Iris walked into her room feeling so exhausted that she was on the verge of crying for no reason at all. Her day been filled with exertions that she had just barely got a handle on, and yet there still seemed like there was just so much more that she needed to do. The world felt like it was pressing in on her from all sides, and in that moment, all she really wanted was to just climb under her covers and sleep for a decade. In the back of her mind, however, she knew that she would be lucky if she got three hours before duty called again. That was, apparently, what her life had become.
She had just finished peeling her dress off of her body, when she saw her phone light up. Leaving her dress discarded on the floor, she jumped over her bed frantically, where she immediately plucked the item from her nightstand and shoved it under her pillow just before the tingling alert bell could sound, alerting her – and anyone in the immediate vicinty – to the fact that she had just received a new email. The pillow muffled the sound, but Iris still found herself completely frozen in place as she listened intently for any sounds outside her room. It was only after the silence in her apartment continued on for another solid minute that she finally allowed herself to release a large sigh of relief.
The desire to shove her phone into her trashcan, or even better yet chuck it out her window, was so strong that Iris felt her knuckles turning white from how tightly she was squeezing it in her hand. She forced herself to take a deep breath to center herself once more before she reluctantly turned her phone on and pressed the email notification. As much as she wanted some peace, quiet, and most definitely sleep, she knew that ignoring her phone was a big no-no. In her line of work, she had to be on top of things and events, so an email, as annoying and irritating as it was, could never be ignored.
Iris settled back into her pillows before looking at the newest message in her inbox. Her eyes immediately lit up when she saw who the sender was – all previous weariness suddenly gone and replaced with anxiousness and excitement in its stead. Even though she knew there was a strong possibility that it was going to be another let down – another file that led nowhere – her heart was pounding fast inside her chest at the possibility of it being more. She opened the email with trembling fingers and waited for the file to load completely.
There were four words in the subject line: Is this the guy?
"I hope so," Iris mumbled under her breath before flicking her eyes down at the picture that had just finished loading.
She found herself gazing down at a male face that stared back at her from her phone screen. He was solemn-looking, his face indifferent and disinterested in everything, like he wanted to be anywhere but there. If she were more into her investigative-mode, Iris would have tried to pick up more details on the types of clothes he was wearing or the backdrop in the picture to decipher just where the picture was taken and for what purpose, but her eyes could not be torn from his face – more importantly his eyes. They were a dark green, speckled with flecks of gold and blue. that were startling beautiful even on a solemn face. What stuck out to her most, however, was how familiar they were to her – eerily so.
She bit her bottom lip but that did little to hinder the grin that spread across her face. She was practically bursting out of her skin as she continued to stare at the picture, her fingers skimming the lines of the man's face, almost like a gentle caress. As much as she wanted to get up on her bed and start jumping on it out of the pure and utter joy she felt, she knew she would regret that decision dearly and forced herself to remain reclined back on her bed. Celebrating could come later because there was a lot she needed to do, but for once, she did not feel weary with having to do more work; in fact, she was overjoyed.
Gazing at the picture one last time, Iris sighed with satisfaction. "I finally found you," she whispered.
Barry groaned as he walked into his apartment and belly-flopped onto his couch, already half-asleep. It had been a particularly draining day in his life as both a CSI for CCPD and the superhero known as The Flash. He had been buried under paperwork at the station for the majority of the day, and then he had been forced to face off against a metahuman who had the ability to shapeshift into any form for the rest of it. He had spent the whole night chasing the guy, only to have finally caught him when the guy had shifted into a streetlamp on a street that Barry was well acquainted with enough to nab him.
As soon as he had thrown the meta into a cell under STAR Labs, Barry had wearily changed back into his civvies, barely paying attention to Cisco's and Caitlin's escalating argument on what to call the new meta. He had just mumbled a quick goodbye before dashing out and heading for home. He was so desperate for some sleep that he had ignored his growling stomach on his way home, too tired to stop and grab anything to eat even though he was pretty sure his refrigerator and cupboards were empty. It was a problem he that he told himself could be dealt with in the morning but only after he was fully rested.
Barry was already on the verge of drifting off into deep sleep, when the last vestiges of his awareness alerted him to the sound of footsteps just outside his door. Normally he wouldn't have cared since his neighbor was something of a night owl, who was always up and walking around all hours of the night, but it was the sound of paper slithering against the floor of his apartment that forced him to lift his head and glance over to his doorway where a white envelope had just been slipped through the small crack underneath his door. He could still see the shadow of the person's feet and almost expected to hear a rap on his door, but none came. The feet disappeared, leaving Barry alone to stare curiously at the envelope that had been left behind. His worn body screamed at him to just leave it alone, to just turn over and go back to sleep, but his curiosity had been piqued too much to be dampened, even by his exhaustion.
