The song for this chapter is Whitaker - My Own

BARRY'S POV:

"Why do I have this big hoodie on?" I asked Oliver as we shuffled into his car. "I don't think this is necessary. No one will recognize me. I've never even been to Starling City before."

He shut the door behind me then made his way over behind the wheel. "Facial recognition software."

"So, are you saying the police will be after me soon? How long have I been unconscious?"

"Two days. You needed the rest."

My eyes widened. "Two days? I need to call my dad. Iris is probably freaking out. Where's my phone?"

He started the car. "You can't worry about that right now."

I balked. "They're going to think something bad happened to me."

"They'll get over it."

"Is that what you told yourself those five years you were stranded in the middle of nowhere? That your family would get over it?"

He met my eyes. "I was fighting for my life, Barry. Of course, I worried about them, but I had to think of myself if I wanted to see them again if I wanted them to be safe." He averted his gaze. "First lesson. Distance yourself from your loved ones."

IRIS'S POV:

The sound of voices woke me up. I pushed off from the bed, realizing Barry wasn't in it.

Cisco and my dad were standing in the living room with heavy stances. They turned at my clumsy descend down the stairs.

"What's going on?"

My dad met me halfway, his eyes red. "This doesn't mean anything. He could be out trying to clear his head or his phone may be dead. We don't know."

"Dad, where's Barry?" I looked to Cisco. "He was here last night. He couldn't sleep. Where could he have gone?"

"I kicked him out this morning." My dad said.

Worry set in. "What? Why?"

He sighed. "I didn't give him a key so he could come over here in the middle of the night and have sleepovers with you, Iris."

"Oh my God, we didn't do anything."

"Cisco," My dad turned to him. "We shouldn't worry. We can't file a report until after twenty-four hours anyway."

Cisco gave me a look. "He's going to be okay."

I rushed up the stairs, grabbed my phone and dialed the number.

"It's Barry, leave a message or just text me. You know what to do." His voicemail said.

"Hey, Bear. It's me. I know it's probably nothing, but I thought I'd check on you anyway. Cisco and my dad are really worried about you, so just give us a call back. Hope you're okay."

Day Four.

"Um, I don't know what's going on. I don't know if you're okay or what, but I'm worried...so just let us know what's going on." I sat on my bed with Caitlin beside me. "I'll just be at home if you want to come by. Okay, bye." I hung up.

Caitlin patted my shoulder. "I'm sure he's okay."

"No, he's not," I muttered.

"We don't know anything for sure."

Week Three

I closed my locker. The normal cacophony of laughter and depression went on as planned. Barry had been gone for three weeks. That was three weeks of worry, three weeks of sleepless nights, three weeks of hope all bottled up inside. We didn't have any answers. All we had were horrible theories that we couldn't put to rest.

At least I had Cisco. We held each other together.

I joined him at his locker. "Hey,"

He shuffled his books out. "Hey,"

"You look a little rough, Cisco."

He sighed. "I can't sleep." He slammed his locker shut. "I can't do anything. Not until we find out if he's okay."

We started down the hall.

"I'm going to find out what's going on." He muttered. "There's been sightings in Starling City of The Flash the last few days. I don't know if they're real, but that's a place to start."

My brow rose. "Why would you look for The Flash?" He has been absent for a bit, but I'd seen the updates people were sending me via my blog about him being in Starling City.

He shrugged. "Maybe he could help."

I nodded. "Maybe."

The bell rung for us to head to class.

"I'll stop by Jitters tonight. I told Ronnie I'd tutor him, I could use the coffee."

I gave a small smile. "I'll hook you up."

"Iris, can you grab some filters from the back?" Caitlin asked me.

I nodded and made my way back to the back room. My phone vibrated in my pocket. A new Flash sighting back in Central City. Was he back?

Knowing it was a bad idea I went to my pictures and found the ones Barry took when he hijacked my phone the day I refused to make him our double chocolate brownies. Simply for the fact that I would've eaten them all if I had. He made goofy faces into the camera a grin on his face as he took a picture of us I knew nothing about. A sad grin overtook my face. Those green eyes stared back at me and I prayed that I would get the chance to see them again. Wiping my eyes, I grabbed two bags of filters before I headed back out.

Cisco and Ronnie were talking to Caitlin. Rather Cisco was standing there with familiar lost eyes while Ronnie leaned forward on the counter to chat with Caitlin.

I neared the counter, giving Cisco a friendly grin.

He seemed to liven up a bit when saw me. "Thanks."

I nodded as I started to make his favorite.

"I'm going to Starling City tomorrow."

I met his gaze. "Do you really think The Flash will help us? I tried contacting him through my blog and hasn't worked. I guess he was just busy."

"You want to come along?"

"No," I whispered angrily. "Barry's alive and scared somewhere. How is the Flash going to help us find him?"

He smirked. "You never know."

With a roll of my eyes, I nodded before finishing the rest of my drinks. I looked over to see Caitlin giggling at something Ronnie said.

