Thorns and Roses ❦ Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them ❦ Newtina

Chapter Thirteen

"Jacob," Queenie said, and it was almost like a sigh of relief. She relaxed, shoulders slouching as Newt and Tina finally released her from their strong grips.

"Queenie?" Jacob repeated, dropping his hat in the process. "Is that really you?" He said in disbelief. His eyes darted between Newt and Tina, searching for an answer, but there was nothing except the tear marks on Queenie's face and the heavy breathing of the pair, both slouching on the couch after carrying a struggling witch for so long. Queenie stood up, lip quivering, as Jacob set his coat aside, and then she stumbled toward him, falling into his arms with a sob. Jacob wrapped his arms around her, hugging her tenderly, a lonesome tear leaking from his eye. "I thought I'd never see you again," He said, eyes meeting Newt and Tina's once more. Jacob raised his eyebrows. They looked at him, then each other, then back. How ever would they explain this to him? Tina sat up first, though she did it slowly, as her body was still tired. She sighed, pressing her fingers to her temples.

"We went to... Diagon Alley," Tina said, unsure until Newt nodded at her. "We found her working with a... prophet, I think." She sighed again, and Newt sat up then, scooting closer to her and rubbing her back. "Sparing the details, we found her, and now she's gotta stay. You're here, so I hope you'll be able to knock some sense into her. Morrigan knows she doesn't listen to me anymore."

Jacob nodded, removing Queenie's face, now red, from his chest. He led her to the table, producing a loaf of bread out of nowhere. He cut her a slice, sat down next to her, and they spoke in hushed voices. Newt and Tina took the memo and retreated to Newt's bedroom, where they opened the case and entered his study.

"Baby, you can't leave me again like that. You had me- you had us- worried sick, lookin' everywhere for you for weeks. It ain't fair on Newt, Tina, or me," Jacob said, though he wasn't harsh with his words. He placed a hand over Queenie's, who wouldn't meet his eye. Instead, she fidgeted with her slice of bread. A silence descended upon them, Queenie, with guilt, Jacob, with pent up frustration. He was hurt, and she needed to acknowledge that. Her behavior couldn't continue if they were to stay together. As much as he loved her, Jacob couldn't stomach that sort of worry again.

"I never meant to hurt you," Queenie said, her voice small. "Just wanted to be married, is all."

"But, Queenie, darlin'," Jacob said, growing a bit flustered. "You know we can't get married right now. It ain't safe. Hell, it probably isn't safe for Newt's brother to be getting married. And he's marryin' a witch!" Jacob threw his hands into the air. "I wanna get married as much as the next man, but it just ain't possible right now. I love you, and that's why we can't."

Queenie nodded, knowing his feelings were true, even if she didn't want them to be. "Hey, hey," Jacob said, leaning closer to her, grabbing onto her hand with both of his. "That doesn't mean it isn't gonna happen. We'll get married one day, and I'll propose, all proper. Even though you'll know the whole time." They both laughed at that. "It ain't the end-all. Once it's safe for us, we will marry as soon as possible. Then we can have all those kids you dream about."

Down, in Newt's case, another conversation was taking place. "Well, they want us to go back to my mum's place. For the wedding. They extended the invitation to Queenie too, but-"

"She'll never accept," Tina finished. They both knew that Queenie would be in no mood to attend a wedding, especially a wizarding one. Plus, they couldn't leave Jacob all alone for such a long time. It was a weeklong ordeal.

"Perhaps, then, we could announce that we're together," Newt said nonchalantly, shading a sketch on his work table.

Tina turned around, no longer facing a shelf on the wall. She was met with his back. "What do you mean, announce?"