Barry slowly rose with a groan and snatched the envelope from the floor. There was no address or anything to show where it had come from or who had delivered it, only his name scrawled in elegant writing across the back in black ink. Upon opening it, Barry felt a mixture of shock and fear slither up his spine as he pulled out a black and white picture of himself dressed as the Flash. Written across the picture in red marker were five words that made Barry's veins feel like they were filled with ice water. In the same elegant hand that had scrawled his name, were the words: I Know Who You Are.
He was tempted to make a mad dash around the building in hopes of cornering the person who had left the envelope, but that thought faded when he flipped the photo and saw more writing.
Meet me on Jitters rooftop tomorrow night 9p.m. sharp
Don't be late and come alone.
Barry looked in the envelope, hoping to find more clues as to who the person was that had delivered the letter, but he wasn't surprised when there was nothing more inside. Rubbing at his eyes wearily, he picked up his phone to call Cisco. He had a feeling that he wasn't going to be getting sleep anytime soon.
As she sat at her favorite table inside Jitters – conveniently located where she could see everyone who came and went through the entrance – Iris found that she could not stop bouncing her leg in nervous anticipation. She glanced at her watch with a frown for the tenth time in a five-minute span and silently groaned at how the eight o' clock hour seemed to be lasting an eternity. She had arrived a whole hour earlier than the designated time because of how anxious she was about everything. Butterflies had been fluttering around in her stomach for days, and the three cups of coffee that she had drunk since arriving were not helping the jitters at all. She was torn between wanting the meeting to start and wishing that it could just be over so that she could be done with it all. The cloak-and-dagger approach was not her preferred method of dealing with things, but this situation was extremely delicate, which meant that she had to handle things with a softer hand than she was usually accustomed to.
The feeling that so much could go wrong plagued her mind. Iris was generally a perfectionist in everything that she did, which was something that had greatly helped her in her career as a reporter so far, but the situation she was in had called for haste, which was why she had acted before her plan could be completely perfected. In the current moment, when she was waiting for things to happen, she could not help but feel dread, thinking about how wrong everything could go. As desperate as she was for information, the man that she was about to blackmail unwittingly had a great deal of power over her. If she did not get things running according to plan from the start, she stood the chance of losing everything that she held dear to her, which was a thought that she just could not bear.
She picked up her phone and glanced at the time, silently willing it to be different from the time on her watch that she had just looked at less than a minute before. The times were exactly in sync, which did not ease any of the tension that had wracked her body, but the picture on display behind the clock happened to work wonders. It only took one second to look at those familiar green eyes for her to center herself completely and push down the nerves and anxiousness that had been building up since she had opened the email a week before. Those green eyes were all she needed to know that everything was going to be all right. It had to be because failure was just not an option.
It was five minutes before nine when the bell above the doorway jingled and he walked in. Iris had to force herself not to stare at him uninhibitedly, especially when he looked around the shop warily, most likely trying to catch sight of the person who had summoned him, which meant he was trying to catch sight of her. She managed to dodge his gaze as she rose from her seat and made the ascent up the stairs to the roof.
The air was chilly, as was to be expected for the middle of February, but it worked perfectly in her favor. The veranda, which could draw out quite the crowd in warmer weather, was now completely deserted. Iris seated herself on the bench closest to the parapet as she wrapped her coat tighter around her and pulled the hood over her head. She concealed the bottom of her face behind her woolen scarf and gazed at her watch. Any minute now, he would be coming up and everything would be set into motion.
Just as the minute hand on her watch landed on the twelve, the doors leading to the veranda opened, and Barry Allen made his way outside. Iris took in a deep breath as she closed her eyes to focus herself. It was time to get started.
Barry hated the cold, and considering the fact that he had practically been threatened into attending this meeting, he was not a particularly happy when he found himself walking out onto the rooftop of Jitters right into a gust of freezing cold wind. He swore bitterly under his breath as he pulled his coat tighter around his body while his eyes searched the seemingly empty rooftop for any signs of life. He caught movement from across the veranda from the peripheral of his vision, and when he turned to look, he saw a heavily coated figure sitting on the bench near the parapet. Even though he couldn't see their face, he could feel their eyes on him, and so he slowly made his way toward them.
If he was being quite honest with himself, Barry had no idea what he was walking into or how he planned on approaching the situation. He had called both Cisco and Caitlin after he had received the envelope, and they had discussed different possibilities and scenarios for what he was going to be walking into. After hours of trying to come up with different ways in which they could evade or ignore the summons, they had all eventually agreed that he should attend the meeting as specified but that he also wear his communication link so that Cisco and Caitlin could intervene and possibly gather information for their end through that link.
