Happy 30th birthday to the original Beauty and the Beast movie! To celebrate, here's chapter 11 of my Beauty and the Beast OQ AU, featuring prompts 18 someone has a scare and doesn't want to sleep alone, 52 panic attack and 62 one has PTSD and the other is there for comfort when they have nightmares for OQ Bedsharing Month! TW for mentions of traumatic events/episodes.

It had been a month, and Regina still hadn't been able to decide how she felt about the littlest Locksley. On the one hand, he was full of energy and life, two things she knew she needed more of, lest she wallow in her despair. Like all boys his age, he loved to run and play, and while she did enjoy joining him, she also knew better than anyone that life wasn't full of sunshine. In fact, it was nothing but dark clouds, and the more she took on the darkness herself, the more she protected the little boy she had quickly fallen in love with from it, the better.

The one thing she could do without, though, that tore her up inside every time it was mentioned, was Roland's unwavering belief that Henry's ghost was floating around the castle. He mentioned her little prince every day, chatted with him as if he was in the room with him constantly. Although Henry himself had never had one, she knew that children Roland's age often had imaginary friends, so in that respect, Roland's behavior wasn't unusual. But were all children's imaginary friends so… vivid in their imaginations? From what she could tell, Roland had full-fledged conversations with his imagined version of Henry, which she thought went a bit further than usual for a presence that wasn't real. All she knew for sure was that it was torture to constantly be reminded that Henry had once run through these halls, laughing and coaxing her to play with cries of, "Tag, you're it!" It made her recall simpler times, happier ones, and she didn't think she could tolerate the inevitable conclusion those thoughts led to: that Henry was no longer with her, hadn't been for years now.

It was Henry's birthday the following day, and she suspected that Roland knew that, for he had talked of nothing else but their plans for that day for weeks. She went to bed that night apprehensive about what the day would bring. Would it be like her own birthday months before, a day full of misery? Or would this delightful little boy be able to pull her through it just by being himself?

"Come on, Papa, we gotta get ready!"

Robin rolled over and looked at his bright-eyed son, who was standing by the side of the bed. "Do we?" he asked, amused.

Roland nodded fervently. "We gotsta get everything ready for Henry's birthday!"

"Do we?" Robin inquired with a knowing smirk. "What do we need to get ready first?" He still hadn't seen Henry, but he had agreed to this because he knew it would mean the world to his son- and likely to Regina, although it might just as easily break her heart. He doubted the guest of honor would appear- after all, he never had before- but he hoped for his son's sake that he would.

"Decorations!" Roland proclaimed.

"All right, decorations it is!" Robin agreed. "But first, we need to not forget to eat breakfast."

They headed down to the kitchen, where despite the fact that they were people trapped in the forms of inanimate objects, he could immediately tell from the expressions of those around them that though it was a day to celebrate, they hadn't forgotten that it was simultaneously a day to mourn the life of a boy who never had the chance to grow up and become a man.

"Are you all right?" he whispered to Emma as he passed by. She usually preferred to serve them, but he guessed that today wasn't like other days, so he wanted to give them a day off.

With a sad smile and a shrug, she responded, "I'm all right, considering. The one you really need to pose that question to is Regina."

"I'm here if you need anything," he breathed, squeezing the top of her handle in reassurance.

He could see water glistening on her surface at his words, but they didn't fall. Emma was one of the strongest women he knew. She had managed to not only recover from Henry's death, but rose from the ashes a better person. Baelfire and Killian had told him that she had been completely different as a teenager, a rebel, and although he had been curious to find out just what mischief she had gotten into at that age, he had never pried. He was curious about everything related to the castle and the lives of the people in it, but he knew that their pasts were a sensitive subject- for one specific Queen in particular. He was honored to have discovered as much as he had been able to in the last few months about her past. While he always longed to know more of her story, he was also more than content with what he had uncovered so far. The fact that she had trusted him with so much of it was still a marvel to him, her secrets a precious treasure he wouldn't squander. He would never know exactly what had done it, but somehow, he had managed to work his way back into her good graces (or what passed for them, anyway) after she had found Heller's book, and he wasn't going to do anything to cause a turn for the worse in their relationship if he could help it. Though the rest of the castle's inhabitants were less sensitive than she was, the same was true of them. He and Emma had established a rapport from the day he had set foot in the castle. If she wanted to talk to him, she would.

Besides, if he knew Emma, she wouldn't be in this gloomy state for long, a fact proven by her next words to Roland, "What would you like for breakfast?"

