A/N Thank you thank you thank you to Giraffka, Paiw, Margaritasc, SilvanBeauty12, Guest and lilypaws for giving of your time to leave feedback! It's embarrassing how much it means to me and it really keeps me going.

I'm afraid this chapter is a bit of random filler…it started with a purpose, but then sort of got away from me. I think the deleted scenes version of this chapter is about as long as the real thing because I couldn't quite nail it down in my mind. The bright side is that there will need to be another extra chapter to get to where I should have with this one 😊 After wrestling with the same stuff for a going on week now, I've given up and decided to just post it – hope it doesn't suck too much (sooooo much blasted fluff! I can't see for all the fluff!).

Thank you for taking the time to read — reviews/comments/criticisms/kudos are my lifeblood 😉

Surprise

Tina woke with a gasp as pain stabbed through her left thigh. She held her breath and rolled off her left side and on to her back to shift the weight off her injured leg. Tina breathed hard through the pain the movement caused, then let out a whimper of despair as the burning of the Cruciatus curse awakened in her chest once more. Please, she begged, not now. She knew it was all in her head, that it wasn't real, but that didn't make it hurt any less and Tina she squeezed her eyes shut, glad that she was alone in the room where her pain could go unwitnessed. The burning intensified and her skin caught fire as if someone was slowly peeling it off, just as it had on Newt's kitchen floor the night before. The back of her throat clenched with the need to cry and Tina sniffed, quietly allowing her tears to flow unchecked. Feeling vulnerable, she clenched her teeth and turned onto her right side, pulling her good leg up into the closest thing to the fetal position that she could manage.

Tina remembered the night before, remembered the feel of Grindelwald's consciousness pressing down on hers. Queenie described it as a wall of rock, but in Tina's mind, it'd felt as if a hundred clammy hands were gripping her body, stroking and pulling at her. She'd felt them covering her face, cutting off her air and her ability to speak, to move at all. She'd fought him as best she could, but the thrumming of the Cruciatus curse had knocked her concentration and once he'd taken hold, his grip was nigh impossible to resist. Her mind had writhed, helpless as she watched him use her power to hurt the others. He'd left her full awareness of her senses and now, anxiety rose in Tina as she remembered the pain of the knife burning in her thigh and the agony of pulling it out. Grindelwald's will had refused to allow her to show her pain, so she'd stood still even as it hurt, even as her heart ached as she captured Jacob and pressed the bloody knife into this neck, waiting. Grindelwald had wanted it to be slow, to make her sister suffer for her betrayal and Tina's horror at his intentions had allowed her to wrest just enough control to angle the knife away from major blood vessels and keep the wound as shallow as she could. In that moment, Jacobs fear had been tangible and she felt a pang of guilt recalling the clamminess of his skin and his desperate plea for her to stop.

Tina took a shuddering breath as the memory washed over her but froze at the sound of footsteps coming down the stairs. She heard the distinctive tapping of high heels on concrete and a shiver of fear slithered through her. She'd known Queenie's gait her entire life—and this was not it.

Rosier! They'd come back!

Tina's body tensed, but she lay dead still and kept her eyes closed, even as her heart pounded in her ears. Slowly, she slipped her right hand under her pillow to find her wand. Its smooth wood offered a comforting familiarity and Tina took a moment to remind herself of who she was: an Auror, one who'd duelled Grindelwald before and survived. He wasn't here now. It was just Rosier, and Tina had a bone to pick with her. She tightened her fingers around her wand, took a breath and rolled over.

xxx

"Immobulus!"

The high-pitched scream that followed woke Newt, who lay blinking for a few seconds as he tried to remember where he was. A crash sounded from above, followed by a shriek and Newt's sleepy mind cleared instantly. He rolled from the hammock in his case's shed and drew his wand.

Newt's heart pounded with dread at what'd find once he reached the top of the ladder. He'd positioned the case at the base of Tina's cot; close, but out of the way if she got up. As he cracked the lid to peer out, he heard Tina's shout from beside him.

"Who are you?!" her voice was hoarse and deeper than he'd ever heard it; she sounded furious.

Newt turned towards the sound and spotted Tina on the floor. The small table that'd stood next to the cot was overturned beside her, its contents scattered and the bottle of dreamless sleep shattered. Tina was breathing hard, her face flushed and her hair messy. She had one hand on the floor to hold herself up, but her jaw was clenched in determination as she scowled across the room, aiming her wand with white knuckles.

A sob sounded and Newt followed the direction of Tina's wand to find Bunty, spreadeagled and suspended two meters above the ground. The young woman was clearly terrified.

