Story: Hear Me Weep
Author: gddg3696
Disclaimer: I do not own Switched at Birth
A/N: Thank you readers for all the positive feedback! I just wanted to let you know, I worked really hard on this chapter, and I hope you all like it. If you have even 2 seconds to spare, would you mind clicking the review button? Because I want to know what you all think of this chapter, and moreover, who you're rooting for. Bemmet or Demmet?
Toby
I wasn't as good as Daphne and Regina obviously, and not even as good as Bay. I was improving, though. It was embarrassing to practice sign with Emmett or Daphne, since they were actually deaf and I might actually sign something wrong.
I mostly practiced with Regina. Regina was a great teacher, very patient. When I had time and Regina wasn't working, I would spend time learning sign. Mostly because I needed it to communicate with Daphne, and understand Emmett, now that's he's in Guitar Face. I sorta had an ulterior motive. Regina was almost as upset as Bay, and I could tell when we practiced sign she forgot a little about it. Not by much, though.
Either way, when I showed up at Carlton right after school and started signing my ass off, Emmett was surprised to say the least.
"Emmett, I've only known Daphne a few months, she's my biological sister. I've known Bay forever, and she's my real sister." I saw the semi-shocked look on the kid's face, but he quickly started signing back. I couldn't pick up everything of course, but I think I got the gist.
"Why you here" is all I could sum up.
"I'm here because you were really close to Bay a few weeks ago. And then I catch you making out with Daphne. Now Bay's always upset. What's that about?" Emmett was easily 3 inches taller than me, but I'd take him if I had to. Emmett took a step back, surprised. I saw his jaw tighten as he shook his head, probably deciding what to say to that.
"I don't know what you think you're doing. But my sister is important to me. Bay deserves to be treated right. Daphne as well. So whatever's going on with you and those girls, you need to figure out. You need to pick a side." Emmett starting to sign again, but I didn't pick up much.
"I did pick." Emmett signed. I narrowed my eyes and nodded.
"I hope you made the right, choice then." I signed as I left. Emmett taped me on the shoulder.
"If I didn't pick… Bay with Ty." That's all I picked up, but it was enough.
"If you didn't pick, Bay's worth fighting for. Ty or no Ty. Not that it matters, right? You picked, after all."
Ty
"So, what have you been up to?" Bay and I were having dinner before going back to her place, for the reunion with Daphne and Regina. As excited, as I was to see them, Regina was at work until late and Daphne had practice. I had already told Bay about the military. I was actually surprised at how composed she was throughout the stories of training, war. I hadn't been smack in the middle of the battlefield all the time, but the army had aged me.
"Lots" Bay said. She sort of signed as she did this. I recognized the sign because of Daphne, and it occurred to me that she had to have learned quite a bit of ASL while I was gone. I stared at her extending palms, Bay stared at her hands too, and as if she were ashamed, quickly placed them on her lap, out of sight.
"Like what?" I asked. Bay was the type of person that liked to vent, I knew. Liked to talk about her life. Unless it was very upsetting. I continued to sip on my water while she contemplated what she would say next.
"Well, I, Daphne, my whole family, discovered that Regina knew about the switch." I started to speak, forgetting I was in the middle of drinking and started to violently cough. "Dammit, you alright?" Bay said, patting my back, giggling a little.
"Fine." I choked out. Bay flashed me a wry smile, and her eyes were disappointed.
"Yeah. It was a little like that for me too, when I found out." I shook my head. All those years growing up with Daphne, Regina knew? When Daphne found out, her world was rocked, and Regina knew.
"Is that why you seem upset a lot?" Bay looks a little taken aback, but recovers quickly. I smile. "You aren't that good of an actress, you know." She shook her head.
"I've never acted any way but honestly with you, actually." Bay played with her hair and continued. "Yes, that's why I'm… upset. It's just… Regina knew who and where I was. And she wanted Daphne over me. My parents want Daphne. Everyone just…" I put my hand over hers across the table, and sign.
