The Mirror of Silence

The Mirror of Silence

Chapter 1

Disclaimers::: I do not own OUAT or it's Characters just my colorful imagination. Emma Swan is a deaf model, actress, and advocate for the rights of people with disabilities. She has a few secrets of her own. Regina Mills is a fashion designer who has acquired her own company upon her mother's passing. She has a deaf son who is 8 going on 9. When she's not working, she enjoys photography.
Let's see what happens when the two meet at the annual NYC Central Park Fashion Show.

***I would like to thank my beta, Temera for helping me with making sure my story looked good!!! I enjoyed working with her on all six chapters, and we learned a lot from each other!!!

I want to thank Versacesq for the lovely art you created for this story. You are the best!!!

Next, I would like to thank my cheerleaders for cheering me on. I really appreciate you guys, more than you know, mwah!***

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The Mirror of Silence is an invitation for people to take a pause from the chaotic, noisy demands of everyday life and immerse oneself in silence and nature, becoming increasingly aware of everything happening in and around us.
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It was that time of the year again. Everyone was getting ready for the NYC Central Park Fashion Show. Emma Swan was about to meet the fashion designer she would be working with to showcase her clothes. Before she could do that, someone grabbed her, getting her attention.

"Emma! Emma!" It was Ruby Lucas. She was Emma's best friend and adopted sister. She was glad it was her and not someone else.

Emma's smile turned into a frown when she saw the look on Ruby's face. She signed. "What is it? What's wrong?"

"It's August… he called. Um… I'm sorry, Ems… Your foster mom… the only one you liked before… she took ill and passed away in her sleep." Ruby sighed, allowing Emma to process the awful news.

Emma stumbled back and gasped. "Amelia is gone?" Her eyes grew misty as it hit her hard.

Ruby nodded and bit her lip, feeling her sister's pain as she took Emma into her arms. She could feel the blonde shaking as she began crying. Ruby's eyes teared up as she moved Emma to the bench. They sat down while Emma tried getting her breathing under control. Ruby heard her sister whimpering. She continued holding her and rubbing her back. "I'm sorry, Ems. I know how much you and August both cared for her."

Emma sighed and nodded as she wiped her tears away before she signed. "Did he say when the funeral will be?"

Ruby nodded. "Next Saturday. I can get you more information. Do you want me to get you some water?"

Emma nodded and signed. "Yes, please. Thanks." She ran her hand through her hair as she thought about everything Amelia had ever done for her and her foster brother, August. She was lost in thought until she felt someone tap her shoulder. She sat up straight and looked to see a young boy there.

He shuffled from one foot to the other, thinking about what to say to the blonde. He decided to take a leap of faith. He signed. "I know you. You're Emma Swan? I'm Henry. Sorry, you're sad." He pouted slightly.

Emma tilted her head as a smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. She was intrigued by this young boy, Henry. She had a fan? She decided it would do her some good to have some company, at least until Ruby returned with her water. She signed. "You know me?" She chuckled. "I just got some sad news but I will be okay." She moved so Henry could sit with her. "Where are your parents?"

Henry shrugged. He signed, "Mom and Dad have been fighting. Mom brought me to work after my Doctor's appointment this morning. I got lost in the crowd so I came out here." He decided to change the subject. "I got my new comics too." He took them out of his backpack and showed them to Emma. "I love her because she's deaf like me. I wish they would make more comics like that. This is about Lady Morgana but she's called Selina Turner when she's trying to pass as normal. I heard about the movie about her that's coming out. You play her right?"

Emma chuckled, her sadness forgotten for the moment. She enjoyed how much Henry loved to talk. "Yeah. That would be me. I do that when I am not modeling." She signed. "Actually, if you and your parents would like to come to the Lady Morgana movie premiere, I could get you tickets …" She smiled, having a feeling she had just made his day.

Henry shook his head signing, "It's just my mom and me. But I would love to go!!!" He was getting excited until he remembered, "I hope my mom will let me…" he frowned.

