Story: Listen To Your Heart

Author: gddg3696

Disclaimer: I own nothing Switched at Birth

A/N: Hope you guys like this story. It had been brewing in my mind for a bit, but I was too intimidated to upload a young adult Bemmett fanfic. Please review!


Bay made her way over to Daphne's dressing room, the bouquet in hand. Her steps were quick and precise, no room for any error or delay. As she burst into the room Regina and Kathryn were toying at Daphne's makeup and hair, as well as their own as they tried to fix the mess their tears had evoked.

"Yes, yes, we get it, this is the happiest day of her life, and may we move on? We don't have time to be…" Regina elbowed Bay in the ribs playfully.

"Will you let us enjoy this? Geez, bride's maid-zilla strikes again…" Kathryn laughed at Regina's accurate statement and fastened another pin in Daphne's hair, around the flowers.

"You know Bay, I think they have some kind of medication for your condition… Oh right, relaxation." Daphne jokes, a huge smile plastered on her face. It had been there for months, ever since the proposal. The mothers laughed at Daphne's statement as Bay threw her hands up in defeat before continuing.

"I'm sorry I'm the only one with her eyes on the prize here ladies, but if I weren't conducting this circus, you would be getting married at a drive-through with jeans and t-shirts, washed down with a bottle of beer, and I don't appreciate the fact all my hard work to make this perfect is being taken for granted."

Daphne rolled her eyes, still sporting the permanent smile, and motioned for Kathryn and Regina to grab her train. She stood up, teary eyed and hugged Bay tightly, not removing her hands to sign as she just spoke orally.

"Thank you so much Bay. For arranging the bridal shower, the rehearsal dinner, catering, the cake, the fittings, the dresses, the ceremony, everything is perfect, and I couldn't be any happier to have you as a sister. This is going to be the most beautiful wedding anyone has ever had." Bay hugged Daphne back and then removed herself from her grip so she had her hands free to sigh.

"Right. Well, right after mine." Daphne's face turned blank, as did Regina's and Kathryn's. Bay looked around amongst them. "Oh, what, no one around here thinks I'll get married? Maybe you're right, but I should at least be able to joke about it! Yeesh!" Kathryn was quick to comfort her.

"No, no, honey, of course not. We just figured that, today of all days that topic might be a little… inappropriate, especially because…" Bay halted her next words and signs by grabbing her mother's hands.

"Mom. Come on. I'm not condemned to a life of solitude, organizing this has really… redirected my priorities." Regina and Kathryn nod, before Daphne speaks up.

"May I have a moment alone with my maid of honour?" The mothers kiss their daughters and make their way out as Bay continued to intricately braid the last section of Daphne's hair.

"You know he's here, right?" Daphne asked Bay, not bothering to sign. Bay wasn't looking at her, only at the task of finishing her hairdo. Bay nodded and quickly signed with one hand.

"Yes, I know." Bay held out her hand for the hairspray, and Daphne handed it to her as she sighed.

"Have you seen him yet?" Daphne asked. Bay pinned in the last piece and looked at Daphne sharply in the reflection of the mirror.

"Is my makeup running?" She said, meant to be rhetorical, and Daphne rolled her eyes. They had lived together all through college, until her engagement last year.

"He's been looking for you." Daphne inched out, with a half smile. Bay rolled her eyes and sprayed her hair for what felt to Daphne like the thousandth time.

"If that were true, I would have already seen him."

"Unless you're avoiding him." Daphne guessed.

"Daphne, did you ever think maybe he's ignoring me? He's here for you. He's not here for me. If he were here for me, I would have seen him sometime in the last 3 years." Daphne nodded sympathetically but continued thinking, remembering the time she'd seen him leave.


"What is this about you leaving town?" Daphne signed almost too close to his face. Emmett only shrugged, continuing to pack some more of the clothes from his dresser at his mother's house.

"The school year's over. I might travel for a bit." Emmett signed this as if it were the natural course things should have taken, if things were different.

"Emmett, the school year is over, but you still have two years left to finish your degree. What are you going to do, transfer next year? You can't just run away from this, you can't run away from her, from your problems." Emmett ran a hand through his hair and rolled his eyes.

"I'm not running away, okay Daphne? I'm running to. I'm running to where I belong." Daphne sent him a pleading look.

"You belong here. You have family here, your friends, your long-term girlfriend who loves you, if you leave, you're crazy." Emmett sighed.

"Then call me nuts. Because I don't belong here Daphne, no matter what you, or Bay, or I try to convince anyone. You always belonged here, in their world, but I never did." Daphne put her hand on his shoulder.

