Bursting Into Life

Chapter 2

Tina wakes up first, before anyone in the apartment has even started coming to consciousness. She wakes up with a sense of urgency, and she's not sure why. And then she remembers, and it hits her like the ceiling fell in - Newt Scamander, hurt bad and laying in the other room on her couch. She clenches her jaw for a moment, and then she gets up and faces the day.

She decides to make breakfast before she wakes Queenie up. Usually her sister does almost all of the cooking, because she's far better with food then Tina is, but she so rarely gets to surprise her sister and she'll be glad to see her face when she wakes up to bacon and eggs, which, to be honest, is really the only thing Tina can make with a degree of success. She decides, too, that if Newt isn't awake by the time that she finishes she'll wake him up (if you can, says a voice in the back of her mind, but she ignores that).

To her relief he stirs just as she starts making up the three plates. Maybe it's the smell of eggs fresh from the pan that wakes him, or, more probably, the sounds of the pans clattering and the bacon sizzling - she doesn't care. She's just glad he's awake.

And then he rolls over, slowly, painfully, and speaks. It's unintelligible, of course.

"What was that?" she asks him, coming over to the couch so she can hear him better.

"My... my case..." he mutters.

"I've got it right here, don't worry," she says. "It's perfectly secure."

"Credence...?" is what it sounds like he says, and that makes no sense.

"Sorry?" she asks.

"Credence Barebone... how is he?" he says, his voice not as clouded by sleep anymore but still fuzzy.

"Credence Barebone?" she repeats. "Isn't that the name of the obscurial from - "

"What?" he says, sitting up, his voice sharp and fully awake all of a sudden.

"Mr Scamander, I insist that you lay back down, you're seriously injured, and -"

"You haven't opened my case?" he demands, and she shakes her head. Immediately he swings his legs over the edge of the couch and tries to stand up, but as soon as he places weight in the injured leg it collapses beneath him and he falls back onto the couch with a cry.

"Newt! Lay back down! You are sick, you are injured, you shouldn't even be sitting up right now, much less standing and walking and doing who knows what. Lay. Back. Down!" Tina says, and he complies, at least for the moment, but he still has a panicked look in his eye.

"I need to get into my case," he says. "Right now."

"Queenie and I can feed your animals for you. You need to rest -"

"You don't understand - it's not my beasts, it's more important than that, I need to get to my case right now!" She glares at him, irritated at being interrupted for the third time in less than three minutes.

"What could possibly be so important that you want to risk your life by climbing down a ladder on a leg you can't even stand on for it?" she asks him.

"Credence Barebone has been locked in that case for at least twelve hours with no idea why in an incredibly fragile mental state. I need to get down there, now," he says. "Right now!"

She gapes at him, shocked. "Credence Barebone... is dead," she says after a moment, but it's as much a question as a statement, and he shakes his head.

"Credence Barebone is alive," he says. "Believe me in saying that I need to get down there immediately. Please."

"O...kay," she says. "Let me wake Queenie up. We can probably work together and levitate you down there." Newt doesn't smile, exactly, but his shoulders relax a little as she stands up.

Tina climbs into the case first, looking around the small room. The door is shut, and everything looks about the same as she remembers it. There's no sign of Credence.

Queenie, with some difficulty, levitates Newt near enough to the case that Tina can see him and help to bring him down. He's surprisingly heavy, for all that he looks like a bowtruckle, all long and thin. Once he's settled in a chair, Queenie follows him into the case.

The issue of Newt's mobility, or lack thereof, is a problem. Finally Newt clenches his jaw and directs Queenie in making a potion that he chugs, pulling a face immediately after.

"What did that do?" Tina asks.

"It'll help with the pain, numb his leg enough that he'll be able to walk on it for an hour or so," Queenie answers.

"Walk on it?" Tina splutters. "He can't walk on it for an hour! He'll tear it open, make it worse-"

"If you have a better idea, I'm open," Newt says grimly. Tina sighs and wishes she did.

"Can I ask, before we go in, exactly what happened?" she asks. Newt glances at Queenie, then answers her.

"The short answer is that Credence - had a major panic attack, and he lost control, and... possibly may have accidentally destroyed several monoliths, which resulted in... well, my leg." Tina stares at him for a minute, then decides that this is not the time to say what she has in mind. "By the way, I'll still need your help walking." She nods.

They don't find Credence for almost twenty minutes. He's in the back of the case, in the forest biome, curled up in the dark behind a huge, mossy boulder, and they almost don't see him.

"Let me go alone from here," Newt whispers softly. He can walk on his own, just barely, but it's clear to see that he's relieved to sit down against the rock and let the ground hold his leg up. They can't hear what he's saying, but after a minute he waves them over, slowly, and gently.

"-it's not your fault, you can't control a panic attack," they can hear him saying as they approach. "And nothing that was broken can't be fixed. I've repaired the stones, and my leg will heal up in no time and be as good as new. It's okay, it will all be okay."

How can we help? Tina mouths when he looks up. Just be here, he mouths back.

"I've brought us to New York. Do you remember Tina? You met her in the subway station, she helped you as well as she could. She's here, she and her sister, and we just want to help. It's not your fault, Credence, and I swear it will be okay," he says. Tina realizes that she can hear Credence breathing, even though his face is in his hands.

"Credence," says Queenie. Newt looks up at her, but doesn't dissuade her. She always knows what to say. "We aren't going anywhere. And neither are you. Accidents happen, honey, but that doesn't mean you don't deserve to be here." Credence doesn't say anything, but slowly he seems to calm down after that. Newt doesn't say anything, but he gives Queenie a grateful glance.

A flash of jealousy hits Tina for a moment, but she ignores it and resolves to feel things later. This is not the time.

After a few minutes, Newt puts a hand on Credence's shoulder.

"Do you want to come back into the apartment with us?" he asks. Then, somewhat hesitant, as though he's unsure that this is the right thing to say, "Or if you prefer, we can leave you alone." He glances at Queenie and she nods, and Tina feels that flash of jealousy again.

After a minute, Credence whispers "I... want to come with you." Newt stands, and Queenie helps Credence stand too. He seems nearly as unsteady as Newt is.