Previously on "Enlightenment"

The moment he opens it, her eyes go wide, and a small gasp erupts from her mouth.

Mick didn't need to say anything, when a small squeak of an answer comes from her bruised lips.

"Mick, I-I can't..."

____________

UNEDITED

NINE DAYS since Natalya last saw Mick. Nine days ago, he proposed to her, without even dating her. She thought it was for the best, to say no, hes a criminal, and shes a bystander. Natalya doesn't want to be classified as a criminal, she never has, she doesn't want to be on the run, and Mick is.

At the time, it was logical to say no, now, not so much. She misses him, more then anything in the world. She wakes up everyday knowing that she broke someones heart, knowing that she broke her own heart.

Natalya was released from the hospital yesterday afternoon, and now she sulks in her childhood bedroom in her mothers home. The walls are painted a dark red, with a large window seat on the right wall to the door. The bed is in the left corner of the room to the door, the Queen bed is decorated with white sheets and light grey blankets and throw-pillows. A large grey teddybear with a grey bowtie, around five foot tall, lays in the corner of her bed. The fading metal bed frame slightly away from the wall to avoid scraping the paint. Above the bed is a corckboard, filled with picture from all throughout her life, up to when she ran away. Beside her bed is a grey nightstand, various little trjnkets spread out acrossed it in a neat, yet messy way. On the wall across her bed and three feet from the door is a forty-inch mounted TV, below it is her grey dresser, completely cleared off.

The window seat is wood, painted a white color to match the trim and door in Natalya's old room. The padding on the window seat is a light grey, like the rest of her furniture and bed set, various colored throw pillows and a dark red throw blankey strewn across it, sheer, very light red curtains cascade down and covers the seat, still letting light in but not as much if they were open.

Theres a vanity to the left of the window seat, its also white with a grey vanity seat. Its covered in makeup and bathroom essentials. A large mirror attached to the vanity, poctures of her childhood friends stuck to the corners. Nayalya smiles when looking at the vanity, it bringing back many fond memories.

Next, her eyes lays on a full length mirror is attacheted to the top of the door, dark red like the walls in her room. She frowns, remembering that the mirror had shattered one night when her father was really bad, her mother must of replaced it.

She lets out a sigh, falling back into her bed she was once sitting up in. A S.T.A.R. labs sweatshirt covering her chest, and blood red, mid-thigh length shorts, her feet covered in black knee-high socks. Her brown, naturally high-lightled hair is messily thrown up into a messy bun, many stray hairs falling out of it considering how short her hair is.

Natalya groans, taking one of her many throw-pillows and shoving it in her face, hoping she may 'accidentally' suffocate herself.

"дорогой, наши специальные гости прибыли!" Mrs. Roman calls out from down stairs. Natalya slowly sits up, setting the pillow down beside her. She doesn't know about any guest joining them for dinner.

Natalya gets out of bed, her feet hitting the soft white carpet. She looks down at what shes wearing and visibly pales. Knowing she can't go downstairs looking how she is, she rushes over to her dresser to find some pants. After rummaging through her pants drawer, she finds a pair of black leggings. She slides off her shorts and trade them in for the leggings. She steps in front of the full length mirror, fixing her hair and any item thats out of place. She takes her hair out of the bun, running her fingers through it.

After deciding shes presentable, she exits the room, walking down the padded stairs and into the dining room, where sits Eddie Thawne and Iris West. A small smile finds its way to her lips, knowing her mother set this up for her, thinking it would cheer her up from her gloomy state, even though Mrs. Roman didn't know why she is hurting so much.

"Iris!" Natalya happily calls out, not frowning once, or sulking likes shes been for the past week.

Iris stabds from her seat beside her boyfriend and rushes towards Natalya, enveloping her in a bone crushing embrace. Meanwhile, Eddie sits in his seat awkwardly, but a large smile on his face, happy that his girlfriend is happy.