"Let me go!" she cried.

"I know he sent you! What've you done to Queenie and Jacob?!" Tina demanded.

Newt threw open the suitcase and both women's eyes immediately fell on him as he stepped out, still in his pyjamas.

"Newt!" they cried simultaneously, Bunty with relief and Tina with fear.

"It's alright!" he held up his hands.

"It's Grindelwald! He sent—"

"Help me!"

"It's alright," Newt repeated. He nodded reassurance to Bunty, then turned to Tina.

"Newt! I caught her sneaking in here. He's sent her to kill us and she won't tell me what she's done to Queenie!"

Footsteps rang out from above as the woman in question came rushing down the steps, once again dressed in Jacob's spare pyjamas. Like Newt, she'd clearly just rolled out of bed.

"Teen! I heard you shouting—" Queenie started.

"No! Stay back Queenie!" the Auror yelled.

The blonde froze on the last flight of stairs when she spotted Bunty.

"Who's…?" she paused and then her face broke with sympathy. "Oh honey! No, no, no! Tina ain't gonna hurt you! You just scared her is all."

Hearing a reply to her unspoken thoughts washed fresh wave of fear over Bunty and she gave a small sob and looked at the magizoologist imploringly, "Newt, please! Who are these people?"

Newt crouched beside Tina and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Tina, love. It's okay. This is Bunty. She's my assistant," he said. Up close, he could see that her fringe was stuck to her face and her wand hand shook slightly. She looked back at him with wild eyes that danced with fiery suspicion.

"But—" Tina paused and narrowed her eyes at Bunty as she considered his words. Her head had begun pounding along with her heartbeat, a growing ache at the base of her skull and behind her eyes that made it difficult to think straight.

"But what if it's not her?" Tina hissed, "They could be using polyjuice—"

"It's true Tina," Queenie joined Newt on her other side, carefully stepping over the broken potion bottle and kneeling down. "It's okay. She's telling the truth."

"I—" Tina blinked, looking between Newt and Queenie uncertainly.

"We're safe Tina," Newt said. "After everything that happened last night, I forgot about Bunty coming in to work this morning."

Queenie nodded. "It's her," she said. "And Teenie, you're kinda scaring her."

Tina's expression shifted from determination to horror and she looked back up at Bunty.

"Please," the redhead whimpered, "Let me down."

"I'm—I'm so sorry," Tina whispered as she slowly lowered her wand, returning the frozen assistant to the ground and releasing her. Newt went to Bunty and she fell into his arms with a sob. She laid her head on his chest and he stiffened at the contact, suddenly uncomfortable with how unexpectedly intimate it was. Newt patted her back gingerly and kept his eyes glued to the ground.

From the floor, Tina looked on in shame as Newt comforted the frightened young woman, who clung to him and sniffled softly. Queenie snaked an arm around her and Tina leaned into her sister woodenly, still breathing hard as she processed her actions. When she'd rolled from the bed to capture the intruder, her left leg had collapsed beneath her and in the scramble to stay upright, she'd taken the bedside table down with her. Now, as her adrenaline level began to drop once more, Tina realised that her injured leg was screaming as the injured muscle stretched too far in its current position folded beneath her. Worse, her head ached and her heart clenched with guilt at what she'd done. That poor girl. Again, Tina found herself suppressing the urge to cry. Queenie must've realised because she gave the Auror a squeeze and began gently rubbing her back.

"You didn't know, Teen," she whispered.

With a quick glance at Tina, Newt drew Bunty over to a chair beside his workbench and managed to extract himself from her grip. Once she was seated, he set about getting a glass of water and a few blocks of chocolate to restore her nerves. Then he began calmly explaining the situation in a low voice that he hoped Tina would not hear.

As Newt talked, Queenie listened with half a mind. Slowly, Bunty's thoughts went from fear to sympathy for her sister, but when Newt turned from her to glance over at Tina, Queenie heard the assistant's adoration sing loud and clear. He's so kind, so caring, so strong. She was smitten with Newt, utterly, hopelessly in love with him and Queenie felt a pang of sadness for the young woman because she knew how strong Newt's feelings for her sister were.

"Queenie? You down here baby?" Jacob appeared at the top of the stairs. He spotted them on the ground and hurried down to join them. He stopped next to Queenie and Tina, glancing between the sisters and Newt.

"What happened?" Jacob asked.

"Small misunderstanding when Bunty here arrived for work," Newt said. "No need for concern; everything is fine." He looked to Bunty and she nodded with a small smile.

