Nefarious

5.

Natasha's P.O.V.

1 day before the heist.

For what felt like the 100th time that night, I tossed and turned on my unmade bed yet again to try and get some sleep but I was miserably failing at it. So instead, against my proper judgment, I reminisced tonight's events.

After our performance at the bar, Niall and I received many cheers and claps. Everybody appreciated my singing and guitar playing skills just as they did Niall's drumming skills.

People loved us. Whether it was the bartender, all the drunk men, or even the sober men, everybody was cheering and clapping while Niall and I laughed and smiled at the crowd coming down from our high energy performance.

Everybody clapped and cheered. Except one person.

When our performance ended, I saw Harry with his back faced to us again, sipping his drink quietly. Without giving it more thought, I walked to the bar and asked the bartender for a drink while sitting down right next to him.

I could smell his strong cologne, it had a sweet, vanilla smell to it, yet, the undertone of ginger was still there. Together, they worked beautifully to create a wonderful aroma. I really have to got ask him which cologne is that because holy fuck.

I sit at a distance, holding my glass in hand, tapping my fingers on it and trying to think of other ways I could tell him I wanted to kill him. I really wanted to kill him. He knew I couldn't, I knew I couldn't, but what's the harm in ideating a little bit? Right?

My train of thought is cut of when I hear that husky voice speak. The smell of his strong whiskey wafted as he spoke and I could smell it from where I was sitting. He spoke without making eye contact and tracing the brim of his glass with his index finger.

"Stop doing that" he ordered in a calm but authoritative tone.

"Doing what?" I question, genuinely confused turning to him.

"Plotting ways to kill me when you know you can't." He uttered taking another sip of the brown liquid in his glass.

I shifted in my seat uncomfortably and turn my gaze away. How does he know I was thinking about that? Can he read minds? What the fuck? I question myself.

"No I can't read minds if that's what you're wondering and I found out you were thinking about that because of the way you furrow your brows" He adds looking like he knows to read me.

"Well you're wrong. I wasn't thinking about anything of that sort." I hiss at him.

"Alright Benjamin, sure." he replies wanting a rise out of me.

"Why the fuck do you call me that Edward?" I ask, highly irritated.

"Same reason you call me Edward." He answers.

"No, I call you Edward because you call me Benjamin. My name is Natasha. What is so hard for you to understand?" I speak raising my voice at the last question.

Before he could speak, our conversation was interrupted by someone snapping their finger in front of me.

"Nat." I hear, Niall's concerned voice speak

It was like I woken up from a daydream. I looked up at Niall staring at me.

"Were you daydreaming, Nat?" He says, chuckling.

I look at him confused to see that I was no longer in my bed. In fact, I wasn't in my room itself. We were both outside, in the common room.

My thoughts started racing. Did I hallucinate an entire conversation? I was in my bed just a second ago. What the fuck happened? I thought to myself as I started sweating uncontrollably.

"Niall, I was in my bed just now. When did we come out here" I ask him, terrified.

"Nat, that was hours ago. I came to your room, you said I looked weird, and then we came out here" he explained.

I turn my head away from him to stare anywhere but in his direction. How has he not figured out I'm high? My head feels like it's about to explode and I really need to sleep. For fucks sake, I really need to stop getting high.

When I turn my gaze back to him, I see he's no longer there.

"Niall?" I say frantically as I turn my head around to see he's nowhere to be seen.

I close my eyes and bring my knees up to chest and start rocking. I close my eyes and ears as if it will help this nightmare to end. I wanted it to end so bad. When I opened my eyes again, I was sitting on a ledge of my tree house. It was the one Niall and I played on when we were younger. This tree however, seemed really tall. Almost like it was really high up. One wrong move and I could plummet down to my own death.

I knew it wasn't real but it felt so real. I wanted to cry, scream and call for help. I was drowning in my own head. My thoughts consumed me and I didn't know what to do. I tried shifting back towards the bamboo walls inside the house and that's when I heard a familiar voice.

"Natasha." the woman's voice called out to me as I turned my head towards her.

My suspicions of whether this was real or not were instantly confirmed. There she was. Standing as beautiful as ever. My mom. The woman that led The Lucifer's Syndicate with my dad. The woman who never left my side. The woman who died because of me.

"Mom?" I question still sweating and wanting this trip to end already.

"Hi sweetie" she said as she came and sat down right next to me on the ledge.

"How- How are you here right now? I- What's happening" I ask her in a haste while simultaneously sweating.

"Hey, shh. It's okay. Just breathe and let go." She answered as she comforted me in the most chilling manner.

"Let go? What do you mean let-" I go to ask but I get cut off by her getting up and standing.

"Mom, what are you doing?" I inquire feeling concerned even though I knew all of this isn't real.

She doesn't say anything back and instead looks down and smiles at me. I missed her smile. I missed her loving eyes. I missed her hugs, her laughs, her tickling me. Hell, I even missed our fights. I missed us. I missed her.

Before I get to process what she's doing, she slowly turns around so her back is facing the ledge. She walks backwards towards it until her heels are just at the edge.

"Mom, you're getting really close to the edge there." I warn her as I see her close her eyes.

"Just let go." She says as she looks me in the eyes one last time before she trust falls down the ledge.

"Mom!" I scream as I run towards the edge staring down the ledge in horror. Without giving it a second thought, I jump too.

I feel myself fall as I scream. It was like I fell out of the sky. The wind was cold up here and the clouds fogged my vision. There was a certain chaos and yet peacefulness I felt as well. Like everything was going to be alright. That even if I die, things weren't going to be bad. I wanted to let go.

That's when I woke up screaming.

-------------------------------------------