AN: Firstly, thank you both for the birthday wishes :D xxx Ashley, ninja driver is literally the best thing I've ever heard, I may use that exact line in the future (all credit to you of course xD) Emily, Callum would've asked her whole family at the same time as her parents.

Quest

The words hung in the air for a moment. Stephen was the first one to react. "Oh god, oh god, oh god." He leapt up from the couch and turned to Rory, speaking quickly. Manically so. "Sweetheart sit down. No, actually, stay standing. Wait," he turned to the others in the room. "Should she be sitting? Or standing? What should she be doing?"

"Mate." Callum stood up with an authoritative voice. "Calm down. Breathe. Ror, love, come sit here on the couch. Boo, sit with her. Freddie, make Stephen a cup of tea."

Boo helped Rory sit on the couch with soothing whispers and held her hand while Freddie hurried to the kitchen. Stephen turned to Callum. "Tea? Tea? I don't have time for tea."

"Stephen," Callum took a hold of his shoulders, holding him firm. "I need to phone Thorpe. He's got an unmarked car that's untouchable. Remember? He's the one taking Rory to the hospital. But he needs time to get here first. So calm down and have a cup of tea. Look," he gestured to the couch. "Sit with your wife, keep her calm. Breathe. Ror, how do you feel love?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "Honestly? Right now? I'm fine."

Callum raised an eyebrow. Boo spoke. "Fine?"

Rory laughed. "I'm from Louisiana. I used to find alligators in my backyard. I've survived more hurricanes than you can imagine. And I've been slashed by a ghost, watched him die," - she gestured to Stephen who stood hyperventilating - "faced a cult, went into the underworld, went head to head with crazy murderous twins, not to mention all the mad shit that's happened since. Trust me, labour doesn't frighten me."

Callum nodded. "Fair enough. Right, you," he turned to Stephen. "Sit. I'll phone Thorpe."

Rory giggled to herself. "It's like a quest to get me to the hospital. Or a military operation."

Callum left the room while Rory held her hand out to Stephen who took it and sat down. Boo was rubbing her back soothingly. Stephen looked at Rory with amazement. "You really are fine, aren't you?"

She looked at him with amusement. "Well I'm better than you are."

Stephen chuckled nervously and squeezed her hand. "This is really happening isn't it?"

She smiled at him. "Yeah, it's happening. Finally."

She giggled to herself but her face contorted suddenly. "Ahhhh!" She leant forward to try and suppress the pain that she felt but it didn't abate. Boo and Stephen squeezed her hands and she faintly heard Stephen telling her to take deep breaths. She exhaled quickly but the pain still ripped through her. She breathed in deeply and very quickly realised that she was holding her breath. When the pain finally subsided, she let out the breath she'd been holding and let herself fall back against the couch. "Shit," she said weakly.

Stephen stroked her suddenly sweaty forehead. "It's ok, sweetheart. Just keep breathing."

She turned her head to smile at him gently and took deep breaths. Callum came back to the living room with Freddie who carried a cup of tea. She set it down on the table in front of Stephen. Callum looked down at Rory. "You ok? I heard you screaming."

She nodded slowly. "Contractions."

Callum nodded sympathetically. "I've called Thorpe, he's on his way. And I've called the hospital and let them know you're coming. They said Dr Jenkins will meet you there, if that means anything to you."

Stephen nodded. "Yes, she's our doctor."

"Right," Callum said. "Well, she'll meet you in the reception."

"Ok," Stephen said as another contraction took hold of Rory. She leant forward and screamed again and he placed his arms around her protectively. When it passed again, she sobbed and fell against him. "Oh my god," she wept. "I don't know if I can do this."

"You can," he whispered to her gently. "You're stronger than you think you are."

She smiled up at him softly, tears running down her cheeks and she nestled against him. "You think so?"

He kissed the top of her head. "I know so."

She sniffled against him and he felt a sob shudder through her body. "Hey, just think," he said. "Soon, this'll be over and we'll have our baby."

She squeezed his hand and laughed gently. "Finally."

As Stephen and Rory sat, Boo and Freddie watched them carefully. Callum paced the floor. They all turned their heads when they heard the bottom door open, which was quickly followed by footsteps running upstairs. Thorpe came into the room swiftly. He nodded to them all and looked down at Rory. "Right then. Shall we get you to the hospital?"

She smiled up at him gratefully. "Yes please."

He held out his hand to her with a soft smile and she took it. With Stephens help, Thorpe got Rory to her feet. As Rory stood, she could feel the pain building again. She braced herself between Thorpe and Stephen as the wave hit her. "Ahhhh!" She felt her legs weaken and Thorpe and Stephen held onto her tightly. When the contraction passed, Thorpe spoke to Stephen. "We best get moving."

