Imagine- Isabella has a nightmare, so Ichabod and Katrina have to calm her down.

Isabella ran as fast as her legs could carry her, the howling wind hitting her face and skin, with her heart pounding so fast, she was sure it would burst right out of her chest. It was a very cold and dark night, and Isabella was only wearing her silky white nightgown, robe and she was barefoot, her feet crunching the grass beneath her as she ran. What was she running from, you may ask?

Well, long story short, Isabella had decided to take a walk through the woods, with no very apparent reason. As she walked through the woods, the hooting owls and howling wolves made her very jittery and jumpy. When she reached a certain part in the woods, she was met with a dark looking figure, with absolutely no face. All she could see was darkness with the hood up. He was carrying a scythe with one bony hand, the other one coming up to point at her. It started to float towards her and that's when she started to book it the other way. That's what leads us to now.

Isabella panted as she ran, a gasp escaping her lips when she heard screeching not too far behind her. She quickly glanced over her shoulder, still running as fast as she could, but it was cut short when she tripped over a rock, falling flat on her face. She groaned, rubbing the side of her head, and before she could try to get back up, she was forced onto her back and the figure was now floating above her, just mere inches from her face. She tried to move but the figure was holding her hands above her head, and his grip was pretty fucking strong.

"P-please let me go! W-what do you want from me?" She sobbed, tears trailing down her cheeks as she struggled to break free. The figure leaned down towards her ear as he slowly brought the scythe down, rubbing the face of the blade against her clothed stomach, making her whimper.

"Your life..." the figure finally whispered in her ear, making her eyes widen in horror. She watched him bring his scythe up, the moon making it seem to shimmer and she let out a blood curdling scream as the scythe came down, slashing her throat.

"N-NO!" Isabella shouted in her sleep before jolting awake, quickly sitting up, a bead of sweat on her forehead. One hand immediately went to her throat, rubbing it as she swallowed, her other hand gripping the sheets. She was gripping it so tightly that her knuckles turned white, her nails almost ripping through the fabric. Her heart pounded in her chest, her body shaking like hell. Keeping her hand loosely wrapped around her throat, she brought her knees to her chest and rested her forehead against them, tightly closing her eyes as her breath trembled. Isabella was known to get nightmares, just like her father. And it didn't help that the nightmares, were usually pretty bad.

She was so afraid, so lost in her thoughts that she didn't even hear the door open, or her parents walking in. That was until she felt a hand on her back and she jumped with a gasp, not expecting someone to touch her.

"Hey hey hey, it's just your mother and I." Ichabod said softly, so as not to startle her even more. There was a lit candle sitting on her nightstand, so she was able to see her parent's faces. Isabella looked to the other side and saw Katrina, her mother, sitting on the opposite side, her hand resting on her back. Isabella looked back at her father, her eyes watering before she leaned forward and rested her forehead against his shoulder. He wrapped his arms around her, holding her protectively as he ran his fingers through her hair. He could feel how shaky she was in his arms, and it made his heart drop. Both of their hearts, in fact. This was their daughter, they wanted her to always feel safe and protected.

"It's okay, my cardinal, just try to relax. Did you have a bad dream?" He asked soothingly, but mentally smacked himself, since they pretty much knew the answer to that question. Keeping her head against his shoulder, she nodded, her breath trembling. And she couldn't get her damn hands to stop shaking. Hell, she couldn't even get her whole body to stop shaking.

"Y-yes... it was... really bad..." she whimpered, feeling a couple tears fall down her cheeks. Ichabod and Katrina shared a sad glance with each other before looking back at their daughter, Katrina rubbing Isabella's back in small circles, trying to help her relax. Then she started to think... she remembered when her husband first came to Sleepy Hollow, to investigate the murders that he soon found out were caused by the headless horseman. She also remembered how he was stabbed by the hessian, a wound that should've killed him, but didn't. With her being a witch, she was able to create a concoction that helped Ichabod get some rest. Whenever Ichabod or Katrina were sick, she would make it for them and they would instantly fall asleep. It really did work wonders.

"Honey, do you want me to make you that drink?" she asked and Isabella sniffled, glancing at her. She wanted to fall back asleep on her own, but that nightmare really, I mean really shook her up. She gave a small nod and Katrina kissed her temple before standing up from the bed. As she walked around, she ran her fingers through Ichabod's hair before kissing his lips.

