Disclaimer: These characters aren't mine.

A/N: This story is AU. See Chapter 1 for more details.

Iris discreetly studied the man she was interviewing. Despite the familiar blue eyes, smile and tone of voice, seeing him up close for the second time, noting the way the costume clung to his body, it was hard to believe that Barry Allen was the Flash. She knew Barry intimately, yet her eyes were having difficulty accepting that the man she slept with was the same man standing in front of her. The costume left little to the imagination. Every muscle was clearly defined. Maybe the costume made him appear more buff than he truly was because the body outlined by the costume did not completely match the body of the man she loved. Barry was just…well, he was trim, but he definitely was not this toned. Or was it simply that Barry seemed to slouch and the Flash didn't? Could that account for the difference? Could it be the clothes? None of it seemed to add up, yet, she knew – knew without a shadow of a doubt – that Barry was the Flash. Maybe it truly was the slouch…

Like her first interview with him, this one, too, had been a surprise. Once again, he had whisked her away from the crowd. This time, she had known to keep her eyes open. Not that it had helped that much. The images had remained a blur, but at least she hadn't felt as dizzy or nauseous. Still, her perspective was completely skewed. While she knew they were still in Central City, she had no idea as to where. "Does one ever get used to that?" she asked, patting down her hair. He looked at her quizzically. "Okay, do mere mortals ever get used to that?" she clarified with a smile. "Maybe we'll have to do it more often so I can." He returned the smile.

"Well, I'm guessing you didn't spirit me away to have your way with me." She inwardly smiled as Barry flushed. "So, I assume this is to be a second interview, but I have to ask – why me? Why not a different reporter?"

He shrugged. "You did a great job with the first one. I thought you might have some more questions you'd like to ask me."

The one thing she knew about Barry was that the man could not tell a lie. He was honest to a fault. Fabricating truth was not one of his talents. It was an enviable quality, one she knew she didn't have. Yet, at the moment, she would have sworn he was prevaricating. But if he was, why? "Well, I guess I should be flattered, but don't you think your girlfriend might get jealous to know that you had a private interview with the same attractive reporter twice?"

Another smile. "She's not the jealous type."

Technically, it was the truth. She wasn't the jealous type. But she didn't feel like making life easy on Barry. "Even if I do this?" Iris stood on her tiptoes and kissed him directly on the mouth. She had to remind herself she was playing a role, but Barry made it more difficult when his hands went to her waist. The kiss lasted longer than it should have. She was the one who ended it. "Well?"

Barry appeared flustered. "Don't you have a boyfriend?"

"He's not the jealous type," she echoed. It was the truth, but not the complete truth. Barry wasn't jealous; he was insecure. Why he was insecure was unknown. The man was the Flash, a hero. What did he have to feel insecure about? "Besides, there was more than one rumor after our first interview that I slept with you to get the interview."

"What?!"

She had purposefully not shared that little tidbit of information with Barry previously. Telling Wally had been bad enough. Seeing Wally's reaction had reaffirmed her decision to not tell Barry. But now? Well, technically, she was interviewing the Flash, not Barry. So, technically, she still hadn't told Barry. Besides, it was the perfect way to test him. If Barry said anything to her or asked any questions, he would be admitting he was the world's fastest man alive. "Jealous colleagues."

"I'm sorry."

The compassion and understanding in his voice and eyes almost caused her to come clean and reveal that she knew Barry was the Flash. Almost. "Yeah, well, it's part of the game."

"I hope you mean the rumors."

Her irritation flashed. "Of course! You don't think-" Iris forced herself to pause and take a deep breath. She was playing a part. Likewise, Barry was also playing a part. He had to be. He knew her well enough to know she'd never do any such thing. "Sorry. Sorry about the kiss, too… Guess I can't really complain about the rumors. Most rumors seem to have an ounce of truth, and that kiss, well…I shouldn't have. Again, sorry." Why had she kissed him? What had she been thinking? That was the problem. She hadn't been. If she had hoped to ruffle his feathers, it hadn't worked…or at least not enough for him to come clean.

"We can share the blame. You surprised me, but I should have stopped."

"Yeah, well, I guess we should get started with the interview." They covered the basics of his most recent activities quickly. Iris moved the interview back to old ground. "So, last time, you had mentioned Green Lantern was the first hero you had met. Who was next?"

He smiled at the memory. "Superman, even though Batman was there, too."

"How'd you meet?"

