"How'd it go?" Emmett had text.

Bay stared down at her cell wondering what to text back. What do you tell a guy your crazy about when his mother hates you and you find out his dream girl is falling for him? You bite the bullet and do the right thing. Just like Toby had done about confessing to stealing the test.

Slowly Bay text back, "Not good, didn't tell, seems she's falling for you too. GAME OVER" – Send.

Emmett didn't respond right away like he usually did. Not that she expected him to be able to text in the middle of his victory dance around the room.

15 minutes had pasted with no response. Bay closed her phone and lay down. So many things were running through her head. How many times could she live through the rejection of not being good enough? Her parents, Regina, Liam, Ty… They all chose something over her. She hadn't been good enough for any of them. Her parents had never understood her. They were glad to have found out their real daughter was more to their liking, even if she was deaf. Regina had hid her secret at all cost to make sure good and sweet Daphne would always be her daughter. Liam thought she was too much trouble, and Ty couldn't get past her parents money. She was just a rich girl fling that had been fun for the summer and something to brag about to his friends in the fall.

Emmett would reject her too. It was a no brainer. She didn't hold a candle to Daphne when it came right down to what he needed in his life. The biggest difference was that Bay wasn't deaf. She'd never get to know Emmett quite from the same perspective that Daphne already did. Second biggest difference was that Bay wasn't the wholesome full of light and goodness kind of girl Daphne was. She had some serious dark spots.

And Emmett's mom had been quick to pick up on those. It was obvious Bay wasn't what Melanie envisioned for her only child. What an awkward dinner tonight was. Sitting at a table with the guy your falling in love with at the opposite end of the table next to the girl he swears is just a friend and the mother staring daggers at you. She had been right the first time it would never have worked in the first place.

Then why did it feel like someone had shoved a whole bucket full of dry wood chips down her throat.

Emmett had once told her how hard it was when you didn't fit it. Like how he felt in a group of hearing people. Little did he know, Bay knew exactly what he meant. She had never fit in, hearing or deaf.

That gift though. Oh that gift. It was perfect. It was the gift you give a girl you really care about. Someone you really know by heart. The more she thought of it the scarf had made sense. Not the absolute perfect gift of her art up on that billboard. Only she and him knew who the artist was. It was so intimate. After he broke it off would he tell everyone? Would he take the one thing she had left away from her?

As she lay there Bay felt like a block of ice on a hot summer day. Slowly melting. Soon no one would even know she had ever been there. She would be melted away. Daphne would step in and take her place and the world would keep spinning.

Tears slowly trickled out of the corner of her eyes.

Bay's cell buzzed for an incoming text. Picking it up she saw it was from Emmett, "Come outside!"

Bay hadn't even heard him pull up. She quickly wiped her eyes and text back, "You coming over wasn't necessary. You could just tell me you want to break up in a text."

Bay hoped he said ok and left. A cell phone seeing you break down and fall apart was one thing. It was a complete different story having to look the guy your falling for in the eye and act like your strong enough to deal with this.

*Buzz Buzz*

"I'm not saying this via text. Get out here!"

Bay sighed but stood up off her bed anyway. She looked at herself in the mirror and realized she looked pretty rough. Oh well, no since in worrying about him seeing her at her worst. She wouldn't be his for much longer anyway.

What was she going to say, Bay wondered? Who knew with her mouth? Sometimes the thing had a mind of its own.

As she opened the back door she spotted him leaning against her garage door. If she was honest with herself she had started to fall for this guy the first time she saw him. Even before Ty. She just knew from the beginning he was out of reach. She calmly (even if she said so herself) walked over and let him into her studio. He immediately grabbed her shoulder to ensure he had her full attention.

"What did you mean falling for me?"

Bay sucked in a deep breath. "Just what I said. Daphne said you have been the one constant in her life. She didn't realize until she got your card, which she showed me by the way, that she loved you too."

Emmett tried to interrupt her, but she quickly pushed ahead while she still had the courage.

