I hope you enjoy chapter two! This story is a bit more of a slow builder, but I am excited about where it is heading. I'm already working on chapter three. Thanks for reading! :)

Chapter Two

The next day as Barry was working Joe hurried into his lab. "Barry, did you get anything at all from the burglary at the jewelry store?"

Barry shook his head. "Not much. No trace of a break in, no residue of anything, just missing jewelry. That place had a security camera. But it was just the one in the front. It was at a good angle, you could see the whole store. But someone disabled it before the robbery. The front door was unlocked from the inside. No prints, nothing. Honestly, it's like the person just walked through the walls, took things and walked out the front door. You sure this isn't an inside job?"

Joe shook his head. "That was my first thought too, but the owner has a solid alibi, so do all the employees. No servicemen or other workers in the shop recently. I can't get a lead on anyone who may have had access."

Barry sat back in his chair and thought. Joe noticed the look on his face. "What?"

Barry shrugged. "Nothing, it's just that every time a case seems unexplainable now my thinking goes straight to metahuman. Joe nodded vigorously in agreement. "But maybe this is just a really good thief."

Joe sat on the edge of Barry's desk. "Man, I hope it's a good thief. Nowadays that seems like the best alternative. Never thought I'd be saying that."

Barry smiled. "Tell me about it."

Joe surveyed Barry for a moment. Barry could practically see his brain in detective mode. He sighed. "What?"

Joe shook his head slowly. "Just wondering if everything's okay between you and Iris. You two don't seem to be spending much time together lately."

Barry sat up in his chair. "No, we're fine. In fact we went to a movie the other day." Joe's eyebrows raised a notch. "Everything's fine." He smiled, relieved to be able to tell Joe that. A few days ago he wouldn't have had the same answer.

Joe looked at Barry a moment, then nodded. "Good. Barry, I know things have been hard lately with The Arrow and the man in the yellow suit and everything." Barry nodded. "Just don't forget you have people around you who care."

Barry smiled. "I know, and thank you. Things have been better lately. Don't worry about me."

Joe laughed. "Son, you know better than that. Worry is what I do."

Barry laughed too as he shook his head. "I know."

Iris and Eddie sat in a restaurant having lunch together. Iris was enjoying her meal while she chattered away about her search for a job as a journalist. Eddie was just picking at his food. By the time she was almost finished eating, he had barely begun. Finally she couldn't ignore it any longer.

"Eddie, what's wrong?"

Eddie set his fork down and took a deep breath. "Look, Iris. I have been trying to ignore this for a few weeks now, but I don't think I can any longer. You said you'd move in with me, but you are still living with your dad. I haven't even seen you packing to get ready to move. Have you changed your mind?"

Iris lost her appetite instantly. She looked at him helplessly across the table. There was no denying that things had been a bit crazy lately. Much of her time had been spent working or chasing something. A story. Barry. The Flash. Precious little consideration had been given to actually moving, even though the thought of it had been on the periphery ever since she said yes. She shifted in her chair.

"No. No, I haven't changed my mind. I'm sorry. Things have been really busy lately since Christmas and I just haven't had a chance to really dig into it. I'm sorry, babe."

For just a second it looked like Eddie might accept her excuses at face value. Then he frowned. "I feel like you're drifting away from me. Half the time we're together lately it feels like your mind is somewhere else. What's going on that you're not telling me about?"

Iris realized she shouldn't be so surprised Eddie had noticed. The man was a detective, after all. She also realized she was taking way too much time to decide what to tell him. The seconds passed. Without thinking about it her hand went to her mother's wedding band, still on a chain around her neck. Eddie pounced.

"Is it Barry? Is there something between you?"

She immediately denied it. "No! I told you, we're just best friends."

Eddie looked a bit ashamed, but it still didn't hide the insecurity underneath. "And I told you friends don't give friends wedding bands." He practically mumbled to the napkin on his lap.

Iris sighed. She really hated the miserable look on his face. She felt terrible. "Eddie." She began in a calm voice. "I know you've always been a bit threatened by my relationship with Barry. But you have to believe me; he's just my best friend. Why are you so worried all the time? Why are you so…insecure?"

Eddie stared at the table. Now wasn't the time to go into his past. That fat little bully magnet was not who he was anymore. But apparently the effects of that kid lasted a long time. "It just seems like since Barry woke from his coma that you've been interested in everyone except me. First Barry, then The Flash. Why do you spend so much time and energy chasing them? I'm not enough?"

Iris leaned across the table and put her hand on his. "Eddie, I don't see why you're so threatened. I love you. But I can't spend every second with you. And you have to admit the idea of someone with powers like The Flash helping the city is really exciting!" He said nothing. "Isn't it?" She stared at his troubled face. A light bulb blinked on. "Eddie… were you threatened by The Flash? Even before that night? Is that why you wanted a task force? Because I was so fascinated with him?"

Eddie's mouth hung open for a moment as he pulled his hand away from hers. The look in his eyes told the truth. He quickly rallied. "It's not just that. I'm a cop. I deal in the real world! I help the city! These guys with all these powers, I don't even know what to do with them. Think of the things they can do, and we are helpless to stop them! I see nothing good about any of these guys!"

He realized his voice had raised some and looked around. They were starting to draw attention as curious diners looked their way. He lowered his voice. "And then The Flash just proved it himself when he went after me that night."

Iris stared at him. "These guys? You know there are more of them? How do you know that? How did you find out?" Eddie stubbornly held his silence. Iris persevered. "Why wouldn't you tell me that? Just because I'm so interested in The Flash?"

Eddie's face shut down. Suddenly there was a wall between them. She didn't even seem to realize she'd said I'm instead of I was. He sat back in his chair, adding even more distance. "Interested? Obsessed is more like it. I guess I didn't tell you for the same reason that you never told me you met with The Flash 'a couple of times'. Maybe we don't trust each other as much as we thought."

