I do not own any characters, plots, or anything else pertaining to "The Flash", "Arrow", or "DC Comics". This chapter will feature Barry's P.O.V regarding Iris and her new path. I'm glad that everyone is still enjoying this story and I promise there will be more Snowbarry coming up. As always, thanks for following/favoriting and commenting.
Chapter 12
Change
Barry speeds into Cait's house, with a bottle of champagne, and a bouquet of roses. He makes his way into the living room and sees her sitting right where he left her seconds before on the couch. Cait gives him a smile, as he settles back on the couch next to her. His heart skips a beat at her smile and he's happy that he's almost fully moved in now. "I got you something." Cait's smile gets even brighter, as he shows her the bouquet of red roses. "What's the occasion?" He gives her another smile. "Do I need a reason to buy roses for the woman I love?" Cait shakes her head playfully and leans in to kiss him. Her lips are synced perfectly with his and the feeling is more than he ever thought he'd feel with anyone. There's something about Cait that makes him feel more complete.
Barry loses track of time, too lost in everything Cait. Her hair brushing his face, her hands lovingly rubbing the back of his neck, her heart beating against his. Everything is perfect, until he suddenly feels her pull back from him. He's in a daze for a second, but finally finds a pair of eyes in front of him, not Cait's beautiful green ones, but Killer Frost's icy blue ones. "I need to get my good deed done for the day, what evil are we facing today?" Killer Frost's eyes lock with his, waiting for an answer, but Barry is too surprised to get any words to come out of his mouth. "What's the matter Flash, did you and little miss perfect get into a lover's quarrel or something?" He shakes his head, trying to figure out why Cait suddenly turned into Killer Frost? Did he scare her somehow? As he's thinking about this, he feels Killer Frost's eyes burning into him, and a laugh come from her cold lips.
Barry looks over at her and notices that her smile doesn't quite reach her eyes, not like Cait's does. "Don't tell me that sweet little Dr. Snow bailed on you just when things were getting good?" Barry sits there trying to figure out how Killer Frost could possibly figure out the situation so fast. He begins to wonder if maybe her and Cait aren't so disconnected from each other's thoughts and feelings after all. Barry sits back on the couch and turns away from Killer Frost with his hand on his chin deep in thought. "Wow, tough break, Flash." He shakes his head, feeling the frustration rising within him, as he turns to see Killer Frost gone, and Cait staring back at him. She looks at him in confusion for a few moments, before she finally finds her voice. "Was she here?" Barry takes a sharp breath in. "Yeah, she said that you turned into her because you were afraid of me, is that true, Cait?" This time, she's the one taking a sharp breath in. She suddenly reaches out to grab his hand in hers and their eyes lock. "I'm not afraid of you, Barry. It's just that everything is moving so fast and I think we need to take a second to figure out everything between us before we move forward." He stares at her for a second, trying to wrap his head around everything she's saying to him.
In some ways, he sees why Cait feels their moving too fast. Just two weeks ago, he was ready to marry Iris, now he's practically moved in with her. However, he does see the other side of things also. Barry knows that he should have been with Cait years ago, instead of chasing after the Fairytale with Iris, that he had spent most of his life thinking he had wanted. So, in his eyes, he feels like they aren't rushing into something that should have already happened. They are catching up with where they should be. Barry gives her a grin and squeezes her warm hand in his. "I love you, Cait, and if what you want is taking things slower, then we'll do that." A bright smile replaces the fear in her eyes and he feels himself release a breath that he didn't know he was holding. "I love you too, Barry. Thank you for understanding." He gives her a nod and she leans in to kiss him softly. Barry savors the kiss, knowing that they have all the time in the world to move things forward.
After they share a bottle of champagne and eat dinner together, Barry gets a text. He takes his phone out and sees that the message is from Iris. Meet me at Jitters, I really need to talk to you about something. He looks up from his phone, just as Cait starts gathering the dishes from the table. "I need to meet Iris at Jitters." The statement hangs in the air for a few moments, before confusion muddles her beautiful features. "I thought she said she needed space from us right now?" Barry shakes his head. "I don't know, Cait. I'll head over there and find out what's going on." He watches as she nods her head with uncertainty and turns to make her way to the sink. Barry watches her begin washing the dishes for a moment, before he walks over to the sink, and wraps his arms around her waist. "I promise, I'll bring you back that new Killer Frost coffee you love so much." Cait stops rinsing the dishes and turns in his arms. She gives him an adorable glare. "You better not, Mr. Allan, that drink is way too bitter for me." He gives her a smirk. "Well, if you don't want coffee, what do you want?" Cait gives him a playful smile. "For starters, you could come back and do these dishes for me." Barry gives her a quick kiss on her lips. "I'll be back in a flash." Cait gives him a blinding smile and he hears her say. "You better." As he flashes out of their house and away to Jitters.
Barry gets to Jitters in seconds. He opens the door and spots Iris sitting at a table in the corner. He walks over and settles into the chair across from her. Barry immediately sees the frown on her face and his heart drops a little. A wave of guilt washes over him. Iris's eyes meet his. "I called you here to meet me because I need to tell you something." His heart wrenches in his chest at the seriousness of her tone. "What is it?" Iris takes a sip of her coffee, avoiding his eyes for a moment, before looking over at him again. "I've decided to take a job at a new news outlet in Star City." The wave of guilt intensifies at her words. "Iris, you don't have to leave the team, we'll figure something out." She shakes her head and he sees determination flood her eyes. "This is not just about you and Caitlin, it's about me." Barry furrows his brow in confusion, as Iris continues. "I've lost myself over the last two years and I need to find me again. I miss being a reporter and having my own purpose." He nods at her words, understanding the need to find her own purpose.
Barry knows that if he didn't have his job as a Forensic Scientist to fall back on, he'd lose himself as Barry Allen. "I need this, Barry." He nods and gives her a small smile. "Team Flash will miss you, but I want you to be happy Iris, wherever that is." She reaches out for his hand and grasps it. Barry knows he'll always care about Iris, even though their lives are no longer intertwined as they were before. "I hope you find yourself again. I'm sorry for the way everything happened between me and Cait." Iris gives him a reluctant nod and he knows that his apology will never be enough to make things right. She gives him a sad smile. "Thank you." The two soon break apart and Barry gives her one last smile, before speeding back to Cait.