I do not own any characters, plots, or anything else pertaining to "The Flash", "Arrow", or "DC Comics". The reason why I'm citing "Arrow" is because Felicity will be part of this story. I hope you enjoy Iris's perspective, thanks for reading.
Chapter 2
The Choice
Iris sits at the computer in Star Labs, trying and failing to focus on the task in front of her. She needed some time after the disaster they've had tonight. Of course, her Bachelorette Party would turn into another day in the office, minus the boys. These days, it seems like she can't catch a break. Between wedding planning and helping save the day, she never has a free moment. If it was up to her, she'd elope and go off with Barry somewhere far away from Central City for a little while. Iris knows that's impossible, but she still fantasizes about it sometimes. Especially tonight, when saving the world took priority over her personal needs…again. It's nights like these, that make her question how their marriage will be, when up against saving the world. Will he flash out during an important moment in both their lives, such as the birth of their hypothetical child, to save a group of strangers or take down a criminal? Iris knows it isn't fair to ask him to choose, but she's still afraid of his answer.
Iris types on a few keys, trying to clear her head. When she first got together with Barry, it's not like she didn't know it would be this way. He's the same person, masquerading as two, but sometimes it's like she can't quite get to both halves of him. These days, she seems to be trying to overcompensate for not being the one to get through to all of him. Caitlin. That's the name she thinks of at this moment. Iris stops what she's doing at the keyboard and takes a sharp breath in. Over the years, she's tried to ignore the bond and chemistry between them, dismissing it as nothing more than a close friendship. She would have continued to view their relationship that way, if that day Jay kidnapped Caitlin hadn't happened. Iris sat there watching helplessly, while Caitlin stepped up to him and begged him to take her instead of hurting Barry. The moment had left her a little hurt, realizing for the first time, that Caitlin had true feelings for Barry that went way beyond friendship. She had done a good job in hiding her feelings, but that day had made Iris face the truth.
Barry and Caitlin have the kind of bond that you can't break. They're a team and ultimately, loyal to each other. Caitlin had blindly joined Savitar because he was a future version of Barry. In the same way, Barry had refused to continue to work at CCPD because he wanted to protect Caitlin from Julian. Barry had told her this right after it happened, not even bothering to ask her what she thought because his loyalty to Caitlin came first. Iris knows Barry loves her, but she can't look past their connection anymore. Especially, after last week, when Caitlin stood up and challenged him in a way that she never could. Barry was being stubborn about Dibny and she had no idea what to say to convince him that helping Dibny with his abilities was the right decision. Yet, there was Caitlin, knowing exactly what to say to make him reconsider. It does irk her a little, that the two are both meta-human and she's just normal. It's another connection they share that she probably will never understand. "Why the gloomy stare?" Iris is knocked out of her thoughts by Felicity, who is supposed to be staying at the apartment with her tonight. She turns to her and gives her a small smile. "It's nothing, I'm just trying to figure out how to use this new program that you installed during all that craziness." Felicity gives her a grin and bumps her hip. "I hate to throw you out of your seat, but the pro needs her thrown to work." Iris smiles a little wider and scoots out of the chair.
She stands next to Felicity and watches her explain how the new surveillance program works. It's very complicated and Iris finds herself needing to be taught how to be a tech. For the past few months, she's learned a thing or two about computers from Cisco, but not enough to call herself an expert. "Felicity, do you mind slowing down, I think I got lost somewhere in the beginning?" Felicity shakes her head. "Okay, I can go back, but you'll probably need a pen and a couple hundred sheets of paper." Iris stares at her in confusion. "Why?" Felicity gives her a big smirk. "Because, you can't learn how to be a tech by just listening, you have to write it down and memorize it. I think I'll stay in Central City for a while to be your personal guru." Iris is surprised by Felicity's offer, but she's happy to have her friend stick around here for an extended time. "Alright, I'd love for you to teach me." Iris makes her way to the lab and picks up a few pieces of paper and a pen. She walks back over to Felicity and settles in the chair next to her. Iris sees the excitement in Felicity's eyes, as she looks at her. "Let's start learning." She nods and the two spend the rest of her Bachelorette Party in front of a computer. Not how she pictured one of her last nights as a single woman, but she wouldn't want it to end any differently.
It's well into the next morning, before Iris lies her head down on the pillow. Barry is snoring loudly next to her because he had too much fun during his Bachelor Party, even though they landed in jail. Despite everything, she's glad that he had a night to relax. Iris sighs, as she closes her eyes and tries to shut off her mind because she's exhausted from everything that's gone on in the last few hours. She takes a sharp breath in, as she starts drifting off, but can't seem to fall asleep because she keeps thinking about asking Caitlin to be her Maid of Honor. Iris wonders now why she did that? At the time, she had felt really empowered about saving the day alongside Caitlin and felt compelled to be real friends with her. While that's the answer she likes to the question, she knows that deep down, there was another reason for what she did.
Part of her is afraid that Caitlin will stand up and object to the wedding, even though the logical side of her is saying that she wouldn't do that because she does love him. Yet, all she can picture is Barry deciding he doesn't want to spend the rest of his life with her and running off with Caitlin. It scares her that she can imagine it so vividly within her mind and that the nagging fear won't go away. So, making Caitlin her Maid of Honor is the safe choice, even though Felicity was her actual first choice. If she's a part of the wedding, Iris knows that there's a better chance that Caitlin will go along with the wedding for him. This doesn't mean that she doesn't respect Caitlin and her feelings for Barry because she absolutely does. However, happiness with Barry is the most important thing to her and she has to be cautious. Iris turns her back on Barry's snores and tries to get some sleep, content with the choice she made regarding Caitlin.