disclaimer: I own nothing.

Author's Note: In this story, there is much more time between the first and second movie storylines. This takes place in 1928 (I think) and/or continues into 1929, to give Newt and Tina time to have their relationship.

TRIGGER WARNING: This story contains heavy mentions of rape (no graphic details) and healing and moving forward after such an event. Please do not read if it will be difficult for you to handle. The story focuses on healing and the emotional difficulties of doing so, not the event itself.

Newt ducked behind the pillar, narrowly avoiding the Stunning spell that had been aimed at him. He stuck his wand around the pillar and sent one back. Another one hit the pillar, leaving a jagged edge that glowed red.

"Merlin's beard." He looked around. The Aurors outnumbed the Dark wizards they were fighting, but the fighting was vicious and chaotic. Newt ran out from behind his hiding place and slashed his wand at one of the wizards.

"Stupefy!" The jet of red light hit his target and the wizard collapsed.

Newt wasn't certain where Tina had gone. They had been the initial targets, as far as he could tell. But reinforcements had come and things were getting out of hand. Newt deflected a spell even as another singed his coat sleeve. He had gotten away from the main fight for the moment. That was when he heard it.

"Newt!"

Tina's scream mixed with the spells and shouts of the Aurors and others, but Newt heard it clearly through it.

"Tina." Newt whipped arund, searching for her.

"Newt!"

He spotted her, on the ground with one of the Dark wizards. The man had pinned her and Tina was stretching, desperately trying to reach her wand, which was just out of reach. The wizard on top of Tina struck her in the face, hard enough to bounce her skull off the concrete. Newt ran forward, wand pointed at the wizard's back, but the wizard turned and pointed his wand at him.

"Diffindo!"

Newt barely dived out of the way of the spell and it still opened a deep slice in his thigh. Blood poured from the gash as Newt scrambled to his feet, but he'd lost his wand when he'd hit the ground. He turned, looking for it and snatched it up from where it had rolled. When he turned back, the wizard was stil on top of Tina.

"Stupefy!" Newt shouted.

The spell blasted the wizard off of Tina and he crumbled to the ground lifelessly. Newt rushed to Tina, who was laying unmoving on the ground. Her eyes were closed and head lolled limply. Her clothing was torn and Newt, with a lurch of horror, saw blood smeared on the ground beneath her and on her skin. Her arms, her neck, her thighs.

"Tina!" Newt shook her gently, but she didn't wake up. He bent down and lifted her into his arms.

"I've go you, Tina. I've got you." Newt adjusted her so she was more secure in his arms and Apparated.

XXXXXXXXXXX

Tina was still unconscious hours later. The hospital was quiet-Tina had been give her own room. Newt sat in the chair beside the bed, waiting. He had known what the Healers had told him before they had.

He had had to report to the Auror department and explain what had happened before he had been allowed to return here. To Tina.

Newt pressed his hands to his mouth. Some part of him almost felt that it would be better if she stayed asleep. But she didn't.

Within the next ten minutes, Tina's eyes opened. Newt watched as they snapped open, as she jerked awake. She froze when she saw him, took in her surroundings.

"Newt?" her voice scraped slightly in her throat. She stared at him. "Where am I?"

Newt swallowed. "You're in the hospital, Tina." he said softly.

"The hospital?" Tina's voice was a slightly higher pitch than usual. "What happened?"

Newt cleared his throat. He didn't know what to say, but when Tina obviously didn't remember, it would be better coming from him than anyone else.

"The wizard you were fighting with . . . . he overpowered you, Tina. And he . . . . . he raped you."

Tina stared at him. Newt saw the tears that filled her eyes the moment his words brought back the memory of what had happened. A sob broke from her throat. Tina raised her hands to cover her face, but not before Newt saw the tears start running down her face.

"I'm here, Tina. I'm right here."

Tina gave no indication that she'd heard him. Instead, she rolled over on to her side, saying nothing, her back to him. More sobs shook her shoulders, a sound not dissimilar to one he'd heard creatures make. It didn't seem Tina wanted him there. But he knew creatures. And he knew pain.

Newt stood and went around the bed. He climbed on to the bed beside Tina, on top of the blankets. He pulled her into his arms. Tina was shaking hard. She started to say something, but couldn't manage it.

"Shh, Tina." Newt whispered. And that was it, for a while.

Tina shuddered in arms, anger and pain driving the tears that continued to fall. Newt held her the entire time. Once she stopped, they lay there quietly, neither of them willing to speak. But Tina finally did, not moving, voice quiet.

"What happened to him?" Her voice was practically lifeless, flat and blank. Newt closed his eyes for a moment, at the tone, at what he would have to tell her.

"He got away, Tina. The Aurors are looking for him now, but they don't where he's gone."

Newt thought about saying that it was his fault. That all he had done was Stun the wizard and rush Tina here, not even thinking about apprehending him for a moment. Because all he had seen was Tina, bloody and lifeless on the ground, knowing that she needed help he couldn't give. Tina nodded slowly. Newt wondered what she must have been thinking.

Eventually, he backed off to the chair. He sat there, thinking for a moment.

"I showed Picquery my memories of what happened." he said quietly.

