That's the Way We Are

Bay paints a mural of sorts.

It's abstract and muted and each color does its part in blending into a completely different shade. She begins with the tertiary slate as a base and then she's stuck. She typically uses a lot of black in her painting, creating a lot of shades and shadows.

Something only befitting the tortured teenage soul of a sixteen year old girl who was unwittingly thrown into an alternate continuum of time and space.

But it just…she's not feeling that. She's feeling just about the opposite actually. She could always tint it and make it lighter with white, which would still be intense, but more noticeable to the eye. But tinting always fades out easier and it's not as aesthetically pleasing in her eyes.

And then Emmett comes to mind again, for some reason. Emmett, and his hands. And his hands speak for him and the way he uses them…

Her mind slowly disintegrates itself in the gutter for a moment and she literally has to shake her head clear from the clutter.

She decides on tones and intermixing each color with a touch of gray. She sets a few strokes on her canvas and thinks of Ty. And blue-green eyes.

But Ty doesn't have blue-green eyes. His are dark like opals and glitter like obsidian. She dips her paintbrush into a russet tone before swiping it across her canvas. She adds five different variations of reddish yellows, sparking up like flames into the black. Bay has Adele's 21 on a loop obscurely in the background and it wouldn't be the first time she let music take over as her muse. After around the 6th time, she begins mumbling the lyrics, "I let it fall, my heart. And as it fell, you rose to claim it…"

The colors nearly fade into the black, but they are so distinct, so bright, that they can't possibly unnoticed by an onlooker. She paints more yellows and oranges at the base. And then, experimentally, she paints a tan like stroke extending itself from the flames. She carves out another an inch to the side of it and fills it in with beiges and coppers. Fingers are etched out in the black and suddenly a hand materializes in front of her.

Bay puts down her brush and yawns, done for the night and not willing herself to dwell on it any longer.

She closes down her studio for the night and heads into the house, sneaking through the foyer because it was late until her nose caught the scent of baking chocolate, and well, she couldn't go to sleep after that, now could she?

She creeps into the kitchen and just like last time, it's Daphne and her badass cooking that has intoxicated her senses. Instead of trying to startle her this time, she gently touches her shoulder and Daphne looks over, frightened at first, but with a few calming breaths, she nods. Bay knows it's dark and that she may not be able to see her lips as much, so she points to the oven and raise her arms in the air with her hands to signify What and Daphne nods stiffly, "Chocolate mousse petifores."

And God, why haven't her parents adopted this girl yet? Oh, wait…

Bay goes to turn on the overhead lights and looks back at Daphne with a smile, but the redhead's lips are pursed and Bay realizes that she's still mad from earlier. "Are you still mad?"

"Does chocolate taste good?" Daphne asks testily.

Um…

"Yes," Bay answers with a nod.

"Then, there's your answer," Daphne says thickly, before turning her attention back to her timer. Bay frowns and touches her shoulder to get her attention again, but Daphne shrugs it off. Bay sighs. If she's going to play hard to get, then she's going to have to play harder. Without notice, Bay snatches the timer from the counter and heads to the other side of the island in the kitchen. Daphne gasps and heads after her, but Bay retreats to the other side before the redhead can catch up. "Bay, give that back; I need to see when they're done!"

"Then I need you to give me a few minutes to make my point, just a couple," The brunette pleads, and Daphne crosses her arms, waiting. "Look, I'm sorry. I didn't think it was that big of a deal because it's not like we've been hanging out as friends, he's just helping me find my father."

"And you're sure that's all this is?" Daphne asks conspiratorially. "Or is it that now Ty is gone you need yet another one of my friends as your own?"

Bay's jaw slacks. "It wasn't even like that with Ty, first of all. I met him before I knew that he knew you."

"And it was the same between Liam and I, but you still wanted me to break up with him," Daphne says just as fiercely.

"I was upset, okay? And even being a little bitchy about it," Bay concedes, running a hand through her wavy locks in frustration. Daphne gives her a long and hard look and Bay scoffs, "Okay, very bitchy about it. I felt like I was…irrelevant, after you moved in. You already have Regina's attention and mom and dad were really interested in knowing more about you and it was like I was fading into the background and I've never felt like that before." Bay's eyes avert to the ground, a heavy weight released from her petite shoulders. "I, um, I'm not the nicest, smartest, most well-doing girl, ever, but you are, and it's hard to compete with that so close to home and all of the time. And it was immature," Bay nods. "I didn't really think you'd really break up with Liam, but I did want to guilt trip you about it. I guess I wanted you to feel as bad as I've been starting to feel." Bay sighs after saying all that, and then rolls her eyes, "I know that this all sounds ridiculous-"

"It's not," Daphne murmurs.

