2023 Wizarding Crossover Connection Bingo - Prompt: Newt Scamander

2023 Tropes Fandoms - Trope: Tragedy

Rules Were Meant To Be Broken

Damn you, Stark! Peggy thought forcefully as she ran away from her pursuers. How do I keep getting into these kinds of situations because of you?

She did not even know what the man had done this time. It was possible he had simply chased the wrong skirt, but it could also be because someone shady was interested in his inventions again. All she knew was that those thugs behind her...or, more likely, the boss who paid them...wanted Howard. For some reason, though, they thought that she was their best way to get to him. She did not know why that was, however – especially since they were just friends...nothing more. They had never been romantically involved and she did not work for him. Hell, she did not even like the man sometimes. The current moment was a prime example of that!

Nevertheless, the end result was still that she had to try to outrun, outsmart, and out-everything a group of heavy muscle through the dirty alleys of New York. She had to get away from them, so she could find Stark and warn him, as well.

I don't know why I bother. He really should bankroll me full-time for keeping his arse out of trouble, though. I would definitely be better off than what I make with the SSR, she thought almost absentmindedly as she paused for just a second at a crossway between alleys to catch her breath and cast a quick glance over her shoulder before she chose to turn and run out of the business district and through a working class neighborhood, instead. She hoped that she could find an open window in a boarding house there...or something. While she searched, however, she could not help but continue to think about her relationship with Howard Stark.

After all, she knew well that the truth of the matter was that they had been through too much together and that was the only reason why she was willing to put up with his shite. Plus, he really had suggested that she pick a position of her choice at his company more than once since the war had ended. It was not really his fault that she was the one who continued to decline the generous offer.

She was simply too reluctant to leave the Strategic Scientific Reserve since she believed in the work that they did there in order to keep the world safe. Plus, she still felt close to Steve there, as well.

It had been over two years since the end of the war, though. Therefore, even though the immediate pain from Steve's sacrifice had faded enough to be bearable, she still missed the man and the life they never got to have together. She had forced herself to move on, however, so she would not fade away with grief as she had seen so many war widows do.

After all, she was still alive...at least for the moment.

However, she had not even been on duty that evening, so her team had no idea where she was or even any reason to believe that she was in trouble, in the first place. Therefore, she knew that she had nobody to count on to save her...and quite possibly Stark, too...but herself. Consequently, she felt nothing but relief when she finally found an unlocked door and let herself in. She also took a moment to draw the bolt behind her since she knew that the odds were on her side that there was nothing in the house that was as dangerous as what was outside...or so she hoped.

She was startled by the jangle of the doorknob, though, as it was tried by one of the men on the other side. Because of that, she quickly stepped back and consequently tripped...right into the open mouth of the suitcase that lay in the middle of the floor with its lid flipped back. She had just a moment to realize what an extremely odd situation that was...even for her...before there was a sensation of falling from a height...and then nothing.

Peggy came to with a pounding headache as she felt something tug at her wrist. When she looked down...and her eyes managed to focus...she saw what appeared to be a platypus, of all things, attempting to steal her watch. That seemed to be entirely too farfetched to believe...despite the fact that she usually worked with the strange and unexplainable...so she took a closer look. In her moment of hesitation, however, the creature succeeded in its theft and scampered off with its prize.

Despite the continued pain in her head, which made her absentmindedly note that she might possibly have a concussion, Peggy was on her feet and after the little creature immediately. "Come back here, you furry miscreant!" she shouted despite knowing that it would do no good as she followed it. She was correct. In fact, her vision blurred unexpectedly and she stumbled straight into something...someone...who stood in her path, instead.

Hands automatically reached up to steady her as their owner spoke. "W...who are you? How did you get in here?" There was a pause. "Are you alright, Miss?" Then the hands guided her into a sitting position before a clink of glass sounded. "Here drink this quickly. It will help."

The first part sounded like surprise to Peggy, but the last couple of sentences were pure concern. Therefore, even though she normally would be far more suspicious of a stranger, she did drink what had been handed to her. At first, she assumed it would be a simple shot of whiskey...and downed it as such. However, it turned out to be something quite different as her headache vanished instantly and her vision cleared completely.

It was then that she saw the man who had spoken to her in the unmistakable accent of her home country and she smiled. After all...despite the accent...at first glance, his kind face and unassuming stature reminded her a bit more of pre-serum Steve than it did of Edwin Jarvis. However, both men's mild exteriors really hid their inner strength...and she could not help but to wonder if the same was true of the slight man in front of her. Somehow, even though she did not know him, she already thought that it might be.

"Sorry about dropping in like this," Peggy apologized as she suddenly became self aware under the man's gaze as she realized what she must look like to him. She ran a hand through her wild hair and tried to straighten her dirty blouse and skirt, while she also glanced down at her legs. It only took a second, however, to realize that her nylons were not salvageable at all.

