The Key

Talking

Signing/Talking

Signing

WHEN IN FLASHBACKS/DREAMS:

Talking

Signing/Talking

Signing

I'm Coming Back

"Your son has failed the hearing test," the doctor told the new parents.

"What? He-he's deaf?" Colleen asked, her eyes wide as she looked over at her husband. The shock settling on them.

"Yes. Don't worry, if you want him to hear, there are procedures that ca-"

"No," Colleen interrupted their doctor. The two parents had always held a silent vow to love their kids, how ever they turned out. Gay, straight, boy, girl, disabled, sick, anything. Being deaf was no different. She glanced at Donald to make sure he was in agreement and he nodded.

"He doesn't need to hear, he's our son, and that's all that matters," Donald explained. He nodded and squeezed his daughter's hand as she looked at her small family. She seemed confused about why her parents were looking so stressed.

"Okay. Then I will leave any other decision you make for him up to you," the doctor explained. She smiled at them and walked out as the nurse came in the give the newborn to his parents.

Colleen sat up, taking her child in her hands and cradled him. She felt tears come to her eyes as she kissed her son for the first time. "Hi, hi Jude," she whispered, as her son stared at her with the blue eyes all newborns have. He was confused. She would make sure he wasn't confused forever. Sign language. Speech therapy. Lip reading. Anything to make her son happy for who he is. Not scared to be himself. Colleen knew she would do anything to make sure her son never felt that way. Like he couldn't feel safe. Like he couldn't be who he was. Jude Edward Jacob would be happy. If it was the last thing Colleen did. "Hey Callie," she used a hushed tone. She turned toward her daughter who was holding her stepfather's hand. "This is your baby brother," she said. She leaned over carefully to give her children their first glimpses of each other.

Callie stared at the baby and dropped her stepfather's hand and walked over to her mother. Jude stared at his sister, stretching his fingers out at her. Callie lifted her hand and Jude latched his fingers around one of hers. "Brother," Callie whispered, her voice at a high pitch. As they stared at each other, Jude's first smile formed on his tiny lips. In that one word was a promise. A promise to be there for each other forever. No matter what the world threw at them. Though the children of Donald and Colleen Jacob had no idea of their promise yet, nor the depth in which their promise would go to, their connection in that moment was enough. And that promise would never fade from their grasp.

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Silence. That's all twelve-year-old Jude Jacob had ever heard in his life. Silence. And he liked it. He could only imagine how many whispers he would catch about himself if he could hear. He could communicate well though. He had been through plenty of speech therapy till he was six and has talked a lot since. To his foster parents. To his foster siblings. To his sister. Of course, Callie and him would sign to each other, which made it easier on his part. It was hard to read lips of all the families they were passed through, who barely bothered to look at him let alone learn a few signs.

But, in all this, Jude had his sister. A loving older sister who was scarred and a bit rough around the edges, but cared deeply for him and him for her. She made him feel like he could be who he was even in the most judgmental homes. A heart of gold, he would call her. She truly was. Protective, tough, loving, honest, kind, caring. She made mistakes, sure. Who didn't? But Jude could never stay mad at Callie for long. Their family was small, but it was theirs. It was broken. Memories seared into their brains. Scars from beatings without a reason, but not forgotten. They both had them, but they wouldn't trade it if it meant never seeing the other again. It wouldn't be worth it. No matter how it had started.

He could remember his mother. His father. Who brought him and Callie so much happiness. Their small family had been ripped apart six long years ago. Their father got drunk. Mom got in the car. She died and he was arrested for manslaughter. Then the six and ten-year old were thrown into the foster system, going through hell and back since then. Always staying together. Always protecting each other. Staying true to their silent promise they made twelve years ago.

The twelve-year-old sat in his foster-father's bedroom. This was one of the worst homes that he and his sister had been in. Their foster-father beat up his sister often. Jude would always hide, hating to see his sister get hurt. Jude knew that his foster-father was out, drinking or something,. So, he had given into his curiosity and looking through the chest in the man's room. He grunted as he had trouble pulling the top of the chest open.