"Let me try and reach out to The Flash again before we drive all the way over there, okay?"

He had a skeptical gleam in his brown eyes. "If it'll make you feel better."

I went to my bag and pulled out my tablet. Within a minute, it was posted.

"Done."

Work dragged on endlessly like usual, like everything lately. I definitely didn't want to be one of those girls that completely shut down because of a guy, and I wasn't. I went through the motions, got everything done, but my heart wasn't in it. I was too worried about Barry. I didn't want to lose faith in The Flash. He had to be a busy guy, running around and helping people. I didn't know him personally, so I couldn't attest that he was a flake, but if he didn't respond to this post that's how I'd feel.

I asked Caitlin if I could lock up. She knew about my blog, about my faith in The Flash, so she didn't mind me using Jitters as an incognito meetup.

Jitters were clear of people, everything was quiet and oddly eerie. I hunched over my special coffee, not knowing if I was an idiot for waiting an hour to have The Flash not show up. The answer was yes, I was an idiot. With a sigh, I rose from the chair and gathered my things.

My hair whooshed behind me as I felt a heavy breeze. My eyes slowly rose to look in front of me. "You came."

He nodded. "Sorry, I was late. I had things come up."

For a moment, I just stared at him because I hadn't felt that crackle in the air since I last saw Barry. With a sour chuckle, I shook the thought from my head. I missed Barry and seeing him in places I wanted him to be wouldn't help me any.

"I didn't think you were going to come." My eyes locked on the table.

He took a step forward. "I'm here now. What did you want to talk about?"

Now that he was here I didn't know if I could ask him to do this. I didn't really know him, but I guessed he'd look into it if it meant saving a life.

"My friend's been missing for a long time. I don't know where he is." I moved closer to him with hopeful eyes. "I don't expect you to say yes, but I was hoping you could maybe look for him." I bit my bottom lip to keep from crying, but the tears came anyway. "It's just he's very special to me and I don't know if he's alive or dead. If he was alive he'd reach out, right?"

He neared me, his head down. "You think I can find him?"

I let out a shallow breath. "I don't know. I just need some answers, so I can move on with my life."

His head snapped up, his face blurry. "Your friend, is he holding you back?"

My hands wiped at my face as I shook my head. "No and yes." I felt a little weight rise from my shoulders just talking about it. "There's this guy that I used to have a huge crush on and he asked me out and I had an okay time with him, but it doesn't feel right. When I'm with him it feels like I'm..."

"Cheating?" He asked.

I nodded. "Yeah, which is really stupid." I gave a shy smile. "So, can you help me?"

He hesitated long enough that I headed for the door. "Wait," He grabbed my arm.

I stilled at the contact. Sure, he's touched me a few times before, but somehow this felt more personal. It felt like Barry, but I knew that was my mind over reaching again.

"I'll help you, Iris."

I turned back to peep up at him, his face vibrating. "Thank you..." I didn't know what to call him, so I just said, "Flash, I know you're busy between Starling and Central City."

"You keeping tabs on me?"

I grinned. "You read my blog, of course, I do."

"I'll always have time for you."

Cheeky are we?

"I bet you say that to all the girls." I teased.

He stepped forward so I had to strain my neck to look up at him. "What other girls?"

My mouth opened as I contemplated what to say. I could feel my face turning red. I shouldn't for one second believe that I was the only girl he saved multiple times and had a sort of relationship with, but I wanted to. There was a sense of trust that made its way into my chest when I was around him, which I supposed came from the fact he saved my life a few times. He was a superhero after all.

He flashed away.

BARRY'S POV:

Going to see Iris as The Flash was both reckless and irresponsible. Not only did I break Oliver's rules of training, but I promised her I'd help find her friend. How the hell was I going to do that?

Making sure I changed out my suit and stashed it in my backpack I rode on my motorcycle towards the private house Oliver paid for to keep me safe. The guard scanned my ID badge and opened the gate.

There was sure to be hell to pay once I got inside. And hopefully, some hot chocolate. With any luck, Oliver would be gone and I'd have the place to myself. Walking inside I heard voices. Great. With a deep breath, I rounded the corner into the living room where Oliver stood with his arms crossed and a stern look that always seemed to be on his face. Felicity acknowledged me with a wave of her fingers and an amused smirk on her face. Seeing the two of them together was always freaky. A goth and a preppy playboy. And they couldn't be anymore perfect for each other.

"I told you he was okay." She told Oliver.

I nodded. "I'm okay."

Anger flared in his eyes. "Sit."

With a groan, I parked on the coat. "Before you say anything, I-"

He gave me a look that said shut up or you'll regret it, so I shut up. "Have you lost your mind? Did you think I wouldn't notice if you were gone, that you went to see Iris?"

I didn't know if I was supposed to talk or not, so I just gave my best-wounded look. One that worked on Felicity like a charm.

"This isn't a game, Barry. I didn't bring you here so you could run back home whenever you wanted. I need here mentally, physically, and emotionally. Distractions like Iris will only get you caught."