"Oh, dear," she murmured sadly as she saw the holes there. Of course, her shoes were MIA, as well, since she had lost them early on in the pursuit. Stark is definitely going to replace all of this, she decided firmly before she looked back up at the man again who watched her warily.

Before he could say anything, however, Peggy finally got a good look at her surroundings and her mouth dropped open in amazement. It took a lot to surprise the woman, but the sight before her actually shocked her into silence for a moment.

"Did I really fall into a suitcase...or do I actually have a concussion, after all?" she asked as she turned around in a full circle in order to see more of the obviously enchanted meadow where they stood. After all, how else...except for magic...could an entire flower-covered field be located inside a small piece of luggage?

"This is beautiful!" she murmured in amazement before she declared with absolute conviction, "You must be a wizard, then!"

At the man's look of sudden concern, she laughed a little. "Oh, don't worry. I can keep a secret. After all, I'm with the SSR, so I've seen magic before. Plus, we've had to combine forces with MACUSA once or twice in the past. You know...Nazis, HYDRA, Dark wizards, etc...the usual bad guys who want to rule the world. Sometimes it takes both sides and all of us working together...despite the supposed rules."

The man's expression cleared immediately in relief that he had not broken the Statute of Secrecy...again. In fact, he actually smiled himself as he realized that it had been over twenty years ago that his own best muggle friend had accidentally followed him down into his suitcase, as well...and that he still had not learned to shut the lid after himself...even after all of the drama that stemmed from that particular incident.

Good things too, though, he thought as he remembered Tina...and their time together...before his smile turned a bit sad. He noticed that the unknown woman watched him with concern then, so he pushed those memories down and pulled himself together.

"Newt...Newt Scamander," he introduced himself. When she returned the favor, complete with handshake...and once the initial surprise of having a beautiful muggle damsel in obvious distress bump into him in his own enchanted suitcase had worn off somewhat...his mind could focus on her voice instead. He finally realized then that Peggy Carter was a fellow countrywoman...and he was determined to help her in anyway he could. First and foremost, she obviously needed something else to wear.

"Right...um...clothes," he fumbled a bit. After all, despite everything he had been through, he was still the same awkward Newt he had always been – especially around women. "I might have a few things in the house that will possibly fit you. Maybe then you can tell me what is wrong, what brought you here, and I'll see if I can help."

Peggy just smiled gratefully at his offer and followed him without question. She had always had an instinctive knowledge about people. In fact, it was what had initially drawn her to Steve...even before his supersoldier transformation. It was also what kept her friends with Howard, despite him being so...well...Howardly. Consequently, she somehow just knew that Newt could be trusted. Not only that, but she really wanted to hear his story...and see more of his incredible suitcase, as well!

As they took a lovely little footpath towards the direction he had indicated the house was located, Peggy still marveled about their location. However, as Newt made a point to tell her about his work and to stop and introduce her to the unique creatures they passed along the way in the magically enhanced suitcase, Peggy's amazement turned into enchantment instead. That was definitely the case when a family of living branches climbed out of their tree and insisted on riding on their shoulders for the rest of the walk.

In fact, that encounter finally reminded Peggy of the creature that had stolen her watch. When she relayed that information to Newt, though, he just shook his head in consternation.

"Theodora," he sighed. "She's a handful, but you can't be angry at her because she's just following her hoarding instincts for anything shiny. She has a nest at the house, though, so we'll see if your watch is there. She's a niffler by the way, not a platypus. However, I can see why you might've thought that after you fell, hit your head, and couldn't see clearly. In fact," Newt paused and Peggy could see his face light up with enthusiasm as he explained something about which he was obviously very passionate.

"I have a theory," he continued, "that the niffler and the platypus are actually evolutionary cousins that branched in different directions when the platypus...which might even be a magical species itself...was originally introduced into its unique Australian environment. Unfortunately, I've haven't had the chance to go there myself and study it, yet – especially since the war interrupted everything." The last word was spit out...almost angrily...and Peggy had just a moment to look in surprise at the man who, up until then, had been a very mild-mannered host. He seemed surprised by his own vehemence, as well, and quickly changed the subject when he asked her to tell him about her situation, instead.

Peggy did just that since she knew that she already owed Newt quite a bit. He had not kicked her back out there with the thugs, after all, even though she had technically been trespassing. He had even treated her possible concussion with what Peggy suspected was a magical potion that seemed to have resolved the issue completely. Therefore, she did as he asked and told him a bit about her work, her complicated history with Stark, and how she had ended up in the suitcase in the first place.

"So...this sort of thing happens to you a lot, then, does it?" he clarified with an amused look at the thought of her adventures when she had finished.

"Well...I guess you can say that I've seen a fair amount of trouble," Peggy admitted with a small smirk of her own.

