One very huge chapter got split into two. Enjoy the fluff, because things are about to get crazy! Chapter 5 should be up very soon. Thanks for all your wonderful reviews and support. Thanks for reading! :)

Chapter 4

Barry was almost done working for the day, which was good. It was already getting dark outside and his eyes were tired after staring at his computer for much of his time there. He had scheduled a patrol for himself tonight, just to keep up his speed and possibly find a crime or two. He had little hope that he would actually find the burglar that was still on the loose.

A second look at the first jewelry store had given them another sample of sand, this time brushed against the wall underneath the security camera. It was so light and small; it was no surprise Barry had missed it the first time around. It was an exact match for the sand from the guard's uniform.

Barry sat back and rubbed his eyes. The problem was that the sand itself was pretty average. It had high quartz content; its grains were very angular. Barry and Cisco had determined that this kind of sand was mined from granite and typically used in making concrete. But there were a lot of concrete businesses around, and that didn't include the bags of sand sold at hardware and home improvement stores. Barry had reached what seemed like a brick wall.

The bigger questions kept coming back though. The amount of sand on the guard's uniform was quite a bit more than the amount on the wall of the first crime scene. If a metahuman were made of sand, he would expect to find a similar amount in both places. Which then begged the even larger question: Who runs around with sand all over their clothes? If the metahuman wasn't made of sand, why was it all over him? The immense possibilities had sent Cisco in a myriad of different directions as he pondered diverse alternatives. Caitlin had rolled her eyes and left him to it. Barry and Joe just spent time discussing it in circles until they decided they needed a break in the case to give them something else to go on. But that didn't stop Barry from researching the many places that sold sand. The list was getting very large.

Iris came into the lab, fresh from work at Jitters. Barry's eyes lit up when she entered.

"Hey Barry, we still up for a movie tomorrow?"

"Wouldn't miss it. You waiting for Joe?"

She gave him a rueful look. "Yeah. Just seems easier to wait up here instead of out in the open."

Barry understood completely. It hadn't been long since her breakup with Eddie, and they were still in the awkward to see each other phase. Her father being Eddie's partner made it that much more difficult. Joe had been physically restraining himself from telling Iris "I told you this would get complicated." Barry was grateful for that. He already had a murder to investigate. He gave Iris a commiserating smile, his hand going up to his shoulders to ease some of the tension that had crept in at the computer.

"Your shoulders hurt? Here let me." Iris moved behind his chair and set to work giving him a shoulder rub. He tried not to fall asleep and wondered if he really needed to patrol tonight. No, he decided, he really did. Maybe.

"Thanks." He murmured, eyes almost closed.

Iris noticed how close to sleep he was and withdrew her hands, slapping him lightly on the arm. "Okay enough of that," She said with a laugh. "You are not allowed to sleep here. You'll never make it home."

"So?" Barry's grin made him look like an 8-year-old boy. She laughed again as Joe wandered in. One arm full of files, he gave Iris a one-armed hug with the other.

"Hey, baby. What are your plans tonight?"

Iris shrugged. "Not much. I'm going to spend some quality time with my laptop. I will be tweaking my resume and updating my blog. Fun stuff." She suddenly realized. "Oh wait! I forgot some of my research at Jitters. I have to go back for it."

Joe nodded. "I'm off to grab some groceries and then I'll be home. He gave Barry a loaded look. "You'll call me if you find anything, right Barry?"

Barry gave him a mock salute. "Sure will."

They each headed in their separate directions. Barry streaked toward S.T.A.R. Labs, grateful for the chilly weather that helped him wake up. He was headed down the hallway to the main lab when he heard shouting coming from that direction. He sped the last few feet to the doorway, ready for anything. He certainly didn't expect what he did find.

Caitlin and Cisco were jumping in place, looking for all the world like they were cheering at a football game. Dr. Wells was sitting, of course, but watching them with a small smile on his face. When they spotted Barry, they all started talking at once.

