11/21/17

All your life it seemed that all men you associated with had problems. Your dad was an alcoholic and a couple guys you dated wanted to go farther than you were comfortable with. Your last boyfriend turned out to be very possessive and after a year, you left and stayed with a co-worker/friend. Your now ex-boyfriend, Richard had been stalking you which made it hard to go anywhere alone and it both scared and annoyed you.

You met Newt at a Christmas party the Minister was having at his house. You knew he'd had a book published and that he worked in the Beast Division, but didn't talk to people much. That was one thing you had in common due to your history and you hated it. His brother, Theseus was actually the one who insisted that Newt approach you and while it started out awkwardly you ended up spending the rest of the party talking to him about the different creatures he'd seen while writing his book which fascinated you.

It had gotten pretty late and you'd lost track of your friend so you figured you'd walk yourself back since you only lived a couple blocks away from the Minister's home which you always found kind of odd. You said goodbye to Newt and that you'd see him at work before leaving. You clutched your coat around you while keeping an eye out for Richard knowing that he could pop up anywhere. You were just a block away from your friend's apartment complex when you felt someone wrap their hand around your mouth and felt yourself being apperated to what turned out to be an alley.

With his hand still over your mouth, Richard leaned in and whispered roughly, "You think you can hide from me, but I will always find you. I'm not finished with you, Zelda. Not by a long shot."

Suddenly, you heard someone yell the disarming spell which caused Richard to fly back and release you. You were shaking as he apperated away before a figure which turned out to be Newt walked over to you with his wand away and his hands up as a way of showing that he wasn't going to hurt you. You fell into his arms and clutched onto him sobbing as he slowly wrapped his arms around you, not knowing what else to do.

When you finally stopped sobbing, you looked up at Newt and whispered, "Thank you. How did you find me?"

Averting his gaze while still holding you, Newt said nervously, "I-I was worried about you walking home this late so I f-followed you. When that guy grabbed you and vanished I lost track of you, but then I heard whispering around the corner so I ran and saw he had you against the wall. I'm sorry if I sound like a creep for following you, something just told me to make sure you got back safely."

You hugged him tightly and thanked him again making him blush. When you pulled away, Newt offered to walk you the rest of the way back and you accepted without hesitation. It then became a regular thing Newt walking with you after work or when you'd both go to the local coffee shop to talk.

You gradually told Newt about your issues with men and he promised not to do anything you weren't ready for which you appreciated 'cause he was the first man to show respect for your boundaries. After two years of being friends you were ready to take the next step. After a year of dating, you were married and in your own place with Newt and his many beasts. You hadn't seen or heard from Richard since the night of the Christmas party and you were hoping that he'd moved on, but that ended up not being the case.

You were doing housework while Newt took care of his creatures. You heard what sounded like a gust of wind before being dragged into the guest bedroom and thrown onto the bed before hearing the door close. The person turned around to reveal that it was indeed Richard, but with a more rugged look.

Your breath was caught in your throat as he strode over to you and pinned you down before whispering, "Nice place you got here, sweet thing. Scamander does know how to cater to humans as well as beasts after all."

You gulped and took a deep breath and said timidly, "Why are you doing this, Richard? Why can't you just move on and live your life and let me live mine?"

That ended up earning you a hard slap in the face not much to your surprise. "You don't have the right to tell me how to live my life! If I want to get you back then I will, whether you're married or not." He then started ripping your clothes off as you pleaded with him to stop which seemed to fall on deaf ears. You screamed for Newt, but he seemed to still be in his case so you just stayed quiet. Suddenly, you felt a searing pain as Richard forced himself into you causing you to scream in agony. It wasn't long until you felt yourself lose consciousness.

The next thing you knew, you were laying in what seemed to be a hospital bed hearing different machines beeping. As you gained more of your awareness, you felt someone who you knew had to of been Newt holding and stroking your hand softly. You looked at his worried face and everything came flooding back and you started crying and shaking which caused him to tighten his grip on your hand and ask what happened. After taking a few breaths, you managed to say Richard's name which made Newt stiffen.

With a slight stutter, he asked what Richard had done and you shook your head and sobbed. Asking a passing nurse for a quill, ink, and parchment, he asked if you could write it down. With some time you were able to explain that he broke in, dragged you to the guest room and raped you before you passed out. After Newt read your letter he started shaking with rage which scared you even though in your rational mind you knew he wouldn't hurt you.

After asking another nurse to watch your room in case Richard came around and promising you that he would be back soon, he apperated to the outside of his brother Theseus' house and banged on the door until he answered it with an alarmed expression.

Newt explained that your ex who had attacked you after the Christmas party was back and gave him your letter. Theseus' face turned pale as he read your sloppy, but still clear writing. "Where is she now, brother? I want to get a couple Aurors to protect her while I send others to track Richard down."

"At St. Mungo's. I asked a nurse to watch her, but I need to get back to her. She's terrified." Newt responded starting to breathe heavily as he slowly began to break down.

Placing a hand on his younger brother's shoulder, Theseus said gently, "Go back to the hospital and be with her, let me take care of the rest. Tell her that I will do whatever it takes to make sure this never happens again."

Still trying to hold himself together, Newt thanked his brother and apperated back to St. Mungo's trance and headed back to your room where the nurse remained on guard. Mouthing a "Thank you" as he passed, Newt crept into your room where you lay sleeping. Sitting in the chair next to your bed he gently took your hand and sighed.

You woke up and heard Newt whispering, "I'm so sorry about all this, Zelda. I wish I could've been there to stop him or even taken you into the case with me. I love you so much and I promise that if I ever see him again, he's a dead man."

You squeezed his hand and opened your eyes to see Newt looking very distressed. When he saw that you were awake, he kissed your hand and brushed some hair from your face. You slowly sat up and stroked his cheek with your free hand with a tiny smile, though Newt could still see the fear in your eyes which broke his heart. You took a small breath and said as Newt placed his hand over yours, "I love you too, Newt and I don't blame you for this, I really don't. I blame Richard. I told him that he should move on, but all that did was earn me a slap in the face. I really wish I'd met you sooner, Newt then none of this would've happened and you wouldn't be so stressed."

As you started crying again, Newt let go of your hand and extended his arm so that you could lean on his shoulder. Squeezing you to his side, Newt leaned his head against your. "Darling, listen to me. All I want is for you to be safe and not have to look over your shoulder all the time. I talked to Theseus and gave him your letter and he said that he would assemble Aurors to look for Richard and also to guard you until he's caught. He and I will make sure that this never happens again."

You sighed and hugged him and whispered a "Thank you" in his ear as you calmed down.

You left the hospital a couple days later and stayed with Newt's mom and a couple Aurors while he, Theseus, and many others searched for Richard. About a week later, he was found at a pub and was taken straight to Azkaban where he was sentenced to life for assault, and stalking.

When you got the news about the arrest you could feel the relief wash over you as you cried in happiness. As soon as Newt returned to his mother's house, you ran and jumped into his arms. He hugged you as tightly as he could without hurting you and whispering, "It's over, love. It's over."

You and Newt bought a flat since the apartment gave you panic attacks and nightmares. It took you a few months to become intimate again which you felt bad about, but Newt only cared about your wellbeing so he was patient and stopped when it became too much for you. A little over a year later, you were happier than ever with your loving husband, his many creatures, and your newborn son, Thomas.