I want to say thank you to everyone who supported me throughout the course of this story, whether it be through reviews, favorites, follows, or even just taking the time to read. I hope you enjoy this final chapter.

Epilogue Part 2

Barry wasn't sure what he was expecting as he entered the Speed Force, but his loft certainly wasn't one of the first places that came to mind. Yes, as he entered the portal, Barry found himself in his living room. There was, however, something different. The room seemed…warmer. Brighter. Less desolate, like it was when he was there merely an hour ago. As he took in his surroundings, Barry tried to figure out what the speed force was trying to teach him now.

"Hi Barry." Her voice made him freeze. He never he'd hear it again, after all the months he'd suffered. But there was no way. How could she be here? Barry turned his gaze to suddenly find Iris sitting on their couch, beautiful as ever, dressed casually with a gentle smile.

"Iris…" Barry once again felt tears prickle at his eyes. She was here; it was just the two of them, like it should be. He wanted nothing more than to hold her, kiss her—try and make himself feel happy again. Then he remembered where he was, and how he'd gotten here. The speed force was manipulating him. "No… Don't do this. You aren't real. This is so twisted."

"No Barry, it's really me," she said. "You have to believe me. Look at me, babe." With great hesitation, Barry once again met her eyes, staring into them. Her lip curled up ever so slightly, head tilted as her chin rested upon her hand. She looked like a fascinated child. For a while, they remained silent, absorbing everything. He knew right away, it really was her.

"Why?" Barry said. "Why is the speed force doing this to me? How am I seeing you Iris?" It's not like he was ungrateful; he just wanted to understand.

"Because you've been hurting for too long Barry," Iris said. "C'mere." She patted the seat next to her, which Barry took. She took his hand, neither one really acknowledging her touch. Small gestures like this were second nature to them. God, did he miss it. "Barry, you know you can't go on like this. Pushing away your friends and family…indulging in dark thoughts…wallowing in your own misery. It's not a way to live."

"Iris, I'm trying. Really. But losing you… it's a part of me that I don't think can ever be restored," he told her truthfully. She'd been his first love, and she was almost the woman he was going to marry and spend the rest of his life with. Who could ever make up for that?

"Barry, I'm not asking you to forget me or forsake the memory of me," Iris said softly. "What we had—our time together—it meant the world to me. But good things don't always last. It's important to enjoy every moment, but living in the past won't do you any good."

"I can't let go of you…" Barry sobbed. "You were my lightning rod. I'm lost without you. Every day I'm stuck in this haze, and the future looks so dark without you there. I know I need to get over you, but I can't. I've lost too much."

"Barry, life is like locomotion. If you're not moving forward, you aren't living. I know you love me, and I do too, but you need to forge ahead without me. Your future is more important than my fate ever could be. You're the Flash—you've saved the world countless times, and I'm sure you'll have to again. Don't let my absence keep you from being the optimistic hero everyone needs."

"Iris…"

"If you aren't going to do it for me, do it her."

"Who?"

"Kara." To his surprise, Iris said her name without any malice or sadness. In fact, her gentle smile didn't waver at all. "Barry, I'm not blind. I think I knew for a while that you two loved each other. It just took some time for me to accept it. I didn't even really realize it too much until the wedding."

"You really think she loves me?" Barry asked.

"Honestly, Barry, you can be so dense sometimes," she said with a teasing grin. "The way she stood up and looked at you…I just knew. I thought you did too?"

"I had my suspicions…but I don't know what to do, now that I know for certain that's how she feels."

"Do you love her?" Iris asked, squeezing his hand comfortingly.

"I…I don't know. I mean, she did stop me from killing your murderer. She was the one who trusted me to go out there and fight after I lost you. She believed in me. And I suppose I do care a lot about her, and I find myself missing her more and more these days…"

"Sounds to me like you do know how you feel," Iris said.

"I guess I do. I love her…" It wasn't really an epiphany to Barry, but saying it finally made it official. It made his feelings for her more real than they'd ever been before.

"Then what's stopping you from telling her how you feel?" Iris asked. Barry figured she knew the answer to her question, but he responded anyways.

"Because I feel guilty," Barry said. "I don't want to tarnish what we had. I just…don't feel right pursuing another woman after losing you."

"Which brings us back to you needing to move on. Barry, before I died, Kara told me how she felt about you. She explained how it all happened. She's been in love with you since she met you, and all this time she's been fighting it—her heart—because she didn't want to violate your friendship or our relationship at the time. And now that I'm gone, she's probably struggling even more with those emotions. What I'm meaning to say is that both of you are too noble to be together because of me."

"She's loved me for that long?" Barry was shocked; he really hadn't expected it to have been so deep and serious.

