Disclaimer: DC Comics/Warner Bros. Entertainment own these characters. No profit of any kind is being made by this story. This is strictly for my own amusement.

Summary: Iris and Barry's friendship takes on a new dimension, much to the dismay of her Father.

A/N: These two cuties would not leave me alone. The parallels between Clois and Westallen even after several episodes, especially in regards to Smallville's later seasons, were clearly visible. Well, that's probably why they pulled at my Muse until I had to write this. I hope you enjoy it. Please read and review! There are a few mild spoilers. Thank you! :D

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Chapter 1: Confessions

After the events of the past several weeks, Iris had come to realize that she was thinking of Barry more than she should. She was concerned about him, especially after he had apparently died over and over again. Remembering that terrible time over the past nine months, made her uncomfortable, and not in a good way; she cared about him deeply.

After seeing him fight for his life, the doctors hovering over him, and then the electric shock to re-start his heart; it was too much. Tears blurred her vision. Shaking her head to remove those disturbing memories, she thought of his return to the living. Smiling she looked up and he was there smiling at her. Her heart lifted for the first time in months. He was alive, walking around and he was alright.

Thinking of their reunion, it was strange, but Barry was like a brother to her. As far back as she could remember, she was always covering for him, protecting him from her Father's over protectiveness. When he first came to them, she was a bit jealous of Barry. It had been her and her Father for so long, but then there he was right smack dabbing in the center of her life. She wanted to ignore him, but she didn't really want to. It was impossible.

He was cute in a strange sort of way. He was sad most of the time. She wanted to cheer him up, but Barry was preoccupied with his Father, watching the news about the case, the trial, newspaper stories about that night. She even helped him collect most of those articles. It was awful seeing him like that, but she was his friend. She knew that to be true.

She came out of her musings, when he walked into the coffee bar. He did appear a bit frazzled and distracted as if he had other things on his mind. She then remembered the other day when he had stared at her as if he wanted to say something. Frowning, she's seen that look from men before but dismissed it. He didn't think of me that way, did he?

She knew her relationship with Eddie was wrong, but in a way, she was rebelling against her Father's influence. He was overprotective, not only of Barry, but her as well. She understood and after the way her Mother had died, he only wanted to protect her. She adored her Father and didn't want to hurt him, but she was having fun with Eddie. Was that wrong?

"Hey, you, what are you thinking?" Barry asked coming up to her.

"Oh, nothing," she replied and picked up her order for a customer. "I'll be right back. Don't go anywhere."

"I won't," he replied then watched her from a distance. Cocking his head to the side, he couldn't help but stare. He couldn't' remember when his feelings for Iris had changed. Was it middle school, high school, college? Chuckling, it seemed as if these feelings had always been there. Was that wrong?

Glancing at him from under her lashes, there it was again, the same look from the other day. "I'm sorry, what did you say?" She asked turning back to her customer.

"I'll have a medium latte and a pastry, please?"

"Of course, I'll be right back." She headed back to the counter. Taking a deep breath, she turned in her orders and came over to him. "I can see it on your face. Did you come here to apologize or are you finally going to tell me what is going on with you?" She asked then prepared drinks for her customers.

"I can see you're busy, but yeah, I wanted to apologize for …" He hesitated.

"For being 'busy,' for brushing me off, for ignoring your offer to help me, for …"

He held up his hands. "I'm sorry, Iris, but … I'm here now." He gave her a blinding smile.

Damn him, she thought. Her heart actually flipped at that look. She caved. "Alright, I'm almost done."

"Great, I'll wait for you right over there." He pointed to a table over in the corner.

She shook her head at him then got back to work. A half hour later, it was time to leave. After returning to the counter, she had her things. "I don't want to talk here. Are we going to the library?"

"No, I thought we would head over to the Lab," he replied.

"Ok, but my Dad may stop by. I have to finish this assignment, Barry. It is due tomorrow morning."

"Don't worry, I have the evening off." No sooner had he said that then a buzzing came into his head. It was Cisco.

Barry, are you there? There's a silent alarm at a jewelry store over on Main Street.

"Oh, no," he whispered.

"What is it?" Iris asked.

"Could you meet me at the Lab? I have an errand. It's your Dad."

She frowned. "Alright, I do have my car."

"Great; this won't take long. Drive careful." He smiled at her then hurriedly left the bar.

"I will," she said distractedly. Frowning, she headed to her car and made her way to the Lab. While in her car, her Father called looking for Barry. She decided to cover for him. "I haven't seen him since earlier today."

"Well, tell him to call me when you see him," Joe said.

