I hope you enjoy chapter three. I am attempting to get this entire story out before we start getting new episodes, but I think it's going to be very close. Thank you for all the great comments, and support. You guys are awesome! Thanks for reading! :)

Chapter Three

Iris had definitely been thinking a lot since lunch with Eddie the day before. Even if she tried, she couldn't pin the difficulties they were having on Eddie alone. She realized she had been keeping quite a few secrets in the recent past. That was certainly not the basis for a healthy relationship.

But the realization that Eddie had been threatened by her blog about The Flash, that her desire to spread news about someone who helped bring hope and inspiration to people who needed it made him unsure about his place in her life, was really an eye opener. Now looking back she wondered if everything about Eddie's task force was more about her than keeping law and order.

But that really wasn't fair, she decided. Eddie was a cop. And if there was one thing she knew about Eddie, he was grounded in the real world. He had no flights of fancy, no illusions about the impossible existing, or any other such thing. The man didn't even hold science fiction in very high esteem. Finding out otherwise must have come as quite a shock. While Iris had been exhilarated at the idea that someone with impossible abilities existed in the city and was helping people, all Eddie seemed to see was someone who lived outside the rules of established reality, and was therefore untrustworthy. Just the existence of such a person must have rocked Eddie's world. And then his girlfriend became fixated on him.

Iris could honestly see how that would be very disconcerting, at the very least. It made her a bit sad to think that deep down Eddie was so unsure of himself. He obviously didn't see himself the way she saw him. She had hoped that Eddie would come to view The Flash as she did; a hero who used his extraordinary gifts to help those around him. But accepting that he was real had only made Eddie distrust him. And then The Flash had attacked him and proved all of Eddie's original thoughts to be correct. For just a moment she really wanted to go a round or two with that metahuman, wherever he was. It looked like he had ruined any chance of Eddie ever really trusting The Flash.

Now it appeared that Eddie had recently found that more people like The Flash existed. It bothered her that he hadn't told her. But she knew it was really a small thing compared to the secrets she was now keeping. Everything she knew about The Arrow, her meetings with The Flash, her continued support of him; layer after layer of secrets piled up and pushed her farther and farther away from Eddie. She wasn't being fair to him. She knew that. The Flash was right. Secrets did hurt.

Eddie knew walking into his apartment that this evening was going to be a bad one.

Iris was sitting on the couch waiting for him, and she looked very serious. Part of him just wanted to leave and avoid what he felt was probably coming. Instead, he steeled himself and entered the room, sitting in a chair opposite her. He waited for her to speak, since he didn't really trust himself to say anything.

"I'm sorry."

Eddie blinked. "For what?"

"For not being able to see the world the way you do. We look at the world, Eddie, and we see two different places. I see hope and inspiration, and you see reality and threats."

Eddie bristled a bit. "I'm not all gloom and doom."

Iris leaned forward. "No, you're not. I wasn't trying to insult you. It's just that we come from two different perspectives. I don't know if we'll ever meet in the middle."

"I'm willing to work at it if you are."

She smiled sadly. "Are you? Are you ready to stop hunting The Flash?"

He returned her look for a moment, and then admitted, "No, I'm not. I read a bit of your blog today. Especially that post about supporting our heroes. That was pretty recent." He met her eyes. She returned it with a look of her own. Sad, but determined. He sighed inwardly, thinking he already knew the answer. "If I asked you to give up The Flash altogether, would you do it?"

She looked away and at the floor as she said quietly. "No."

He stood up suddenly, moving behind his chair so he could grip its back. He leaned over it, tension in every line of his body. "Why not? What is so special about this guy that you will give up so much for him? That you take his side over mine?"

Iris took a shuddering breath as she tried to find words to do justice to her thoughts. "It's not him, it's me. He- He's a hero. He helps people, even if it puts himself in danger. Just like you. But his abilities, what he does with them gives people hope. And because of him, I can give people hope. That is something I want to do for the rest of my life if I can. I can give to the city. I can give to the whole world."

