In A Blink ➳ Barry Allen/The Flash

30.

Not wanting to listen to Iris and Eddie bicker softly at the table, Natalie poked and prodded the food with her spoon. Her attention was only shifted at Barry's sudden departure from the table. Glancing up and watching his back as he left the room, Natalie removed the napkin from her lap and excused herself from the table to follow him.

Pushing the heavy wooden door, Natalie saw Barry pacing back in forth in what she presumed was a wine cellar of sorts. Not knowing what he was upset about, given she wasn't paying attention, Natalie simply pulled Barry into a hug and rubbing his back in comfort. She turned only when she heard the door open revealing a concerned Felicity.

"I'll give you two some time. Maybe a fresh perspective on the situation would be better than my biased side. And it would probably be best if I kept Ray company while Iris and Eddie have their little spat," Natalie said softly to the two before kissing Barry lightly on the head and returning to the dining room.

Ray sighed in relief at the sight of Natalie as Eddie and Iris seemed to quiet down. "So um, Ray, you think you could share with us what it's like in Starling City?" Natalie asked, silently hoping that that was a safe topic. Clearing his throat, Ray sat up straighter as he began to talk animatedly, "Well, for starters, Starling City and Central City are like night and day. Starling being the night and Central the day. I'm hoping to improve the..conditions of Starling, make it a home again, Star City if you will."

Natalie nodded her head and looked at Iris and Eddie for any comment, which wasn't any. It was pretty much a dead topic. "Eddie, I hear you're a cop. What's that like?" Ray inquired as he took a long sip of his wine. "It has its ups and downs. But the one thing I will always love about it is getting justice," Eddie answered proudly.

"But sometimes, your job can keep you from doing justice to the ones you love," Iris retorted as she tilted her head. Ray seemed to have grown desperate and quickly excused himself to go get Felicity and Barry, bringing Natalie with him. "Hey guys, thugs are getting a little..intense in here," Ray said as he opened the door wide enough for Natalie an himself to pop their heads in.

The four walked back into the dining room just as Iris and Eddie both stood up. "When you are ready to act like two people who love each other, call me. Until then, I'll be at my dad's," Iris stated as she dropped her napkin on the table and stormed out, leaving a distraught Eddie behind. Eddie watched Iris leave in disbelief before he walked up to Ray and sadly thanked him for dinner before leaving as well.

At that moment, Barry's phone buzzed in his pocket and he looked apologetically at the three others, "I'm sorry. Emergency at S.T.A.R. Labs." Natalie nodded her head, "Go. I'll take a cab."

Natalie blinked her eyes several times as the blast from Barry running hit her face. "What a waste of an evening on a perfect dress," Natalie muttered under her breath before turning to a waiter and Ray and Felicity, "Now if I could just get the dessert in a little to-go box.."

Splitting from, what Natalie dubbed, the awkward-yet-adorable couple that is Felicity and Ray, Natalie took a detour before going to S.T.A.R. Labs. Natalie walked as fast as she could from the cab into Jitters, luckily getting in her rather large order of coffee for all of her fellow secret keepers before they closed. Just as she set the coffee holders down when she got to S.T.A.R. Labs, a screen focused on a bee that was starting to wiggle. "Is the meta-human on the move again?"

Caitlin shook her head as Felicity and Dr. Wells raced, or wheeled, to the computers. "Not a metahuman. Brie Larvan. Just a mad scientist with killer robotic bees. Worked for Dr. Tina McGee at Mercury Labs only to be fired for inappropriate use of the equipment. You look nice by the way."

Natalie smiled and looked down at the lace dress, "Thanks Cait." She froze when she noticed something peculiar. "Why is there a big gaping hole in the desk?" Natalie asked as she pointed at it. Caitlin and Cisco simultaneously winced before the latter spoke up, "One of the bees nested in Barry's suit and then decided to take a lap around the Cortex."