"Sure, I'll tell him." She hung up. Now she was very suspicious. Has Barry lied to me? The past several weeks came back into her mind. In particular, the incident at the reception when he had mysteriously vanished and she had found him outside on the ground apparently from fainting. Could it be? No way was Barry the red blur that was streaking all over the city, saving people, rescuing people from burning buildings, dodging bullets from clones; it was insane, wasn't it?

It certainly would explain his absence from her life, his inability to keep an appointment, from forgetting to help her. She then dismissed it from her mind. It was utterly ridiculous. He's just a kid. She shook her head. No, he's not a kid, far from it. He towered over her and when she had grabbed his arm several times now, they were sturdy and reliable. She immediately stopped that train of thought.

"Barry, are you here?" She asked coming into the Lab.

"I'm right here. What took you so long?" Smiling, he walked over to her carrying two glasses of wine.

"What in the world? Barry, we have work to do. I don't have time to …" She hesitated.

"It's just one glass." She put her bag down and he handed her the wine. "What should we drink to?"

She closed her eyes for a moment then she looked him in the eye. "The truth."

He sighed and lowered the glass. "Iris, I …"

She put the glass down and walked over to the chalkboard and lifted up the screen that hid the various maps, notes, and newspaper clippings. "Barry, I know."

His heart sped up. He wanted her to know so badly. "You know what?"

"I know how much you want to help your Father, to get him released." He walked over to her. "You know you can trust me. I want to help you."

"You've always helped me, Iris, from that first day I barged into your life, and…"

She glanced at the clippings again. "I admit at first I was a bit jealous of you."

He frowned. "But why?"

"I know it was silly, but it was always my Dad and me and then you were there."

He understood. "Iris, I … I'm sorry."

"Please don't apologize. It's not your fault. You were just a kid. You needed us and to be honest, we needed you too."

"Really?" He was entirely surprised.

"Yeah really; I got over my jealousy pretty quickly." She glanced at him. "I liked you, Barry, maybe a bit too much."

His heart soared then it pounded. "What are you saying?"

"Isn't it obvious? I care what happens to you and these past few weeks … I've missed you."

"Not that I've noticed," he said feeling jealous of Eddie.

"Oh," she said and went to pick up her wine. She took a sip. She did not want to talk about him.

He had to know. "Well, is it serious between you two?"

She sighed then she told him the truth. "He was there for me when I needed someone to talk to … about you. He was kind and he saw how miserable I was, and he was a friend."

He swallowed. "Miserable?"

She shook her head and took another sip. "I know it was wrong."

He walked over to her and took the glass from her and set it down. "No, it wasn't wrong." He squeezed her hand. "Iris, I have to tell you something."

Her heart pounded. "What is it?"

"While I was in a coma, I heard every word you said to me."

"You did?" Deeply moved, her eyes watered.

Closing his eyes, he raised her hand to his lips and kissed it reverently. "Yeah, I did. When I heard your voice, I wanted desperately to open my eyes. I wanted to come back for you, Iris, only for you." He touched her cheek. "Thank you for coming to see me and talking to me." He had to say it. "I truly had no idea what would happen to me if you weren't my friend, if you hadn't believed in me, or tried to help me. I do need you in my life. Don't ever forget that."

"You truly mean that?" She stared into his eyes hoping he would tell her the truth.

"Yeah, I do; I honestly do," he replied meaning it.

At that moment, Iris decided to wait for him to tell her the truth on his own. She knew he would, and she would be there for him as a friend and maybe something more? "I'm so glad," she whispered. "Thank you, Barry." Then she impulsively went into his arms, holding him close.

He was surprised at first then he hugged her tightly to him. Closing his eyes, he stroked and smoothed her hair. He couldn't help but think that it was Iris, the one person who actually believed in him.

Iris closed her eyes, holding him close. They had only hugged a few times; after graduation ceremonies and at holidays when they had exchanged gifts. He was definitely different. She could feel it. His strong arms made her feel safe and dare she admit it, cherished and loved.

Someone cleared their throat. It was Joe and he did not look happy.

TBC!?

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A/N: Well, I had to write this little story for them. This ship is going to have a hard time in the fandom. I ship them for various reasons, not only that it is canon, but because they are cute and obviously care deeply for each other. Westallen will have to stay determined and concerned about each other from a distance, trusting in their future and what they feel. I'm along for the ride. I hope you enjoyed this story. I haven't written any fan fiction since August. I won't say I'm definitely back, but we'll see if this story continues, if at all. Now tell me what you think. Reviews/kudos is love.