I have had some great feedback for this story so I want to thank everyone who commented on it or who added it to their follows or favourites it had defiantly encouraged me to carry on with this. I hope you enjoy this chapter, I have put a little of my views into this chapter so if the characters seem a little OOC I'm sorry. Enjoy and don't forget to click the review button and tell me what you think.
Iris didn't know what to say or do she just stood behind the glass window watching her best friend/superhero lay injured on the hospital gurney, unmoving and unconscious. She was feeling so many emotions she couldn't even begin to categorise them all. She was confused, hurt, scared, upset but most of all, she was angry. He had been like this for almost a year and he had never told her. All the late night talks with the Flash on the rooftop of Jitters, he had had plenty of time and opportunity to tell her and still he never did, why?.
Cisco came to stand next to her and put a hand on her shoulder in comfort as she never took her eyes off Barry.
"He wanted to tell you so much at the beginning but we all talked him out of it because of what we do then over time he realised how dangerous what we do is and he didn't want that for you. All of us are constantly looking over our shoulder just waiting for the next metahuman to attack, he didn't want you to have to do the same. Plus he was afraid, afraid you would hate him and never want to speak to him again. You are a big part of his life and he doesn't want to lose you or what you have. He is also scared that one day someone is going to come along and take you from right under his nose and that he will lose you forever. He just wants to keep you safe and he knows that you can protect yourself but these guys are not some high school bullies they are the real deal and I'm sorry but you wouldn't stand a chance" after his little speech Cisco walked back over to his chair and began working on something giving Iris time to think about what she just heard.
In one way she could see it from Barry's point of view because if the roles were reversed she would have done the exact same but on the other hand she still couldn't believe that he had lied to her face time after time. She got that he wanted to protect her but he could at least have kept her in the loop on things.
She suddenly flashed back to all those times that he had gotten hurt and almost killed while saving other people from getting killed themselves. Her anger slowly started to melt away replaced by fear, not of Barry but for him, for his life and for his safety. She tried to stay mad at him but how could she when he was putting his life on the line to help other people. He may have super speed now but underneath the mask and the suit was still the same Barry Allen she grew up with and become like a sister to. What he was doing was not only dangerous and scary but it was also kind and courageous and selfless.
Walking over to the door she knocked on it silently asking permission to enter not wanting to barge in because it just didn't seem right.
"Come on in Iris" she heard the voice of Caitlin Snow through the door granting her access to the room that kept her unconscious friend. Iris pushed the door open slowly looking on the other side of it in confusion to how she knew who it was.
"How did you know it was me?" she questioned as she fully walked through the door and closed it behind her going to sit down on the chair that was placed on the opposite side of him.
"Cisco doesn't knock he just walks right in, Joe has heavy footsteps and I didn't hear DR Wells wheelchair plus he doesn't knock either" Caitlin explained standing up next to the occupied chair. Iris just nodded and looked over at Barry again wondering when he was going to wake up and if he was going to be ok when he did wake up. She almost laughed at the though of him being able to handle metahuman's and be able to come out of it find but one go on a treadmill sends him unconscious, typical Barry. Seeing a twitch out of the corner of her eye she turns her full attention on him. He groaned and reached a hand up to cover his eyes shielding them from the light. He tried to sit up but Caitlin pushed him back down and got a small torch from her pocket and began shining it in his eyes looking for signs of a concussion. Not seeing anything to worry too much about she allowed him to sit up but not get out of the bed which he did anyway. He didn't notice Iris in the room until he turned around and his gaze landed on her.
He then noticed the Flash suit in the corner of the room where he had dumped it promising to put it back on the dummy when he had finished his speed training. He looked back to her to find her arms crossed and an eyebrow raised in question.
"Heeeey Iris, what are you doing here?" he asked while inching his way towards the suit and waywardly scratching the back of his head attempting to put something over said suit before Iris saw it but it was too late she had already seen it. She walked towards him her gaze never leaving his face. He flinched back expecting a slap or a punch but he was surprised when she wrapped her arms around his neck burying her head into his neck and holding on for dear life. He hesitated for a few seconds before wrapping his arms around her small frame rubbing circles into her back to help calm her down as she was now crying into him, leaving tears running down his neck and soaking into his shirt. After a few minutes she composed herself and pulled back from her foster brother.
