A/N: My knowledge of the Deaf community, ASL, and Deaf culture is limited to the courses that I took while in college. With that in mind, I hope that you enjoy this. For now it will be complete, however, I really like this concept and will continue if at least ten people are interested in see where this story would go. So let me know by commenting or following as I check those. Any and all spelling and grammar mistakes are mine. I don't own ouat obviously...Without further commentary from me, enjoy.
A Passing Glimpse
Emma stretched her body as she left the station, she was just glad that her shift was over and she could go home to her wife. While her wife was probably still at work, at least it would give her some time to unwind after her long shift. Emma Swan-Mills worked as an interpreter for the Boston Police department. She was fluent in both American Sign Language and Spanish. ASL had come easy to her because she was a CODA or a child of a Deaf adult. Both her parents were Deaf and she'd grown up only knowing ASL and well Spanish thanks to her neighbors who taught her.
To say that a young Emma Swan struggled for the first two years of her schooling would be putting it lightly. But as soon as she picked up on English, she seemed to understand and succeed like the rest of the kids around her.
"Hello?" Emma called out as she walked passed an alleyway having heard something. It was nearing dusk but the alley was a lot darker than the street. Emma peered into the alley seeing a head pop out of a trashcan. Emma took a hesitant step forward wishing that she had her gun on her, she worked part-time as a bounty hunter much to her wife's constant complaints. Emma continued forward and accidently kicked a can sending it forward where it hit trash bin where the head at popped up. Emma stopped as wide brown eyes were looking at her with what looked like a piece of pizza crust in her mouth.
Emma's heart ached seeing that the child. Her hair was long, probably to her shoulders but Emma couldn't tell with how matted and dirty it was. "Are you homeless?" Emma questioned as the girl just stared at her with the old food in her mouth. "Are you alone?" Emma watched as the girl nodded her head and Emma slowly stepped forward. She couldn't let the girl stay out on these streets, especially since fall was upon them, it'd been getting colder.
Emma exhaled heavily as she continued to step towards the girl. "Are you hungry?" Emma found herself using the sign for hungry as the girl's eyes widen behind her hair and nodded. She slowly climbed from the trash bin and stepped toward Emma with a small smile. "Do you want to come home with me?" Emma asked as the girl just nodded once more. Emma just hoped that Regina wouldn't be too upset about their house guest.
Emma unlocked the door to her shared condo and stepped aside as she let the dirty little girl in. Emma chuckled as the girl seemed to be in awe of her surroundings. Emma closed and locked the door as she stepped out of her shoes and jacket. "How about you take a shower and I'll make you some food?" Emma questioned walking past the little girl who seemed to ignore her. Emma turned around and looked at the little girl.
'Did you say something?' Emma blinked as the little girl signed. It made sense now, she was Deaf.
'You're deaf?' Emma signed as she nodded. 'Oh, I asked if you wanted to take a shower and I'll make you some food.'
'Yes please, I'm Henry.' Emma blinked looking at the little girl who was maybe not a little girl but a little boy.
'Henry? As in a little boy?' Henry nodded with a smile as Emma chuckled. 'I thought you were a little girl.'
'I'm eight! I'm not so little!' Emma blinked once more, she wondered just how long Henry had been living on the street, she had thought that he was six maybe seven. Just from looking at the child in front of her she could tell that he was severely malnourished.
'How long have you been homeless Henry?' He seemed to shrug his shoulders not knowing the answer himself.
'I don't know, it used to be daddy and me out on the streets, but he fell asleep one winter and never woke back up. I…I left him and started staying with some older kids for a while.' Emma felt her eyes water as she looked at the little boy in front of her. Emma took a deep breath before shaking her head.
'Ok, how about you go clean up and I'll make you a grilled cheese and some tomato soup?' He nodded eagerly before looking around. Emma chuckled as she indicated that he follow her. She got him a towel and a long t-shirt knowing he was too small to fit into any of her or her wife's shorts. Emma turned on the shower and showed him what soaps to use. He quickly stripped not feeling shy as he hopped into the shower. Emma picked up the scraps of clothing he had discarded and took them to the washer, she could at least wash his pants and the boxers he had on. The hole-y socks and torn t-shirt would have to be tossed.
Emma put in some extra laundry soup hoping to get the dirt and stench from the clothes, maybe she could go to the store and get him some essential clothing. Emma started making the kid some food as she wondered what Regina would think. She knew that Regina wanted kids, they both did, but it was only eleven months into their marriage and almost a year and half into their relationship. Emma wondered how Regina would feel about adoption.
