A.N. Hey everyone! So sorry about such a long wait for the next update, I just wanted to finish Once Upon a Coffee and put all my efforts into that. Now that it is finished though I will be working on this one! Thanks for being patient and I hope you enjoy it.

She's isolating herself. She won't see anyone, except me or Henry; not even her parents. They've been around every day since she's been here, but she locks herself in her room, refusing to come out.

At first it was annoying because Snow and Charming wouldn't leave, saying they weren't going until she saw them. This affected Emma non what so ever. It was me that had to suffer hearing Snow banging on the door, and watching as she passed note after note underneath after she realised that Emma couldn't actually hear her. I swear that woman gets dumber by the day, but not even that was the worst part. It was the part after she would give up trying to get Emma to come out and then her and Charming would just sit in my lounge room and wait. I of course had to sit with them. There was no way I was leaving them unattended in my home. God knows what they would do. So we would sit awkwardly, Snow and Charming trying to make small talk with me. I would rather eat one of my own poisoned apples than have a conversation with those two idiots. It has to have been one of the most torturous moments of my life sitting there with them. Luckily Henry would come home from school just before I was about to scream at Snow for some dim-witted comment she had made that I couldn't help but think was somehow supposed to be insulting me or my home. By the end of the week they gave up and stopped showing up. It was only today when I realised why Emma refused to see them.

I had come home from work to hear the most horrendous of sounds coming from my house. I could hear it from down the street. I'm surprised no one had called the sheriff, although they probably not dared to seeing as it was my house. As I made my way inside I had to cover my ears at the volume of the noise. It was so loud it was sure to do damage. I rushed to the stereo in the games room and quickly turned it off before doing the same to the television in the lounge room. Like the stereo, the TV was on the highest volume. I ran throughout the house turning off every TV, stereo and appliance that made sound. The last room was my own.

I could hear the radio blasting from down the hall. When I entered I saw Emma crumpled on the floor, knees pulled into her chest, cheeks wet with tears. I walked over to the stereo and turned it off before walking over and kneeling down in front of her. Her eyes were squeezed shut tightly, and she didn't move as I knelt beside her. I had no idea how to tell her I was there without startling her. I guess there was no way really. Gently I reached out and placed my hand on Emma's arm. Her eyes immediately flew open and her whole body jumped under my touch. After the initial shock she burst out crying.

"I hate this!" she cried over and over again. "I thought I could bring it back. If the sound was loud enough… I thought somehow it would just come back, that I would be able to hear the noise." My heart was breaking seeing her like this again. She hadn't cried once since I'd brought her home. She was distant, almost numb, and I knew it was only a matter of time before she couldn't hide it anymore. I grabbed hold of her and tried to embrace her but she kept fighting me off, but I didn't give up. She needed this, she needed comfort. I could see it in her eyes, she was just too scared to admit it, too stubborn. Eventually she stopped fighting and pushing me away, and instead was holding on to me for dear life. I rocked her trying to calm her, rubbing circles gently on her back. It was something I had always done for Henry when he was upset, and just like Henry, I felt Emma calm immediately.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, "I'm so sorry Regina."

I pulled back so she could see my face. With her being locked in her room so much this last week, we hadn't had a lot of time together to practice her sign language. I had taught her some basic words though to help communication to start with easier, it was just a matter of whether she remembered them or not.

"Why?" I asked and signed, showing confusion on my face.

"For my parents… for me…" she replies sadly, looking down. What was she talking about? I put my finger under her chin and lifted her head so that she would look at me. I looked at her again with confusion and she sighed.

"I know you don't want this Regina. Having to take care of me, helping me. I know it's probably the last thing you wanted to do.. and my parents.. you've spent your whole life hating Snow, and now you will have to constantly see her because of me." I looked at her sympathetically signing 'it's okay'.

"No it's not Regina. None of this is ok. This whole thing is crap! I hate it, and everyone is taking care of me and I hate it, I can't do anything anymore without someone having to help me. I can't lip read, signing is crap, I don't understand it and there's no way I'm ever going to be able to have a proper conversation again. I lock myself in my room because I don't want to see anyone because I'm embarrassed. I'm a grown woman; I don't want to have to ask for help. My parents are treating me like a child which is why I won't see them because that's not what I want and they won't understand, and I hate talking out loud because I know I sound different because I can't hear myself and this all is just crap!"

I sign a response but she just stares blankly at me.

"I don't remember what that means…" she replies as her lip begins to tremble. I act quickly, not wanting her to cry again.

"You," I say, pointing to Emma, "Talk" I point to my mouth, "To" I hold up two fingers, "Me" I point to myself.

She smiles softly at me, and I feel myself relax. "I don't know, it just feels different with you. You don't treat me like a child, and I don't care about how I sound with you, because it doesn't matter." Ouch. "No no! Not like that!" The hurt from that comment must have been evident on my face, because she quickly tried to explain herself. "I just mean… it doesn't matter because I don't care, I feel comfortable talking to you. It's different than everyone else… I don't know, I don't know how to explain it." She looks at me apologetically.

"It's okay." I reply. I walk over to my dresser and scribble something down before walking back over and handing it to her. There was no other way of communicating to her what I wanted to say, we hadn't got that far yet.

I'm glad you feel comfortable around me Emma, it means a lot to me, and you are no burden, I genuinely want to help you anyway I can. I understand that it must be frustrating and scary having to go through all of this, but trust me when I say you need not be embarrassed, ever. We are going to work together, and I promise you that you will be having conversations with people other than me before you know it.

"Come on." I say, gesturing for us to both go downstairs. It was time to start working on my promise.

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