Chapter 4

Barry watch as she slipped down the island in slow motion. He could not risk using super speed to save her. So instead, he quickly kicked the immediate threats out of the way and she landed safely on a clean floor. He caught a kiss as she crashed into him. She smiled as if she didn't know about the potential disaster.

She pulled him closer and kissed him again. As he wrapped his arms around her, she grabbed the chocolate sauce and slipped out of his grip, running away playfully.

They sat in the living room eating their ice cream and talking. He told her all about his forensic work and she told him about her job at the clinic. She was a fully qualified Neurologist.

"Aren't you a little young for that?" Barry asked, trying to guess her age and trying not to insult her.

"Yes I am." She smiled faintly and convinced herself to continue. "I graduated high school when I was twelve."

"What?" Barry was shocked.

"I'm not bragging. It's just how it is. I'm kind of smart." She thought for a second. "I was kind of smart. I really am smart now." She looked away as if the thought haunted her.

"So you went to college at thirteen?" Barry encouraged.

"I went to med school at thirteen. My dad was a Neurology researcher. He had tenure and high esteem at the top medical schools. I grew up learning half the things I learned in my first year."

"What does a thirteen year old do in med school?" Barry was shocked. "You didn't have a normal childhood?"

"Oh, my mother tried. But the rich kind of normal childhood. High teas and cotillions, play dates with other rich kids."

"Did it suck?" Barry asked carefully.

"Yes. All of it. I was my dad's pride and joy. And my mom's prized doll. I'm surprised I didn't turn into a rebel."

"You didn't do anything bad when you were a kid? I find that hard to believe."

"There was no time to be a bad girl. I wanted to be a Neurologist. Figure out what's going on in people's heads."

"And now you work for free. I bet your parents love that."

Allie sighed. "Where you ever a bad boy?"

The next morning Barry checked in with Cisco. He was still nervous about the missing papers but he had devised a plan to fix the problem.

"I'm making a bigger one." Cisco announced to Barry alone.

"Cisco, no." Barry frowned.

"It will be able to reverse the effects of the other one as well as its original properties."

"Hey did you guys know that that diner we were at the other night was robbed a while after we left?" Caitlyn walked into the lab, nose in a newspaper.

"Lucky we left then, right?" Cisco smiled, pretending he hadn't been having an important conversation with Barry.

Weeks went by. Barry and Allie spent late nights together after he had played super hero. Cisco worked on the cold hot gun in secret but kept Barry up to date. Barry made plans to meet Iris, to congratulate her on the engagement and to introduce her to Allie.

"You have a girlfriend?" Iris asked in a high-pitched voice when he told her. They sat in the coffee shop, waiting for Allie to arrive.

"It's not official." Barry blushed. He looked at Iris's new ring and was surprised that he didn't feel morose.

"She must be something impressive, to make you smile like that." Iris grinned.

"She's amazing, Iris. She has this way that she looks at me that makes me feel like she knows everything about me, and still wants to know more. As if I'm… I don't know… special."

"You are special, Barry. I've been telling you for years."

It goes without saying that Iris loved Allie. She felt that they were a great match. Allie visited Barry at the station several times and usually just sat on his desk watching him work.

"You're distracting me." He stated several times.

"I'm not doing anything." She giggled.

"You're staring."

"I have a question." Barry stated one night when they set out to a restaurant. She wanted to treat him and after a long discussion and fight, he caved and allowed her to take him wherever she wanted to go.

"Ask away." She said, hoping that he won't pick up the fight again.

"Are you my girlfriend?"

"No. You're mine. I'm the one taking you out, remember?" she joked and his face fell. She sighed and threw her hands up, still smiling. "I'm sorry. That was a joke. Don't want to bring that up again."

"I guess, since I never officially asked you, I just want to know. Do you want to be my girlfriend?"

"Yes." She kissed him. "As I recall, we've been doing a lot of kissing lately. That usually implies it."

"Yeah, but we haven't done a lot of other things." He hinted.

She quickly looked away.

"I know it's not the most sanitary of things…" Barry tried but she started laughing.

"It's not that." She said once she could breathe. "I'm not that much of a germaphobe. I just don't like touching other people. You, I'm fine with. I've touched you plenty of times."

"Then, why…?"

"I just…" she faltered, unable to put words into sentences.

Realization dawned on Barry. "Oh. You've never… Of course." He took a deep breath.

"Have you?" she asked carefully, not sure if she wanted to know.

"No." he admitted.