This is a little thing I came up with after reading 'Lost in Translation', and 'The loudest silence.' You should definitely go read those, but in this, Emma is the one who is deaf, I hope you enjoy my little spin on things. I studied that first episode and it's almost word for word, but some things had to change to compensate. Hope you enjoy ! X
This first chapter is in more detail than the others, because I wanted to go into detail about Emma's arrival,and it's really just following cannon.X.
She had blown the candle out on the sad little cupcake.
I wish I don't have to be alone.
Wishes never came true for her anyways.
She blinked up as the little light was flashing away, signaling someone was at the door.
Grabbing her notepad, she opened the door.
'Can I help you?' She scrawled out, hoping this small kid could read her messy handwriting.
"Are you Emma Swan?" She saw come from his lips, she ignored his look of confusion, writing under her previous line:
'Yeah, who are you?' trying to make the handwriting easier and larger so he could see and understand.
"My name's Henry, I'm your son." No way, she did just not read that from his lips, her son was far away, he had a family, right?
'Where are your parents?' She frantically wrote, holding up the pad, for his inspection, while he marched into her apartment.
"Ten years ago, did you give up a baby for adoption?"
This was not happening, no way in HELL.
"That was me."
Nope, her son had a family, far from here, right? God, she shouldn't have had that wine.
'Give me a minute' She wrote, before slamming it down on the worktop and fleeing the room. She looked herself in the bathroom, trying to steady her breathing, but stared at the door her son was just behind.
Her son.
She apprehensively came out of the bathroom to find him helping himself to her juice, head tilted to the side looking at her expectantly.
"You know, we should probably get going."
She raised one eyebrow, arms protectively crossing up at her chest, protecting herself, and also hoping to look intimidating to him. She didn't need to ask where.
"I want you to come home with me." He stated, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
Panic struck through her, she scribbled something down to grab his attention.
He stared down at the notepad, it read:
'Okay kid, I'm calling the cops.'
"You can't do that."
But she didn't listen, she walked over and turned to stare at him menacingly, cell phone in hand.
"You can't!"
She snatched up the notepad, phone nested beneath it and wrote 'Why not?'
"Because you don't talk!"
She could tell he was yelling, she knew what that looked like from a lot of experience, but still she angrily wrote:
'Deaf people can make phone calls too!'
Marking the dot on the exclamation before angrily slamming it down on the counter, frowning when she saw the kid jump.
"You're deaf?"
She nodded. She had been for years.
"Why can't you speak?"
She held a hand up to her throat, smiling awkwardly at henry's confusion, before clearing it and trying to match the words with the vibrations she felt, hoping the words came out okay.
"It's very hard to." She let out, and Henry beamed up at her.
"You sound.. Weird. It's cool." She actually let herself smile properly for the first time in ages. She had never had anyone tell her her voice was anything good before. It was warming. She loved his smile when she had tentatively spoke.
"So, come home with me?"
'Where's home?' appeared before she could question it.
"St...k maine." She didn't understand, he sort of mumbled the first word, making it too hard to read, only catching the start and end, she frowned. so she nodded to the pad, asking him to write, silently.
'Storybrooke Maine.' he wrote.
She frowned again.
Storybrooke. Seriously? She questioned, looking to the kid for confirmation. He nodded, but she didn't hear the slight 'm-hm.'
Pressing her hands to hover over her throat, she tentatively replied.
"Let's get you home to Storybrooke." hoping she hadn't missed any of the phonetics involved, she was at least pleased with herself when he hopped off the stool to wait by the door.
Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all?
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"Henry?" She watched as His head whipped around to see his mother running down the pathway, and Emma's breath caught in her throat, she was beautiful. She watched her call his name again and pull him in for a hug.
The words 'Are you okay?' Fell from her lips as she pulled back to inspect him.
Emma was still silent as a man came down the steps falling short of mother and son, she stayed silent, like most of her time as she asked him where he had been. When she gave Emma a small glance before asking what happened, she let her nervous hands find their way to her back pockets, the kid yelled something before storming past the man and running inside. His mother's attention turned to her, and she slipped the notepad out of her back pocket, pen at the ready, to apologise and leave.
"You're Henry's birth mother?" the woman acknowledged, with a shake of her head, tears staining her cheeks, all she could do was awkwardly smile, and start to write a small, seemingly insufficient for the situation, sentence.
'Hi.'
Before she could write anything else to ease the woman's confusion, her head was turning to meet something the man who had silently been standing there had said, though Emma had not caught it, she watched him go off into the house.
