Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them...Continued.

33: A Quick Visit

TINA
    Queenie had come home and announced that Jacob insisted on coming, which surprised no one. Newt only pressed his lips together and nodded, and Tina patted her sister's shoulder.
"You did what you could, I'm sure," she said. "Better get packed up. I got my bag ready to go." She pointed to a small black suitcase.
"Mine, too," Newt lifted his case onto the table, a flicker of a smile crossing his face.
"See? Better get ready," Tina said. Queenie smiled weakly and went to get packed.
"Are you nervous?" Tina asked Newt.
"A bit. Mostly for my creatures. I can't leave my case anywhere, and if I lose it...they could fall into the wrong hands, get loose, or just...die," Newt sounded so anguished by the thought; as if nothing horrified him more than the idea of losing his creatures, who were essentially his kids. Tina sat next to him and laid her hand on top of his.
"That won't happen," she assured him. "Last time something happened, it was because of the niffler and the lock. You fixed the lock, right?"
"Well, yes, but...." Newt considered, then smiled slightly. "I suppose you're right. I've started locking the door to my shed, in any case, so the chances of the niffler escaping again are slim. Thank you for reminding me."
"No problem," Tina said gently. She turned to the kitchen, pointing her wand at the dishes. They washed and dried themselves, flying in slow-motion to their cabinets.
"Speaking of the creatures," Newt said. "I should check on them. Feed them, water them, and everything. I have a feeling my Kneazle Drea might have her kittens any day now. Want to come?"
"Sure!" Tina's spirits were slightly lifted by the thought of visiting the creatures.
"Come on, then," Newt said, opening his case. "We'll have a quick visit before we leave."
     It was just as awe-inspiring as the last time Tina was in his case. The little niffler was just as cute and mischievious as he was before, separating coins from jewels in his little nook and eyeing Tian. Dougal the demiguise snoozed peacefully in his nest, cradling the velvet purse from Macy's. The Kneazle was indeed very pregnant; she rolled over sleepily and purred as Tina stroked her belly. Grindilows wiggled their long fingers creepily as they swam in their floating orbs of water.  The Occamy's were matured. I fact, one had lain eggs.
"I intend to set them all free again the next time I visit the orient," Newt explained. "Hopefully that won't be too long."
"We have a lot of things to hope for, huh?" Tina said quietly as she fed a  roly-poly to a bowtruckle. Newt approached her, setting his bucket of meat on the floor at her feet.
"We may be leaving," he said. "But it won't be forever, and...at least we aren't alone, like he is."
Tina turned to him. "You're right," she said. "We aren't alone."
    She leaned in and kissed him gently and briefly. His lips tasted like Earl Grey tea and sugar.
"I'm glad I have you on my side," Tina said, stroking his cheek. Newt smiled and patted her hand, his eyes flicking from her to the bowtruckles behind her. He picked up his water bucket and cleared his throat.
"Likewise, Miss Goldstein," he grinned, pouring the chunks of meat into a trough, where a solid black hippogriff was already waiting for its food. "Now, that was the last one. Are you ready to go back up? We should probably get some sleep."
"Yeah, we should," Tina said, resisting the urge to rub her eyes as she followed Newt through the maze of biomes to the shed. He closed and locked the door with a tap of his wand, double checking it before motioning for Tina to ascend. Halfway up, when she looked down to make sure Newt was following her, Tina noticed, with a rush of pure satisfaction, that the picture of Leta on his desk was not to be seen.
"Something wrong?" He asked, pausing below her.
"Nope," Tina said, trying not to let happiness creep into her voice. "Just re-adjusting my footing."
    When she reached the top, Tina offered Newt a hand to climb out of the suitcase. He didn't let go right away.
"Thanks for the help," Newt said, slightly breathless as he slipped his hand out of hers.
"You're welcome," Tina replied, resisiting the urge to kiss him again. She was resisting a lot of urges lately. "Sleep well. We'll be busy tomorrow."

               TO BE CONTINUED