"Woah," he whispered, staring at the contents. It was filled with pictures of a beautiful woman and a bunch of pretty dresses. He pulled one of them out, staring at it. It was a simple blue dress that would end just at the knee for a full-grown woman, but when he stood and pressed it to his chest, it reached his ankles. Jude paused, pulling the dress from his body and running his hand over the soft material. Jude thought for a moment. His foster-father wouldn't be home for a few hours, and Callie loved him no matter what. Jude nodded to himself in his decision, then pulled the hanger off the dress and pulled it over his head, letting the cloth flow over his clothes. He grinned to himself and twirled in a circle, the end of the dress coming up around him. Jude smiled and raced out of the room, searching for his sister.

"Callie!" He called, not bothering to sign, considering she couldn't see him. "Callie!" He called again, stepping into the living room where his sister was. His sister looked up and smiled at him.

"Jude, what are you wearing?" she asked, and he could see her laughing as he watched her hands move.

"A dress I found in the chest in Jim's room," he explained. He lifted the sides of the dress up, like he saw in the movies, and grinned at his sister. "Do you like it?" he asked, looking at her, hoping she liked the dress as much as he did.

"I think you look adorable," she told him, smiling and standing up. She crouched down to his height and tapped his chin. She stuck her tongue out a bit and grinned at him. He knew Callie loved him, but he could see the fear in her eyes for him. Was it bad to wear a dress? Yes. He knew that. Boys couldn't wear dresses. Callie glanced over her shoulder, her eyes widening. She turned to him. "Go change out of that. Now!" she told him forcefully. Jude wasn't dumb. He knew that look on his sister's face. Their foster-father was home, and if he saw Jude in the dress, he would flip. Jude nodded and turned around, racing toward his room. He slammed the door shut, feeling the floors shake from their foster-father's heavy footsteps. He couldn't hear anything, but he knew they were yelling.

Jude's breath caught in his throat as he felt the vibrations of his foster-father's heavy foot steps again. Coming toward his room. He shoved himself into the corner of his room, holding his legs close to his body to seem smaller. Maybe he would be able to just disappear. His eyes widened as Paul threw open the door to Jude's room, his eyes, filled with anger, settling on Jude. "You!" Jude read the man's lips as he pointed toward the twelve-year-old. "What the fuck are you doing in that dress?!" Jude's breathe grew heavy as he tried to stand, tried to get away. He knew what was coming. He didn't know why. How could someone be so cruel and judgmental. It was terrible. Though, he couldn't help the small rush of happiness he felt that it wasn't Callie in his position. But his foster-father caught him by the neck before he could go anywhere.

Jude let out a yelp as he was thrown to the floor, tears already starting to spill from his eyes as Jim beat at Jude, punching and kicking any part of Jude he could reach. Jude cried out in pain and through his tears he could see Callie run into the door way. He saw her lips move frantically, but couldn't make out what she was saying through his blurry vision. Jude wrapped his arms around himself, trying to make himself small again as his foster-father continued to beat him.

He looked up as the pain from a punch stopped. Jude watched as Callie shouted at their foster-father, only to he kicked in the stomach and shoved to the side. "No!" Jude cried, still unable to see his sister hurt. His cries were silenced as he was kicked in the head, sending a rush of pain through his mouth, feeling a warm crimson liquid come from his mouth as his foster-father continued to beat him. His vision blurred, and this time not from the tears. He hoped Callie had gotten away.

Then, the hits stopped. Jude lifted his eyes, blinking rapidly as his foster-father stared out the window, anger on his face as he ran outside. Jude sat there, curling himself into a ball, starting to let more tears fall. He sat frozen as he waited for Paul to come back and hit him again. He didn't know how much time had passed before he saw blue and red lights flashing threw the window of his room. Jude gasped, pushing himself up and running outside, tripping over his own feet. "Callie!" He screamed as he saw the police handcuff his sister and move her toward the police car. He saw his sister turn around as she heard his voice. He watched her lips as she spoke, not able to register what she had said before she was shoved into the cop car.

Jude collapsed to the ground, crying into the soft material of the dress that had caused all this. He could do this. He could be trapped in these awful foster homes with these awful people. But not without Callie. He lifted his head and looked at Paul's car in the driveway, beaten to scraps, a baseball bat resting beside it. His brain seemed to finally register what his sister had said.

I'll come back!

I changed like two things.

I don't own The Fosters, or anything you might recognize.

-HJ