The Key

Talking

Signing/Talking

Signing

WHEN IN FLASHBACKS/DREAMS:

Talking

Signing/Talking

Signing

The Next Home

Jude groaned as he was shoved out of bed. He forced his eyes open to see his foster-father above him, shouting at Jude to go do his chores and get his lazy ass out of bed. Jude took a deep breath as he pushed himself up, watching Paul leave the room. The reality of the situation came crashing against Jude again as he got to his feet. It had been a little over a week since Callie had been taken to juvie, but that didn't mean it hurt Jude any less. His sister was his last sense of security left and now she had been ripped away, too. Jude walked to his dresser and quickly got into his clothes and then jogged down the stairs. He rushed to make breakfast and then ate his cereal silently.

He took the trash out then made his bed. When he was done, he made his way out the door and to the school. In the past week he had made sure he was out the door before his foster-father could say anything. He obeyed him and stayed quiet, not wanting to get hurt again. Jude had tried to stay away from trouble. He knew as soon as Callie got pulled from juvie they would be moved, but for now he was stuck with his foster-father.

Jude entered the school, closing his eyes half way as he made his way down the hall, earning a shove or two here and there. He breathed a sigh, shaking his head. He was a target by all bullies. He was deaf, a foster kid, had a dead mom, a dad in jail, and he acted, as the kids at school said, 'gay'. Not to mention that he wasn't the smartest kid. He had a C average, which had been hard to earn. He had been to so many schools and it was so hard for him to adjust and learn. And his deafness made the whole thing harder. He didn't understand how he had made in to seventh grade without being held back.

That day Jude went about his day as normally as possible. He watched the teachers carefully, making sure he got every word they said, asking them to repeat when they turned away and he couldn't hear them. He sat alone at lunch, getting a few glares and hits. He walked home later, Paul having made dinner already, but not enough for Jude. He finished his chores, the dishes the last thing he had to do.

As Jude soaked the lasagna pan, he felt the floor rumble and turned to see his foster-father walking toward the door. He hadn't gotten the words Paul had spoken, only catching three words off his lips. "... deaf or what?" Jude rolled his eyes. His foster-father often forgot that he was in fact deaf. Jude paused as he placed the pan down, allowing it soak for a few seconds as he turned his head into the living room. A tall boy stood outside the door. He had dark hair, tan skin, and dark eyes. He had a backpack flung over his shoulder and he looked confused. Jude turned back around, figuring that the boy was lost.

He felt the floor shake again and turned his eyes back behind him. His eyes widened when he saw Callie standing there, talking with their foster-father and pointing at Jude as Paul yelled over her. He saw the boy walking in, speaking as well. Jude gasped as he saw Paul pull a gun from the drawer and point it toward the boy. The boy backed down, stepping back. Jude watched, his eyes wide, and he stepped closer to the sink, holding onto the counter. Jude watched as a blonde cop came in, her gun raised toward his foster-father who had dropped the gun and gotten on his knees. Callie instantly came running toward him, pulling him into a hug.

"Callie!" He cried, wrapping his arms around her waist. He cried, a smile coming onto his face to be back with his sister. Jude grinned, hugging his sister and laughing as she pulled back rubbed her thumbs against his cheeks, erasing the tears.

"I missed you," she managed to sign in the small space she'd left between them. She just nodded in agreement. Jude watched as the male cop pulled his foster-father out of the house and toward a flashing police car. Jude breathed a sigh as he held onto Callie tightly, not wanting to let her go ever again.

She pulled back a bit as the female cop came over to them. She spoke to Callie, then turned around and followed the boy who had originally come to the police car.

"Oh my god, Callie, how did you get here!?" he asked, watching her as she laughed a bit and then explained the story.

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Callie ran her hand over her lip as she moved through the railings and jumped off the wall. She walked down the street, her eyes scanning for a bus station.

"So, uh, where are you going?" she heard the voice of her new foster-brother, Brandon behind her. She rolled her eyes, not looking back.

"I've got some stuff to take care of," she told him, breathing a small sigh, thinking of what could be happening to Jude at their old foster home.

"Stuff to take care of? Like right now?"

"It's important!" she fired back, anger rising in her stomach.

"Okay, you won't be able to take care of it if you end up back in juvie," Brandon spoke matter-of-factly. She could hear his foot steps getting closer as she passed the last stretch of the school property. "I mean my mom's a cop. You seriously think she won't track you down in like a minute flat-" she cut him off.

"Can you just mind your own damn business? You and your whole freakin' family."

"We're just trying to help you," he told her. Callie shook her head. They couldn't help her without her ending up back in juvie without Jude being safe. She couldn't handle that.

"Yeah, well I don't need help," she responded, turning around to face the boy, narrowing her eyes at him.

"Clearly you do! What is so important anyway?" he asked, narrowing his eyes back.

Callie sighed, lifting a hand and running it through her hair. "I have to get my brother, he's in a bad foster home. The one I was in before your house," she finally told him.