"And I understand why you feel the way you do, and I don't expect you to feel sympathy about it either. Liam and Ty would probably say I was being overdramatic again," Bay says with a wry chuckle and a shake of her head. "But Emmett doesn't judge me; he doesn't say I'm being overdramatic and he doesn't try to placate me or patronize me. He really listened to me and I know he's deaf but I know why you'd want him all to yourself," The brunette smiles genuinely. "He's sweet and honest and resourceful," Bay lists off Emmett's qualities, the ones she admires with an immediate fondness before she can stop herself. Daphne surveys her curiously as Bay's cheeks start to tint. "Who wouldn't want someone like that to be their friend? And it's not like I want to take him away from you, it's just that…I think he could be a really good friend to me, and I need a really good friend right now."

Daphne nods. "And Ty?"

"I'll be waiting for him when he gets back," Bay promised.

Daphne gives a small smile. "Okay," She says breathily. The timer in Bay's hand lights up and Daphne looks at her, "Would you like one?"

"Does chocolate taste good?" Bay asks cheekily and Daphne laughs as she goes to get them out of the oven.

And everything's not perfect, but it's a lot better than what it was before.

The next day, now that the air's been cleared –mostly- and the chocolate's been eaten –seriously, where were they all her life- Bay invites Emmett over after her mom asks Daphne if she wants to make out via handsies, which is like footsies but with more hands than feet, Toby steals a Chem answering sheet from Buckner Hall, and dad's still on the lawsuit rampage.

Just another typical morning in the newly formed Kennish-Vasquez housing alliance.

Bay barges into Toby's room that morning with Daphne in tow. "You stole the tests! I mean, I know you were pretty hard up after that last loss, but I didn't really think you'd stoop that low," She accuses with crossed arms.

"And how did you come to the conclusion that I stole the test based off that?" Toby inquires with a quirked brow.

Daphne, not having seen the movement of Bay's lips, scrunches up her brow until Toby talks. "You stole the test?" She proclaims loudly with wide eyes after seeing Toby continue the conversation.

"Hey Daphne, if you say that a little louder, I'm sure East Riverside could hear you," Toby snipes as he closes the door.

Bay's eyes widen comically in shock at the defamation her brother did to himself as Daphne turns to look at her. "Oh my wow. Wow. I can't believe you did it; how could you do something like that, Toby?" Daphne turns back to Toby to see his careless shrug.

"Well, I owed Wilke money, a lot of money. And since we sold the test, I don't owe him money anymore," Toby reveals, to which Daphne frowns. She knew he was up to something the day before, and she was hoping to maybe even stop him before he went through with whatever dumb thing he and Wilke could've planned but she certainly didn't think it would be to this extent. She also didn't think that Wilke would let him go through with that, but she was obviously wrong about that too.

"Oh, and just like that, problem's solved huh?" Bay snarks sarcastically. "Is that what you're telling the dean when he suspends you, or dad when he finds out that you were suspended?"

"The dean's not finding out because he has no way of finding out, and dad's not finding out either because neither of you are going to tell him," Toby looks at both girls critically, portraying the message that he wasn't giving them the option to tell anyone. "Right?"

"The dean already knows because he sent out the alert, use your head!" Bay retorts. "And we're not saying anything; you dug this hole, you get yourself out," Bay scathes and Toby rolls his eyes before exiting the room. Daphne steps in front of Bay, still trying to process everything.

"Wait, how do we help them? There's gotta be a way for us to help them…" Daphne defends helplessly.

"Help them with what? Justify a stupid act with more stupidity?" Bay sighs. "Whatever is done is done, and it's because they both did it for their own selfish reasons, we're staying out of this."

Daphne nods, but looks down with pursed pink lips.

Bay's expression softens as she touches her shoulder to gain her attention. "What's wrong?"

"I don't think I can stay out of it, Wilke's driving me to Buckner for cooking class today," Daphne murmurs thickly.