"Emmett. Pay attention to my hands. What happened wasn't your fault. You leaving will not fix things." Emmett shrugged Daphne's hand off and grabbed the keys to his bike.

"Maybe not. But I know that it will be better for everyone if I go somewhere more fitting for me." Emmett briefly glanced at something on his desk before heading out to the kitchen. Daphne searched his desk and found something that indeed, would change things for everyone.

"Gaudellet University, higher education for the deaf and hard of hearing." She read on the inside of the brochure. Gaudellet was in the District of Columbia. Halfway across the country from Mission Hills, from Daphne's and Bay's apartment in Parkville, from home.

Daphne stormed out of Emmett's room and pushed him in the shoulder so his head banged on the shelf in the fridge. He abruptly turned around, sandwich in hand.

"This is what it's about? The deaf thing? You are seriously transferring across the country just to escape this? You're only going to make things worse for her, make her upset." Emmett sighs.

"Daphne. You're my best friend, and I love you. I've been with you through everything, and just this once, I would really appreciate it if you were here for me this time. Please don't tell anyone where I'm going. My mom knows, but that's it. Trust me." Daphne gave him a regretful look, and Emmett kissed her on the forehead.

"You take care of yourself. Tell me if I need to give Wilke a talking to." Daphne gave him a sad smile and a nod as Emmett went and grabbed his bag from his room. They walked out until he mounted his bike and he signed one more thing as he put the keys in the ignition.

"Take care of Bay."

And then, like the colourful leafs blowing in the wind, like the dust on the pavement taking flight from the friction of the tires, Emmett Bledsoe was gone.


Emmett Bledsoe was back. He in fact was sitting in a chair, waiting for the ceremony to start, the aisle on his left, his mother on his right. He sighed in his seat, anxious. He watched vaguely as his mom signed again and again about how wonderful the wedding, and the celebrations leading up to it, have been. It was an outdoor wedding ceremony, a beautiful location that Wilke's great-grandfather had owned once.

Emmett had never picture Daphne to be one for the big white wedding, but as he looked around, he realized that hearing people would be sitting in a constant buzz of conversation putting high school hallway chatting to shame. Well, hearing high school hallway chatting. Emmett knew for a fact that an eighth of these guests were Kennish blood, another eighth Regina and Daphne's friends'. The rest of the guests were Wilke's family, friends, and extended family, extended friends. Extended everything. Extended.

A million thoughts were racing in Emmett's mind of the last three years, and they all centred back to the beautiful dark-haired girl he had left behind. He had gotten back late the night before last, and had spent all day sleeping in, with barely enough time to wake up, make himself semi-presentable and get dressed. Melody had stopped him from even considering leaving the house to interrupt the "wedding women while the worked". Apparently, the Vasquez-Kennish household was frantic, driving everywhere, putting everything in place and Bay, was the ringleader with a long to do list and whip in hand.

He smiled as he remembered her always getting her way. His mom had talked him out of confronting her until the ceremony was finished, since she knew it would be emotional to say the least. Nothing but pictures, pictures were all he'd had of Bay for three entire years, and to say he missed her was an understatement.

The first week he was gone, he rented a hotel not two hours away from Mission Hills and just cried, all the time. He spent his time putting all the photos he had of Bay into albums, and organizing them, and replaying what could have been, what should have been. He loved her; he loved her so much that he had to leave. He started to drive back one morning, because he couldn't take being away from her, but he remembered that it was his fault. He was the reason this had happened.


"Okay. I know I said I had reservations at that place you liked, but I lied." Bay feigned offended, but couldn't put out the laughter in her eyes.

"Emmett Bledsoe, you shouldn't fib." Emmett rolled his eyes and kissed her temple.

"Trust me, I found a better place. Much more private. Open late." He smiled suggestively and she pushed him off the couch in her studio.

Bay and Emmett had faithfully dated since they were 17 years old, and now, on summer break from their sophomore year of university, were still together.

Bay was attending the private university Kathryn had attended, Parkville University, in Parkville, studying English and Art. Daphne was attending the Arts Institute International- Kansas City. They both shared an apartment in between the two schools, with only a 45 minute commute each. Emmett was attending Kansas City College, with a basic Bachelor of Arts, and boarded with two other hearing boys. The only time I have been overjoyed to be deaf, Emmett had once told Bay on one of his visits. He stayed over most nights, since the apartment was actually closer to his school than the girls'.

"Fine, impress me." Bay signed teasingly, as Emmett stood up and grabbed something from his bag.

