This chapter has taken absolutely forever to write. I absolutely adore Newt and Tina and think they're the cutest couple imaginable, but trying to get dialogue to come together for them was an absolute nightmare!

Earlier that same day…

Newt left Jacob's bakery a little shell-shocked in the middle of the afternoon, walking the now-familiar journey to MACUSA as though in a daze. It was entirely possible that Grindelwald himself could have walked right past him, given him a cheery wave, and Newt wouldn't even have noticed!

Tina loved him, Jacob had said. She loved him – Newt Scamander, socially awkward Hufflepuff and causer of creature-related chaos. Could it be true? Jacob understood people – certainly much better than Newt ever had or indeed ever could! Was he correct? Oh, if only he was correct!

And now, what was he to say to Tina? He was still angry and more than a little offended on Theseus's behalf at how badly his friends had misjudged his brother's character, but that was a little harder to hold on to now that Theseus had regained consciousness and seemed not to have suffered any lasting damage. Surely they would all apologise to Theseus now – and they could get to know his brother for the good-humoured, kind-hearted chap he was.

Newt had never actually done this before – how did one walk up to a woman and tell her that he cared about her very much? It wasn't as though he could just break out into a dance, like an erumpent could! Should he have brought her a cake from Jacob's bakery? Would that have been too much?

Arriving at the entrance to MACUSA with no real awareness of the route he'd actually taken to get there, Newt wandered through the main foyer in the direction of the auror department, his heart beginning to race and his palms now decidedly sweaty. Staring down Grindelwald had been less frightening than this!

"Hey, Mr Scamander!" He was jolted from his daze by the voice of the officious Abernethy. Bother the pompous fellow, what could he possibly want now? Couldn't he see that Newt needed to talk to Tina before he lost his nerve? "Madam Picquery asked to be informed the minute any of you turned up. She wants to be updated on the situation – you'd better go straight up there!"

There was nothing Newt could say to counter that; no excuse for why it was vital he saw Tina first instead. Although he was not actually an American citizen, MACUSA were letting him effectively act as a creature consultant to their auror team and so he had to toe the line if he wished to be allowed to continue in such a vein. He therefore obediently took the goblin-operated elevator right up to the top floor of MACUSA and made his way towards the ornate oak doors which guarded Seraphina Picquery's office. Taking a deep breath to steel himself, he knocked quietly and obeyed the summons to enter.

When he stepped into the frankly enormous office, lined with leather-bound books, neatly stacked scrolls and glowing golden instruments, he found the president of MACUSA seated at a large, polished desk and busily writing. Her face, as always, gave nothing away and he suddenly felt exactly like a misbehaving Hogwarts student being summoned before his head of house.

"Madam Picquery," he nodded his head politely as she looked up.

"Mr Scamander," she returned, her tone neutral and formal.

Newt found the regal woman incredibly intimidating, even with the more cordial manners she had displayed after Frank had helped to save MACUSA's back after the fallout with Grindelwald. Something about the shrewd coolness of her stare gave the impression that she was a powerful, elegant bird who had just spotted a juicy piece of prey.

"You asked to be updated when there was a change in my brother's condition?" Newt said, nerves making him talk a little too quickly. He waited for her nod before continuing. "Theseus regained consciousness this morning. The healers have said that there should be no long lasting damage, thank goodness. The fracture in his skull has mended and there has been no further sign of bleeding on his brain. He should hopefully be released from the hospital at some point this afternoon."

"I am glad to hear it," said Madam Picquery, though privately Newt didn't think she sounded particularly glad at all. "I will of course let the British Ministry know that Mr Scamander the elder is out of danger. I am sure they will not hesitate to let us know their concerns in return."

The last few words were pointed and Newt knew this was a reference to Theseus's rather vehement objections to the way Newt had been treated when he had first encountered MACUSA. He had expressed them at length to Madam Picquery on the first day of his visit; Newt was well aware that the president had no reason to think kindly of his brother. Equally, Newt knew that Picquery was conscious that Theseus was something of a poster boy for the British auror department and as such it was possible that there might be severe consequences for this breach in inter-ministry relations. Not to mention the fact that two of Theseus's extremely well-connected friends had come over to America to raise hell on his behalf!

"It is of course up to Minister Fawley whether he chooses to take this incident further," Madam Picquery continued coolly. "Though I hope that he will be satisfied that the perpetrators in question will be dealt with. Please ask your brother to schedule an appointment with me when he is well enough so that I may discuss it with him."

She gave him a nod of dismissal and Newt gladly fled the office.