Mrs. Roman peaks in from the kitchen, watching the two girls hug each other like their lives depended on it. It warms her heart, knowing her daughter could live a normal life, unlik how she could. Living in an orphanage, working for the very people that want Natalya dead, the Santini family is cupcakes and rainbows ckmpared to the people that Mrs. Roman used to work for. Luckily, no one knows of her unethical past in this time. She also doesn't plan on telling anyone, she wants Natalya to stay as hidden as possible, so they don't get to her. Unfortunately, they have already caught onto where she is, and is manipulating people with schizophrenia into attacking her own daughter. This thought alone brings a frown to her face.

Natalya and Iris pull away from each other. Finally, she acknowledges Eddie. She turns to him with the biggestsmile shes had in a while, "Natalya Roman, you must be Mr. Thawne, Iris never shuts up about you."

Eddie stands and shakes Natalya's outstretched hand, "Its a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Roman, and please, Eddie is just fine."

"Well then, you can call me Talia, everyone does."

Except for him, she thinks, thinking sadly of the criminal she fell for. Shes spent days crying over him, now her tears are all dried up, no more left to shed. Otherwise, she would be sobbung right now, just thinking about him makes her heart ache.

Eddie gives a curt nod, sitting back in his seat, Iris walking over and sitting next to him. Natalya sits across from Iris, Mrs. Roman finally coming in with a hot pan of bacon-covered, barbecue meat loaf, one of Natalya's favorite meals. Once Mrs. Roman sets it down on the hot pad, she disappears into the kitchen and comes back with mashed potatos and corn-on-the-cob.

"One last thing!" Mrs. Roman vanishes, only to come back with green beans.

"Мама, theres only four of us, you didn't have to make a feast," she says, greatful for the food her mother has made for her friends.

"Nonsense, I love doing this, brings back fond memories," Mrs. Roman smiles, sitting down at the head of the table, the other ehad of the table empty, where her father used to sit.

The table is small, polished oak wood, the head of the table having two grand chairs made from the same wood. Three chairs on each side. The floor is a pale wood, walls a sky blue. A small, rustic looking chandelier hangs above the table, in the center of the room. The table is in the middle of the room, a large dark oak wood arch way to the right of the table, leading into the kitchen, behind the table is another archway leading into the hallway. Mrs. Romans back is to the archwayleading out of the dining room.

"Thank you, Mrs. Roman for having Iris and I," Eddie says politely, flashing the older woman a appriciative smile.

"Of course, I'm always happy having dinner with some of Natalya's friends, especially if it brings a smile to her face in these depressing times. Also, please, call me Titania, Mrs. Roman is just too formal for me."

"So, Мама, did you set this all up for me?" Natalya asks hesitantly, scooping up some mashed potatoes and putting them on her plate.

"Yes, I have. You've been through a lot these past two weeks, with your father and than being stabbed right after," Mrs. Roman sighs out at the mension of her husband.

Her face lights up though, the moment she realizes she forgot the gravey, meaning she can be of use once more. "If you'll excuse me, I have to go fetch the gravey!"

Natalya lets out a breathy chuckle at her mothers enthusiam. Cutting a piece of the meat loaf and sliding it onto her plate as well as a serving if green beans and a corn-on-the-cob thats already lathered in butter. Iris and Eddie having their plates dished out as well.

"Hows Barry? I haven't heard from him in a while," she tries to make smalltalk, finding it hard to talk to Iris with Eddie in the room.

"Hes fine, a little shaken up, but fine. He blames himself for your stabbing, he thought that he could of saved you if he was fast enough, considering we was leaving the department at the time," Iris sighs out, looking down at her large plate of food.

Fast enough, Natalya chuckles lowly at the thought. Iris has told her many things about Barry, and one of them is him always being late for things. Its funny really, how he tries to cover it up with an excuse, but fails miserably.

"He shouldn't blame himself, no one wpuld have guessed that it would happen," she shakes her head at them, sending the couple a small smile.

"Thats what I've been telling him, but he wont listen, Eddie even tried for goodness sakes!" Iris complains of her brother from another mother.

"You know Barry, once hes got something in his head, its hard for it to just go away," Eddie rubs his girlfriends back reassuringly.

