Barry sped through Central City, stopping only when he neared the intersection of 14th and 9th. It was the approximate area that Iris' car should have been after four hours of driving, assuming she hadn't made any stops along the way. When he was greeted by a completely empty street –covered in blankets of fresh snow, not a single soul in sight – he panicked.

It was dangerously cold – no more than 12 degrees F at best, but the winds had it feeling closer to zero. The pulsating lightning that coursed through Barry's veins barred his ability to feel the sting of the frigid temperatures, but if Iris was out there alone, she could. That thought alone made his body fire burn even hotter with adrenaline. "Fuck!"

When he'd covered every post, he ventured outward, toward the city limits, continuing to run through miles and miles of empty streets, coming into contact with the lone vehicle ever so often. It was times like this he wished he wasn't a hero; he was obligated to get each person he came across to safety, but his mind was consumed by Iris alone.

"Come on, Iris, where are you." It didn't take long at all for hypothermia to set in in this kind of storm. God knows how cold, how scared she was right now.

The snow was coming down harder and faster by the minute, a swirling landscape of white and silver. And the daylight was quickly fading. Soon, it would be pitch black outside. If his vision hadn't been sharpened by his powers, he wouldn't have been able to see more than 10 feet in front of him. So he kept running until he'd covered every stretch of road and alleyway. He ran in circles. He doubled back to stray cars that had been abandoned. He doubled back to cars he'd just rescued people from. Iris was not among them.

"What if she's been?" No. He pushed the thought away. He wasn't going to let himself think the worst. Iris was fine. She had to be. He wouldn't be able to live with himself if something had happened to her, especially not after the way their friendship had dissolved over the years. After running non-stop for God knows how long, he hurled over to catch his breath, resting his hands on his knees. Even speedsters got tired. "Iris!" He called out, into the distance. "Iris! Are you out here!"

His voice croaked with every scream, filled with the anguish of not knowing whether or not he'd ever see her again. Why oh why hadn't he fought harder for their friendship? Why didn't he work harder to stay in touch? Why had he been so stupid?

And that's when he saw it. Off in the distance, through the thick, barreling snow, the tail of a bright red Impala, tucked underneath a highway overpass. It was partially hidden by a pile of snow, but suddenly it was clear as day. Before his mind could fully register the car as hers – his feet were moving, shoveling over what must have been over a foot of snow, until, finally, he was at the back of the car. "IRIS-WST" read the license plate. It was cold to the touch, and not running.

His view inside of the car was obstructed by several inches of snow that had gathered on all of the windows. The front and back windshields too. "Iris, are you in there?" He tugged on the door's handles. Then beat on the glass. When she didn't respond, he pressed his ear to the snow-covered glass, trying to locate any noise, any signs of life. "Iris!" No response. "Iris!" He yelled again. Nothing.

He bit his bottom lip to quell the trembling, but that did nothing for the tears that were welling up in his eyes. The silent prayers wishing that she was inside of the car, turned to pleas to God that she wasn't. "Please don't let her be inside." If Iris had ventured off into the cold, perhaps she'd found shelter in a warm business, or in the home of a good Samaritan. She might actually be somewhere safe, warm – happy. But he knew it was a long shot. None of the patrons who'd gotten stranded in nearby businesses had seen anyone who matched her description. She hadn't been picked up by emergency services either. He'd checked. There was really only one option. She was inside. But in what state?

The speedster sucked in a deep breath, then sped around to the passenger door. He pressed his eyes shut, not knowing if he could stomach the possibility of what lay inside of the car. He started to vibrate his cells so that he could phase into the car. Inside, he squinted one eye open. Then the other, finally releasing the breath from this lungs at the sight that lay to his left: Iris, reclined in the driver's seat, curled up under a blanket. Upon first glance, her body appeared dangerously stilled, but the rise and fall of the blanket she was under rose and fell, alerting him that there was indeed life inside of her.

