A/N: The final segment of my AU WA fluff fic. All fluff and nearly all westallen in this chap. I hope you enjoy it. :)

*Many thanks to my beta, sendtherain, for going through this again.

*I own nothing. No copyright infringement intended.

...

Chapter 3 -

Barry watched her pour over her notebook – though he tried not to be obvious about it.

The fact was he was fascinated. More than he'd been at age ten when her intelligence, positively bouncy curls, and bravery had gotten the best of him. Now he was enthralled by her curiosity. The way she'd hung onto every word he'd said, sometimes asking him more questions when she didn't understand, was an aphrodisiac. More than once he had turned away from her to explain what he'd found in his research, stood directly in front of his microscope, and even sat down to avoid his tented pants becoming obvious.

You're nearly twenty-seven, Allen. Control yourself.

But God, how could he? She was breathtaking, and she didn't dismiss him as some nerd with no social life. Both true, the voice sounded off in his head, but he ignored it.

Iris didn't think so. And that was all that mattered.

"So," he cleared his throat.

"Yeah?" she responded without looking up.

"Do you have any other questions?" he asked, sure a squeak had snuck into his voice. Thankfully she didn't notice.

"No, I, uh…" She stopped writing and turned to look at him.

She stared so deeply into his eyes, he was positive even blinking would ruin the moment, so he tried desperately not to.

She blinked first.

"I think I have everything," she said, beaming.

That smile was going to kill him if he didn't look away, he was convinced. It sent his heart into overdrive, at what felt like a million miles a second.

Iris closed her notebook and walked over to him, clutching the book to her chest and smiling brightly. Barry felt obliged to stand – felt drawn to was more like it. Her eyes were so pinned to his with so much excitement he felt he might burst.

"I…I'm glad." He grinned, unable to contain it any longer. "It's nice to find someone as interested in the technicalities of a case as I am."

"If you're as much of a shoe-in as my dad is letting on, I may have to consult with you on further cases."

His eyes sparkled. "I'd love that," he said, nearly breathless.

Iris stepped away first, clearing her throat. Barry wondered if she'd become aware of just how close they were standing, how they couldn't look away, and how difficult it had been to not let his eyes sink to her lips.

Women couldn't sense that sort of thing, could they?

She pursed her lips together and briefly avoided his gaze, but he saw she was fighting a smile and it made it impossible to hide his.

"I…should get going," she said, slowly starting to back out of the room.

His brow furrowed and he frowned, asking the question without vocalizing it.

"To work," she clarified. "Not all of us get half days."

He grinned shamelessly. "It's my first day." He slid his hands into his pockets and leaned back on the table. "And apparently I'm very good."

She raised her eyebrows, amused.

"So am I. Which is why I should get back to it."

She played the annoyed card, but her eyes were still twinkling when she left.

"See you at dinner, Barry," she'd said on her way out, and he couldn't help thinking she sounded just a little bit flirtatious.

…

This time when Iris fell into her seat at CCPN, she had a blissful smile on her face. One she didn't even try to hide when Linda began her taunts..

"Iris Ann West," she said a breathless coo. "Did you make out with our new CSI?" She raised one eyebrow.

Iris's jaw dropped, but she couldn't come off offended in the slightest because her smile wouldn't go away.

"Oh my god, you did." Linda was nearly euphoric.

Iris laughed. "I didn't." Linda looked on in disbelief. "I swear I didn't." The look only barely dissipated. "But Lin, I reeeeally want to."

Linda laughed. "I knew you were into him."

"Guilty."

Linda grinned and brought out two water bottles from her desk drawer, handing one to Iris.

"So why don't you? Make out with him, I mean. And what happened to all your suspicion? Did you sit him down and get the truth out of him?"

Iris closed her eyes. "Dammit." A seething sigh slipped out. "No." She hesitantly opened her eyes, only to find Linda's questioning expression staring back at her. "I did not. I got distracted."

Linda couldn't contain her amusement.

"By what? His ass? From what I saw, he doesn't have much of one."

Iris's head whipped up. She opened and closed her mouth multiple times, but nothing came out.