"I'll be back in a minute, my loves." She said before leaving Isabella's bedroom, lighting another candle on the way down to the kitchen. Ichabod looked down at his daughter, noticing her trembling hands and while keeping one arm around her, he gently placed his other hand over hers.

"You're so shaky... it was that bad, huh?" He asked softly and she nodded her head, a few more tears falling down her cheeks. Ichabod let out a sad sigh before placing a kiss on her forehead. Katrina and Isabella had gotten him through so many nightmares of his own, and vice versa. Tonight was no different. He would do anything to make sure his little girl was safe and happy.

"Do you want to talk about it, honey? I mean, you don't have to if you're not comfortable with it." He asked and Isabella looked up at him, keeping her head against his shoulder. She did want to tell him what happened in her nightmare, but she was afraid she would start freaking out again.

"It... it was weird. I wanted to take a walk through the woods... I mean there wasn't even any reason, I just wanted to walk. In my dream, I came across this hooded figure, but h-he had no face, only darkness in its place. His hands, there was no skin, j-just bone. He pointed at me and then he started to chase me. I-I ran for my life a-and..." she started to breathe heavily and Ichabod gently placed his hand on her shoulders, hushing her softly.

"Breathe, darling, just breathe. What happened next? Are you okay to continue?" He soothed as he gazed into her eyes, earning himself a small nod from her. She swallowed a lump in her throat before continuing.

"I-I ended up tripping and b-before I knew it.. t-the figure had me pinned against the ground, I-I couldn't move. He told me he wanted my life and h-he e-ended up slicing my throat..." she said as her hand came up, loosely resting around her neck. By now, she couldn't stop the tears escaping her eyes, she was terrified beyond belief. Ichabod's heart broke even more as he watched her cry, one of his hands coming up to brush a piece of hair away from her face.

"Oh honey... that will never happen. You know, I didn't believe in ghosts or ghouls until I came across the headless horseman all those years ago. I always believed in sense and reason, and I still do. But now, as insane as it sounds, I believe in spirits. There are good spirits and there are bad... your mother helped me with that. But look at me..." he whispered as he cupped her face in his hands, and she sniffled, opening her eyes to look at him.

"No one is going to take your life. Spirit, human, whatever is out there, I will be damned if I let them harm you in any way. You're my baby girl, and I will do absolutely everything to make sure that you are protected, loved and happy. You are a strong, intelligent, courageous young woman and I'm so proud to call you my daughter." He said before kissing her forehead, letting it linger a moment.

Isabella couldn't help but grin through tears, despite still being scared. But Ichabod's words meant a lot to her. She knew her parents loved her no matter what, and they were so good at protecting her. But they also helped her become the woman she was today. She felt proud to be their daughter.

"T-thanks papa... I feel safe with you and mama... and I'm proud you are my parents." she said before wrapping her arms around his waist and nuzzled her head against his shoulder. He rested his cheek on top of her head and closed his eyes, holding her close as he rubbed her back. Before they could say anything else, they heard footsteps and they both opened their eyes, watching Katrina enter the room with a gold cup in her hands. She sat down on the edge of the bed, and gave Isabella a warm grin.

"Are you feeling any better? Do you still need this?" She asked and Isabella glanced up at her father before looking back at her mother, softly shaking her head no.

"I-I think I'm okay. I-I want to try falling back asleep on my own." She said and both her parents smiled, Katrina reaching out her hand and stroking Isabella's cheek before setting the cup on the nightstand.

"If you change your mind, it's right there, darling, okay?" Isabella nodded her head before slowly laying back down. Ichabod gently moved the covers over her body, making sure she was nice and comfortable before beginning to gently run his fingers through her blonde hair.

"Will you... will you stay with me? At least until I fall asleep?" She asked and Ichabod nodded his head.

"Of course we will sweetheart. We'll stay with you until you fall asleep." He said and Katrina crawled over Isabella before laying down beside her and she rubbed her shoulder in comfort. They talked for about 10 minutes and then they watched her fall asleep, her body shifting so she was laying on her side with her arm draped over her waist.

Some of her hair fell in front of her face but Katrina gently moved it away, her fingertips tracing her forehead. She leaned down and kissed her temple before moving her hand down and she rubbed her back. Ichabod placed a hand on Isabella's cheek, stroking it with his thumb before he leaned down and kissed her forehead.

"Please have sweet dreams, my cardinal... we love you so much." He whispered in her ear before letting out a soft sigh. They were so relieved she was able to fall back asleep, especially on her own. And for the rest of the night, all she had were pleasant dreams.