"How?" He thought to himself. On her head sat a hat, overlayed with a pair of thick ear muffs, but the inside of the car was freezing. Yet, she laid there the image of serenity. A peaceful beauty. He reached out a hand, placing it gently on the blanket that covered her. It was warm to the touch. "Electric," he said aloud, as worry continued to seep from this body." "It's ELECTRIC!" He laughed to himself, as happy tears started to spill from his eyes.

Iris stirred in her seat at the sound of Barry's voice. First, she shifted in her seat, still having had not crossed the bridge from unconsciousness into consciousness. Then her eyes blinked open. Her body stilled. Blinking away the droopiness of her slumber, the outline of a masked man enter her line of vision, in her still hazed state.

"Aghhh! Aghhh! Get the f*ck out of my car!" Wild thrashing followed her screams. She'd somehow survived a freak blizzard, in a car that had run out of gas. She was not about to be murdered by some freak dressed in red leather.

"Hey, hey, Iris! It's me, Barry!," he said, ripping off his cowl. "See? See?!"

Barry's mind had been a whirlwind of worry about whether or not she was okay, he hadn't even thought about the proper way to wake her without scaring her half to death. He should have known she'd be startled.

"Barry?" she said, as her eyes adjusted to the dim hint of daylight that was pouring into the car. Her eyes focused, and the sudden threat of danger dissipated "Barry." She beamed, before throwing herself into his arms. "Where did you? HOW did you–'" she started before stopping herself. "Phasing, of course."

"What are you doing here?"

"I came to rescue you. This storm is no joke."

"Really?"

"Of course I did," he said, breaking the hug. "I was worried sick about you."

She smiled softly. "You were?"

"Of course, the entire family was. What happened?"

"Well, everything was okay for the first few hours. The snow was really coming down, but there weren't many cars on the road, and I was driving slowly. But then the storm turned all freakish, so I thought that parking underneath this overpass would help shield the car from some of the snow. But an overhead shield means nothing when the snow is blowing at you at a 45-degree angle.

"Why didn't you call for help? I would have been here in a heartbeat, Iris."

"I was going to call for help, but my phone died. So I tried to stay put and keep warm. Then my car ran out of gas."

"Why would you leave in a storm like this without a charged phone, and full tank?"

Iris thought about the massive argument she'd had with Scott right before she'd left for Joe's. It had started the night prior, but the tension had carried over into the next day. There was no way she could bring Scott to Joe's in the state they were in. Her father would be able to sniff out their discontent, which would lead to prying, possible arguments, and even Scott getting shot by Joe. No joke. It was best to leave their problems at home.

"I- was in a rush," she lied. "Wasn't thinking."

Barry sighed. "Iris, you can't 'not think' in these kind of situations. You could have been kidnapped. Raped. You could have frozen to death"

"I didn't Barry," she said, grabbing his hand. "Because of you…and this electric blanket, and the four layers of clothes I'm wearing," she added laughing, attempting to lighten the mood.

"Yeah, but what if the blanket hadn't worked. It's portable. Do you even have extra batteries? What about your food supply? Where are your flares? Your extra drinking water? High protein snack bars, and other nonperishables? You know how bad it is out there? You could have been out here for days. Things could have gone so, so wrong. You know, I read an article about Winter emergency preparedness…"

Iris sat there as Barry rattled off his list of worries. She was endeared to say the least. It had been so long since she felt like someone cared about her well being, and it was kind of nice. She tried not to laugh, but she couldn't help it.

"What?" Barry replied. "What's funny?"

"I'm sorry, but you're doing that thing again where you talk 100 miles a minute. And I can barely absorb what you're saying. I think I just had flashbacks to our teen years."

She laughed again.

"Oh, sorry," Barry said, suddenly feeling self-conscious. "I didn't mean to go overboard.

"No, don't be. I…actually missed this.," she said, looking up into him. "It's nice to know that, even though we're not kids anymore, some things will never change."