"When did you meet him?" she finally managed, feeling completely unwarranted jealousy start to simmer to the surface.

"Girl, he's all yours," she assured her, because as always she could read her mind. "I googled him after you left." She took a swig of her water.

"You what?"

"His effect on you intrigued me, so I did some research. He has a very impressive professional resume, I must say. And he's cute." She raised a finger when Iris opened her mouth to interject. "Still yours, don't worry."

Iris felt heat gather in her face. With an effort she cleared her throat.

"I got distracted by the case he was working on – well, the one he and my dad were working on today."

"Oh?" Linda asked, intrigued. Iris couldn't tell if it was by the case itself or what might have gone on with Barry.

"Double homicide, just this morning."

"No kidding."

Iris nodded. "When I asked my dad for more info, he said I should ask Barry because he knew more about the case."

"Oh, God." Linda sank back into her chair, not bothering to hide her grin or the plain as day amusement on her face. "Don't tell me." She adopted an over-the-top seductive tone. "'Iris, want to come up to my lab and check out my test results?'" She winked deliberately.

Iris reached across her desk and smacked her best friend, but she couldn't help laughing too.

"It wasn't like that."

"No? Were you hoping it was?"

"I wanted to interrogate him!" she insisted. "That's why I went over there."

"You mean, not just to say hi to your dad like you told me?"

Her mouth hung open. Linda snorted.

"Were you hoping he wanted to do more than just show you legitimate test results for a newly opened case?"

Iris started to sink back into her chair.

"Not at first," she muttered under her breath. Then she sat up suddenly. "And he got cocky, Lin! He didn't do that last night. So maybe he isn't really my type, after all."

Linda rolled her eyes.

"Enough with the denial, Iris. He probably got cocky because you were feeding into his ego with how you reacted to him." She paused and looked at her best friend until she met her eyes. "Am I reaching or am I right on target?"

Iris pursed her lips tightly, unsure of how to proceed.

"Thought so."

Iris huffed and crossed her arms.

"So, what do I do?" She kept going when Linda looked about to speak. "I can't just go the precinct and…attack him." Linda gave her a pointed look that clearly said 'why not?'. "We just met last night and not under the friendliest of circumstances either. Plus, he's staying in my house a couple more nights at least. What happens if my dad walks in on us…"

"You're assuming Barry feels the same way," Linda said, just to mess with her.

Iris gasped involuntarily. "Oh my god, you're right. He probably d—"

"Oh my god, he does, Iris, okay? He's totally into you."

Her brows furrowed, and she frowned.

"How do you know that? You haven't even seen us together, or met him."

Linda shrugged. "I've heard you talk about him. Mr. Humble going from I Hope I Didn't Overstep My Boundaries to I Am The Best CSI You've Ever Seen during one conversation?" She shook her head. "You've got him wrapped around your finger."

Iris bit her bottom lip. "You think so?"

"I know so." She reached across their desks to pat her friend's hand. "And hey, if you're not feeling bold enough to jump him, then just ask him out." Iris's lips parted, but once again she kept going. "You can tell yourself it's to interrogate him, which you know, is what you still want to do, right?"

Iris blinked. "Right." She paused and sank back into her chair. "Thanks. I forgot."

"I know." Linda's amused smile turned into a laugh. "No worries. I got you."

…

"Damn, what smells so good?" Joe demanded on walking into the house later that evening.

Iris was two beats behind him. She stopped just inside the door and took a whiff.

"Yeah, what does?"

Barry walked out of the kitchen, big grin on his face and messy apron covering half the front of his body.

"I made dinner."

Both the West's eyes bulged as they looked at each other before turning the gaze back to their house guests.

"I hope that's okay," Barry said, nerves blossoming across his face. "I know I maybe should have asked, but this Grandma Esther's recipe book you've got here looked to have some really good stuff, and—"

"Grandma Esther?" Iris's jaw dropped. "You cooked…" She walked right past both men and into the kitchen. She took another whiff and promptly started to drool. "You can cook." She went straight over to the pasta dish, grabbed a plate, and deposited a piece. She dug her fork into a chunk of it and started to lift it to her mouth when—

"Don't, it's hot!" Barry warned, coming over to her, but it was in her mouth before she could stop it. He was torn between getting her a glass of water and waiting to see if she would give him a nod of approval on his cooking skills.

