Description: My take on 4x17

For the last couple of weeks Caitlin was truly confused. She didn't understand Harry's behavior anymore and it had nothing to do with the thinking cap he seemed to be addicted to now and getting mad at every other minute. In fact, he'd detached himself from her long before he'd come up with the booster idea or maybe… an exact week before that, she realized, remembering how nice it was to grab that coffee with him at the Jitters. She'd been surprised when he'd idly asked her to go with him there and wondered whether it was a date, but was too afraid and too shy to ask. Because if it wasn't… then again, everything about that night felt different. Caitlin seemed to be opening up more to him and he repaid her with the same until… that strange girl just had to interrupt, spilling her coffee all over the table. Ever since then Caitlin couldn't seem to find that common ground with Harry again and she kept on working herself up, wondering why but being too afraid to ask.

Just now, when she and Cisco managed to solve Breacher's problem, she seemed to finally grasp it. She still couldn't be sure whether she was on the right track, but she figured she just had to go and ask. It was about time and quite frankly, she'd been a little worried about Harry recently.

He was truly surprised when she just stood in the door to his lab, interrupting his tinkering with the cap and asked straightforwardly, "Why did you pull away me from me?" Maybe it was blunt, but if she didn't just say it, she might lose her courage again and she needed to know, the worst truth better than nothing.

"What?" he simply asked, already agitated. In fact, he'd been acting that way ever since he'd discovered that the cap wasn't exactly what he'd imagined it to be. "What do you mean, Snow?"

"You're just gonna do anything and everything to stop DeVoe, won't you?" She sighed when putting her hands on her hips. "You're gonna keep detaching yourself from everyone who cares about you, because… what? Because you have nothing to lose, right? Because you're old anyway?"

His eyes opened widely in shock and he actually placed the cap on the table before facing her. "Caitlin, what are you…?"

"It's true, isn't it?" she still pushed, making a step forward, entering the lab.

"I… um… no," he finally stammered.

"That is why you've been keeping distance from me, isn't it? I really thought I read things wrong, but…"

"You didn't," he suddenly cut in and it was her turn to stare in surprise. "Snow… Caitlin," he sighed and looked away before continuing awkwardly, "I know what you're getting at… In fact, I estimated there was about 60 perfect chance you'd come to me with this eventually…"

"Oh, no, please, leave this freaking cap out of this, ok?!" she actually raised her voice at that. "You don't need it to be smart. You are a genius, Harry, you already are!"

"Not enough," he disagreed. "Anyways… twice and we were interrupted. What does it mean to you?"

She frowned, trying to understand what he meant and once she finally did, she rolled her eyes. "You are a scientist, Harry," she said in exasperation, trying to keep her emotions in check, because the way this was going… "don't tell me you suddenly believe in fate and doom."

"I don't… I just… Ah!" He was so awkward that she would think it was cute if she wasn't so mad with him. Then again, he had that effect on her. Finally, he faced her bravely, looking her straight in the eyes which soon enlarged when her heart started beating faster and told her to just move forward, to convince him, because she truly couldn't do this anymore.

She crossed the distance separating them and now she was right there, right in front of him, her eyes boring into his, making it difficult for him to breathe, not to mention concentrate.

"I don't deserve you, Caitlin," he finally confessed, his voice low and hoarse, eyes scorching. "And you… you deserve better than this," he pointed himself.

"There is only one person who decides about what I deserve and it's me," she informed him. "And what I want is you," she then braved it out, still shocked that those words came from her mouth. And he was shocked, too. She could read it all over his face.

There was sudden, very pregnant silence before she heard him sigh again. He was so damn close that she could smell his cologne and it was driving her crazy. Yet, she held on, kept still. Though she did bite on her lower lip and he noticed, his eyes straying in that direction.

"Look at me, Caitlin," he tried one more time. She could tell he was slowly breaking, his walls finally crumbling down, "and then look at yourself. Do you really see a future here?"

"Yes," she said so simply and with so much conviction in her voice that it rendered him speechless. "In fact, it's all I can see," she added and there it was.

He couldn't stand this tension any longer. He couldn't fight this anymore. He suddenly pulled her close, his lips crashing against her own, the kiss stunning and scorching and so much more than she could ever dream of.

"You're young enough," she said against his lips when the kiss came to a stop, both of them just standing there, eyes closed, breathing each other in. He smiled against her lips.

"As long as you think so." Finally, he opened his eyes, his radiant azures meeting her hazels.

"I do think so." She smiled right back at him, reaching to his face and stroking his cheek gently.

"There's something I need to show you, Snow. I have this idea and… I think you could help me."

A slight frown marred her face just then.

"What is it?"

"Come with me." He took her hand, a gesture which seemed so simple and so natural to them that it gave her the needed confidence. She had trust in him and she would follow him anywhere.

Well, she did not foresee that this anywhere would be the time vault.

"Harry… what…?" she asked, not understanding what he meant. If he wanted to find some room where they could be alone, then she was sure there was quite an abundance of them in the Labs.

"I was thinking that if I could wake this machine up," Harry walked inside, pointing to the place where Gideon was, oblivious to the expression on Snow's face, "and if I could transfer all the data from there to the cap and then put it on…"

"No," came firm and steady.

"What?" He finally turned to her, the smile dying on his lips.

"I am not losing you to this… this thing, Harry. It's not worth it."

"It's our only option and you'll be there to monitor me closely. To make sure the chemistry of my brain is still intact."

And here she thought things would be as simple as getting her happily ever after once she convinced him that they fitted together…

AN:

I am not sure how happy or satisfied I am with this piece. I came up with the beginning yesterday. Obviously, I had no idea how this episode would end, so I added that ending now. I still believe this is Harry and not Eobard, because Thawne would make no sense and Harry just wants to think like he does. Besides, he already let Jesse in on his thoughts.

Anyway, I am truly done working myself up over this. I will watch what the show throws at me and do my best with it. Video based on 4x17 already up.

Now, I just have to get through all those fics ideas I have and write them down one by one…