THESEUS COULD SENSE THE NERVOUS ENERGY that radiated of Garrick as the two men remained in the company of each other. Garrick was attempting to make small talk over wand material and his travels, however, at the slightest sound or movement closest to the door, he would quickly look over as if he was expecting someone to enter. Theseus wasn't exactly a fool, he knew something was going on. The way Leta had excused herself so suddenly after Garrick's arrival spoke volumes.
"That's why we make use of bowtruckles, you see?" Garrick said, his gaze flickering towards the door again. "They make for-"
"Mr Ollivander," Theseus had to put an end to it before he went mad, " what exactly is going on here? Something certainly has you upset, I've never seen someone focus so much on a door. What is going on? Leta left a while ago and she hasn't returned, I-"
He stopped himself as soon as he saw Garrick peer down at his hands and shake his head. It left him with a chilling sensation that something was terribly wrong and he was being kept in the dark for a reason. Quickly, he was up on his feet, ready to snatch Garrick up from his seat and demand to know what was going on. But as he approached the wandmaker, it was clear that Garrick wasn't looking for a fight as he placed his hands up and gave a shake of his head.
"I'm...I'm so sorry," he began, "Ms Lestrange asked me not to say anything but...I don't know what's going on either. All I know is, I came here with Tyne and-"
"Tyne is here?!" Theseus' voice boomed like angry thunder of a summoned storm. "She's here in France? But where?! Where is she? Is she in this building, is-"
Theseus could have carried on all day with his questions, but he was silenced when Garrick shook his head once more. He refused to make contact with the Head Auror, looking far too shameful over something.
"She was with me when we arrived, we were with Newt and Jacob," Garrick sighed. "We were going to follow them, but then she started to panic. She told me that I needed to go, that I needed to go home. Before I could react to what she was saying, she ran off. It was so crowded and I didn't understand why she had turned so suddenly. But then, I heard her scream."
Part of Theseus didn't want Garrick to continue, especially after hearing that her scream had been the last thing heard before she vanished.
"When I finally got to where she had been, I only found her wand, her coat, and an advertisement for Circus Arcanus. I wanted to find her, but the circus had already left town, no one seemed to know where they were headed next. I had no other choice but to come here, looking for help. I ran into Leta and well...here we are, Mr Scamander."
Garrick's voice carried the sound of guilt that Theseus was all too familiar with. It was similar to that of survivor's guilt, the way they believed they could have done more in hopes of saving Tyne. Theseus had lived with it all throughout his youth and even into his adulthood. Now he wished he had been there for Tyne when she needed someone again, she had returned to him, and he lost her once more.
Just the thought of it alone was enough to make him want to break down, thinking he had been so close to being reunited with the true happiness he had been dreaming of for so long. All the times as a boy, he had dreamed of being the one to find Tyne and bring her home. He couldn't let that slip through his fingers again, not after feeling the same flutter in his chest whenever she smiled at him. They had to have been reunited for a reason, he wasn't going to lose her again.
There wasn't any time to waste, he had some clues to run off of. At the very least, Circus Arcanus was playing a possible role in Tyne's capture and the more he thought about it, it was all starting to make sense. And that made things worse in his mind, the idea of Tyne belonging to a circus for years, especially one that didn't have the greatest reputation when it came to the law. Had she been in plain sight all those years?
"You said she didn't have her coat or her wand?" he questioned, looking over at Garrick in confusion. If the circus had taken her for reasons he suspected, wouldn't they at the very least want her coat? It was the only way she could take her selkie form without it, she would be useless to them when it came to having her as an attraction.
But then Theseus remembered when Tyne had first been found, how she had been so terrified and bound to silence with cruel methods. If she had managed to escape such conditions, they probably weren't very happy with her and maybe, they wouldn't have any use for the coat, especially if they didn't plan on keeping her alive.
With such thoughts racing through his mind, Theseus was fully prepared to leave. He had his wand in hand, not entirely sure where his journey would start off but he needed to find Tyne before it was too late. Garrick attempted to stop him, telling Theseus that Leta was already attempting to figure things out, taking a small group of Aurors with her.
And while Theseus would never doubt the skills of Leta, he wasn't sure if it was going to be enough. It was possible that they were going to need all the help they could get, especially since they were dealing with dangerous minds. He brushed off Garrick's pleas to remain in the room and wait on Leta's return. Instead, he reached for the doorknob and went to pull the door open, however, before he could, the doorknob turned in his hand.
