The Line Between Living and Dying

I Love You

Barry walked into the West house, closing the front door behind him just as Iris stepped into the living room, hanging up her phone.

"Hey, have you heard from Dad? He's not answering his cell." Iris asked.

"Uh, no." Barry sighed, slipping his jacket off. "I haven't talked to him."

Iris dropped down onto the coffee table with a sigh of her own. "I'm starting to worry about him." Then she noticed the time. "What are you doing home so early?" She questioned.

"Um, I was looking for you, actually. I just met your friend, Mason, and he said that he had some kind of proof that Dr. Wells did something." Barry said. "Do you know what it is?"

"No." Iris shook her head. "He hasn't told me."

Barry nodded, lowering his head in defeat. "All right."

"So, how are things going with Linda?" Iris asked, pronouncing Linda's name in a weird way.

"Why do you say it like that?" Barry rolled his eyes.

"Like what?"

"Like how you used to always say 'Becky Cooper'." Barry mimicked Iris' tone.

"Oh, come on." Iris stood up, walking over to the couch and sitting on the arm. "Becky Cooper was a nightmare of a high school girlfriend, and you should have never dated her."

"Okay, so you're saying that Linda is 'Becky' material?"

"I mean, I wouldn't go that far," Iris said. "She's... hot and nice and smart and she is really good at her job. I just... I don't think that she's the right one for you."

Barry looked down at the wooden floor, confusion washing over him. "Then who is?"

Iris smiled slightly. "You know who. Dani."

Barry shook his head. "Dani doesn't see me that way."

"Yes, she does." Iris insisted. "You just don't see it because you've given up. Dani loves you just as much as you love her."

"How do you know that?"

"Because I've talked to her." Iris deadpanned. "Trust me, there is no unrequited love between you two."

Barry stared at Iris, searching her eyes for any sign that she was lying. But he found none. A sense of hope rose in him. Could everything he ever wanted really be within his reach?

* * *

"All right." Dani walked into her brother's hospital room. "I talked with the nurse and she's putting together your release papers as we speak."

"Great." Zander took the pair of crutches Michael handed him, heaving himself up off the hospital bed. "Now I just gotta figure out how to put some pants on."

"Not it!" Dani raised her hands quickly.

"No one's 'it', Dani." Michael forced himself not to roll his eyes. He loved both his children dearly. But, sometimes, they could be pretty childish. "Zander's a grown man, he can figure out how to put pants on over a cast by himself. And, if not... well, that's what nurses are for."

"You know, I'm really starting to appreciate my decision to switch majors," Dani commented just as her phone dinged. She dug it out of her purse, reading the text she had gotten from Barry. "Oh my god." She muttered.

"What's wrong?" Zander asked, his eyebrows furrowed in concern.

"It's Joe..." Dani glanced between her father and brother. "Mardon kidnapped him." She looked down at her phone screen, reading the following text. "Barry and Iris are going to the park. I-I gotta go."

"Hey." Michael caught Dani's attention. "You kick Mardon's ass, you hear?"

Dani nodded, fading away to S.T.A.R. Labs where she changed into her Vortex costume and teleported again to the park.

* * *

When Dani arrived at the park, it was in chaos. Yet, somehow, she spotted Barry in the middle of the fleeing crowds. He was ushering Iris away, trying to get her to safety. When she finally ran off like all of the other sane people, Dani teleported behind Barry.

"What's the plan?" She asked, startling Barry.

"First, I change." Barry held up a duffle bag in his hand. Then, before Dani's very eyes, he vibrated, lightning encircling him. When the lightning died, he was in his Flash suit.

"Nice," Dani commented. Then something behind Barry caught her attention. "Is that..."

Barry turned around, following Dani's line of sight. His eyes widened at a tidal wave building up and rushing toward the city. "A tsunami."

"What are we supposed to do against that?"

"Only one way to find out." Barry pressed his comm piece. "Caitlin."

"Barry, I need to talk to you. Dr. Wells, he isn't--"

"H-hey, there's no time for that right now, all right." Barry cut her off. "There is a tsunami heading for the city. How do we stop it?

"Theoretically, if you can create a vortex barrier along the coastline, a wall of wind, that would be able to sap the tidal wave of its energy before it hits the city."

"By running back and forth," Barry said, realizing what Caitlin was saying. "How fast?"

"I don't know if you can run that fast," Caitlin warned.

Dani's eyes met Barry's as he turned off his comms. "Barry, you can't."

"I have to try." Barry insisted. He moved to run but Dani stopped him.

"Wait." She placed a hand against Barry's chest. She glanced back at the incoming tsunami then looked back into Barry's eyes. "Before you go, I need to say something."

"Dani--"

"I'm sorry." Dani cut Barry off. "At Christmas, when you told me how you felt... I should've said something but I was too scared and I was in denial."

"Dani, what are you talking about?" Barry asked.

"I'm talking about how I've been in love with you since high school. Maybe even before then. I should've said so then but I didn't and I'm sorry. And I can't let you go and risk your life without taking the chance to finally be honest with you and with myself." Dani took a deep breath, cupping Barry's face in her hands. "I love you." She pulled him in for a deep, passionate kiss that she regretted not doing years ago.

When they pulled apart, their faces were centimeters apart.

"Go." Dani finally said after a moment of silence. She stepped back from Barry. "Go save the city. I'll take care of Mardon."

"Wait, Dani--" Barry protested but it was too late, Dani had already disappeared and the tsunami was even closer now.

Pushing the kiss and the confession out of his mind, Barry raced to the shore, running back and forth as fast as he could. A cloudy wall of wind rose high above him, creating a protective shield for Central City.

Then, as his speed started to become too much for him, Barry let out a scream of pain and run through a rip in reality, coming back out of it on a city street just like the one he ran on to get to the coroners after bowling.

A/N: Sorry this chapter is so late but I've been swamped with schoolwork and suffering from writer's block. But, Dani did finally admit to Barry that she loves him! That's gotta make up for the late update, right?

Anyway, thanks so much for reading, please vote and comment if you enjoyed this chapter and I'll try to get the next one written and updated as soon as I can!