Barry let out a nervous laugh, and ran a hand through his hair, willing the the blood in his body to not fill his cheeks. He smiled, "I guess so."

"Umm, so," Iris said, changing the subject. "Do you have a phone? So I can call dad? I know he must be worried sick."

"Uh, uh, yeah," Barry said, reaching into the pocket of his suit to find his device. "He's gonna kill me for not calling as soon as I located you."

"Yeah, yeah. I'm fine, dad," Iris said into Barry's phone. "Yes, I'm grateful Barry found me…No, I'm not cold. I'm wearing a 1000 layers, and I have an electric blanket. Yes, you taught me well…No, you're not gonna kill Scott…I told him to stay back…I'm an adult, that's not his fault that the storm got bad…Dad, Dad, DAD!

"Hey," Barry nudged Iris in the arm, "Lemme see."

Iris, happy to relieve her ears from Joe's ranting, handed the phone back over to Barry.

"Joe, We'll be on in a little while once the snow clears up a little….I tried, but she won't leave her new car here in the snow…She got that stubbornness from you, you know…it's true… So I'm gonna sit with here to make sure she's alright..yes, we're warm… Yes, if things get worse before then, I'll throw her over my shoulder and bring her home….okay, Bye. Oh, just tell Patty that I'll be in soon okay…okay love you bye."

" You know…It's amazing how, no matter how old I've gotten, that man's level of worry has never faltered." Iris said, shaking her head. "You know he was organizing a task force to come hunt me down if I hadn't called soon."

"Good thing I brought my phone then." Barry chuckled. "To be fair," he added, "he's only like this because he loves you. There are worse things a father could do other than calling all of his cop buddies to make sure his only daughter survived a freak blizzard."

"Very true," Iris laughed. "I guess I am pretty lucky when it comes to dads…and friends too," she said before resting her hand on Barry's shoulder. "Thanks again for coming for me, Barr." she said.

"Think nothing of it," he said with a warm smile. "I am a hero, after all."

"That you are." Iris simpered for a moment before looking away. Awkward silence soon filled the confines of her car. Barry, too averted his gaze forward, unsure if he should address the big, pink elephant in the room.

"Sooo," Iris crooned. "It's been awhile, huh?"

Of course. Iris had never been one to beat around the bush. "At least a year," Barry replied solemnly. "Probably more"

"That long, huh? Wow. Barry, I–"

He put up a hand to stop her. "Do not apologize to me, Iris. I don't want it, but more importantly, you didn't do anything wrong. Okay?"

"No, you deserve an apology. I'm sorry that I stopped making time for you. My life with Scott just became really hectic," she offered, knowing that an apology wasn't enough. It was partially true, but there were other factors at play as well." Some she didn't feel comfortable disclosing at the moment.

Barry exhaled. "That's what happens when you grow up, get married, though right? Things change. People get busy." he added, tone light. He didn't want her to know just how much he'd missed her. Or how her absence in his life had created this hole in his heart that not even his wife could fill. Why burden her with his problems? She was obviously happy with Scott. Why else would she have stopped hanging out with him? "I mean, being married is a major life event. Patty and I haven't been married that long, but I get it. It's time-consuming. Priorities change."

"Right," Iris said solemnly. Iris caught her tongue between her teeth, like she wanted to speak. He could see the unspoken words dancing around her eyes, begging to come out.

"I do accept your apology, though, since you're offering," Barry added, nudging Iris in the arm. He hated knowing she felt guilty.

Thank you." she said, smiling slightly.

"Think nothing of it."

Just then, Barry's phone chirped, alerting him that the battery was only on 10 percent. "Hey, Do you wanna call Scott Let him know you're alright? I have enough juice for one more call."

Iris's smile fell from her face at the mention of Scott, prompting her to turn forwards, away from Barry. But she had been far too slow for speedster; he'd seen the mood change as clear as day.

