Hey hope you all had a good holidays. I'm not sure if this chapter is a bit mundane but I wanted to capture the little moments between the emerging couples, hopefully I've achieved this. I think there is more action to come in the future, but chapters maybe be less frequent due to RL deadlines. As ever thanks for all your kind reviews and to everyone who has favorited/followed this story :)

Newt's case was a wonder to behold, there was no question of that, but there was the tenancy for a reality shift to occur, the concept of being static in space yet experiencing so much, often left the few visitors he ever had victim to a sort of time lag. As Jacob climbed the ladder back up to the Goldstein residence, he was feeling the effects of this, being a muggle wasn't particularly helpful in this matter. He reeled as he surfaced, the battered case had not moved from the thick carpeted floor, and if he wanted to he could just pick it up and carry it away, yet there was a whole world in there. Not only that but it had been little over twenty-four hours since Newt had collapsed in that subway entrance, and barely four days since this madness had begun. Even so as he hauled himself on to the floor, and sat slightly dazed, Jacob felt like he'd undertaken a lifetime of events.

The sound of Newt's panting, and the appearance of his pallid freckled face out of the case shook Jacob from his stupor, and he rose to help his friend. He decided not to dwell on the complexities of time and magic, as just going with it seemed to be working so far.

Newt was pale and shaky but he had made it up the ladder unassisted, still he was grateful to see Jacob's outstretched hand, and soon with their combined effort, he was sat on the floor beside his case, trying to catch his breath. He awkwardly patted Jacob's arm.

"Cheers," he said breathlessly.

"No worries, pal," Jacob smiled at him, his grin broadening as Queenie's golden curls emerged. In no time she and Tina had exited the case, the lid and clasps firmly shut behind them. Newt was finding the recovery time from each physical exertion was slowly getting faster, and by the time Tina has closed the case he had nearly recovered from the climb.

She crouched down beside him, her worried brown eyes searching his face for signs of distress, the rays of November sun were streaming through the window and illuminated flecks of gold within them. She was simply breathtaking, just the sight of her stirred feelings in Newt he never knew he was capable of.

"How are you doing?" Tina asked concerned at how pale he seemed in the light of day, he was still panting slightly, his eyes a little out of focus with one arm unconsciously wrapped around his midsection. Still at the sound of her voice he gave her a smile that seemed to smooth over any hurt he was feeling, it's warmth reaching his green eyes with a crinkle.

"I'm okay," he paused and wrinkled his nose, "Though I feel a shower may be in order."

He reddened slightly, which she pretended not to see as she stood up, hand outstretched,

"No problem, I'll show you where to wash up, then we'll get started on some grub," she said warmly as she helped pull Newt into an upright position. The inevitable wave of dizziness washed over him, but he rode it out and it quickly faded, Tina's strong hand in his offering an anchor.

"I'm alright," he said reassuringly as he noticed the concerned looks the rest of the group were giving him.

"You're doing great honey," Queenie said, then looking pointedly at Tina,

"Off you pop then, Jacob and I will whip something up."

She winked at Jacob, as Tina led Newt towards the small bathroom at the back of the apartment. "So master baker, I was thinking bacon, eggs and pancakes is the way we should go, do you approve?"

Queenie gave Jacob's shoulder a playful nudge as she started towards the kitchen.

"Sounds divine, though you forgot one thing," he followed her, smiling as she looked up quizzically, "Coffee...lots of coffee," he looked thoughtful for a second.

"And tea for the Brit."

Queenie gave a tinkling laugh, that reminded him of chiming silver bells, and began summoning various ingredients out of the the cupboard. She felt her heart swell at Jacob's tender thoughts about her, it was a rare thing for a man to be thinking of her in a way that wasn't objectifying.

"As you are the baker-extraordinaire, you should make the batter and I'll get started on the rest," she said, giving him a slight curtsey in respect to his cooking seniority. Enjoying this impish side of Queenie, Jacob bowed back in response, tipping an imaginary hat.

"I shall batter away, though don't think you can hide your cooking abilities, I've had you're strudel remember," grinning at one another they set about making breakfast.

Tina's hand remained in Newt's as she guided him toward the bathroom, it felt natural the way they fitted just so.

"Here we are then," she said suddenly a little unsure of what to do next, "I'll just grab you a towel and then leave you to it.."

Newt's grip on her hand tightened, and suddenly she was aware of how close they were to one another. She peered questioningly up at him, as his thumb started to caress her knuckles. Newt cleared his throat nervously, he wasn't sure what he was doing, all he knew was that he didn't want her to leave.

"Can..can you stay?" he asked hoarsely, his eyes not meeting hers, but instead staring intently at the medicine cabinet behind her. Tina's eyes widened slightly, she was surprised at his question, but welcomed it. Now she was in Newt's orbit she wanted nothing more than to get closer to him, and inexplicably he felt the same of her. She reached up and tenderly stroked his cheek.

"Of course I can," she said gently as her hand moved up his face, becoming tangled in his copper mop of hair, her mouth meeting his. Newt's strong arms encircled her once more, pulling her into him as he responded passionately to her advances.

He broke away from their embrace after a few minutes, breathless as he kissed her tenderly on the forehead.

"I never knew what I was missing until I met you," he said earnestly, now confidently holding her gaze in an effort to convey his sincerity.

"But I don't wanted to do anything improper here, you deserve more than that."

Between the arousal of their embrace and the warmth of his words, Tina was feeling uncharacteristically flustered. But still she nodded in consent of his words, if there was one thing she wanted it was to do this right with Newt. She drew him into her arms, speaking softly in his ear,

"Everything has changed for me as well...we should discover this together...the right way as you said."

She pulled away from him, "You should wash up, they'll be done with breakfast in a bit.." Tina said as she grabbed a soft blue towel from the cupboard and pressed it into his hands.

"Sounds good," he responded, and awkwardly began shrugging out of his shirt, the movement aggravating his chest injuries.

"Come here," Tina said, quickly lending a hand, "Your chest is looking a lot better." she murmured, once again surprised at his lean muscular build.

Newt looked down, the marks from Grindelwald's attack had faded considerably, now a dull pink, the spidery scars had blended with the souvenirs of all his other adventures. He gave a her a quick smile feeling exposed, "You all did a really good job of patching me up...I don't know how to thank you," he said.

Tina gave his hand a squeeze, "No thanks are needed, I'm just glad you're okay," she reassured him, then pointed her wand at the shower, hot steamy water instantly began flowing out.

"Jump in, I'll be back in a bit with some clean clothes," she instructed, giving him a kissed on the cheek as she left.

Newt watched her go, slightly dazed and grinning happily to himself, he dropped his trousers and stepped into the steam. A contented sigh left his lips as the warm water washed away the grime of the past few days and soothed his aching muscles. As he stood there he reflected on how much had changed since he arrived in New York, and what hope Tina and his friends offered for the future.