Newt nodded in understanding of everything she had probably not said, but his smile still stayed where it was, regardless. "Let's get you cleaned up and comfortable first. Then, I'll see if I can help you get safely back to your young man."

A bit horrified at his assumption, Peggy rushed to clarify that the pain-in-the-arse Stark was anything but her man...young or otherwise. Newt's smile widened even further at her vehement declaration...at least until she added softly. "That was Steve. He was a...soldier. I lost him in the war." Then she was left to wonder why she had felt the need to tell something so personal to someone who was practically a stranger to her – especially when she did not even wish to discuss Steve and their relationship with those who were closer and had already known about them in the first place.

She did not need to worry, however. Newt knew through personal experience that nothing else needed to be explained about such a situation. However, one of the cute branch creatures who was still with them...Bowtruckles, Newt had called them...somehow sensed her unspoken pain and rubbed his leafy head against her cheek to comfort her. The small act of kindness helped tremendously and Peggy found that she was still able to smile at the wonder of being in such company.

At that moment, however, they also arrived at the house. Peggy could see that it really was a stereotypical English cottage...complete with ivy...and she was amazed, yet again, at the thought that they were still inside of the magic suitcase. She was distracted, though, when the bowtruckles chittered their apparent farewells then as they clambered off the man and woman's shoulders in order to climb up the ivy instead...obviously on their way to another adventure.

Peggy just laughed at the sight and waved goodbye to them before Newt...who smiled after them himself...led her through the house and upstairs to what had to be his bedroom. With anyone else, she would have been immediately suspicious of such an action. However, Newt proved himself to be a perfect gentleman and as trustworthy as she had already decided he was, when he simply gestured at one of the two wardrobes on the far wall.

"You should be able to find something in there that will work for you," he said by way of explanation.

When Peggy crossed over to the piece of furniture in question and opened it, she saw it was full of women's clothing. She had seen nobody else besides them around since her arrival, however, so she looked back at the man questioningly.

Newt sighed. "They belonged to my wife...Tina." As Peggy continued to look at him expectantly, he explained further, but with obvious reluctance. "I...lost...her in the war, as well. We were in England at the time...where I still live when I'm not here in the States on business...and, unfortunately, even the magical world wasn't immune to the Blitz."

Peggy could only nod in sympathetic understanding then, even as she resisted the odd impulse to give the man a comforting hug. Sadly, it was just too common of a story at the current time. After all, everybody had lost someone in the war...and some had even lost everyone. In fact, it was a sort of universal tragedy that tied them all together in instant commiseration. Consequently...at that moment..it did make her feel that she knew the man a bit better.

Therefore, she favored him with a bright smile when he told her to pick out whatever would work best for her and then pointed out the direction of the loo, as well. She was beyond pleased when he was able to return the look in a small way as he also told her he would see if her watch was in Theodora's nest. He would then wait for her downstairs until she was ready.

...

When Peggy found her way back down the cottage stairs a short time later, she found Newt sitting on the sofa in the lounge as he spoke to an owl and another bird creature that she did not recognize, but who were both perched nearby as they returned his conversation with hoots and chirps of their own. However, her attention was distracted from their fascinating interaction when she saw that a row of watches, three feminine ones and one in a more masculine style, lay there on the table in front of them. Peggy exclaimed in delight when she recognized that one of them was indeed hers. As she rushed to put it on, Newt looked at her outfit in obvious recognition.

"She liked that one, too," he confirmed quietly as he referred to the dark suit and matching hat that Peggy had chosen for its classic fit and color. Fortunately, for obvious reasons, fashion had been slow to change during the war and its immediate aftermath. Therefore, Peggy knew that the outfit would not stand out in a crowd, either. After all, in her profession, it was important to blend in whenever possible.

"She had good taste," Peggy replied with a smile before she also asked kindly, "How long were you married?" After all, Newt appeared to be about her age, so she assumed that he and his wife had engaged in the typical wartime whirlwind-romance-cut-tragically-short that had been so common during that time...just like the one that she and Steve had experienced. Therefore, when his answer came, it surprised her.

"Six years," he replied simply. "About the same amount of time I have been without her," he added after he thought about it for a moment. When she did the mental math and gaped at him, he was actually able to summon a small smile at her surprise as he correctly guessed what she was thinking.

"Magicals age more slowly than non-magicals," he clarified.

"Oh...well...that explains a lot!" Peggy replied when she thought about the witches and wizards that she had met before. "Then how old..." she began before Newt answered.

"A true gentleman never reveals his age," he deadpanned. At her peal of laughter for his unexpected wit, however, a slightly goofy smile crossed his face and Peggy decided that it was a good look for him.

