on his hips and gives her his full attention.

"I don't care how sad miss 'glitter girl' is... i don't care how guilty miss perfect Rocky makes me feel... Gunther... I am NOT your girlfriend!" she declares.

Gunther squints his face, possibly starting to believe her.

"You are so, full of yourself. You think EVERYBODY likes you but you're wrong. You're a total freak and the reason no one would go to the dance with you is because only your stupid sister could comprehend the twisted reality you make of life." she stamps her foot down. "It's SICK."

Gunther stands still under the dim lights in the center of an empty gymnasium. His excited and energetic smile now fades to a somber frown.

"I shall have you know, i did not ask anybody to the dance. I don't know what shenanigans you're talking about."

Cece pulls out her phone and opens her e-mail.

She quotes: "Mr. lonely boy; every girl i asked to the school dance rejected me. What do i do?"

He looks at her, confused.

"Well aren't you Mr. lonely boy?"

"I wrote no such thing." he responds.

Cece doesn't buy it. "But... Isn't Tinka 'glitter girl'?"

She hands him the phone. He looks at it briefly. "You must have received this from my cousin. He tends goat back at farm!" he then looks down. "Well... used to."

Cece's still confused. She racks her brain for an explanation. "But... What about the plane tickets! I heard Tinka saying how much she was going to miss you while you were off in the old country."

"Visiting." he explains. "I had no intention of staying."

Now Cece just feels bad. There's one more thing though.

Gunther turns his back slowly, facing away from Cece with his shoulders heaved down. Cece rushes in front of him.

"Wait! If you aren't 'Mr. lonely boy', then why did you except my date? I mean..." she pauses for a moment. "You hate me."

At first he doesn't respond. He walks past Cece again, who remains facing away from him. Then, after a big sigh, he answers. "i don't."

She looks down.

"I don't hate you." he repeats, then continues to explain. "Did you ever think that maybe, i like you?"

Her head shoots up and her eyes widen. She remains back to back from the boy, however.

"You insult my fashion sense, criticize my advice, mock my dancing, and to top it all off you mess with me non stop." she reasons... More trying to convince herself then Gunther.

"So do you." he comments. "Isn't this the American way of... What do you call it? Flirting."

The word pangs Cece's heart. She? Flirting? With Gunther! There's no way! The two are totally un-alike!

"We really aren't so different, you know." he says, anticipating Cece's thoughts. "I believe you had said i was uppity and full of myself? Hm?"

Cece stood in a frozen state. Unable to move... To breath. She couldn't believe what she was hearing! It was insanity! Her and Gunther- no possible way! Not in a hundred years... Not in a thousand years...

Tinka enters the gym now, followed by a goat on a leash. "Oh Gunther! I brought capohshka!" she announces, referring to the goat.

His head hung, he turns around. "No need, dear twin. You no longer need to bring the goats for milking..."

"Well why not brother? She replies, un-aware of the situation at hand.

"Because i am moving back home! I can no longer be here."

Tinka looks concerned.

"No!" Cece cries, coming out of her daze and beginning to actually care. "I mean...

Don't."

She steps forward, her hands trembling and her face beat red from the current events. She shuts her eyes as she thinks to herself; what am i doing? The girl was obviously still in a jumble about what was going on; what mixed emotions traveled through her veins.

"Gunther, Tinka, i'm sorry for all this... This drama." she shakes her head while placing her two hands on her ears. She's almost as confused as Tinka.

"What is going on here?" she asks, looking worriedly at her twin.

"Tinka... Please tell your brother to stay!" Desperate Cece pleads, taking another step forward.

"It is too late, i have made my decision!" he declares, attempting to keep his poise. "I shall move up my flight and leave by dawn."

"But Gunther!" Tinka disputes.

"You cannot stop me twin sister."

The goat bleats.

Maybe Tinka can't stop him, but that didn't stop Cece from trying.

"But if you go... Who are Rocky and i gonna compete with?"

"You said it yourself; you think i'm terrible dancer." he reminds her.

"I DIDN'T MEAN IT!" Cece spontaneously blurts. "I... I was just..."

Gunther looks in her direction.

"...flirting."

Gunther stares at her, not sure how to respond. Tinka, still confused at what's happening, is paying no attention to the goat that began chewing on leftover pretzels from the snack area.

A tear falls from Cece's face as she wines desperately- 'don't leave... Don't leave!'

"Beeeheheh!" the goat bleats again. The group is too focused to realize some of the freshmen aiming slingshot bullets at the farm animal from the entrance.

Cece had dropped to her knees. Her head was spinning! She couldn't make sense of

what was going on- all she knew was she didn't want Gunther to leave, no matter what.

Somewhere in her there was an empty spot growing as Gunther shakes his head and turns to the exit.

"I'm sorry." he sighs and walks to the door

"Gunther!" Tinka shouts after him. This perks up capohshka, and without missing a beat the immature freshman boys take fire at the wild goat, and retreat fast.

"BLEHHEHEHHE!" It cries and begins jumping and butting everywhere. Gunther spins around in time to see helpless Cece, sitting on the floor, about to be trampled by the deadly goat.

"Nooo!" he shouts as he rushes as fast as he could toward the rampaging beast. He tackles Cece out of the way just in time before it flung towards them at incredible force.

The two go rolling across the floor, Gunther protecting his delicate song-bird before Tinka comes up and throws the leash back at the out of control animal.

"Gunther..." Cece remarks, they pull away. "You... You saved my life!"

He breaths heavy from panic and concern for the previously endangered girl. "...y-yes..." Gunther looks in her direction to see Cece still watching him.

"That was a close one!" Tinka announces.

She notices Cece and her brother staring restlessly into each others eyes. At that, she decides it's time she leave... And hope things work out.

"I should get you home." she says to the goat, and walks out.

Cece lay on the ground, only prompted up by her elbows. She store at Gunther in a different way. Different then she'd ever seen him before. He stood and reaches down to help her.

She took his hand as he helped her to her feat. They didn't let go though.

"...i... ...i'm sorry, for everything that i said earlier." Cece starts, but Gunther places his finger to her lips.

"Shhh..."

He looked at her, his eyelids half fallen. Cece's face went completely red and her heart began pounding. As Gunther lightly place his hand to her soft rosy cheek, she began to tremble with anticipation.

The two slowly gravitate toward each other until, finally, they're soft wet lips touched.

Cece move her hand up Gunther's shoulder to his neck. She lightly applied pressure, intentioned to tell her new-found attraction not to stop. He continued to kiss her only momentarily before pulling back.

Cece's eyes were still closed. She couldn't believe what had happened. It was magic... It was indescribable... There was nothing else like it, and she didn't want it to stop.

She opened her eyes gently. They sparkled almost as much as her dress which she so despised before. Gunther's eyes were lovingly locked to hers, as he smiled that awkward smile Cece had come to adore.