I said one or two chapters, but instead you get one long chapter. This is the final chapter of this fic. I hope you enjoy it! I am kind of sad to end this one, I've been working on it so long. But the good news is that another idea has struck and I am about to yet again pull the stupid move of trying to get a fic completed before the hiatus ends. I never learn. It's a bit of a different idea, but I am twitchy excited to start it, so I hope you'll come back to read that one too! All I can say is angst, angst, angst.

You guys are the best readers one could ask for. Thanks for all your wonderful reviews and support, it means so much to me. You guys are all so awesome!

Also, Guest Brenda if you are still reading you need to make an account so we can blab, I think we'd be best friends, lol. Guest Luna, same goes for you! :)

Thanks for reading! You guys all rock! :)

Chapter 18

Barry stood with his arms folded and watched Cameron Mann, still unconscious but now occupying his very own cell in the pipeline.

Usually Barry felt pretty good when he captured a dangerous metahuman and removed him from society. But this was one of those times when he didn't feel as good about it.

He admitted Cameron was dangerous; he'd experienced the man's deadly qualities twice now. But there was something about him that Barry identified with. Maybe it was his past. Maybe it was his fixation on something beautiful.

When Cisco had arrived with a S.T.A.R. Labs van at the concrete company, Barry had already located the stolen jewelry. Just as he'd thought, it was at the main building. Cameron had hidden the bag under a loose board in the wooden stairs at the back door. He handed it over to Joe, who promised to return the items to their correct owners. Joe had then filled him in on the information he'd gathered on Cameron Mann.

Cameron's mom had died when he was six. His father had worked at the concrete company and had done his best to raise the boy alone. According to the old neighbor Joe had been able to track down, Cameron had begun speaking less and less after his mother died. He spent hours holding his mother's wedding bands, staring at the diamonds.

Cameron's father had disappeared when he was nine. He was still officially missing. Cameron had disappeared into the foster care system, where there was very little information to be found. After he had turned eighteen Cameron had been so anonymous that he barely showed up on the radar. Until he was arrested as an adult for assault. He had assaulted his boss at his job in construction work and promptly been let go afterwards, even though the charges had been dropped.

Barry could fit the pieces together pretty well after that. Cameron had moved on and been hired at the jewelry store, where he had developed strong feelings for the owner. After he'd been refused for a date, he had sunk further and further into his obsession with gems. Barry had to admit he could understand it. They probably reminded him of his mother, and he used them to escape his reality. Cameron's continual collecting of the items indicated compulsive qualities and unhappiness more than anything else. Barry felt a bit sorry for him. Cameron had lost that job too, and then the particle accelerator exploded. Barry couldn't help but feel that he could have ended up in a similar state if not for Joe and Iris.

Joe had already left for the station and Barry was still standing in front of Cameron's cell when the metahuman began to wake up. Barry waited as Cameron took stock of his surroundings, realized he was imprisoned, and hit the walls a few times, testing their strength. They all did that.

"I'm sorry Cameron, but I had to return the jewelry to the rightful owners. Do you still have your mother's wedding bands? I'll get them for you and let you keep them if you want. I know they mean something to you."

Cameron just gave him a baleful glare and said nothing. Barry tried again.

"Look, Cameron. I know what it's like to feel invisible. I'm sorry you ended up in here. Life has dealt you some crappy hands."

Cameron still said nothing. He radiated hostility and aggression. Barry sighed in resignation. Only then did he realize Cisco was behind him, holding some paper and a few supplies. Cisco moved up next to him. They both looked at Cameron for a moment. The prisoner looked and acted almost feral, more like a trapped wild animal than a man.

"Do you realize we've never heard him speak a word? Do you think that's what the particle accelerator did to him or just his own choice?" Cisco sounded serious, as if each possibility was disturbing to him.

Barry watched as Cameron backed into the wall of the cell behind him and melted into it. The cell looked empty now.

"I don't think we'll ever know, Cisco." Barry looked at the supplies in Cisco's hands. "What are those for?"

"Well, it occurred to me that if he did his disappearing act, his cell would look unoccupied." Cisco gestured to the empty-looking cell to prove his point.

Barry nodded. "Oh, so you're going to put a note on it so we don't let him out by accident?"

"Yup." Cisco uncapped a marker. "Just need to write something on here."

A thought occurred to Barry as he waited. "Did you ever find a better name for this guy?"

Cisco's smile was a bit sad as he straightened up and began taping the paper to the glass on the front of the cell. "Just thought of one now, actually." He stepped away so Barry could read his makeshift sign:

DON'T FORGET

MR. INVISIBLE

LIVES HERE

Barry swallowed. He could tell that Cisco had spent time feeling invisible too. It happened to nerds a lot growing up. He clapped Cisco on the shoulder to show his approval.

"It's a good name, Cisco, thanks. We'd be so screwed without you here."

Cisco smiled. "Thanks, man." He sealed off the door to the pipeline and headed down the ramp. "Oh, by the way, there's a surprise in the main lab for you." He raised his eyebrows up and down a few times and left.

