Social Drinker

By: Riley

Summary – Caitlin usually found herself drinking alone. Then one night she gets and unexpected visitor.

Before the explosion of the Particle Accelerator and even before starting to go out with Ronnie Raymond, Caitlin Snow wasn't a big drinker.

There were a lot of things she didn't like about it; the taste, the smell, the taste and the smell of the vomit that inevitably accompanied it. Then there was the teasing or the social awkwardness when she was the only one that didn't drink. Designated Driver be damned, she could let lose when she wanted to...but found no need to.

Up until the accident that changed everything.

She didn't know what it was that caused her to change her mind. But there it was, one moment when she had been leaving S.T.A.R. Labs and she suddenly had the urge to go drinking. Then she found herself at a bar and had a couple of shots. The first time, she found herself drunk and after the hangover the next morning, she wasn't going to make that mistake again. The second time, she had a couple of drinks here and there, thinking about the way her life had changed.

She had been on the way to her doctorate, had such a great opportunity given to her, and now…it was gone. She didn't care about all of the stuff she had strived for before, not in comparison. She cared about Ronnie and he was gone. After that she found herself at the bar, drinking alone. Long enough to numb the pain but not so that she became the victim of anyone that wanted to try to take advantage of her.

Not that they'd be stupid enough to do it anyway, once they saw that she had that blood sampling kit and the like in her purse, or finding that she would suddenly go off into a tangent about science and genetics, they backed off.

This one night was different, however. Something in the air? She couldn't tell what it was but either way, she wasn't surprised when she heard the familiar turning of electronic wheels behind her until Harrison Wells had occupied the space at the other end of her table, gently placing a beer on the ring-stained mahogany.

"Dr. Wells," she greeted him.

Harrison's piercing eyes stared into her as his pink lips stretched into a smile. "We're not at the lab, Caitlin, you may call me Harrison." There was a brief pause and almost a switch, almost undetectable change in his tone as he continued with, "please do."

Her upper lip curled in the corner. Her version of a smile. "What are you doing here?"

Harrison tilted his head to the side, raising an eyebrow. "I'm not that much of a pariah, Caitlin; I do like to get out every now and then. I don't live at S.T.A.R. Labs. Not yet." He chuckled, causing Caitlin's smile to widen. "Though the rest of Central City doesn't seem to think so."

At his words, Caitlin looked around the rest of the bar and noticed that all eyes appeared to be on her and Harrison and even if they weren't, it felt like it. Turning back to him, watching him take a sip of his beer, Caitlin suddenly wondered what he did whenever they weren't working. He lived alone, she knew that for sure.

But did he have anyone to take care of him? Did he have any family around? Were there any friends that stuck by him besides herself and Cisco? Did he have a girlfriend?

Startled, Caitlin blinked rapidly and made quick work of taking her glass and practically dumped the cold liquid into her mouth. Where had that come from? She had never even thought about that when S.T.A.R. Labs had still been functional. They had worked close together, hours on end, sometimes after hours and they had talked about anything and everything science related. He asked about her home life, her friends, plans she had for the weekend, but he had never really talked about himself.

Not ignoring the anecdotes from his years of study.

Harrison noticed her sudden anxiety and chuckled. His next words were made to soothe her. "I've come to find that I enjoy my privacy," he said. "I've always had, truly. Not wanting my advancements to be revealed at the wrong times to the wrong people..." He trailed off mysteriously, eyes flashing. "But after the explosion…I prefer it even more. Not when I'd have a horde of media asking me hundreds of questions. Then they'd start to pry into my life and as it stands I'm a very boring person." He waved a hand.

"Oh, but I don't think you're boring at all," Caitlin said quickly. At Harrison's steady gaze, she continued. "I think you're a very remarkable man, actually. You've accomplished so much in your life that…that I can't even being to imagine doing anything like that when I was busy playing with my Barbies."

"Was it a doctor Barbie by any chance?"

As Caitlin fully smiled, it caused Harrison to grin as well. "Complete with stethoscope and medical chart." She then laughed a light, airy laugh, brushing her hair behind her ears. Her movement caused her to miss the way Harrison's eyes lit up for a moment. He hadn't heard her laugh in a long time; he had always loved that sound.

"Really?" Now Harrison appeared to be completely relaxed, even enjoying their company.

"Yes!" Caitlin beamed. "How'd you guess?"

"I think I know you well enough by now, Caitlin," he said.