"What? Well, let me call my Mom-"

"No, no cops!" Callie told Brandon, walking over to him as he pulled out his phone. He gave her a confused look. She breathed a sigh. "If you call your Mom, she's gonna look into the system and see all these complaints my foster-father filed against me, and you're gonna get me sent back to juvie and Jude is gonna be stuck in that house!" she told him, breathing heavily, concern for her brother threatening to boil over.

"I'm coming with you," Brandon explained, following her as she turned back around, walking toward the bus station.

"Don't you have that music thing?"

"Uh, yeah, but there'll be others."

The two made it to the bus and got on it, paying the driver and sitting down. They rode to Tijuana, silent as the sun set until Brandon spoke.

"So what happened? At that house?" he asked, looking at Callie and bouncing his knee against her's.

"Well, my foster-father. He caught my little brother wearing one of his ex-wife's dresses. Started beating the crap out of him,"

"Really? He hit him?" Brandon interrupted, shock on his face. Callie sighed. This kid was lucky. He could be who he wanted without any consequences. Of course he was shocked that Jude had been beaten for wearing a dress.

"Yeah, I mean, he use to hit me all the time, but you know, whatever," she paused watching concern grow on Brandon's face. She continued anyway. "But, when I saw him going after Jude... I just- well, I tried to stop him. But, he kicked me in the stomach. So I grabbed a baseball bat, went outside, beat the hell out of his precious Trans Am. The cops came, and he told them I went crazy and he was defending himself. No one seemed to care much for my side of the story," she explained to him. The silence fell between them again as they reached the stop. Callie raced off first, Brandon closely behind as they raced toward the house that was their foster father's.

"Okay, you go over there and act confused so I can sneak in and get Jude,"

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Jude stared at Callie as she finished the story. "I can't believe you did that! They could send you back to juvie!" He cried, gripping her arm.

"Don't worry, I don't care. You'll stay with the Fosters, or I'll make sure they send you somewhere safe. I'll be fine," Callie explained, running her hand through his hair.

Jude sighed, knowing there was no use arguing with Callie. She smiled at him. "Now, go get your stuff," she told him, pointing toward his room. He nodded, giving her a small smile and jogging toward the room and grabbing the little he had; a Skippy backpack and some clothes. He shoved the clothes in the backpack, then through it around his shoulders. Jude walked out and smiled sadly at Callie.

"Come on, let's go," she told him. Callie put her arm around his shoulder as they walked out of the house. Callie pushed him toward a car and he sat down beside the boy who had looked confused. The boy who now had a name; Brandon. He smiled softly at the older boy and put his backpack on his lap. Jude looked up as he saw Brandon's finger touch his backpack. He looked up, furrowing his eyebrows and only catching the last of what he said. "...that backpack."

"I'm sorry, what?" Jude asked, raising his eyebrows, signing by reflex. He paused when he saw the confused look on Brandon's face. He then realized that they hadn't seen him sign, and Callie probably hadn't told them he was deaf.

"Callie didn't tell you I'm deaf, huh?" Jude used his voice deciding against signing.

"What?" Brandon asked, his eyes wide.

"Funny," Jude rolled his eyes. Brandon's jaw dropped as he realized his mistake.

"Oh, uh, sorry, I didn't mean..."

"Yeah, I know. Don't worry, happens all the time," Jude explained, breathing a sigh as Brandon nodded. Jude faced forward, noticing the lady cop and a dark-skinned woman sitting in the front. Brandon made eye contact with the lady cop. Jude smiled as he turned and the door opened, Callie climbing in beside him. He watched as his sister looked up, then signed to him what the woman had said.

"Buckle up." Jude did what he was told and turned forward again as they drove away from the house. Jude watched as they drove through the streets. The ride was quiet, at least for him. When they finally reached the house, Jude scrambled out of the car after Callie. Jude smiled as he saw two teenagers sitting on the front porch. They must have been the other kids Callie mentioned.

"Who's this?" he read the boy's lips as they stood to greet them.

"This is Jude," Callie explained, smiling at her brother. The boy furrowed his eyebrows and pointed at her hands.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"Signing. Jude is deaf," she explained. He noticed the boy and girl's eyes widen, but didn't comment. Callie then turned back to Jude and pointed around the group, telling him their names. He nodded once she finished. From what he got, the new boy was Jesus, the girl was Mariana, the lady cop was Stef, the dark-skinned woman was Lena, and he already knew Brandon. From what he picked up Jesus and Mariana were twins, and Stef and Lena were the mothers of the family. Mothers? That surprised Jude. Though he wasn't against it in any way, he had never been in a house with two moms or two dads.

Then group went inside, and seemed to scatter, to Jude's dismay. He looked over at Stef and Lena and saw Stef shouting something about going to bed. That explained the scatter. Jude stepped back as the three kids streamed up the stairs. Stef and Lena then turned to Jude. Callie tapped his shoulder and began to sign what the two were speaking, pointing to each when they started to talk.

