Iris's POV
"Hey, Cisco?" I asked. When he came back from trying to save the mayor, he was unconscious. I wasn't exactly sure what happened though. Ralph and Caitlin went back to help, and my dad hasn't come back yet. Someone cut the coms. It was definitely a setup.
"Cisco," I said again. I could tell he was starting to come to.
"What happened?" he asked. I wasn't sure how much he remembered.
"You got hurt," I said. "Caitlin and Ralph went back to make sure everything is ok." I was going to continue on, but Cisco had other plans.
"Iris," he said looking me dead in the eyes. I haven't seen him this worried in a long time. "It was him," he said.
"What?" I asked confused. "Who?" Before my questions could be answered, my dad, Caitlin, and Ralph came back.
"Everythings good," my dad said. "The mayors safe." It sounded like he was distracted. The same as Cisco.
"Guys," I snapped. "What is going on? You're hiding something."
Everyone exchanged worried looks. Finally, Caitlin spoke up. Gotta love girl power.
"It was Barry," she said cautiously.
"What?" I asked standing up. Cisco tried to sit up more, but I could tell he was uncomfortable.
"He was the one who saved the mayor," Cisco said.
"Why?" I asked. I was confused.
"I don't know baby," my dad said. "He talked to me though."
"What did he say?" Ralph asked.
"He said he was sorry, and then went and rescued the mayor."
"Screw this," I muttered. I collected my purse and coat, and I began to walk out.
"Where are you going?" Cisco asked.
"To get some answers," I replied without looking back. I thought I would check all of our favorite spots, starting with Jitters.
*****
Barrys POV
I knew now I was on my own. I knew the team was around, but I didn't seek them out because they were just trying to keep me safe. That was weird. Calling them the team. As I walked to Jitters, I just thought about team Flash. I missed them. More than I thought I would have. It just all happened so suddenly, that I didn't really think about how I would feel. Either way, it was too late to go back.
I finally reached Jitters. It felt like forever since I decided to walk at a normal pace. I mean, the mayor wasn't going to be there for an hour. I just wanted to stroll and think about what I actually got myself into.
I walked in and ordered my regular. A Flash with two extra shots of espresso. I sat in a chair and slowly sipped it, savoring the highly caffeinated flavors. I wasn't sure when the next time I would be able to have one.
I had been sitting for a while, just thinking and people watching. Glancing at the clock, I saw that my last hour of freedom was almost up. I prepared for every possibility, except for one. I almost choked on my drink when I saw Iris walk through the doors.
I was prepared to flash away, but she spotted me, and I knew there was no getting out of this. She walked right over to me, and I started to panic. She couldn't be here. Not with what was about to go down. She didn't know the logistics of the plan. She could get hurt.
Before I could worry myself anymore, she slapped me across the face. My hand went to my cheek, but then she pulled me into a hug. It felt nice to wrap my arms around her again, but I knew I had to get rid of her. While we were hugging, I looked up and saw a familiar figure at a table in the corner. She shook her head, and I realized it was Em.
"Iris," I said pulling away. "You can't be here."
"In a public coffee shop, in which I am a regular customer?" she asked. This was going to be harder than I thought.
"Iris, you don't understand. Somethings about to happen and you can't get in the way," I said. I guess I sounded more worried than I wanted.
"No," she said. "You don't get to do that. I want you to explain to me what is going on!"
"I can't," I said.
"Can't or won't, Barry?" she asked. I was about to try and give her the short version, but I saw the mayor in the doorway. He looked at me and then turned to talk with someone. I assumed it was the people here to take me.
"Iris, all you need to know is, I'm sorry. Even if I wanted to come back, it's too late."
"Barry, what are you talking about?" she asked.
"Somethings gonna happen," I said consistently looking back up at the door, watching for them. "Iris, whatever goes down, you need to let it happen. You need to pretend you don't know me. Can you do that?"
"I don't know," she said.
"Iris!" I snapped. "I'm not playing around. I know you hate me, but if you don't do as I say, you'll get hurt." She nodded, looking more worried than I did.
I smiled at her and tried to soak up the memory of her face. I leaned in to give her a kiss, but before I could the door flew open, and men piled in, guns rearing to go.
"Everyone on the ground!" one of them shouted. Everyone did as they were told, including me.
When I looked up, I saw the mayor stroll in, approaching me. I knew I had to act innocent and clueless. Hopefully, Iris would go along with it.
"Mr. Mayor?" I asked.
"Barry, I want to thank you," he said guiding me to a standing position. I looked down at Iris who was confused. I saw the mayor nod to one of the men, who cuffed me. As he was going to, I looked over at Em and nodded to her. I looked at Iris and mouthed the words, 'I love you.'
After I was cuffed, I could feel a sharp pain in my neck, and everything became fuzzy. Despite the plan, I tried to fight it. Only I couldn't, and I soon let the darkness consume me.