Iris's eyes started to water from the temperature, so Barry quickly ran to the sink and brought her a glass of water, which she promptly brought to her lips to soothe her burning tongue.

"I told you it was hot," he reminded her.

Iris looked up at him, eyes shining, not a hint of anger in them. Then, she looked at her dad who was watching the scene playing out before him, looking as on edge as Barry was by the sight of his daughter inhaling food straight out of the oven.

"It's good, Dad," she assured him. "It's amazing." She looked back up at Barry. "My grandmother would be proud of you."

Barry's shoulders relaxed and he grinned.

"I'm glad I did it justice."

He went into the other room, grabbed some plates and utensils and brought them to the table.

"C'mon, Detective West. Tell me if I passed the test."

Still a little hesitant, Joe headed over the table, then took a seat next to his daughter.

"If Iris likes it, I'm sure I will too." He held up a plate, and Barry deposited some of the noodles onto it. "Thanks, Barry. You didn't have to do this."

"It's the least I can do since you've let me shack up here for a couple nights." He froze. "That's probably not the right term, is it? Shacking up?" He turned beat red.

Joe fixed him with a confused gaze, wondering if he should be offended. To make the moment pass, Iris reached across the table and took his hand in hers, ignoring as best as she could the sparks that crackled through her when she did.

"Come sit, Barry. Have a slice of your masterpiece."

Barry turned to her and grinned, then obliged and sat down, fixing himself a plate. At the last possible moment their hands separated, neither one noticing the glare on Joe West's face.

…

Joe turned in early that night, having fallen asleep halfway through the 'quality time' movie he'd promised Iris after dinner. Iris didn't mind. Under normal circumstances she would have, because her father was just so busy all the damn time. But this time she hadn't been overly sincere in wanting quality time, considering she'd wanted to jump Barry's bones since the second she walked into her family home and smelled her favorite dish being delivered by the hands of the stranger she never wanted to let out of her sight.

"We could finish watching the movie," Barry suggested after the walking zombie that was Joe West disappeared at the top of the stairs.

Iris bit her bottom lip and nodded.

"Just…let me change into my pjs first?"

He smiled. "Sure. I'll change into mine too."

"'Kay." She was smiling so much her cheeks hurt and no matter how many times she told herself to stop, she couldn't. "I'll…I'll be right back." She managed to push herself off the couch and head towards the stairs herself.

Barry couldn't take his eyes off her the whole way up. As soon as she was gone, he sank into the couch and tried to slow his racing heartbeat. She was into him. She was so into him. She had to be into him, right? She couldn't stop staring, couldn't stop smiling, and had definitely been blatantly flirting with him at CCPD.

Maybe he was reading into it too much. And maybe she was just grateful for the information he'd given her on her story and the dinner he'd cooked earlier that apparently was her favorite.

Got lucky on that one, Allen.

Or maybe not. Since he remembered overhearing her talk about how much she loved her Grandma Esther's dishes all the way back in elementary school. It was more than pure luck though that he'd chosen the right one.

He shook his head and grabbed his own set of pajamas, taking them with him to the bathroom, so he'd be ready upon her return.

"Barry?" he heard her call out, just as he got his t-shirt over his head.

"I'll be out in a minute," he called back, sticking his toothbrush in his mouth and brushing faster than he ever had in his life. He smoothed down his hair so not a single lock was out of place. He had to be ready to impress and receive whatever she had to give him, even if it was just finishing the rest of her movie and heading to bed.

He stepped out of the bathroom, re-entered the living room, and one thought occurred to him.

He was not ready.

Because there Iris stood. No robe. Short satin pajama shorts. A black cami that hugged her figure. And her hair in a messy bun that left little tendrils of hair drifting by her ear and the nape of her neck.

"Jesus."

Iris turned to him at the sound.

"Hey," she said softly. "You coming?"

He nodded, because he knew speaking would be a bad idea.

"What?" she asked coyly, as he eyed her figure even as he told himself not to. "Like what you see?"