"Just text him for me," she said after a moment. "Tell him a tow truck or something picked me up. I don't know."

"Iris?" He asked, confused. "Is there something wrong?"

"No-no," she replied in haste. "With Scott? Now," she said, waving her hands animatedly. "Scott and I are fine. Better than fine, actually. We're amazing. So in love," she continued, emphasizing her point with her hands. "He's just busy."

Barry narrowed his gaze, as he attempted to study her face. He used to be able to read her so well, but now it was like, he couldn't quite pinpoint what she was really thinking or feeling. All he knew is that her words didn't match her face. "I actually just meant in general, but that's good to know that five years in, the spark is still there."

"Yeah," Iris said flatly. "Lots of sparks in our house. Anyway, enough about us. How about you an Patty? Is marriage everything that you thought it would be?"

Barry sucked his teeth. "Yes. Patty's…great. Being married is great. Roman Ville is great." He meant it too. Patty was a great woman. Loving, kind. A little high strung, overly analytical, and a little clingy, but no one was perfect. Their marriage wasn't perfect by a long shot, but they had a perfectly ordinary existence.

"That's great," Iris said, clasping her hands together. "Great, great, great."

Back At The West Home

Patty paced back and forth, stopping only to look out of the window ever so often.

"Patty, you're going to wear a hole in the floor, if you don't sit down honey," Cecile said.

Patty stopped in her tracks, swooping her hair behind her ears, then smiled lightly at the older woman. "You're right, you're right. I just…shouldn't Barry and Iris be back by now?"

"Iris doesn't' want to leave her car in the snow. And if I know Barry, he's not going to leave her out there alone."

"Well of course not, he's Barry. But I'm just worried."

"Don't be," added Joe, who was seated on the couch, sifting through his evening paper. "They already touched base. Assured me they were warm, and safe. They'll be on as soon as Iris can get back on the road, I'm sure."

"That could take days," Patty said, resuming her pacing. "They can't survive out there that long. Not even with Barry's ability. I'm going to call them.."

Iris's Car

"…oh wow, I've really missed out on a lot," Iris said chuckling.

"Yeah, well Roman Ville is way crazier than Central City ever was. All of these metas must have grown up aspiring to be super villains, I'm convinced. Their costumes alone are something else. I snap pictures of them from time to time. Just for my own personal library."

"Ooh let me see!" Iris squealed, almost giddy.

"Sure,' Barry said, pulling out his phone. Just as he attempted to open up his gallery, Patty's face popped up on his screen, followed by the hum of her ringtone.

"Oh, It's Patty. I gotta get this."

"….Yeah, I think you're right. It's getting worse out here. It'll be best to come on home…love you too, Patty." he managed to get out before his phone ended the conversation. He placed the now useless device on her dashboard, and turned to Iris."

"Iris, I know you don't want to leave your car, but this storm isn't going to blow over anytime soon. You need to let me take you home."

Iris hated knowing her car would be out here unattended for at least a day, probably more. "Go, I'll st-"

"I'm NOT leaving you here by yourself. Besides, if we stay here, we're going to miss Joe's birthday dinner."

Iris sighed. It was no use in fighting. "Okay, but you have to bring me back first thing in the morning to make sure it's okay."

Barry laughed. "Deal."

Barry set Iris down on Joess front porch, then unlocked the front door of the West home. He allowed her to enter first, then followed in ehind her. "Baby! You're home!" Joe and Patty yelled simultaneously, as the old friends made their way into the house.

Joe lifted Iris her into his arms squeezing her as tightly as he could. "Iris! My baby girl."

"Oh, dad. I'm so happy to see you," Iris said beaming, tightening her embrace. "I can't believe my old man is 56 years old."

At the same time, Patty ran into Barry's arms. "Thank God you're finally home. I was worried sick."

"Yeah, well we're here now." He leaned down, and kissed her on the forehead.

