Award Ceremony

"Perp made off with a bunch of handguns, at least six Glock 19s fitted with extra ammunition magazines. Somebody's looking to do a whole lot of bad," Joe explains to Captain Singh.

Barry walks in wearing a long black coat, which still has a price tag on it that Joe notices.

"Doing a little fall shopping, Mr. Allen?" Captain Singh asks as Joe rips the price tag and hands it over to Barry.

"Oh yeah, I was going so fast this morning, I didn't even notice," Barry says. Joe gives him the side eye and hands him over a pair of gloves.

Barry takes the glove, puts it on, and goes under the yellow tapes to investigate.

"I downloaded the surveillance footage of the video camera," Eddie walks in and shows Joe and Captain Singh a video of a man shooting the victim dead. While Barry studies the crime scene.

"Looks like only one perp," Eddie says.

Barry looks around, walking carefully, avoiding stepping foot on anything that may destroy the evidence.

He immediately notices something and looks back at Joe. "What is it, Barry?" Joe asks.

"Footage may only show one, but it was six guys," Barry says as he recognizes the pattern in the tracks left behind.

"Look, the tracks. They're all crossing each other. Six sets of footprints, six guns stolen, we should be looking for a crew," Barry says.

He crouches down to get a better view and notices something strange. "Huh... Weird. The shoes look like they're all the same size. Men's tens, I'd guess," Barry says.

"Good work Allen," Captain Singh says and walks away.

_____________________

Barry and Joe return to the precinct.

"Where were you this morning?" Joe asks.

"You know... running around... doing stuff..." Barry says.

"What kind of stuff?" Joe asks.

"Aahhh..." Barry tries to think of something to get Joe off his back. "I'm just dealing with a lot right now," Barry says.

"Look, I know you are. Believe me, I'm dealing with it, too. I've always had a very simple set of beliefs. Gravity makes things fall. Water makes things wet. And up till a few weeks ago, I believed the fastest man could run a mile in four minutes. Not four seconds," Joe says.

"I could do it much faster," Barry says and smiles, getting an annoyed look from Joe. "Not that it matters..." Barry says as the smile on his face fades.

"You haven't said anything to Iris about all this, have you?" Joe asks.

"No, I promised you I wouldn't say a word to her about any of this," Barry says.

"Good, now get to your lab and start processing the evidence from the gun store," Joe instructs.

"Yes, Your Highness," Barry smiles and jogs away making Joe sigh.

__________________

Having super speed is awesome, as Barry gets all of his work done one after the other in an instant.

"This is all of your fault," Iris says storming into Barry's lab.

"I could have taken European folklore to cover my sociology requirement, but no. You said, take journalism, Iris. Reporters have all the fun. Guess what, Barry? Reporters have none of the fun. Journalism is boring. I'm bored. I blame you," Barry says, dumping all her frustration onto him.

"What's got you so grumpy, and why are you dressed up?" Barry asks seeing Iris all dressed, ready to be somewhere.

"Did you forget? The university is giving Simon Stagg some big award this afternoon, and you agreed--" "To explain the science stuff for your article," Barry completes her sentence as he recalls the promise he made Iris.

"I am sorry. It completely crossed my mind," Barry says.

"So, how fast can you get home and change?" Iris asks.

"Uh, Pretty fast," Barry says.

"Hey Allen," Another person walks in and this time it's Eddie. "Joe asked me to see where you're at on the evidence from the gun store shooting. Oh, hey Iris" Eddie says looking at Iris.

"Detective," Iris acknowledges him, her face lights up seeing him.

Barry smiles seeing Eddie put on his act. "No, he didn't. You just wanted an excuse to come here and talk to Iris," Barry calls him out. Eddie gets embarrassed as Barry saw right through him.

Iris can't help but chuckle while covering her mouth.

Now that he has had his fun, Barry lets Eddie take a breather. "I am just pulling your leg, and you guys can kiss already," Barry smiles and gives the lovebirds some space.

Eddie approaches Iris and kisses her.

"Ah, thanks for being so cool about this, Barry. I know it's not easy keeping a big secret," Eddie says.

'You won't believe how big of a secret I am keeping. I'm getting used to it,' Barry thinks and smiles, shaking his head.

"It's not a big deal, but I think it's you guys that need to be careful. If Joe finds out, I am pretty sure he is going to come after you with a shotgun," Barry jokes making the smile on Eddie's face fade away.

"Don't worry Babe, I won't let anything happen to you," Iris comforts Eddie. "And Barry, stop messing with Eddie," Iris threatens.

Barry lifts his hands up. "I will leave you two alone. I need to go a suit up for the award ceremony," Barry smiles and leaves.

Eddie and Iris watch Barry leave. "Don't you think Barry's changed a little," Eddie says to Iris. "Now that you mention it, he does seem a lot more confident and happier," Iris says and she is glad to see it.

"Good for him," Eddie says and brings his attention back to Iris and begins kissing her again.

____________________

Once out of the precinct, Barry runs back to his apartment and puts on his suit and tie, and now he just needs to wait for the award ceremony to begin.

So to pass the time, he turns on his console and begins playing some games. Now that he has super speed, he is now so much better at it.

"This feels like cheating... What am I saying? I am, of course, cheating," Barry smiles and continues playing.

After a few quick game sessions, Barry returns to the precinct with his suit and tie/ He then joins Iris and heads to the university.

____________________

Barry and Iris stand amongst a bunch of people as they listen to Simon Stagg as he is giving his speech after receiving his award.

"I find it quite remarkable, having once been a timid freshman at Central City University, to be standing before you now, the regent's choice for Man of the Year. While I very much appreciate the award, the real honor for me is knowing that my work in organ transference helps give people a second chance at life. Thank you all very much for coming," he says, lifting the award before walking away from the podium.

Back to Barry and Iris, Barry begins explaining the science behind Simon Stagg's work to Iris. "All right, first things first... Simon Stagg's work in cellular cloning has led to huge advancements in the future of organ replacement," Barry says when a waiter comes over and hands them glasses of wine.

Iris takes two glasses and passes one to Barry. "Are Journalists allowed to drink on the job?" Iris asks.

"Okay..." Barry takes the wine glasses out of her hands and puts them away. "If you are bored already, just wait till we get to the science behind cellular regeneration," Barry says.

"I missed this Barry. I feel like we haven't spent any quality time together since you woke up from the coma," Iris says.

"Yeah, I've had a crazy few weeks, I know," Barry says.

"I thought maybe you'd been avoiding me because of Eddie," Iris says.

"No, why would I avoid you because of Eddie, i think you both are great together," Barry says and smiles.

"I am glad to have such a great friend in my life," Iris says. "Me too,"

"Oh, Mr. Stagg, I was wondering if I could get a quote from you for my article," Iris asks as she sees Simon Stagg walk past them.

"Not now, miss," he says and leaves in a hurry.

"I will just make something up," Iris says when there are suddenly gunshots.