Back in the elevator once more, he gave instructions to be let out in the auror department and again turned his mind to Tina. He would have to talk to Mr Graves as well of course, but Tina was to be his first port of call before he lost his nerve entirely. Set down in the familiar corridor, he thanked the goblin operator distractedly and hastened along to the office that Tina shared with Martinez; hoping that he would be able to go somewhere to speak quietly. He certainly didn't want an audience for such a conversation.

He had just raised his hand to knock at the door, when it opened from the other side and Tina almost walked into him.

"Newt!" she exclaimed in surprise. "Is everything ok? Has something happened to your brother?"

"Tina!" Newt said at exactly the same instant. "Have you got a minute? I wanted to let you know the news." They both smiled awkwardly at each other, each gesturing for the other to go first.

"Martinez is down in Queens dealing with a Section Five," Tina said, breaking the silence. "Would you like to come in?"

"Yes please," Newt mumbled.

Once the door was closed behind him, Tina waved him towards a seat and offered him a cup of tea. Everything felt strained and odd; as though they were only just meeting for the first time, and Newt felt the urge to break that atmosphere as soon as possible.

"Theseus came round this morning," he told her hurriedly, watching Tina's face crumple with blatant relief. "And the doctors have said it looks like there has been no lasting damage. He was very much himself when I spoke to him earlier; no memory loss or anything."

"I…I'm real glad to hear that," said Tina quietly, looking down at her own hands. "Listen, Newt, I know we already said it when we brought him to the hospital, but I'm so, so sorry! I'm sorry we got everything so totally wrong, we should just have asked you in the first place when we thought something was wrong and we never should have jumped in the way we did."

"I explained to him what had happened," Newt responded, unhappily thinking of the bewildered expression on Theseus's face earlier that day. "He'd been very confused – he thought Mr Graves was angry that he hadn't worked out from his letters that Grindelwald was impersonating him, or that he'd inadvertently offended you all somehow. I wish I'd been more observant – if I had, I could have explained everything and we could have avoided this whole affair."

"He must think we're awful!" Tina sighed. "I'll apologise to him; if he's willing to see me. I don't expect him just to accept it, but I'd like to explain how we misconstrued everything. If I can get past his friends that is."

"Yes, it's probably best to avoid Steve and Phryne for the time being," Newt advised her with a wince. "The three of them are awfully protective of each other. I don't think Theseus is likely to take things further – he's not one for grudges – but given who Phryne and Steve are related to it's probably best not to antagonise them right now. They're both very talented duellists – not that I think you're not of course…that's not what I mean…it's just that they're both awfully angry at the moment!"

"I guest I'd be a hypocrite if I said anything about that," Tina said, embarrassed. "Given that's exactly how we behaved, and your brother didn't even deserve it!"

"You know, he's never hurt me in his life," Newt said softly, his gaze dropping too. "He fusses an awful lot but he's never been anything but kind to me. I never…well, I never used to…have many friends, but I always had him. I'd like it if you could get to know him properly now. He's very important to me."

"Of course. It's what we should have done from the start. I don't know what came over me. I just…I guess I couldn't stand the thought of anyone hurting you…" Tina confessed, her face rosy with embarrassment now. "I don't like the thought of anyone I care about being hurt!"

"And you…you care about me?" Newt questioned hesitantly, his heart fluttering in his chest. He looked up and met her eyes, hardly daring to hope… Tina leaned over and gently squeezed his hand and his heart nearly stopped.

"I really do," she said, and smiled.

The rest of the afternoon was lost in a haze of contentment as he and Tina talked shyly about what they felt for each other and exchanged a single, chaste kiss that had Newt blushing to the roots of his hair. He almost wished they could stay there forever, but of course that was never going to be possible – eventually, they were interrupted by the arrival of Mr Graves and so Newt had to go over the story of Theseus's recovery once again. Graves seemed even more ashamed of their conduct than Tina; perhaps deservedly so given that he had known and corresponded with Theseus for years. Still, he too seemed keen to offer his apologies in person as soon as he could so Newt could only hope this dreadful misunderstanding was well on its way to being resolved.

Their discussions moved on to the Thunderbird trafficking case and so it was into the early evening before Newt realised the time and recalled that his brother had probably been released from hospital by now. Excusing himself hurriedly, he dashed back down into the main foyer…only to run into Steven Travers as he came strolling in through the door.

"Steve!" exclaimed Newt in surprise. "Has anything happened? I thought you were with Theseus?"

