A/N: This is another story in my Rose 'Verse. Could be seen as a sequel of Child Of Mine, could be read as a separate fic. Just a quick fluffy oneshot I wrote for MissZoey to make her feel better about having mock exams on Monday. Love for you, dear.

A/N 2: Yes, I may or may not be in love with this verse and daddy!Riff. Deal with it.

Disclaimer: Ritz, our only Overlord, owns TRHPS characters and storyline. All I have is Rose-y.

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Bedtime Stories

'Sto'e! Sto'e!' Rose shrieked from inside her crib, her little hands reached forward, as she refused to lie down, no matter how many times her father tried to convince her that it was, indeed, her bed time. Riff Raff chuckled softly, leaning over the crib and taking her into his hands and sitting on the armchair nearby, his little girl plopped happily on his knee. It had been a tiring day for the butler, since the work in the lab was getting more and more; he had barely had time for Rose all week. Now, he understood, she'd get her payback.

Not that Riff minded that.

'Okay, story. But just one.' He smiled, as he kissed her head, feeling hair, just as red and frizzy as her mother's, tickle his nose. 'Which one do you want?'

Rose crossed her arms, putting her one small finger on her chin, mimicking an expression deep thought she had seen who knows where. Riff couldn't help but let out a small amused sound – his daughter was just like a parrot. She repeated, with a great accuracy even, everything that she saw or heard. Both him and Magenta had warned the others to be watchful of their language and gestures – their last wish was for their daughter to start swearing at a year and eight months of age.

Finally, a content smile came on Rose's face, as one of her tiny hands gripped Riff's and the other pointed at the beautifully painted wall, situated just across her crib. He understood.

'You want the story of the Planet of the Moon and the lovely princess?'

His daughter nodded enthusiastically. She lay over his chest, entering her usual story-listening mode, as Riff's melodic and deep voice started to speak.

'Once upon a time, there was this beautiful planet. It was in a galaxy far, far away from here. Imagine if you had to travel for ten years by car – you still wouldn't have reached it. It wasn't a very big planet - in fact, it was even a bit smaller than this one – but it was a very important planet. Do you know why?'

'Why?' Rose mumbled into his shirt.

'Because it was the home of one of the galaxy's most important people – the Old Queen, or as everyone called her, the Big Furter. Everyone loved the Old Queen – she was a good ruler, she was honest to her people, everyone was beautiful, had a job, had a family, had a future for themselves. Despite being so young and small, this planet managed to develop an image of a tolerable and understanding place. The people of this planet were happy. The Old Queen was also happy – her subjects were nice to each other, they rarely committed any crimes, they worked hard and appreciated what was given to them, so they tried to give so much more. But there was this one person on this planet who wasn't happy. Do you know who that was, doll?'

'W'o?' Rose asked, her big eyes widening at her father. Riff smiled. Even if she wouldn't be getting to sleep any soon, he was delighted to have her enthralled and fully listening, her little face having adapted a very serious look, as if she was witnessing a gathering of the Chamber of Congress. He had to admit, his little girl was very smart for her age.

'Well, that was the prince. The Big Furter's son. You see, at first, everyone thought he was happy, but he actually put a lying smile on his face, trying to convince people that he was just as delighted and devoted to his planet. But he could not fool himself. You see, the prince was a traveller. He was tired of the small little planet, he wanted to go somewhere, to find something, to see wonders, which no living being on the planet had ever laid their eyes on. So he decided to take up a travel. He would ask for one of the planet's most powerful space ships and blast himself into the stars, thinking of nothing but his own freedom.

The Queen did not mind. She said that it was okay that her son was an adventurer, he could go and explore other planets, to meet new people and convince them how beautiful and peaceful their planet was, and probably they'd develop the wish to even move to live there. And this would have been wonderful – the Big Furter would never have complained against having more people, who lived happily, delighted with their lives, starting a family, or getting a job. There was this one requirement though – the prince needed at least one man for a crew, to be able to pilot the ship and land it safely on the new planet. So he started looking for this man.'

Riff paused, his eyes drifting to the painted wall, his eyes silently admiring the skillful hand that had depicted the beaches of his home world so well, drowning in moonlight and slowly fading out like a watercolor to a deeper and darker purple until it could finally shift into the black. He felt Rose pull at his sleeve.

