Title: Imperfection

Author: Bluehaven4220

Summary: It was never simple. My relationship with Don Flack was never simple. I couldn't say that it was easy either. There were so many times I wanted to strangle him, but there were times that I loved him too.

Reviews: yes please, I LOVE reviews.

Don't own them, never will, original characters are mine, blah blah yada.

What was simple is now complicated

And all the plans we made just seem outdated

Oh ooh Oh

Now hearts are breaking

And hopes are dying

Why do we always end up crying?

Tangled- Jane Wiedlin

It was never simple.

My relationship with one Detective Don Flack was never simple. I couldn't say that it was easy either. There were so many times I wanted to strangle him, but there were times that I loved him too.

There were times I was sure he loved me.

When his mentor was accused and busted for being a dirty cop, I was there to mend his broken heart, and he loved me.

When we went to the department Christmas party that same year, I went with him, and he loved me.

When I got pregnant a few months later, he loved me.

When I gave birth to his daughter, named Charlotte, he loved me.

Each day he would come home and tell me about the case he worked that day. But there's one I would never forget. It was about a 19 year old who had been shot because she wouldn't give the baby to the birth father.

It seemed like an open and shut case. Baby's father had accidentally shot his baby's mother when he only meant to scare her into giving him their daughter. But then he told me it wasn't like that, not at all.

This girl was deaf. The whole family was. The fact that this girl was murdered struck me to the very core. Maybe I should tell you why.

I'm deaf too. I can't hear my baby cry, I rely on my instincts for that. When Don comes in the door from a long day at the precinct, I feel the vibrations through the floor. When the phone rings, it goes directly to my pager, which is always attached to my belt. When Don and I first started dating I could only lip-read, and when I answered with a lisp he realized that I was deaf.

I proceeded to tell him that if he didn't want to be seen with me because I embarrassed him, then he could leave and he wouldn't have to feel guilty. No strings attached; no hard feelings.

Cupping my face with his hands, he spoke slowly, so that I could understand him.

"Angela," he told me, again, slowly so that I could read his lips. "I wouldn't care if you were blind, deaf, and wheelchair bound all in one." He leaned in and kissed my forehead. "I would never abandon you because you're different."

That single statement brought tears to my eyes. I never thought Don Flack would be able to say such a thing. A few of my friends thought he was commitment- phobic; preferring his job to dating women. I wasn't expecting the guy to drop to one knee and propose right then and there, no, absolutely not. I was, however, impressed with the way he presented himself around women.

He was respectful, though I have to admit the line he used to ask me to dinner was pretty funny.

"Hi,"

I nodded, letting him know I had acknowledged him.

"My name's Don Flack."

I pulled out a notepad, flipped it open, clicked my pen, and wrote. I'm Angela Baker.

I saw his lips move.

"You know, I feel like Richard Gere, 'cause I'm standing next to you, the Pretty Woman."

I chuckled and shook my head. Writing on the notepad again, I smirked at him. Are you trying to ask me out?

"Yeah."

I smirked again. Sorry, bub, I'm not Julia Roberts, and I'm definitely not Pretty Woman. I closed my notepad, packed up my books, got up, and walked away from him.

I'll admit I could still see his lips move as I passed in front of him. "Come on, how bout drinks after work?"

I raised an eyebrow at him, my hair flipping as I turned to face him. I shook my head, gave him a sly smile, and walked away.

That's how I first got his attention.

Now, I'll tell you, we were at the department Christmas party, and he was smiling the entire night. Even for a deaf girl I wasn't stupid. I could lip read, and I noticed the other women whispering, and looking at me.

What? Did I spill champagne on myself?

Finally, I felt a hand on my shoulder. Don came around my chair, his hand still on my shoulder, and bent down in front of me.

Angela, he signed to me.

Wait a minute, Don could sign?

I wanted you to know that I couldn't be happier with you in my life, and I can't imagine life without you. You're my miracle…

My hands went to my mouth.

Will you marry me?

Tears streaming down my face, I nodded yes. He pulled a ring box out of his jacket pocket, opened it, and revealed a ring. It was a simple ring, but then again I wasn't one for extravagance. Everyone in the room knew I wouldn't be able to hear their applause, so, in respect, they all raised their hands and twisted their wrists, the sign that they were applauding.

We got married in a tiny chapel in Yonkers, where Don had grown up. The congregation had been so accepting of me. They even offered services in ASL and since most of Don's friends could understand it, they had no problems.

Just because I'm deaf doesn't mean I live in a world of silence. I just experience the world differently. My sight is extraordinary, and my sense of touch is unlike anyone I know. I can literally touch something and feel the vibrations it gives off. That's how I figured out I was pregnant, aside from all the morning sickness I experienced.

Eight months later, at 37 weeks gestation, I gave birth to Don's daughter. With her big blue eyes and dark hair, just like her dad, he named her Charlotte Leila Flack.

From the moment Charlotte was born I could tell Don loved her. She was his little girl, but he began to look at me differently. He still saw me as beautiful, but I didn't think so. I wasn't as beautiful as I'd been before I was pregnant. I still thought I looked fat, and ugly.

Don, being the sweetheart that he is, took over bottle feeding Charlotte while I worked on my writing. On his days off, he took her to the park. When my book finally got published, he was my interpreter, while Charlotte slept in her car seat beside us.

I remember the day he brought her to work with him. Well, I drove her there, and carried her in my arms as we went through the precinct doors. We were stopped at the front desk, and Charlotte, not yet knowing how to sign, asked me where Daddy was.

"Right here, Princess," he came strolling toward us. I read his lips.

"Daddy! Daddy!" she screeched, running toward him and jumping into his arms.

The smile on his face, you could have melted to see how much he loved his girl. Charlotte, thankfully, had not been born deaf. I had been teaching her to sign, so that I could better communicate with her. For now, since she was still very young, I lip read.

Don reached out and took my hand. The three of us went back to where Don's desk was and introduced our girl to his coworkers.

"What do you say we finish up here and go to lunch?"

Charlotte's face broke out in a smile. She loved going out with her dad, and I didn't want to deny her that right, not at all.

So why, when I signed those papers a year later, did it hurt so badly?