"That's more important to you than me?"

"You are important to me too. But I can't give this up. It's bigger than me, or you, or the two of us."

He shook his head slowly as he stared at her. He just didn't understand it at all.

She stood up too. "I'm so sorry Eddie. I never wanted to hurt you. But if I stay with you I am going to keep hurting you with this. You don't deserve that. You deserve so much more."

He stared at her. The death knell he expected dropped with crushing finality. "So we're just…done?"

She just looked at him. Tears brimmed that she failed to keep at bay.

Eddie took a deep breath. He stared at the floor, looking like something was working to break free of him. Finally he gave up. It seemed like all the words had been said. He headed for the door, even though it was his own apartment. Halfway there, he stopped and turned around.

"For what it's worth, I always saw my world brighter when you were in it."

He walked out the front door, closed it, and leaned back against the adjoining wall. He swallowed hard, pushing his emotions down. Then he headed for the elevator. He needed to punch something. Or a drink.

Iris sat back down on the couch, mostly because she was shaking. She felt raw and exposed. She cried until she felt she had nothing left. Then she packed up the belongings she had there, left the key on the kitchen counter, and locked the door on her way out.

A few hours later Barry opened his apartment door to find Iris on the other side of it. Her eyes were dry, but she still looked like she'd been crying.

"What's wrong?" Barry asked immediately, pulling her into the apartment and guiding her to his couch. "Are you okay? Why didn't you call me first? Is Joe okay?"

Iris finally found her voice. "Dad is fine. I'm okay. It's just been a bad night. And I…" she fought not to burst into tears again "I needed my best friend."

Barry instantly wrapped his arms around her. He could tell she needed comfort badly. She laid her head as close to his shoulder as she could get, but it was really more around his upper chest because of their height difference. She didn't wrap her arms around him. She just pulled them into her own body as she relaxed into Barry's hug, trying to burrow in and escape the world.

Barry held her close and tried to give her shelter. Worry and concern roiled inside him. He hadn't seen Iris this bad in a long time. Usually when Iris was this upset, Barry could only think of one thing to offer her.

"Do you want brownies?" He murmured softly.

Iris chuckled in spite of herself. "No. I don't feel like eating anything right now. But thanks, Barry."

Barry's eyes were wide with alarm. She didn't want brownies. This was serious. He pulled back to see her face better. "Okay now you're scaring me. What happened?"

Realizing she was going to actually have to talk now, Iris pulled away and sat on the couch. Barry sat down facing her and waited.

Iris knew that giving Barry details could potentially blow up in her face. But she and Barry told each other everything. Or at least they used to. More than anything she needed Barry, her best friend, to be her best friend right now. She blindly hoped that telling him this didn't ruin that.

"Eddie and I…. we broke up." Saying it out loud was much worse than thinking it. Fresh tears welled up and she began searching her pockets for the tissue she was sure she had in them. Barry came to her rescue by grabbing a nearby box and placing it between them. She grabbed a few and dabbed at her eyes as she sneaked a look at his face to see how he was taking the news.

She didn't know what she had expected. That he'd shout for joy? Suddenly make a move to kiss her? Declare his undying love and expect her to reciprocate immediately?

She needn't have worried. Barry's face was sorrowful as he surveyed her obvious distress. Worry and sadness and…possibly even regret played out on his face.

"Iris I'm so sorry." He moved to hug her, then thought better of it and moved back. He settled for putting his hand on one of hers. "I'm so sorry." It seemed that was all he could say.

"Are you really?" She gave him a direct look. She may as well come right out and ask. If she was going to burn this bridge too she was going to do it quick.

But he didn't take offense. He looked her in the eye and squeezed her hand lightly. "Yes, I am. I don't want you to be unhappy. I've never wanted that."

Iris smiled a watery smile. "Even if you love me?"