"First, open your gift." Bay rolled her eyes and ripped open the wrapping paper to find… a scarf. A very, very familiar scarf.

"Where did you get this, I always leave it…" Bay began, as she checked the spot in her studio.

"Tied in a knot under your biggest easel, I know. But I snatched it the other day when you were busy." Bay smiled.

"You are sort of distracting…" Bay began to kiss him and then pulled away suddenly. "As much as I appreciate reminiscing, what does the scarf have to do with the restaurant?" Emmett chuckled, as Bay had just given him a golden opportunity.

"It's not a scarf, and it's not your real gift, it's…"

"Let me guess, it's a blindfold?" Bay interrupted. Emmett nodded, infinitely proud of himself, and Bay chuckled at the look of accomplishment on his face.

"This is cute, I admit. So tie the ugly thing on me and bring me to our destination. Oh, but let's take my car, because the last time I rode on the back of your motorcycle blindfolded, I wanted to throw up." Emmett laughs and ties it on, then leads her to the car where her surprise awaited.


Bay had been nervous all day. All week, actually. At the bridal shower, two weeks ago, Daphne had indirectly begun dropping hints about Emmett coming back. Bay had been too obsessed with planning the perfect wedding to notice until last week Daphne had sat Bay down and just blurted out, Emmett's coming to my wedding. Bay of course wasn't surprised at all. He was her best friend, had always been Daphne's best friend, and his invitation was to be expected. Bay had been too focused on everything else instead of mentally preparing herself, and now regretted it. If she had been a little more prepared, maybe she wouldn't be so nervous to see him after all these years. Well, after one year.


"Daphneeeeee!" Wilke cringed at Bay's wailing, but Daphne didn't flinch, obviously.

"Who's idea was it to get her drunk?" Daphne asked, unsure about what to do about the adult sized toddler sitting in her living room, crying on the floor.

"Yours!" Wilke accused. "You said alcohol always relieves her tension." Daphne shrugged.

"Bay doesn't drink much, but when I drink, it relieves my tension." Daphne said. Wilke sent his fiancé a dazzling smile and said.

"Honey, trust me, I know. But all it's done is turn a depressed Bay, into a melodramatic Bay. And I know we stopped by to try to get her out of the house, but now that she's completely plastered, maybe that isn't the smartest idea." Daphne nodded, as she'd loosened up over the years.

"Well. I can't read her lips because she's a little… distorted. And she's too drunk to sign, so you're going to have to tell me what's going on." Wilke nodded, and walked up to Bay. She was his sister long before she was his fiancé's sister/best friend/roommate. They had been roommates until this school year, when Daphne had moved back to Mission Hills, and into a new home with Wilke. Since then Bay had been living alone, and had slowly been spiralling down as the anniversary of her accident approached.

"Bay, sweetie, listen to me. We can't help you until you tell us what you need." Bay slowly stopped crying and looked Wilke in the eyes for a while. Then, she grabbed his hand, almost dragging him to the floor, and stood up until she was right in front of Daphne, with Wilke supporting her.

"Please. Take me to Emmett." Daphne sighed and looked at Wilke. She had been begging for Daphne to just give her a hint to where Emmett was, all month, and Daphne had kept true to her word and shut her mouth. But Bay had been wailing for over two hours, and Daphne was sure Wilke's ears wouldn't be able to take it.

"I don't think I can Bay. I promised him not to tell you where he was." Wilke shrugged.

"Well, babe, no offense to little miss sober over here, but she's too hammered to know where we're going if we do take her. It's not exactly a short drive; she'll probably pass out in the car anyway."

"I don't know…" Daphne said, unsure. Bay sobered up in that moment and stood on her own, grabbing Daphne by the shoulders.

"Please Daphne. If you take me, I promise to move on. No matter what happens, I just need closure." Daphne sighed.

When Emmett had first left, Bay spent the first couple of months calling and calling, emailing, texting, anything to try to get in touch with him, to beg him to come back, all to no avail. The rest of the year, Bay was too devastated to even consider seeing him again, since she was convinced that he never loved her and she was unfixable. That was a low time. Luckily, miracle of miracle, Ty was back in town for leave and had been just what she needed. He didn't, of course, fill the Emmett shaped hole in her heart, but Ty provided some sort of comfort that Bay needed, and she slowly became a little more human-like. She laughed, and smiled, and went out. For half a year she was fine, applying herself in school until she remembered that it was the time of year when her entire life shifted gears. And now, she wanted Daphne to lead her right into a deathtrap.

"Fine." Daphne said, and grabbed the keys.