Barry and Cisco had arrived at an entrance closer to the pipeline, so Barry had yet to enter the main lab that evening. When he finally did, he pulled up short. His face changed to happy surprise.

"Hi! I didn't know you were here."

Iris smiled back at him, her eyes shining. "Hi. I wanted to make sure you were okay."

They both were smiling like idiots, but neither really noticed. It felt like ages had passed since the lake. They moved closer to each other until they were within arm's reach. Their eyes were locked together, oblivious to anything else.

"Oh my God, please get a room you guys. This is like Ronnie and Caitlin all over again." Cisco's voice was tinged with disgust and laughter at the same time.

"Leave them alone Cisco, it's sweet." Caitlin was smiling their way.

Barry ducked his head, embarrassed. "Um, do you want to go get some dinner? I've been running too much and I really need some food."

Iris nodded eagerly. "Sure!"

Barry's face lit up. "Okay! Let me just-" He zipped away, then returned almost immediately for the duffel bag Iris was now dangling from a finger. "Thanks." She giggled. He was back in a second, out of his suit and into his clothes. "-get changed. You ready?"

"Ready when you are."

They both disappeared in a rush of wind.

Cisco was shaking his head. "They're going to have to come back to get her car. He doesn't have to carry her everywhere."

Caitlin said nothing, remembering the first several months of dating Ronnie, when they couldn't be near each other without holding hands. She sighed.

"Humans need touch, Cisco. Don't tell me you wouldn't be carrying your girl every chance you got if you could."

Cisco grinned. "Okay maybe, but I don't think she'd appreciate it as much. We'd be going so much slower. I should make something that will carry me and my girl at a super fast speed."

Caitlin fought a smile. "You mean, like a car?" She gave him a look, like the idea was crazy.

Cisco laughed. "Or! A jet powered wheelchair thing." Cisco's face froze. It was obvious he had an idea. Again. He leaned forward conspiratorially and whispered. "Who wants to help me trick out Wells' wheelchair? We could make it a turbo ride! That would be so sick!"

Caitlin giggled. "Not me. Plus you'd have to get him out of it. Good luck."

Cisco relinquished the idea. "True. Oh, well. One more metahuman down. Barry is definitely not doing a patrol tonight. Guess it's time to head home."

Caitlin agreed.

After some debate between burgers and pizza, Iris and Barry decided both were good. They ended up at Joe's, their bounty spread across the dining table. Barry made sure to put a burger and several pieces of pizza aside for Iris before devouring the rest at high speed. Iris was two bites into her burger and shaking her head when he was finished.

"That is so unfair! Do you know how many girls would kill for your metabolism?"

Barry sat back in his chair, tossing a napkin onto his plate. "Ohh I feel so much better. I could tell my blood sugar was having trouble."

He waited until she was finished eating too. They cleaned up together, at the same time in best friend mode and nervous new love territory. Both were far too giggly and full of smiles.

Barry was setting up a movie and finding another blanket when he looked up to see Iris standing in the doorway of the kitchen, watching him. He straightened up with a questioning look.

Iris had a perfectly content look on her face as she approached. She moved in front of him and put her hand over his heart, enjoying the rapid rhythm. He smiled down at her before he leaned in for a quick kiss. She laid her head on his chest and they stood together, arms wrapped around each other.

Barry suddenly had a thought. "Iris, when did you get to S.T.A.R. Labs?" She raised her head to meet his eyes. "I mean, did you see any of the fight-" He stopped talking, because it was obvious she had seen plenty by the look she was giving him. He took a deep breath and rubbed his eyes a minute, suddenly nervous. "Okay." He sat down on the couch and waited for her to sit too. He rubbed his hands together, then reached for hers and looked her in the eye. "Okay Iris, I'm so sorry you had to see that, and I know it must have scared you so badly. I promise to be more careful from now on, but this is really something I need to do-"

"Barry."

"-maybe it's best if you aren't present when I do things like that, you don't need that added to the stress of worrying I'll get hurt or killed, especially after the coma-"

"Barry!" Her voice was louder now. He halted his diatribe and waited, holding his breath.

Iris couldn't help the fond feelings rising up in her. He was so nervous, so worried. She tried not to laugh. "Barry. It's okay. It was really scary watching that fight, but you came out of it in the end and you caught the bad guy, and I learned that I could handle what you do. I've been a cop's daughter my whole life. I know what you do is dangerous, but you also heal fast, and you have your powers as an advantage. You have brains, and you have heart. I love all of you, and even though I never want to lose you I don't have to go hide every time you go out as The Flash. We're going to be fine." She put a hand on his cheek and smiled at him.

Barry let out his breath on a rush. "Oh thank God! I was really worried. I don't want to have to choose. I mean I know which I would choose, but thank you for not making me." He realized he was babbling, took a deep breath, and started over. "Thank you Iris, you are so strong. You are such a hero too, you just take your shirt off instead of putting on a mask."

Iris laughed. "I love you Barry Allen."