"Wants Daphne?" She smiles gratefully. "You know that isn't true. Your parents love you and you know that." Bay nods and sighs.
"I know they do. It just feels that way sometimes."
"It's okay to be jealous, Bay. I don't think you should let your jealousy of Daphne take over everything else. You can still be happy, you know."
"I know. I only seem to be happy around you. You- and Toby, I guess, seem to be the only people non Daphne-crazed. And even this," she gestures around us, between me and her "will probably come to an abrupt end the second you reconnect with little miss perfect."
"Even if that were true, you can't let it ruin everything else, Bay. You're strong. You're young. You don't have to carry everything around on your shoulders, all the time. Just live." I grab her hand again as a gesture of comfort, but this time she pulls it away.
"Thanks Ty. Not just for this, but for everything, for spending time with me. I don't normally do this, by the way, the whole, um… vulnerable thing. I just don't want you to think that… I don't want to give you the wrong idea… I mean, I like you, but…"
"But not like that, anymore, right?" I withdraw my hand as well.
"I don't want you to think I'm using you. But you've been a good friend to me. And I could really, really use a friend right now."
"Alright." I agreed. "We'll start there." She smiled. "Besides, you said so yourself, my heart wouldn't be able to take anything more with you."
Regina
I'd been truly surprised when my phone went off at work. Daphne texted me sometimes, but this wasn't Daphne. Bay Kennish has sent you a message. View now? View Later? Instantly I had clicked view now. I'm not sure what I had expected exactly, but it wasn't this. "Ty back from army. Wants to see you and Daphne. Come straight home after work."
I was folding laundry when I heard a car outside. Leaning by the window I saw it was Bay, walking with Ty towards her garage.
"Ty! BAY!" I cried. They both turned to face me. "Oh Ty! You look like you've grown, come here!" I gave him a hug, and Bay smiled at me a little. Ty laughed.
"I doubt it. I'm just so used to standing up nicely, straight and tall these days." I laugh and lock eyes with Bay. She inserts herself into the conversation.
"Yeah, I'm sure a proper posture would have saved you from a bullet." They're both laughing, and I'm eternally grateful for whatever Ty did to extract Bay from her earlier mood, her hatred for me. Ty then put his arm around her shoulder before asking me how things have been.
"First, why don't we go inside? Regina, would that be cool with you?" Bay speaks and signs this and it takes me a moment to realize what's happening.
"Sure! Sure, why don't we…" Before I can finish, we all turn to see Emmett and Daphne pulling up on his motorcycle. Ty grabs Bay's hand and rushes over to greet them. I walk in the house to prepare some tea for them, smiling at the content look on Bay's face that I had missed. Ty's just what she needed. Things are looking up after all.
Emmett
I take off my helmet to kiss Daphne goodbye and she leans in as well. Just in time to see Bay and Ty out of the corner of my eye. When Daphne and I kiss, it's always very short and sweet, nothing special. I try to make the kiss even shorter than usual, and thankfully Daphne doesn't put up a fight at all. As if Bay knew Daphne and I were keeping things secret, she redirected Ty towards her car, mouthing something like, "Bag…forgot…car." They both turned away.
I hadn't seen Bay in weeks. I had never seen her outside, in the driveway, and she was never in the guesthouse. She was radiant. Toby said she was upset. She didn't look upset to me. Bay had been smiling a soft smile, her hair tied up. Ty attached to her. Literally. They were holding hands. They were holding hands like a couple does, they were holding hands like me and Daphne did.
They reappeared with Bay saying to Ty, "Guess I just left it inside." She signed left and inside accidentally. I could tell it was a mistake because after signing like that, she balled her fists and dragged them to her side. I mean fist. Her other hand was occupied.
As the couple made their way towards us, I pointed behind Daphne, effectively interrupting her on her story about cooking class.