"What's going on?" Barry sputtered in bewilderment, trying to make out what each one was saying as they overlapped each other. Dr. Wells wisely stopped talking as Caitlin and Cisco rushed towards him. Caitlin got there first.

"Barry! Barry! Felicity just called, and –"

Cisco cut in, unable to restrain himself. "Oliver's alive! He's alive, Barry! I knew it! Well I didn't know it, but I really, really hoped for it!"

Barry was suddenly wide awake. "Really? Are they sure? How?"

Caitlin shook her head, her smile huge on her face. Cisco was laughing behind her. "She wouldn't-"

"- say much about it!" Barry finished along with her, laughing too. The three were practically giddy with delight. "But they're sure! They're sure?"

Caitlin nodded vigorously. "He's there right now! He's in Starling City!"

Barry shot both fists in the air. "Yes! That's awesome! I knew he was a survivor! I should go… should I go? No… they'll be fine." He was barely aware that he was babbling, zipping back and forth as he wavered between his suit and the door. "There's something I need to do first. I'll call you guys later on patrol!"

He finally got the correct order of actions as he changed into his suit and raced out the door. The breeze blew papers off the desk.

Cisco stared at the empty doorway. "Where's he going? Is he just working off extra energy doing laps?"

Caitlin just shook her head, a tiny smile working its way out. She sat down at the comm. console and turned the volume down just in case. Barry was most likely not taking her advice. As always.

Iris had just returned to Jitters and was about to get into her car when the wind blew up behind her. She turned around, already knowing what she would find.

The Flash was waiting behind her. Even with the several feet that divided them she could see the huge smile on his face.

"What-" She began, but he interrupted.

"Not here." His smile became a cocky grin. "Do you trust me?"

Iris looked him up and down, sensing the excitement in him. "Yes-" The word ended in a yelp as he moved in. Before she knew it, her research papers were in the car, the door was locked and shut, and she was scooped up into his arms as he gathered speed.

The Flash had carried her before, up to the rooftop of Jitters and back. On that occasion it happened so fast she felt like she'd teleported there. It in no way prepared her for the experience of being carried long distance. She clutched his shoulders and angled her face into his chest, avoiding the wind as much as possible. She would have thought that the wind would be freezing, as cold as it was outside. But something about the power he produced, or the sheer heat generated by the friction of his movement made it warmer. She could feel his arms around her back and under her knees, and even though she knew his legs were running, it almost felt like she was gliding through space. Very quickly. She opened her eyes once to view the landscape as it rushed past, but that was a mistake. The speed of it passing made her feel dizzy. She closed her eyes again and focused on the motion. She had to admit, even though she knew they were going at rapid speed, it almost felt like he had chosen a loping pace. Like he was restraining how fast he could really go. Her ears picked up snatches of sound as they raced past different areas of the city, but she couldn't attach a source to any of them. It became white noise until it faded away. Then the light on her closed eyelids faded too. They were out of the city, or at least on the outskirts of it.

She had barely made that realization when they stopped. She tried to catch her breath so she wouldn't fall over as he put her down. He placed her on the grass, near the outer edge of a pool of light produced by an ornate streetlamp and backed a few steps away. With the light behind him, his face was now effectively in shadow. She could just make out the faint lines of his face. He was barely breathing hard, but he looked like he was ready to explode any moment. His smile was still huge.

"Sorry, I needed to find a private place to tell you this, and I couldn't wait until next week."

Iris looked around and realized they were at the lake outside of Central City. There was a small park with trees, benches and graceful walking paths that led up to the water's edge.

She was standing on a patch of grass where several of the paths intersected with each other. All around her were trees, devoid of leaves for the season but having still stubbornly clung to several seedpods per branch.

She registered all this, and then looked at The Flash again, feeling slightly wary. "What's going on?" She asked.

"The Arrow… is alive. He's alive!"

She stared at him a moment. "Really? How?"