Stephen nodded quickly and helped Thorpe get Rory downstairs. The others followed them out to Thorpe's car and helped Rory into the back of it. Stephen got in the back beside her.

"We'll follow in a taxi," Callum said and Thorpe nodded quickly as he climbed into the drivers seat. Boo, Callum and Freddie stood back as the black car sped off down the road, sirens on.

Thorpe got them to the hospital in expert time. In just 10 minutes, he'd driven from Goodwin's Court, pulled up right outside the entrance to the hospital and helped Rory from the car. A nurse waited by the entrance with a wheelchair for Rory and she collapsed into it gratefully. Stephen wheeled her into the reception as Thorpe went to park the car.

The waiting room was busy cause it was still just late afternoon but the reception desk was clear. The receptionist on duty smiled at them. "Good afternoon."

"Good afternoon," Stephen replied. "We phoned from our flat. Aurora and Stephen Dene?"

"Ok," she smiled at them again and checked over her notes. "Ah yes, here you are. I'll just telephone Dr Jenkins and she'll be right down to take you to the maternity ward."

Stephen nodded. "Thank you."

He wheeled Rory away from the desk so others could be seen. He looked down at her with a smile and saw that she had started crying. He put the brakes on the chair and knelt down in front of her. "Sweetheart, are you ok?"

She sniffled and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. "I don't know."

He took her hand in his and kissed it. He whispered. "What's the matter darling?"

She sniffled again and cleared her throat. She squeezed his hands. "I'm frightened."

"Well, I'd be worried if a first time mother wasn't frightened. But it'll be ok."

"Are you frightened?"

"I was once. But you made me realise that I could do it." He wiped away the tears from her cheeks. "Let me help you realise the same. We're in this together. Forever."

She smiled at him softly. A voice interrupted them gently. "Rory? Stephen?"

They both looked up and saw Dr Jenkins smiling at them warmly. She approached them slowly. "How are we feeling? Nervous?"

Rory chuckled to herself. "Yeah, a little."

Dr Jenkins rubbed Rory's shoulder. "You'll do great. This baby is lucky to have parents like you."

Stephen smiled as he stood and walked back around to the handles of the chair. "Thank you."

Dr Jenkins nodded to them and spoke brightly. "Come on, let's get you settled upstairs. We'll get you nice and comfortable and then check to see how far along you are."

They both smiled at her and followed her into the lift.

The maternity ward was smaller than the reception downstairs and infinitely quieter. It had a separate waiting room and multiple rooms lining the corridor. Thorpe had waited downstairs for Boo, Callum and Freddie to arrive in the taxi. Boo had told him that she'd phoned Jerome and Jazza and that they were on their way too. Thorpe nodded, asked the receptionist where the maternity ward was and went upstairs with the others. Stephen met them in the waiting room.

"Hey guys."

"Hey," Callum replied. "How's Ror?"

"Frightened, nervous, excited."

"And you?" Boo asked.

"Much the same."

"Can we see her?" Freddie asked.

"Yeah, of course. She's just in here."

He led them to a small room off the main corridor. Rory lay in the hospital bed, her clothes replaced by a hospital gown. She was drinking ice chips. She smiled at them as they came in. "Hey."

"Hey," they all replied at once.

"How are you?" Boo asked.

"Nervous as hell. Still got a while to go. I don't really understand it all but Dr Jenkins says I'm ready to give birth when I'm ten cm dilated. I'm only four. Just a waiting game now. Again."

She chuckled to herself. She was glad they were here. They kept her calm. Jazza and Jerome came by and said their hellos. The hours ticked by. They came and went, staying in the waiting room when Rory needed to rest. It was nine at night when Stephen came rushing from the room to tell them that Rory was being taken to the delivery room. They all jumped up to hug him and wish him luck and to come back to them as soon as there was news. And then he left them and went with Rory. And they waited. They chatted. They watched the minutes tick by on the clock. Jazza read one of the hospital magazines. Freddie dozed off. Boo and Callum told Thorpe, Jazza and Jerome about their engagement and they gave them their congratulations. And then they waited some more.

It was half nine when Stephen walked out into the waiting room, half in a daze, half in a dream. He walked on automatic, his feet leading him to the others. His eyes were red and he was smiling. The baby was beautiful, perfect. He had cried. Rory had cried. He had laughed. Rory had laughed, their child in their arms at last, tiny and beautiful. When the others saw him coming, they jumped to their feet, questions filling the air. He held up his hands. "They're both fine. Mother and baby are doing well. I...I..." He started laughing as tears started to fall from his eyes.

"I have a daughter."