Odd, she thought, kid said he only had an 'evil' mom, right?
But then, she was smiling eerily at her and asking,
"How would you like a glass of the best apple cider you ever tasted?" Had she read wrong? She was just going to drop him off and leave, she had to get back to boston, she should just go. Right?
'Got anything stronger?' She found herself writing. If his mother was confused, she didn't show it, she just merely lead her into her house. Her mansion house. Her big ass expensive mansion house.
'How did he find me?' She held up for her to see as she walked back into the room with two glasses, pouring them each a drink.
"No idea, When I adopted him, he was only three weeks old. Records were sealed, i was told the birth mother didn't want any contact." Right, that was what happened, so how the hell?
Deciding that this woman was content to busy herself with making cider, not willing to show her lips so she could fully be sure of her words, she decided speaking -although however uncomfortably- might work with this woman.
"You were told right" Was what she tried to say, though she was sure the hand hovering over her throat was telling her she slipped up on the end, but chose to ignore it, as she turned to face her.
"And the father?" Of course, she would ask. She clearly hates me.
"There was one." She tried, sure she hadn't slipped up yet, but she couldn't speak as the kid's mother must've asked her something, her back turned to her.
"Pardon?" She tried, worried that the high pitched tone making it a question gave her away, but glad to see when she turned and she could read the words.
"Do I need to be worried about him?" Terrified that she would be caught hand, unsure, at her throat,-Although why the hell should I?- she reverted back to her notepad.
'No, He doesn't even know.' she held up for approval, this time not missing the frown etched onto the beautiful woman's face.
"Do I need to be worried about you, Miss Swan?" she read, accepting the offered drink, one handedly writing out an 'absolutely not.' watching her head snap up, Emma followed her gaze to the man walking down the stairs.
"-tired little boy, Henry's fine." Were the last words she caught, when he stepped down the stairs.
"Thank you, sheriff." She read from Regina, watching the man nod and turn to leave.
So he's not the kids dad then?
"I'm sorry he dragged you out of your life-" Was all she caught before her head turned to face where they were walking, scrambling to meet her, Why the hell does she keep looking away?
"-You have to understand, balancing things since I've been mayor has been tricky" So that explains the mansion then. She mused, settling down to drink as she was met with an intense stare.
She said something, she knew, she had asked her a question but the damn woman was looking away as she said it. Nonchalantly ( or what she hoped that was) She raised her hand to her throat and tried a soft 'Hmm?' Trying not to draw it out too long.
"A job, miss swan?"
'I keep busy.' She wrote, taking a small amount of pleasure in the woman's confusion.
"Imagine having another one on top of it - that's being a single mom." She furthered, finally sitting down.
"So I push for order." She watched as she saw her smile grow, obviously thinking of Henry.
"Am I strict? I suppose.. But I do it for his own good." She nodded along, not sure if even interrupting her with writing was something she should do.
"I want Henry to excel in life." Good, so do I, so did I. she mentally corrected herself, not a parent Swan, not the kid's parent.
"You don't think that makes me Evil do you?" It was said with lips barely moving Emma had to strain her years of going like this to read her, wondering if the narrowing of her eyes was bothering the woman.
'I'm sure he's just saying that because of the fairytale thing.' She wrote, holding it up, and taking another sip of her drink, his mother's gaze and scrutiny wasn't helping, added onto the hard stares she usually got.
"What fairytale thing?"
Huh.
'You know, his book? How he thinks everyone's a cartoon character from it?'
When she held it up and watched the woman take a breath to steady her confusion,she turned it around to write quickly.
'like his shrink, is Jimminy cricket?'
"I'm sorry, I really have no idea what you're talking about." She shook her head when saying it, like she was ashamed.
She wrote down her hopefully leaving sentence and shrugged when she showed it to her.
'It's really none of my business, He's your kid, and I really should be heading back.'
She didn't catch whatever she had mumbled as a response but she did stand as she watched her open the door, and wait for her to leave through it.
When she reached her car she turned to see Henry leaving from looking out at his window.
She drove off in her bug, glad this crazy day had come to an end.
Not as glad for the wolf she almost hit, sending her swerving into the 'leaving storybrooke' sign, the last thing she saw before letting black slip across her vision.
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When Emma came to, she was awoken by the light in the room, and notices the small cot she's sitting on. She looks around and see's the bars and is almost afraid she's back in the prison she had Herny in.
