Why Can't I Tell You

Dream

They had left it at that. A week went by.

"Queenie, Tina, I have to go back to England," Newt said the morning before he had to embark on his boat to go to his book signing. Tina had been sitting at the table looking through newspapers. She looked up abruptly and swallowed. "I...I have a book signing. Just for a week," he continued watching Tina immerse herself in the paper.

"Oh honey, you don't want to go? You'll do fine. You'll deal with it just fine. No..." Queenie began rambling, having a one sided conversation.

"I'd like you to come with me," Newt said suddenly to the sisters, "And Jacob if he'd like to. There's plenty of space in my parent's estate and..."

"Estate?" Tina asked with a tone of surprise. Newt looked uncomfortable.

"Yes, with a line of well-known aurors and war heroes I suppose my family has gotten along very well," he explained bitterly, "You don't have to come of course. I know you are busy people with important jobs..."

"I'd like to come," Tina whispered. Newt looked at her with surprise, a small grin playing on his lips.

"Really?" he asked not daring to look at her directly.

"Really," Tina replied smiling.

"The invitation extends out to you and Jacob, Queenie," Newt remembered. Queenie smiled brightly.

"Oh that's wonderful, I'm sure Jacob would love to come. His bakery would be fine for a week," Queenie said.

So, the next day they all ended up at the docks, except no one was saying goodbye to each other, quite the rarity. They boarded the boat and set off across the pond towards England.

On the second day of travel, during the night, Tina came knocking on Newt's cabin.

"Can't sleep?" Newt asked. Tina nodded.

"Nightmares," she said simply, "could I sit?" She waved her hand toward the empty bed across from Newt's. The cabin had two bunk beds, she sat on the lower bed of the other.

"Tina, maybe now is not the time, but...but I heard you talking to Queenie," Newt looked at her expectantly for a second, "L...Liverstad is it? Are y...you...are you...."

"No," Tina said affectionately, "He asked me, you probably heard. He's been asking me for the past few months so I had to get him off of my back somehow. Well, for now."

"Why wouldn't you say yes," Newt asked.

He didn't like her, he wanted her to say yes, of course, this man was too good to be true how could she ever think...

"I don't want to go out with him," Tina said, finality much like Newt's in her voice when they interacted over his book.

"Oh," Newt said, "What are your nightmares about?" Tina looked at him, really looked at him, her eyes boring into his as she sat across from him on the bed. Only then did Newt notice how her pajamas stuck to her skin and her hair was matted to her face. "Tina," he said sternly. She shook her head, tears starting to form in her eyes. Newt was at a loss of how to act, so he did what any person who worked with animals would do with their creatures. He got up and sat down next to Tina. He wrapped his left arm around her and held her to his shoulder. Her arms snaked around him. She shook with violent sobs. Newt delicately stroked her hair. "Shhhhhh, Tina. Tina dear, talk to me."

"You," she said trembling, her voice muffled.

"Me?" Newt asked.

"The dreams. they're about you. You...you getting h...h...hurt. Grindel...Grindelwald using the c...c...c...cruciatus curse," she shook, "I'm so sorry, I'm such a mess". 

Newt wrapped his arm tighter around her, rubbing her back, "No you're not."

"Newt?"

"Hmmm?" Newt asked.

"Could I sleep in this bed, just for tonight? I just...I..." Tina started to explain.

"Of course," he interrupted, "don't explain." So Tina let go of him and settled down under the covers of the previously unoccupied bed. She watched him sit in his bed in his white, striped pajamas and jot notes down in a notebook by the light of an oil lamp. She watched how his brows furrowed when he was in deep thought, how his eyes lit up when he came up with something. He caught her watching him. "Tina, can you tell me something?" He held her gaze.

"Mmmm?" Tina hummed.

"How long have you been having nightmares for?" Newt asked. Tina hesitated. A look of disappointment flashed through his eyes, a look of hurt and guilt. "Tell me," he pleaded.

"Five months," Tina said. Newt drew in a sharp breath and closed his eyes. She tossed the covers off and walked up to his bed. "Hey," she called gently holding his cheek to force him to look at her. When he wouldn't she put her forehead on his. "Look at me Newt, it's okay. It's a dream. Everyone has bad dreams."

"Not for five months," Newt mumbled. Their foreheads weren't touching now, but they were close. He tried to move his head and look down. He couldn't bear to look at her, but she followed keeping the same distance. "Don't kid with me Newt," she said, "You have them too, every night. You thrash and yell and scream and say things."

"Oh Tina, I'm so sorry do I wake..." Newt panicked.

"No, I watch you," Tina boldly stated. He finally opened his eyes.

"What do I say?" he whispered, afraid of the answer. Tina smiled gently, worriedly, cocking her head and stroking his cheek with her thumb.

"Well what do you dream about?" she asked.