"Superman was trying to kill Green Lantern and Batman. Green Lantern contacted me for help." Iris looked at him with growing admiration as he retold the story of when they – the group of heroes that would become known as the Justice League – had confronted Darkseid. It was after that confrontation that the world's view towards superheroes had turned.

"So, even then you and Green Lantern were friends?"

He chuckled. "I don't know if I would have called us friends at that point. We had worked together once. Honestly, I didn't really like him at first. He was bold, loud, forward, obnoxious. I soon realized it was an act, or at least mostly an act. There're still times when he's a bit too much for me. I think he needs to slow down. Overall, though, he's a good guy."

Barry had just described Hal perfectly. Not that she needed it, but now she had additional confirmation that Hal was the Green Lantern. "The fastest man alive telling someone to slow down? Seems like an oxymoron."

"I suppose it is."

Iris wondered if Barry realized how much he had let his guard down. It was time to remind him of who she was. "So, how much of this was on-the-record and how much was off?"

"Well, I haven't shared any deep, dark secrets."

"True. But do you want Green Lantern to know what you think of him?"

"He already knows. Just like I know what he thinks of me."

"Oh?"

"He thinks I'm a bit too naïve, innocent. He gets a little frustrated at times when I insist we follow procedure. He'd rather jump from the beginning to the end without all the messy stuff in the middle. I like to see what might be in the mess."

"Why is that?" Iris already had a fairly good guess, but she wanted to hear Barry voice it.

"It's probably due to my day job."

"You have a job outside of being the Flash?"

"Yep."

"Do all the heroes?"

"For the most part."

"And what is your day job?"

He smiled. "Sorry."

"Not even a little hint?"

"No."

"Not even off-the-record?"

"No."

She forced herself to look disappointed. "Well, then, moving on, have you told your girlfriend yet?"

"No."

"You still don't trust her?"

"It's not a matter of trust. I trust her. I love her. But I don't want to put her in danger."

"You say you love her and trust her, but your actions say otherwise. If you truly did, you'd tell her." Why did she feel guilty making him feel guilty? There was no doubt in her heart or mind that Barry loved her, but when it came to trust… Well, if he truly trusted her, he would have shared his secret. Then again, did people ever really share all of their secrets with others? It seemed unlikely. She certainly didn't. But not telling her he was the Flash was very different from not telling her about some stupid thing he may have done in high school or college. The Flash was a major part of his life. It wasn't a one-time thing or some small quirky thing he did on occasion.

He stared at his hands. "Do you have any other questions for me?"

The implication was clear. He wasn't going to answer any more questions about his girlfriend. "I still think you should tell her."

"Noted."

Iris sighed. The interview hadn't given her too much new information. Despite his relaxed posture, he was still very guarded. She understood, but it was frustrating. She was ready to suggest they wrap it up when a thought came to her. Did he know Dr. Thawne? Given her continuing investigation into the researcher, perhaps she could see how much Barry knew about the man. She couldn't exactly ask Barry about him in a normal setting. Why would a police scientist have any reason to know about a STAR Labs scientist? But the Flash? The Flash should know, particularly since Dr. Thawne believed he was the world's foremost researcher on the Flash. "Do you know a Dr. Malcolm Thawne?" As nonchalant as Barry tried to act, Iris noted the tension in his body increased. It was an interesting reaction. Why would the mention of Dr. Thawne cause him to tense? Her instincts told her she had just struck gold. "He's a researcher at STAR Labs. He considers himself the world's foremost researcher on the Flash."

Barry smiled, even though the smile didn't reach his eyes. "I can say for certain that that's not the case."

"But do you know him? Or of him? Has he ever contacted you?"

"Yes."

Barry wasn't going to make this easy. Iris couldn't help but wonder why. "Yes what? You know him? He contacted you?"

"Both."

"And?"

"There's not much to tell. He contacted me. He wanted to study what I could do. I said no. End of story." Once again, Barry proved he couldn't lie. His body language alone displayed how uncomfortable he was with this line of questioning. "Why are you interested in him?"

Iris had to give him credit for turning the question back on her. She shrugged. "My nephew works as his research assistant. My nephew's pretty laid back. He's one of those people who can get along with anybody, or at least anybody except Dr. Thawne. And after meeting the researcher, I can fully understand why. The man is a piece of work. He's one of them who accused me of sleeping with you to get the interview. Based on what my nephew's told me and after meeting him, something seemed off. So, I've been digging around a bit. Since he has an unparalleled interest in the Flash, I thought I'd ask you about him."

