AN: Thank you once again for all your encouraging words, for the favouritising my story and me as an author. This is my first go at fanfiction and it has been an awesome ride… I may just be hooked forever. So 1x10 aired but I don't feel like my story will manage to bend itself into that shape, so I am going off on a complete tangent now. I hope you enjoy the alternative version I present.

Chapter 8:

He wakes because he feels something move on his arm, tickling him, and when he opens his eyes and looks down, sees long dark hair there, he is confused for a split second. Then he remembers, Bay is there in his arms, in the exact same position that they were in when they fell asleep, her body curled inside of his, forming a C, warm and soft. He immediately notices that something in him has awoken as well and adjusts his body, jutting his bottom away from her in the hope that she won't notice the embarrassing morning excitement in his boxers. She turns around and looks at him, eyes half open, smiling the lazy smile of someone who just had a really nice, relaxing sleep and he can't stop himself from reaching forward, touching her hair and putting his lips over hers. His hand wanders into her t shirt, settles on her tummy, grazing her skin softly with his thumb but he sees her face change and she pushes his hand away, shakes her head. "No. Sorry, it just will be too hard… sorry." she signs and says, and he knows she is right, but that doesn't make it easier, he just wants to put his covers over them, build a tent, like back when he was little and needed to hide from his parents fighting, somewhere to hide away from the world. But he is not little anymore and the covers are not impenetrable like he used to think, so he nods and rolls himself out of bed.

Melody is so angry, she slept for a couple of hours and woke up even more angry and she knows this is irrational behavior but she needs to vent and to blame someone and she can't stay at home, face the teen lovers, so she rings the doorbell again and again and again, not caring that it is freaking 6:30 in the morning. When Regina opens the door, rubbing sleep out of her eyes, she just rushes inside without waiting for a "good morning", an "what on earth are you doing here at this time" or an invitation in. She starts signing furiously and Regina asks her to slow down. "Your daughter and my son, she spent the night, they were in his bed, naked! This is not ok, you can't allow that!" she signs and Regina looks confused, shakes her head. "My daughter slept here, I saw her before she went to bed!" she signs back and then looks towards Daphne's door, and they both see her there, openmouthed and incredulous, staring at Melody. "You OTHER daughter!" Melody signs and Daphne slams the door so hard Melody feels it vibrate in her chest. Regina stares from the door to Melody and back to the door. "I didn't even know Bay and Emmett were dating" she explains. "And they are big kids… they are old enough to make these decisions themselves." Melody used to share this sentiment and she feels that she might not have been as angry if she had caught Daphne curled into Emmett's arms, but she tells herself that it is her little boy doing grown up stuff that gets her and not that his partner in crime is hearing. "And now, I am sorry Melody but I have to go and talk to Daphne. You are welcome to have coffee… or something." Melody shakes her head determinedly and apologizes halfheartedly, then leaves, drives through the city and ends up with a couple of giant starbucks cups at her ex husbands' new apartment. He has to talk to Emmett about this.

She puts the red toothbrush down and runs her tongue over teeth, enjoying the clean smooth feeling, ties her hair back and tells her mirror image "It's ok. She would do this for you. You do this for her. It makes sense. Don't fuck up the family more than it already is. This is what a mature good person does. Be good and mature!" Feeling a lot happier with herself after her little self-peptalk she exits the bathroom and sees that Emmett has got dressed without showering (just like herself) and he looks a bit confused. "My mom is not here." he signs clearly wondering why she would not be home at 6:45 am and she is a little bit relieved, his mom is a scary woman who clearly disapproves of Bay and refuses to speak orally in her presence, so not having to face her this morning after having slept cuddled up to her son is really the best case scenario for everyone. It is really early but maybe she had something to do. She takes the coffee cup he is drinking from and takes a sip of it, it is bitter and really strong. He grins at her eyes opening with shock. "One sip of this will keep me awake for a week!" she tells him "I will go now, I need to go home, get new clothes and a library book." He nods and loses the smile immediately. Why is this so hard? He could really try not to look as much like a kicked puppy. She grabs her bag, puts on her shoes all while he stares at her, those blue eyes the size of dinner dishes, his brow furrowed. She has decided not to cry, this will be dignified, so she walks to the door where he meets her and envelopes her in a hug. Biting her lip hard to keep the tears in check she hugs him back, then when he lets her go she touches his cheek briefly. "You are awesome." she signs, and smiles for him, turning around and quickly going to her car, hoping the tears will stay in until she has left the driveway. She sees him in the rearview mirror, standing near the door in his driveway barefoot and she is pretty sure she didn't see right, because he can't possibly be wiping tears away himself.