"TY?" Daphne screamed. "Oh my goodness! It's good to see you! You look like you've grown!" Daphne still signed for my benefit, as she launched a hug around Ty, and launched into a huge exchange of stories since he'd left. Bay awkwardly let go of his hand and made her way closer to me as Daphne and Ty drifted into the guesthouse. Bay smiled a little.
"She sure is loud when she's excited. I haven't seen her this pumped up since the Deafenstein tribute" I just stood there for a minute. She was so tragically beautiful.
"Daphne says you haven't seen much of her at all, lately." Of all the things I think to sign, I sign this. I sign something that removes me from any possible conversation, any possible reminder of how I hurt her, and how I hurt myself. Bay shrugged, indifferent.
"I've kept to myself recently, yeah." She laughs. And it's a gorgeous sight, it makes me want to hear it. "Things have just been a little hard lately. With Regina, and" Bay gestures towards me, no signs. "… yeah." I struggle to explain myself, to justify what Bay had seen just moments before.
"Look, Bay, about what you saw, about me and Daphne... me and Daphne…" Bay titled her head, giving me an amused look as I attempted to formulate the signs.
"Kissing?" She offered. I shake my head of the memory where I taught her the sign myself. I nod.
"Yeah… kissing, I just thought you should know…" Bay shook her head, holding up her palms.
"It's none of my business." Yes it is! "Don't worry." I will, I'm always worried about you. "Your secret is safe with me." I'm sorry. "I don't know why you're keeping you and Daphne a secret though. You two together… it's what everybody wants. Daphne seems upbeat. Your mothers will be thrilled. I'm happy for you. Everybody's happy." Everybody but me.
Melody
"He's been back 5 days and it's like he never left! I'd missed him so much!" I smiled at Daphne.
"I'm glad Ty's okay." Daphne nods, animatedly.
"It's just nice to have him back. I've made so many new friends the last couple of weeks, it's nice to see some old faces." I laughed and handed Daphne another class of hot chocolate like I've done since she was eight years old. Though usually, my son was seated at her left hand side.
"Emmett didn't tell me where he was headed, but he's been out all day." Daphne processed this.
"Him and I didn't have plans or anything, I just… thought I should talk to him. I'm kind of glad I can things through with you first." Emmett was our only child, and I'd never had a daughter. As if Daphne didn't have enough parents, I felt like a second… well, third, mother to her sometimes.
"First of all, please don't tell Emmett I said anything. And second of all, please don't tell my mom anything." I narrow my eyes but keep my smile in place. Daphne was generally a very honest person.
"Cross my heart." Daphne smiled, and then hesitated.
"Emmett and I have sort of… We've been kind of… seeing each other." I chuckled.
"I've noticed, it's like he's never home anymore." She gave me an expectant look. "Oh. Oh wow, you mean you've been… seeing each other, you've been… dating?" Daphne blushes a little a nods.
After my conversation with Emmett, I wasn't sure if he was going to date Daphne or not. When things quickly continued as status quo, I'd figured he'd politely decided they didn't fit well as couple. Emmett would have told me if he was dating Daphne. Unless he didn't trust me.
"It's not that we didn't want to tell you. We just wanted to see how things would work out, before actually making an event of it." I nodded. Given Emmett's previous relationship history, I wasn't too surprised.
"I'm glad we did keep it a secret, actually. Because, even though it's only been a couple weeks, and I've only dated one guy… I don't think that… that…"
"That?" I prompted. Daphne cringes and continues her thought.
"I don't think we're right for each other." She gauges my reaction, but I remain an indecipherable statue. I had widened my eyes in shock, but regained my composure before she could notice.
Emmett was sure that him and Bay could work. Then I'd influenced him, practically forcing him onto Daphne, triggering a breakup. I had noticed Emmett had been… all right. He still smiled, but didn't laugh as often. He didn't play the drums anymore. His camera was collecting dust on his dresser. I figured it was because he broke up with Bay. Maybe it was because he was with Daphne, as horrible as the thought sounds.