"Chocolate chip pancakes and hot chocolate with cinnamon?" he asked innocently, his face imploring her to comply with his request.

He had asked for that every day since he had supposedly met Henry, and each time, Emma had declined his request. While Robin had always respected her decision, eventually he had asked why she always had the same reaction to his son's plea, and she had told him that the order had always been Henry's favorite, especially hot cocoa with cinnamon. Robin had tried to get Roland to cease and desist, but to no avail. He had continued to make the same request, and judging by the tears in Emma's eyes, that morning, he just might get his wish.

"Sure," she replied, her voice betraying the lump in her throat. She started bustling about the kitchen, making what had become one of her signature dishes. Robin and Roland helped as much as they could, but Robin had learned over the past months that Emma's kitchen was a well-oiled machine, and this morning was no different, despite the high emotions of everyone there. Eventually, she shooed them away, and Robin and Roland sat at the table instead, waiting for their meal to be ready.

Once they had eaten, it was time to decorate. Of course, they had had to work with what they had at the castle, but thankfully, there were lots of craft materials from the years when Henry had been alive that had survived due to lack of use for them, so Robin and Roland spent the morning using every blue piece of paper they could find to create all kinds of decorations in Henry's favorite color.

Once the children's section of the library (which, Robin had been told many times, was Henry's favorite place) was full of streamers and paper chains, even an elephant or two, they moved on to the cake. Emma had been in charge of that, of course, but she had promised Roland that he could help decorate it. Robin watched proudly as his son slathered on icing happily, first making the cake a lovely shade that matched the color of the sunny sky that day, then adding whales, sea turtles and other sea creatures with his father's help.

All the while, Regina helped them, and Robin kept stealing glances over at her, making sure she was all right. He had no delusions about her feelings regarding the day. After all, Henry had been her entire world for years, and still had an important place in her heart. This day, like her own birthday, couldn't be easy for her. She was quiet all day, barely saying a word to anyone, even Roland, and all Robin wanted to do was take her aside and soothe her, wipe away every tear that might spring into her eyes so it was only a memory.

In the past days, he had become less sure that Roland was right when he said Henry still walked the halls of the castle as a ghost, so he doubted that he would make an appearance to anyone but Roland that day. He hadn't even made himself known to his parents, and surely Baelfire and Emma were the first people he would've gone to as a ghost, right?

Once everything had been prepared, they all enjoyed the games that had been set out, all of the adults chasing Roland around the room in a game of tag. Robin watched Roland and Regina, his heart bursting at the sight of two of the people he cared about most enjoying each other's company.

But then Roland suggested they let Henry open his presents, and a distant look came into Regina's eyes. She left the room, and after making a hurried excuse to Roland, Robin followed. He had a feeling he knew exactly where she was going.

Sure enough, once he was standing in front of the portrait depicting life before the fire turned everything upside-down in the castle, he found Regina kneeling by Daniel and Henry's graves. He knew better than to ask if she was all right- after all, the sobs making her body shake told him otherwise. So instead, he asked, "What can I do?" All he wanted was to ease her pain, help her get rid of her suffering for a little while. While he didn't know how often she had come here before he brought his son to the castle, he knew that despite his hopes, having Roland here brought her more to this place of mourning with each passing day. The only thing he could think of was telling Roland to stop mentioning Henry, but he had tried that several times in the past weeks and not gotten the result he wanted. While he and his mother had certainly had their differences over the past month, he missed her now. Ryleigh had always been the disciplinarian out of the two of them. If anyone could get Roland to stop bringing up Henry, it would be her. It may not have been enough to help today- after all, it was a day that would explicitly remind her of the boy she had seen as her son no matter what anyone did- but in other circumstances, she wouldn't have to think of her surrogate son at all if it wasn't for his own.

Because at this point, this was by no means their first trip to this place and he had found her in the grips of despair before, he knew the best approach was to just wait her out. So he sat there silently, longing to hold her, but knowing that now wasn't the moment. She would come to him when she was ready.

Finally, she spoke. "I just… I know Roland thinks he's seeing Henry, but I can't keep hearing about him, remembering those years he lived here, without remembering how it all ended. Those years were wonderful, don't get me wrong, full of memories I wouldn't replace for the world, but at the same time... "

"They were in the past," Robin concluded, his heart sinking. He had to find a way to ease her pain. He had been trying to use his son as a distraction, but all he had done was remind Regina of the boy she had lost. Maybe if… he had a plan, but he had no idea how effective it would be. Everything he had done regarding Henry and Daniel had backfired or the relief had been temporary. It was a complex situation, one that seemed to become more difficult with each passing day. He was determined though. He had promised Emma and the others that he would break the curse, and he would do everything in his power to fulfill that promise.

