Barry, Caitlin and Cisco were well into the Matrix, when Barry received a text. "Is it her?" Cisco asked a little too excitedly. "No, it's Iris. Look, you guys, I need to go." Barry said, and he left before Caitlin and Cisco could say "bye."
Caitlin shrugged as she stared at her own phone. There was still no word from Ronnie. "This isn't like him," she told Cisco.
"Who? Barry?" Cisco asked, as he put a fist full of popcorn into his mouth.
"No, Ronnie. He would normally call by now. Maybe something is wrong!" Caitlin rang her husband and got no answer. So she tried Martin's phone. Still no answer.
"Relax. They're probably asleep, or in some boring lecture… Or, didn't you say that Martin was giving the lecture." Cisco suggested. "if anyone is in trouble, it has to be Astrid. It's been three hours and still no word."
"What? are you thinking that Eddie kidnapped her?" Caitlin laughed.
But then, it was as if Caitlin's words had triggered another vision. Though in the vision, he saw Eddie as a speedster kidnapping Frost from outside Amarasia Oasis. He went silent.
"Cisco. It was a joke!" Caitlin said lightly.
Cisco stared at Caitlin, shocked at what he had just seen.
"Cisco… what was it? what did you see?" Caitlin asked realizing that he had just had a vision.
Barry arrived home to find Iris sitting on the lounge, waiting for him. The minute he walked in, she stood up. She had been crying.
"Iris, are you ok? Where's Joe?" Barry asked her.
"Dad's working. He won't be home until later. I told him that I needed to speak with you, so he gave us the house to ourselves." Iris explained.
"Are you ok? Have you been crying?" Barry asked, walking towards her. He attempted to hold on to her hands, but she moved them away.
He looked down at a crumpled up piece of paper, that she had thrown on to the couch. He picked it up.
"Barry, I found that within some of my old books, do you remember it?" she asked him.
Barry unraveled the paper and read, he remembered exactly what it was, but until then he had forgotten that he had ever written it.
It was a letter that he had written for Iris when they were in high school. He had sealed it up in an envelope and told her that she couldn't read it until she was thirty, she had written him one too.
Only, his had been a letter declaring his love and devotion for her. He had not yet read her letter as he had been willing to keep his promise.
"Iris, you weren't supposed to read it, yet." Barry said, slowly putting the letter on the table.
"I had to. Barry, do you still feel this way? The way you said in that letter… I asked Astrid and she wouldn't answer me, but then I found this letter on my shelf… I had to read it, Barry… Do you still feel the same way as you did then?" she pleaded for him to give her an answer.
"Iris… I…" Barry began, he thought back to the pocket dimension, where he was prepared to propose to her.
"Barry… Are you in love with me?" she demanded an answer.
"Yes, Iris! I love you. I have loved you with every breathe since the moment I met you and I still love you now. So yes, I do. I've wished that I could tell you a million times over, how I felt about you… but I've just been afraid."
Iris slumped back onto the couch and shook her head. "I knew it, deep down. I always knew... but I'm sorry, Barry. I just don't feel the same way. I wish I did. But I don't."
Barry felt his heart break into a million pieces. He regretted speaking those words entirely. "Iris…" he began. But she stood up, took her jacket and purse, and ran to the door.
"Iris, where are you going?" Barry asked her.
"We can't both live here… I'm not going to ask you to move out. But I'll be back for my things in the morning." She closed the door behind her, making Barry wish that Cisco would breech in and bring him back to the alternate reality to fight the lords of chaos, at any moment. But it never happened. He was left there, alone with his thoughts. He sat down on the couch and wiped a few tears away from his eyes, wishing he had kept his mouth shut.
The next morning, Barry arrived at STAR Labs very early, logged onto Cisco's computer and began tracking crime all over the city. Every time he found one, he would go out, apprehend the criminal and scan for another.
At 8:00 Cisco and Caitlin arrived with coffees in hands. "Hey, man… did you log into my computer?" Cisco began as he saw Barry scanning for another crime, "Nobody logs onto my computer… that stuff is private dude… it would be like…" He stopped as he saw the expression on Barry's face, through his red suit. "Hey Barry, are you ok?"
"I don't know what you're talking about, Cisco… I'm fine!" Barry replied, as he drank one of the coffees in Cisco's hands. Fortunately, that one was for him.
"Er, no… you can't tell me that you're not upset… I vibe things, remember?"
"Right now I just want to go out and save the city… I'm not here to talk about personal dramas, ok?" Barry snapped.
Cisco threw his hands up in the air in defeat, and swished Barry away from his computer, "Ok then… the next crime is on…"
"…the corner of East and Barrett! I got it…" Barry said, and he was off again.
"Yeah… that was weird!" Cisco said to Caitlin. She agreed with him, and they turned to see Astrid in an oddly cheery mood, as she spoke on the phone. "So is that…" Caitlin mouthed to Cisco.
Astrid ended her phone call and looked at her friends who were both staring at her.
"What?" Astrid asked them, slightly amused.
"Do you want to take this one, Cisco?" Caitlin asked.
"…Don't mind if I do…" Cisco said, he began mimicking the tone that Robert Sutherland would use time and time again. "Where were you last night, young lady?"
Astrid burst out laughing. "Okay, dad, mom… I'm pretty sure that I'm a grown up now and I don't need to explain myself to either one of you." She snapped.
"Astrid, that wasn't nice." Caitlin replied. "What Cisco is getting at, is that last night… you went out with someone who you blatantly despise and while we waited at your place, up until midnight for you to return, you never showed."
Barry had joined the group and was now waiting around for the debriefing of the night before.
"Look, you guys. There's nothing to tell. I'm sorry that you waited around all night. But everything was fine. I promise. Besides, I was with a police officer… who just happens to be Barry's brother… You see? I'm safe and sound…" She told them.
"Look, I'm going to take her on her word." Barry agreed. "But I have to get to work. I'll see you guys later."
Astrid went into her office, leaving both Cisco and Caitlin confused about what the hell was going on with their friends. "Weird!" Cisco mouthed to Caitlin.
"Very weird!" Caitlin agreed as the two of them set to work.