"I thought, since we have such a special history, we're both deaf, we're best friends, that we were perfect for each other. I thought I really liked him as more than my best friend. Maybe my love for him might be more than just platonic." I just sit in my living room chair, taking in what Daphne is saying to me, listening to more proof that I was mistaken.
"I think I just wanted to have a real claim to him. Everything around me was falling apart, my mom, Kathryn and John, everything with me and Bay…" Bay. I can't imagine what Bay has been up to, I haven't seen or heard from or about that girl in almost a month."…I figured he was the only one always there for me. I confused it for love, but I think I just needed a reminder that Emmett will always be my best friend." I pursed my lips.
"Who made you realize this?" She frowned confused.
"Nobody. I did. I realized it myself." I nodded and gestured for her to go on. "We're too comfortable around each other. It's like nothing has changed. I don't get extra excited to see him. We don't do anything… special, spontaneous."
"So it's just like everything was when you two were only best friends." Daphne shrugs a little then.
"Except now we kiss. Emmett's not a bad kisser, or anything, but it just feels… like nothing. He seems a little… I mean, not sad, but not his usual self anymore. Things are back to normal, but sometimes, he'll just zone out when I'm talking, or cancel plans last minute. Probably because of everything that's happened, you know, recently…" I nodded, understandingly.
"Yes, he took the breakup very hard." Daphne vehemently agreed.
"I bet. I mean, he didn't even want to speak to me for a while since he was so upset about it, he said he just wanted to be alone."
"Same with me. Emmett kind of closed off from everyone, I guess. The only time he spoke to me during his period of silence was to inform me about it at all." Daphne suddenly frowned, confused.
"Inform you?" I nodded.
"Yes. I was begging him to tell me what was upsetting him and he just blurted out that Bay had broken up with him." Daphne's face is a frozen mask of horror, and I wave my hand to recapture her attention. "Daphne?"
"What do you mean Bay broke up with him?" I signed to explain.
"Emmett said that after he found out you were interested in him, Bay broke up with him." Daphne stands up, still clearly in shock.
"Broke up? How… When were they dating? How did I not know? She didn't tell me? He didn't tell me? What… He said nothing was going on!"
"I thought you knew!" I protested. "What did you mean by the split up?"
"I meant you and Emmett's dad!" I put my hand on my forehead, not as a sign, but as a symbol of exasperation.
"I think you should talk to Emmett." Without so much as a sign goodbye, Daphne takes off, slamming the door behind her. Not that I heard it.
John
"Bay? Bay, hurry up in there, we're setting the table soon." I say, as I knock on her bathroom door.
"Dad?" I hear, but not from the bathroom. "Dad?" I follow Bay's voice down the hall to… her room. If Bay was in her room… Then who was using Bay's bathroom to shower?
"What's… Who's…" standing in Bay's doorway, her seated on her bed, I crane my neck to see the guest bedroom door open from across her room. With a bag on the sitting chair, and clothes laid out on the bed. Men's clothes.
"Okay, dad, before you freak out…" I cut my daughter off immediately.
"Who's freaking out? Who would freak out when there's a man staying in our guest room, using your bathroom, under my roof? Without my knowledge?"
"Mom knows." Bay says, tentatively. We both know she played the right card, as I spin away from her room and stomp down to the kitchen.
My wife is tossing a salad when she notices me standing, a stern look on my face.
"Is this about Ty?" Kathryn guesses nonchalantly, as she continues to wash some more romaine lettuce.
"Ty? Is that who's showering in Bay's bathroom?" Kathryn nods to me.
"He just got back from the army. He has angina and they sent him home. He thought he was going to be gone longer, so, he has nowhere to stay. Ty's a good boy, John, you should talk to him, and he's very mature." I roll my eyes as I slam my palms on the counter.
