"I'm sorry Shann. I'm really really sorry..."

And then he bends down and captures her lips with his own.

With all her might she pushes him away, even though every fiber of her body wants to melt into his embrace. But she can't.

Because he's married.

And his wife and children are in the other room.

"Barry!?!?!"

His cheeks are pink when their eyes finally meet again.

"I....  I didn't mean to...  I... oh my gosh....  I...."

He staggers backwards and collapses against a desk in the room, ending up with his long body sitting on the table top.

"The fact that you're acting so remorseful right now just shows why I need to leave so much. You're not mine anymore.  Not my Sebastian. You haven't been for years and I just couldn't get that fact through my head.  You're theirs.  Barry Allen, you need to just let me go so you can go back to YOUR party and YOUR wife."

And just like that the fire is back in his eyes as he practically leaps off the desk with such force that it has her shrinking back into herself.

Stalking over to her.

Venom dripping through his voice as the old Sebastian Smythe spark comes back.

"Stop calling me Barry!!! I HATE it when you do that! And do you really think I give a damn about HER?! She's constantly criticizing our friendship."

Shannon's voice is much calmer, much more sedate than his when she responds.

"Bassy.... you had to have cared about her at one point or another. You married her, I know. I was there remember. And you have three kids with her. But can you really fault Iris for hating me as much as she does? With a past like ours and the oodles of sexual tension that still apparently exists between us even years after we stopped having sex with each other."

He holds up his hands, fingers toying with that gleaming ring. His wedding band.

"This isn't what I want anymore Shann. I.... I love my kids. I do... but this...."

Barry pulls the ring off his finger and lets it fall carelessly to the floor. Green eyes locked on her brown ones.

"I just can't fight this anymore. I don't want to. Not when I know that you'll leave forever if I don't do something."

With that he crosses the small distance to her and lifts her into his arms. Cradling her to his chest as he zooms them out of the speed lab. Out of the building...

•••••••••••••

"Cisco, have you seen Barry lately?? Iris wanted to take the kids home but she can't find him."

The long haired man in question looks up from the drink he was mixing to see Ralph standing in front of him. And he shrugs.

"He's around here somewhere, I'm sure. Last I saw he was talking to Shannon."

Ralph furrows his brow.

"Is that the hot little brunette that he's always laughing and flirting with behind Iris's back??"

Cisco narrows his eyes as he takes a swig of his drink before addressing the newest member of Team Flash.

"They've got a long and rather complex history with each other. You really wouldn't understand. But if you guys need me to, I'll see if I can track him down."

Ralph nods and wanders back over to where Iris is. Cisco shakes his head and downs the rest of his drink.

Barry REALLY owes me for covering for him and Shann right now.

Pushing his drink tumbler aside he leaves the party room, hoping to find where the wayward superhero and his old flame have wandered off to.

By chance he stumbles into the speed lab and spies the gold ring sitting there on the floor.

And when he bends down to pick it up he's immediately hit with flashes of the man it belongs to.

Where he is.

And more importantly what he's doing.

Skin....

Vast expanses of bare skin...