Pink shoe laces bounced against the swinging foot as blue eyes focused on their dance. Melody watched her bright white shoes with the pink laces as she pushed her fingertips through the worn fur of her pink bunny. He was soft and warm and worn in all of the right places, a relic from a happier time, a time when she had her mother, and a home of her own. She looked up toward the person in front of her, the person driving the car that she was sitting in, the person who was watching her for a moment through the rear view mirror, a slight smile in his green eyes. She found herself smiling slightly back at him, she couldn't help it. He was warm and kind and protective, something that she had found was a rare treat in her life, safety was a novelty to her, and she felt like she could breathe. Melody pursed her lips, her lower lip sliding between her teeth as she closed her eyes for a moment, opening them again to see him glancing back at her again. This time, a brighter smile moved her lips upward as she began to recognize buildings.

She held her hand up, wiggling her tiny fingers as her fist pushed down on her hand. "Ant?" she signed, tipping her head slightly. She wanted to make sure again that they were heading where he had said they were going. She had been lied to far too many times to trust anyone, and though he was kind and protective, she had to remind herself that she really didn't know him. He nodded his head and winked at her, watching her attention move toward the window again. Her smile quickly disappeared, her eyes focusing outside for a moment as Aiden pulled the car into a parking garage. Melody's fingers gripped her stuffed bunny tighter in her hands and she swallowed hard as she felt a rush of anxiety fill her tummy. She let out a little whimper, the vibration causing her throat to become dry as she watched Aiden sign to her calm. She looked around and saw the logo on the wall, immediately recognizing it as the symbol on Ant's lab coat, and she immediately began to calm. She watched Aiden's eyes and could see a deep concern in the depths of her gaze, her fears seeming to blossom from thin air as he scanned his identification card and spoke for a moment with the security guard in the garage.

Melody snapped her attention to the security guard, his hair white, a big belly as he hitched his pants as he spoke with Aiden. She watched him make eye contact with her, or at least he seemed to, though the dark tinted windows made it possible that he couldn't see her, but perhaps was told she was there. She looked back to the rearview mirror, catching Aiden's gaze again, he gave her a slight smile, and the SUV moved past the lifting bar and toward a parking space.

He parked the car, and Melody continued to bounce her foot, the laces still smacking lightly against her sneaker. He climbed from the driver's seat and turned, closing the door securely, he moved toward the back seat and opened the door, watching her eyes move toward him, he seemed almost hesitant to unlatch her buckle. Her little foot continued to bounce, her arms still wrapped securely around her bunny. Aiden watched her for a moment, those blue eyes flashing up at him as a smile lit up her face.

"Hey sunshine." He said softly, watching her foot stop bouncing for a moment, she watched him for a moment. He reached over, almost as if asking her permission, and she lifted her foot to him. He made quick work of tying her shoe, ensuring that the laces were tight, and then reached over to unbuckle the seatbelt. As soon as it was unlatched, Melody's arms were around his neck as he lifted her from the seat.

She watched him for a moment as he closed the door, holding her body against his as he turned and walked briskly toward the elevator, his hand on her stuffed bunny as he made sure that it was securely in her arms. She watched as he pushed the elevator button, his hand lingering for a moment as he waited, standing straight, she caught his eyes. Her hand was on the pendant around her neck, her tiny fingers fumbling with the flat silver of the pendant, and she watched as he smiled. He held his finger to his lips, reaffirming the secret that they had between them, and she grinned brightly. Suddenly her attention was brought to the opening elevator door, and they stepped inside. Melody held him tightly as he pushed a button, her eyes flicking around the elevator until they found that logo again, that one from Ant's work clothes, and she calmed, focusing her dark blue eyes on that symbol until the elevator doors opened again.

He moved to put her to the floor, but she held fast to his shirt, emitting a whine that made him hold her closer to him. As they stepped down the hallway, the familiarity seemed to be coming back, and her grip lightened a bit as he scanned his key card into the big work space that she had been in the day before.

Her eyes raked over the lab, seeing things that she hadn't noticed the day before in her fit of panic, or her whisking away into different rooms. The first thing Melody noticed was that there were people everywhere. People in white coats, blue coats, familiar people that she was sure she had seen before, though all the while her eyes were scanning for one person. She was carried across the hard floor toward the office she had been in the day before, her eyes still moving from person to person as her grip tightened on Aiden once again.

They stepped into the office to find it empty, and Aiden swooped her down playfully onto the couch, her eyes bright as he smiled at her. She watched him carefully as he looked toward the door. It didn't take but a moment before the door opened again, and Antonia stepped inside. She had her hair pulled up into a ponytail, and wore a blue lab coat with the logo that Melody remembered.

"There you are." Antonia signed to her, smiling at the little girl, she crouched down and smiled at her.

"Here I am." Melody replied, looking up at Aiden, she smiled.

"Have you been a good girl?" Antonia asked, looking up to Aiden as she spoke the words. He smiled and nodded.

"Yes." She nodded, also looking up at Aiden, she gave him a sly smile. His eyes widened as he shook his head, and she grinned.

"What are you two up to?" Antonia asked, her eyes showing a playfully suspicious glare.

"Nothing." Aiden shrugged. "Don't know what you're talking about."

Antonia shook her head, her eyes moving to the little girl as she tipped her head. Antonia immediately noticed the shimmer of silver around Melody's neck, and she narrowed her eyes in confusion. "What's this?" She asked, looking at the pendant. "This isn't my pendant." She whispered, looking up at Aiden.

"No." He said, crouching down. "Melody and I did some shopping today." He said softly.

"St. Francis de Sales." Antonia whispered, looking at the pendant. "I don't understand." When she turned to look up at Aiden, she found he had moved behind her, crouching down as well.

"St. Francis de Sales is the patron saint of deaf people." He whispered.

"I don't… why…?"

"Because I thought you might like this back." He said, dropping her St. Anthony medal from his hand, the chain holding the pendant as it flickered in the light, and hanging from his fingertip. He delighted in the gasp she let out when she noticed the diamond solitaire ring that lightly hit against the pendant, also hanging from the delicate chain.

"Aiden." She whispered, her eyes immediately filling with tears. "Aiden." She said again, unable to find her words, she stood up and looked down at him as he watched her. He stood up, still holding the necklace on his fingertip. "Aiden." She whispered.

"Antonia." He said with a bit of a laugh on his lips as he watched her tears spill over. "Hey, no crying." He whispered, he reached forward and rubbed his thumb over the tears on her cheek.

"Aiden." She said again, swallowing hard, it was a whimper, as she rested her forehead against his.

"So?" He asked. "What do you say?" He whispered.

"You didn't ask a question." She laughed through her tears, sniffling a bit as she watched his green eyes sparkle.

"Marry me, Tex. It doesn't have to be today, but someday soon." He whispered. "What do you say?" He asked. "Tex?"

"Shut up, yes." She sniffled with a laugh, as she reached for him, pulling him into a hug, he held her tightly against him as she sighed into his shoulder. She pulled from the hug with a bright smile, taking the pendant and ring in her hand as she took a deep breath. However, just as suddenly as the breath had been taken, it had been pushed from her lungs again, and just as suddenly as her smile had appeared, it disappeared as the door to the office opened, and she was met with they eyes of her mother, set in a steely glare.