"NO, I know your trying to save my feelings, but I know how you feel about her. I'm your science experiment, she's your dream. I know you never dated a hearing girl before and I know that hearing plus deaf doesn't really work all that well in a relationship. You told Daphne when she dated Liam that it doesn't work. We've both had to put a lot of effort into it. And it's only been a few weeks with me. It will take me years to get up to the level of sign Daphne, you and your mom are at. You've been with her for years. I know what you want. You want someone who can laugh with you. Who can understand you no matter how fast you sign. Someone you don't have to dumb everything down for. Someone who knows what it's like to be deaf. Someone who your mom LIKES. She hates me Emmett. She wants you to be happy with a deaf girl. And who knows maybe she's right. At least you get the chance now. I want you to be happy. I'm telling you just go be happy. I'll be fine."

Tears were streaming down Bay's face. She had forced herself to talk slow and sign everything she knew. She wanted him to understand she was doing this for him. He had made the big gesture for her birthday. She was making the big gesture for him, and it was killing her.

Emmett took a step closer to Bay. He was reeling after the news of Daphne, sure, but he was reeling more from Bay's speech. She really would give this up to make him happy. He could see the price it was costing her. She really cared for him. His mother was so worried about communication. This was the ultimate communication. When you could look someone in their eye and see all the way to there heart you didn't need words. You didn't need a sign.

Emmett placed his finger tips below Bay's chin and raised it until her eyes met his. His fingers were covered in her tears as he began to sign.

"I didn't come here tonight about the fact Daphne said she was falling for me."

Bay looked confused. She must have missed something. That was the only thing she had text him.

"I came here because you said too."

"What are you talking about?"

Emmett flipped open his phone and pointed to the part of the message that said, "She's falling for you too."

Emmett flipped the phone closed and signed, "Does that mean your falling for me?"

"Emmett it doesn't matter."

"OH it matters, because I'm falling for you too." Emmett leaned over and placed a sweet kiss on Bay's tear stained lips.

"Daphne and I are friends. That's all. She's my best friend and until you she was my favorite photography subject. But Bay you opened my eyes to something different all together. My mom is scared, and she passed that fear onto me. Her and my dad didn't have a good marriage. She wants to protect me from getting hurt, and she wants to shelter me from the rest of the world. She's scared of me learning to speak. She likes me to only sign. She thinks it will keep me closer to her. She's scared of loosing everything she loves. But Bay, she will love you as soon as she sees how much you love me."

Bay heard a gasp come from the doorway, and spun around. Sure enough, there stood Daphne. She had just seen exactly what Emmett had said.

"You both lied to me. You said nothing was going on, but I knew there was. No one looks at each other the way you two do and can say nothing is going on."

Bay started, "Daphne I'm sorry. We weren't trying to hide anything. It was just a really bad time with your mom and my mom and I didn't want to spring something on you like this." Emmett signed much the same thing as Bay was speaking. Emmett and Bay both looked at each other puzzled. Daphne didn't seem as mad as they thought she would. In fact she seemed pretty ok.

"Guess I missed my chance huh Emmett." Daphne signed.

He didn't really have an answer for that.

"Does she make you happy?"

"More than I can say."

"Then be happy Emmett. It's all I ever really wanted for you. I'll see you at school in the morning." With that she turned and walked back to the house. Seemed like Wilkie it would be.

"Did we just get her seal of approval?" Bay asked Emmett.

"Seems that way. I don't know why I put that off for so long. I really thought it would go much different." Emmett snatched Bay up into his arms and carried her over to the small couch in her studio.

After sitting down with her in his lap he signed, "Don't you ever try and break it off with me again. I know what's best for me. And you Bay Kennish and what's best for me."

Bay snuggled in close and laid her head on his chest. She could hear is heart beat and it was lulling her to sleep. Emmett could feel her heart beating against him. He lifted her chin up and gave her a kiss. He was reluctant to let her go. He was terrified he would loose her tonight. He guessed the old saying you don't know what you have till its gone really was true. He hadn't realized just how deeply he felt for her until he thought he was loosing her. He settled deeper back into the couch. Tomorrow was another day. Tonight he was going to hold Bay and make the most of it. They would take on the rest of the world tomorrow.