They drove to DC that night, and all the car ride Bay cried and sang at the top of her lungs out the window, until she fell asleep. They stopped by a motel halfway there and took a break, until the next morning, when Bay was sober.

"Daph, now that Bay's sober, you know she'll figure out where he is." Daphne didn't bother arguing this.

"I know. But I figure no matter what happens, she won't be going back. Either he's coming back with her, or she'll never set foot on the east coast again." Wilke nodded at the severity in her tone, and they turned to the bathroom door, where Bay was retching.

"Whose idea was it to get me drunk? Jesus, what happened last night? Where are we, and why are we here?" Wilke pointed to Daphne and Daphne shoved him onto the already made motel bed.

"Last night… you were really depressed, and you kept asking to see Emmett…" Bays eyes widened as she took in what was going on.

"The last two years I've begged you to reveal his location and suddenly you pull off the cloak and come clean with his hideaway? What gives? Is this a set up?" Bay demands closing in on Daphne.

"Bay no, come on. I just figured that you need closure now more than ever and…" Wilke then butted in.

"and last night, you were a loud, dirty mess." Daphne shot him a threatening glare.

"Sorry babe." He said. Bay sighed.

"Do you want to go back home?" Daphne asked. Bay nodded.

"Let me shower. Then we'll go see Emmett." She decided. And just like that they were on the road again.

By the time the trio had actually reached DC, it was night time again, and they had to sneak into Emmett's dorm room. Daphne knocked on the door, and Emmett's roommate Kyle told them he was at a party in the next dorm, as they made their way over.

Bay and Wilke felt very surreal in the party. Everyone was clearly deaf, and the only music had no lyrics, was very upbeat, very loud, and very heavy on the bass. Daphne told Wilke to stay with Bay as she looked around, and Bay wandered off before Daphne grabbed her by the hand and signed to her that it was time to leave. Bay shook her off.

"You're saying we came all this way for you to tell me we have to leave? Yeah right, Daphne." Daphne attempted to grab her arm again, but Bay slipped out of reach as she headed for the direction where Daphne came from.

It was crowded, and Bay pushed pas various people, all deaf, all signing. She looked for the familiar red hair that would giveaway Emmett's form, but she couldn't find it. Panicked, she took a millisecond to make sure she was sober. She would recognize the boy she loved, wouldn't she? The boy she had loved since she was 17 years old, the boy she had loved for 5 years. Wouldn't she?

Bay shoved a deaf boy out of her face as he began to sign an introduction. On second thought, she grabbed him by the collar and signed Emmett's name, fingerspelling it. He signed Emmett's sign name and Bay nodded enthusiastically. The blond haired boy pointed to the back of a leather jacket clad body, with identical red hair to the Emmett she had remembered.

Bay let the boy go and rushed over to see him until she got a better look. What Bay saw made her want to vomit and she had to turn away just to clear her vision from the red taking over, urging her to dropkick the brown haired deaf girl Emmett was kissing out the third story window. Bay immediately turned into a sprinkler, and to make herself feel better, did all she could. Bay screamed, as loud as she was able, just because she could.

Emmett and the brunette didn't so much as turn their heads. Bay continued to scream and wail like the broken child she felt like, until Wilke and Daphne made their way over and Wilke carried her out.


Wilke was about to pass out.

"Dude calm down, you are marrying my sister, not giving a presidential speech, would you quit sweating bullets?" Toby bit out, whispering to his best friend standing as a groom.

"Man, I can't help it, I'm so…" Toby raised his eyebrows expectantly. Wilke twisted his face in an unfamiliar position. "…excited. I mean I'm nervous, but I'm also surprisingly… sure. That this is exactly where I need to be right now. I have no doubt in my mind that this is exactly what I want." Toby gave him a smile.

"Good, because if you left Daphne at the altar, I'd have to deck you. More than once."

"I'm no Emmett." Wilke stated, not rudely, just as a fact. Toby shot Wilke an aggravated look.

"Wilke, they weren't ever engaged. And moreover, I'd watch it, he's here, you know that." Wilke chuckled, as he expected no less.

"I know. I'm actually going to suggest clearing the room when they reunite for the first time in a year. A year for Bay, three for Emmett." Toby nodded and chortled a little.

"Seriously though, in the years I've known you both, I've never seen you two so happy." Wilke patted his best friend on the back.

"Yeah, yeah, save it for the best man speech." Toby put on a shocked look, before asking innocently,

"I had to write a speech?" Wilke shook his head smiling, before Wagner's Bridal Chorus Began, and he threw Toby and shocked look, before staring up at his beautiful, blushing bride.


