Richard froze; his cold, hate-filled stare now gave way to confusion, his brow furrowed and eyes wide; his lips ceased in their attempt to curse her, and his wand fell to the ground. He weakly attempted to reach out to her as a small sound escaped his lips before he collapsed to the floor, his arm stretched out before him and his eyes frozen in a conflicted gaze. Tina gasped, covering her mouth as she stepped away from the body now strewn out before her; she was started by the sound of maniacal laughter, and as she looked up, she met the eyes of another man. His eyes were creased with pleasure, one pale and glowing against the light and the other a deep pool of darkness; Tina couldn't break away as he simply stood there, focused on her.
In her mind flashed those same eyes, wide and gazing into the dim yellow light which swung above him as his laughter grew throughout the prison; the form which stood before her had stood amongst pieces of metal from his cell being destroyed, before slowly stepping through as he made his exit.
Grindelwald.
The room slowly quieted as everyone realized what had happened; fanatics and Aurors alike lowered their wands in disbelief as they turned and saw him, forgetting each other around them completely. Queenie, who had joined Newt in comforting the injured Jacob who sat against the warehouse wall, looked up as Newt rose—his calculating eyes glancing between Tina and Grindelwald, who now stood before her.
"What a fool…" Grindelwald now gazed down at Richard's lifeless body, sprawled out in front of him, as he subtly shook his head. "He always was too impulsive."
"Stupefy!" One of the Aurors cried out, but her spell stopped inches short of Grindelwald's body and fizzled away into the air. He laughed in response, throwing his head back as it echoed through the room. He turned his head to face the Auror, who unwillingly recoiled; he smirked in response, clearly amused by the command he had over everyone in the room.
"You all truly underestimate me. I let you think you won once… you couldn't possibly still be under the impression that you have any control over me."
He stepped through the crowd now; with each stride he glanced into the eyes of each person he passed, and even his own followers backed away with a mixture of awe and uneasiness. Newt covertly made his way over to Tina and stood right behind her, his chest pressed to her back; she took a deep breath from his sudden comforting presence, calming her trembling hands. Queenie tightened her arms around Jacob, his head resting on her shoulder and his hands weakly placed upon her thigh, and his vision fading in and out with clarity.
He now stood where Richard once had, assuming his position in command of the room; with delight he met the range of expressions on the faces that now looked straight at him, from inspiration, to frustration, to fear.
"You've all been warned. The revolution has begun." He said calmly, and at that moment he stared directly into Madame Picquerys eyes, his eyes creased with pleasure once more with a twisted smirk; she narrowed her eyes at him, clutching her wand in preparation.
With that, he and all of his followers apparated into thin air; there was a collective gasp throughout the warehouse, which now only consisted of Tina, Newt, Queenie, Jacob, and the Aurors as they felt the emptiness between them where the fanatics once stood.
Madame Picquery slowly put her wand back in her robe pocket, and with her other hand held her forehead as she looked down at the ground; even a woman as dignified and poised as she, was struggling to maintain her composure at the moment, as the other Aurors simply stared ahead in disbelief. Tina looked back, wide-eyed as her own mind was struggling to comprehend all that had just happened, at her President.
"I can't believe this…" Picquery still held her temple with her fingertips, eyes closed only for a moment before she looked up to where Grindelwald had been standing moments before.
"That's it. We are shutting everything down. You three—" she pointed in the direction of some of her Aurors, "—find the No-Majs who escaped. Going forward, all resources will be dedicated to finding Grindelwald and his followers. Nothing else." She now looked over at Newt and Tina, still standing close to one another. Newt was looking down at the ground, his mind racing to not only absorb the events of their evening, but to calculate what it was he had to do next. What happened here would only empower the fanatics back home; they would hear of Grindelwald's first success in the United States—and all he could imagine was the chaos that was about to erupt throughout Europe.
Picquery walked towards the both of them, her eyes fixed directly on Newt. Tina held his hand as she approached, knowing that she could be considered to be acting defiantly against her President, but feeling an overwhelming protectiveness over him. After all they had been through these past days, if he went down, they went down together.
"I must thank you, once again, for your help with all of this. You have been an invaluable asset to us, Mr. Scamander."
His eyes rose to meet hers, calm but stern; he swallowed, having expected much harsher words.
"But I am not ignoring the fact that you are still in my country, after you were kindly asked to leave—and now, more than ever, we cannot risk any breaches in security. That does include you, Mr. Scamander. I trust that this time, you will respect my request."
He nodded, looking down at the ground once more.
"I-I appreciate that, Madame President… and yes, I will do so first thing in the morning… If I may, respectfully, I must say that I am not the one that deserves your gratitude."
He squeezed Tina's hand gently and cleared his throat.
"That would be Miss Goldstein."
Her eyes widened a bit, a soft rose coloring rising to her cheeks, as she glanced from her President, to Newt, and back. Picquery looked over at her now and a gentle smile appeared across her lips, and she nodded at Tina.
"Well, Miss Goldstein, we clearly made the right decision by bringing you back."