"Are you guys ready?" Barry mumbled under his breath just loud enough for them to hear. He had yet to reach the hooded figure, who had yet to move an inch since he had spotted them before.
"We're a go, Barry,"Cisco's voice replied, sounding slightly muffled from chewing on something, most likely some kind of sweet.
"Don't talk with your mouth full," Barry heard Caitlin chide the engineer before directing her next comment to him. "It's going to be okay, Barry. We're here and we're going to be monitoring everything."
He felt somewhat relieved that he wasn't completely alone, but he was unable to voice that relief due to the fact that he had finally reached the bench and was now standing awkwardly before the figure, whose face was mostly concealed by the hood that was pulled down to mask their face in the shadows and a scarf that concealed the rest of their face from his view.
"Hello, Mr. Allen," the figure greeted him pleasantly, the voice feminine and soft. "I'm glad you could make it."
"Ooh, she sounds sexy,"Cisco's remarked in Barry's ear, confirming the speedster's own secret thoughts.
"Yeah, well you didn't really leave me much of a choice," he replied to the hooded women coldly, pushing those previous thoughts from his mind. "Just know that I'm only here because I wanted to tell you face-to-face that you knowing my identity is not going to make me do you any favors."
"I don't need any favors, Mr. Allen, or should I say The Flash," the woman answered as she lifted her head to reveal dark brown eyes that peered at him just over the top of her scarf. "I merely wanted to facilitate this meeting because I happen to be someone who values information above all else."
"What do you want from me if you don't want a favor, Miss…?" he paused, waiting for her to fill in the blank.
"You can call me Iris, Mr. Allen," she replied shortly. "It's only fair that you know my name, considering how I know both of yours."
She spoke with a light verging on cheerful, tone, but Barry was not deaf to the underlying threat in those words.
"Ooh, she sounds like trouble," Caitlin commented coolly."Be careful, Barry."
"Yeah, but also see if you can get her number. This Iris sounds kinda hot," Cisco chimed in, causing Barry to roll his eyes.
"What, exactly, are you trying to accomplish with this meeting then,Iris?" he rectified, hissing out her name through gritted teeth, though it still managed to dance nicely off of his tongue. "I'm really in no mood to be dancing around you any longer than I have to, so I would like it if you just told me what it is you want from me and what it's going to cost me for you to keep my identity a secret."
Iris folded her arms and reclined back on the bench. She stared pointedly at the spot next to her before turning that pointed stare at him. Barry understood the command, immediately, and found himself not really hesitating to seat himself next to her.
"I like that you're a straight-to-the-point kinda guy, Mr. Allen-"
"Barry, please," he stated, cutting her off. "Since you know my name, you might as well use it."
Even though he could not see her lips, he could see her eyes clearly and saw the corners crinkle, which meant that she was smiling. He could not stop his traitorous brain from thinking of how that smile would look on her lips, if she already looked stunning with half of her face concealed to him, then he could just imagine how she would look with her full face on display to him. He also could not help but feel like there was something oddly familiar about her eyes as well.
"Well then, Barry, if we're going to be getting straight to the point with one another, I might as well tell you that in addition to knowing who and what you are, I am also aware of who you work with," Iris remarked solemnly. "I also know that Cisco Ramon and Caitlin Snow are probably listening in on this conversation as we speak."
"Wh-what?" Barry babbled as Cisco and Caitlin both started talking in his ear.
"Oh shit! What in the world-"
"I knew she was trouble-"
"I don't mind them listening in because I suppose they have as much stake in the outcome of this situation as you do," Iris went on as if she had not just dropped another huge bomb on all of them. "I would just like for all of you to know that I don't take any kind of pleasure in holding this over your heads. Like I said before, I'm just someone who values information, and information is all that I want. Exposing you and your team is not something that I would benefit from, so your secret is safe with me as long as we can all remain civil and be open to sharing."
All of the kind thoughts that Barry had for Iris vanished in the blink of an eye after hearing her speak so calmly about potentially ruining not only his life, but the lives of his friends. It was clear as day what she was doing.
"Something tells me that you aren't going to be on the sharing side of this conversation, are you?" he snarled out bitterly through clenched teeth. "You should just call this what it is, since we're trying to be straight with one another. You're blackmailing me and my team!"
"Calm down," Caitlin gently chided him. "Let's try and find out what it is she's looking for before we lose our heads."
"Yeah, what Caitlin said, dude. Let's see what the broad wants and maybe we can get some information to use against her in the process. Cool and steady wins the race, man."