It was the first time she had ever directly acknowledged his confession out loud to him. They both knew it. Silence settled on the pivotal moment, as if the fate of their relationship depended on the outcome.

Barry smiled back gently. "Especially because I love you." His face changed into a look of self-mockery as he tried to inject some levity into the moment. "You forget, I've been doing this for a very long time."

It worked. They both chuckled a bit. Some of the tension rolled away. She gave him a look of pure gratitude. "Thanks, Barry."

"Anytime."

He offered to put in a movie, more for distraction than anything else. She decided that was a good idea. They sat in companionable silence for a while. She sniffled a bit, and he reflexively moved closer on the couch so he could put his arm around her. She didn't seem to mind. Eventually he worked up the courage to ask the really important question.

"Iris, did you guys, I mean you and Eddie…did you break up because of me? Because of what I told you?"

The worry on his face was very endearing suddenly, so it made Iris feel good to allay his fears.

"Actually, no Barry. No. It wasn't because of you. We just realized that we are two very different people and it wasn't going to work. I never told him what you said."

He nodded in relief, but the worry on his face didn't completely dissolve. Some of the look in his eyes remained. She found that to be a bit odd. Didn't he believe her? But she did suddenly feel better than she had since Eddie had walked out of his apartment, and so she disregarded it.

"Actually, I do feel like brownies. We should make some."

The look faded from his eyes as he sprang off the couch, excited that she seemed to be doing better. He paused the movie. "I'll start the oven, you get the bowl."

Barry had never been much of a cook. But the moment he began living on his own, the one culinary thing he did do was make sure he had the ingredients for brownies stocked at all times. Iris was never more grateful for this fact as she followed him into the kitchen. They alternated adding ingredients and had a batch mixed up in a few minutes. As the brownies baked they returned to the couch and resumed the movie.

Sitting on the couch, smelling the brownies as they baked, the movie became distant background noise as Iris looked at Barry. He looked at her and smiled, then returned his attention to the movie. Iris pretended to as well, but instead she found herself replaying everything that had happened since she had arrived at Barry's apartment.

Ever since he had told her that he had been in love with her since they were kids, Iris had expected everything to be different between them. She had expected him to suddenly be someone different, maybe more aggressive about it, or desperately lovelorn. She thought he'd been hiding his true self all their lives. But now she could see that even with his secret out, Barry was still the same. His secret had never changed him. He still acted the same, cared for her the same; he even treated her the same. The only difference was that he had finally said it out loud. He was still the same Barry she had always known and loved. And it seemed that he had always shown his love for her, all their lives.

Words could not express her gratitude for that.

They sat up for half of the night, eating the entire pan of brownies (Barry ate two thirds of it) and talking. They hadn't done this since before Barry's coma. Their comfort level with each other settled to where it had always been. Barry rated the movie poorly, but that was probably because he'd actually been paying very little attention to it, Iris told him. They debated the virtues of different brownie recipes, and if nuts were actually a vital brownie ingredient or not. The fact that this argument had been reenacted since their teenage years meant nothing to either one. By the time Iris decided she should head home it was two in the morning.

Barry wanted to walk her to her car, but Iris told him to stay put at his door. He reluctantly agreed. They smiled at each other and hugged before she headed out. "I'm so glad you've never changed. Thank you, Bear. See you tomorrow." She gave a small wave and headed for the elevator.

Barry's warm smile remained long enough for him to wave back and close his door. Then it faded, and he spent the remainder of the night considering the changes he had gone through.

At their next weekly appointment on the rooftop of Jitters, The Flash moved in and sat in his chair so fast that the wind was her only clue he had actually arrived. She whirled around, breathless. His legs were already the only things visible on him. She moved towards her own chair.

"Well, hello to you too."

His voice warbled out of the shadows, light and cheery. "I'm ready for therapy."

She laughed, and then remembered that these therapy sessions meant Eddie was no longer a part of her life. Her smile faded.

