Prompt: First time Roland comes to Regina for comfort after a nightmare.


It all starts with a sniffle she hears close by, and at first she thinks she might be imagining things, but then a second sniffle comes, accompanied by a tiny sob and heavy breathing, and she realizes it's not her mind that's conjured up the sound, but rather someone is there, a very specific, very dear someone.

"Roland, honey, is everything okay?" she whispers without opening her eyes, and then Roland tries to speak, chokes out another sob, and she wakes up fully, worried that something might be seriously wrong.

"I had a bad dream," he says, moving closer to the bed when she stretches out an arm to hug him where she lies on her stomach.

"What was it?"

"That bad man came back and tried to hurt you and daddy again," he says simply, and she mentally kicks herself, because she should've known this would happen.

It's been a month since she was given a clean bill of health, and they've all managed to heal and move on, but Roland is only five, and whatever fears have awoken in him can't be put down by the simple passing of time. He needs comfort.

"Oh, sweetheart, come here," she says, lifting her blanket and turning on her side to make room for him beside her, holding him close when he cuddles against her. Robin stirs behind her, seeks her out and drapes an arm over her waist, his nose pressing against her hair.

"S'vrything okay?" he asks in his sleep.

"Fine," Regina assures him, hugging Roland and kissing his forehead, her voice dropping to a whisper as she tells him, "It's okay, Roland, you're safe now, both daddy and I are here, okay?"

"Okay," he whispers back, still teary-eyed and frightened.

"Do you think you can get some sleep now?" she asks, breathing the question against his hair.

"I don't know, what if something bad happens again?" he insists, his voice shaky and sad. Regina sighs.

"Can I tell you a secret?"

"Yeah," he whispers back.

"While I was in Philadelphia? At the hospital? The fairies came to visit me."

"They did?!" he's shocked, whisper-shouting his question as he pulls his head back to stare at her with wide eyes.

"Yes, they did, and they told me that thanks to you, they'll be watching over me from now on, over all of us."

"So nothing can hurt us anymore?"

"Oh, sweetheart, I wish that was the case, but the fairies can't protect us from everything. They're going to try, though, and they told me that you've been a very good boy, and that they were very proud of you."

"They are?" Roland asks, and Regina hums her assent.

Her words seems to calm him, and she allows herself a moment of self-pride before she shifts her focus back to her little boy.

"You promise nothing bad will happen if I go to sleep?"

"I promise," she replies vehemently, running her hand up and down his back as he presses closer still, his front flush against hers, his hands holding on so tight she can feel his short fingernails digging slightly into her skin over her pajama top, but she doesn't mind, clutches him back as hard as she can without hurting him.

When his breathing deepens, his grip loosening until he's good and relaxed as he sleeps beside her, she raises her head, looks down at him and watches him for a while, muttering soft, loving words in his ear whenever she sees him struggling and squirming in his slumber, until the discomfort stops and he's able to rest easy.

She wakes the next morning to Robin's lips on her shoulder blades, making their way up until they find her neck and linger there, his slurred Good morning, my love, making her smile lazily into her pillow.

Roland is lying on his back beside her and snoring loudly, arms stretched above his head and legs open so wide one of them is dangling off the side of the bed. His mouth is half-open, and his Captain America shirt is rucked up after all his tossing and turning during the night, his belly button on display as he sleeps soundly, and Regina chuckles fondly at the sight.

"Nightmare?" Robin asks knowingly, kissing her neck as he holds her close, her back pressed against his chest as he peers over at his son from behind her. Regina nods, lets out a deep breath.

"He usually comes to you when he's scared," she tells him then, voicing the one thought that kept spinning around in her head since Roland woke her up last night.

"I suppose last night he needed you," Robin tells her, and she can feel his easy smile against her shoulder.

"Do you think he'll be okay tonight?" Regina asks him then, worried that Roland's rest will be disturbed by nightmares once again.

"If he's not, then it's a good thing he has his mom to chase the bad dreams away," Robin answers, his casual use of her new title making her heart soar as he sinks back down into the pillows and wraps his arms around her. She knows she should get up, she has a country to run, but decides to indulge in this lazy morning for a few more minutes, relaxing in bed with her love and her son...