Nope, she can't be, because Henry - her son- came and found her. He has a name now. Her faceless baby has a name and a face and is ten years old.
She sees a grumpy man in the other cell who grumbles something at her that she can't read, she's too dizzy and it's too much effort.
The man in the other cell turns and she follows, she catches what he's saying before missing anything too important.
"We have a guest, so you are Henry's birth mother? How lovely for him to have you back in his life."
She frantically scrambles for her notepad but finds that she doesn't have it on her, she doesn't even know who these people are or why she's here, she nods, not willing to say much more.
The sheriff from last night enters after the two men have a conversation Emma finds herself not willing to enter into, she couldn't communicate if she tried. Without the notepad, she can't talk to anyone.
She sees the man smile sarcastically and leave. Realising most people expect her to speak, she holds her hand to her throat and tries a small 'Seriously?' hoping that her voice sounds vaguely normal, maybe the fact she just woke up would cover any tinge of unusualness.
"Regina's drinks are a little stronger than we thought."
Shaking her head, she wanted to tell the man there was a wolf in the road, but she didn't know if she could get those words to sound normal.
"Notepad?" He questioned, and she stared up at him surprisingly, glad he understood.
She smiled though, and nodded when he handed it to her, also glad he had kept the pages where they were. She was going to keep every conversation she had with henry, even if it was a little one-sided.
She wrote about the wolf in the road and sent him a playful glare when he gave a sarcastic response, clear by the roll of his eyes.
Graham surprised her when he made an 'L' shape with his left hand, the same on his right, hooking his forefinger around the thumb in the sign language for 'run'. She was confused, until moments later Henry's mother emerged rambling on about something Emma was wholly disinterested in, until she saw Regina had rounded on her, asking her about where 'he' was. She assumed Henry, not willing to give up the weakness that she found in trying to read Regina.
'I haven't seen him since I dropped him off at your house.' She held up, at Regina's glare she wrote again, hastily.
'I have a pretty good alibi.'
Regina tilted her head and replied, and Emma was glad she was enunciating so she could see the movements of her lips.
"He wasn't in his room this morning."
'Did you try his friends?' She supplied with the notepad, glad graham had been thoughtful enough to give it to her, still surprised he knew any sign language at all, she signed 'thank you', before continuing, ignoring the look of outrage on Regina's face, clearly confused as it looked like she had blown him a kiss, but she still responded.
"He doesn't really have any. He's kind of a loner."
'Every kid has friends.'
His mother was just glaring at her, still confused by what was going on, Graham chuckling at her response to Emma's thanks, but Emma continued to write.
'Did you check his computer?'
Another glare, tingled with confusion. Of course, she was a bail bondsperson, these people weren't used to hunting other's down, so she elaborated.
'If he's close to someone, he'd be e-mailing them.'
"And you know this how?" Regina asked, and Emma smirked inwardly.
'Finding people is what I do, let me out and I'll help you guys find him.'
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When they had gotten up into henry's room, emma had chuckled at how smart henry was, he had cleared out his email, but she had her handy little tricks up her sleeve, and used her fool proof plan. Smiling at graham who explained he was a door-to-door type of sheriff, she replied, barely glancing at the notepad on the desk.
'I get paid by delivery, that's not a luxury I get.' When she saw the receipt for a website named " " she wrote and added to the paper
'He has a credit card?'
She was met with a curt glare and a "He's ten."
'Well he used one.' She pulled up the transcription record.
'Who's mary-margaret Blanchard?'
She thought she caught the word Teacher, before they were leaving.
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When Emma followed Regina into a tiny classroom, and saw the teacher she assumed was the credit card owner looking like a deer caught in headlights at Regina's advance, she almost laughed.
Almost.
But remembering she had been told it was an ugly sound and she should 'be glad you can't hear it, retard'. She fell short, in her awkward smile and step, behind Regina.
She saw the hatred Regina had for the woman and wanted to spare her, but when she was asked who she was, she tried to grab for her notepad, but wanted to be confident, and tried to speak, without raising her hand to her throat.
It was a difficult feat, but she wasn't sure how much of it she got out before she saw Regina finishing it for her.
"The woman who gave him up for adoption."
She raised her pen and wrote 'You don't know anything about this do you?' Because it was clear that the woman was extremely confused.
She watched the conversation continue, startled a little when Regina knocked over some books, wishing her a nice trip back to boston, the sarcasm very clear.
'Sorry to bother you' She supplied, holding up an almost full page of paper which she was well aware must've been confusing if she took the time to read all the little sentences.
