AN: And so here we are at series 5. Not alphabetical this time (theres only so many x and z words lol) but hopefully you'll enjoy them just as much. Emily, I watch OUAT too. I hope it picks up again. Series 5 seems ok so far so I'll keep my fingers crossed. Completely love the show. I'm hoping the last book ends in such a way that I'll be able to bridge book 4 and these drabbles alright with a prologue and a few tweaks here and there. So, I'm hoping to continue in this little universe I've made cause I've grown quite attached to AU I've made for them. I may write some others though, so never say never. Ashley gave a lovely description of what MC is one of her last reviews of Series 4 :) Ashley, a stripper event would empty my bank account. I'd be alright about it though xD When I was coming home from Uni the other day, a guy got on my Metro (or subway I think you call them?), anyway, he got on my train and sat opposite me and I swear to God, it was the actual Stephen Dene. He was tall, skinny, striped jumper, baggy jeans, scarf, dark hair, glasses, the works. I had to concentrate to not stare at him. And I can totally imagine Stephen in the secret Shade mobile. Sort of like the Mystery Machine. And he'd be blasting Ghostbusters or something xD And I genuinely didn't know that you guys don't do Boxing Day over there! Upon further inspection, I see that it is a British/Commonwealth thing but I honestly didn't know that until you said. It's basically Christmas Day 2. Most Brits just do the exact same thing they do on Christmas but without opening presents. For me, thats playing board games, eating chocolate, watching movies with family etc. Historically, it's about packing up the rubbish but its just an extra Christmas really.

Nightmares and comforts

She would be woken by a frantic voice. That voice would always say the same thing. "It's Stephen. I can't wake him up." No, she thought. He was fine. She would dive out of bed. Their bed at Goodwin's court. Her mind knew that was wrong. That wasn't where Stephen had slipped into his coma. She would shake her head and run downstairs.

Stephen was always standing in the middle of the living room. He was pale but he was there. Rory sighed in relief. "Oh thank god. She said she couldn't wake you up."

"You couldn't."

His voice was hollow and distant. Behind her, somewhere in the flat, a baby cried. She looked around the room. "Where's Gina?"

Stephen tilted his head to the side. "Gina?"

"Yes, Gina. Our daughter."

"How could we have a daughter? You couldn't wake me up."

Rory shook her head and sobbed. "But...but...I brought you home."

"No," said a voice behind her. She wheeled around. "Dead is dead," Callum said.

"But he's there."

"And you need to stay away from him. You'll blow him up."

She looked down at her hands. She heard another cry from a baby. "Gina..."

She felt a presence behind her. She turned to see Stephen close to her. She leapt back. "No! I got you back! Don't come near me! You know what will happen!"

He shook his head and walked toward her. She was pressed against the wall as he advanced. She couldn't get away from him. She was going to kill him. Her voice was high with fear and grief. "Stephen...I can't lose you...please."

She was crying as he took her hand. It felt warm in hers as the light enveloped them. She screamed as she terminated him. But the warmth of his hand would always stay and then his hand would clasp hers. And then the nightmare fell away and she opened her eyes to see Stephen lying next to her holding her hand. Stephen, who she brought home. Stephen, who was here and alive. Stephen, who had held her hand through many nights. Stephen, her husband and father of her child. She would never let him go. Her life was perfect now but she knew she would never escape the nightmares. But she didn't need to so long as Stephen was there with her.

He would be running through a deserted London street. He would always hear Rory calling for him, begging him to stay. Stay where? he would try to yell back. There was never a response. She would beg him not to leave. I won't leave you, he promised. He kept running. He always arrived back at Goodwin's Court. Yes, he thought. This is home. But it was always empty. He was always alone. But when he turned around, he wasn't alone. His sister stood there, pale and dead. "Stephen, help me..."

"How?"

"Help me..."

"Gina, tell me how. Please."

He was desperate. His sister needed help. Upstairs, a baby cried. Stephen turned to the sound immediately. He whispered. "Gina..."

His daughter. He ran up the stairs and into the nursery. A plain room. An empty one. He turned around and walked into the bedroom. Another empty room. Another baby cry, now from downstairs. "Gina?"

He hurried back down and saw Rory on the floor, contorted. Her scar wasn't a scar. It was an open wound. Too much blood. Too much. He screamed and dropped to his knees. Newman stood close by. "Quiet now."