Barry ran his hand over his face as he released a long sigh. "My team is willing to listen, but we're not promising you anything."
Iris continued to look unfazed as she shrugged her slender shoulders. "I'm fine with that, but I should also make you aware of the fact that I have folders with all of your information on my computer. Should anything happen to me, or should your computer savvy buddies try to hack me, that information will be leaked directly to the CCPD as well as every news outlet within a thousands miles of Central City. It could change your lives in the blink of an eye, which is something you must be accustomed to, so if either of your pals at STAR Labs is thinking of trying to do anything to retaliate against me, I would highly suggest they reconsider."
Barry was too furious to respond. He knew that Cisco and Caitlin had heard and had paused their attempts at doing anything else but listening. They were all caught in a bind, and they were all at this strange woman's mercy.
"Now that we have that all out in the open, I think it's time that we get to the real fun," Iris chirped. "I have so many questions."
Blackmail was a tactic that Iris hated using, but it was also one that she had found necessary at times, especially in her line of work. That did not change the fact that she was always very uncomfortable having to use said tactics on anyone, especially someone everyone in Central City considered a hero. Despite her bravado with Barry and his unseen allies, deep down, she was a shaking mess, who had to keep pushing herself to remain aloof and cool for the sake of the information she hoped to gain. She had not lied when she told them that she was a collector of information because information could sometimes prove more powerful than guns and, in Barry's case, superpowers. It was what she needed more than anything else.
"For starters, I would like you all to know that despite having information on all of you, it is only Barry whom I will be addressing my questions to," she started off, forcing herself to sound nonchalant despite the tremor of fear that swirled around in the pit of her stomach. "All of the information that I need is from him, though I suppose the two of you at STAR Labs will be able to assist, should he need help answering them."
Barry's eyes, that had looked so beautiful before, narrowed at her angrily, making Iris almost recoil back from him. She forced herself to remain solemn-faced, hiding the cracks in her facade, as she pressed record on her phone and placed it on her lap.
"I suppose we can start out with something simple," she offered as she gazed into Barry's cold eyes. "How about something you can respond to with yes or no."
Barry did not respond but merely folded his own arms across his chest, mirroring her stance. Iris ignored the defiant expression on his face and continued on.
"Have you, as the Flash, ever done anything that could be considered illegal?"
Instead of answering her question, Barry decided to ask one of his own. "How do I know that you won't still release the information on me and my friends after I answer your questions and give you your precious information?"
Iris pressed pause on her phone and released a small, impatient breath. "Unfortunately, there's no way you would know," she responded quietly. "I assure you that I stand by my previous words – that exposing you is in no way a beneficial move on my part. If you give me what I want, then you have my word that your identity and those of your friends will remain hidden away from the eyes of the public. No one will find out about you – at least not through me."
Barry frowned. "That does not sound very reassuring at all, Iris. Considering what you have been threatening, I'm not sure that I can just trust your word."
"Well, that's the thing about having the upper hand, Barry," Iris answered with a shrug. "I get to have that kind of power, and you not having the upper hand means that you have to take it. You could try and call my bluff, but considering how I was able to get you here in the first place, I'm not sure you would like the consequences of going down that particular avenue."
The look of pure disgust and anger on his face made it clear to her that he was not satisfied with the crappy deal, so Iris knew that she needed to push it home a little harder before things went completely south.
"I'll sweeten the deal for you," she said lightly, forcing herself to keep calm in order the mask the desperation in her voice. "This interview will be short, like ripping off a band-aid. Answer five questions for me truthfully and honestly, and I promise that that will be all. The folder that has all of your information will be stored into the darkest crevices of cyber space that not even Bill Gates would be able to find, and even better, you'll never see or hear from me ever again. How does that sound?"
Barry paused, a deep look of contemplation on his face. Iris knew that he was most likely listening to the input of his friends, whom Brie had assured her would be communicating with him through some kind of communication link. Despite how anxious she was to get the whole thing over with, she remained silent, letting him confer with them.
"I'll give you your five questions, Iris, but in return, I want to be able to ask one to you," he stated finally. "I get one question that you have to answer truthfully and honestly as well. Regardless of who holds the upper hand here, I think you can give me that."
Iris felt her body clamming up at the thought of revealing any kind of personal information about herself or her life. Blatant refusal was at the tip of her tongue, but seeing her own desperation reflected in his eyes made her think twice. She needed the information that only he could provide, and she was almost certain that if she refused, he would literally bolt. In order to get what she wanted she was prepared to give, but only a little.