"Yes," she agreed. Perhaps it was the chocolate or the lingering sensation of Newt's strong, warm embrace, but Bunty was beginning to feel like herself again and she smiled sincerely when she looked at Tina and said, "No harm done."

"Help me get Teen up and back in bed?" Queenie asked Jacob.

Snapping out of her thoughts, Tina shook her head. "I'm fine. I can do it," she said softly. But when she braced her right leg to push onto her left knee and get up, pain tore through her and she slipped back to the floor with a frustrated whimper. Queenie and Jacob shared a quick look before gripping her under her shoulders from either side and pulling her up to sit on the side of the cot. As her leg came out from beneath her, Queenie gasped.

"Teen, you're bleedin' again!"

Tina glanced down. Her pale blue pyjama leg was stained with a warm patch of crimson that was slowly growing and Queenie spun towards Newt.

"Newt! It's Tina's leg again!" she called.

Newt turned from Bunty and strode to the cot. Behind him, his assistant put her water glass down and leaned to look.

Newt felt his heart drop when he reached Tina and found her left thigh bloody again.

"Here, lie back," he said, helping her swing her legs up onto the cot. "Um, would you mind?" he asked the younger Goldstein, gesturing to the bloody patch. "I don't want to ruin another pair."

Tina rested her head against the headboard as Queenie transfigured her pyjama bottoms back into the torn pants from the night before to give Newt access to the bandage. The flow of a cool breeze over her leg made Tina acutely aware of how much skin was bare before him and at the sight, Newt himself was suddenly taken by an impulse to run his hand up its length from ankle to thigh, anticipating the feel of warm silk. But Tina shifted awkwardly and, noticing her discomfort, Newt pulled the blanket up and tucked it so that only the bandage was visible. The top was wet with blood, which was slowly spreading and he was rapidly reminded of the work at hand.

"Thank you," Tina's voice was soft and she met his eyes from behind her hair, suddenly demure. Newt's first instinct was to tuck the offending stands away from her face and beside him Queenie let out a giggle.

"You must've pulled the stitches just now," Newt said. "Is it hurting?"

"Mm hmm," Tina nodded. Her eyes were fixed on the blood. "But it's fine. Not as bad as last night. It feels better today."

"I don't get it. Why could you fix me up so quick, but Tina's still bleedin' like this?" Jacob asked, looking between Queenie and Newt. "Was somethin' on that knife?"

"Could've been draculus extract," Bunty said, appearing suddenly at his shoulder. "It stops the blood from clotting and slows healing. It's potent stuff for wizards, but draculus doesn't affect muggles. Some of you even eat it; its proper name is Artemesia dracunculus: tarragon," she explained.

"Seriously?!" Jacob guffawed, "Who'da thought?"

"If it was that, it should be out of your system now. Let's take a look," Newt said. He turned to search for the medical supplies that'd stood on the nightstand. They were still scattered around the cot and he was relieved when Bunty held out a tray with a fresh pair of surgical scissors, swabs and bottles of disinfectant and dittany. He smiled at her, "Thank you, Bunty."

She grinned back winningly and then gasped when her eyes settled on Tina. Up close, it was unmistakable and Queenie heard the young woman's horrified thoughts as realisation hit.

She turned to Jacob.

"Honey, why don't we start a pot 'o coffee upstairs? I'm starvin' and I'm sure we can whip somethin' up for everyone," she said sweetly as she took his hand and tugged him back upstairs and away from what she suspected would be an uncomfortable conversation.

Newt glanced up as they left, then went to work gently cutting the bandage off. Beside him, Bunty's eyes were fixed on Tina.

"You're her," she said suddenly, scanning the Auror's face. "I didn't realise before. You changed your hair."

"I'm sorry?" Tina blinked at her, confused. The intensity of the young woman's gaze was unnerving.

"You're Porpentina," Bunty said. "The Auror in the photograph." When Tina's confusion didn't shift, she gestured towards Newt's open case but found the lid empty. "It's…it used to be in the case's lid."

Tina looked from Bunty to Newt, who paused his cutting and glanced up. She raised an eyebrow at him, trying to suppress a smile. His eyes danced with mischief where there once might have been embarrassment; he didn't have to hide his feelings from her now. In fact, he wanted her to know that he'd carried the photograph with him, that he'd thought of her even after she'd cut off their correspondence. He met her eyes boldly and offered an innocent shrug as if he'd had no choice but to carry it, so great was his affection for her. Warmth exploded in Tina's heart and she smiled shyly, delighted with the thought but aware of their audience.