"No, no, everything's fine," Steven reassured him easily, with a languid smile. "He's having dinner with Phryne at our hotel at the moment – I realised there was a couple of things I needed to send over to my team in Blighty and I'd best do it before I forgot."

"I meant to be done here much sooner!" Newt explained. "But I got rather side-tracked and…"

"I shouldn't worry about it," Steven cut him off. "We've had so much to catch up on I'm sure we'd have bored you stiff. In fact, why don't you leave him to stay over with us tonight and then drop by in the morning? You look done in! I'm sure you could do with a good nights' rest yourself and we'll likely be talking till the early hours."

It did sound tempting. Newt hadn't slept well since the accident. "You don't think he'd mind?" he pressed, not wanting Theseus to feel like Newt had all but abandoned him the second he got out of hospital.

"Not in the slightest," Steven laughed. "He's in safe hands with us. We'll look after him. Anyway, I need to send the ministry a proper update on what's happened – Picquery's likely to have been scant on details again. Come and give me a hand, would you?"

Worn down by exhaustion and relief, Newt slept more soundly that night than he had in months. He'd apparated back to his apartment once he and Steven were done at MACUSA (he was glad there had been no run ins with any of the other aurors who were still keen to duel) and then, after feeding all his creatures, had collapsed face down on his bed, still fully clothed, and was dead to the world.

Much refreshed the next morning, after completing the usual routine for both himself and the various occupants of his suitcase, he wandered out in the direction of the Ritz. He could admittedly have apparated to the hotel but he was in a good mood and wanted to enjoy the chilly sunshine. It felt like a wonderful solace after days of stress and tension.

He should just be in time, he mused, to invite Theses to breakfast. Afterwards, he meant to take him to MACUSA so he could receive the apologies he unquestionably deserved. He hoped that now when they could meet with no misunderstandings between them that Theseus and Tina could grow to like one another. He thought again about Yesterday's kiss and flushed brilliantly, his spirits buoyant.

A helpful muggle provided him with two room numbers when he enquired after Phryne and Steven upon arriving at the hotel. Taking the elevator up a few floors – with no goblin in attendance this time – Newt found the relevant corridor easily enough, where the two room numbers he was given stood on opposite sides. He knocked upon the nearest door, imagining that behind it, Theseus and his friends would have risen early and were no doubt still catching up over coffee on all they'd missed over the last few months.

He waited a good few minutes, but there was no response to his knock. He knocked again and then resolved to try the second door. Just as he was about to turn away, the door slowly opened and the sight that greeted Newt caused him to do a double take.

It was Theseus who had eventually opened the door, looking as though he'd been dragged through a hedge backwards. His hair was rumpled and sticking up in every direction, his shirt was buttoned incorrectly, his lips were swollen, and was that a bite mark on his neck? As the door opened wider, Newt saw the room which lay behind it. It looked like a herd of erumpants had been let loose on it. There were clothes strewn everywhere, one of the chairs was lying on its side and there was a stocking hanging from the light fitting.

The incredulous look Newt turned upon his brother was not unlike the one he'd given to his niffler upon discovering it in the act of robbing a jewellery shop. Theseus only offered a rather dopey grin in response, the sort Newt had only ever seen on him before when he was a little tipsy.

"Ah, good morning Newt!" Phryne breezed shamelessly out from the bedroom clad only in a pale pink silk chemise and cami knickers, as though it was the most natural thing in the world to stroll around in one's underclothes. Newt blushed furiously and averted his eyes. Seeing this, she took pity on him and, waving her wand over her own head, conjured up a plum coloured dressing gown.

"I…um…" Newt stared at Theseus helplessly, suddenly totally at a loss for what to say. "Madam Picquery wants to see you!"

"Be a dear, would you," said Phryne lightly, her hair also tellingly rumpled. "And tell them that Thee won't be along to MACUSA until tomorrow. I'm not really sure he's well enough to be out of bed yet."

Newt only just swallowed the dry response that he was clearly well enough to be doing plenty in bed if the state of the two of them was anything to go by. Theseus just shrugged, his face still split by the same dopey, happy smile.

"Right," Newt cleared his throat awkwardly. "Well, I'll leave you to…I'll leave you to it then shall I? I'll be at my flat, so you can come and find me, when…when you're ready!"

"Cheerio," said Theseus cheerfully, and closed the door. Newt fled before he had to hear something he really did not care to and, rather than waiting for the elevator, took the stairs back to the ground floor two at a time.