"I love you too." He kissed her. It was quiet for a bit, until Iris pulled away. They were both breathing heavy.

"Okay mister, we'd better start the movie before I really do take my shirt off." She grinned wickedly, and then snuggled up next to him and arranged the blanket over them both. Barry's face flushed with color as he grabbed the remote, but he willingly settled into the couch, enjoying their closeness.

They were through the opening credits before anyone spoke again. "Just don't get struck by lightning ever again, okay?"

Barry chuckled. "Well, statistically speaking, the chances of being struck at all are like one in six hundred thousand, so the chances of being struck twice in a lifetime are pretty minimal-"

"Barry." Iris was grinning at him, and he could tell he was being a nerd again.

He smiled at her and murmured. "I promise."

Half an hour later Joe came in the front door. He answered their greeting, put his coat on its hook, and came into the living room. His detective senses took in their closely snuggled forms under the blanket, their bright happy looks, and the general lack of tension in the room.

Joe spread out his hands. "Okay, have you two worked everything out? Is everybody happy again?"

Iris and Barry exchanged a look.

"Everything is great, Dad."

"We are totally happy, Joe."

Joe's eyes narrowed. Whoa. Looked like both of Barry's secrets were out and dealt with. He hid a grin and sank down into the chair next to the couch. "I am so glad. You two and your angst were killing me."

Two Months Later

Spring had arrived with a vengeance, and all the trees around the lake were in bloom. Pink, white, and magenta blooms covered them, creating a picturesque beauty.

It was beauty perfect for a picnic. And that was exactly what Barry had in mind as he ran out to the lake that afternoon, holding Iris in his arms.

Since the weather was better there were actually people around the lake, so Barry and Iris came to a stop further back so as not to draw attention. He set her down and took the picnic basket she'd been carrying on her lap as he ran. They held hands and walked the rest of the way in.

"Don't forget I only have an hour. I don't want to be back late. I just got this job, I need to make a good first impression." Iris reminded Barry.

"Don't worry, I'll get you back in time." Barry gave her a confident grin.

"Yeah, with or without my hair in a total mess?" Iris poked him in the side.

"Seriously, if they don't see what an awesome journalist you are because they're looking at your hair, then Central City News has some major problems."

Iris rolled her eyes at him, but inside she was grinning.

They spread the blanket out under a tree and ate lunch. Afterwards Barry leaned against the tree while Iris reclined on him. He was filling her in on his visit to Starling City the night before.

"Barry Allen, you did not just whoosh Oliver Queen out of his Arrow Cave!"

He laughed, enjoying himself. "Oh yes I did! And I told him that I was so glad he was alive, but if he ever played dead again I would kill him myself. And I know he's all I-have-to-be-alone-tough-guy, but he should have reached out to me for help or at least made contact when he returned from the dead."

"He didn't shoot you again, did he?" Iris winced.

"No I made sure his arrows were far away before I said that."

"So what did he say?"

"A lot of talk about how busy he was and how things were crazy and he didn't have time and can't endanger people he cares about…the usual."

Iris sat up and turned towards him. "Wait. 'People he cares about?' Did I hear that right?"

Barry's laugh was giddy. "I know! I heard it, but I let it slide. I didn't want to embarrass him too much. Besides, I had one more thing to say."

"Oh good you did say it."

"Yup. I told him he was full of crap, and life is short, and he better just suck it up and make a life with Felicity before it's too late."

"Says the man who waited for years." Barry tickled her sides. "Hey!" They laughed, and then she settled back in on him and became more serious. "Do you think it made any kind of impression on him?"

"I don't know. I hope so. I pointed out that heroes could have love. Sometimes guys like us do get the girl. I mean, Diggle has Lyla and his daughter. I've got you."

She turned her head up to him. "Thank goodness for that."

He grinned and kissed her quickly. "Tell me about it."

"Well, I'm glad you said it anyway."

"I did my best. And I think Felicity was listening on Oliver's comm again because she gave me a hug and whispered 'thank you' in my ear before I left."

Iris laughed. "I totally love her." Barry agreed.

It was almost time to head back into Central City. Iris was looking up at the trees, enjoying the beauty of the flowers. She looked around. They were alone at the lake. Finally. She sat up.

"Barry, do you remember when you brought me out here after you heard Oliver was alive?"

Barry gave her a look. "Yeah, of course."

She looked at him and raised her eyebrows. His went up as well as he tried to discern her meaning. She looked up at the branches of the tree they were under, then leaned closer to him.

"Do it again."

Barry's slow smile was the boyish one that made him look eight. He glanced around to make sure no one was watching, then sprang into action. He ran loops around the trees, building up enough of a whirlwind to break the petals off their blooms and send them high into the air. Then he was back on the ground, reclining on an elbow, ready to appreciate the beauty.

The floating petals were beautiful, but they just couldn't compare to her. Iris was on her knees, arms outstretched and surrounded by floating petals. Time was suspended in a perfect moment, giving him a snapshot of her laughing face and outstretched arms, petals everywhere.

She was still the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen.