Thursday, April 25, 2024.

12 hours since Flash disappearance.

Iris's left hand was trembling. She was making so many typos. Her mouth was dry, her eyes puffy and red. Her head was pounding and the world seemed to be screaming at her. Yet, she needed to finish the story.

She continued on with her sixth paragraph.

"It took only a moment to realize The Flash and the Reverse-Flash were gone without a trace…"

She paused at that. She lifted her trembling hand from the keyboard and stared at her wedding ring with a blank expression. Vanished without a trace. Her Barry.

She frowned, dazed, her hand should stop shaking, she needed to finish the story. She had been putting it off for too long. Her deadline was in thirty minutes. It had taken a lot to convince her editor that she could do the story.

"You are too close to this Iris. Go home or better yet, out of this city. It is not safe right now, if anything happens to you, Joseph will kill me."

Iris had shaken her head stubbornly.

"No. I know the Flash. I am the best reporter for this story. And I can't go home. Out there, everything is chaos. I am much safer here. Please, let me do this, it's the least I can do," she had pleaded, tears welling up her eyes.

"Fine. But after… you leave. I can't have you working with all that is happening."

She stared at her left hand begging for obedience. It didn't stop shaking, in fact it got worse. Almost like it was vibrating. Barry, she thought, her eyes stinging once again. She sighed, her breath shaky. Her hands needed to stop trembling.

She looked around and saw a solution on her desk. She picked up a pair of scissors, examined them, this would do.

Suddenly she brought it down and stabbed her left hand. The scissor went through her skin, pierced her flesh. She couldn't feel the pain, she was numb. But her hand stopped trembling. She pulled out the scissor, her flesh making sounds of protest.

Ah. She was making a mess. There was blood everywhere. It trickled down to her fingers, drops collected themselves on her wedding ring. Thank goodness no one could see her. Everyone was scrambling, some packing their things ready to leave. Others, the braver journalists like Linda Park, were getting their equipment, ready to go out and cover stories.

Everything was a mess. Central City. Her life. Her heart. And now her keyboard was sticky with blood.

She placed her fingers down her familiar keyboard and continued typing. Thankfully, words were flowing out, she wasn't struggling to write the story.

"Central City Police Chief, Joe West gave a press conference in the wee hours of the morning stating…"

Dad. She was concerned about her father. He was drowning in work and he was losing good police officers without the Flash, it wasn't looking good out there. She had talked to her dad few minutes after the Flash had disappeared. He had sounded hollow. She wanted to see him, but she wasn't sure what comfort she could be.

She was not handling Barry's disappearance well. She chuckled, dropping her head in her arms. Well? She was a fucking disaster. It was almost shameful how pathetic she was at this moment.

If Barry could…Barry…Barry. She felt her hand start to tremble again. No. No. She was almost done. A few more minutes then she could break down.
She brought her hands down to her keyboard again. The bleeding had stopped. She didn't notice.

"A sentiment shared by all who call this great city home."

The period flashed on her screen. She leaned back. Yes. She was done. Now for the title, then send it to the editor. She scrolled up. She paused for few moments trying to come up with a title. Her fingers tapping her keyboard lightly.

Flash disappears, Central City in chaos. No, it didn't feel right.

Flash Vanishes Amid Chaos. Mmh, no.

Flash Missing leaves wife a mess. She chuckled flatly, funny. Or better yet;

Please Come Back Flash, Please. Yeah, that would be funny too she thought, tears now streaming down her face.

She was getting angry.

Why have you left me?

You said Forever and Always.

She jammed on her keyboard, her fingers aching. Her wedding ring felt so heavy. She wanted to remove it and throw it. She was now audibly sobbing.

Oh god, Barry. Oh god, please.

Something was different. This wasn't like the time Barry had been kidnapped by Trickster. Or when she had been taken hostage by Mirror Master and Barry had nearly died saving her.

This time Barry's disappearance felt different. She couldn't feel him, like she usually could and that petrified her.

She started hyperventilating. Panic seizing her heart, squeezing it. Suddenly she felt hands on her shoulder. She looked up to see Linda. She was staring at her sorrow in her eyes. Linda knew about Iris's relationship with the Flash.

Linda gently removed Iris's hand from the keyboard. She brought out a napkin and pressed it on her wound that was bleeding again.
Then she wrapped her arms around her and held her tightly.

"Ssh Iris. Breathe. Breathe."

Iris burrowed into her friends arms and tried to stop crying. Or at least to breathe. When she had regained some control, Linda let go off her and looked at her.

"Atta girl."

Then Linda looked at her story. "Let me help you okay?"

Iris nodded, feeling tired, drained. She leaned back on her chair and closed her eyes. She heard Linda start typing, the rhythmic sound of the keyboard calming her a little bit. She didn't know how long she sat there, eyes closed.

"Okay, done. I will send it now," Linda announced lightly. Iris nodded not opening her eyes.

"You want to look over it before I send it?" Linda inquired softly. Iris almost shook her head, she trusted Linda. Whatever she had written would be fine. But then she opened her eyes.

THE FLASH MISSING VANISHES IN CRISIS. She nodded in approval. Her eyes trailed down to the byline.

By Iris West-Allen.

She stared at the byline for a few moments. West-Allen. She remembered when she had told him that she would keep her father's name, a few weeks after he had proposed.

"But Iris Allen sounds nice. West-Allen is a bit of a mouthful," Barry whined as they sat at Jitters, a small café that they both loved.

"My dad will kill us both if I don't keep my second name. Do you want my father as a life-long enemy?" she asked laughing.

Barry considered it and shuddered, "No. The speech you dad gave me when I went to ask for his blessing still haunts me in my dreams."

Iris laughed placing her hand on his. "Good," she said leaning over, her face a few inches from his. He grinned happily and placed a hand on her cheek.

"And anyways I like it, I get to keep the names of the two men I love most in this world," she whispered happily inching closer to his lips.

"Not universe?" Barry asked slyly drawing her into a kiss. Her laugh echoed through time and found her sitting on her desk, Linda next to her.

"Iris, I've sent it, with the picture you took yesterday."

Iris stared at her computer screen and nodded. Linda got up and put a comforting hand on Iris's shoulder,

"he is fine. He is the Flash, he always comes back to you. Let me go get something to properly wrap that hand of yours, okay?"

Iris nodded numbly and gave Linda a thin thankful smile.

"He always comes home" she said closing her eyes again.

She leaned back on her chair and felt Linda's hand move away. In the blackness of her mind, time stood still. She called out to him. Barry. Barry. Where are you?

She couldn't feel him. She couldn't sense him anywhere. And that broke her heart.

For the first time since she had known him, Iris West-Allen was not sure if her husband was coming back to her.

Barry.

-End-