"Trust me, I think you'll like it." Wilke promised Daphne, his girlfriend of two years, as they pulled up to another residence.

Daphne had nervously asked Wilke if he wanted to move in a few months ago, after talking things over with Bay, and he accepted. With the condition that they move in together, at their own place, leaving Bay with the apartment.

"Yeah, yeah, I get it, love must bloom, you two lovebirds must fly into your own nest, go, get out of here." And with that blessing, they had begun house hunting.

They were all staying at the apartment, but it was crowded with him, Daphne, and Bay, especially since Bay and Daphne were extremely accustomed to living with each other. Wilke had picked up some habits though, like to buy milk every Thursday and to grab pizza whenever either girl was locked in their room studying. Daphne would be finished school in a year, and with all her culinary success, he had faith that she would eventually open her own restaurant.

He knew she really wished to own one, to run one, to work in one. Somewhere where she could create for other people, Wilke knew that's Daphne wanted, but was too selfless to ask. He would give it all to her eventually, everything she wanted and needed, and anything to keep her happy.

"Are you crazy?" Wilke shook his head with laughter.

"Daphne, come on, this is the third house this month you've given the no-go."

"More like the third mansion!" They made their way out of the car, and after the real estate agent, Nancy, had shown them around, Wilke led them to the backyard.

"Wilke, I know you're… used to living in this sort of lifestyle, but I'm not, and we really don't need this huge house, I'd be perfectly happy…" Daphne signed with one hand and held Wilke's hand with her other.

"Daphne, it's not that, don't worry." Wilke led Daphne down a stone pathway, into a luxurious garden with fountains, flowers, all sorts of them. Daffodils, roses, sunflowers.

Wilke eventually say her down, in the middle of the garden, on a stone bench.

"Do you like the garden?" Wilke asked a little tentatively. Daphne smiled, looking around.

"It's beautiful. There's even Daphne's, over there." Daphne pointed to a shrub of bright pink coloured flowers that shared her name. Wilke nodded enthusiastically. "But, I don't need a gorgeous garden to be happy, or a huge house filled with space and rooms that I'll never use. I love you, and you're all I need and want to be happy. Wilke smiled and kissed her before pulling away.

"I'm glad. But the rooms don't have to be empty, you know." Daphne gives Wilke a strange look, as if begging for him to go on.

"We could have other people living here too. And I don't mean boarders." Wilke joked, because Daphne seemed to have turned rigid. He smiled confidently, and continued. "I mean that one day, Daphne, I want to have children with you. I want to have a family with you, and I love you so much, and it would mean the world to me…" Wilke got off the bench, grabbed one of her hands and continued signing with the other from one knee.

"…if you gave me the honor of becoming my wife. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, Daphne, and I want the rest of our lives to start right now." Daphne still sat on the bench, numb, as Wilke whipped out a box from his pocket and opened the Tiffany's box to reveal a gorgeous ring.

Despite what expectations may lead anyone to think, Wilke knew what Daphne liked. It was a simple platinum gold band, no surrounding diamonds, only a solitaire round 0.25 carat diamond set in the center. It was the most simple of the best, just as was Daphne.

Daphne still hadn't said anything and Wilke was beginning to become nervous. They had only been dating two years, maybe this was too sudden, maybe she wanted to wait a bit longer. Wilke swallowed hard and let go of her hand to close the box just in time to hear Daphne's panicked voice.

"What are you doing, you're not going to put it on me?" Daphne said, voice on the edge of hysteria. Wilke laughed, relieved and actually let a tear shed.

"Sweetie, you didn't even say yes." Once again Daphne shot him a strange glance.

"I didn't think I had to. Of course I love you, Wilke, and I don't want to spend another day without that ring on my finger and you by my side." Daphne said this confidently, but her voice wavered with the tears escaping faster and faster as Wilke kissed his fiancé, and fastened the ring on her left hand finger where it would stay forever.


Okay, bear with me. All will be explained in the next chapter. A couple things to address, first of all, Regular Font is obviously current time, which takes place one year after they finished university. So Emmett, Daphne and Bay are about 23, and Wilke and Toby are probably 25. Italics is flashbacks, I'll try to make it clear when the flashbacks happened, but the timeline's not too important. Next order of business, I am quite sorry if this fanfic is confusing but I promise this is going in a good place! It's a multi-couple fanfic, but Bemmett is the main criteria. Please leave me a review, ideas, questions, critique or compliments, I read it all and love you for taking the time to review my work! Thanks readers!