Joe released Iris, setting her down on the floor, but next, it was Cecile's turn for a hug "Iris,I'm so glad that you're here, your dad and I have been worried sick. That storm's really bad, you could have…" she started before trailing off.

"I didn't," Iris smiled reassuringly, "Because of my hero."

"It was nothing." Barry looked back at Iris, and smiled brightly, lingering on her for a moment, before shifting his gaze.

"Yes, we're glad you're safe, Iris," Patty said, taking Barry's hand in hers. "I'd hate for you to die before I got to know you…I mean, you know…not that I want you to die at all," the blonde woman added.

"Thanks for that…Patty," Iris said, slightly perturbed.

"Just smile and nod," Joe said, underneath his breath.

"We're just so happy to have the entire family together. Minus Joseph. Had to put him to bed," Cecile replied.

"Well, not the entire family," Joe said, begrudgingly. "Not that I wanted that arrogant fool here, but I don't appreciate Scott leaving my only daughter to fend her herself alone."

"Dad, Scott had to work."

"I know our house isn't as fancy as his, okay. We don't have luxury towels, and chef-cooked meals. But, hell, we got wifi. He could have worked here."

"Yeah, but," she said, attempting to stall. With every year, her father was becoming more and more outspoken about her marraige. And that was saying alot considering he'd never beeno ne to bite his tongue in teh first place. "He was on a tight deadline. And he would have felt bad if he wasn't able to truly celebrate with us."

"Well, that would have been a first."

Barry's looked to Iris, who looked utterly annoyed. Her eyes were shiny, almost glossy. Like she was about cry. That's the second time her mood had changed at the mention of Scott. She was definitely hiding something. He just didn't know what. "Joe–" he said attempting to divert attention away from the conversation. "I don't know about you, but I'm ready for Cecile's delicious meal that she's' cooked up for your birthday." He inhaled, and the scent of fried chicken with all of the fixings made their way into his senses. "It smells amazing."

"I like your thinking, Barry." Cecile said smiling, before turning to Joe. "Barry's right. It's your birthday, Joe. Your first born is now safe. Your honorary child is safe too. So is his wife. So is our child. Now, do you want to be thankful that this day turned out so much better than it could have, or do you want to complain? Spoiler alert. It's the former."

Joe let out a deep breath, attempting to reel in his tirade. Cecile was little, but she was vicious. "Eat."

"Good," Cecile said, clasping her hands together. "Now, Barry, why don't you carry Iris's bags upstairs, so she can get settled in her old room. Patty and I are going to put the finishing touches on dinner," she said, smiling, grabbing the blonde woman's hand," and you, birthday boy, are going to sit here on this couch, reading your paper until it's time to eat."

"Fine by me, Joe said, propping his feet up on the coffee table. as Cecile and Patty disappeared into the kitchen."

With Joe calm, Iris breathed a sigh of relief. She loved her father, but his hatred of Scott was one of the reasons she didn't visit more often. She would never tell him that, of course. But having the two men in her life constantly at odds was beyond stressful.

She took the moment to walk over to the door coat rack by the front door. Iris rid herself of the thick coat and scarf that had been keeping her warm for the past four hours, and hung them up on the rack by the door. What remained was a casual white dress wrap dress. "That's so much better." It felt so good to just be wearing a one, single layer. She smoothed her hands down the sides of her dress.

Barry didn't mean to stare, but he found himself, entranced by the motion of her hips; the way the dress stretched and recoiled across her body, accommodating for her curves. How one person could look so angelic, yet so…he didn't even have the words or the mental capacity to understand. Her body had filled out nicely since the last time he'd seen her. Iris has always been on the petite side and she still was, but she now had a more womanly figure. One that she wore very well.

"Barr, you gonna just stand there or are you gonna get her bags like Cecile asked?"

"Um, sure," he said in the direction of Joe, his eyes still transfixed on Iris.