"Come on, no one saw me there."

"Actually," Felicity held her phone up. A picture of me with my back to the door in jitters appeared on her screen.

My eyes closed as I prayed no one posted that anywhere. "I have to make sure she's okay."

"You're obviously nowhere near ready to go back to Central City. You're training will be extended."

"But-"

"You told me you'd do anything to keep them safe." He gave me a stern look before leaving.

Fuck me.

Felicity came to sit beside me. She shoved her black hair behind her studded ear.

"Look, I know Oliver can be tough. He's-"

"He's not tough on you." I countered.

She gave an apologetic grin. "That's because we have a different working relationship. He bailed me out of juvie. I'm lucky to be where I am right now."

Yeah yeah. The billionaire takes pity on the delinquent. I've heard it a million times.

"Oliver actually likes you," I told her.

Her face flush like I knew it would. "We're strictly professional."

I chuckled. "That's what I meant."

"Oh." She bit down on her black painted nails. "He cares about you, otherwise he wouldn't be doing this. He wouldn't push you if he didn't care, Barry."

I made a face.

"So was it worth it? Seeing Iris again?" She tried to fight a grin, but couldn't stop it.

A grin took over my face. "So worth it." I looked into her blue eyes. "I swear for a second she knew it was me and I wanted to tell her, but..." My smile faltered.

"You can't."

My head hit the back of the couch in frustration. "Why does it feel like I'm never going to be me again?"

She propped her arm on the couch as she gazed at me through her dark makeup. "Because you won't. I don't think I'll ever fully know what Oliver went through on that island, but I know enough to assure you that what he's teaching you will stick with you. It'll make you better at being The Flash. Sad, but true."

I turned my head to look at her. "I told Iris I would help her find me."

Her brow rose. "You're an idiot."

I laughed. "Hey, I can't resist that face." I saddened. "She thinks I'm dead. She thinks The Flash could help. I don't know what to do. Tell me what to do."

She sighed then pursed her lips. "You could always just ignore her."

"No, I can't do that. She has faith in The Flash, Felicity. I'm worried that's the only thing she has faith in at the moment. I can't not help her."

She shrugged. "I can't help you on this one. You're going to have to tell Oliver. He'll know what to do." She rose and patted my shoulder. "I'll order takeout."

I sighed once again as I stayed on the couch.

IRIS'S POV:

I told Cisco about my meeting with The Flash, which he seemed a little ticked about, but he wouldn't tell me why. It's been two weeks and we still hadn't heard back anything. In a desperate attempt to draw either Barry or The Flash out, I put my name on my blog with no word yet. So we were at a loss. The only thing we could think of was go to Starling City and ask Arrow for help. How we'd find him, I didn't know, but that was all we had at the moment.

On my way out of the grocery store, a tall beefy man stepped in front of me.

"Hey, Iris."

My brow creased as I tried to identify the guy. "Tony?"

He smirked. "Yeah, how you doing?"

I headed for my car. "Uh, Tony, I really don't have time to chat. I was just heading down to the station to see my dad...and my boyfriend." I guess you could call Eddie that. We hung out. He bought me food, asked if I was okay. Then he started kissing me and I didn't push him away because I could use the distraction.

"That's cool. I just wanted to talk to you for a sec."

I sighed. "Okay, what about?"

"The Flash, I read your blog."

Warning bells went off in my head as my eyes searched around. "I don't know any more than you probably do."

"Then why do you seem jumpy?" He demanded, his rough strong hand grabbed my arm as he pulled me to him. My heart hammered in my chest.

The bags in my hands fell to the ground and I yanked away from him and ran for my car.

I was pulled back by my hair. I cried out in pain. "I don't know anything, Tony."

He lowered his face to mine as his free hand held onto my hip. "I've always liked you, Iris. Which is why I don't want to hurt you, but I will if you don't give me what I want."

I struggled against him, but it felt like his grip was made of steel. Quite literally. "You're one of them, aren't you?" I couldn't mask the tiny bit of excitement from my voice.

People were stopping to stare at us in the parking lot.

"You tell your boyfriend I'm looking for him and that he was born to take a beating."

"You saw him?"

He threw me to the ground. "Just do it." He ran off.

The pavement cut my hands a little. A few people came to help me up. Their questions going over my head as I searched around for Barry's childhood bully. A part of me was sort of glad he wasn't here. Although, Barry was athletic and cocky, he wasn't on Tony's level. The man was literally made of steel. I knew Tony wanted me write about him, so that's what I'd do. Hopefully, that'll get me answers faster. But I wasn't a fool and my hope was dying out as month two of Barry being gone extended.

A/N: Hope yall liked it. Once I get a few of these relationships more developed I'll make sure the chapters are longer :) Thanks to everyone who reviewed my story I can't say enough how much I appreciate it. I'll be feeling down and I'll check my stats and see that I have a new review and it makes me happy :)