Everything We've Gone Through...

Chapter 33

Theseus, Newt, Jacob and Tina were kneeling in front of the Christmas tree by the time it was completely dark outside.
Before, they had finished drinking tea in silence and Newt had offered Theseus to sleep in his room as he'd be okay to sleep on his couch that night.
Theseus gratefully accepted the offer, happy to not having to sleep on the floor or elsewhere.
Now they sat there in awkward silence until Jacob said :"Would you like to sing something?"
Tina and Newt looked bewildered at him but Theseus enthusiastically answered, making the two of them glance at him, open-mouthed :"We'd love to. Newton and I used to sing a lot in December when we were young. But Newton always was so embarrassed, not that I didn't understand why as he was an awful singer but still Christmas is worth it."
"I never sang along with you," Newt corrected his brother, blushing.
"Oh come on Newton or are you embarrassed of me telling your girlfriend those things?" Theseus smirked at him and then nodded in Tina's direction.
Newt just blushed even more, not being able to defend himself because of this.
Theseus and Jacob began snorting at the same time, giving each other handshakes.
Jacob seemed to be the one that was always liked by everyone as even Tolliver treated him quite well.
Newt and Tina didn't dare to look at each other, both with flaming red faces, until Jacob and Theseus began to sing a song which Tina's parents had taught her once.
She sang along quietly with the two men, closing her eyes, being brought back to her past. She wasn't aware of anything that was surrounding her, neither of Jacob and Theseus, who had put an arm around each other, swaying to the music nor of Newt, who would simply stare at her, thinking about how fastinating watching her and listening to her singing was.
By the time the song slowly came to an end they all grew silent again and Tina opened her eyes to find herself crying and Newt, staring at her with a worried expression on his face.
"I think I'll go to bed, see you tomorrow," Tina excused herself, wiping away her tears quickly and then standing up.
This was almost unnoticed by Jacob and Theseus, who both were staring at the Christmas tree, deeply in thoughts. Tina only caught their attention when she left the room, making the both of them look confused at her.
"I'll go to bed, too," Newt said, imitating Tina's actions after staring at the door frame for a second, wondering if he should leave Tina alone.
"Good night, Newton," Theseus said, giving Newt a tight hug, which wasn't returned.
Newt then hurried out of the room, making his way after Tina.
He knocked twice when he reached her room, waiting for a "come in". When he didn't get an answer he knocked again, this time more fiercely.
"Tina?" Newt asked despertaly when he heard a sniff coming from her room.
"Tina?" he called again, this time his voice was cracking.
Another sniff and he couldn't handle it anymore : he couldn't just watch how Tina so obviously wasn't okay, so he entered the room without permission to see Tina crouched on her bed with a tear-strained face.
Newt hurried towards her, kneeling down in front of her bed :"Tina? What is wrong?"
His voice was more even now again but still he sounded as if ready to cry any moment.
"Oh it's... rather stupid," Tina said, sitting upright.
"I'm sure it isn't."
"How do you know?"
"Because you never cry except when something is wrong as you're the bravest person I've ever met," Newt whispered, blushing.
Tina shook her head but then began to tell :"Christmas always was my favorite time of the year not at least because our parents used to sing Christmas songs with us a lot. It was the 20th December when they thought me this song. They already suffered from Dragon Pox back then and it was when I brought them some tea to their room and sat down on their bed as they asked me to do so.
I think they knew that their life was about to end because the doctor visited us at home that day but when I asked my parents what they told them they just said that everything was alright.
Anyway, so I sat down on their bed and they asked me to promise I'd look after Queenie when they weren't able to. I didn't understand the meaning of this sentence but I promised them to do so.
And then they began singing the song Jacob and your brother sang and my parents told me my grandma had tought them this song only a few days before she died.
They both gave me one last hug and I was wondering why they were crying but I didn't ask them as it might have sounded stupid. They told me to go to bed after making sure Queenie was asleep and then I hurried out of the room, eager to follow my parents instructions.
I wish I'd never left them, I should've stayed with them until the end but... but --. "
Tina wasn't able to finish her sentence as she was crying too badly.
And Newt was crying too, he could understand how she must've felt. So young and from one moment to the other responsible for everything and for not being too sad.
"Queenie and I used to sing this song every Christmas to show mum and dad we won't ever forget them. And now not even Queenie is here anymore," Tina sniffed to get over with it.
"Oh Tina," Newt cried, moving to sit next to her. One moment later he felt how a pair of arms clasped around him tightly, pulling him into a hug.
He returned the gesture, thinking of how much Tina had already had to go through in her life.
"Just tell me you won't leave me. Tell me you'll be here next year, with me," Tina sniffed.
"I won't. I promise, Tina," Newt said before he couldn't stop himself from starting to cry again.