La La Lu

My Little Star Sweeper

A broken crackling cry echoed from the baby monitor on the nightstand, filling the master bedroom. Emma grumbled loudly, rolling over and Regina stirred as the pressure of the blonde's arm around her waist was lifted. Regina blinked slowly at the clock, her vision clouded by sleep. She rubbed at her eyes and sighed when the clock came into focus. 3:30 am. At least it was the first time that week that Isobel had woken them in the middle of the night. At only two months old, she was already showing herself to be a much more well behaved baby than Caroline had been. She had cried throughout the night until she was almost a year old.

"I've got it," Regina mumbled, more to herself than to her wife who, she was pretty sure wasn't even really awake. She swung her legs out of the bed and padded down the hall to the nursery where she found her youngest daughter, arms waving above her and howling in her crib.

"It's okay princess," Regina cooed softly as she gathered Isobel up into her arms. "Mommy's here," she whispered, holding her daughter to her chest so that she could feel her warmth, hear her heartbeat. Regina rocked back and forth from one foot to the other, swaying as she began to sing.

"La la lu,

la la lu,

Oh my little star sweeper,

I'll sweep the stardust for you,"

As she sung Isobel's cries begun to calm, her big blue eyes, Emma's eyes, staring up at her. Regina couldn't help but smile down at her. She was a perfect little mixture of them both. She kept singing.

"La la lu,

La la lu,

My little soft fluffy sleeper,

Here comes a pink cloud for you"

She smiled to herself, watching those big blue eyes droop, fighting to stay open, just as her mother's did when she was tired.

"La la lu,

La la lu,

Little wondering angel,

Fold up your wings, close your eyes"

Her eyes closed, unable to hold themselves open under the weight of fatigue, her long dark lashes seemed almost to brush her cherubic little cheeks, just as Henry's had done at that age.

"La la lu,

La la lu,

And may love be your keeper,

La la lu,

La la lu,

La la lu."

Regina placed her sleeping baby back into the crib and kissed her fingers, brushing them against Isobel's forehead.

When she looked up she found Emma leaning against the doorframe, a smile stretched across her sleepy face.

"How long were you there?" Regina whispered.

"Last couple of verses," Emma smiled. She reached up to tuck a few escaped strands of black from Regina's face, and the woman's eyes fluttered shut, enjoying the feeling of Emma's warm fingers on her skin.

"I love you, you know," Emma whispered.

"I love you too."