He shook his head, still grinning. "I have no idea, they aren't telling me much as usual but this time I don't even care because my friend is alive! He. Is. Alive!" He threw his head back and laughed, exultant. With his disguised voice, the laughter should have sounded distorted or unsettling, but the joy in every line of his body canceled it out.

His excitement was contagious. Iris found that she was grinning as well. "That's wonderful!" She practically squealed as she said it, and without even thinking rushed forward to hug him. He lifted her up and swung her in a circle, laughing the entire time. When he put her back down and moved further away she was laughing too. It was difficult to regain her breath and form words. "I'm so happy for you! For him, everyone!"

"He's a survivor Iris, he came through before and now he did it again! Yes!"

The Flash simply could not hold still, he was so full of happiness. In a blink, he had climbed a tree. Then a different one. Then he circled the park. She could barely follow his progress, but the blur of light he became was easier to track in the dark. Iris was smiling ear to ear, still laughing as she watched. His gamboling play reminded her of a giant puppy with more energy than experience. He raced up another tree, then out onto the lake. Water splashed up around him as he ran further out, then circled back towards her. At this point her laughing stopped, replaced by amazement. She watched with her mouth open, barely whispering to herself.

"Wow."

When he returned to where she was standing he didn't stop. Suddenly he was running tight circles around her and the trees she stood in the middle of, going faster and faster. She found herself at the center of a whirlwind and held her hair down as the force increased. It reached the trees above her, the force of the wind snapping off the last remaining seedpods. They fluttered high into the air and then floated toward the ground, the glittering frost that coated them catching the lamplight as they fell. Iris spread out her arms as they descended around her, laughing. It felt magical.

Rounding the trees on his last circle, The Flash glanced over as he slowed down. Time suspended for a moment, and he was gifted with the sight of Iris, arms spread wide and surrounded by glittering floating seedpods. Her smiling face was equal amounts of delight and wonder.

It was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen.

But it only lasted a second. He stopped in front of her again and took a moment to commit that particular sight to memory. She was watching the final seedpods land on the ground.

He finally felt like he had expended enough energy to slow down, so he flopped on the grass nearby in the darkness and stretched his legs out. Eventually he found a comfortable enough position reclining on one side, braced on an elbow so he could keep his torso upright. She came a few steps closer and sat down as well. There were a few moments of pleasant silence as they both caught their breath again. Finally he looked her way. She was already staring at him.

"What?"

She shook her head a tiny bit. "Nothing, I just didn't know you could do that. Run on water."

He laughed. "Oh, that. Yeah I figured it out awhile back. As long as I keep my speed up fast enough I don't sink."

She shook her head. "There's still so much I don't know about you."

He nodded slightly. "You know a lot more than I ever thought you would." He straightened up so he could look at her better. "Listen, Iris. Thank you for being there for me when I needed it. Losing The Arrow put me in a really bad place, and you helped me back out of it. You supported me and you even supported him. That's why I had to tell you right away when I heard he was alive. Thank you, so much."

She smiled softly. "You're welcome, Flash."

They smiled at each other a moment, then he stood up and she followed suit.

"We should be heading back." He gave her an expectant look. "Are you ready?"

She held up a hand. "Wait, I want to ask, why do I feel like you were holding back on the way out here? I'm pretty sure you can go faster than that."

The corners of his mouth turned up in what could only be called a sheepish grin.

"Erm, clothes have been known to catch fire if I go too fast for too long."

She laughed out loud. "Really?" She looked him up and down. "Is that why you wear that suit?"

The Flash spread out his hands and leaned back on one foot, displaying his suit in all its glory. "Is there any other reason I'd wear something like this?"

She couldn't restrain the gentle mocking tone in her voice as she replied. "Well, it's form-fitting, a little..um..flashy, and it certainly makes a statement."

The Flash winked. "Those are all just a bonus."

He scooped her up and started running. Her answering laugh trailed in the wind behind them.