And with that, he slapped some money on the table and left. Iris ignored the curious onlookers. She was too busy digesting his words.

Eddie's mood hadn't improved much by the next day. It showed no signs of changing either, since their first call of the day was another robbery. The M.O. seemed exactly like the last one, but this time with a body, unfortunately. When Barry arrived to inspect the scene Eddie made sure he was far away talking to the owner and employees.

Barry leaned down and inspected the body in a security guard uniform. He noted the holstered gun, thumb strap still in place. Looked like he and the burglar had surprised each other, he figured. There was a piece of unchewed chewing gum on the ground next to him. Barry bagged it. With a closer look, Barry spotted the silver glimmer of a foil pack protruding from a pocket. He bagged that too. Barry then carefully assessed for cause of death. He always hated this part of the job. He took note of the bruising around the neck area, and the disjointed angle of the neck. He was just about to stand up when he spotted a discrepancy in the man's uniform shirt. The dark fabric looked lighter around his collar and a shoulder area. He leaned in close and realized it looked that way because there was fine sandy grit worked into the fabric. He collected a sample as best he could, took several pictures, and alerted Joe that he wanted the shirt for examination after the body was brought in.

Joe and Barry discussed the scene and came to the conclusion that the same perpetrator probably committed this burglary, but the security guard had unwittingly surprised him this time. Eddie joined them to discuss it and gave replies in short, clipped sentences before leaving again.

Once he was out of earshot, Barry leaned closer to Joe. "Did I do something wrong?"

Joe shook his head. "No, he's been like that since yesterday after lunch. With Iris."

Barry looked at Joe in concern. "Do you think they had a fight?"

"I don't know but Iris was really quiet yesterday. She had her thinking face on."

Barry grimaced. "Oh boy."

Joe nodded. Both had been on the other end of that look before. Neither liked it.

Barry considered available options.

"Should I say something?"

Joe looked at him as if he had two heads. "There is no way you want to get in the middle of this, Barry. Trust me. Steer clear, wait for it to blow over, and assess the damage afterwards." He moved off to talk with the uniformed police officers.

Barry finished up his examination and headed back to the lab. He began processing samples and evidence, all the while distracted by what he and Joe had talked about. Once upon a time he would have run a victory lap to see Iris and Eddie have issues. But now that it was happening he couldn't help but feel bad for both of them. Eddie had really done nothing but treat him well since day one. He had even tried to get Barry and Iris talking while they had been estranged. He took it on himself to teach Barry how to punch, he told him about his days being bullied as a kid. Eddie was basically a really nice guy. Barry just couldn't find it in him to hate him. He didn't really enjoy watching him suffer either.

Barry also spent time wondering what Iris and Eddie had fought about. The possibilities were few, really. Iris and Eddie usually got along really well. The ball of knots in Barry's stomach told him it was most likely about him, or The Flash. And that made him feel really guilty. He reluctantly acknowledged to himself that Caitlin had probably been right. Getting involved may have been a bad idea. But he wasn't sure he was ever actually going to admit that out loud. Anyway, it was too late now.

It was late afternoon when Joe came back in to discuss Barry's findings. Barry swiveled around in his chair and laid out his evidence.

"Okay, the guard's body was found in the hallway leading to the back offices and break room. Directly in front of him is the video camera surveying the store. Disabled, just like last time. Anyone standing right about where the guard was could reach up and disable the camera from behind without being seen, then proceed with a robbery. But somehow this guard surprised our burglar. The guard's gun was still in his holster so he was surprised too. The burglar got the guard from behind and strangled him, wrenching on his neck in the process and severely damaging his windpipe. Probably took no more than a few minutes." Barry pointed at the discolored areas on the guard's shirt. "See these lighter areas? The burglar had to have this sand all over his clothes. It rubbed off onto the guard's shirt as he was strangled. The pattern is consistent with the burglar holding the guard from behind with this his arms pressed over the shoulders," Barry demonstrated "and strangling him." Barry sat back in his chair and waited.

Joe sat for a moment, his brain whirring. "Okay," he began "but that doesn't explain-"

Barry jumped in. "How either one could have surprised the other? I know. The gum found with the guard was his. The package was in his pocket. It's nicotine gum. The guard was trying to quit smoking. So it appears that the guard stopped in the hallway to take a break and chew some nicotine gum. He was craving. Then he was strangled."

Joe shook his head. "No, no. He sees a burglar about to disable or having just disabled a video camera and goes for nicotine gum instead of his gun? That makes no sense!"

Barry nodded. "I agree. There's no way a guard would do that. So we are left with two possibilities. The guard was in on it and was double crossed-"

"But this guy seems to always work alone there is no other evidence of accomplices."

Barry nodded again. "Yes. Or, he didn't know the burglar was there." Barry waited for Joe to catch up. It only took a moment. Joe spun in a small circle and ended up in front of Barry again. By the look on his face, he was not happy with the possibility.

"You think the burglar is a metahuman."

Barry pursed his lips, still nodding. "It's the only thing that fits."

"So, what? This guy can go invisible? Be made of thin air instead of green gas? What?"

This time Barry shook his head. "I don't know yet. But we need to go back to the first jewelry store and look for sand there too."

"Okay." Joe turned to go, then turned back again. "He couldn't be made of sand, could he?"

Barry shrugged. "Considering everything we've run into before, it's possible. But it seems like everything is possible nowadays."

"Great." Joe replied. "Just great. I guess you better let your buddies at S.T.A.R. Labs know." He headed out the door.

"Already on it." Barry called back as he raced out and ran down the street.