It was all he needed. "Wait, what's wrong? Are you okay?"

She heaved a sigh. This felt like it was going to be much more difficult than talking to Barry had been. She forced a smile. "I'm fine. It's just…. my boyfriend and I broke up a few days ago." She made a gesture with her hands and tried to make it seem like no big deal.

Silence echoed out of the corner. Iris tried to ignore memories of his previous flirting. Finally his voice quietly warbled out of the corner. "Why?"

Iris hesitated. Lying wouldn't really help. But she really didn't want to admit to him he'd been right. "We- it was because of you."

He was on his feet in a second. "I knew it. Look, Iris. You don't have to be here for me if it means that you and your boyfriend are going to have probl-"

"That's not it, actually-"

"Is it because I was flirting? I'm sorry. I got carried away. Don't ruin the good thing you have because some stranger in a suit was flir-"

"That's not it either, will you let me TALK?" She was on her feet too. Her raised voice echoed off the surrounding buildings, shocking him into momentary silence. They stared at each other for a moment. Then, with as much grace as a red-suited masked man could muster, he motioned for her to speak and sat back down.

"Thank you." She sat down with considerably more grace. "As I was saying, it's not that simple. I've discovered quite a few things about myself recently, and one of them is that I want to give people hope. What you do is very inspiring. I want to do my part. Eddie just doesn't see it the same way. We are never going to agree on it. I don't want to keep hurting him."

The Flash absorbed her words. "This really means that much to you?"

"Yes!" She exclaimed. "Yes it does! Blogging about you, showing people that someone is out there helping, and supporting you so you can do it is wonderful to me! This is what I want to do with my life! When I helped Robert, I was smiling for days afterwards!"

"Robert? Who is that?"

"Oh," she laughed a little "oh yeah you don't know about him. He was the guard at the bank that metahuman robbed."

"Um, you'll have to be a little more specific."

Iris gave him an incredulous look. "Really? Okay, the metahuman that messed you up."

"Oh, him! I'm tracking now. Wait, you went to the bank and saw the guard there?"

"I was following up on your story. But the point is that he was really messed up after he was affected too. He was afraid he'd do it again. He was afraid to see his own family. I talked him through it and gave him hope."

The Flash was glad his face was in shadow so she couldn't see how far his jaw had dropped. Apparently there were things he didn't know about Iris as well. He resisted the urge to warn her of possible dangers and threats. He shook his head slowly. "But, Eddie-"

Iris shook her head, effectively cutting him off. "I'm not saying it doesn't hurt. But this is who I am. This is what I want. People in this city still need help. So even though it hurt to break up with Eddie, I feel like I became free. Like I took a mask off. Oh except you put your mask on to help people, don't you? Well that doesn't work then."

The Flash was staring at her in amazement. Or admiration. Or both. "Maybe you were just taking off your shirt." He said softly.

"Excuse me?" Iris's eyes went wide.

Suddenly flustered, The Flash immediately tried to explain. "No. No, it's just like in the comic books, when the hero has his costume underneath his regular guy clothes and when he goes out to help he takes his shirt off and the hero costume is underneath." There was a beat of silence. "Something like that." He mumbled.

Iris burst into laughter. "I love it! Exactly like that!" She aimed a teasing eye his way. "Is that what you do?"

The Flash fell into it easily. "Me? Nah. I can change fast, remember?"

Iris grinned back. She was glad they were getting along well. She had been worried The Flash would take the news of the breakup as a sign of encouragement. While she was definitely attracted to him, she had just gotten out of a serious relationship. Besides, she had concluded that she wasn't missing out on anything at the moment. Her life was full. Full of Barry again. Full of her possibilities for a new career. Full of hope.

When they were finished talking and The Flash stood up to leave, she thanked him. "Looks like it was my therapy session tonight. Thanks, Flash."

He shook his head. "No, thank you, Iris. For believing in what I do. What we do." He flashed her a smile and left.