"What if we do something together, just the two of us?" he suggested. "No little boys running amok, no mother hens in the form of teapots, just you and me."

"I-" she stuttered. "I-"

He could see the wheels turning in her mind, the worries making themselves known loud and clear, and he rushed to reassure her. "Don't worry. No pressure, just two friends hanging out."

She laughed bitterly. "You don't understand. I don't… I can't do that."

"Can't, or won't?" he asked, one eyebrow raised.

True to form, she didn't answer his question, but he waited patiently, knowing she would say something eventually… maybe even agree to his proposal.

Finally, she sighed. "What would we even do?"

He laughed and threw his hands in the air. "Anything you want."

The concept seemed to stump her. It made him wonder when the last time someone had asked her what she wanted to do had been. He always treaded lightly around her, not wanting to do something to anger her, but wanting to be there for her at the same time. It was a delicate balance, and he was starting to think he needed to take a different approach from here on out… but it was still uncertain if it would yield any results. He would just have to wait and see.

That night, Robin and Roland were sharing their usual bedtime story before he put Roland to bed. As they were reading, Robin suddenly looked up and saw a boy who looked like he was a little older than Roland staring at them.

Robin immediately suspected he knew the identity of their spectator, and Roland confirmed it when he exclaimed, "Henry! What are you doing here?"

If he didn't know that Roland could see Henry too, and that he was in a castle full of enchanted objects, Robin wouldn't be able to believe what he was seeing. As it was, he still wanted to make sure he wasn't imagining things. The boy he had heard so much about was standing right in front of him, likely wearing the clothes he had been wearing when the fire destroyed half of the castle: tan pants and a blue shirt, his caramel hair disheveled. His blue eyes and distance from them betrayed his hesitation and fear, and Robin resolved that if in fact Henry was there, he would rectify his tension immediately. It was his firm belief that no child should ever be frightened of anyone in their lives, whether they were other children or adults.

"Henry?" he asked. "Is that you?"

The specter nodded.

A part of Robin hardly dared believe that this was possible. However, there were more important matters to address, such as, "Why can I see you now when I couldn't before?"

Henry shrugged and answered matter-of-factly, "I wanted to play with Roland on my birthday."

Robin's brain was going a mile a minute, trying to figure out how best to handle the situation. He had to convince this treasured, frightened little boy to appear to the woman he had considered a second mother, and he had no idea how to go about doing it. One wrong move, and he likely wouldn't see Henry again, and this chance to heal Regina's heart would be lost forever. At the same time though, it was obvious to him that there was a reason Henry had stayed away, and he had to figure out what Henry had seen so he could make those fears vanish. "I'm still confused," he admitted. "I've been here for months, Roland has been here for half of that time, and you haven't shown yourself to me before now. Why?"

Henry shrugged. "I had to make sure you were nice, that you would help Gina. And I-" he broke off, his lips trembling.

"You were scared of her," Robin finished softly, his heart sinking. He crouched in front of the boys, taking Henry's hand in his. He didn't know what Henry had witnessed, but he had to ease his fears. "What if I promised she isn't scary anymore? Do you trust me, Henry?"

He waited with bated breath for the child's answer. If it took him so long to show himself to Robin, was there even a possibility that his answer would be yes?

He cocked his head to the side, considering his response. "You're Roland's papa, so maybe."

"Well then, trust me when I say that I'll do anything I can to make Regina the woman you remember again," Robin promised.

Henry's eyes lit up. "Does that mean you'll help with Operation Parent Trap?"

Robin smiled. "I think so. Why don't you tell me about it?"

The two boys excitedly told him about their plans, and as they spoke until their eyelids started to droop, Robin grew more hopeful. With all of them working together, they might bring Regina the happiness she deserved.

Robin woke to darkness outside of his window. He had no idea what had woken him, he just knew that something in the castle was amiss.

He walked out of his room and down the hall. The same sixth sense that had woken him told him that if there was a likely source of unrest at the castle, it would likely rest with Regina.

His feet led him to her suite, but he was barely aware of his movements. All he could picture was her standing on her balcony, prepared to jump, and he picked up the pace, determined not to witness the same thing twice.