Toby sees her do the walk of shame back into the house through his window and goes to wait for her in her room. "Hey sissy" he says once she is inside, and she closes the door quickly. "What are you doing in here?" "Hey, hey, I am here to give you the heads up. I told mom and dad that you were sleeping at Simone's, that you had called while they were out and told me, but I am not going to cover your ass if you don't do a better job at it yourself!" "What do you mean?" she is confused. He lifts his eyebrows till they nearly touch his hairline. "I am fairly sure that a certain deaf mom may have seen you guys, because her car woke me at 6:30 and I may have heard Regina say something about her daughter sleeping here. Her voice really carries well in the early morning." Bay's eyes threaten to pop out of her head. "She went and told Regina? And we aren't little kids anymore. I can sleep with him if I want to!" Toby shrugs "Look, if you are being… ehem… "safe" I don't care what you do with whom. But I don't want to be stuck in the middle. Don't wanna look like a liar. And that woman, Emmett's mom, she is going to kick your ass. I just wanted you to know. Be prepared!" He is leaving the room when she says in a tiny voice "We broke up, this was a … goodbye thing. Not that it is any of your business." He turns around and sees her break into tears and he can't not walk back and give her a hug. "I'm sorry. I'm really sorry." he whispers into her shoulder as she finally lets it all out.

She has cried herself out, washed her face, changed into clean clothes and now is having a glass of juice, when she sees Daphne walk past the door, not exactly looking her cheerful self this morning either. She gets up, rushes outside to tell her, to let her know that it is over, that she did the right thing but Daphne sees her and starts almost running. She hurries up, grabs her by the arm. "What is wrong with you?" she signs and then backs up a little, afraid Daphne may spit in her face. "You slept with him! I asked you to break up and you went and slept with him?" she barks and Bay wonders how fast news really travel. Especially when news are about sex. And she regrets that a few weeks ago she led Daphne to believe (not in quite as many words) that she was sexing it up with Liam, because there is no way in hell that Daphne will believe her if she says they didn't do anything last night. And really, she shouldn't have to, she broke up with him. For her. What she did or didn't do while with him has nothing to do with her. The anger in her tells her to scream at Daphne that yes, she had awesome sex with him and to go and screw herself. But she tries to swallow it, fast, because things are spinning out of control and this is why she ended it, right? So things with Daphne would be ok. "We broke up, just like you wanted. Ask him if you don't believe me." she barks back. "and you are welcome!"

Daphne doesn't know what to believe, she has never felt so conflicted in her life and she doesn't want to go and ask Emmett, but then she doesn't even get the chance to, as he doesn't show up at his locker before class and she doesn't see him in class either. They would not have second and third period together, so she doesn't see him there and her anger has definitely cooled down considerably when she does meet him between third and fourth. He looks pretty pensive, a little sad even, but forces a smile when he sees her and she doesn't even have to ask, as he comes volunteering the information. "Bay broke up with me." he says and she wonders about the way he words it, not "we broke up" like Bay said, but rather "she broke up with me". She doesn't want to say anything but it kind of comes out like verbal diarrhea. "She slept at yours? You slept WITH her?" He looks at her, his brow furrowing and she can see him getting angry by degrees. "That is none of your business. Y And you don't get to judge me. Or her… you disgust me! You wanted us apart, now be happy." And he rushes off, shaking his head, leaving her feeling in pain and numb at the same time inside. Tears shoot into her eyes, things are so unfair. She just wanted fairness, she just wanted everything to go back to where things made sense, where she wasn't so lonely, where it didn't hurt to think about Emmett or Bay. Did she do it all wrong? Now everyone is upset and sad and everyone is blaming it on her. Did she make a proper friendship… sisterhood even, with Bay impossible? And worst of all, did she just lose her best friend?