"I don't know a lot about you."

"Don't you?"

There was a slight pause and the two looked at each other for a long moment. It wasn't an awkward silence or a silence that was put between colleagues that worked together. But a silence that was between friends. A comfortable one, where he gave her time to think about the validity of his statement. And while she had the time to think, she studied Harrison carefully.

He had such a confidence around him that continued to radiate from his former self that she truly admired. His eyes were so blue, so piercing that she couldn't help but get lost in them whenever they were trained on her. Starting out at S.T.A.R. Labs, she had found that she enjoyed the way he had looked at her. She was his first recruit and whenever his blue irises turned her way, they were usually filled with mirth, excitement, or admiration.

Then everyone else had come along, he had given them a chance to work on something that was going to change the world. She had met Ronnie…and she found they didn't work together much anymore, but when they did, Harrison still had a way of commandeering her attention, just like that night.

Taking another sip of her drink of choice, Caitlin closed her eyes at the coldness that moved through her, numbing how she really felt. Unlike a lot of others, she liked the cold, it made her feel…safe in some ways. Her office had always been the coldest one and she'd laugh whenever the others would complain about a few changes in degrees in Central City. Pushing her glass aside, she leaned forward and regarded Harrison.

"I don't know a lot about you other than what you've told me," she finally managed to say.

"I only tell what I think should be known, as I said I enjoy my privacy." He pulled off his glasses and placed them on the table, leaning forward in his wheel chair as he looked at her, eyes squinting slightly.

Was it an excuse to get closer to her?

"You on the other hand, you're not one that particularly enjoys their privacy or being alone," he remarked. "Not before the accident anyway." Caitlin ducked her head as pain flashed through her eyes, a curtain of hair covering her face. "I've seen you leave S.T.A.R. Labs every now and then…sometimes you're talking with Cisco about the things you really enjoy. Other times…you become sort of cold, sheltered and walk as if you expect the world to come crashing upon your shoulders. Much like tonight."

"When I start to think about what happened with Ronnie…with Barry being in the coma…it all becomes too much and I need time to get away," she explained.

Harrison reached out and placed his hand on her wrist. It was like second nature, neither of them thought about it. "You're a remarkable woman, Caitlin. But you're not immune to life." He paused. "If you ever need anyone to talk to, I'm certainly here to listen."

Caitlin slowly nodded. "You said that to me when I first started working at S.T.A.R. Labs."

"And I intend to keep that promise, Caitlin." He looked at his watch and directed his chair backwards and around the table. "As it stands, I have another promise I need to upkeep. Thank you for your time."

"Thank you for talking to me, Harrison." Caitlin said, finding that she really meant it. She felt a lot better than she had at the beginning of that night.

"You're very welcome."

Harrison nodded and started to wheel away from the table. He stopped next to her chair and with a slight grimace of effort, lifted himself up from the seat. Bracing his weight on his right arm, he leaned forward and pressed a gentle, lingering kiss on the corner of her mouth. Caitlin blinked in surprise as Harrison lowered himself back into his seat, gave her a smile and a nod, and wheeled out of the bar.

Twisting around, Caitlin watched him leave before straightening herself.

That night had changed her. The next time she went to the bar, she invited Cisco to go with her and the two had a great time and it became a thing where they would go every other weekend. Time and time again she invited Harrison to go with them and time and time again he refused, giving some sort of an excuse not to make it. Then Barry had woken up from the coma and started to go along with them when they went to the bar.

And yet, she still found herself longing for Harrison to join them, even if he went when she was the only one there.

Harrison, on the other hand, preferred to keep things to himself and wasn't much of a sharer. He was a very private person and as it stood, he didn't want anyone to know that he had kissed Caitlin sort of taken his claim on her. He would continue to work with her the way they had before, but he could see another night at the bar in his near future.

THE END

A/N: While I try to ultimately figure out what shipping to have in my other Flash story, Flash Fire (simply because ideas I start out with don't always end up going a certain way), I got the idea for this while watching last night's episode of Flash. I'm definitely a SnowWells [Caitlin/Harrison] shipper though and have loved it since Lizica's first story.

I hope I kept them in character in this setting away from S.T.A.R. Labs and in a more, lighthearted setting. And…I don't think I've seen them kiss in a story yet, so we're making progress. A kiss on the cheek, almost the lips! Let me know what you guys think.

Cheers,

-Riles