"One question," she confirmed sullenly. "I'll let you choose whether to ask it now or after I ask my questions. It's up to you."
For the first time since she had made her intentions known, Iris saw a flicker of light back in Barry's emerald eyes. She was unable to stop the smile that slid across her lips at seeing that light, which made her glad that her mouth was concealed from his view.
"I'll wait until after you ask your questions," he responded coolly. "I'm expecting you to honor your word."
Iris nodded her head in agreement. "Fine, then let's start this again, shall we?"
Barry watched as Iris reached down and pressed the record button on her phone once more before fixing her intense brown gaze back on him. He wondered whether she had given him her real name or was possibly gas-lighting him. If it was the former, it suited her, but if it was the latter, then he had to admit that she chose a pretty fake name.
"Have you experienced any side-effects of using your super speed?"
Barry hesitated, already feeling his hackles rising. Cisco and Caitlin were silent in his ear after having given him reasons why he shouldn't go along with the whole thing, only for Barry to have gone rogue against their suggestions in order put in his own offer for a question in return instead. He knew that his friends were not fans of what he was doing – that what he was doing was a little reckless, even dangerous – but he had given his word, and he was intent on finishing this whole thing quickly.
"I have to eat a lot," he responded shortly, not bothering to explain or elaborate further given that they had not discussed on how detailed his responses had to be, only that they had to be true.
He watched her closely for her response, expecting to see her react negatively at the short answer he had given. Her face, however, remained neutral and nonchalant.
"I suppose your daily calorie intake is probably twice or three times the amount of a person without your abilities since you use a great deal of energy to move the way that you do. You must have to be eating constantly or, at the very least, eating high-caloric foods every day, just to function," she remarked quietly, almost too quiet for him to hear. "That makes sense."
Barry's brow furrowed at how quickly she had fit those particular pieces together, but he had little time to dwell on it because without even blinking, she moved on to the next question.
"Are there any long-term side-effects for you having your abilities?"
He could have sworn that he saw concern and worry flash in her eyes as she asked her second question. He did not know why, but he felt somewhat flattered that she would even care, but those thoughts were shut down abruptly before they could even truly breathe.
"My team and I have found none so far. There's just a good possibility that I may age slower than most."
Barry swore he saw emotion flash through her eyes at his response, but it was gone before he could really read it properly. He could have sworn, however, that the look in her eyes had been a look of relief. He could not brood about that particular thought because that would only raise questions, and also because she didn't seem to allow him the time before she was moving on to the next question.
"Do you possess any other abilities besides your ability to run extremely fast?"
He paused once more, feeling a sense of uneasiness. He felt downright vulnerable having to divulge such knowledge to a person who was basically blackmailing him for it. Honor could only go so far, considering that she could very well use his response against him or give it to someone else who could. Nevertheless, even with his head filled with doubtful thoughts, Barry found himself responding truthfully.
"My body can vibrate fast enough that it can pass through solid material. I also have the ability to throw lightning. Those are the only other abilities that I am aware of."
He noticed her hand tightening around her phone. She seemed unnerved by the new information of his other abilities, rather than interested in what he could do. She muttered under her breath something that he did not completely catch. He had only caught the tail end, which had sounded oddly like "keep an eye out for that."
"Be careful, Barry. There are two more questions, but they could be questions that you can't answer," Caitlin warned him. "If she asks you something that you don't want to answer, then just come back. Our identities are not worth you being endangered."
"I'll be fine," Barry answered back shortly.
Iris did not seem bothered by him speaking what must have sounded like random words aloud. She merely looked up at him solemnly and went on with her questioning.
"What diseases or sicknesses run in your family?"
Barry sat for a long moment, too confused to respond right away. He had expected for her to ask for weaknesses or shortcomings, hell he had expected her to ask about other heroes he had worked with whom she could leech more information, but he had most definitely had not expected her to ask that. It just seemed too out-of-the-blue and pointless given her previous line of questioning.
"What?" he found himself asking back instead of answering. "Are you serious?"
"Does your family have a history of diabetes, high blood pressure, any kind of genetic disorder that could possibly be passed on to future generations?" she clarified, her eyes back to looking disinterested and cool.
"Why would you want to know something like that?" Barry demanded as he shook his head and rose to his feet.
"Do you want to make that your one question for me?" Iris shot back, her own tone colored with impatience and irritation at his lack of cooperation.
"No, that's not my question," he answered quickly, silently berating himself for almost losing his ticket at gaining information on her. "I'm just… I don't understand how knowing about my family's medical history would benefit you."
"That's my concern, not yours, so please, just answer the question."