Just then, Ruby returned with a bottle of water and that was when she noticed someone else following her sister out.

The brunette woman quickly stepped forward and took hold of Henry. "What did I tell you about walking off?" She spoke a bit fast before she corrected herself. She sighed deeply, trying to compose herself. She'd been stressed a lot lately. She turned to the blonde and said tersely, "My name is Regina Mills and I have to find my model to showcase my new designs. Apparently, she's missing and…" she noticed the blonde as she came to standing. "Unless your name is Emma Swan, my missing model, stay away from my son."

Ruby bit her lip trying not to be so obvious as she handed the water to Emma. She signed. "Sorry, Sis, it got hectic back there and this woman got mouthy with everyone and…"

Henry started laughing at what Ruby was saying, especially her expressive way of showing how said woman reacted.

Emma chuckled as she nodded in understanding. She noticed Henry's mother didn't use sign language to communicate with him. Since Emma had taken speech classes while growing up, she decided to speak for herself, knowing her speech wouldn't sound perfect. She hoped at least she would understand what she was saying. "I'm sorry. I would have been there had I not gotten some bad news. It was nice to meet your son. He helped me to get my mind off some very unsettling news. This is Ruby, she's my sister and she will help me with my make-up and hair."

Regina stared at Emma in surprise before she remembered herself. "I'm sorry, I didn't realize you were deaf. You speak very well. I see you've already met my son. Come on, we need to get you ready."

They moved inside and Ruby proceeded to fix Emma's hair and do her makeup while Regina brought over the clothes she wanted Emma to model.

While they were working, many things went through Regina's mind as she watched Emma on the catwalk. She couldn't tear her eyes away as she pondered what life must have been like for the blonde, growing up. A few times, she looked over at her son, seeing how mesmerized he was by her. She had so many questions she wanted to ask. But she didn't know how she was going to be able to get the answers she needed. She didn't realize she was chewing on her lip.

"Penny for your thoughts?"

Regina jumped slightly when she realized Ruby was speaking to her. "Oh! Um yeah sorry, I'm just thinking too much…" she turned to watch the show, loving the way the crowd was reacting to her fashion and designs. Emma looked incredibly stunning wearing them. She felt a sense of pride coming over her. She could see her show was going better than expected. Emma had her audience eating out of her hand, and Regina was intrigued by what she was seeing.

Henry grinned knowingly as he grabbed his comic book and showed it to his mother. While Regina didn't really sign much, only a very rusty version of the ABC's and a very few words, Henry did the best he could to try communicating with his mother. He pointed at the cover of his Lady Morgana copy and then pointed at Emma.

"No, Henry. Not now. I don't…" Regina started.

Ruby noticed what was going on. She tapped Henry's shoulder as she signed. "Need help?"

Henry smiled and nodded. He signed back to her. "I'm trying to tell Mom that Emma is Lady Morgana from the new movie she promised to take me to. We saw the previews."

Ruby chuckled as she signed. "Emma told you right?"

Henry shook his head. "No, I figured it was her. She didn't have to tell me anything."

Ruby saw the way Regina was frowning as she tried to watch her fashion show while trying to figure out what her son was saying. She then proceeded to tell Regina what Henry was trying to tell her about Emma.

Regina was surprised at what was being said. "Is that true? I mean you work with Emma." She forgot what Emma had said about Ruby when they first met.

"Of course." Ruby smiled. "She's my sister. I would know." She found it amusing. "Don't you watch TV or go to the movies? Nobody told you she's an actress when she's not modeling?"

Caught by surprise, Regina wasn't aware she was staring, mouth agape until she closed her mouth. This was so unlike her, to look like a fool, even for a moment or two. "Well, no. I don't normally watch TV. I've never really had time to do that. I did take Henry to the movies, however. I just didn't put two and two together. He begged and it's his favorite comic book so when it came out…" she shook her head and smiled.

Ruby smiled, understanding what Regina was talking about. "You're a good mom."

