The first nightmare came a week after he left New York. Perhaps it had been the small child wailing over her skinned knee that brought it about, but the cries had melted into his dreams, softening into the heartbroken sobs he'd listened to on the way to MACUSA's execution chamber. He'd woken slowly, sluggishly dragging his mind out of the quagmire of sleep desperate to solidify the reality that she was alive and well.

The second nightmare came a few nights later. This time he came awake all at once, eyes wet and heart pounding. For what seemed like an eternity he sat on the bed, trembling slightly as he tried to shake the extreme emotion left over from the nightmare like some bitter aftertaste. Why did dreams have to be so intense? He finally climbed down into his case and the sanctuary of his animal companions.

Flashes of that horrible memory interrupted his sleep more and more frequently, slowly writing a tension into his muscles he wasn't even aware of until a letter arrived from Queenie. He went completely limp with relief as he read about how well the sisters were doing, reveling in the tangible evidence that she was, in fact, alive and happy.

Enclosed with the letter was a newspaper clipping of a short article detailing a raffle the Goldstein sisters had won. The picture that headed the story was of an elderly woman, arms around Queenie on the right and, most importantly, a beaming Tina on the left. He had no idea how long he stared at the photo. As of late, his mind could only conjure up the image of her as she had looked being led to her death by people she had trusted, but now he had a way to remind himself that she had survived. That he had helped her survive.

The nightmares never completely subsided, but the photo and eventually Tina herself were able to ground him after he woke, trembling and occasionally sobbing in a despairing echo of the dream itself. He sought comfort in her sleepy smile and quiet humming as she pressed soft kisses to his temple, gently shushing his apologies for waking her. It's okay, she would whisper, pulling him in tight so that they were cocooned in each other's arms and able to drift off into more peaceful sleep.