He blushed a pretty red and swallowed.

"Iris…"

"Yes, Barry?" she grinned, very aware of how suddenly nervous he had become.

"Are we—" He stopped and cleared his throat when the squeak came out, making her dark eyes all the more dazzling and her lips more tempting than ever when they curved into a seductive smirk.

"We're watching a movie, right?" he tried again, meeting her eyes – forcing himself to.

She nodded once and plopped down on the couch.

"Yep." She patted the spot beside her. "Come sit by me."

It was hesitant, but Barry hobbled over to her and sat where she had indicated. Immediately, Iris curled up next to him and snuggled her face against his shoulder. He had to fight to breathe, slowly counting the seconds away in his head. She must have registered his tension, because she paused the movie and slowly pulled away.

"Am I making you uncomfortable?" Her brows furrowed in genuine concern.

"What?" he squeaked again, briefly avoiding her gaze. "No way. I like…cuddling."

Her lips twisted ruefully.

"It doesn't make sense, does it? Last night I try to pummel you with a baseball bat and tonight I'm all over you like some horny teenager."

He blushed fiercely again.

She sighed and sank back into the couch.

"I forgot to interrogate you again too," she said aloud and shook her head. "God, I hate when Linda's right."

Barry's brows furrowed. "Who's Linda?"

"My co-worker," she said. "And my best friend. She guessed—" She stopped herself before she spilled every thought that was pouring out of her head. "She just knows me really well."

He nodded once. "'Kay," he whispered, mostly to himself.

Iris turned her face away, thoroughly embarrassed, and mumbled incoherently to herself.

"What are you doing, Iris?"

Barry's eyes widened, panicked. He moved to reassure her.

"Hey, you're not doing anything wrong," he assured her. "Okay? You're not."

She lifted her head cautiously.

"I'm not?"

He laughed, but more at himself than anything.

"You're not. I'm just…" He cleared his throat. "I've had a crush on you since I was a kid."

Her jaw dropped. "You have?"

He nodded.

"But how? I don't even remember you."

His lips twisted ruefully.

"We didn't exactly run in the same circles, Iris. I was bullied a lot. You weren't."

She sat up more and turned to face him.

"People notice who the bullies and the victims are though, Barry. That fact alone should've made me sit up and take notice. I would've put a stop to it."

He smiled and looked down at her adoringly.

"I have no doubt that if I was near you would have tried. Your dad told me how hard he had to fight to make sure you didn't end up a cop."

"And that's another thing," she continued, dismissing the cop jab. "How come I don't know anything about you? I get the impression my dad has visited you."

Barry nodded once. "He has."

"So why not tell me? It's like you're this other family he's ashamed to talk about."

Barry sunk in on himself, and Iris closed her eyes regretfully.

"That's not—I didn't mean—"

"No, don't." He took a deep breath. "I can see how it would look that way."

"Barry…" she whispered softly.

"Look, I guess the reason your dad never said anything was because he was so involved with our family when my mom was dying. He probably didn't want to bring you into that situation and have to explain what was going on, especially after you lost your mom."

She lowered her eyes and started to fiddle with her hands.

"He told you about that, huh?"

"Not me. My dad. I just eavesdropped." He chuckled slightly, hoping to lighten the mood, but it didn't work.

Iris sighed and laid her head on the couch cushion.

"I guess I can see that. But that doesn't explain why I didn't even know you before that happened. You lived in Central City too. We went to the same school. Why wouldn't our parents want to set us up?" Heat rushed to her face again. "I mean, on play dates when we were kids."

"Probably because I didn't want to," he admitted sheepishly.

"What?" she gawked. "I thought you said you had a crush on me."

He blushed. "I did. But I wasn't real extroverted, Iris. I liked to keep to myself and work on my many science experiments. Having to interact with the only person that left me more spellbound than the mysteries of science?" He laughed nervously. "It was terrifying."

"So we didn't become friends because you didn't want to."

He shrugged. "I was scared."

She watched him, still a bundle of nerves, his long eyelashes shielding his beautiful green eyes from her sight.

"I wish I'd noticed you then, Barry. I wish somehow we'd met. I know we would've been friends."

