Hiya guys! This is an entry for PromptParty, prompt 134: Monsters in the closet. I hope you enjoy.

"Mommy! Mommy!"

Heidi's screams jolted Regina awake from what had been a peaceful sleep, she shook her head and rubbed her eyes, reluctant to get out of her warm cosy bed. "It's your turn."

"I don't think so," Robin groaned.

"Robinnnn, it's your turn, I went last night."

"She's calling for you, sorry love, I just don't think I'll be able to comfort her like you can," Robin mumbled and buried his head in the pillow. She scoffed and lightly smacked him round the back of the head before sleepily climbing out of bed and shuffling to her daughter's room. It was the third night in a row they had been woken up by their daughter crying and she was really starting to feel it. She had no clue how she used to manage when Heidi was a small baby.

She felt her way along the walls down the landing to her daughter's bedroom in the dark, stepping on a discarded toy in the process, "bloody hell," she winced cradling her foot as she bent down to pick it up and finding it to be a building block. Why was it that whenever Robin would play with their daughter, he was incapable of putting the toys away?

"Mommy! Momma!"

"I'm coming baby," she called, pushing the door open and flicking the light on, having to allow her eyes to adjust to the bright light assaulting them. Once they were okay with the brightness she looked to her little girl, seeing that she was all red-faced and teary-eyed. "I'm here, hey," she cooed, moving over to the bed and perching on the edge allowing her daughter to crawl into her arms, "shh, it's okay, don't cry."

"Monster momma."

"It was just a bad dream darling, there are no monsters here," Regina whispered, moving to lay down in her daughter's bed with the little girl resting on her chest, "I promise you."

"There momma, in there," she whimpered, pointing to the wardrobe before burying her head against Regina's shoulder, "I saw momma, in there."

"Sweetie, that's just your closet, there aren't any scary monsters in there, only clothes."

"Hides," she argued, "monster hide."

"Shall we go look?"

Heidi's eyes widened as she shook her head in fierce opposition to the idea. The past few nights she had been having nightmares, but she hadn't been worried about something being in her room before and normally went back to sleep after a little reassurance. This time seemed different though, she didn't look like she would be going back to sleep anytime soon.

"Okay, how about, you stay in your bed and I look."

"No momma! Stay," she squealed, grabbing onto Regina's hand as she made to stand up, "stay."

"Baby, I want to show you that there isn't anything to be scared of, your closet only has clothes inside I promise."

Heidi curled into the pillow as Regina moved her back onto the bed so that she would be able to stand up, she needed to prove to Heidi that there was no need to be worried, she wanted to quell her fear. Once she reached the wardrobe, the girl's crying became louder again and she sighed before pulling the doors wide open to peer inside, confirming that there were no hidden ghouls lurking. "See Heidi there's nothing to worry about, you're…" upon turning to look at her daughter she found only a lump underneath the duvet.

"Heidi, look, nothing there. You're fine, I promise you. Do you think your momma and daddy are going to let anyone or anything hurt you?" Regina asked, moving over to the bed and rubbing her hand over the Heidi shaped bump. "Darling, please come out. When does momma ever break her promises? Hmm?"

"Could've moved," came the muffled response.

She had to hand it to her daughter, she was persistent when she wanted to be, "monsters aren't real and they can't come into children's bedrooms."

"Why not?"

"Because, even if they were real, they would be scared of mommies and daddies, do you know why?"

"Why?" Heidi whispered, peaking her head out of the quilt to look at her mother.

"Because mommies and daddies protect their babies, they chase away the monsters and the bad dreams. My mommy used to scare off monsters for me all the time," Regina quipped, brushing her fingers through her daughter's messy raven locks. "Do you know what always made me feel better after a bad dream?"

"What?"

"Snuggling up in mommy and daddy's bed," Regina grinned. They didn't make a habit of allowing Heidi to sleep with them now that she was older, but every now and then it wasn't so bad to have her with them and she felt that it would be easier tonight than trying to persuade her to sleep in her own room. If it meant that Regina could get back to sleep then she would do just about anything. "Also, we should go and annoy daddy for him not coming to check on you. Naughty daddy."

"Why daddy no come?"

"Because daddy is sleeping, but he could have woken up couldn't he instead of making mommy do it."

"Bad daddy?"

"Hmm," Regina chuckled, scooping her little princess up into her arms and kissing her cheeks, "so then, shall we go to sleep?"

"Yes," Heidi nodded, resting her head against her shoulder, her little eyes drooping as Regina carried her, making sure to avoid the blocks on her way back to the master bedroom.

"Did you get her to go back to sleep?" Robin groaned from where his face was still smushed into his pillow.

"Not exactly," Regina quipped, placing the little girl directly onto his back before climbing into her own side of the bed and pulling the covers over herself, "she wanted her daddy too."

"Hello angel," he greeted, his voice husky from sleep. He reached to moved her gently in between them before lifting his head from the pillow so that he could look at her. "What was wrong baby?"

"Monster," she whispered worriedly, each of her hands grabbing onto her parents.

"Monsters aren't real," he stated.

"I did try to tell her that," Regina yawned, closing her eyes as her fingers stroked comfortingly across her daughter's back. "Heidi is going to sleep with us tonight, aren't you sweetie."

"Yup, sleep with momma and daddy," she nodded, her little eyes fluttering shut as she was lulled to sleep by her parents.

Regina opened her eyes to meet Robin's, "something tells me that tomorrow you are going to have to come up with something to prove to her that there are no monsters in that closet. Do whatever you have to do because if she cries again tomorrow night, you will be the one getting up to comfort her."

"Regina…"

"I'm serious Robin. Now get your thinking cap on."

"Ghostbusters."

"What?"

"That'll work."

"I have no clue what you are talking about."

"I can pretend to catch all the monsters and get rid of them."

"Right, if you think that will work, then we will try it, but right now I really need to catch up on some sleep."

Luckily the plan did work and getting their own parents on board with the idea definitely helped. Heidi wouldn't be seeing any more scary monsters in her closet, but that didn't mean that there wasn't going to be the odd nightmare waking up the whole house in the middle of the night. The next time that happened Regina pretended to be asleep, making Robin deal with the crying toddler. Sleep was precious and this time it was definitely his turn.