"Okay, Jude, this is your first night, and we have to talk to Bill," Stef began.

"Yes, and while you're here, you will be going to Anchor Beach Charter School. I'm the vice principal there, so you can start, soon. We just need to get you stuff for classes and then get your schedule," Lena explained.

"And, uh, as you are deaf, we will be getting you some hearing aids so you can at least know what's happening around you. We will attempt to learn a little sign language so Callie isn't stuck interpreting everything," Stef said. Jude raised a hand, looking toward Stef and Lena, signaling them to stop.

"You don't have to, we're only going to be here a few weeks, right? I can handle it till we leave. I just wanna know where I'm sleeping tonight," Jude explained. He saw Stef and Lena's face fall and Callie frown. That had been the first question she had asked as well. He turned back to Callie as Lena started to speak.

"Uh, you will be sleeping in here," she gestured to the living room.

Callie then signed. "I'll be there all night, don't worry," she told him, smiling. Jude just nodded.

"Okay," he whispered.

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Jude let out a small groan as he felt himself be shaken awake. He pushed himself up and glared at Callie who stood over him, grinning. He grabbed his hearing aids, which Stef and Lena had gotten for him against his protests, and placed them on his ears.

"What?" he asked lazily, pushing his hair from his eyes.

"Get dressed, it's your first day of school!" She signed. Jude smiled softly. He had been at the Fosters for a few days and he had been stuck in the house alone with Stef for most of his time. He had gone shopping for supplies with Lena a few days ago and now he had just been waiting for him to be able to go. And today was that day. He got to his feet and grabbed his clothes, walking to the bathroom and getting himself ready. He walked out and ate breakfast with the family and they were on their way to school. The car was crowded with five kids and Lena driving. Brandon was in the front with Lena, while Callie, Mariana, and Jesus were stuffed in the middle and Jude sat in the back. Though Jude couldn't hear, he could tell that there was a lot of noise going on in the front of the car.

As they reached the school, everyone filed out, Jude following Lena to the office. She explained to him the basic rules, where his classes were and everything else he needed to know. She took him to class though she had looked worried in the process. Did it have something to do with talking to the teacher before taking him to class? He didn't know.

He hadn't received an interpreter because he knew he would be able to follow along. His first class was math, and he silently sat through it, paying attention carefully. He had a bit of a hard time, but was able to get through the class fairly well, even if he had been a bit late.

Jude checked his schedule and left, searching for room 221, his science classroom. In the process he felt himself bump into someone. He looked up and groaned. "Sorry, sorry, I wasn't looking," he told the boy. He was a few inches taller than Jude and had sandy blonde hair. His eyes were hazel, and he had a soft smile on his face. Jude recognized the boy from his math class. He didn't remember learning the boy's name though.

"Don't worry about it. I'm Connor," the boy who now had a name told Jude, extending his hand. Jude took his hand and shook it.

"I'm Jude," Jude answered, letting their hands drop.

"You're the new kid right? Are you lost?" Connor asked. Jude nodded, glancing away, slightly embarrassed. "Are you going to science with Mrs. Scott?" Connor asked. Jude nodded again, making a grin spread across Connor's face. "Cool, me too. Come with me," Connor spoke, walking past Jude who followed quickly. Jude kept his eyes on Connor, making sure he was following the boy correctly. Jude furrowed his eyebrows as Connor turned around, waving his hand. "Did you hear me?" Connor asked.

Jude rolled his eyes, turning his head a bit so Connor could see his hearing aid. "I'm deaf," Jude explained. He watched Connor's jaw drop and rolled his eyes as the boy stuttered.

"Sorry... I... I..." Connor started, but Jude cut him off.

"Look, we can either talk or walk, but I can't exactly read your lips and walk at the same time," Jude explained, seeing a slight realization come onto Connor's face. What had the boy thought Jude had been staring ta his lips for? Connor just nodded and turned back around, leading the two toward the science room.

Jude scratched his neck, gripping his backpack as they walked into the room. He took a seat behind the boy. There were still people straggling in as they sat. Jude tapped Connor's shoulder, and Connor turned quickly, raising his eyebrows a bit.

"Thanks for helping me get here," Jude told Connor, who nodded and smiled.

"No problem," Connor spoke, meeting Jude's eyes before turning around as the teacher started speaking.

Jude's eyes widened as his eyes met the back of Connor's head, his eyes falling to the boy's ear. A hearing aid hung lightly from Connor's ear, but it wasn't any regular hearing aid. It was the kind you wear when you have a Cochlear Implant.

For all confused, a cochlear implant is a surgery a deaf person can get to make them hear. It doesn't work unless you wear a special hearing aid. I hardly edited this chapter either.

I do not own The Fosters or Cochlear Implants or anything your recognize. Also the scene with Brandon and Callie is taken mostly from the pilot, edited a bit.

-HJ