"Well, I'll bet. When I was 19, I was…" My wife raises her eyebrows at me, inviting me to continue. I know better than to comply.
"Oh come on, John, it's not like you caught him in the shower with Bay in there, too!" I must look as furious as I feel, because Kathryn suddenly keels over laughing.
"Honey, don't worry about it. If Regina trusts him, so do I"
Daphne
I can't believe Emmett wouldn't tell me something like this. It was obviously a secret, Melody would have told my mom… My mom would have told me. Emmett should have told me! He should have…
Before I can continue my inner seething, I'm falling over on Emmett's driveway, coming face to face with the Secret Keeping friend himself.
"Hey Daphne. We had plans? I hope you haven't…" Emmett offers me his left hand as he signs with his right, and I flick it away as I get up on my own.
"Why didn't you tell me about you and Bay, huh? Your mom just told me that Bay broke up with you? How do you break up with someone you aren't dating? Because you weren't dating, were you, Emmett? You would have told me, wouldn't you? You said; Nothing. Was. Going. On." Emmett looks so guilty at first, before finally lazily signing an apology.
"Nothing was going on when you asked. But when you did it got me thinking, so I went to see her, and I sort of… Told her I liked her." I scoff in disbelief, but Emmett keeps signing.
"We started seeing each other, but it was all so new… She was still learning to sign. When my mom found out, she was very unhappy." I clench my fists at my sides to prevent from hitting something as he continues. "When you told Bay you liked me, she came to see me and said that I belonged with you, and not her. She broke up with me for you." I unclench my fists.
"Why didn't you tell me?" Emmett sighs.
"Bay wanted me to. Bay was going to, but we didn't want to upset you, to make you think that Bay was doing it just to upset you." Was she?
"Were you?" Emmett vehemently denied it.
"No, no way, of course not. I really liked her. Very much." Not anymore?
"How long had you been seeing each other?"
"Right after we gave up looking for your father." I just nod.
"I'm not happy you didn't tell me. I'm not happy you decided to try things out with me before telling me, and I'm especially not happy that you jumped into 'trying things out with me' right after 'trying things out with Bay'. I hope it's made you realize what's a better fit, because I know the answer." If I've been unsure about our trying things out, no doubt at this point he was too.
"Daphne, our parents would be ecstatic. You've always been so special to me, my best friend. Growing up, though, I always had a crush on you. You had to have known, everyone knew." Emmett runs a hand threw his hair and I just let him finish getting it all out. I know what he'll be saying, anyhow.
"Together, we're… comfortable. It's natural with you, easy as breathing. That's all it is, though. Breathing, not… living. I love you Daphne, I have always loved you, and I will always love you. I'm glad we tried things out. I've pictured being with you a thousand times and now that I have…"
"It's not what you expected?" I finish his sentence. Emmett sends me a sad smile, but I can see he feels a little freer. And I feel a little lighter, like we're not just keeping up appearances anymore.
"No, it's not. You were a fantasy Daphne, and I shouldn't have made you more than you were. You are my best friend. Forever. That's all. And that's enough for me. If you're ready, I would like to get back to being best friends." I give him a wry smile.
"Not that much had changed." I say, punching him lightly in the shoulder. Emmett lights up like it's Christmas morning and smiles.
"You feel the same way?" I smile.
"I know I'm not exactly experienced, but I think I know what a relationship is supposed to be like. Our relationship was just our best friendship. With a few kisses." Emmett rolls his eyes at this. "And I sure hope Bay taught you more than that, because you're a horrible kisser!" I joke. Emmett's jaw drops in surprise as he shoves me, while I laugh, and laugh.
"Hey! She taught me more! And according to her, I wasn't that bad to begin with." I put my hand on his shoulder.
"I love you too, Emmett. You'll always be my best friend. I'm sorry I indirectly caused this, but I'm sure Bay would teach you some more, if you…" My best friend's face instantly turns sombre.
"No. No, she'll be teaching Ty from now on."
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