He glanced up at her. "I was in accelerated classes if that makes you feel better. And I know for a fact that my locker was on the other side of the school."

"But you noticed me."

He sighed and shook his head, drinking her in with an awe that stole her breath.

"How could I not? I took one look at you campaigning for fourth grade student president and knew exactly where my vote would go. Iris West is the Iris Best. Vote for me. I'll take care of the rest."

Iris put her face in her hands.

"Oh my God, that was my slogan, wasn't it?"

Barry nodded and she lifted her head, smiling.

"Sold me," he said to which she laughed.

She put her hand on his face and her smile subdued into softness.

"I think I'm done interrogating you, Barry Allen."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah." She pursed her lips. "I may not exactly understand why my dad chose to keep his visits to your family a secret all this time, but maybe the answer isn't all that important. Maybe our dads drifted apart, and it wasn't until your mom got sick that they felt drawn to each other for support."

"Could be," he agreed. "It probably is."

"And I don't have to go prying." She rolled her eyes and smiled playfully. "I mean, prying is pretty much second nature for me, so it'll be hard, but…" Her smile widened. "I think something else might be even more rewarding."

"Yeah?" His eyes twinkled down at her. "What's that?"

Her hand on his face wrapped around the back of his neck, she bit her lip and fixed her eyes on his, then pulled him to her and stopped just a breath away from him.

"Kissing you," she whispered, and he obliged before she could get out another word.

"This is going to be hard," he murmured between one kiss and another.

"What is?" she said between two others, shivering when his hand cupping her face moved down to the small of her back.

"Restraining myself when your dad's in the room."

Iris pulled away, lips swollen and eyes dazzling.

"I have great news for you, Barry Allen."

He gave her a crooked grin. "What's that?"

"My dad is upstairs faaaast asleep. And I'm right here." She brushed her nose against his. "With you."

He captured her lips again, his hands roaming, and went with her when she laid back. She pulled him with her and wrapped her legs around his waist, her hands roaming too.

She moaned into him, and he groaned into her, and several minutes later when they were nearly out of breath, they parted.

"What the hell is going on down here?" Joe's voice boomed from the bottom of the stairs.

Both Barry and Iris's eyes widened and they sat up abruptly, frozen and quickly moving apart when their eyes fixed on his. They said nothing.

"You are moving out tomorrow," he pointed at Barry, then switched his gaze to Iris. "And you…" He seemed at a loss at first of how exactly to punish her. "Not in my house."

He turned and went back up the stairs.

Barry and Iris looked back each other and burst out laughing.

"He's right, you know," Iris said, trying to contain herself. "We probably shouldn't…"

"You have only known me a day, technically speaking," he pointed out.

She pouted. "Feels longer than that."

His brows furrowed, but he was smiling. "How so?"

She wrapped her arms around his neck and sealed her contented feelings with a single, sweet kiss.

"Feels like I've known you forever."

…

Later that night, when Iris was reluctantly tucked away in her bed and Barry was supposedly asleep on the couch, Iris heard a clatter like the night before. Fairly sure of the source of the noise, she didn't fetch her bat and instead gleefully tiptoed down to the first floor.

When Barry closed the fridge, jar of pickles in his hand, he found Iris standing there, brilliant smile on her face. He froze.

"Why, look, there's a burglar in my kitchen. Whatever am I going to do?"

He smiled slowly, then sat the jar of pickles on the nearby counter. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close.

"I can't help but notice that you came unarmed, Miss."

Her eyes dropped to his lips and then lifted again, mischief glittering in her gaze. She stood on her tip toes until her lips reached his and rejoiced inside when he returned her kiss enthusiastically.

She pulled away suddenly, giddy when his lips chased after hers.

"In that you are mistaken, Mr. Allen."

He tried to kiss her again, but she pulled back just in time and laughed.

"You drive me crazy, Iris West." He tightened his arms around her. "What am I missing?"

She closed the distance between them and brushed her lips lightly against his, answering him in one seductive whisper before succumbing to his hungry kisses.

"There's more than one way to catch a thief."

...

A/N: Thank you for reading. Happy reviews are love. :)