Author's Note: Hello all! I sure hope whatever holiday y'all celebrate was awesome and lovely and all those good things.

Chapter Ten

"Hold on, hold on," Newt said, his voice muffled as he was being squeezed tightly in Jacob's hug. "You do remember me? You remember all of us?"

Jacob instantly released Newt and stared at him, dumbfounded. Slowly he asked, "Why wouldn't I know you? Youse said I was one of you," he told them. "You're Newt Scamander, Tina Goldstein and you…you're…"

"Oh, Jacob!" Queenie exclaimed, throwing her arms around him in an embrace.

The affection, shown so blatantly, made Tina blush and she stared at her feet. Newt found her shoes rather interesting as well.

"So, what is our plan going to be now that we've found Jacob?" Tina said to Newt. "And do you think this is a widespread thing? Is everyone in New York going to remember Credence and Frank and…"

Tina's voice was panicked and it made both Queenie and Jacob stop staring at one another and focus on her.

"Well, I definitely remember the Obscurus and Frank and your case full of zoo…" Jacob said. "As a matter of fact, where have you all been for the last six months?"

"We had to Obliviate you, Jacob. Since you're a Muggle, we're required to adhere to a lot of inane and outdated rules…"

"We're required to adhere to the Statute of Secrecy, even if we don't agree with it," Tina told him.

"You don't remember that you forgot?" Newt asked.

Jacob was quiet for a beat, attempting to work out the question.

"Oh, honey," Queenie said, reading his mind. "You're confusing him," he scolded Newt.

"My apologies, Jacob. What is the last thing you remember?" Newt asked.

"Well, that blond wizard was hauled off and we went up the subway stairs and…did you leave me all those Occamy eggshells?" he said as he finally worked it out.

Tina shot Newt a look who at least had the decency to look sheepish.

"I…" Newt began.

"You're a dear, you know that?" Queenie asked. "Yes, you are one of the least selfish people in the world," she added without him saying a word.

"If you could abstain from reading my mind?" Newt asked. "I couldn't very well leave and let him go rot away in that blasted cannery. He said it himself: that he was dying. He helped me so much, Tina. It was just my way of thanking you," he turned to Jacob.

Jacob pulled him into a hug once more and this time Newt reciprocated. Jacob pulled away a moment later, some tears in his eyes, which he wiped away quickly.

Queenie smiled, choked up herself.

"It's so wonderful to have friends again," Jacob said, but his smile fell. "You're going to have to Obliviate me again, ain't ya?"

"Yes…" Tina said.

"No," Newt said at the same time.

"Newt."

"Tina, occasionally rules have to be broken," he said. "I think that the wizarding wordl would understand."

"Enough laws were broken today, Mr. Scamander," she said, her official tone coming back. "We have to go back. And Jacob will have to be Obliviated. Queenie and I will take him back. You can go along to your book tour, Newt," Tina told him.

"No," Queenie announced. "I will not take him back to be Obliviated. I can't and I won't."

"The matter is not up for discussion, Queenie," Tina said. "Newt has things to do and Jacob has a bakery to run. And…"

"You don't want to go on the tour?" Newt asked quietly.

The sadness in his voice nearly broker her heart.

"It's not that I don't want to, Newt. I just…I have a duty to make sure that Jacob makes it home safe and sound," she said before turning to Queenie and Jacob whispering to one another. "What are you whispering about?" she asked.

"Nothing," the two of them replied together.

"Newt, I clearly need to do something about this…" she motioned to the two of them.

"No, you don't, Teen," Queenie said. "I want you to go have fun and explore the world with Newt. Me and Jacob got our own plans," she said, smiling at the man next to her. He returned her smile.

"What are you talking about, Queenie?" Tina asked. "You can't just…"

"Tina is right. You can't just run off and…" Newt trailed off.

"You two need to have some time alone and so do me and Jacob. Newt, you take care of my big sister," she said, teary-eyed. "I love you, Teenie. We won't be gone forever, I promise." And with a final nod, the two disappeared, leaving Newt and Tina alone.

