Seasons of Love: Chapter 3

Author's Note: I know it has been like two years since my last update, but I was really demotivated by a lot of S4, but this season has me back on the fic writing train. This chapter is Canon-divergent, but also not Canon Divergent. The last chapter will wrap up the series and the Savitar stuff.

Iris kept turning fitfully in her sleep. She was plagued by another one of her many nightmares. She kept having visions of a life she would never share with Barry flash before her eyes. She even saw her own wedding being interrupted because somehow she was no longer at the altar with her Barry, but that other form of him. One minute she was holding hands, sharing her vows with him and then suddenly the man in the tux disappeared and was replaced by his ghoulish time remnant who was dressed in soggy black jeans and torn megadeth t-shirt. He smiled at her menacingly and stuck a piece of metal in her gut just as she woke with a start.

The sweat was dripping from her face and the breath barely escaped her chest. She held on to the bedsheets with a death grip. Her sudden movement alerted Barry and he was hope. He immediately wrapped her up in his arms and cooed in her ear as she regained her composure. She laid her head on his chest and took in her surroundings. The redwood dresser, her favorite reading chair and the silver lamp in the corner. But, mostly important her Barry. She looked up and was greeted by his warm smile and a look of innocent concern.

"Is it the same dream again?"

"No, this one was different-it was more sinister,"she said with tears welling up in her eyes. She closed her eyes and opened them again just to make sure she was still where she was.

"You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to," Barry said.

"I just want our lives back. I want this to stop hanging over her heads and I just need to know that we will grow old together and I don't have to worry about losing you. But, I have a feeling that no matter what happens that I'm going to lose you anyway."

Barry shut his eyes and wished he could run fast enough to make her pain go away. He wanted to wash away her fears and make her feel whole again. But, she only voiced the very same concerns that he had. They had finally managed to make some headway on the machine that HG was building, but either way he knew he would have to make a sacrifice in exchange for her life. But, for now, he needed to assemble the team and test out a few more things before they put the machine to use. In the meantime, he knew that Iris needed a distraction. It was nearly June.

"Let's not think about all of this right now. I have a surprise that I think you will love. Meet me in the park across from city hall in a few hours."

As Iris, walked around the city trying to figure out what to do with her time. She found herself standing in front of CCTV. She missed being a reporter and things hadn't been the same since she quit, but she missed throwing herself into her work and it might just be what she needed right now. She climbed the steps and walked into the building and made an appointment to speak to the news director. Iris left the building with a little bounce in her step. If she couldn't do anything about some indeterminable future, she damn well could do some good for her city. She felt a little bit of that old spark lighting up inside of her.

Barry had spent the afternoon making arrangements alongside Cisco and Caitlin. He also had a little help from Wally and Joe for the last minute details such as picking up a dress that Iris would love despite it not being what she'd picked out for herself. They had decorated the gazebo in the middle of the park and set up a few chairs and gotten a string quartet to play. He couldn't get a hold of Oliver so, the ceremony would just be close friends and family. Assuming, that Iris was up to doing their wedding this way. He just wanted to be married. Barry didn't care if it was in front of the whole world or just the two of them. He wished his parents could be there, but that wasn't in the cards and letting their ghosts remain in the past was finally something he was okay with. It didn't mean that he didn't miss them, but he knew that he had to let them go.

When Iris showed up to the park, her eyes lit up. She shook her head and smiled to herself. "Barry what was the point of letting make all those arrangements if you were just going to do all of this,"she said as she waved her hands around.

He reached for her hands and said, "firs, I didn't even think of this before this morning. Secondly, I wasn't about to argue with a woman on a mission-with you on a mission."

"So, I'm guessing that smile means a yes?"

Iris nodded brightly until she realized that what she was wearing was completely inappropriate for a wedding.

"Don't worry. We got you a dress that will fit. Caitlin,"he barked.

The shy doctor came running up with a wardrobe bag in her hand. "Come on we can get you ready in the city hall bathroom. I brought some make up. I'm not the best at applying it, but I think we can manage with what we have. Joe came up to his daughter and said, "Can I have a moment alone with my daughter?"

Caitlin nodded her head and gave them a few minutes of privacy.

Joe West looked at his daughter with pride. He grabbed her by the shoulders and embraced her. He was far too choked up to come with words to describe how he was filling in that moment. All of them, were trying to enjoy this moment before they worried about facing the biggest challenge of their lives.

"Baby girl. There is nothing I can say that you haven't already heard. Just know I love you and there is no way you are getting ready in a city hall bathroom. You're coming to the house."

Joe drove his daughter back home and up in her room, Wally and Jesse were waiting with a surprise for her. When they stepped aside, hanging on the back of her door was the dress that she had picked out a few months ago. The alterations were completed and it was ready for her to wear.

"Oh my God! How?"

"It arrived this morning and Dad asked me to put it in your old room which is technically still my room, but that's just semantics."

Iris threw her arms around her baby brother and she looked over at Jesse with trepidation and then back at her brother who simply shrugged his shoulders.

"Are you two?"

"We're figuring it out,"Wally said sheepishly.

They got her ready and Jesse helped with her makeup while Caitlin looked on with a smile on her face. She wanted to be of more help, but it seemed like the wests had this all under control. They got in the car and made their way back to the park.

Barry adjusted his bowtie and as the quartet began playing an instrumental version of No Mountain High Enough his eyes started to well up. She looked breathtaking. He played with bowtie, but his eyes were still fixed to hers. The smile on her face made his heart glow. This moment was finally here and it didn't matter what the future held, today was for them.