Chapter Text
Five years later
Dearest Tina,
I’m glad Spain is agreeing with you all. I’m surprised you haven’t had a heart attack thanks to Arthur’s antics. Though I laughed for hours about how Merlin told him off. You can certainly see who the lovely twins take after! Give them both a kiss for me, and an especially a big one for Guinevere, who sounds like she’s turning into a gorgeous young lady.
Order Newt to fly you back here soon, I feel as though I’m missing everything. Who is this mysterious girl Credence has been seeing? I know you said you don’t want to pry, but please. For me. (I’m your sister you’re legally required to!)
We’re going alright. It’s strange, but it feels like we’ve finally settling in to our new lives- five years later and it finally feels normal. Theseus is thoroughly enjoying being Minster of Magic (surprise, surprise; don’t worry I sit in on all the meetings). Isabella is really enjoying court life, and always wants to sit next to her father during everything. She takes the responsibility of being heir extremely seriously, and is already showing signs of being a great minster one day. I was worried, but she’s taken too it like a duck to water. Theseus is so proud and so am I. Katherine thanks you very much for the new sword; she’s practicing every day, often right next to Albert Kowalski. I know they’re young, but it’s not too early to hope is it? They will be such an adorable couple. (Plus, I don’t think you have any legs to stand on for arguing about people in arranged marriages not ending up perfectly happy).
Jacob is…going okay from what we’ve heard from Teddy. He’s still keeping your castle warm for your return, and I think he’s enjoying the quiet up in Scotland. He’s going to come down for Albert’s birthday, but I don’t know how long he’ll stay. He still can’t stand to be in London for too long, as you know. I think he’s healing though, slowly. I think we all are.
Give Newt a big hug and a kiss from Theseus and me, and hope to see you all soon,
Love Leta
XOXO
Tina leans up to kiss Newt first on the cheek, then on the forehead and then on the lips. Newt’s brow furrows, but he pecks her tenderly back in any case.
“Leta and Theseus send their love,” Tina explains to his questioning gaze, “And I wanted to kiss you,” Newt smiles, pressing his nose into her cheek.
“Ah,” He whispers happily, his lips ghosting over her skin, “How’s Jacob?” Newt asks her, his voice lowering to seriousness.
“A bit better I think,” Tina twirls the paper sadly between her fingertips. Her brother in law suffered the worst from Queenie’s death. She herself was not well for a while. But at least she was by her sister’s side as she died. The last time Jacob saw Queenie was just before he gave her the slip to race back to Hogwarts all those years ago.
Tina tries her best to bat away these gloomy thoughts. The evening is too beautiful to linger on the past. They’re all at the beach; Newt, Arthur, Merlin, Guinevere and herself. Credence, who has been joining them on their adventures, is busy up in the village entertaining a pretty young woman he’s met called Nagini. They’ve been to France, along the edges of the Holy Roman Empire, and now finally they’re working their way along the Spanish coast. The adults in their party are currently deliberating whether or not to go home, or go west. Though Tina can’t deny it would be sweet to see their family again. The sight in front of her, of her children playing in the sand underneath a golden sunset… how could they possibly leave?
Tina is leaning tiredly up against Newt’s shoulder. Their arms are stuck out behind them, and are busy holding themselves up on the sinking sand. Her own pinkie finger is over-twined with his own. She reaches over to stick the folded up letter in her beach bag.
“Mama, Papa, look at this!” Arthur yells out, immediately getting his parents attention. Knowing him it could either be a crab he’s found or he’s just broken his arm. Thankfully though it’s just their eldest son attempting to do a cartwheel. His legs are slightly bent, but he makes it all the way around and Tina and Newt clap approvingly.
“One day you’re going to fall on your head,” Merlin calls disinterestedly, leaning down to pick up another shell to add to his collection.
“I bet you can’t do one,” Arthur retorts grinning. Merlin’s jaw immediately tightens and his parents smile knowing at each other. Merlin Scamander never backs down from his twin’s challenge. The brothers immediately start a cartwheel competition, where they both want to win and are both critiquing each other. Tina rests her head against Newt’s chest, smiling as their boys argue incessantly.
Their third and youngest child is busy making a sandcastle. Her strawberry blonde curls bounce all over her head, like a wild halo. Guinevere’s bright blue eyes are squinted in concentration as she drapes her last piece of seaweed on top of her precarious creation. Tina smiles as her daughter claps happily to herself. She really is a sweetheart, and every day she reminds her more and more of a baby Queenie.
“Papa,” Guinevere bobbles carefully over to her parents, cradling something in her chest, “Pick, pick,” Their daughter holds out Newt’s bowtruckle called Pickett on her two chubby hands. The creature has fallen asleep, and Guinevere cradles it gently, as she passes him to her father. Tina gently tucks her curls behind Guinevere’s ear, as Newt beams his daughter.
“Thank you Evie darling,” Newt places a slumbering Pickett on top of his case that’s seated next to him. Evie nods, before placing her thumb safely in her mouth. There’s a red tinge to her cheeks from the summer sun, and sand all over the front of her skirt.