Barry remained silent. Iris inwardly sighed. She wasn't going to reveal everything, but maybe if she said a bit more, Barry would share whatever he knew. "I've done some digging into his background. Things don't add up. Nothing big jumps out, but a lot of little things seem off. And my instinct tells me something's there. Did you pick up on anything?"

Barry continued to remain silent. She decided to keep talking about it. The tactic worked at times. Usually the other person would start talking to just shut her up. Hopefully it would work this time. "He doesn't seem the type who would have left you alone, or at least stopped contacting you after one try. He definitely seems like he'd be persistent. Maybe even to the point of it being considered harassment. Or at least he left me with that impression. Did you pick up on that?"

This time Barry sighed. "You aren't going to drop this, are you?"

She smiled sweetly. "Reporter. No."

Barry ran his hand over his face. "Yes, he's very persistent. Yes, it probably could be considered harassment. Iris, just like your reporter instincts are telling you something more is there, I have that same feeling. For that reason, I really think you should drop your investigation of him."

"What? You've got to be kidding. If there's something there-"

"I understand. You sense a story. You want to pursue it. My hunch – my instinct – agrees, but it also tells me this man could be dangerous. I don't have any proof of that, but I know his type. Please, drop this."

"Are you investigating him? Monitoring his activities?"

"No."

If Barry were concerned, why wasn't he investigating – or at the bare minimum monitoring – this guy? If there were concerns, it would seem as if Barry – or rather the Flash – should be doing more. "Then-"

"Miss West, please." He looked away briefly. "I should get you back. Where would you like to be dropped off?"

The interview was officially over. She hadn't expected the mention of Dr. Thawne to effectively shut Barry down. What did he know? If anything, Barry's lack of cooperation supported her instinct that there was definitely something going on. Could it be that that something involved Barry? That possibility seemed unlikely. Barry would have been unable to maintain that charade. It simply wasn't in his character.

"Same place as last time," she replied. The return to Barry's house was done in silence. He gave her the briefest of smiles before he ran off. Iris sighed. The interview hadn't ended in a good way. Barry was upset. God only knew why. She had no more information regarding Dr. Thawne. At least she could get another Flash story and make her editor happy.

With her laptop at the apartment, she used Barry's computer to type up her notes and start sketching out the article. It wouldn't be like her first article. There wouldn't be the background interviews with survivors. There wouldn't be the facts on the number of lives saved or criminals incarcerated. Nor would there be the facts on the level of property damage or the number of lives lost. The public had already gotten those facts. This time it would be a simple interview with the Flash providing a bit more information about who he was.

As usual, she lost track of time. When the hands fell on her shoulders, she jumped in surprise. "Barry! What are you-" she quickly glanced at the computer's clock. It wasn't even four o'clock yet. "What are you doing here already?"

He smiled. "Such a warm and happy greeting to see me."

Iris smiled self-consciously. "Sorry. I'm thrilled to see you, just a little surprised. You usually work until at least five thirty."

"Well, I have to go back."

She looked at him quizzically. "Oh? Then why did you come home early? Is something wrong?"

He ignored her questions. "You were completely engrossed in your work. Hot scoop?"

She decided to overlook the fact he hadn't answered her questions. Something was bothering him. Intuition told her it was the interview. "Surprise, surprise, another interview with the Flash."

"That's good." Barry paused. "He's the reason I'm here."

Iris froze. Could it be? Was Barry going to come clean? "Oh?" She strove to keep her tone casual.

"He talked to me. It was after your interview with him."

Iris felt her hopes disappear. The charade was to continue. "Really? Why?"

"He's worried about you. Actually, he's worried about a story you're working on. He told me he asked you to drop it. I guess he didn't trust you because he asked me to ask you to do the same. Something about Dr. Thawne. I'm guessing this is the same Thawne as Wally's supervisor."

"It's nothing."

"Obviously the Flash doesn't think so."

Iris bit back her snarky comeback. She wanted to snap "and obviously you don't either." If Barry wasn't about to admit the truth, neither was she and that comment would make him realize everything she knew. "I'd give him more credit if he would have given me a reason to drop it. He didn't do that."

"Iris, Wally talked to me – and to Hal – about Thawne."

"He what?" The words surprised her. Wally had confided in Barry – and Hal – before confiding in her? What was going on? While she was pleased to learn Wally felt comfortable enough opening up to Barry, it still stun. It actually hurt to know Wally felt safer telling Hal something – a man he barely knew – than her. What was going on?

"Wally has some suspicions about Thawne."

"Like what?"