He was just about to take off out of the front door when he spotted Steven sitting at a table close to the door of the restaurant with a pot of tea in front of him. When the auror met Newt's gaze, he waved him over to join him.

"Have a seat, Newt," he said by way of greeting. "You look like you've seen a ghost!"

Newt could only splutter in embarrassed incredulity, trying to explain what had just happened.

"Finally shagging, are they? Thank Merlin for that!" exclaimed Steven with a laugh, pouring Newt a cup of tea from the shining silver pot. Then, noting Newt's astonishment, he continued. "Sorry, old fellow, that was rather crass of me. But you've not had to watch them pretend not to be in love with each other for the last ten years. It soon got damned tedious, let me tell you! That's why I left them alone last night."

"Ten years?" Newt repeated incredulously, before swallowing almost a whole cup of tea at once and wincing. He should have let it cool a little – it was so hot it made his eyes water!

"Mmmh," Steven nodded in the affirmative, offering Newt a plate of toast. "Possibly longer – they spent a lot of time together at Hogwarts and I wasn't sure if they were on the brink of something in our last year. But definitely since the start of the war."

"But then why didn't they do something about it then?" wondered Newt. Was it possible that Theseus had been just unsure of what to do with Phryne as Newt himself was with Tina? That seemed unlikely – Theseus was charm and charisma personified. And Phryne herself was hardly a blushing violet!

Steven's expression grew sombre and he dropped his gaze to his cup a moment, busying himself by pouring another cup of tea. "Castor," he said simply, reaching over to top up Newt's cup too, his expression sad. "You know what happened to Phryne's twin, yes?"

"I know he sacrificed himself to save an enormous amount of muggles towards the end of the war," Newt responded carefully, thinking of Phryne's agonised face in the hospital.

"He did," Steve confirmed. "Well, Theseus and Phryne had both individually planned to take that mission to disarm the mines. Cas beat them to it though…and of course it was a trap. The Germans had laced the lot with curses, gasses and poisons. It was going to take out thousands of muggles, tens of thousands, as well as all of us and the rest of the British magic contingent, so Castor did the only thing that could stop it. He contained the blast from within a shield charm and blew himself up doing it. There was nothing left of him; we couldn't even bury him. I'll be honest, Newt, I thought we'd be saying goodbye to Phryne too within the fortnight. Hell, to this day I've never seen anyone so wholly shattered. For months, she didn't live – she just existed; she was a shell. And it hit Thee hard too. They both thought it should have been them who died.

"And so once we got home and we all started to function again, it was like Castor's ghost stood between them. Theseus felt guilty for wanting his dead best friend's sister and Phryne felt guilty for wanting her dead brother's best friend. They seemed to think they'd be disrespecting his memory. So they decided just to pretend they felt nothing, and were simply the best of friends, but a blind troll could have spotted them pining for each other. Then they both tried seeing other people – and that was a bloody catastrophe. They've been dancing around each other ever since. Funny thing is though, I'm certain Cas would have been delighted for them. There weren't many he thought good enough for Phryne, but Theseus would definitely have been one of them."

"He never said," said Newt quietly, stricken at the thought of Theseus hurting for all of these years.

"Well, no, he wouldn't have," Steven said kindly. "Because he was too busy pretending it wasn't happening. He never said anything to me either, it just happened to be right in front of me all of the time. If nothing else comes out of this whole sorry carry on, then at least it's forced the pair of them to stop denying what's right in front of them. Maybe I should be thanking your Yank pals – it's going to make my life a hell of a lot easier! Now, seeing as those two are likely to be occupied for most of the day, I don't suppose you fancy showing me round a bit, do you? This is the first time I've actually been to New York!"

Newt, abundantly grateful for the distraction, apparated the pair of them to the Central Park, where he showed Steven around the zoo and explained what had happened when his erumpent had got out of his case and promptly wrecked the place. Afterwards, they went to the museum that Theseus had previously spoken so highly of, deep in conversation about how to deal with the rise in pro-Grindelwald sentiment across the wizarding world.

Meanwhile, in a cosy bedroom in the Ritz, Phryne and Theseus lay in bed together in a state of blissful exhaustion. Having been occupied, as Steven had predicted, with amorous activities all day, they'd eventually taken a bath together and were now lying in a tangle of bare limbs and blankets, dozing lightly. Phryne was lying on her left side, Theseus curled around her, his nose pressed to the back of her neck, the pads of his fingers tracing gentle shapes on her arm and ribs.

"Marry me, Phryne," he said suddenly.

Phryne rolled over and smiled up at him. "Of course," she said.