Emma shook her head as she set the grilled cheese on a paper plate and set the soup to a simmer as she heard keys in the front door. Emma smiled as she walked to the front of the condo just as Regina was closing the door taking off her shoes.
"There's the woman that's been on my mind all day." Emma's brows raised as Regina grabbed her and kissed her hard. Emma returned the kiss as she felt herself being pushed against the nearest wall. Emma let out a moan as Regina cupped her sex and kneaded it. Regina's teeth ghosted against the base of her wife's neck another moan escaping her.
"R-regina." Emma shuttered as Regina began to undo her pants and Emma came to her senses. "Love, as much as I would love nothing more than to toss you on that couch and fuck you senseless, we have house guest." Emma spoke as that seemed to be the cold water that stopped her. Regina looked around their condo before she heard the shower stop. Her brows raised as Emma chuckled and re-buttoned her pants.
"When they leave, you better do just that." Emma bit her bottom lip as she heard the bathroom door open and she could hear Henry walking. Regina took a moment to straighten herself causing Emma to chuckle as she kissed her wife once more and headed back to the kitchen as Henry appeared looking more like a little boy with long hair instead of a dirty little girl.
His hair was back in a low ponytail which told Emma that he'd searched the drawers. 'You feel better?' Emma signed as he nodded and climbed onto the stool of the kitchen island.
'Yes, lots. Thank you!' He looked at the grilled cheese as Emma poured some of the soup into a bowl and placed it in front of him. 'Is this…' Henry looked at the fresh food in front of him. 'Is this for me?' Emma nodded with a smile as Regina walked in just as Henry picked up on of the triangles and dipped it into the soup.
"Are we babysitting darling?" Regina questioned looking at the little boy who was wearing one of her wife's t-shirt.
"I—um, don't get mad." Henry looked up noticing Regina.
'She's really pretty.' Henry signed as Emma smiled nodding.
'She's beautiful.' Regina looked slightly surprised at the sign language taken place. While she knew a few key words she wasn't fluent no matter how much Emma tried to push her to learn it. Regina wanted to learn her wife's first language, but with her private practice and the clients she had, she didn't have much time to learn.
"He's deaf?" Regina questioned as Emma nodded. "Why am I not supposed to get mad?" Emma opened her mouth but closed it as she looked at Henry who was looking between the two women.
'We're going to talk in the living room, if you need anything just hit the wall ok?' Emma looked at Henry who nodded before continuing to eat his warm food. Regina looked at her wife who led her into the living room.
"He's homeless." Emma spoke unsure where to start.
"How do you know?"
"When I left the station I found him in a trash bin with an old piece of pizza in his mouth." Emma continued on. "He told me he used to have his dad, but he died." Emma felt her lip tremble as Regina looked at her. "I don't exactly know legal things, but can we keep him?"
"Emma, love, he's not a puppy." Regina breathed as Emma looked over her shoulder.
"I know that Gina, he's only eight years old, you want us to send him back to the streets?" Regina cringed at suggestion looking at her wife.
"No, but we call social services, get him placed in a nice home." Emma shook her head.
"Foster homes aren't all they are cracked up to be. I know from firsthand experience." Regina looked at her wife sighing.
"Emma,"
"We've talked about having kids, why not adopt and why not adopt Henry?"
"His name is Henry?" Emma nodded with a smile as Regina looked at the little boy who was sitting at the island still eating. "Emma, he's Deaf, that's going to be a lot more work." Emma narrowed her eyes slightly as Regina noticed this and shook her head. "I don't mean anything by that, you know that, I just, what about putting him in school and doctor appointments to see about hearing aids and—"
"That's something I'm willing to take on but I want to know if you are?"
"I—if he wants to stay with us, I would love to have him." Emma reached for her wife and pulled her forward into her body. Emma wrapped her arms around her wife's waist and looked into her dark coffee eyes with a smile.
"I love you." Emma kissed Regina and pulled away as Regina returned her wife's goofy smile before kissing her once more.
"And I love you, now let's go talk with Henry and see if he would want to join our little family." Regina spoke before kissing her wife's lips once more.
"Look at us, who wouldn't want to join our family." Emma winked as she took Regina's hand and led her back into the kitchen with the hope that the eight year old would want to join their family.