"It's not my place to say. It should come from Wally, not me."

Her temper rose. He was not about to hide behind Wally. "Barry, don't you dare-"

"Wally has suspicions. He didn't talk to you about them because he was worried your reporter instinct would kick in and override any common sense."

"That's low."

"But true."

Iris glared at him. Yes, technically, it was true. But she was a reporter. If there was a story, she was going to undercover it. She turned her attention back the computer. She saved her files and logged off her work account. "Go back to work, Barry, because I'm going home."

"Iris-"

She smiled coldly at him. "No. Keep your damn little secrets. Use Wally as an excuse. Fine. But next time you see the Flash, tell him his little gambit didn't work. He only made me more suspicious. Obviously DR. Thawne is hiding something and I intend to find out what it is." Grabbing her purse, she stormed out of the house. Once outside, she realized she had no means of returning to her apartment. Her car was in the parking ramp near the newspaper office. She wasn't about to ask Barry for ride. Instead, she dug in her purse for her cell phone and started to walk down the sidewalk.

"Iris-"

"Go to hell, Barry."

"Damn it, Iris, stop being so stubborn."

She turned on her heel and faced him. "Hey, Wally, I'm at Gleason Park. Long story short, I need a ride. Think you can pick me up? Thanks. See you soon."

Wally sat in his truck and stared at the apartment building. He wanted to go inside. He wanted to go inside, crash on the couch, and lose himself watching mundane afternoon talk shows. It was a great plan. It would help him forget what he had done…at least for a couple hours. Only one catch. He could see the patio door was open. That meant Iris was working from home. That meant no peace and quiet. She'd immediately sense something was wrong and want to talk about it. Why was it when it affected him, she had to talk it out. However, whenever the tables were reversed, she'd usually shut him out.

That scenario had happened only two days earlier. She and Barry had gotten into some sort of disagreement. Whatever it was about, Iris was angry. She refused to answer or return any calls from Barry. She deleted his emails and texts without reading them. When Barry had come to the apartment, she had forbid Wally from letting Barry inside. When Barry had sent flowers, she had told Wally to give them to Mrs. Kosinski, the eighty-year-old widow down the hall.

Wally had tried to ask her what was going on. She had only smiled and said Barry was being an ass. Considering that was all she called him, Wally had known whatever the spat was about, it would blow over. Iris just needed time. The amount of time was the real question. Two days had passed and she was showing no signs of being over it. Wally had shared all this with Barry. He had told Barry to hang tough, that Iris would come around. Yet, when he had tried to get Barry to tell him what had happened, Barry had clammed up as well. Perhaps it was a good thing. Did he really want to get caught between them?

The disagreement resulted in Iris being moody and untalkative. As a result, he hadn't known about her second interview with the Flash. Nor had he known when the article would be published. To his surprise, it had been the lead story on the front page of the morning newspaper. Immediately he had known what would happen when he arrived at STAR Labs. He hadn't been disappointed. Wally hadn't even had the time to log onto the computer network before Dr. Thawne had called – or rather ordered – him into his office.

Once inside, Dr. Thawne had shut the door and pointed to the article. Without hesitation, the snide remarks had begun. Unlike all the other times, though, Wally had had enough. He had finally done what he should have done weeks earlier. He had quit. The researcher had barely warmed up when Wally had made his announcement. It had silenced the other man. Wally had used the silence to clarify that his resignation was effective immediately. As Wally had stood to leave, Dr. Thawne had started again, threatening Wally's future career, questioning his intelligence, and remarking on a host of other topics. Even though the words had hit their mark, Wally had forced himself to appear unaffected and walked out, tossing his identification card and building access card until Dr. Thawne's desk.

By the time he had reached his truck, he had been shaking. It had taken almost two minutes to calm his breathing. Calming his nerves was another story. At first he had tried a walk along the riverfront. That hadn't worked. He had tried clearing his mind and people watching from a coffee shop. That hadn't worked either. He had contemplated calling Iris – or even Barry – but given the current status or their relationship, it hadn't seemed like the best of ideas. He had even thought about calling Hal, but that just seemed too over the top. Hal was Iris' boyfriend's best friend. While Wally liked Hal, he doubted their relationship was ready for this level. Besides, he had already pushed Hal far enough with his worries about Dr. Thawne.

That had left his grandpa. Sure, there were other friends, but of them, there were none he trusted enough to bare his soul. To his surprise, his grandpa had been the right choice. Ira West had listened to his grandson's story and had then reassured Wally not to worry. There were times when Wally would have sworn Ira's absentmindedness was all an act. This had definitely been one of those times.

