A/N: This story is about Perry, the hearing impaired character that David Hyde Pierce played in the movie. I was feeling down on the day that I wrote this

and it really cheered me up when I finished.

Perry sat at his piano absently taping at the keys with his fingers. To anyone else it may have sounded like gibberish but to him it was a masterpiece. He always

thought that he was a gifted piano player, and he was according to his parents.

But now that he'd met the illustrious singer Jackie Washington, he found himself doubting that fact.

She'd gone completely ballistic when she'd found out that he was hearing impaired. He hadn't meant to yell at her, and honestly, he didn't realize that he was. He'd

always talked to people that way. After all, if he had trouble hearing himself speak, who was to say that others didn't?

But Miss Washington had gotten so angry that she refused to rehearse with him, even though he was the rehearsal pianist that the theatre had hired to work with

her.

The theatre owner, Mr. Waxman, had been extremely impressed with his piano playing and he'd barely started his audition when the man hired him on the spot.

At first Perry was in awe of Miss Washington. She was beautiful, as was her daughter. And she sang beautifully, but every time he tried to speak to her, she flinched as

though he was throwing something at her. She even accused him of having selective hearing; only listening when the subject of money was discussed.

That is until he told her that he read lips.

He played while she sang the song "Yield" a few times and he soon found that he was enjoying himself so much that he kept right on singing and playing after the

song was finished.

Unfortunately, this only caused Miss Washington to get so angry and fed up that she demanded to see the theatre manager. And he knew from experience that it

meant trouble.

Mr. Waxman would fire him immediately if Miss Washington said anything negative at all about Perry. Mr. Waxman may have been the theatre owner, but Mrs.

Washington was "the star". And what she said took precedence above all others.

So here he sat, playing what he thought in his heart was a solemn tune, knowing that any time now, and he'd be out on the streets looking for work once again.

His random tune turned into a beloved song, and he found himself playing from the very depths of his soul. Who cared what it sounded like? To him it was brilliant and

right now that's all that mattered.

He was so absorbed in his music that he was completely unaware of the person standing next to him, watching him intently.

When the song was finished, he looked up to see a beautiful woman smiling and applauding.

"THANK YOU!" He yelled, causing her to flinch. "I REALLY LOVE IT WHEN PEOPLE ENJOY MY PLAYING!"

"Why are you yelling?" She asked.

He pointed to his ear. "I HAVE A HEARING PROBLEM!"

"Oh..."

He studied her for a moment. She certainly was beautiful. With her chestnut brown hair and brown eyes, her mere presence made his heart beat faster.

"WHAT'S YOUR NAME?" he yelled.

"My name is Melinda."

"WHAT?"

"MELINDA!"

Perry smiled and extended his hand. "NICE TO MEET YOU, SOPHIA!"

She shook her head. "No! Not Sophia! MELINDA! M-E-L-I-N-D-A!"

"OH! SORRY! NICE TO MEET YOU, MELINDA!"

"You play beautifully." She said. "I love that song."

"THANK YOU!"

"You know..." She said thoughtfully. "The last time I heard that song I was in Vegas." And then she sighed dreamily. "It was the most wonderful night of my life. I was

sitting at a bar in Caesar's Palace, drinking a martini..."

Perry blinked in surprise. "WHAT?"

"A martini!" she repeated.

His face reddened and he couldn't believe that this beautiful woman was sharing such personal... and very strange... information with him. They'd only just met!

He swallowed hard, barely knowing what to say and he ran his hand through his tousled blonde hair in a nervous gesture.

"D-DID YOU SAY YOU WERE WEARING A BIKINI?"

"NO! I said I was drinking a martini! M-A-R-T-I-N-I!"

Now he understood, and he was pleased to have figured it out on his own. It was much easier now that she was standing right in front of him.

"AH! I LIKE THOSE TOO! HOW DO YOU LIKE YOURS? I LIKE MINE WITH A TWIST OF LIME!"

She stared at him for a moment. Now was his chance to make his move. He was never one to blurt out his feelings, but he'd already been humiliated once today. So

what harm would it do to say what was in his heart?

If she laughed at him or rejected him it would put the icing on what was shaping up to be a very horrible day.

"YOU'RE VERY BEAUTIFUL!" He yelled just as she turned to walk away.

When there was no immediate response, he was afraid that he hadn't heard her, and he opened his mouth to yell louder.

But then something amazing happened...

She turned around; her hand on her heart... and tears in her eyes.

"I'M SORRY, DID I SAY SOMETHING WRONG?"

She nodded tearfully. "No... You didn't. What you said was... incredibly sweet... and just right. Thank you."

To his complete shock, she returned to where he was sitting at the piano bench and kissed his cheek. The touch of her soft lips on his skin caused feelings to stir inside

of him; feelings that he had no idea were possible.

As she walked away, he began to panic. He simply had to keep speaking to her.

"HEY! YOU NEVER TOLD ME WHAT YOU LIKE IN YOUR MARTINI!"

She turned around and smiled. "Olive juice."

His mouth fell open and he could only stare at her in disbelief.

"UM... D-DID YOU JUST SAY WHAT I THINK YOU SAID?"

"I said olive juice." She repeated.

He could hardly breathe and his fingers clasped the edge of the piano before they fell onto the keys sending random notes floating through the air.

She flashed him one last smile and blew him a kiss before turning to walk out of the auditorium. She was almost to the doorway when he gathered the courage to say

the words that he'd always longed to say;

"I LOVE YOU, TOO!"

She disappeared from sight and he knew he'd never see her again, but he didn't care. Because finally someone loved him...and that's all that mattered.

THE END