Despair drenched Bunty as she watched their silent exchange. She'd hoped that in time, Newt would see her; would look at her the way he looked at the girl in the newspaper clipping when he didn't realise she was watching. She loved her work—loved the creatures—but she loved him more and had spent the past months desperately wishing to make him her own. With every denied travel permit, she'd become more certain that he'd stop missing the Auror in the photograph who was so far away and notice the woman who worked beside him every day. She'd been convinced that it'd only be a matter of time before he realised their potential as a pair, especially after the letters from New York stopped arriving and Newt mentioned the American less frequently. But it was too late for Bunty now. The girl in the picture was here before her, flesh and blood, with shining (albeit messy) hair, thick, dark eyelashes and alabaster skin. She was as fierce and powerful as Newt had said she was and Bunty felt her heart sink. She tried to keep her face neutral but Tina noticed the sadness in her eyes and mistook it.

"I'm so sorry for scaring you, Bunty" Tina said. "It's been a rough few days and I thought you were…someone else. I hope we can make a fresh start?"

"Of course, absolutely," Bunty said, swallowing her sorrow and hardening her heart. She held her head high. "I'm quite alright. Newt didn't tell me he'd be back, or that he'd be bringing company."

"So sorry about that, Bunty," Newt said guiltily. "I didn't know myself until yesterday evening." He paused and looked up. "You've done a marvellous job; I see everyone is well here and Pinky's eyes are healed now." He paused. The air was beginning to fill with the sounds of his creatures as they woke for the day and Newt glanced over at the clock mounted above the workbench. "In fact, it sounds as though everyone is getting hungry, even though I gave them all a late snack when I arrived last night. If you're feeling better Bunty, perhaps you'd like to start morning rounds? I'll join you as soon as I've finished here."

Buoyed by the fact that Tina had clearly not replaced her in every part of Newt's life, Bunty nodded eagerly, "Of course Newt! I'll start with the augurys and we can do the kelpie together. He's been so feisty since you left."

She set the tray down and disappeared into the shed at the centre of the room to begin preparing the morning feedings. Tina watched her go, noticing the abrupt change in the woman's demeanour. A jab of pain through her leg drew her attention back to Newt and he grimaced up at her apologetically as he pulled the severed bandage away from her leg.

"Sorry, you've ripped two of the stitches out and the bandage was caught on one of the others." He reached for the swab and disinfectant and began gently cleaning the blood from Tina's skin. It stung, but she remained silent because the pain was nothing compared to what she'd felt the night before and right now, it barely registered because her head still ached.

"The good news is that thanks to Madam Woodhouse, it appears to be healing from the inside out," Newt announced with a glance up at her. "I think dittany will be sufficient to fix the last of it, assuming of course that Bunty's theory is correct."

He placed a fresh swab over the wound to absorb the blood that continued to seep, then took the dittany from Bunty's tray.

"She seems smart," Tina ventured. "How'd you two meet?"

"She…We met at my book signing," Newt said awkwardly. "I think you may, er, recall the resulting magazine article." He uncorked the dittany bottle. "This is going to hurt again."

Tina let her head fall back against the headboard and gazed at the ceiling as Newt dripped the essence onto her leg. It hissed as it began to work and she felt the familiar sting of skin knitting together. As Newt snipped the remaining stitches out, Tina found that the tugging sensation as he withdrew them no longer stung. She looked down and found it largely healed, now just a thick strip of red scar tissue.

"How long has she been in love with you?" she asked innocently.

"What?!" Newt spluttered, disbelieving. He set the scissors down and frowned at her. "That is preposterous. She's my assistant. She's here because she loves magical creatures. Not because of some misguided interest in me."

Tina chuckled and fixed him with a tender look. "Oh Newt, you are so much easier to love than you think," she said. "And she is definitely sweet on you."

Newt looked dubious, caught between confusion and reflection and Tina watched his eyes shift to the side in memory as he re-examined every interaction he'd had with Bunty. She placed a hand on his cheek to draw his attention back to her. Her eyes drifted down to his lips and back up as she smiled slyly, "Lucky thing I met you first."

"Lucky for me too," he replied. Feeling increasingly emboldened, he allowed her to draw him into a gentle kiss. Electricity shot through him at the contact and his head spun, swamped by sensation. It'd been intended as a gentle, chaste kiss to remind him that she cared, but when the moment came to pull back, Tina found herself unable to withdraw from him and heartbeats later, Newt surprised her by deepening the kiss and she let herself lean into him. Her hand slid from his face and into his hair, drawing him nearer and sending small sparks of pleasure over his scalp. Newt suppressed a soft moan at the back of his throat and, dizzy with pleasure, slid his hand under the blanket and let his fingers trail up the smooth, warm skin of her bare leg. Tina broke the kiss with a gasp of surprise and her hand seized his where it now rested on the fresh scar.