Pulling his hand back, Theseus also took a step back as the door began to open. Garrick was right behind him, curious to see who was going to enter. Both men stood completely still as Leta entered the room. Neither one of them said anything, waiting on her to speak first, but she seemed a little thrown off by them waiting so close to the door.
It was Garrick, who shot her an apologetic look for not keep quiet about the whole ordeal until her return. She knew that Theseus would turn into a mess if he knew what was going on and it was clear by the fragile expression on his face that he was well aware of the situation. However, Leta came with good news as she stepped to the side and looked over. She gave a nod of her head, signalling the other person in her company to take a step forward.
Theseus watched as Tyne came into view.
Dampened hair that was slightly plastered to the sides of her face didn't take away from her beauty and her timid glance in his direction didn't affect the amount of relief that came over him. Theseus didn't realise how close he had been to losing it when a choking sound over a sob escaped his mouth. His eyes had already been on the verge of tears, scared out of his wits when it came to not knowing the fate of Tyne once more.
Within seconds, he closed the gap between them, bringing her into a tight hug that might have squeezed all the air out of her lungs. And in those moments, he could remember back to the time when he was still a boy in school and how he would take to hugging Tyne every time outside of the train when it was time for them to part ways for the summer. It was the hug he was never able to give her the summer she disappeared.
It was the hug that made up for every single one they had missed out on over the years and when he felt Tyne's arms wrap around him, he came to the conclusion that he would be content just holding onto her for the rest of his life. It was the only time where he felt truly content and happy, not only with himself but the world around him.
However, as he glanced up for a moment, looking over Tyne's shoulder, he could see Leta standing in the doorway. There was still a sense of guilt of the way their relationship had ended because he felt as though it wasn't fair to Leta. But she didn't seem upset as he expected her to be. There was a smile on her face as she made eye contact with him, nodding her head as if she was wishing him all the happiness in the world.
Theseus could only hope that Leta would find her own source of happiness one day, whether it came in the form of a person or not. He loved her, she was a brilliant person and she deserved good things, even if she didn't believe she did. And Leta had selflessly given up her own path of happiness to give it to someone, knowing they were better fitting.
He mouthed a "thank you" in her direction, although two words could never come close to expressing the gratitude he felt.
There was no guarantee of what life was going to be like between him and Tyne if they wished to pursue something romantic. That was somewhere off in the distance, especially since Tyne needed time to recover and heal from the ordeal. But they had been reunited and that was all that mattered because Theseus vowed he was going to keep her safe. Leta had given them a second chance at picking up where they left off and Theseus could only hope that it would work in their favour.
He pulled away slightly and took to pressing a kiss to Tyne's forehead. "I'm so glad you're alright," he said softly, although he wasn't sure just how alright she was.
At least, she was standing before him and there was a faint smile on her face as she remained in his hold. She peered up at him, her cheeks a soft pink as her eyes met his. Her mouth opened as if she had so much to say but it seemed she didn't know where to begin. They had plenty to discuss, that much was clear, but standing in a room in a different country wasn't the best place to do so and Tyne seemed to know that as well.
In her silence, she fumbled with one of the buttons of his robes, leaving a gentle smile to form on his own lips. It was a quiet message between them, she had often found comfort in her mother's buttons, a connection between the two, but Theseus was her comfort, her safe place during a time where she needed healing. They came to an agreement without the exchange of words, they would talk about everything when the time was right.
Shortly after, she moved away from him to apologise to Garrick, pulling him into a hug and reassuring him that she was alright.
If only the moments of the happy reunion could remain as so, but there were bigger things brewing through the city. Enough that Leta could feel a chilling sensation race through her bones as she looked over Tyne, Theseus, and Garrick rejoicing. There was darkness threatening the world behind the force of one wizard and his followers, and it would matter what Theseus and Tyne had been through to get back to one another if the world didn't allow them to keep each other.
Leta hadn't really believed in happy endings for herself, but it didn't mean that others didn't deserve one. It was her own secrets that played a role in Grindelwald's attempt at manipulation and she couldn't give him any leverage that would offer more power.
A nervous swallow went unnoticed by the other three as she excused herself quickly, it was her last attempt to hide the evidence that everyone was seeking out. If it was discovered, she never saw herself getting the happy ending she wanted in life.