"No.. It's okay. I hear this is partially my fault." She smiled picking up the stack of fallen books along with the teacher, she was kind and warm, something she hadn't been shown often.
She thought maybe she had made a friend when the teacher had directed her to his 'castle.'
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She walks up behind Henry and hands him his book back, with a small post-it saying ' You left this in my car' before sitting up next to him, notepad in hand.
They stared up at the unmoving clock tower.
'Still hasn't moved, huh?' She had to practically shove it under his nose for attention, but he read it and glanced up to meet her eyes.
"I was hoping when I brought you back that things would change.." He trailed off looking down, and although she knew he didn't mean to, it infuriated her a little, she couldn't read lips when she couldn't see them.
"You're going to bring back the happy endings." He stated matter of factly, having looked up again.
'Sorry, I'm no white knight kid'
"You are, It's your destiny! You don't have to be.. Hostile, I know you like me - I can tell! I just make you feel guilty, it's okay, you wanted me to have my best chance."
Startled that he had actually realised this, she found herself actually speaking to her son, without stuttering or raising her hand to check.
"How do you know that?"
And he beamed in a wide shit-eating grin
"Because it's the same reason Snow White gave you away."
Then she deflated, because her son was semi-insane. Or at least he had a weird and vivid imagination that was just realllyy creeping her out.
'I'm not a saviour Henry. I'm not in any book, I did want you to have your best chance, but it's not with me. Come on, let's go.' She wrote, feeling awful that writing things down made everything feel more permanent to her.
"Please don't make me go back. Just one week, that's all, one week and you'll see I'm not crazy!"
Huffing a little sadly as she did so, she wrote out something that killed her to have to say to him.
'I have to get you back to your mom.'
She wanted to blow up at him about how he had it lucky when he said his life sucks, but she kept her resolve and wrote a small 'lets go', shoving it down on the wood before leaving.
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Similar to the previous night, Henry runs past his mother and runs up the stairs.
She sees Regina say a 'thank you', and smiles, signing the response by heart, which was the same 'blowing a kiss' response she gave graham this morning. She froze under Regina's glare. Did she not know or something? was she that ignorant?
"What was that, Miss Swan?"
Emma just pointed to her ear, tapping it lightly, hoping Regina could understand.
"What are you doing?"
Emma huffed and searched for her notepad in her back pocket, groaning slightly when she recognised that she had left it on the castle. Great, now she had no means of communication with and angry woman. She signed for a notepad, which consisted of holding out a hand and using the other to motion for scribbling, hoping the woman was as smart as she dressed. She appeared to be so, when she stormed off, door open, reappearing on the porch with a small notepad in hand, and a black pen accompanying it.
She wrote down alls he could think to say.
'Sorry, that meant 'your welcome' It also means 'thank you', it's what I said to graham earlier.'
Regina just appeared shocked when she took the paper from her hands.
"You're deaf, aren't you?" Emma just smiled and nodded, basking in Regina's moment of recognising her pure density.
"I apologise, I didn't realise, since you spoke earlier."
Emma nodded, and raised her hand to her throat, noticeably less ashamed.
"It's hard, but I try."
"That you do.." Came the dry response. She continued with ".. My son seems to have taken quite a shine to you."
She was actually a little glad when Regina picked a fight with her, she didn't have this kind of fire in a long time. At long last, someone didn't pity her for who she just was.
When she met gold she was more than a little perplexed, but shrugged it off, Ruby and Granny were friendly. She beams when Regina offers her a basket of apples and another not so thinly veiled threat, she enjoys it, and revels in it, because she hasn't had this in so long it's giving her something she needed. But what she's even more glad for, is when she can speak to graham, in her own language, something she hasn't spoken in years.
"You have an admirer."
She sees Graham and smiles awkwardly, walking over to him and placing the hot chocolate down on the table so she could sign, but he awkwardly talks and signs at the same time, saying
"You've decided to stay?" And she really is impressed that a man with hearing is so fluent, but she's seen better and worse from better and worse people and smiles and replies, slowly so he can see.
"Observant, important for a cop."
"Good news for our local business, not so much for our local signage." she frowns and reads his lips at the same time because he got the order wrong, but smiles again as he stutters and tries to tell her that it was a joke.
She almost finds herself a little deflated when telling him thanks but no thanks for the cocoa.
But she beams again, a smile that is becoming reserved for Henry, when he says he is the one that sent it and asks her to walk him to school, something she thought she would never get to do with her own kid.