"Yeah, that sounds like Barry," Natalya says solemnly, knowing its her fault he feels that way, despite it being completely out of her control.

       Mrs. Roman reappears, holding a serving glass filled to the brim with warm, brown gravey. She walks toward her daughter and pours some all over her potatoes, remembering how her daughter liked it when she was young.

       "Thank you, Мама."

       "Of course, дорогой," Mrs. Roman replies with a heart warming smile, her eyes twinkling with love and pride.

       For the rest of dinner, the three woman and Eddie eat dinner, laughing and talking the entire time. All the laughing hurted Natalya's still aching side, but at the time it was worth it. Enjoying the company of friends and family when she wasn't in a hospital.

       "Наталья, remember you have physical therapy at the hospital tomorrow at 2," Mrs. Roman informs her as Natalya cleans the table, their guests long gone.

       "Yes Мама, are you coming with me?"

       "No, only dropping you off, I have work at the Art Gallery tomorrow afternoon," ever since the stabbing, Mrs. Roman insists on driving Natalya everywhere she goes, not wanting another incident.

       "Of course, I'll see you in the morning мама," she gives her mother a curt nod, leaving the dining room and heading up the stairs.

       Once she enters her room, she shivers, a cold breaze coming in from her open window. Her eyebrows scrunch together, truing to remember if she had it open before she left.

       She sees movement out of the corner of her eye. She turns to look at her bed, only to see Mick sitting on her now messy bed.

       She practically jumps out of her skin, her hand going to her mouth to muffle the tiny squeal of suprise. Her heart beats rapidly, thumping against her rib cage painfully.

       Her hand falls back to her side, her eyes going wide as she calls out louder than expected, "Holy shit!"

       "дорогой, ты в порядке?" Mrs. Roman calls from downstairs.

       "Да, мама, просто паук!" Natalya calls back, her hand grabbing a fitfull of her shirt out of habit.

       "Alright," Mrs. Roman hesitantly replies, making her daughter let out a breath of relief.

       Once she is sure her mother is no longer listening, she gives Mick a glare, and admused expression finding its way onto his face.

       "What are you doing here?" she whisper yells, hiding her happiness, wanting to make sure Mick knew that showing up in her bedroom isn't a good idea, though she is glad he did it.

       He doesn't respond, looking her up and down, "You cut your hair."

       After being released from the hospital, Natalya had her mother cut her hair, it was to her shoulders and she decided she wanted it shorter once again.

       "Well-" she hesitates, "-yeah, but thats not the point, answer the question!"

      "I like it."

      "Mick!"

      "Fine! I came to say goodbye," he grumbles out, standing from the bed.

       "Wait -- ...what?" she chokes back her tears, not being able to imagine her life without him in it.

       After deciding not to marry him, she realized when it was to late that she really did want to spend the rest of her life with him, and that no man could live up to Mick. Essentially, she made herself jealous by imagining herself with another man and him with another woman.

       He walks towards the window, dropping the little velvet box on the padded window seat. She watches, tears streaking down her face as she felt to weak to hold them back any longer.

       His large hands hold onto the window as he puts one leg out, and then another. He turns his body to look at her, his hands gripping the window sill with anger. Anger that he can't have her, and that someone else will be able to give her something better.

       In his moment of hesitation, Natalya breaks from her shock and rushes towards him. She sits on her knees on the seat, her head level to his. In this position, she also sees the latter hes standing on, that he obviously stole from the next door neighbor because Mrs. Roman doesn't have any latters. If she needs something done that involves one, she calls the local handyman, who she flirts with to get dicounts on occasion.

       The two lovers stare into each others eyes. A small smile forming on her face at the fact that his eyes are a beautiful blue, and not the black or brown color that she usually sees. Thinking about it, Natalya hasn't been this close to him in a while, at least, with her eyes open that is.

       Her hand goes and grips the velvet box, never breaking eye contact. Her free hand reaches out and grabs one of his, gently pulling it away from the window sill, him letting her do all of this, and even if he didn't want her to, he doesn't know how to say no to the young Russian woman.