'Da'ie?'he lowered his gaze to her, meeting her blue eyes, and as always he felt as if he was staring into a mirror. '

'I'm sorry, doll. So, where were we? Ah, yes, the prince. Well, he needed a smart man, one who was capable to pilot the ship and also help the prince with his research, because, you know, the young Furter was a very capable scientist.'

'Scie'ni't?'

'Yes, my lovely, a scientist. A very clever person who knows a lot of things about the world and everything the world is made of.'

'A'e you a scie'ni't, da'ie?'Rose asked, her tiny finger stuck into her mouth. Riff laughed and got it out of there.

'I may be, sweetheart. What made you think so?'

'You a'e cle'eah!'she exclaimed, pointing her little finger at his nose. He pretended wanting to bite it off and Rose shrieked and giggled, then kept staring at him with her serious glare. Riff knew that this meant that she knew perfectly well the story wasn't done.

'So, on the small planet, in a house very near the sea, which is quite similar to that beautiful picture you see there, lived one of those smart men. He, himself, didn't consider himself a scientist – he did some experiments at his house, but he had never thought of himself as particularly clever. The prince, though, knew this man had passed school with the best grades, so he offered him a lot of money to accompany him on his trip. He promised the man that he would have anything he wanted in the world – fame, fortune, his work would get recognized on his home planet and he'd even make sure to give the man a better, prettier home.

The offer tempted the man. He was, too, and adventurer, just like the Big Furter's son and he loved his work, he did it with a passion and a lot of his free time was drained in there; he would never seek recognition, but this was an amazing chance for him to get better at what he was doing. Still, he declined, without even thinking twice. Do you know why he did that, Rose?'

His daughter shook her head and Riff lowered his gaze down to her, gently stroking her ginger-y hair, as he saw her eyes drooping; she was clearly fighting to stay awake. He smiled.

'You see, doll, the man was in love. He lived with this beautiful woman. She was the most beautiful creature on the whole planet. Her eyes looked like the sky in the misty morning, when they'd stay at the porch of their house, looking at the sea, the coldest moment of the whole day, just before the sunrise. They'd shiver, but not go inside, instead they'd try to warm themselves up with a blanket and they'd say their 'hello' to the sun every single morning. Her hair was wild and red –'

'Li'e mine?'

'Yes, Rose, a bit like yours. You see, this woman was of no noble descent. Her parents were no queens or kings – in fact, they had been very, very bad people. But for the man, the woman was a princess. He loved her and cared for her more than anything else in the world and she loved him just as much.'

He looked at his daughter to see her already falling asleep on his chest and decided to quickly finish up the story, otherwise they'd end up both sleeping in that armchair.

'So he said to the prince that he didn't want to leave without the woman, he wouldn't bear for them to be parted for so long. The prince talked to his mother long hours, convinced her that this man was the only one he wanted to be on the crew. After days and days of considering, the Queen finally agreed and the three of them departed from their planet just a week later. They were all happy – the princess was just as adventurous and ambitious as her beloved man and she wouldn't leave him for the world either. They coursed through the stars, the three of them, but a lingering of home stayed forever in their hearts …'

Riff saw that Rose was almost asleep already, as he gently picked her up and placed her down in the crib.

'…but they were okay, because they were together.'

'Da'ie?'his little girl asked sleepily.

'What is it, doll?'

'Will I some'ene ever tell me I'm a prin'ess too?'

He smiled and kissed her forehead gently.

'You are my little princess, Rose.'

She smiled at him, already drifting into sleep.

'Ni't, da'ie.'

'Good night, my dear.'

He stayed by the crib a little longer to make sure she was asleep, but there had been no need. Rose had been tired and as soon as her little head made contact with the pillow, she was out. Riff silently tip-toed across the room, carefully shutting the door behind him.

:::

'What took you so long?' Magenta asked him sleepily, as she felt him slip into bed beside her.

'I got bribed for a story.'

'Good thing she didn't get you into making tea parties. Again.' She chuckled, yawning. 'So, which story did you tell her?'

Riff smiled, as he leaned closer to her, gently kissing the soft skin behind her earlobe. He was delighted to feel her shiver with pleasure in his arms.

'Ours.'