"Emma invited us to go to the movie premiere for Lady Morgana!!! Can we go, mom?" Henry was getting very excited.

Ruby grinned at Henry then she interpreted for him.

Before Regina could say anything about that, Ella, Regina's assistant, brought out another rack of clothes that she had designed herself. She made sure the clothes were in order and prepared for Emma to wear for their potential buyers and clients.

Ruby refreshed Emma's makeup and fixed her hair while also interpreting for Emma when needed.

Thinking back on where this all started, Ruby had decided to learn sign language when she found out Emma was deaf and had wanted to get to know her better. They became fast friends and after Emma had come from yet another broken home, her mother and grandmother took her under their wing and after nearly a year of Emma being in their care, they had decided to make it official. Emma had become Ruby's sister. Two years later, Anita was killed in a car accident on her way home. Ruby studied to be a certified interpreter and had surprised Emma with her decision when she'd also gotten a degree in hair and makeup design. She wanted to be there for her sister and best friend.

Regina's eyes flitted back and forth between Emma and Ruby as they conversed. Seeing how fast and fluid they were with their signing made her wonder if she could ever learn and be as fluid as they were. She looked over at Henry with a longing to be able to do that with her son. She tried to get to know them as Emma modeled and displayed her newest clothing line.

Ella at least knew a few basic signs, having learned them when she was in high school. She'd known more back then, but over time had forgotten the majority of what she had learned.

Emma was only too happy to teach them a few signs in between working. She'd caught the way Henry grinned happily when his mother began picking up a few signs. The blonde winked knowingly at him.

Soon, Emma had finished showcasing Regina's dress line and was now onto the tuxedos for women line.

Ruby was having so much fun showing Regina and Ella more signs. She made sure they downloaded some apps on their phones.

Henry then hugged his mother and told her how much he loved her.

As always, Henry was the apple of her eye and he melted her heart. Even though they had a communication barrier between them, and there was a lot of frustration in their lives, she loved her son more than anything. She wanted to be able to talk with him and tell him how much she loved him. Thanks to the help she got from Emma and Ruby, she was able to tell Henry she loved him. It was a very emotional moment for her and a relief to be able to convey what she was feeling with her son.

Soon the show ended and Emma was back, getting dressed and conversing with her sister. She smiled when she saw how happy Henry was, snuggling in Regina's arms.

Regina smiled appreciatively at them. "Thank you for being here. I...I was wondering would... could we keep in touch? There's so much I need to know and understand about Henry's deafness. The doctors warned me against letting him sign but the school he goes to has a deaf program and… could we have dinner and talk about this?" She asked.

Emma smiled. "Sure. We can get dinner. What did you have in mind?"

"Do you need me to come along to interpret?" Ruby asked.

The blonde shook her head. She found Regina easy to talk with. "I think we will be fine." She wanted to get to know this woman better and felt some one on one time would help to talk with her.

Regina sighed in relief and smiled. "Maybe you could watch Henry for me? He seems to have become quite taken with you, next to Ella."

Emma suggested they exchanged phone numbers, just in case. Regina also left some emergency information as well should something happen while Henry stayed with Ruby.

Ruby grinned as she shooed them away. "Go on!!! Have fun, we will be fine, scout's honor." She winked.

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They decided on eating at Tony's Pizzeria. Regina ordered lasagna with salad on the side and a bottle of red wine. She was about to help Emma with her order when the blonde beat her to it.

"I'll have the Chicken Parmesan and the house salad and some sweet tea." She smiled when the waiter took her order. "Thank you."

Regina looked at her with surprise. "You speak very well. Of course, your voice sounds different when we aren't outside."

Emma smiled as she took a sip of her water while they waited for their salad. "I took speech lessons when I was growing up. They started by teaching me cued speech." She chuckled at the confused look on Regina's face. "Let me show you. This happened after I first got my hearing aids. Even though they don't make me hear perfectly, they did help me learn to speak."