"Then just don't mention it," Bay says with a narrowed brow, and Daphne looks at her silently for a very long moment. "Fine, but don't say I didn't warn you." Bay steps past her and Daphne's face falls as she wonders what she could do or say to her biological brother.

If she could say or do anything at all.

"Okay, so, I'm telling you this because I'm not sure who else I can talk to about this –Daphne would probably freak again, I'm not telling my parents something Toby needs to tell them, and…you're pretty much the closest thing I have to a best friend right now."

So, other than that, what am I? Emmett signs with a wry smirk. Chopped liver?

"I love how you just sign things like that, and expect me to understand." Bay says dryly, albeit amusement laced in her voice. "I bet you just called me bratty or ugly, right?"

Emmett shakes his head, eyes narrowed in thought. Then, he looks at her meaningfully, and mouths the words he signs this time. I'd be lying.

Bay laughs, head bowed bashfully. She looks back up and exhales vocally. "Okay, Toby has been acting weird and it's because he stole a test from school and sold the answers to pay off his debt to Wilke." She says, not too fast and not too slowly. Emmett shakes his head in disapproval. "Yeah, I know, right?" Bay agrees. "Then the principal knows and is threatening to expel and last but not least," She says with a blossoming smile on her reddened lips. She spent most of the lunch period perfecting this from her ASL book because she really wanted to be able to say this, and she learned from reading that the three most important things in any physical language was the shape, location, and movement. So she begins by resting he hand on her chest. "I," She points to her temple. "Think I," Her hand makes a slender curve in the air, "Found my," and the pad of her thumb touches her forehead, "Father!" And suddenly, she's not just saying random words, but an actual sentence and it feels pretty awesome when Emmett looks at her and she knows he understood what she just said with certainty.

Emmett gives her a slow clap with an approving nod and Bay bows. She looks up suddenly, "You're not patronizing me, are you?"

Emmett shakes his head deliberately with closed eyes.

"Good," Bay sighs. "Do you want to see him?" She asks with a teasing smile, which Emmett nods enthusiastically at. She grabs his hand, warm and firm, and leads him into her art studio to a lounge chair in front of a computer. She sits in it, he relaxes beside her on the armrest as she brings up the webpage she was last looking at. On it is a man of Hispanic descent with earphones wrapped around his neck. Emmett's lips quirk and he brushes his hand against Bay's to get her attention. Mouthing as he signs, he says, He's a DJ. Moving his hands as if he's operating a turntable. Bay nods, "Yeah, he's a DJ, late 30s, so he's around the right age. He works at a club over at East Riverside –it has to be him! Plus," She holds up her laptop with her cheek to the screen and smiles a smile similar to the one the man on it has. "We look alike don't we?"

Emmett looks from the screen, back to her face, and to the screen again and the resemblance is seriously striking. He waves his hands his hands in the air with a bright smile and winking dimples.

Bay bounces, "That's the sign for excited, you're excited! I'm excited too, but," The light in her eyes wane and Emmett's brow furrows in concern. "What if he doesn't like me?" She reveals quietly. "What if he thinks I'm, I don't know, what if he doesn't want me? And what do I say? 'Hi, I'm your daughter, but not the deaf one you left, your real daughter!' He'll think I'm crazy!" She rambles, curling her finger by her temple.

Emmett grabs her hand suspended in the air and holds it for a moment, keeping eye contact, confidence looking into vulnerability. He points to the screen, and then his hand vertically in the air. He puts both of his hands in a fist and crosses his arms over his chest before pointing at Bay, mouthing the words.

He will love you.

"You think so?" Bay brightens. She wraps her arms over her chest the way he did prior, "Is this the sign for love?" Emmett nods enthusiastically and Bay squeals in awe, "That's so cute!" She says, swaying in her seat while Emmett mimics her movements.

Just then, Daphne approaches the doorway with crossed arms. "So are you two in love now?" Daphne asks thickly, over exaggerating her movements jokingly, causing Bay and Emmett to look over wide-eyed like two children caught with a jar of cookies before dinner. Both instantly retract their arms to their sides and shake their heads fervently.

"No, no, we were just –practicing! That's it, practicing," Bay says nervously.

"For what?" Daphne asks with a raised brow.

"I think I found my father," Bay says, more confidently with her signs. Daphne pauses and Bay stands, walking up to her. "I know that he left, but what if you could find out why? Don't you want to know why?"