Tina couldn't help the small smile that crept up her face as she looked into Picquery's eyes, and she nodded back. The President then turned and walked away, and the other Aurors quickly followed her, as they made their way through the warehouse and out through the entrance at the front of the building. Tina looked over at Newt, mouthing a silent thank you as she looked up at Newt; he leaned over slightly and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead, lingering in the brief moment of bliss he felt in what seemed like forever, before he broke away and met her eyes once more.
An almost inaudible groan came from the corner of the room, where Queenie still held a weakened Jacob in her arms, tenderly cradling him against her. Both Newt and Tina hurried over to them, and Tina crouched down to meet her sister's eyes.
"Queenie…"
Her sister's eyes slowly peeled open, which were bloodshot from her tears; Tina's heart broke as she not only looked into her sister's eyes but examined Jacob, bruised and bloody from the torture. His breathing was shallow now, and his eyes nearly swollen shut; it was clear that he was hanging by a thread to survive.
"W-We have to get him to a hospital." Her voice broke, emotionally exhausted and running low on the ability to remain composed anymore.
Queenie weakly nodded, taking a deep breath and closing her eyes once more as she held him for a moment longer, possibly for the last time.
Newt and Tina carried Jacob to the nearest hospital, supporting him on each side under his arms, as Queenie supportively, worriedly touched his back. She slowly caressed him as he winced at almost every step they took; although she had managed to stop crying, her eyes were puffy and weary from the evening, and she looked dazed as she silently stared ahead. None of them bothered to attempt conversation as they hurried through the rain that had now calmed, with no sign of thunder or lightning, but only added to the melancholy they all felt as their friend groaned with each movement.
Eventually they reached the hospital, a large stone building, stained decades of weather and use, which loomed over them in the night; through the windows of the four tall, black wooden doors glowed very faint, dim yellow light, and above the them towered several stories of large stained-glass windowpanes, depicting different scenes of angels and healing in various religious stories. From the center of the building, where the doors and large window stood, spread out several columns of windows, several of them also gently glowing in the dark; through some of them rows of hospital beds could be seen, and the nurses and doctors who stood beside and walked between them taking care of their patients.
Tina paused for a moment as she gazed up into the windows, in awe of the colossal building which stood before them; she stopped when she saw a man staring directly at them as he stood in front of his window, his face expressionless and almost… empty. She focused on him now, noticing a mark on his forehead. She took a few steps closer, narrowing her eyes as she approached, and he now met her eyes with equal intensity.
S… L… A…
Someone had found him before the Aurors did.
V… E.
She covered her mouth, gasping as she reread the word on his face once more. It was only then that the man backed up from the window, as a nurse approached his side. He never broke his stare as she touched his shoulders and spoke in his ear, and she then finally coaxed him back to his bed.
"W-We should probably go inside now…" Newt suggested quietly, and Tina looked over to see her sister and him standing several feet in front of her at the entrance, supporting Jacob in their arms. She nodded slowly, her thoughts still distracted by the No-Maj in the window. She then walked up the steps towards them, and they made their way carefully through the doors.
The air was permeated strongly by antiseptic and disease; the entire first floor was completely quiet, not a soul to be found but a lone older, grey-haired woman who sat at a desk across the room, reading a book she held in her hands in the glow of one of the few dim lamps throughout the reception area. She slowly looked up only when they were already halfway across the room, and the woman's eyes widened once she saw Jacob between them, barely conscious at this point and shivering from the rain.
"O-Oh dear, what happened here?!" She exclaimed, putting her book down and standing up at her desk.
"He was attacked." Queenie croaked, gripping his arm tightly with hers.
"Excuse me—" The woman rushed away from her desk and down the large hallway towards the back of the floor, calling out for the attention of the doctors and nurses. Within moments a couple of nurses appeared, and without hesitation they rushed towards Jacob, taking Newt and Queenie's place with his arms as they attentively started holding him, and began guiding him towards the hallway.
Queenie started to follow them, but was promptly stopped as the receptionist touched her forearm as she passed the desk.
"Are you his wife?"
Her cheeks turned a soft rose at the question, and she looked down to the side as she contemplated lying, but unable to make herself.
"I'm sorry, ma'am, I have to ask you to either wait here, or come back in the morning. We only allow spouses and relatives in the operating room."
"O-Operating room? What are they—"
"Ma'am." The woman now said sternly, and Queenie pulled her arm away from her touch. She tiredly turned around and walked back towards Newt and Tina, who stood just in front of the doorway.
Tina reached out for her sister's hand, and as she held it gently, she whispered, "We can come back first thing in the morning. There won't be any news—"
"I'm staying here." Queenie interrupted, as she wiped away a tear that had just begun to leave her eye. "I can't leave him. Not now. He needs me."
With pursed lips, Tina silently nodded, and now held her sisters hand with both of hers.
You have been so strong tonight, Queenie. Just hold on for a little bit longer.
Queenie tried to fight her tears once more as she read her sister's mind, and then looked up at her; the usual vibrant blue in her eyes were now an emptier gray, and a darkness had started to form beneath them. She flashed Tina a weak, subtle smile, and Tina gently let her hand go. Queenie flashed the same fragile smile to Newt before she turned away and walked over to one of the chairs at the corner of the room, letting her body drop into it with exhaustion.