"Yes. And she's suffered long enough. You both are in pain, and I'm sure you can heal one another," Iris said. "I know you and Kara have dealt with this mutual attraction for the past few months, but you need to give it a chance. Life's too short, especially with what you guys do. And the two of you are a couple of the greatest people I know. If anyone deserves love, it's you two."

"This doesn't bother you? At all?"

"No. As a matter of fact, I'd go so far as to say that I give you my blessing. Just go to her, let her know how you feel. And know that you aren't violating my memory. There's nothing wrong with being happy." Barry nodded slowly, mind racing and processing all of the conversation. "Good. Now go on." She signaled to a portal that had formed a few yards away.

Without hesitation, Barry leaned into Iris and met her lips with his. He couldn't help but feel content in the moment. The kiss was his final goodbye—he'd finally found closure. He'd gotten his final words with this once fiancée, and he'd finally figured things out. It was time to let go of the past, once and for all.

As soon as he pulled away, she took her hand away from his. "Goodbye, Barry Allen."

"Goodbye Iris," Barry said, standing up from the couch and heading towards the portal.

For once he didn't look back.

As he came out of the portal, Barry found himself in Kara's sunlit apartment. Just being there, in her home, filled him with nervousness. He hadn't spoken to her since the battle with the Earth X soldiers. This, coupled with the newfound acceptance of his love for her, almost made Barry leave instantly.

However, at that moment, Kara came out of her room, and the two came face to face. She'd clearly just woken up; her hair was mussed and she was still wearing her sweats and baggy white t-shirt. Regardless, Barry still felt his stomach flutter as he met her sky blue eyes. She was beautiful. "Barry…what are you doing here?"

"I've been thinking…and I want to know what you were going to say at the wedding." As soon as he said it, her face flushed pink.

"Just forget it. It was a mistake," Kara said, in a voice that clearly said the opposite.

"I don't think it was nothing. We've both been beating around the bush, trying our best to forget anything was said, but we both know there was something you wanted to say. Just be honest with me. Please."

"I…I don't know. Something along the lines of…'I love you.'" Kara looked at him, testing the waters. When he didn't react or tell her to stop, she continued. "It was a simple attraction that just never stopped growing. I found myself yearning for you in your absence and relishing every second with you. I found myself falling for you more and more as time progressed, loving everything about you, big and small. It got to the point where I thought of you everyday, and it hurt so much. When you got together with Iris, I made myself be happy for you, pushing aside my emotions. The wedding was the one time I let that inner self bleed through. I never should have violated your special day. And I just want to forget I ever felt that way about you. Can we just leave this behind us?"

He didn't answer. Instead he pulled her into a kiss, pouring out all the feelings he'd suppressed for months. He felt her tense up, but then her arms were over his shoulders, fingers laced around the back of his neck. He found his hands tangling in her hair, and what had started as a rather chaste touch of their lips turned to a heated, passionate kiss. She moaned against his mouth, and Barry pulled away as he felt something wet against his face.

She was crying, eyes rimmed red and nose pink. "Barry…?"

"Kara, I just have one more thing to ask you," Barry said. "Do you still love me?"

"Yes—yes, I do. And I don't think I ever won't anytime soon, Barry."

"Then you need to know that I love you too," Barry then said, taking Kara's hands in his. She looked at him, shocked and wide eyed. "I've known for a while. I just needed a push to really notice it, and you standing up at my wedding was enough to make me see how I feel for you."

"So where does this leave us?" Kara asked. There was just the slightest hint of uncertainty in her tone.

"I want to make this work," Barry said, squeezing her hands tenderly. "I've spent a lot of my time recently hating myself and the world. But I've come to realize that I can't live my life always being angry or depressed. You make me happy, Kara, so I want to give us a shot. What do you say?"

This time it was Kara's turn to kiss first.

Kara awoke to find Barry's arm slung protectively over her. What happened after their confessions of love was all a blur to Kara. One thing led to the next, and they had both stripped each other of their clothing. There was kissing and touching and moans and roaming hands and each other's names gasped by the other.

It was perfect.

Reflecting on what had transpired that morning, Kara felt a simultaneously surreal and giddy sense of love overwhelm her. She never thought that Barry would ever have felt the same way about her as she did for him. Now that she knew he reciprocated her feelings for him, she finally felt…happy. A radiant happiness she hadn't felt in a long time, if ever at all.

Kara knew that things between them would be hard. The past would hang over them, and being from two different earths would complicate their relationship. But she loved him and he loved her, and if she knew Barry, she knew that the two of them together would always find a way.

For love, anything would be worth it. After all, this all started with a risk at a wedding.