She walked into the cortex and saw him through the window on the treadmill. He'd been spending an awful lot of time training but she understood why. Ever since Patty left he'd been feeling lost. A feeling she understood like no other. It had been a year since Ronnie's tragic death and not a day past by that she didn't think about him, missed him in the little things. Patty wasn't dead but she might as well be since there had been no communication between Barry and her and not for the lack of trying. She got behind her monitor and scanned the latest rapports on the screen. Nothing was out of the ordinary so she turned her attention back to the speedster behind the glass. He noticed her stare and glanced in her direction and made a waving gesture with his hand. Now that he'd seen her she almost felt compelled to go in and say hi. As soon as she entered the room he switched the machine off and slowed his tempo until it came to a halt.

"Why aren't you at the precinct?" she asked, giving him a quizzical look.

"Isn't Joe going to wonder where you are?" She noticed the sigh he disguised in some heavy breathing from his run.

"Joe knows how to reach me. I don't know. It's been hard spending time at the lab knowing that she's not going to walk in anymore. Sometimes I pick up the phone just to see if she's busy and then I remember that she won't be answering. Usually it goes straight to voicemail anyway" He glanced at her and produced a half smile. "I'm probably feeling sorry for myself, right? It's nothing compared to you and Ronnie."

"Hey, don't apologize for missing her" she said softly and put her hand on his shoulder.

"You're allowed to feel bad and I'm sorry that it turned out the way that it did. I also know that you've been blaming yourself and wondering if you shouldn't have told her sooner that you're the Flash. But Barry, it wouldn't have made a difference. She wanted to be the one to catch Mardon and she did that, sort of." Now it was her turn to flash a smile at him, reminding him of the role he'd played in the arrest.

"She's trying to move on with her life. I think it's a very brave thing for her to do and I hope she succeeds. Who knows, maybe she'll come back once she graduates and gives you a run for your money at the CCPD."

Her voice was laced with a little humor when she nudged her shoulder against his. Barry smirked and she couldn't help but mirror the look on her face.

"Let's go see what Cisco and Dr. Wells are doing in the lab. They've been in there since this morning and I hope they haven't killed each other." She got up from the treadmill and straightened her pencil dress. Then she extended her hand to pull him up.

"One second, I'll change." Her hair blew upwards as he sped off and one second later he re-appeared beside her, fully dressed in and wearing a shirt that matched the blue in her dress. As they were walking down the long corridor to the other side of STAR labs she unconsciously bit her lip.

"You're doing that lip biting thing again. What's wrong?"

"Nothing" she sighed but she already knew that Barry wouldn't be satisfied with that answer. He always knew when something was bothering her and this had been weighing on her mind for a few days now. If she didn't tell someone she would explode.

"It's Jay. He's sick," she blurted out. "I found out the day after the gala. He'd been acting strange so I tested his DNA that I lifted from a glass of Champagne."

Next to her she could feel the change in Barry. It was no secret that Jay and Barry had some issues. Of course it didn't help that Jay still insisted on calling Barry Kid. On the other hand Jay losing his speed made him a little jealous of Barry and she was caught in the middle and didn't want to pick sides.

"How sick is he?" Barry retorted.

"That's the thing. I don't really know. Just like yours his DNA was altered by the speed force. His cells are vibrating at a lower frequency, which would explain why he's not able to run so fast but there is nothing to indicate why that is. It could be the food or something environmental. After all, he's from Earth 2 and he's not used to our atmosphere. Or it has something to do with the wormhole. But Harry seems unaffected and we've seen Zoom travel back and forth. Jay seems to be the only one affected by all of this."

They reached the lab and he held the door for her to walk through.

"Is he in any danger?" She glanced up at Barry and shrugged.

"I honestly don't know."

Across the room they noticed Cisco and Wells working side by side so she lowered her voice and leaned in slightly.

"Do me a favor and don't mention this to them. Jay doesn't want anyone to know. Not until we figure out what we can do about this."

When he nodded she smiled. For some reason she felt better knowing that Barry was in on the secret too.

"Harry managed to replicate the isotopes he extracted from the Turtle's blood and check this out.." Cisco picked up a small metal rod that had a bright blue tip that glowed.