Tina's gaze snapped from the wall to him.

"What?"

"I-I saw it, Tina. What he did to you. The Aurors didn't. When I told Picquery what happened, I showed her. To prove-"

Whatever angry sentence Tina had been about say evaporated. She simply stared at him for a moment.

"They didn't believe you?"

"Some didn't. But only Picquery saw the memory, Tina. I swear."

Tina fidgeted with the blanket, not looking at him. Newt said nothing.

"I want to go home." Tina said, looking back at him.

"Tina, I don't-"

"I want to go home." Tina stared at him with a hard expression.

"I'll get the Healer." Newt said, standing.

He found one in the hallway and brought the matronly-looking woman back to Tina's room. There, the Healer turned to Newt.

"Are you her husband, Mr-"

"Scamander. And no. I'm not." Newt cleared his throat awkwardly.

"Then you'll need to leave, please, Mr. Scamander."

Newt saw something flicker through Tina's eyes at this. Whatever was about to happen, he didn't think that Tina wanted to be alone. But he obeyed. It was clear that the Healer was not going to let him stay.

Newt paced the hallway. He was trying to wrap his head around what had happened, what to do. He knew what had happened to Tina. But he didn't know what to do. He wasn't sure many people did. It happened, yes, but . . . . . . Newt blew out a deep breath. The fact that he'd had to prove to Picquery what had happened was enough. Wizards may have been ahead of things that Muggles weren't, but this was unknown territory. Especially to Newt.

He had dealt with creatures in terrible pain, emotionally and physically, but never had he encountered something like this. He couldn't even imagine what Tina was feeling right now. To be violated in such a way . . . . Newt closed his eyes. The Healer reemerged from the room several minutes later. Newt followed her part way down the corridor.

"Excuse me."

The Healer turned to him.

"H-How is she?"

The Healer looked him up and down. Something in her gaze softened.

"Physically, she'll be fine, Mr. Scamander. We're going to keep her for a day or two, just to be safe."

"May I see her?"

The Healer looked at him for a moment.

"Don't stay long, Mr. Scamander. It's past visiting hours."

The Healer walked away. Newt waited for a moment, then turned back to the door. He stepped back into the room. Tina was sitting up in bed, hugging her knees to her chest. Newt chose not to ask about what the Healer had done.

"Tina?" he said quietly, closing the door.

"Don't say anything, Newt." Tina didn't look at him. "Please."

"Of course." Newt resumed his seat in the chair.

The silence was horrible. The world had changed in the past few hours and neither of them knew how to respond to it. Tina slid her legs down and lay on her side. Newt wasn't certain how long the silence lasted when there was a knock on the door. Tina sat up a moment before it opened.

Picquery, alone and looking solemn, stepped into the room. Tina looked startled.

"Madam President."

"Goldstein. How are you doing?"

It was terribly formal-Newt didn't think that Picquery knew how to handle this any more than he did.

"I'm fine, thank you, ma'am." Tina's voice was still quiet.

"I want to tell you, Miss Goldstein, that everything possible is being done to apprehend the man who did this to you and that once he hs been, he will be punished to the full extent of the law."

Tina nodded.

Picquery moved closer. Newt felt that she wanted to convey sympathy or even pity to Tina, but didn't know how. Newt was grateful that Picquery didn't. Pity was the last thing Tina would want, he knew that for a fact.

"You'll have a mandatory week to recover, Goldstein. Fully pay. If you need more time, we can discuss it afterward. Or . . ." Picquery trailed off.

Newt knew she had been about to suggest that Tina may want to resign from the Auror department. A fierce look flitted through Tina's eyes at the unspoken sentence, but she said nothing about it.

"Thank you, Madam President." Tina's voice was still flat and quiet.

Picquery nodded and stood there for a moment. She nodded to Tina, then turned her attention to Newt.

"Mr. Scamander." Picquery's gaze lingered on him for a moment. "I trust that case of yours is not here?"

"Not with me, no, Madam President." Newt ducked his head slightly.

The case in question was actually sitting in Tina's apartment with a charm and rope on it, but he felt that was something Picquery did not need to know. Picquery looked at him for a moment, then nodded again.

"I'll leave you to rest, Miss Goldstein."

"Thank you, Madam President."

With this, Picquery exited. Tina let out a shuddering breath.

"She doesn't know how to deal with this. Did you see the look on her face?"

She looked at Newt. Newt didn't know what to say. It was probably the same expression that he had.

"Tina . . . . they won't let me stay." Tina stiffened slightly at this. "I'll back in the morning, as soon as I can." he promised.

Tina said nothing. Newt stood and walked over to her. He wasn't certain what to do for a moment. He settled for taking her hand and squeezing it hard.

"I love you." he said, looking her in the eye.

To Newt's slight alarm, Tina looked as if she were about to burst into tears again at his words.

"I love you too." she whispered, squeezing his hand.

When she let go, Newt left. He lingered outside the door for a moment, hand on the knob, then released a deep breath and turned away.

Author's Note: Short, I know. The future chapters will mostly be longer. This story was beta'd, but there might still be typos. This was also the first fanfiction I wrote (in 2019), so I would really appreciate any reviews.