       She turns his hand so his palm is facing the ceiling, and she places the box in it, now using both hands to craddle his.

       "Yes," she finally breaks the silence, whispering so the word is barely audible.

       "...What?" he questions. Hes only seen this in movies, or in novals, some of which he has written.

       "I'll marry you, but on once condition," she smiles brightly at him, her eyes sparkling with tears, a few stray ones still running down her proclian cheeks.

       He releases his hold on the window sill with his other hand, reaching out and cupping her cheek, his large, calloused thumb wiping away a few tears.

       He didn't do to good with feelings, especially comforting, but hes done it for her a few times. Its one of the only times hes been able to do it, besides lust and anger, touchy feelings isn't his thing. Other then Natalya, Leonard is the only other one.

       "What?" he asks, gazing into her honey-dipped eyes.

       "No one else, if you go anywhere for any business, I get to come or I get to know whats happening. No lying, unless absolutely necessary, which is like, five percent of the time. Also, if possible... I-I want a family," she looks down a bit at the last part, not knowing how he would react.

       "I agree to everything, but on my own conditions."

       "Of course, anything!" her face lights up, coming up to look him in the eye once more.

       "We may never be able to get married, so you change your last name to mine, and we ditch everyone and everything. No contact with anyone that I don't approve of, and you go on the run with me. Where I go, you go," Natalya nods, and he leans in to give her a kiss, sealing the agreement.

       That little peck, turned into a make-out session. He pushes her back a litte, and she gets off of the window seat as he climbs in through the window, one hand holding the back of her neck, the other gripping the velvet box containing the ruby encrusted engagement ring.

       Once hes fully in and standing, bending down slightly to keep her lips locked in his. He lets go of her neck and pulls away, fumbling with the case to open it. Natalya looks down and giggles at him, though it wasnt cute from how out of breath she was.

       Her hands reach down and helps him open the box. Once its open, her right hand falls to her side, and he takes her left in his gigantic right hand. His left takes the ring out, letting the box fall to the ground.

       He nimbly slides the ring on her finger, but she laughs in response, "Wrong finger, love."

       He grunts in response, slightly rolling his eyes. He takes the ring off and puts it on her ring finger, and once again, they lock in a battle of lips.

       He picks her up, her legs wrapping around his torso and he takes her to the bed, but she makes sure nothing more then roaming hands and attacking lips happen, for her mother was home... and she did not want her barging in. Especially because Mick Rory has stole from her mothers gallery, and she knows his face very, very, well.

      Natalya lets out a breathu chuckle into their kiss, making him pull away.

       "What?" he asks, staring at her with so much lust, she didn't think it iwas possible for that much.

       "I was thinking of a song."

       "Sing it for me."

       "'Cause mama I'm in love with a criminal... and this type of love isn't rational, its physical," he laughs at her voice, though its not bad, its not great either.

       "I think that sums up just about everything," and with his words, they enter another ferocious lip-lock.

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PLEASE EXCUSE/IGNORE ALL SPELLING AND GRAMMAR MISTAKES, THANK YOU!

дорогой, наши специальные гости прибыли = dear, our special guests have arrived

Мама³ = mama/mother/mom

дорогой = darling

Наталья = Natalya

дорогой, ты в порядке = dear are you okay

Да, мама, просто паук = yes mama/mother/mom, just a spider

WARNING: TRANSLATIONS MAY NOT BE 100% CORRECT

3170 words in the story in this chapter, excluding the end authors not, but including the recap. Wow, thats a lot for me lol, and I wrote some of it (like, a thousand words ish) today... I may have procrastinated just a bit lol... Why I have a lot of time on my hands, well I have a fever... so currently this chapter is unedited because starring at my phone screen hurts my head (i did a lot og this during the day when i was feeling better... now, not so much). Once I'm healthy again, I'll edit it, so... sorry

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AGAIN, PLEASE EXCUSE/IGNORE ALL SPELLING AND GRAMMAR MISTAKES, THANK YOU!

3359 words in the entire chapter, including everything!