"We analyzed it and here's where it gets interesting. His blood cells were emitting some sort of radiation. We were able to isolate it and replicate it so that can be used to sent out an electromagnetic pulse that slows everything in a ten foot radius."

He picked up a glass cup from the counter and held it up before releasing it. She squealed and reached for the cup as it fell to the ground when Cisco pushed a button and it was like everything was moving slower. The glass was suspended in mid air but she felt like she couldn't move either. Barry however was moving but so slow that it took forever for him to reach the cup. Then Cisco pressed the button again and everything resumed back to normal.

"Pretty cool, huh?" he beamed and carefully placed it back on the counter.

"The only thing is that we can only get it to work within that 10 feet radius so if you're going to use it on Zoom, you'd have to let him get pretty close." A frown formed above her eyes.

"No! We can't let him get so close. Last time Barry went up against Zoom it almost cost him his life. This is great, Cisco, but it needs more work before it's a real plan."

When she noticed that Wells, Barry and Cisco ignored her reservations she raised her hands and rolled her eyes.

"Fine. Don't listen to the one voice of reason around here. But mark my words, if Zoom breaks your back again..I'm not going to be the one patching you up."

Barry's eyes met hers and he grinned, adding to her growing infuriation. "I mean it, Barry." He chuckles making her turn on her heels and storm out of the lab, leaving the boys to drool over their new toy.

A few days later the situation with Jay had gotten a lot more serious. He was barely able to keep any food down and it had gotten so bad that he was now under constant supervision in the lab. If she had it her way he would be in bed and hooked up to the monitor so she could run more tests but Jay was just as stubborn as the rest and ever since he heard about their plan to cross the breach and go to Earth 2 he was adamant that they should take him. Against her better judgement he managed to convince Barry and Cisco that he had a better chance of healing in his own world. She offered to go with him but they unanimously dismissed that idea. In fact, it was the only time she could remember Barry and Jay agreeing on something. Still, she didn't like the idea of them going off to parts unknown with no way of checking up on them. Although Wells promised to keep an eye on them.

"Do you have everything you need?" she asked Jay as the men prepared for the crossing. In the background the blue light of the breach flickered and bounced off the walls. Inside she felt just as restless. Jay smiled but she noticed how pale he looked. Then she glanced at Barry, her stomach in knots. What if something happened to him over there? Would she ever see him again? Barry's voice pulled her back to the presence.

"Cait. Don't worry. We'll be back before you know it." He pulled her into a hug and she wrapped her arms tightly around him as if she wasn't planning of letting him go again. When he whispered in her ear that he would take care of Jay she had to swallow a lump that was forming in her throat. It wasn't just Jay that she was worrying about. It was Barry and Cisco too and the thought of losing either of them was unbearable. Barry freed himself and walked over to Joe so she turned to Cisco.

"Are you sure this device is going to work?"

Cisco smirked and replied "Caitlin..pff. If not I'll find my Earth 2 counterpart and ask for his assistance. Two brilliant minds are better than one."

She chuckled softly.

"You don't even know if that Cisco is a scientist and there is only one you." She pulled him into a hug and then stepped back.

"Be careful over there. I want you back in one piece. All of you!" As she spoke she let her eyes go over the group but lingered on Barry. Their gazes locked for another second in which he seemed to understand everything she wanted to say but somehow couldn't. It was Jay's pained groan that broke their gaze and from the corner of her eye she caught him as he slumped to the ground.
"Jay! Oh my God, are you okay?"
She knelt next to him and checked his pulse. His heartbeat was slow and barely even detectable.
"He's getting worse. He'll have to stay here so I can look after him. Joe, help me get him up. He needs to get back to the lab as soon as soon as possible."

She glanced at Cisco and shrugged. "You will have to go without him and find a cure over there and bring it back here. There's no other way."
Cisco nodded but she could see that he was just as worried as she was. If the mission was a success and even if they managed to free Jesse, help might still come too late for Jay. She pushed the thought out of her mind because it was too hard to accept. Everyone and everything she loved was right there in that room and now there was a real possibility she could lose them.

The excited energy was gone when they stepped onto the platform. Together with Joe she supported Jay and watched as one by one they stepped into the light and then they were gone. "They will be fine," she assured Joe but there was uncertainty in her voice. This was different than going up against Metahumans in their own town. They were on their own on an entirely different Earth and all they could do was wait until they would return.