Realizing he couldn't delay the inevitable, he climbed out of the truck. To try to control the situation, he decided to go on the offensive. He really didn't think it would work. This was Iris. But it was worth a shot. Entering the apartment, he found Iris seated at the kitchen table working on her laptop. "Hey, Iris, I thought you'd be swamped at work, booking all those interviews, making plans to go to New York. Hey, maybe this time you could do Leno or Letterman."

"Ha, ha. I did go in, but it was…distracting so I came home. The messages and all that can wait until tomorrow."

"I was surprised to see the article. You never said anything about a second interview. That must have been exciting." He realized he had failed to keep the disappointment out of his voice. Even if he had, Iris would have read between the lines.

"Yeah, well, I'm sorry about that. I should have shared the good news, but this thing with Barry… The timing was just bad. It's kept me preoccupied."

"You going to forgive him any time soon?"

"I will. I just don't know when yet."

"Well, that's good because he's a bit unsure and unsettled about it all." The understatement of the year. It had taken almost thirty minutes of constantly reassuring Barry that Iris hadn't broken off the relationship, that she just needed time to work through whatever had happened.

"Serves him right." Based on that comment, Wally guessed Barry would be sweating it out at least three more days. "So, what are you doing home early?"

"Well, I finally did it. I quit."

"What?" Surprise filled her face.

He forced a smile. "You called him a pig. He was at his best this morning. I didn't feel like listening to it anymore. So I quit."

"Wally, I'm sorry. I completely forgot about how Dr. Thawne might react to that article. I've just been, well…my mind's been elsewhere, but that's really no excuse. It was that bad?"

"I quit before he said too much. He had a few words to say about that as well."

"How're you doing?"

"Better. It took awhile for me to calm down. But, are you ready for the surprise of the century?" Iris nodded. "I have grandpa to thank," he admitted.

"You talked to dad?" He had surprised her twice in one day. First by quitting and now by admitting he had talked to his grandpa. It was truly a record.

"Yeah. It was…it was a bit surreal to be honest. We talked about school, physics, whatnot. It's amazing how with it he was. I even accused him of the whole absentminded professor act."

Iris smiled. "What did he say?"

"He only gave me this blank smile, but his eyes twinkled." Iris laughed. "Anyway, he stressed that I should finish my degree, even if I decide not to stay in physics. I already planned to do that. It'd be stupid to stop when the end is in sight. He also said he had some ideas if I needed any help finding a topic for my dissertation." Wally paused. "He talked about you a bit, too. He sees a future with you and Barry together." Wally glanced at Iris out of the corner of his eye for her reaction. In his mind, and obviously his grandpa's as well, Barry and Iris were a match, current disagreement aside. Iris maintained an air of indifference about the matter. Wally had yet to ask Barry, but based on Barry's worry about the current status of his relationship with Iris, Wally assumed Barry had begun thinking long term.

"Yes, well, did he have any other words of wisdom for you?"

So much for Iris providing any insight into her feelings. "Nah, once grandpa realized I was on to his act, he stepped it up a notch. It was an Oscar winning performance." The man had suddenly been forgetting almost everything. It had been both amusing and annoying.

Iris laughed again. "An Oscar would look good alongside the Nobel Prize." Her face turned serious. "I'm glad you won't have to deal with Dr. Thawne anymore. I'm guessing he's the reason you haven't been yourself these past weeks." So much for hoping Iris hadn't noticed. "Don't look so surprised. Of course, I knew something was up. You should know you can pull one over on me. I figured you'd tell me whenever you felt ready. But speaking of the devil, knowing what you did explains his mood a bit more."

The implication behind her words sent a chill down his spine. "You saw Dr. Thawne today?"

Iris nodded. "He's another reason why I came home. Yes, first was to escape the hullabaloo about the interview. Then there was the fact that the newspaper was hacked again. Can you believe it? You'd think they would have installed a better firewall after that last time. This time, the hackers didn't stop with work files. They also took payroll information. Everyone's been cautioned to be extra vigilant about their personal information. The paper's going to pay for twelve months of identity monitoring for everyone. The hacker also planted some sort of bug in the computer system. The network went down and didn't show any signs of being quickly fixed. My options were to stay and chitchat with my coworkers, field phone calls and all that other nonsense, or come home and work. I chose the latter option. As I was leaving, I ran into Dr. Thawne in the lobby. Security ushered him out pretty quickly."

