It took us longer to apparate than I had expected.

I felt his hand in mine and I smiled. I suddenly realized all that we've been through and have survived. We're still here. Both of us.

But then an image of Tom crashed into my mind and my good mood dropped. I tried to push it away and said in my head, Not now. Tonight is going to be a night of no concern.

I felt a little calmer and I was glad it didn't keep gnawing in my stomach.

Gellert gently squeezed my hand and then whispered, ''Close your eyes.''

I wondered why but did it anyway. I was starting to feel a little nauseous and hoped it wouldn't take much longer.

And then, to my relief, the ground materialized under my feet. But it wasn't solid ground like I had expected. My heels seemed to sink down.

I clenched to his arm, afraid I might fall if I didn't. I felt him kneel down in front of me which made me wobble a little.

He placed one of his hands on my legs and lifted it up. Then he took off my heel and placed a soft kiss on my shin before placing my foot back on the ground. Then he did the same with my other leg.

I felt the ground shift slightly under my weight as I stood there, and suddenly I had an idea of where we might be. Then he stood up in front of me and said, ''You can open your eyes now.''

I slowly opened my eyes and to my delight, I was right.

I glanced at the sea right of us and then at the horizon: sundown.

I looked at him with a smile while he held out his arm to me. ''Are you ready, my dear?'' he asked, raising his eyebrow slightly. I giggled as I took it and we started walking down the beach.

We walked for some time in silence until I could see a bench some distance away. I looked at him with a big smile. ''It's where we first met, isn't it?'' I asked with an excited expression.

He nodded and grinned. ''It is.''

Once we reached the bench he sat down and pulled me along. We watched the sundown silently, until after several seconds, he said, ''Do you remember?''

I looked up at him and nodded. ''I was here with Owyn and tried to jinx you,'' I said sniggering.

He smiled to himself and he turned to me, placing his arm around my shoulder. ''That was the first time in a long time I had smiled at anyone. I didn't know why, but it felt OK.''

I leaned against this shoulder. ''I get it. At first, I thought it was just a trick. All the things I had heard about you weren't exactly positive. I had no friends and I thought that was because no one liked me and no one ever would. I couldn't help but be skeptical about it. However, when we met the second time, I just knew you were different,'' I said softly.

He sighed. ''You've been through so much in your life, I wouldn't blame you if you still wouldn't trust me. But I'm happy you do. Trust is a very important part of a relationship. Without it, it will break, piece by piece until it has faded into nothingness.''

I looked at him with a frown. ''You talk as if you know what it's like.''

He smiled down at me. ''I do. But let's save that story for another time. This night is all about you and me.''

I took his hand and leaned against him as the sun slowly made its descent. As I followed it with my gaze I noticed a small speck in the distance. Then another one. And another one. And another one. They kept appearing and seemed to be floating towards us.

I squeezed my eyes to splits and watched curiously and they came closer.

After some time they stopped in front of us and I realized that they were rose petals. They drifted towards each other and seemed to melt together into a new rose.

I took it and looked at Grindelwald with a wide smile. ''Happy first date,'' he said smiling. I chuckled and kissed him.

The sun had now disappeared and it left the sky dark orange.

Standing up, he bowed down slightly, took my hand and placed a kiss on my knuckles. ''Is my lady ready for the second part of the night?'' he asked with a British accent which made me chuckle and I nodded.

Then he started to lead me away from the bench and away from the coast. We walked for some time until I could see the glow of candles burning not very far away.

I picked up my pace and pulled him along. At some point the sand was replaced by grass, and on top of it lay a neat blanket and a bottle of wine. Surrounding it there were three candles. One above the blanket, and one on both sides.

''I know how much you like the night sky,'' he said softly. ''And since this is a very important place for both of us, I just thought you might like to do some stargazing here.''

I noticed the nervosity in his voice. So I smiled at him and said, ''It's perfect.'' Then I placed a soft kiss on his lips and pulled him along towards the blanket on the grass.

I sat down and placed the delicate flower on the edge of the blanket as he settled down next to me.

Our walk had not taken very long, but less and less became visible of the orange glow above the horizon. ''We do have to wait for a bit until it's dark.''

''I don't mind. We still have each other don't we?'' I said taking his hand.

There was silence. ''Finally, everything is over,'' I sighed. ''And we're both still alive,'' I said smiling at him.

''Well, I wouldn't be if it wasn't for you.'' He placed his arm around me as we sat and looked into the distance. ''You know, I have always wondered about your childhood,'' I said looking at him with curiosity. ''You never talk about your past.''

He shrugged. ''I can't really remember a lot of my past. Almost nothing, to be honest. It has all faded in the last few decades.''

I knew he wasn't being honest, but I decided to leave it for now. He must have a reason to not want to talk about it, and tonight is supposed to be happy, so happy it shall be.

The sky was dark and there was no more orange or any color above the horizon. I lay down and stared up at the star-filled sky. He settled next to me and held my hand.

''It's strange to think about how many stars there actually are. That the stars we see are not even one percent of the total that are in the universe.''

Why did I just say that? I thought annoyed. Me and my stupid mind.

''It's strange indeed. Just the same as when you think about the fact that there are many more galaxies besides ours.''

I smiled to myself. My mind was a strange place, one that often I didn't even understand. But he seemed to do.

''Have I told you I love you?'' I asked turning to him. ''You have, but not often enough,'' he said grinning and placing a kiss on my lips. ''Well, then it's time to do so, I think.''

I cleared my throat and began, ''Gellert Grindelwald. You have meant more to me than anyone has ever done in my entire life. I am often afraid and uncertain, but you give me a feeling of safety, of coming home. And that's something I have missed in my life. So, for that, I am eternally grateful.''

''Well, my dear. I have to say that I understand how you feel. All this power, all this influence. It has never satisfied the hole in my heart and it would never do so. But when you entered my life, my heart felt whole again.''

He hugged me. ''We are more alike than you think, you and I. And I hope we will have many more years together to make new memories and bonds. I love you (Y/N) (L/N), as I have never felt love before. You are someone special and I want to show you that. But I feel like I'm not doing enough.''

I smiled and kissed him before he could continue. ''You can't do more than you already are. This feeling I have when I'm with you is something I haven't experienced with anyone before. Just being yourself is enough for me.''

He kissed me and let his fingers trail down my jaw. ''I have never known anyone like you,'' he said through small kisses. ''But I'm glad I came here that time, it would've been the biggest mistake of my life if I hadn't.''

The kisses slowly deepened. ''I want to show you how much I love you,'' he said. He held me in his arms as he kissed down my neck and shoulder. ''I want you to know I truly love you, (Y/N).''

I hesitated for a moment before I smiled and nodded. ''Go ahead.''

He caressed my cheek before catching my lips and telling me to hold on. ''We're returning to Nurmengard.''