Rubbing the back of his head, awkwardly, Barry huffed and shrugged his shoulders in defeat. "As far as I know, there were no genetic disorders on my mom's side. My dad's side is fine, too, except that they have a history of astigmatisms. I lucked out on that end, but I'm pretty sure that any kids that I have will most likely have to wear glasses."
She nodded her head in acceptance of his answer, though Barry could have sworn he saw the wrinkles on the side of her eyes that revealed she was smiling again.
"Last question, Barry," she said softly. "Then we're done. Like I said before, quick and fairly painless."
"Just ask your question."
"Very well," Iris replied, though she paused for a moment and stared at him studiously for a long moment. "My last question to you is: how happy are you being The Flash?"
Barry was completely and utterly flabbergasted. "What?" he said, confused.
Iris rolled her eyes as she rose to her feet as well. "The next time you ask me that, I will take that as your one question," she warned him before turning her back to him to rest her arms on the parapet. "How happy are you being the Flash?" she repeated.
"Is she for real?"Cisco questioned, his voice filled with as much confusion as Barry felt in that moment.
"I feel suspicious about this, too, but the question is simple enough, Barry. Just be glad that she didn't ask about your weaknesses or anything else like that."Caitlin remarked as well, putting in her thoughts.
"It's a simple question, Barry," Iris persisted, tearing him from his session. She was looking at him over her shoulder, her hood having fallen off her head, releasing her hair. It was a dark brown, almost black in the current light she was in, and it blew around her head in the wind – tresses that looked like silk sliding across her half-concealed face. That feeling that she looked familiar echoed in Barry's head once more but waseven stronger than before, but she started talking again, drawing his full attention back to her words.
"I don't think having to talk to your friends is necessary. All I want to know is whether or not you enjoy the life that you're currently living," she remarked solemnly. "Do you even enjoy being what you are or having the abilities that you do?"
"I don't understand why that would interest you at all," Barry responded sullenly as his eyes peered into hers. "Then again, I don't think I understand you at all, so I shouldn't be surprised why you would ask me something like that."
She shrugged her slender shoulders as her eyes remained fixed to his. "I have my reasons."
"Fine, I'll answer your stupid question," he relented, though it was his turn to turn his back on her as he started to pace. He had reached the end of his tether with her and her aloofness, and he found that frustration leaking into his response.
"How happy am I being the Flash? I don't really know. All my life I searched for signs of the impossible, and then one day I woke up to find that I hadbecomethe impossible. I found out that I could move faster than anyone else on the face of the earth. It was an amazing feeling that made me feel like I was on top of the world. I had gotten more than I could have ever wanted, but I also found out that getting everything that I wanted came with a price."
" Woah, buddy. You should ease up. You're not going to get anything back for doing extra credit."
Barry ignored Cisco's warning as he continued ranting on.
"I found out that having the abilities that I do means that I have to be isolated from everyone else. Besides my friends, I can't really get close to anyone because of the life I live. The people who praised me in the newspapers would never be able to look at the real me and see that same person with whom they had just admired seconds before. Don't even get me started on love because that part of my life has been completely void of life for years. Very few people truly know who I am, so despite doing what I do and being what I am, I still walk into an empty home at the end of every day."
He had not realized that he was walking toward her as he spoke until he finally finished and found himself less than a foot behind her. Her back was still turned to him, but her head was turned as she gazed at him over her shoulder. The look in her eyes, this time, was far from aloof but alive. She looked like she was drinking in every word that escaped his lips.
"That answer is more than sufficient, Barry" she said quietly as she turned the rest of her body to face him. "I thank you for everything you've done tonight, as well as everything that you do as The Flash."
Her words finally became tinged with something other than solemnity. In her voice was something akin to sadness, but the way in which she spoke them still soothed Barry's racing heart. He found comfort in the fact that she did not judge him for having feelings other than immense joy at having his abilities; instead, the way she looked at him made him feel like she understood his answer – like she understoodhim.
They stood there for a long moment, just staring at one another in the cold bitter wind. Barry found that he couldn't even feel the cold against his flushed skin as he stared deeply into the brown eyes that no longer looked hard like bark, but seemed warm like whiskey. Lost in that warm gaze, he felt his fingers itching to reach up and pull down her scarf so that he could see the rest of her face.
She was the one who broke the moment between them as she abruptly turned and started to walk away. She returned to the bench and picked up her purse, sliding her phone inside it. She slipped the strap over her shoulder and looked back at him.
"Thank you for your cooperation. I really do appreciate your willingness to answer my questions." Her eyes flicked across his face, lingering on his lips, before she sighed and turned to walk away.
"Dude, is she seriously leaving before she answers your question?"Cisco demanded, tearing Barry from his current stupor as he watched her walk away.