"Newt," she breathed. "We're not alone."

Newt drew back, blushing crimson and hastily looked around for Bunty. When he saw her shadow still moving about in the shed, he let out a breath of relief.

"Merlin's beard Tina, I'm sorry," he said. "I don't know what came over me."

"It's okay," she said, her cheeks equally flushed. "I felt it too."

She could still feel the rough warmth of his fingers gliding over her skin and the sensation sent a shiver of pleasure through her. Tina's heart was racing and when Newt met her eyes, she squeezed his hand and offered a conspiratorial smile.

"Perhaps we could continue this a little later?"

Heat rose in Newt's face and he adjusted the collar of his pyjama shirt. "I'd like that," he said in a voice that was huskier than he'd intended. He cleared his throat and rose to his feet. "For now, though, can you stand?"

Tina drew her wand and deftly transfigured her torn pants into a calf-length black skirt, deciding to deal with her bloody pyjamas later. She swung her legs off the bed and pushed herself onto her feet. This time, her leg held her weight, but she'd risen too fast and the room spun. She tilted towards Newt, who took her arm to steady her.

"Tina?" he asked, frowning.

"I'm fine," she said. "Just stood up too fast." The dull ache of her headache had risen up into a heavy pounding again and Tina shut her eyes and squeezed the bridge of her nose.

"Are you certain?" Newt made no move to release her.

"Yes Newt, I'm fine," she replied. "Just a headache. I'm sure it'll get better now that I can move around."

Newt's frown didn't shift and in his mind, he considered the healer's words and wondered whether Rosier's curse had anything to do with it. "Tell me where it hurts," he said.

"What?"

"Humour me, please, and tell me where the pain is," he said.

She raised a hand to the base her skull, "Here, mostly, but behind my eyes too…why?"

"No reason," Newt answered quickly. He placed his hand on the back of her neck and gently ran it up and into her hair to find the source of her pain. "Here?" he asked.

The boldness of his action surprised her and Tina's eyes locked on his when she replied, "Um… a little higher… there."

Newt gently pressed into the notch at the base of her skull and rubbed a small circle. He kept his eyes on hers to gauge her reaction and wasn't disappointed when Tina's eyes melted shut and she leaned into his wrist with a small moan. Tina felt the muscles in her neck relaxing under the warmth of his hand and slowly, the pain in her head eased a little. She let her forehead drop into his shoulder and found that the warmth and gentle pressure of the contact eased the ache behind her eyes as well. She felt warmth on her lower back through the thin cotton of her shirt and realised that Newt had brought his other arm around to fold her in his embrace. Tina let out a small sigh, content and wishing they could stay like that forever.

A soft clinking from the floor behind the cot made them both freeze and they parted to find Tina's locket training along the floor as the niffler carefully reeled it in, stuffing it into its pouch as it went.

Newt gave a sigh of exasperation but Tina giggled, delighted to see the small bandit.

"Honestly, he's incorrigible," Newt huffed. He released her and went around the bed to retrieve the necklace. The creature saw him coming and began pulling the locket faster.

"What happens to the things he collects?" Tina asked.

Newt scooped the small creature into his arms and paused, frowning. "Hoarded mostly, why?"

"I don't think I'm ready to wear it again just yet. Perhaps he could hold onto it for me, for now."

"That's very generous of you, but I'd prefer we didn't encourage him," Newt said. "If you'd like, we can store it in my safebox until you're ready." He pulled the locket free and gave the small creature a stern look. The niffler chittered in protest but just then, Bunty emerged from the shed with buckets of food and the small creature wriggled from Newt's arms and scampered across the room, eager for breakfast.

Tina watched him go with a smile on her face, then turned to Newt.

"I'd best get on to help Bunty", he said, turning back to the case.

"Can I help too?" Tina asked, her voice hopeful.

Excitement raced through Newt at her words and he struggled to hide his grin. When Jacob came down the stairs fifteen minutes later to call them up for breakfast, he found them both soaking wet and laughing with exhilaration as they brought the kelpie in to meet Bunty at the side of the pool.

A/N See what I mean? It's not just…right. Any suggestions/insights would really help me at this point, if you're willing to share.