Disclaimer: Fantastic Beasts and its characters, as well as any lines you might recognize from the screenplays and movies, belong to JK Rowling.

The sky had already turned dark by the time Jacob left the bakery. The streets of Manhattan were almost deserted, which he actually preferred to the usual hustle and bustle of the city. He didn't mind being around people but, after a long day's work, he rather appreciated some peace and quiet. It was a short walk to his apartment, which was only a couple of buildings down the road from the bakery. Still, he took his time to breathe in the crisp evening air.

As he started fumbling with his keys to unlock the apartment door, a smile crept slowly on his face. The faint smell of freshly baked strudel coming from the other side of the door could only indicate one thing.

He pushed the door open to reveal Queenie standing in front of the kitchen counter.

"Hi, honey" she said, looking over her shoulder and giving him one of those bright, dimpled smiles of hers he loved so much.

No matter how many times he looked at her, he was always just as speechless as the first one. When her eyes met his, he couldn't help but think he was the luckiest guy in the world, which, in turn, only made Queenie smile more.

"All good today at the bakery, sweetie?"

Jacob had to clear his throat before he could answer the question properly, since he had spent the previous moments transfixed at the sight of the porcelain skin that was showing through Queenie's backless dress.

"Oh… hi, sweetie… uhm, yeah, all good down there, just a long day, that's all."

He took off his coat and made his way towards her. She kissed him tenderly, her lips parting as a soft giggle escaped her lips.

"I've missed you" she whispered before she went back to tending to dinner, avoiding his concerned gaze on purpose.

"Queenie, honey –"

"Jacob… please" she tried to stop him, already knowing what he would say next.

"… you shouldn't be here. We've talked about this. It's too dangerous, I don't want nothin' happening to you 'cause of me."

The couple had been in a relationship for about eight months by then, though they didn't see each other as often as they wished. They both knew they had to be careful not to be spotted together, so they usually met in places where they were sure none of Queenie's acquaintances would see them. Their own apartments were out of the question entirely, since they weren't absolutely certain MACUSA wasn't still keeping tabs on them.

However, Queenie didn't seem to care anymore and had taken to apparating at Jacob's place more and more frequently, especially since Tina had left the country and Queenie had ended up spending most of her time alone with her thoughts in their empty apartment.

"I know, Jacob, but I was feeling so lonely and I couldn't stand being on my own… I needed to see you"

She stepped closer to him and rested her head against his chest, relaxing a bit only when Jacob put his arms around her waist and gently ran his hands along her back, pulling her body closer to his.

God, I've missed her so much. Her warmth, her perfume, her smile. I don't ever want to let her go. But what if they come and take her away, lock her up and erase my memory so I don't remember anything? How would I even be able to help her then? And what if…

Queenie pulled away from him just enough to look into his eyes.

"Nothing's gonna happen, honey. Please Jacob, can we just have a nice evening without worrying 'bout this stuff for a while?"

"Alright, sugarplum."

Jacob sat down while Queenie used her wand to set the table for a romantic, candlelit dinner.

"So how's Tina? Have you heard from her?"

"She only sent a postcard, says Paris is beautiful."

"Did she say when she was gonna come back?"

"No… but I think this is good for her, the change of scenery. Maybe it'll take her mind off Newt's engagement. She was really crushed when she read about that."

"Yeah, no wonder. I thought Newt liked your sister, I wasn't expecting him to go and marry some other lady either."

"Oh, he liked her alright, I can tell ya that. Oh well, it is what it is…"

"And how are things at work?"

"You know, same as usual. Oh, actually, do you remember that guy, Gellert Grindelwald?"

"Yeah"

"Apparently he managed to break free somehow. I don't know the details but I heard some people at work thinking about it – ain't lookin' good…"

"Should we be worried? I mean, from what you told me the man sounded pretty bad."

"Oh no, honey, don't worry. And anyway, I heard he's somewhere in Europe right now, so you really ain't got nothin' to worry about."

The two kept the conversation going all through dinner, talking about this and that, smiling and making each other laugh like two giddy, carefree teenagers. Jacob's bed was too small for the two of them so, when they were done eating, they moved to the couch instead. It still wasn't exactly big enough to fit them both comfortably, so Queenie was lying half on top of Jacob, caught between him and the sofa's backrest, with her nose nuzzled against his neck.

They were silent for a while, their fingers intertwined as their breathing synched and they shared tender, lazy kisses. Jacob thought that never in a million years he would've imagined he'd be as happy as he was in that very moment, with a woman he loved so deeply, and who for some mysterious reason loved him just as much, lying in his arms.

"Marry me."

"What?" he said, not sure whether he had imagined it or she had actually said those words.

She looked up at him, her fingers softly brushing his cheek. The smile that formed on her lips was so full of glee it made her eyes crinkle.

"Marry me, Jacob Kowalski."

"Honey, you know there's nothing I'd want more but you said it yourself, it's forbidden. They'd lock you up in that wizarding prison of yours if they even found out we were seeing each other."

"We could go somewhere else. Where Newt lives maybe. They don't mind people like us being together over there and we could get married properly, have a normal life, maybe even kids someday…"

"Honey…" he said, standing up and pacing back and forth in the tiny living room. She could hear his thoughts as he considered the idea for a second, but that was it.

"… don't you understand I'm just trying to protect you as best as I can? And besides, I'd never ask you to leave your whole life behind. You grew up here, just as I did. We have our jobs, your sister… Would you really leave everything behind just for a guy like me?"

