Disclaimer: These characters don't belong to me, though Hera comes the closest.

Notes: I needed a break from the drama, so I came over here to write some fluff. This idea was inspired by BePeachy who wrote: "Edward playing a song for Hera on the piano."

Hera is three.

Hera's Lullaby

The Cullens were all in the living room, watching a movie at three in the morning when they heard frightened whimpers coming from Hera's room. Edward hastily stood up. "I got it," he said to his concerned family before running to take care of his mate. His heart broke when his eyes easily made out the tear tracks on the toddler's face despite the darkness of her room.

Once he reached Hera's side he crouched down and gently rubbed her back, skillfully avoiding her fragile wings. Whispering in the attempt to wake her gently, Edward said, "Come on Hera, wake up. You're safe, sunshine."

With a final whimper, the phoenix jerked awake and immediately launched herself into the arms of her mate. She silently sobbed with her face pressed against Edward's neck.

Edward continued rubbing her back until her trembles eased. He grabbed a blanket from the tangled bedding and wrapped it around Hera to protect her from the chill of the night before standing and carrying her to his own room. Sitting down on his couch, he cuddled the child even closer and began to run his fingers through her ebony locks. "It's okay Hera. It was just a bad dream." When she looked up at him he noticed that her emerald eyes were filled with horrors that no child should know.

He reached up to gently wipe the tears from her little face. "What were you dreaming, little one?"

Hera rubbed her eyes with a tiny fist and shook her head stubbornly.

The vampire gave her a fond look. "I know it can be hard to talk about things that are scary, but sometimes that keeps the bad dreams from coming back."

With a sleep-roughened voice, the child said, "'Cared Ewa'd."

"What scared you, sunshine? You can tell me." The vampire stared beseechingly into Hera's watery green eyes. He needed to know what had upset his little mate so that he could erase her fears. Edward knew that he wouldn't be able to defeat all of the demons that plagued her, but his vampire was ruled by instinct… not logic, and insisted he make this better.

"No cubbud, Ewa'd… piduhs," Hera pleaded, her bottom lip trembling.

It took a peek into her mind to translate her speech, and when he saw what was frightening his mate, Edward once again felt the need to track down those Dursleys and slaughter them all. He wouldn't even drink their blood… he was sure it would be as disgusting as they themselves were.

"Sunshine, I can promise you right here and now that no one will ever be putting you in a cupboard with spiders again. And if you happened to come across any spiders anywhere else, all you have to do is let me know and I'll squish it for you," he said while looking directly into her big green eyes, willing her to believe him with every fiber of his being.

She looked to be pondering his pledge before tilting her head in a curious fashion. "Ewa'd kish piduh?"

He nodded firmly. "Flatter than a pancake. Even better… I'll squish it flatter than a pancake that's been sat on by Emmett." He then tickled her belly and was soon rewarded by happy giggles.

She leaned her little head sleepily on his shoulder, but Edward knew that the bad dream was still too fresh in her mind for her to willingly drift back off to sleep right away. Having a sudden idea, the vampire rose from his couch and carried her into the music room. He turned the lights on, but kept them dim for Hera's benefit.

Sitting down at the piano, Edward began to play "Hera's Lullaby," which he'd begun composing the same day they had brought the little phoenix home. Though he'd performed it for her before, this was the first time he was playing the song with the sole intention of lulling her to sleep.

The soft melody drifted through the house, filling the occupants with warmth and peace. Hera, who was resting her full weight in the arms of her protector, let the soothing notes wash away the remnants of the disturbing dream. She clutched a fistful of Edward's bronze hair and snuggled closer into the shoulder of her greatest protector. Halfway through the song, Hera began blinking slowly until finally giving in and allowing her mate's music to ease her into slumber.

Even though he knew Hera to be sleeping, Edward still finished his performance. Once the last strains of the melody faded, he closed the piano's lid and carried the small child back into her room. He wrestled with the tangled bedding, then laid her down and tucked her in. Wishing to protect his mate from any further bad dreams, Edward placed a kiss on the sleeping child's head and placed Nibbles the unicorn under her arm.

As soon as the soft plushy was in her grasp, she pulled it close to her body and turned over.

Edward smiled adoringly at the action and left the room, keeping the door cracked enough to let a small amount of light in should she again wake before morning.

He'd proudly be her spider squisher, lullaby performer, and demon chaser, along with anything else she needed him to be. For the remainder of their immortal lives, Edward Cullen was determined to be Hera's everything.

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