Tina then grabbed Newt's hand, gazing up into his eyes before they both one last glance at her sister, who had already begun to stare off into the air in her thoughts. They both turned away and headed out through the front doors.
The rain had almost stopped completely now; the skies were dark and filled with clouds, but peaceful, as the moon peaked out perfectly between two of them. Several moments of silence passed between them as they walked down the barren city streets, the only sound coming from the quiet rain gracefully falling to the ground and the occasional car that drove past them. Newt replayed all that had transpired within the past few hours in his mind; the gathering of everyday people in the corner of a warehouse, united in their passion for the enslavement of Muggles, the burning entertainment in their eyes at the view of one being tortured right before them, Jacob crying out at the torture of the Cruciatus curse… Tina standing right before Grindelwald himself, her wand at the ready—he unwittingly grabbed her hand as he imagined Grindelwald completing Richard's curse he intended to inflict upon her, unable to stop it, in the midst of all of the chaos.
"T-Tina, I… I have to apologize."
She looked up at him, her brow furrowing slightly in confusion. "What could you possibly have to apologize for?"
"I should have been there…" He took a deep breath, unable to meet her eyes just yet, as they continued walking.
"I should have been there for you. I left you completely alone, a-and yes, I'm aware of how completely capable you are of defending yourself, but…"
He paused once more and looked down at the sidewalk beneath them.
"I feel like a bit of a coward, really. You were there, facing everyone, facing Grindelwald, and—"
"What were you doing?" Tina stopped in her tracks, causing Newt to stop walking as well, as she stared straight at his face.
"W-What was I doing?" He parroted, his gaze was still fixed to the ground, but his brows now also furrowed in confusion.
"While I was out there, fighting, what were you doing?"
"W-Well, I was helping Jacob, I took him to the side, and I—"
"Then what are you talking about?" Tina's voice was growing fiercer now, and she dropped her hand from his hold. A few sounds came stuttering from his mouth, but he was unable to produce a complete response. The sudden shift in her tone made it even harder for him to meet her eyes now, and he was unsure of how he was supposed to react.
"Don't you understand? While everyone else was fighting, while everyone else was causing pain and chaos around you, you… You were the light, Newt. You know how to fight, you are not only extremely intelligent, but I saw how skilled you are that night in the subway… But, you were the only one trying to find the way to help others. You were the only one compassionate enough to think of how to heal, instead of hurt."
Her voice softened, and she felt subtle tears start to pool in her eyes.
"How on earth does that make you a coward?"
Newt turned his head to her as he heard her voice start to break, and he felt his own eyes start to water as he gazed into hers; the warm, chocolate hues mixed within her eyes shined bright against the moonlight, dissolving his nervousness to nothing. He instinctively reached out towards her.
"D-Don't you ever, ever, say that again," she continued as a lone tear slowly slid down her cheek, glistening in the moonlight against her skin. "Because that is one of the reasons why I lo…"
She paused for a brief moment, the anxiety of finally saying it out loud filling her chest. He took in a deep breath as he grasped her hand, feeling a flutter in his stomach.
"…why I love you."
He immediately drew her body to his, holding her more close than he had ever held anyone in his life. With his hand he gently held the back of her head to his shoulder with the other hand around her waist, feeling as though they were melting together in that moment as the warmth of her body radiated through his.
"I love you too, Tina, more than I ever thought I was capable of loving anyone or anything on this earth." Newt had never met a woman so brave, so intelligent, so unapologetically headstrong when it came to her values and beliefs, who at the same time exuded so much warmth and compassion; who had the ability to reach straight into his very soul and make it her own. She had made a home in his heart, dusting off and rearranging everything inside, opening it up to a love he had never imagined.
He slowly pulled away from their embrace and placed his hand beneath her chin, lifting her head up as he leaned in to press his lips against hers. She raised her arms and wrapped them around his neck, and both of his arms wrapped around her waist, as their kiss intensified. One hand slowly slid up along his neck to cradle his head, her fingers entangled in his damp, tousled hair. Many moments passed as they simply enjoyed each other for the first time in what felt like years; they savored the taste of each other's mouths, the warmth of each other's touch, and the peaceful quiet of the night around them, once again safe in what felt like their own little world.
Eventually, they slowly pulled away from one another, immediately opening their eyes to meet each other's gaze. Neither could help but smile, both soaked from the rain and drained from the night they had just endured, but feeling more euphoria than either could recall they ever had.
"One more night?" Tina asked delicately, her smile turning into a playful smirk.
He softly chuckled, looking down at the ground for a moment before he met her eyes once more.
"One more night."
He turned and placed his hand on his hip, offering his arm to her. She lightly laughed as she took his arm with hers, and they made their way home.
A/N: Finally, some happiness! I love how adorable they are. Anyways, thank you for all of the faves/follows/reviews so far, I'm so glad you are liking my story! :) And as always, thank you so much for reading, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter!