"Jacob, you are my life now. I love you. I want to have a family with you, have our own place, and you know I never enjoyed working at MACUSA anyway. I'd rather work with you in a bakery but Merlin forbid anyone finds out. I feel trapped and I know" she took his hands in hers "I know that this is the only way for me to be happy."

"Queenie–"

"I know you love me, and I love you too" she whispered, anticipating his words "but I can't go on like this."

Jacob let go of her hands, his eyes welled up with tears.

She had her answer.

"So what now?" Queenie asked almost breathlessly, her voice barely audible as she tried to keep her emotions at bay "It's just… over?"

Jacob swiftly cupped her cheek and brushed away the quiet tears that were making her skin glisten in the candlelight.

"I don't want it to be but I just want you to be happy, and I know how stressful this situation is becoming for you. If letting you go means you're gonna be happier, then I guess I'll have to."

She laced her arms around his neck and just pressed her body as close to his as she could.

"Hey, hey…" he knew she was crying, for he could feel her body spasming against his as she sobbed silently "it's gonna be okay, sweetie. You're gonna find a good man who makes you happy. A wizard, like you, and you'll be able to walk down the street holding his hand without a care in the world. And you'll have beautiful children who you'll be able to teach magic stuff to. Come on, Queenie, you can do so much better than me…"

"No" she whispered "you're kind, generous, caring… and I ain't never gonna find anyone like you."

She pulled away and turned around to hide her puffy eyes and red cheeks from him.

"I–I had brought with me a bottle of gigglewater. How about a last drink together? I know I could use one."

"Uhm… sure."

Queenie made two shot glasses appear out of thin air and started pouring. What Jacob didn't notice was the pearly liquid she had slipped into one of the glasses.

"That's weird, I don't remember gigglewater having this smell the last time I drank it." he said when she handed him the glass "It's weird but actually nice. It smells like vanilla, orange zest and… strudel?"

"I'm sure it's just the dessert we ate." Queenie said, trying to distract him, then raised her glass "Well, here's to us then…"

He clinked his glass gently against her and brought it to his lips before pausing to look at her "You do know I love you, right?"

Queenie's body moved impulsively on its own, unable to control the urge to kiss him. She closed the distance between them and her lips crashed down on his as her free hand curled around the back of Jacob's neck to pull him even closer. It took her a moment before she was able to take a step back, but her teary eyes never left his.

"I love you too" she whispered in the steadiest voice she could master.

He gave her a half-hearted smile before pouring the liquid down his throat.

A few moments later she could already tell the amortentia had done its job. The dreamy and unjustifiably joyful look in his eyes was proof enough.

"Jacob… are you okay?"

"Queenie!" He exclaimed merrily, then wrapped his arms around her waist, almost knocking her over in the process.

"Honey, why don't we get you into bed? I really think you should get some sleep."

"Sleep? No, no. I want to stay up all night and hug you and kiss you and–"

She tried to read his mind but found it to be completely blank. She could feel his love for her, which she could still tell wasn't entirely created by the love potion he had drunk, but it was as if any other feeling or thought had temporarily fled his mind.

"Don't worry, sweetie, we'll have loads of time for that. But now you need to get some sleep while I pack."

He looked up at her like a lost puppy "Are you leaving? Please, don't go!"

"I'm not going anywhere without you, Jacob." she said while rubbing his back comfortingly "I'm packing for the both of us. We're going to see Newt tomorrow."

"Oh, I like Newt, he's a nice fella."

"Yeah, he is. So let's make sure we're all well-rested when we see him tomorrow, huh?"

She helped him change into his pajamas and get into the bed, since it become clear pretty fast that he was in no state to do anything on his own.

He was so void of all the thoughts and emotions that made Jacob himself that it sort of scared Queenie. For a moment she considered removing the enchantment. She wasn't proud of what she had just done but it was the only plan she had come up with.

When Jacob fell asleep she started packing some of his clothes and toiletries into a brown leather suitcase she found next to his dresser. When she was done packing all of Jacob's things she walked back to the living room to check her own case and make sure she hadn't forgotten anything she might need in London.

Queenie's eyes watered when she saw the tiny ivory blanket she had packed. She grabbed it and inhaled its scent. It was the blanket her parents had used to swaddle her when she had been born. Tears silently cascaded down her cheeks at the thought the turn that evening had taken. She had intended to tell Jacob about the baby that night, only taking the amortentia with her as a backup plan. She had hoped it would be easy to convince Jacob to go to Europe with her, knowing that he would've done the right thing and married her if she had told him she was pregnant. But somehow she had been too scared to tell him, and there she was, watching him as he slept peacefully in the adjoining room, afraid of what his reaction would be once the potion wore off and he realized what she had done.

A/N: It's been so long since I've written a fanfiction, I hope this wasn't too terrible. Any feedback would be deeply appreciated! And if you'd like to DM me to discuss the Queenie/Jacob story development in the latest movie or anything else feel free to do so!

This is a one-shot but I also have in mind a couple more one-shots that could follow the same storyline. One would be set right after Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, and it would be about the start of Queenie and Jacob's relationship (so, a prequel to What I Wouldn't Do). The other one would be about that last Queenie/Jacob scene in Crimes of Grindelwald (not writing about it specifically in case someone hasn't seen the movie yet). So let me know which one you'd be more interested in reading or if I should stop here.

In the meantime, thanks for reading!

Fun fact: 'What I Wouldn't Do' is the title of a song by A Fine Frenzy, aka Alison Sudol, aka our beloved Queenie. Go give it a listen cause it's such a great, cheerful song, you'll definitely love it!