"Queenie!" Tina cried out but it was too late. Both Jacob and Queenie were gone. Tears fell down her face and hit the ground in huge droplets. Newt hesitated for only a moment before putting his arms around her to embrace her. Tina allowed herself to be supported by Newt as she fell apart in the alleyway.

When she'd had long enough to compose herself, Newt found them a café and he ordered them tea while he scribbled a note to Isadora. He hoped he had given her adequate time to cancel that day's presentation. Newt knew she wouldn't be pleased but there was no way he was going to be able to do one today.

In all honesty, he was surprised to find Tina still seated at the two-person table. She had stopped crying and was now staring out the café window.

"Hullo," Newt said as he returned to the table with the two cups of steaming liquid.

"Hello," she said back quietly.

"You know," he began as he sat across from her. "I will not be offended should you decide, should you decide to go after your sister. Or to go back to New York. I do understand…" he said.

A lump formed in Tina's throat and she willed herself to keep from crying again due to the sheer sweetness of the man seated before her.

"Oh, please, don't cry, Tina," he said. "I…"

"I want to stay. If that's all right?" she asked.

Newt looked up from his cup of tea, a hopeful smile on his face.

"Of course it's all right. So long as it's all right with you," Newt said.

"Thank you."

A warm feeling spread through Newt. He couldn't hide his elation. He'd found a kindred spirit and she wanted to go along for the ride with him.

"So…what's the plan?" Tina asked.

"I sent a messy apology to Isadora," he said. He noticed he'd received a small frown at the mention of her name, but he continued on. "I asked if she would cancel, or at least postpone, the upcoming presentation."

"When did you have time to do that?" Tina asked.

"While I was collecting our tea," he said. "Borrowed the café's owl," Newt told her.

"I know the day has turned on its head, but do you really want to cancel?" Tina asked. "You should take the chance to educate people."

"I just didn't want to ask that much of you. In light of the current events," Newt said. "And I know this might be too soon, but what will you do about Queenie and Jacob?" he asked.

"What will I do?" Tina repeated the question. "I haven't a clue," she shrugged. "They could be in Timbuktu or the North Pole, Newt. I will not find my sister until she wants to be found. That's the trouble with Legilimens."

"Perhaps you should learn Occlumency," Newt suggested. "And will you tell Madame Picquery?" he asked, very interested in her response.

"She's right, you know…Queenie. I can't protect her forever. She's an adult. And now she's made a choice," she told him.

"Perhaps laws will change," Newt said hopefully.

"Perhaps they will," Tina agreed. "So, you should see about another owl…" she told him. "We have a book signing to make it to," Tina smiled before taking a drink of her tea.

"I suppose we do."

As messy and hasty as his first letter to Isadora had been, this one had been almost categorized as a foreign language. Luckily, Isadora had been tracked down quickly enough to where she had not cancelled the program which was to occur.

Tina had made short work of cleaning herself from all of the tears and she changed into a much more formal outfit. She made certain that Newt's tie was straightened and she removed some fuzz from his collar.

"How do I look?" he smiled nervously.

"As the best dressed and most well-educated Magizoologist there is," she said. Some of the anxiety went away with the compliment, but enough still lingered to make him apprehensive.

"I am still not good in front of crowds," he said.

"You looked like you were doing fine yesterday – what I saw of it," she told him. "And you'll be fine today as well, Newt."

Newt smiled, finally. "Thank you, Miss Goldstein."

"At your service, Mr. Scamander," she bowed her head and returned his smile.

He turned around, set to walk onto the small area that the bookstore had made a stage, but he turned on his heel. "That color is quite fetching on you. I just thought you should know," he smiled before turning around once more.

Tina watched from the side as he discussed some of the creatures in the book. She was amazed at both Newt and how life was turning out. Mere hours before she'd been in New York with Queenie. Now her sister was on the run with a No-Maj and she was gallivanting through Europe with Newt.

If only her mama could see her now.

… …

A/N: let me know what you think! Do you think the characters are still in-character?