"I know you are the Flash Barry. At first I was confused and a little mad that you didn't tell me about this then Cisco told me why you didn't and that you wanted to in the beginning. Then I thought back to all those times you had been in a dangerous or possibly life threatening situations and you wouldn't still be alive if you didn't have those powers. I tried to be angry at you Barry I really did and I wanted to be but I just can't. You put your life on the line everyday just so you can help other people, that is something you always wanted to do, help people. And now you are just in a different way than you imagined. I owe you an apology too, I never believed you when you said that someone in lightning killed your mom, I just thought it was your imagination but I know that I am wrong, I knew when I first saw the Flash but I never apologised. I'm so proud of you Barry, of you of what you are doing and trying to keep everyone safe and out of this as much as possible even thoe it is killing you" She held onto his shoulders and looked him in the eyes which had ears in them by the time she had finished. He huffed out a small laugh and smiled while wiping the now free tears off his cheeks and pulling her into another hug lifting her off the floor and spinning her round before placing her back on her feet and pulling away from her.
"God you have no idea how many times I have come this close to pulling down the mask and not changing my voice or dropping little hints to who I was so you would figure it out on your own. But Cisco is right what I do, what we do is dangerous and you were already in the metahuman's line of fire for writing about them in your blog but if people find out you know then they could use you as bait or as leverage to get to me and the last thing I want to do is put your life on the line. Like i said before they took my mother away from me and basically took my father away too I don't want to loose anyone else I love because of twisted humans with weird powers. That includes you guys too" He turned around as he said the last part to look at Cisco and Caitlin who were lingering at the door with smiles on their faces wanting to give them their privacy but not wanting to miss this moment. Everyone was quiet for a moment before Cisco broke it.
"Group hug come on you know you want to" he held his arms out as he walked forward slightly pushing Caitlin infant of him. Barry was the first to walk into his arms, then Caitlin then finally Iris who was pulled by Cisco and Caitlin into the group. They all held onto each other and enjoyed the moment of happiness and relief. She didn't really know Cisco and Caitlin that much but in those minutes it felt like she had known them for years. In that moment she didn't care that she was at S.T.A.R Labs or that her foster brother was the scarlet speedster, she was just happy mohave him in her life and se knew it. She also knew that Cisco and Caitlin cared a lot for Barry and would never do anything to hurt him and would always own up to their mistakes. She was happy that someone had been looking out for him and helping him with these powers since the very beginning because he might not be here right now without them. A cough sounded from the doorway making them all pull apart from the warm welcoming hug they all needed to see Joe standing there with a big smile on his face.
"I see you finally know and I am guessing your are ok with it seeing as Barry's head is still attached and he doesn't have any bruises, so movie night anyone?" Iris just smiled back at her dad before agreeing that they should have a movie night and dragging Barry along with her out of the door and towards the exit.
"Well what are you waiting for movie night is waiting" Joe said as he turned back to the two employees of S.T.A.R Labs with his eyebrows raised and small smile on his lips.
"Us, are you sure isn't movie night family night for you?" Joe nodded but walked towards them and put his hand on each of their shoulders.
"You two have protected him and saved him and helped him all the way though this, you kept his secrets and your promises. You have also put your life on the line to save his more than once. Normal friends don't do that. You two joined the family the minute you agreed to help him become a hero" he said as he pushed them in front of him and set off walking with his hands on their backs inching them forward.
"He is trying to do something good for the city and we will help any way we can. We ruined a lot of lives and a lot of the city, helping Barry is one of the ways we can give something back to the city, helping keep it safe" Caitlin said as she stopped walking and turned around to face Joe. He just smiled and put his arms over Caitlin and Cisco's shoulders leading them through the door and out of the lab. Joe, Barry and Iris in Joe's car and Caitlin and Cisco in Caitlin's car. They got back to the house and settled themselves on the couch while Barry and Iris went to get the movies and the snacks.
"Ok we have Ghostbusters, Herbie goes bananas, Woman in black or Lightning strike. Which one do you want to watch first, Iris and I have seen all of them except lightning strike" They all agreed to watch lightning strike first then Ghostbusters then if they were still awake they would watch Woman in black then Herbie last. Iris was sat in the left corner of the couch with Barry next to her, then Caitlin next to Barry and Cisco in the other corner while Joe seated himself in the armchair wondering how four people could possibly be comfortable on a couch that size. The first movie began and all that could be heard in the West house was the crunching of popcorn and crisps and the movie blasting out through the speakers until Barry, Cisco and Caitlin started pointing out all the faults and incorrect scientific information complaining that most of it was too far fetched to be possible.