She took the brunette's hand into her own and had her splay her fingers. "Put this on my nose and this over my lips and your thumb on my throat, ok, it's like this…" she explained about the differences in the sounds of each letter, how certain sounds vibrated differently against her hand and how she learned the difference between each pronounced word with the gentle 'Sh' sounds and the way the 'Ch' sounds pushed air out more strongly against the palm of her hand. The vibrating differences between the 'M' and 'N' through her nose. She explained as much as she could before their food arrived.

Regina was impressed by what Emma shared with her. "That's amazing! I tried to get Henry to take the speech classes, he was able to learn a few words, but nothing like what you've shown me. It sounds like you benefited greatly from those lessons. Maybe you could teach my son?"

Emma shook her head. "No. I wouldn't be able to do that. Not without hearing the sounds, he makes for myself. If you want me to, I could call someone to see if they would be interested in teaching him what I learned? But the choice would need to be Henry's."

Regina nodded. "You're right. Yes. I will need to talk with my son about this."

Emma smiled, glad that Regina was taking the right direction with this. They ate their salad and then their food arrived.

"You listen very well. I know my speech isn't perfect. But I try my best. Not everyone can understand me. It can be awkward when they don't make the effort to try communicating with me rather than saying nevermind or walking away. Talk about rude." Emma chuckled dryly. "In other words, that's also called Audism."

"That's a word? This is the first time I'm hearing about this." Regina replied. "You're teaching me a lot today!" She chuckled softly.

Emma ate her Chicken Parmesan and nodded slowly. "I don't want you to take offense at what I am about to share with you. It can be a very touchy subject, but it really needs to be addressed." She sipped her iced tea. "Especially since your son will face Audism in the world we live in. It won't matter how much you try to protect and shield him from facing this in his life."

Regina gasped and paled slightly. "You say it like it's a bad thing."

Emma grew serious. "It's something deaf people face every day. Not just deaf people, but the intelligently challenged, the mobility disabled, the blind, even the deaf-blind. Audism is a very oppressive way of life, but it can be overcome with the proper tools we need to get through the wall of Audism and break it down. The ADA law can help with that and other services that enable communication. Videophones, interpreter services, advocacy groups that can help you get what your son needs…"

"Hold on… can we back up a little bit? What is this ADA law you're talking about?" Regina asked, interrupting Emma.

The blonde chuckled, noticing she had gotten ahead of herself. "Sorry, I'm talking too fast here. The ADA law is short for the Americans with Disabilities Act. They help people with disabilities to get equal rights so people would not be able to walk all over them and make decisions for them without any consideration for their needs." She smiled, seeing how Regina liked this bit of information. "There are so many things that will help him get through life more easily. He may face hurdles, ignorant people who do not understand what it is to be deaf, but he will overcome obstacles with these tools I spoke about. And I will be more than happy to help you get a head start with everything if you'd like?"

Regina visibly relaxed. "Yes, please. I want to know what I can do to make life easier for Henry. Thank you so much! I'm very glad we had dinner tonight. You have my text number and I have yours."

Emma smiled. "I had a good time too. Maybe you and Henry would like to see where I live, and I could show you some of the things Henry will need to have, that will make your life even easier." She chuckled. "I could cook dinner." She winked.

"How can I refuse an offer like that?" Regina smiled brightly. "Same time tomorrow?" She asked as they took care of the bill together and walked out after leaving a good tip.

Emma continued smiling. "Yes, and I could give you some movies to watch unless you'd prefer to watch them with me?"

"I probably should watch them with you in case I have some questions." Regina decided.

"It's a date then?" Emma asked, taking a risk.

Regina chuckled as she looked at her watch. "You know, I wish tonight would last longer. But yes, I suppose you could call it a date. I feel I should warn you, I'm going through a divorce right now."

Emma nodded in understanding. "Henry told me a little bit about that. Maybe we could go for a walk and if you want to talk about it, we can. I don't mind." She smiled.

Regina sighed. She really didn't like anyone knowing her business. But she realized that Henry needed someone to talk with. Even if it was Emma.