"Today? Barr?" Barry tore his gaze away from Iris, and set his sights on Joe. He jumped, horrified when he'd realized that Joe had been watching him watch Iris the entire time. He ran a shaky hand through his hair, as he felt heat spread out over his cheeks. "Uhh–lemme get those bags.."

"I think that's for the best.."

"So where would you like for me to sit your bags? Bed or floor." Barry entered Iris' childhood bedroom ahead of her.

"They're covered in Snow. Best to leave them on the floor, thanks," Iris called out from the bathroom that sat directly across the hall. She entered and sat her purse down on the counter, before closing the door.

"As you wish." he said, setting her stuff down in the corner of the room. With her bags in place, Barry exited the room and started to head back down the stairs, but he couldn't help but hear what was obvious sniffling from the other side of the floor. He stopped and turned back towards the door. Iris?" he said, knocking gently on the door, "Are you okay?" he asked just loud enough to not alert the rest of the family.

"Yes, I'm fine," she said in a tone that signaled that she was obviously not fine.

"You don't sound fine," he said. "At all."

"No really," she said, sniffing once again. "I'm good."

Barry sighed. "Iris, I know you. Do you want to talk?"

"About my failed life?" She replied, unlocking the door. "Sure. Every girl wants to talk about that."

Iris hopped up on the sink, and slid her back up against the mirror, as Barry leaned against the door frame.

"Failed life? What are you talking about?"

Iris peered down at her wedding ring, and twisted it. Around and around. Just like the circles her and Scott had been going in lately but getting nowhere.

"Iris?" he asked again, even more confused.

She huffed. "There's no point in trying to hide it. I'm divorcing Scott, Barry." The words stung as they came out. But she felt the relief of finally being able to say them out loud. "I don't think he loves me anymore."

Her voice broke on the word love, and tears that she'd only allowed spilling onto her pillows at night broke through. She threw her face into her hands and sobbed angrily. This was not supposed to be her life: divorced before 35, no job, no savings, entirely dependent on a man who treated her like a burden, rather than a wife.

Barry took a step further into the bathroom, easing the door closed behind him. "Iris, please don't cry!" Barry begged, his heart breaking at the sight of her distraught. He opened his arms to her, beckoning her to come forward. She scooted to the edge of the sink and allowed her weight to fall on him. Heavy sobs followed. He leaned down, resting his head on hers, as he nuzzled her hair. "I'm sure he still loves you. How could he not? You're beautiful. Intelligent. Driven. You're probably just going through a rough patch right now."

She shook her head from side to side, wiping the tears from her face. "No, Barry, you don't understand. Scott never truly loved me. He loved the idea of me. He loved that I was something pretty he could show off at banquets, but he never loved me … "

"…and if I can be honest with myself," she continued…"I'm not sure if I ever truly loved him, either. I loved the man I mistook him as. But he never actually existed. "

Iris' eyes were pleading for him to say something – though he didn't know what– but words were lost on him. He'd always assumed that Iris's marriage was going well. Iris and Scott just looked so happy on social media. And from what Joe had told him, she rarely ever visited home anymore. He'd assumed she was enjoying the life she'd built with Scott in Keystone. Knowing she'd been unhappy all along…his head was spinning.

When Iris got married five years ago, it had crushed him. He'd been secretly in love with her since they were kids, but he'd never been able to work up the courage to tell her. The only person who knew his secret was Joe, and he'd known it long before Barry had admitted it to him – that damn cop's intuition.

It was that love for Iris, the memories they'd shared together that growing up, being best friends, and the pain from losing her – though not formally–to Scott which had eventually driven him out of Central City and into Patty's arms in Romanville, Joe was convinced. And if he was being honest with himself, he knew that Joe was right about that too.