Barry's eyes widened before he used his speed to place himself directly in front of her. He probably could have put distance between them, but instead, he had placed himself less than an inch in front of her.
"Wait, you still haven't answered a question for me!" he cried out fiercely.
Iris stopped her retreat, her eyes wide as they flicked up to his, stunned at his close proximity and the ferocity in his voice. "Oh, you're right," she conceded easily, while taking a step back away from him, much to Barry's chagrin. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to try and shortchange you; I just seemed to have lost my train of thought for a moment." She reached up and tucked a stray silky strand of hair behind her ear. "You can ask your question, Mr. Allen."
"Ask her how she found out about us," Caitlin offered up anxiously.
"No, ask her what she plans to do with the information she got," Cisco interjected.
"Or better yet, ask her to tell you who she really is so that we can find out more about her."
Barry listened to his friends' input but found himself feeling disinterested with their suggestions. His eyes remained focused on Iris's where he felt like he was losing apart of himself in the warm brown pools staring back at him. That familiar feeling returned, this time a lot stronger, and before he could stop himself, a question of his own was spilling from his lips.
"Have we met before?"
"Seriously, Barry?"
"What are you thinking, man?"
Iris's body seemed to grow rigid as her eyes widened. "That's the question you want to ask?"
"Yes," Barry confirmed, ignoring the complaining voices of his friends that were incessantly chatting in his ear. "You said you were going to keep your word and answer it, unless you were lying all along," he added, taunting her.
He stared at her intently and watched as she stared back at him through her long eyelashes. She looked calm, but Barry saw her hand wrapped around the strap of her purse and saw how white her knuckles had become. It was clear she was unnerved by his question, which regardless of Cisco's and Caitlin's dismay, meant that he had asked the right one.
"Yes."
The response was simple, just like his first responses. He knew that there was not going to be any further explanation from her, which was confirmed by her side-stepping him and walking past him without so much as a second glance. She disappeared through the doors that led back into Jitters, leaving Barry completely alone in the cold.
"I don't want to make you feel any worse than what you are already feeling, but I have to say that you dropped the ball, dude."
If Cisco had been present, he would have been completely flabbergasted by the smirk on his best friend's face. If he were in a cartoon, a light bulb would have appeared over Barry's head, flashing bright against the darkness that had fallen around him.
"No, Cisco," he said with a soft chuckle as he closed his eyes and lifted his face toward the sky. "I don't think I did."
"What are you talking about, Barry?"
Barry was still grinning as he evaded Caitlin's question. "Cisco, get Felicity on the line."
Iris took the long way home, making sure that she made a lot of loops and circles around the city before finally pulling into the parking lot of her apartment building. Her eyes had wandered everywhere throughout the drive, searching for tell-tale signs of yellow lightning or streaks that denoted a speedster was in pursuit, but there had been none, which had finally eased her paranoia enough to go home.
She walked into her apartment and allowed herself to finally exhale the breath that she had been holding in since she had left Barry Allen standing on the rooftop at Jitters. Closing the door, she locked it and then pressed her forehead against it as she felt all the jitters and nerves that she had been fighting down begin to fade away. She had gotten everything that she had wanted, even though she had had to reveal something to him that she had not been ready to, but still, the night felt like a victory.
Removing her phone from her purse, Iris placed the bag on the stand in the hallway and made her way further into the apartment. She found the TV on in the living room and a slumbering figure on her couch, which made her sigh in slight exasperation. She grabbed the blanket from the back of the couch and threw it over the sleeping form before turning off the TV. Before walking out, she placed a quick kiss on the figure's head, which roused him slightly from sleep.
"Iris?" he murmured sluggishly.
"Yeah, it's me, Wally," Iris whispered softly to him.
"How did it go?" he asked her, his eyes already starting to close once more.
Iris rolled her eyes, but smiled tenderly at her younger brother. "It went fine, but we'll talk about it in the morning. Go back to sleep."
It didn't take anymore goading from her for Wally to turn his head and bury his nose into the back of the couch, falling into deep slumber. Iris shook her head and chuckled before plucking the sole object on the coffee table and heading toward her room. Her gaze lingered on the open door that led to the room next to her own, but she walked past it and into her own.
As soon as she had changed out of her clothes and into her nightgown, she grabbed her phone and dialed the name near the top of her contacts list. The phone rang only once on the other side before the phone was picked up and Iris's ear was filled with a chipper, female voice.
"How did everything go? Did you get all the information you needed from him?"