Daphne opens her mouth, and then closes it. Finally she huffs and says, "I don't know if I want to know to be honest."

Emmett stands next to Bay, giving Daphne a hard look. I know you want to know; you've wanted to know your whole life.

And what if I don't like the answer? Daphne signs with a scoffing look on her face. What then?

Then you deal with it. Emmett responds surely, Just like you've dealt with everything else.

Bay looks between them, not knowing the exact words being said, but recognizing the fear and apprehension in Daphne's eyes, the same feeling she just felt. And recognizing body language was a more basic form of sign language anyways, wasn't it? "His name is Angelo. Angelo Sorrento. He DJs," She says, pretending to operate an imaginary turn table, "At a nightclub and he's going to be there tonight," She finishes, overlaying one palm over the back of her other hand. "Come with us," She says with her hands.

Daphne looks at Emmett. You're going too?

Emmett shrugs. I have to see how this all plays out, don't I? He smirks, You too.

Daphne cranes her head in response and then looks at both of them. "Give me some time to think about it," She says, signing slowly enough for Bay to understand.

Bay nods, looking over at Emmett before looking back, "We can do that."

Daphne glances between her best friend and Bay before walking out and Bay lets out a breath when she turns, "That went a lot better than expected." It takes her a moment to realize that Emmett isn't by her side anymore and that he's looking at some of her paintings in progress –a fiery yellow background with a random blue eye in the middle, and then her mural which takes up most of the back wall.

Maybe she has been thinking about him too much.

Bay walks over to say something, but she notices he's transfixed on it. He looks at her and points and then points to the painting with questioning in his eyes. She nods immediately, "Yeah, I painted this last night." She says anxiously. She doesn't really let people see her artwork prior to it being finished and she doesn't let muses see it period.

Emmett looks at Bay and then the hand in the picture and smiles in approval. He snaps his wrist by his face fluidly, That's cool.

Bay shakes her head. "I don't know what that means," She says good-naturedly.

Emmett takes her hand and shapes out the sign in her hand as if it was clay and holds her hand to her face, repeating the same movement. He enunciates the word slowly this time. Cool.

"Oh? Cool? Cool!" Bay nods, getting it. "Do you think Daphne is coming?" She asks with the appropriate signs.

Emmett nods, and then holds out his hand with little space between his index finger and thumb. Bay lets out an anxious breath and Emmett notices the boom box she has resting on a stool. He walks over to it and lays his hand on the speaker, smiling at the rapidly pounding bass emitting from it. Bay walks over and smiles, "That's the tape we found in Regina's case."

Emmett smiles as Bay begins swaying. "It's really cool, it has animal noises in it." She shapes her hand out like a tiger's claw and growls and Emmett soundlessly laughs. "Oh, birds. Caw!" She acts out, bobbing her body to the music. Keeping time with the beat radiating in the palm of his hand, Emmett lets go of the radio and begins two-stepping beside it, crossing his feet over into a twist. Bay laughs, "That's right, get down!" Emmett grabs her hand and assists her in a twirl, grabbing her other open hand and shuffling slowly to the music.

Both were so enamored with the other's movement that it took them a full minute to realize that Regina was by the doorway, smiling at them. They break apart hastily and Regina shakes her head, "No, I didn't mean to interrupt," She says, signing rapidly. "Really, continue. It's just that I used to dance to this when I was your age."

Bay and Emmett avoid eye contact bashfully.

"I'll go," Regina rushes, grabbing her bag and shutting the door behind her.

After she leaves, Bay looks at Emmett tentatively and Emmett gives her an amused smile, cocking his head and outstretching his hand to her, which she accepts and she's not really the best verse dancer, but a simple cha-cha, she can do.

And in the hands of a cute guy, she can definitely do.

This chapter is setting some things in motion guys, bear with me. I know I've taken long to update –it's all the shipper highs and lows I've been through though! eBay is even more amazing than I imagined! But I digressed. There's going to be more of a focus on Daphne next time with more eBay cuteness of course. Is there anything in particular you want to see? Drop a review and even if it doesn't show up in the next chapter, I guarantee I'll find a way to squeeze it in.

On that note, thank you to all the readers, reviewers, favers, and alerters; you guy have no idea how much it fuels me every time I see a new one in my inbox. Over 60 reviews, 50 favs, and 115 alerts? You guys amaze me~

DAC