"Why don't we walk over to the lake and we can talk. They have pretty lights and a perfect spot for sitting." The brunette suggested.

The blonde nodded. "Sounds good." She voiced and signed with a smile.

"Maybe you could teach me some more signs to surprise Henry with?" Regina asked. She felt at ease with Emma. She couldn't remember the last time she felt like this. She liked it very much.

Soon they arrived at the lake and sat down on a bench with strings of lights nearby. It would be easier for Emma to read Regina's lips rather than trying to communicate in the darkening night.

"I don't mind teaching you." Emma chuckled.

Regina smiled. "I don't know why, but I feel like I can talk to you about anything. As you know, my husband left me and Henry quite some time ago. He wasn't happy about not being able to give me children. Please don't judge me. But I wanted a child so badly. I love children. My sister has a daughter and I love my niece." She sighed. "Not many people know about this. It's not something I talk about. I guess you can say I went to the sperm bank. That sounds awful, doesn't it?" She put her face in her hands, afraid of what Emma would think of her. "My soon to be ex-husband is impotent. After a while, he decided he didn't like the idea that I would go get sperm from a random donor, much less carry a stranger's baby in my womb. By the time I found out I was pregnant, it was too late to back out of going through with it. Robin refused to touch me or look at me. He became detached and distant. He didn't want to be a father." She whispered.

Emma watched Regina, as she shared her story. "You didn't do anything wrong. It's not your fault that he's a douchebag. How could he do that to Henry and try making you feel guilty for having him? He's so very lucky to have you in his life. If anything, your ex-husband knew he was sterile when he married you, didn't he?"

Regina sighed softly, glad Emma wasn't judging her. "Yes, he knew. I talked about adopting children. He didn't want to take that path. He claimed if I had a baby with him, as long as I had a baby that was a part of me, he would love us no matter what. See what happened." Regina scoffed. "At least I have the donor's ID number memorized if I want another baby, which I do. I want Henry to have a sister or brother." She smiled. "So… I told you about my secret. Do you have one to share with me?"

Emma chuckled as she turned to gaze at the calming ripples on the surface of the lake. "I have quite a few secrets of my own. One which is pretty huge. It could be scandalous if word got out. And several others."

Regina's jaw opened and shut a few times. She asked. "Is this secret very bad? Will it get you in trouble? Did you break the law or something?"

Emma laughed softly. "Well… when I was a kid, I did get in trouble. But don't worry, I didn't murder anyone. Just some petty theft when I was living in the streets. I ran away from home many times. I lived in foster care all my life until I was about 15 or 16 years old. I met Granny. She owns that diner near here. I also met Ruby and her mother, Anita. They'd seen me around and had taken me under their wing and then Anita adopted me, making Ruby my sister. Unfortunately, two years later, her mom was killed in a car accident on the way home from work. I had just started calling her mom. And the foster home I was living in before then… Amelia was good to me. But her husband was an asshole. Anyways, today I found out that Amelia passed away." She felt a tear break free and wiped it away. "August called Ruby and that's when I got the news."

Regina's heart went out to Emma. "I'm sorry. Sounds like you've been through a lot. Who is this August if you don't mind me asking?"

Emma gave her a small smile. "My foster brother. Amelia looked after us. I stayed with them for nearly 8 months until her husband got into a fight with her and kicked us out of the house. Amelia ended up in the hospital and divorced Harold. We would see Amelia every now and then. But August and I had enough of the foster care system and lived in the streets until Anita took me in. By then, August was too old to be in foster care." Emma gave her a small smile, signing as she spoke as well.

"Wow. That's quite an adventure you've been on. I'm glad you had August and Ruby and her family in your corner." Regina replied as she reached out to take Emma's hand into her own.

Emma smiled as she looked down at their joined hands. "I'm glad I do too. Before Amelia, life was very hard for me because no one wanted someone like me. I'm not like other people. I was born… different. They didn't know whether to call me a girl or a boy." She bit her lip, watching to see how Regina would react.