Iris smiled and sat back on her bed, placing the object from the coffee table on her nightstand. "Yes, Brie, it went fairly well, and yes, I got everything I could get from him," she replied with a heavy sigh. "I'm just glad that it's all over."
Brie Larvan scoffed, causing Iris to frown.
"What?" Iris pushed. "What are you scoffing about?"
"I'm scoffing at the fact that you seriously think this is over, 'Ris. You know I love you to pieces and that I'm eternally grateful for you helping me get back at that bitch, Tina McGee, but I have to say that your whole plan to get information from that Allen-guy seems like it has a lot of potential to backfire."
"Well, I thank you for being concerned for me, but I was careful. I kept my face hidden from him mostly, and I got everything that I needed from him. I think he was glad to be done with me as much as I was to be done with him, so I doubt that he's going to come looking for me." She tried to sound sure of herself, but a seed of doubt had already been planted as she thought back to how she had seen a flash of recognition on his face when she had answered his single question. "It's done, Brie. It's over."
"For your sake, I hope you're right," Brie said, though her tone made it clear that she didn't think that was the case.
"I just wanted to call you and let you know what happened," Iris replied back, not liking how the conversation had done the total opposite of what she had wanted it to. "I'm home, now, and I am ready for bed, so..."
"Fine, I'll let you revel in your little victory," the female techno geek relented. "Call me in the morning and we'll get together for coffee so that I can pick apart your brain about the meeting."
"Will do," Iris agreed before adding with a softer, more grateful voice, "and thanks again, for everything, Brie. You really are the best."
"Hey, what are best friends for if not to find their best friend's masked one-night stands?" she replied with a soft chuckle. "Sleep tight and kiss my darlings for me."
"I will definitely do that for you. Goodnight, Brie."
After ending the call, Iris felt herself freezing as the sound of a choked cry sounded from the monitor on her nightstand. In less than a second, Iris was on her feet, making her way quickly to the room next to hers.
"Hello, my love," she whispered softly as she walked into the room and knelt down next to one of the two cribs situated against the room's walls. Familiar green eyes gazed at her though the bars of the crib from a face that made Iris's heart met every time she saw it. "Can't sleep?"
From the neighboring crib, soft snores sounded from the small toddler whose head was turned away from her. Iris grinned, pleased that at least one of her children was doing what they were suppose to, before returning her attention to the less obedient of her children, who was already lifting his arms up for her to carry him.
"Just this once, Don," Iris chided him gently before reaching down and plucking him up into her arms. She rubbed small circles into his back as she began to pace around the room, glad that her footsteps were masked by the thick carpet so that they did not wake up her daughter. "You know that you're not suppose to be coddled anymore."
The small boy merely yawned in response as he rested his cheek against his mother's shoulder and started drifting off back to sleep. Iris continued to hold him tight to her body long after she heard him snoring right into her ear. She closed her eyes as she rocked him in her arms and buried her face in his thick dark curls that smelled like his baby shampoo. Holding him in her arms and feeling the familiar pressure of his small body on her chest pushed all of the worries and cares of the world from her mind, centering her completely, which was what she needed after that night. Thoughts of the rooftop had already begun to fade away, but deep down the doubts in Iris's head continued to rub at her conscience.
As much as she wanted to believe that she had been unaffected by her meeting with Barry Allen – that she had felt nothing – she knew that a part of her had been touched after the encounter. How could she not be touched when the man shared so many similar features with her children – or rather their children – the very ones whose existence he was completely oblivious of?
Across the street from Iris's apartment building, the security camera at the bank began to drift away from the ATM it was meant to be monitoring and focused on the window of Iris' apartment, zooming in on Iris's form cradling her slumbering son in her arms. The feed was transmitted to a computer 2,000 miles away where a blonde-haired, bespectacled woman was watching with her eyes wide and her mouth open with shock as a puzzle that she had just been made aware of began to piece itself together in her head.
She immediately inputted the familiar number of a dear friend into her phone before sending out the call that was answered after the first ring.
"Felicity, did you find her?" he asked immediately, foregoing trivial greetings, which weren't really necessary given how he had just called her less than an hour before telling her everything that had happened between him and a certain woman on a coffee shop roof. He had also revealed the fact that he was certain that he recognized her and how he had come to have met her before, which the bespectacled woman had drunk up earnestly, finding the whole thing entertaining.
Felicity Smoak slowly tore her eyes from the screen that showed Iris West lowering her son into his crib before answering him. "Yes, Barry, I have," she said to him, feeling uneasy about what she was seeing.
"Why do you sound so nervous?" he questioned her, his voice filled with worry.
"I just want you to prepare yourself, Barry, because what I'm going to tell you is not going to be something that you are going to find easy to believe."