Their Life

A Very Merry Christmas

Tina shivered and pulled her coat tighter around her. The ground was covered in snow and the bench she sat on was cold. She knew she could go home, but she didn't really want to. She had gotten used to Queenie not being around, but today was different. Today was Christmas Eve.

Tina and Queenie had always spent Christmas together. There wasn't anyone else to spend it with. But now, with Queenie on the other side of the country, Tina was alone. For the first time in her life, Tina would be spending Christmas by herself.

She hadn't planned on decorating this year, but her sister had sent a letter detailing what would happen if she didn't. So Tina had bought a tree and put up some lights. However, she couldn't bring herself to hang up any ornaments. The boxes lay on the floor by the tree -- opened, but not unpacked.

The sky was getting darker by the minute. Tina figured she might as well go home. As she made her way through the busy streets of New York, she thought she saw a flash of blue in the crowd.

It can't be Newt, she told herself. His last letter said he'd be spending Christmas with his family. Besides, he's not the only person in the world with a blue coat.

Tired of trying to elbow her way through the crowd, especially since it was starting to snow, Tina slipped into a deserted corner and Apparated to the alley across from her home. She crossed the street and raised her hand to open the door.

Something made her hesitate. She looked down the street, her hand still hovering over the doorknob. The street was deserted so Tina turned back to the door and opened it. She climbed the stairs to her apartment.

The boxes of ornaments sat on the floor, begging to be unpacked. She smiled sadly.

Having shrugged off her coat and hung it up, Tina sat on the floor and began to pull ornaments out of the tissue-filled boxes, hanging them on the tree.

Ten minutes later, Tina thought she heard a small tap on the door.

I'm imagining things, Tina thought. Nobody would be knocking at this time. I'm just lonely. I just want someone to talk to so I imagined that someone was knocking.

Tina turned back to her work, but the knock came again, this time louder, somewhat bolder.

Setting down the glass ball she was holding, Tina stood up and moved towards the door, picking up her wand as she went. She pulled open the door.

Newt Scamander stood in front of her. His hair and coat were dusted with snow, though it was melting fast. He looked at Tina through his hair and smiled shyly.

"Newt!" she exclaimed before realizing he was still standing in her doorway. "I'm so sorry. Please, come in."

"Thank you." Newt stepped in and Tina closed the door behind him.

"I've missed you so much," Tina said, virtually attacking him with a hug.

"I've missed you, too," Newt smiled.

Tina pulled back. "You're all wet."

"It's snowing," he laughed. "And now you're wet too."

"What are you doing here, Newt? I thought you were going to be spending Christmas with your family."

"I hadn't told them that, and I decided I'd rather spend it with you."

Newt looked around the room. "Isn't it a bit late to be putting up decorations?"

"Maybe, but I couldn't bring myself to do it earlier."

Newt glanced at her. He looked confused. "Where's Queenie?"

Tina felt a flash of sadness. "I forgot to tell you. She and Jacob moved to Oregon about a month ago."

"How are they?"

"They're doing well. They own a bakery in a small town."

"And how are you doing?" Tina noticed a hint of worry in his voice.

"I've gotten used to being alone. I was worried about Christmas, but it doesn't matter anymore. You're here now."

"Well, I'm glad I decided to come," Newt grinned. "Now, let's finish decorating your tree."

Newt and Tina worked side-by-side to put all the ornaments on the tree. They talked about everything that had happened since Newt had left New York and about the different things they did for Christmas.

When they were done, Newt pulled a package out of his pocket. 

"Newt, you didn't have to get me anything. I don't have anything for you."

"You didn't know I was coming. Besides, spending Christmas with you is enough." 

Newt pointed to the package. "This is what I promised you. You can open it tomorrow, but I have something for tonight."

Newt pulled a smaller package out of his pocket and handed it to Tina. She opened it carefully to reveal a silver object on a red ribbon. On closer inspection, she realized it was a Niffler.

"It's beautiful," she breathed. "Thank you."

"You're welcome. I had it made out of silver from Occamy eggs. It's to remind you of when we met."

Tina stood up and hung the Niffler on a branch in the middle of the tree.

"I really love it, Newt."

Newt stood up and Tina slipped her arm around his waist. "I'm so glad you're here," she said.

They were silent for a moment, admiring the tree.

"Merry Christmas, Newt," Tina murmured eventually.

"Happy Christmas, Tina," he replied.

A/N: So, I know that this is a bit late for a Christmas story, but there was another story that I working on, I'll post it next. It's only one day late though so I don't care. I would have posted it on time, but there was a problem with the internet.

Random fact, I was watching a video while typing this up and as I wrote the title, the person in my video said "a very merry Christmas" just as I wrote it.

Anyway, if you liked my story, please vote and comment. Any corrections will be helpful, but be polite. Thank you.