# The Nightmare: Chapters 7, 8



## Huilunsoittaja (Apr 6, 2010)

The day of the anniversary happened to be the day when one of the workers at the justice department had drunk the poisoned wine.
That morning, Alexandrov said good-bye to Natasha. He had come at midnight again, but left a little later than usual. Natasha gave him no reminder of what day it was, and didn't need to, it was obvious that he had forgotten. When he went out the door, she cried on the sofa.
"It is true! Sergei was right! Ivan doesn't love me anymore. I'm his tool, a toy! He doesn't respect me or anything."
However, she thought to give him one last chance. "If he comes home early tonight, I will forgive him."
Natasha went to the cafe again, and Sergei was waiting there once again for her.
"So?" he asked.
"He forgot."
Sergei frowned deeply. "So it's what I predicted. I told you."
"I know I know!" Natasha began to cry again, and ran into Sergei's arms without thinking. He embraced her warmly.
"I'm so sorry, Natasha. This makes me angry too, you know. You're such a nice woman, I... I have feelings for you." Sergei wiped the tears from her eyes.
Natasha was astonished. It felt like a dream come true. If she was in love with him, and he in love with her, then wouldn't everything work out? It reminded her of some of her favorite fantasy novels. Being a Romantic, she already drew those conclusions.
"I love you," she said.
"Why?"
"Because of all the kindness you've given me."
He smiled. "It's always been my pleasure to help you."
Natasha was in that frame of mind where she thought anything was possible, and would do anything to see if it would happen.
"What must I do?"
"What do you mean?"
"What must I do so that we can be together forevermore?"
Sergei laughed softly, but Natasha saw a fragile look come on his face. His own realizations were coming upon him very quickly. He kissed her, and she kissed back.
So their bond became love. They discussed what they would do next.
"What about Alexandrov now? Won't he be angry with me?"
"I wouldn't imagine anything other. But isn't this what he gets?"
"You're right!"
After many hours of talking, it was dark again. Sergei escorted Natasha to her home. They had set up a plan if they were to meet Alexandrov there.
Instead, they found a note on the ground. It read: "I'm sorry I can't come home tonight. I'm at the hospital addressing a strange case. Don't know when I'll be back - Ivan A."
"Well, that settles it doesn't it?" Natasha's eyes lit up.
"I think it does."
So Natasha and Sergei went to his own home, and celebrated there. Here, they had a special ceremony.
Sergei had a little black box and showed it to her.
"This is something special that I have that was given to me to give to whom I wish."
He opened it, and inside was a ring.

The gem had a face on it with an ebony background.

Natasha looked at it with curiosity. She had never seen the likes of it before. The face looked very beautiful though.
"Is it to represent me?"
"Yes. To represent whoever wears it. Now, give me this pledge: will you accept me for your true love?"
"I do!" here, Natasha took off her old ring, and put on the new one. She was too happy to think about anything else but the future. She didn't see the expression of triumph that came over Sergei's face.

CHAPTER 8

When Alexandrov woke up that morning, it was now 10 o'clock. He was still tired, but he looked around to find Natasha. He was surprised that she hadn't woken him up yet. He remembered that today was a special day: their anniversary. He laughed to himself how she would always say it was April 7, but it was actually April 8. How she had got that in her head, he would never know. But he had everything planned out for the day: he wouldn't work at all, and take her that night to the best restaurant in the city. He also had some diamond earrings to give her.
For the last few days, Alexandrov began to feel sad for his wife. He could see how depressed she looked, and wanted to talk to her countless times, but it was just the work he had to do that kept him away. He regretted taking so much time away from being with her, and he hoped he could make things up, despite that the case wasn't closed.
Alexandrov stepped into the bedroom. Natasha wasn't there. Fear seized him. What if she had gone out the night before, and was abducted, or robbed, or raped?? Guilt filled him. He blamed it all on himself. If he had only been more careful last night, he could have gotten authorities to go looking for her hours ago. Now he called his own police office to ask them to search for Natasha.
"Oh what a horrid thing to happen. and today of all days!" he moaned to himself.
He went back to the office and tried to get all the help he could to go look for her. The search began immediately.

Natasha was having the greatest time all the while. She and Sergei spent their day walking in the park, and the outskirts of the city. Eventually the went back home, and the talked for more hours.
"Shouldn't we run away soon?"
"Not yet. We have unfinished business. Alexandrov should be told what happened."
"Yes, I bet he still hasn't even figured it out yet too!" Natasha laughed.
"I honestly want to meet him. Give him a piece of my mind."
"Oh me too!"
Sergei held her close to himself. "Take what's in yourself and use it all. Your true anger, your true hate. Let it out on him. And then you will be released. You remember what I told you you must do?"
Natasha nodded gravely. She had been preparing her mind all day for the evening, for what she knew she must do.

Night fell, and Alexandrov went back to his home despondent and angry at himself. The search team checked every alley and block downtown, and no one had seen her, or even knew her.


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