Stephens head whipped around. Newman was holding Regina. "You'll wake the baby." He nodded to Rory's body. "You were supposed to protect her."

Stephen sobbed as he looked back to his wife. "Rory..."

He crawled to her and took her hand. It was cold. Icy cold. Newmans voice was poison in his ear. "You failed."

He shook his head and sobbed again. "Rory, please..."

Whenever they got too bad, he would feel arms around him. He'd feel kisses against his head. He'd hear a heartbeat in his ear. And the world of the nightmare would melt away and he'd find himself cradled against Rory. Rory, who would wake when she heard him call her name. Rory, who could always calm the terror. Rory, who made everything ok. Rory, his wife and mother of his child. She would always pull him close and she never let him go. His life was perfect now but he knew he would never escape the nightmares. But he didn't need to so long as Rory was there with him.

He would always be arriving back at Goodwin's Court. A different building to the new one but much the same in the inside. His phone would always have Stephens name on it, a missed call. He'd heard the voice mail, Stephens shaking voice telling him to get back to Goodwin's Court because something had happened.

He'd run up the stairs and see Stephen sitting with Rory. What was Rory doing there? Shouldn't she be at school? No, wait...that was ages ago. Wasn't it? "There's been an accident." Stephens voice echoed in Callums head. But Callum wasn't in the flat anymore. He was on the street. A car was parked nearby. Boo was lying on the road. She was dead.

"Boo..."

He stood in shock. He had never told her how he felt about her, had never had the guts.

"She tried to use this on me." He turned slowly and saw Newman holding a terminus. Boos terminus, Persephone. Callum shook his head and turned back to Boo.

She was still lying in the street but now Stephen lay nearby. There was a cut on his head, his right temple. It was bleeding and his breathing was slow and becoming ever slower. Boo was dead and Stephen was dying. Callum shook his head quickly and backed away from the sight. He turned back to Newman.

Newman's voice was cold. "Persephone was always my favourite diamond. Still is."

He was still holding the terminus, still holding Persephone, but now it wasn't the phone or the diamond. Now it was the person who had absorbed it's powers. He held a knife to Rory's throat.

"Let her go, you bastard."

Newman laughed as he pushed Rory away. He slashed at her stomach. Rory gasped and looked to Callum before she fell. He screamed. Rory was gone before he could help. He turned back to Boo and Stephen. Stephen had stopped breathing. Freddie was close by now. She too was dead.

"No... Please no..."

He'd close his eyes for a minute, trying to block it out. When he opened them again Stephen, Rory and Freddie were gone. Boo was still dead.

"Boo...please wake up...Boo..." He sobbed.

Then he would hear a soothing whisper and feel a hand stroking his cheek. The nightmare would disappear and he'd always find himself in bed with Boo. She would pull herself close to him and comfort him. He would always feel better. Boo, his fiancée. Boo, the love of his life. Boo, who made the whole life worth the trouble. He hadn't lost her when she was hit by that car. And he hadn't lost the others either.

She would always be sitting in the office at Goodwin's Court. The TV would always be on. Explosion in West London... They couldn't get through to Stephen, Callum or Freddie. But then they came home.

Stephen and Freddie were unharmed. Callum had a cut on his head. Hospital, she thought. He needs a hospital. But she didn't say it out loud.

He'd go for a nap and she'd stay awake. She'd watch TV. She'd read a book. It was Stephen that always alerted her to the problem.

"Don't you remember, Boo?"

"Remember what?"

"I died."

"How could I forget?"

"Do you remember how?"

Suddenly he was bleeding. There was a cut on his right temple. She breathed in sharply and ran to Callum. She suddenly found herself in the Waterloo flat. She went into their bedroom and shook him. She shook him hard. She kept shaking him. His head was bleeding.

"Callum! Wake up!"

"It's too late Boo."

She turned to see Stephen, his head still bleeding. "No," she whispered. "No."

She shook him again. "Callum, wake up...please."

She sobbed as Rory came over to her. "It's hard losing the man you love."

"Callum!"

When he didn't stir, she dropped to her knees. "No..."

"Boo?"

That was Callum's voice. She would always hear Callum's voice when things got too bad. She was gently, very gently, shook. She whimpered and gasped as the nightmare faded and she saw Callum sitting on the bed, cup of tea in hand. She would smile at him softly and sit up, taking the cup from him. Callum, her fiancé. Callum, who she had always loved. Callum, who would soon be her husband. She hadn't lost him. And she wouldn't for a long time.