She was even more pleased when he proceeded to offer her a traditional cuppa. She loved New York, but it was hard to find a decent cup of tea there...unless she took the time to make it herself, of course...or if Mr. Jarvis took pity on her. Consequently, when Newt returned from the adjacent kitchen...more quickly than she would have expected...levitating a full tea tray that included scones and biscuits in front of him before it settled on the table all by itself...her mouth actually watered and she spoke up before her mind had a chance to consider her words more carefully.

"That looks so wonderful, I could just kiss you," she said without thinking.

Newt started in surprise at her words and instantly colored with embarrassment in a way that made his freckles stand out boldly. Peggy could not help but to think again about how adorable he was...older than she thought or not...before she apologized for her slip of the tongue. Nevertheless, she was beginning to wonder if perhaps the idea was not so crazy, after all. Newt was the nicest man she had met in a long time and, despite her crazy life...or maybe even because of it...she had always had a soft spot for the quiet, understated ones. After all, they were the only ones for whom she felt she could drop her "tough as nails" persona that she had to cultivate...for the sake of her sanity and sometimes even her very survival...as a woman in a testosterone-fueled profession.

It seemed as if Newt did not think it was so crazy, either, since his gaze lingered on her lips longer than he probably meant for it to...even though it was equally clear that he did not know if she was serious or not.

"No need to apologize," he finally said, however. "Not that I would mind," he rushed to add, in case he had offended her, "but MACUSA does have this thing called Rappaport's Law."

"A law? I already don't like the sound of that. It usually means that the government is going to tell me that there is something I cannot do even though I want to," Peggy replied scornfully.

"It does make things difficult sometimes," Newt admitted as he thought of everything that Jacob and Queenie had to go through, "especially since it basically says that Magicals and Non-magicals can't be together."

"That doesn't make much sense in the long run," Peggy answered when she had thought about it for a moment. "Does England have an equivalent law?"

"Not that I know of," Newt answered truthfully.

"Well...its a good thing that you and I are both British then, isn't it?" was her playful response that immediately evoked another naturally shy grin from him as he realized her obvious implication.

Again, Peggy thought the look was absolutely adorable on him, but she did not push any further – especially since even she was more than a bit surprised herself about how interested she had become in the charming man in the very short time she had known him. In fact, even though she had received plenty of offers in the last few years, nobody had ever really caught her attention in that way since Steve. Consequently, she did not want to scare Newt away, so she decided that she would just let him make the next move...assuming, of course, that he was actually interested in her, as well.

She checked her watch, instead, and sighed as she realized just how late it was. After all, it was so hard to tell what time it was in the magical suitcase which, Newt informed her, had been purposely enchanted to have long sunny days in order to keep the animals happy and healthy. Regardless...no matter how much she had been enjoying herself...now that she had rested and been refreshed, she knew that she still needed to find Stark and inform him about the thugs who seemed to be so eager to meet him.

Newt seemed to judge her train of thought correctly because he stood up and reached for his jacket then. He also used his wand to summon one down the stairs for Peggy, as well. The woman was grateful for the small kindness since she knew the nights could be quite chilly in New York at that time of year.

"I will return the clothes as soon as I can," she assured him as she shrugged on what she knew to be his late wife's coat.

"There's no need," he answered softly. "I'm just happy that they are being used again. Plus, they look good on you." He gazed at her for a long moment and she thought...hoped...she could see admiration there before he shook his head to clear his thoughts and gestured for her to proceed him out of the cottage as he took a moment to bid farewell to his avian friends. "We'll have to head back up the path and out of the suitcase in order to apparate."

When Peggy looked at him questioningly, he clarified. "Magical transportation," he explained. "Once we figure out where we are going, it will be the safest way to get you there. After all, I'm sure you don't want to run into your friends again, if they are still nearby."

"No, I think I wish to forgo that particular pleasure," she replied with such obvious sarcasm that they both laughed.

As they started down the path again, Peggy explained where the Stark Estate was located.

"I think I know where that is, so we should have no trouble apparating there," Newt confirmed before he stopped in his tracks and gave Peggy a speculative look. "Are you sure that you two are not...?"

He did not finish the question, but Peggy rushed to answer him anyway once she understood what he was asking. "Definitely not!" she clarified firmly.

"Good! I just wanted to check again before I did this," he stated before he reached over to take her hand.

The action was a bit hesitant at first, but once he had it firmly in his grasp, he turned and started to walk again with increased confidence. He did not speak, but the color that Peggy had thought was so adorable was back in his cheeks, and she found that she was also pleasantly flustered in a way that she had not felt in a very long time.

Therefore, she did not speak either as she simply rearranged their grip in order to intertwine her fingers more firmly and comfortably with his. In fact, they both just smiled at each other as they continued to walk, hand in hand, up the path.

After all, they both knew that sometimes words were not needed. Not only that, but in some situations...such as the one they currently found themselves in...some rules were definitely meant to be broken.