believe || ouat oneshots

Bedtime Story

Author's Note: This is purely DimplesQueen because those two are freaking adorable

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Since Henry was with Emma at the Charmings and Robin was with his merry men until nearly midnight, Regina was watching Roland alone.

Roland yawned. Regina glanced at the time. 9:30. It was past Roland's bedtime, but she had allowed him to stay up later.

"I think it's time for bed," Regina said as she looked at Roland, who was having trouble keeping his eyes open. Roland just nodded tiredly.

Henry's bed from when he was Roland's age had been moved into the guest room, in case Roland ever needed it. Regina tucked Roland in and placed a kiss on his head of curls.

"Can you tell me a story?" Roland asked.

"What kind of story?" Henry had always wanted Dr. Seuss or some other children's book, but Regina figured Roland wouldn't know what those books were.

"One about you and Papa," Roland said.

Regina thought for a moment before deciding on a story. "Back when Zelena was on the loose, she had a cabin out in the middle of nowhere. I went there to see if I could find any leads to what her wicked plan was. As I approached the cabin, an arrow flew at me. I caught it, and your Papa revealed himself, saying he thought I was the Wicked Witch. I told him I thought he was a flying monkey."

Roland giggled at this, triggering a smile from Regina.

"Your Papa offered to help me look for clues in the cabin," she continued, "but I refused to let him at first. Finally, I gave in. I made him promise to not get in my way, and he said he wouldn't dream of it. But at that point, neither of us could remember that we had met before and said that very same thing in the Enchanted Forest.

"While we were looking around in Zelena's cabin, I saw the lion tattoo on your Papa's arm, but that wasn't the first time I had seen his tattoo."

"Really?" Roland asked, eyes wide.

Regina nodded. "I had seen it once before, a very long time ago. Before you were even born! A fairy-Tinker Bell-led me to a tavern and told me my soulmate was inside. The pixie dust she had used told me that the Man with the Lion Tattoo was my soulmate."

"Papa was your...soulmate?"

"Yep. So, when I saw the tattoo on his arm in Zelena's cabin, I realized that he was the Man with the Lion Tattoo, the man I was destined to be with. The end." It was a sort of rushed ending, but Regina wasn't quite sure how to continue it, and Roland needed sleep.

"That was a good story," Roland said approvingly. "Papa never told me that one. He tells me about his adventures with you or his merry men in the Enchanted Forest."

"Does he, now?"

Roland nodded and yawned. His eyes began to close as he snuggled down under the blankets.

"Goodnight," Regina whispered.

"Goodnight, 'Gina," Roland replied sleepily.