Iris caught her bottom lip between her teeth, as her eyes caught his. Even underneath the outdated fluorescent light of their childhood home, his green eyes sparkled with inquisitiveness. Eyes that she'd missed so very dearly; eyes that ignited something deep, and familiar inside of her: warmth, safety – longing, . Maybe she was just vulnerable with everything that was going on with Scott, but God did he look handsome. Time had been incredibly good to the nerd she used to protect from bullies. Of course, being The Flash, he didn't need anything on him to be protected anymore, other than maybe his heart…and that was Patty's job now.

'What was that look? What was she thinking?' He turned to her, unable to deal with this uncertain energy between them.. He had to know. "What are you saying, Iris?"

"I'm saying, I've wasted five of my best years on a man who doesn't give two shits about me; who purposely derailed my journalism career because he was jealous. And I can't do it anymore."

"Jealous? Of your career?"

"No, of you!" She laughed, incredulously, through her tears."

"Me? Why was he jealous of me?"

Barry tried to think back to the few times he'd managed to stomach hanging out with Scott. He was a jerk, sure, but he didn't come across as insecure or jealous. Especially not of him.

"He thought that I was obsessed with "The Flash," Iris explained, rolling her eyes, "so he went out of his way to discredit and humiliate me anytime I wrote about you. He even accused me of providing false quotes for my articles. Of course, I couldn't tell him that this great, wonderful, heroic man I was writing about wasn't some fable I'd made up in my head…he was my best friend in the entire world."

Barry frowned. The burden that his powers brought, extended much, much further than himself. It made him sad that keeping his true identity a secret had contributed to the degeneration of Iris's marriage. He'd never liked Scott, or respected him much for that matter, but as long as Iris had seemed happy, he wanted their marriage to work out. "Iris, I'm so sorry. I wish you had told me. We could have worked something out, as far as letting Scott in on everything. "

"Yeah, well what can you do," she shrugged. "What's done is done. Besides, telling him your secret wouldn't have ended well for any of us. Scott has this deep-seeded hatred for The Flash. He's too vindictive, jealous. He would have probably arranged for you to be set up. And I could not allow this man to hurt the person I loved more than anyone else in the entire world."

It was in that moment, the world stopped. The raging winter storm outside stilled to a whisper. The air in the bathroom thickened – you could hear a pen drop. The only audible sound the elevated heartbeat of Iris, who'd realized what she'd said. He didn't have to ask Iris if she'd misspoke; the horrified expression that was spreading across her face told him everything he needed to know. After years of pining for her in secret turns out she loved him too.

"Barry, I-" Iris knew she needed to explain herself for the bomb she'd just dropped. One that she'd promised she'd take to her grave. But she had never been one able to speak while crying – this time for a vastly different reason – and the words just wouldn't come.

Barry used his hands to wipe the tears that were steadily spilling from her beautiful, brown eyes before tucking his finger underneath her chin. "Iris," he said, softly, willing her to look up at him. "You? You love. Me?"

She bit her bottom lip, nodding up at him slowly, as a new round of tears fell.

Barry stepped into her, drawn to her like a magnet. Some force, out of his control, brought her closer and closer to her, until there was no distance between them. "I-I love you too. I always have," he said, voice breaking. "I always will." Even in the absurdity of the moment, a goofy, adolescent grin broke out on both of his face.

Iris cradled his cheeks in her hands. "God, why must you be so adorable, Barry."

The kiss that followed was sloppy, impulsive. They fumbled with each other's mouths, and it took a minute for them to find their rhythm, but it felt right – more natural than anything in the world. Iris had no words for Barry, she had no words for herself. What could she even say? They were both married–and not to each other. But in that moment, none of that mattered. And she didn't want to think about the moments when it would. She just wanted to forget about the five years of pain she'd endured, not just at the hand of Scott, but the pain that she'd inflicted on herself for suppressing her feelings for Barry; for leaving Central City, and for denying herself a chance at real love. So she deepened the kiss, pushing her tongue farther into his mouth, and readily accepting his in return.

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