A knot of fear settled in his stomach. "What did he do?" If security had gotten involved, it must have been bad.

"His usual. Accused me of withholding information, made some disgusting allusions toward what I did to show my thankfulness to the Flash, etc."

She wasn't telling him everything. Worse, it was his fault. If he hadn't quit, Dr. Thawne probably wouldn't have done what he had done. He wouldn't have gone to the newspaper. He would have taken out his frustrations on Wally. Still, not quitting wouldn't have prevented the hacking. That had happened because of Iris' article. The coincidence cemented his belief that Dr. Thawne was involved. "I'm sorry."

"Wally, it's not your fault. The man has some serious issues. After security got rid of him, my boss was alerted. I told him what had happened. I also shared what I had learned about the man so far. My boss was going to contact STAR. He ordered me to go home for the rest of the day. He even made security escort me to my car. That seemed a little over the top, but I realized arguing with him about that would have been pointless.

"Did you tell Barry?"

"No, and I don't plan to either."

"Iris-"

"Wally, no. Don't go there."

"Sorry, Iris, but I have to." Her face showed her confusion. The time of truth had arrived. He only wished the circumstances were different. While he knew Iris would believe him, he was unsure of what her reaction to the information might be. Taking a deep breath, he told the tale. "Dr. Thawne…I think he's responsible for the deaths of those men at the warehouse fire." Iris listened to his story without interruption. As the words spilled out, it felt like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. Telling Hal had helped, but Hal was just…Hal. Telling Iris was completely different. It was a difference he simply couldn't describe.

"Why didn't you tell me this before?" she asked when he had finished.

"I wanted to protect you. I knew you wouldn't leave it alone. I knew you would start digging. In the end, though, it didn't really matter."

"Because I got myself involved on my own."

Wally nodded. "I thought telling Hal and Barry would help. I mean I know it sounds naïve, but I had thought that since Barry works for the police department and all, that there'd be some strings he could pull, that he could somehow point the detectives in Dr. Thawne's direction."

"I'm sure he's doing their best."

"Yeah, I know. But to show how truly twisted all of this has become, I'm actually mad at the Flash for granting you another interview. That just riled up Dr. Thawne again. Not that things were great or fixed or whatever, but they had at least stagnated for the time-being." Wally glanced at Iris. She appeared lost in thought. "Iris?"

She smiled. "Well, I guess it's time I call Barry."

Wally felt confused. Why did his story about Dr. Thawne make Iris want to talk to Barry but Iris' own confrontation with the man didn't? It didn't add up. "I don't understand."

"When I interviewed the Flash, I asked him about Dr. Thawne. I mean, surely the Flash would know something about the world's foremost researcher on the Flash. I can't believe Dr. Thawne would have never tried to contact the Flash. But the Flash didn't tell me anything. Instead he told me to drop my investigation. That just made me more curious. Why would the Flash care? But to make matters even worse, the Flash contacted Barry and told him to tell me to drop it."

"That's what you've been fighting about?"

"Partly. I was more angry that Barry used you as an excuse for not telling me."

"But I told him not to."

"I know that now, but at the time, it seemed like a convenient excuse. But it does seem a little strange that I got a second interview with the Flash, especially if Barry and Hal knew all of this."

Once again he felt confused. "What does Barry and Hal knowing have to do with you getting another interview with the Flash?"

Iris smiled. "Well, you haven't been the only holding onto a secret."

A knock sounded on the door. "I'll get it," Wally said. His mind was whirling as to what Iris might be about to tell him. He couldn't find a plausible way to connect Barry, Hal and the Flash. Glancing out the peephole, he saw another bouquet of flowers. "Well, it appears Barry is still asking your forgiveness. Maybe this time you'll keep the flowers," he said as he opened the door.

"Hello, Wallace." Wally froze and stared in surprise at Dr. Thawne. The baseball cap, clothes and flowers had been a perfect disguise. Wally hadn't recognized the man. "I finally realized you're the key. Iris will tell me whatever I want to know, do whatever I want her to do, if your life is in the balance."

Wally moved to slam the door. In his peripheral vision, he noticed something in Dr. Thawne's hand. When it touched his arm, the world as he knew it was turned upside down. His mind barely registered it was a stun gun as the voltage raced through his body. He fell to the floor unable to move.

"Wally?! What's-"

"Hello, Iris."

A/N: The story about the Flash meeting Superman and Batman for the first time occurs in the DCnU. For more information, see the TPB Justice League: Origin (the New 52).