“You alright sweetling?” Tina asks her, noticing the slight sway to her features. She’s going to be out like a light once they get back to their villa, “Not too tired?” Evie considers this for a moment, before taking her thumb out of her mouth with a pop.
“I like beach,” She answers her mother vaguely, the corners of her mouth poking up happily.
“I like beach too,” Tina tries to brush off the majority of the sand on her daughter’s clothes before she waddles off again. This time to where her brothers are splashing each other relentlessly in the waves.
“Evie, not in the water okay?” Tina warns, trying unsuccessfully to get the anxious note out of her voice. Guinevere’s pout, is almost, but not quite enough to melt her judgement. Her little feet stamp in the sand and her bottom lip trembles. Merlin stomps around of the sea, to studiously take her hand.
“I’ll look out for her Mama, I promise,” He swears solemnly.
“I don’t think-” Tina begins, noting how Merlin’s five year old legs are only slightly taller than her daughters. She can practically see the wave knocking them to the sand. Tina’s in the middle of opening her mouth to say something, when her husband interrupts her.
“Good lad, Merlin,” Newt pipes up, with a caring smile, “We know you’ll look out for her,” Merlin’s tiny chest puffs up in pride, and he nods at his father firmly.
“We won’t let Evie drown,” Arthur screams out enthusiastically, waving his arms “Don’t worry!” He flicks up sea water from his toes at his sister, who giggles happily. Funnily enough that doesn’t settle Tina’s anxieties.
“Newton,” Tina complains, digging her hand irately into his side. Newt, like usual, is as cool as a cucumber to her bounding blood pressure.
“They’ll be fine love,” Newt wraps his arm around her snugly, “Worrying makes you suffer twice,” He looks out to where their children are splashing and screaming a serene smile on his face. Tina watches them too, playing anxiously with the fabric of her skirt.
“You’d better be worried,” Tina replies to his carefree comment in an annoyed undertone. Her eyes focus themselves firmly out to sea, as she feels his eyes boring into her.
“I am,” Newt’s eyes twinkle, and he smiles dopily at her, “Worried about falling more in love with you,” Tina’s heart patters against her chest and she wets her lips. Dammit. How can she possibly rebuff that? She looks down at their entwined hands, blushing to the roots of her hair.
“I hate you,” Tina mumbles. She sometimes feels like she won’t ever stop blushing when he says things like that. She hopes she never does. Newt chuckles, looking pleased with himself.
“Aha!” He kisses the side of her cheek, sloppily with his excitement, “I win,” Tina sticks out her tongue, wiping her wet cheek with the back of her hand and trying to swat him with the left overs of his own saliva. Newt tries to wiggle out of the way. But Tina clambers on top of him, pressing his torso to the ground with her thighs. Her husband smirks up at her teasingly at their risqué positioning, and Tina tries her best not to smile.
“Do you want to join them?” Tina nods her head towards their children. Newt turns own eyes to watch them, his face a picture of tranquillity.
“Do you even have to ask?” He asks her tenderly.
Tina gets to her feet, careful not to step on Newt. She holds out her hand and heaves him up. They half walk, half run towards the waves. Newt squeezes her hips as the chilly sea water splashes up their ankles, and Tina squeals.
“Mama! Papa!” Their children chorus. Arthur is so busy running towards them he doesn’t notice the wave that rises up and dunks him, leaving him soaked to the skin and laughing hysterically. Merlin has his tried his best to lift Guinevere up over his shoulders, as Newt is so oft to do. But his five-year-old limbs are not quite strong enough, and Tina catches a squealing Evie just before she falls off her brothers back.
She presses her daughter to her hip, and Eve immediately places her mother’s necklace in her mouth. Newt is enthusiastically splashing his sons, who are giving back everything they’ve got; Arthur with breathless glee, Merlin with quiet intensity.
Tina looks around at her family, bouncing her squirming toddler on her hip. Newt’s grinning in the wild manner he only lets the most important people in his life see. Arthur looks rather like a fish, and Merlin is wearing a piece of seaweed like a crown. Evie has graduated to playing with her long damp curls, but Tina can’t even feel the pull.
“What?” Newt mouths over their son’s heads, as Tina gets knocked around by a particularly large wave she was definitely not observing.
“Nothing,” Tina replies, snorting seawater out of her nose, “I’m just happy,”
“Me too!” Arthur chirps, and Tina chuckles under her breath, ruffling his ruddy hair.
“Me three,” Newt whispers, leaning over to kiss her softly on the lips. Their boys clearly voice their united disgust at their parent’s intimacy. Guinevere pats her father’s cheek, noting nothing but her papa’s closeness. Happiness. It’s a thing she’s felt most days for the past six years. Even when the boys got the flu, and Newt was obsessively anxious when she was pregnant with Evie. There’s been bad days sure, but the good outweighs them so much Tina can hardly remember them anymore.
There was a time where she didn’t think happily ever after was a thing that would ever happen to her. But now, surrounded by her children and her loving husband, Tina can’t help but believe that it has.