Two and a half films later and everyone was sound asleep either snoring or snuggling to the person next to them… or both. Joe was just nearly keeping his eyes open as he tried to concentrate on the movie in front of him but his eyes kept falling shut and everything fading to darkness until a loud sound from the TV would make him open his eyes again. Two phones buzzed and flashed on the table but Joe was to busy trying to stay awake to notice them and the others were too far in dream land to wake and pick them up.
Meanwhile in Iris and Eddie's apartment.
Eddie was sat on the couch watching TV and drinking a glass of wine with another sat on the coffee table for Iris when she came home. Eddie glanced down to his watch and checked the time for the third time in 30 minutes. Iris was an hour late, she said she would be home for 9 at the latest, it was now nearing 10 past 10 and he was starting to get worried. He picked up the phone to call her but all he got was the voicemail. He tried again and again and again all with the same result. He was really starting to panic now, what if something bad happened to her, what if she was hurt and could get help. He called Barry to see if he had seen her, but he got the same as he did with Iris, the answer machine. Cursing he stood and started pacing his living room quickly scrolling through his contacts to find Joe. Finding his name he pressed call and waited… and waited but he got the same result, the answer machine.
He grabbed his keys, locked the front door and rushed out to his car, speeding down the road with the law gone out of his mind. All he could think about was Iris and if she was ok. There was concern for Barry and Joe in his mind too as he had got to know the young Forensic Scientist and he worked with Joe everyday but his main concern was Iris. When he reached the house he jumped out of the cora and ran to the door swinging it open and rushing into the house only to find them all safe and sound along with Cisco and Caitlin.
Iris was sat in one corner with her side leaning on the back of the couch and her forehead resting on on Barry's side with her legs thrown over his. Barry had one arm over Iris's shoulder and his other cuddling Caitlin close to his other side with his legs tucked under him. Caitlin had her legs thrown over Iris's and Barry's and was tucked up into Barry's side with her head resting on her chest and her other arm reached down to tangle in Cisco's hair. Cisco had his head rested on Caitlin's legs and his arms were reached up to snake around Caitlin and Barry's waist with his own legs reached out behind him and bent so his feet rested on the arm of the couch.
Basically they were a big tangle of limbs which would be very hard to get out of without the others waking too. He couldn't resist so he pulled out his cell and quickly took a few pictures before putting his phone back into his pocket. Eddie smiled at the sight of his girlfriend cuddled up to her best friend. At one time he would have stormed out of the house in anger and jealousy but he knew that Barry didn't have those type of feeling towards Iris and he hadn't done for a long time. His heart belonged to someone else. He also knew that Iris did not have those type of feelings towards Barry either. They were good friends, the best of friends but most of all they were family. Not by blood but by love.
To quote the song. 'It's not where you come from, it's where you belong, and nothing I would trade, I wouldn't have it any other way, you're surrounded by love and your wanted, so never feel alone, you are home with me, right where you belong'. Family is not determined by blood and DNA, but acceptance, happiness, caring and most of all love. You don't have to be biologically related to someone for them to be family you just have to love them and accept them for who they are and that is what family is all about.
Eddie climbed the stairs and took a blanket from the linen closet them walked back down the stairs to place it over the occupants of the couch before doing the same for Joe. He turned off the TV and put all the snacks onto the table to stop them falling off and spilling all over the floor in the night. He wrote a note saying that he was the one that had done all this so they didn't freak that someone had been in the house while they were sleeping. He took one more glance at the silent room before turning all the light off and walking out of the door. He locked it behind him and walked back to his car to drive home and got some sleep himself.
He didn't have the heart to wake her up, she hadn't been spending that much time with Barry lately because of his job and her job and trying to find time to spend with Eddie, they needed this time to catch up and be with each other. He loved that Barry and Iris had such a good relationship that he knew there was not just himself that would do anything for her and while at first he was not too keen on having to share her with someone that was seemingly too close to he knew that if he told her not to see him as much it would only push her away. But now spending time with them both together he realised how close they were and nothing he or anyone else did was ever going to tear them apart.
Well that is another chapter finished and over with I hoped you liked it and I hope it lives up to your expectations. Please review and give me some feedback for this story it tells me weather people want me to continue or if people hate it, which hopefully nobody does.
Until next time. Thank you for reading.