Author's Note: Sorry I haven't posted in a while. Works been madness but I'm back. So, Tony might be coming after Iris and Barry this time round. I own nothing.

25. History

"Barry?" Cisco called looking around the old Keystone Iron works. There were footprints in the long cooled molten metal that led away from one of the overturned vats. He glanced down at the tablet he was using to track the suit.

"She's here somewhere, we just need to find her." Caitlin nodded and jumped as something shifted to their left. An arm in red leather was sticking out from under an overturned shelf.

"Oh my god! Barry!" Caitlin cried out and she and Cisco raced over to the shelf trying to pull Barry out as gently as possible, her eyes were closed and there was a cut on her face that was slowly dribbling blood as it began to heal.

"Barry! Say something so we know you're ok!" Caitlin said grabbing Barry's unburied hand. Barry's eyes fluttered open and she managed to choke out a pained noise.

"That will do for now. Come on Cisco we gotta get her out of here." It took them some time but they managed to get Barry out from under the shelf and got her out to the waiting Star Labs van. Once they were a safe distance away Cisco called in an anonymous tip to the Central City Police Department about the whereabouts of one Tony Woodward's hideout.

"What were you thinking!? I told you we would figure out a way to deal with him!" Dr. Wells slammed his fist down onto the control panel of his wheelchair glaring at Barry who was being taken care of by Caitlin. She sighed.

"I'll heal." Barry sighed shaking off Caitlin and stalking over to the other side of the room.

"You can't heal when your dead. He could have killed you." And if that happened everything he had worked for the last fourteen years would be for nothing. He would never get home if she died. He wished he'd been able to talk her out of this hero business but it seemed that no matter the timeline Barry Allen would always be a hero.

"I know! Ok I know! In the past thirty-six hours I have had my ass handed to me twice by the guy that tortured me as a kid! I couldn't beat him then and I can't beat him now! Even with my powers I'm helpless against the man who made my school life a living hell until I left for college!" Barry buried her head in her hands. Dr. Wells shook his head.

"Not necessarily. Cisco, go ahead." Cisco proceeded to explain his theory of the supersonic punch. But before they had time to talk about it more Barry's phone rang. It was Captain Singh. She sighed and answered.

"Yes Captain?" Captain Singh sighed.

"Allen, good. Where are you?" Barry raised an eyebrow.

"I'm at Star Labs. Is everything alright?"

"Yes. I'm sending Thawne to pick you up. Woodward threatened West's daughter and you, until further notice you're having police protection." Singh's tone brooked no arguments.

"Alright Captain." Barry hung up and swore. She explained what had happened and soon enough was getting into Eddie's car. He'd sent a detail to protect Iris but Barry would be more useful at the precinct, and harder to get to. She had a feeling that Captain Singh still felt bad about her getting kidnaped by the Arrow. She had just finished filling out some paperwork and was running it down to Captain Singh when Joe stopped her at the bottom of the stairs.

"Barry what happened?" Barry sighed.

"Woodward targeted Iris. She's fine. Eddie put a detail on her, but he found her at Jitters. He was asking about her blog." Joe's eyes narrowed, Barry put up her hands in surrender as she continued. "I've tried everything to get her to stop! You know I have, I haven't spoken to her face to face for a week because of that stupid blog!" Joe nodded. Eddie came out of the bullpen looking upset.

"CCTV caught Woodward heading out of town in a stolen car, State Police are taking over." Barry swore under her breath, Eddie nodded at her.

"They'll get him." Eddie nodded still looking upset.

"Yeah I know. I really wanted to get this guy though." Barry glared down at the folder in her hand.

"Not nearly as bad as I did." Eddie pulled off his jacket.

"I need to blow off some steam. Come on Barry, I need to hit something." Eddie headed up the stairs as a confused Barry turned to Joe. He laughed slightly at the expression on her face. Joe took the files from her.

"I don't think he meant hit you, go." Joe watched his foster daughter follow the man who was dating his daughter up towards the small built in gym the precinct housed. Barry almost never used the set of workout clothes she brought with her to work. She had always said she would but she never did, until today. Eddie chuckled at her tank top. It was white with large black and red lettering that read 'I work out so I can climb the slopes of Mount Doom in Mordor'. Her yoga pants were plain black with a white minimalist outline of Darth Vader's face sitting on her right thigh.

"Don't laugh, Iris bought me these." Eddie nodded.

"Only cause she knows you so well." Eddie motioned to the punching bag and explained how he wanted her to hold it steady. She nodded and stepped up behind the bag. He took a few shots at it before he spoke again.

"So, I hear you and this Woodward guy have a history?" Barry nodded sighing and resting her forehead on the punching bag.

"Old boyfriend?" Barry pulled a face at Eddie's words.

"No, nothing like that. I was the nerdy girl with no parents to really come to her defense, Joe tried but for whatever reason Tony never got the idea. It was probably worst at Junior Prom. He ended up dumping red paint all over me and a few other girls. Charges were pressed and he ended up in juvie for the first time." Eddie nodded taking a few more shots at the bag.

"I know how you feel." Barry snorted at him.

"Somehow I doubt that." He grinned at her.

"No really. I was not a popular kid." He took another shot at the bag and continued. "I was short, fat, and the son of a politician who closed the factory in my school district. So yeah not popular at all." Barry grinned slightly.

"So, what did you do?" She asked as he whipped away the sweat from his forehead.

"I got my ass kicked, a lot. Until my gym teacher took pity on me. She always said that the key to fighting is patience. A lot of guys will waste energy trying to land the most hits. You only need to land one if you land it right. Pick your spot and drive through, like it's six inches behind the target." He grabbed the bag and nodded at her a grin on his face. She curled her hand into a fist and hit the bag lightly.

"Come on Barry you can do better than that."

She took another swing at the bag.

"Come on, mean it!"

She pictured the bag as the man who'd made her life a living hell, who'd teased and tormented her for years, who'd threatened her sister. She swung at the bag again and this time it flew back into Eddie hard knocking the breath out of him. Barry stared, she'd broken the bag. She pulled her hand out of the bag, sand raining as she did. She grinned sheepishly.

"The seam was starting to split." Eddie coughed and grinned at her. Once he'd caught his breath he continued her lesson. About two hours later Eddie was unwrapping his hands.

"Next time we'll work on your speed." Barry had to stifle a laugh at that. Of course, he couldn't know that she'd been holding back. One of the other officer's ran around the corner.

"Thawne! Allen! There you are. The detail at the West house has been attacked Iris is missing." Barry felt her stomach drop through the floor.