He burst through her doors without knocking, suspecting that this was no time for chivalry or modesty. Something had to be done to save Regina from herself, and soon.

Regina was shaking, flashes of the nightmare she had just woken from still filling her mind's eye. Her brain, thoughts full of Henry on this day, had decided to torture her with their last moments together, the possibility of what could've been.

Tears streamed down her cheeks unchecked, and she couldn't stop shaking. The floodgates had opened while she was reliving the nightmare that was her life, and once they had begun, they wouldn't stop. Though she hadn't seen his burned body herself, had refused to look when they buried his remains a few days after the fire, the effects of what his young body had been forced to endure had made themselves known in her nightmares in the years since his death, and once they had been implanted, it was impossible to expel them from her mind's eye. Yes, the hours spent with Roland during the day helped, but that did nothing to chase her tears away in moments like these, when she had nothing but the darkness and silence of a slumbering castle to keep her company. And for the first time, she had looked at Henry and Daniel's bodies in her dreams and turned away, only to find that when she looked again, Robin and Roland were in their place. What that meant, she didn't know. All she knew was that she couldn't bear to see anyone suffer as much as Henry and Daniel had.

Suddenly, she heard the door swing open with a bang, and she looked up, startled and alarmed to see Robin racing toward her. "Is everything all right?"

She immediately tried to regain her composure, determined not to let him see her in a weakened state- again. No one needed to know what she saw in her nightmares apart from her. "Of course. Why woulddn't it be?"

"You're shaking," he said quietly, coming over to her bed and reaching out. The bed shifted with his weight as he sat, and try as she might, she had no energy to stop him from following through with his actions. There had certainly been times that she'd loathed this man, but he'd shown her too much kindness at this point for him to get the worst of her wrath when he did things like this. What he was doing was far too intimate for her liking, but it was moments like these when his sapphire eyes were so earnest, his smile genuine, that she found herself allowing herself to seek out his comfort and basking in it. She always tried to hide her suffering, but they were at the point now that he seemed to have the ability to know when she was having one of these episodes without any words being spoken between them.

He held her close, and not for the first time, she wondered how they had gotten here. She had been livid when she discovered that monstrosity of a book in his possession, had thought she'd never let him worm his way into her good graces again, but then he had come back with his son, that adorable mixture of dimples and soft curls, and she had immediately known she couldn't turn him away. It had taken awhile for her to let his father in again, but she had seen through his actions, that he never asked her to give more than she was willing to offer and always saw her as better than what she was, and knew that her initial accusation was false. Robin didn't believe the stories Heller had spread any more than she did. He simply seemed to care about her too much for that to be possible.

For a moment they just sat there, her movements gradually subsiding the longer she was wrapped in Robin's arms. She didn't know what it was, but there was something about this man that made her feel both more alive than she had felt in a decade and more at peace than she had felt in her entire life all at once, and she had yet to understand how it was possible that one man could extract such extremes from her.

"Want to talk about it?" he asked quietly when her shaking had subsided.

She shook her head vehemently. She may have warmed up to him some since he had come here, but admit what she had just seen? No. Absolutely not. Voicing it would make it real and while she could admit that he wasn't as horrible as she had once made him out to be, she refused to let him know how much he had gotten under her skin… especially the form that had taken in her nightmare.

"Are you all right enough to go back to sleep?" he asked. "Or do you want me to stay a bit longer?"

She burrowed further into his embrace, not saying a word, but communicating her desires all the same. She should just tell him to leave, then she would just roam the castle's halls on her own, making sure she didn't disturb anyone. Then she could avoid a replay of that dream, which was all she wanted- and get away from this man who made her be far too vulnerable for her liking. But she felt sleep dragging her under again and she didn't dare chance falling back into the nightmare she woke from in the first place.

Robin started singing softly, and despite her best efforts, she felt her eyes drifting shut. His voice was just so soothing… it was a good thing he had come back when she banished him, because now he sang to her all the time, and she didn't know what she'd do without it.

As she drifted off, she felt Robin lay her back gently against her pillow, pulling the sheet over her. "Don't go," she whispered in her last seconds of wakefulness. She was weak to be asking this, she really was, and a part of her hated herself for it. However, she couldn't help hoping that maybe if Robin was near, some part of that would make its way into her dreams and she wouldn't have to watch him and Roland die again.

He lie down behind her and spooned her from behind. With his hand making lazy patterns on her side, she was reluctantly lulled into sleep, in the one place she finally had to admit was the safest place she had ever known.