A/N: So there was a gorilla who called Caitlin good and Wells Father and I mean, how could I not write a story?
Missing scene for 1x21/not entirely compliant with what happened in the episode.
Disclaimer: Don't own anything.
When Caitlin comes to, her head is pounding and everything feels slightly hazy. She's lying on something decidedly damp and cold and uncomfortable and wasn't she just on her way to the car?
Her memories feel like they're within her reach but not reachable and when she opens her eyes, albeit a bit reluctantly, all she sees is gray concrete which is definitely not how her bedroom should ever look like.
"What have you done?"
The voice echoes from somewhere and even if she feels like she has the hangover of a century and her body won't exactly cooperate with her intention to move, a cold chill runs down her spine because she would recognize that voice from anywhere.
Harrison Wells.
Or, whoever he really is. The man in yellow, the Reverse Flash, Eobard Thawne.
She wonders if the question is directed at her and turns her head toward the direction of the sound – and barely manages to contain her scream.
Because there, a few meters from her, are Harrison Wells and, well, Grodd.
Grodd has plenty of inches over Wells but the scene feels peculiarly like a scolding and Grodd is definitely not in charge. Instead, the gorilla hangs his head slightly as if in shame and shifts restlessly from one foot to the other, like a petulant child would.
"This was not a part of the plan."
She watches as Grodd harrumphs in discontent and gestures once in her general direction.
"No, this is definitely not what I meant."
It's only Wells who is talking but Caitlin gets the sense that she is actually witnessing a dialogue – even if Grodd's words are not audible but really and truly only expressed with telepathy. It's bizarre and strange and also intriguing for the scientist in her.
"You do not get to make that decision. She's not supposed to be here."
A bit belatedly, she realizes that the topic of conversation is her and that Wells' latest exclamation has made them both turn towards her as she locks eyes with him.
"Caitlin."
There is no reason why him saying her name should sound the same it always has, soft and with the hint of an unexpressed smile but it does. It really shouldn't because the man who could say that doesn't really exist, and this man in front of her should have no right to ever say it like that.
She manages to get on her feet and face him head on because damn if she lets the Reverse Flash scare her like she's some sort of a damsel in distress.
"Thawne."
Something flashes in his eyes when she uses his real name, something akin to hurt and regret, something impossible, so she ignores it.
"Where's Eddie? Have you killed him?"
He narrows his eyes at her and appraises her in that unnerving way he always has had but she meets his gaze, lets him wonder.
"Detective Thawne is perfectly fine."
"But will you kill him?"
He shrugs. "Haven't decided yet."
Caitlin – good. A deep voice, the same she heard from Eiling, echoes in her head, and she startles, looking over at Grodd. The gorilla is impressive and monstrous but there is something almost bashful in his expression as he looks over at her, and she's just as puzzled as she was the first time she heard it.
"Why?"
Grodd takes a few steps towards her and she instinctively steps back. He stops at her reluctance and extends his arm towards her instead, probably conveying that he's harmless.
Caitlin – good. Grodd safe.
She doesn't understand and in a habit she doesn't know how she'll ever get rid of, looks over to Wells for help.
He observes them both for a moment before meeting her eyes. "You always were good to him, Caitlin. He remembers."
"He's evolved."
"A logical conclusion, yes. His vocal abilities have reached the level of a toddler and his cognitive abilities are even farther than that but the paces are outmatched. He learns quicker than he can express himself."
"Because of the wave from the explosion?"
"It probably broke down some kind of mental barrier, and changed his neural network and gave him telepathic abilities. For all intents and purposes…Grodd is a metahuman."
She has so many other questions, so many theories and ideas, the implications of this development staggering and she almost opens her mouth before she realizes that she's fallen into a trap of treating Wells like he still is Wells.
Instead, she imagines the Reverse Flash, all the horrible things he's done, all the things he probably will still do, and finds her irritation again.
"So, are you going to keep me and kill me now?"
He seems slightly taken aback at the change in their conversation as he slowly shakes his head at her. "It was never my intention to bring you here. Grodd might have been a bit…hasty in his decision-making, regarding you."
He gives Grodd the most reproachful look she's ever seen and the humongous gorilla looks sufficiently repentant but also defiant.
Father – sad. Caitlin – good. Father need good.
"Enough." Wells' voice is sharper and angrier in retort than it's been up to this point and his eyes flash red for a second. Grodd growls low in his throat but turns around and leaves her alone with Wells.
"Like I said, he's a toddler. Very impulsive."
The implication of Grodd's words rings in Caitlin's ear but it cannot mean what Grodd wants it to mean, can it? It's preposterous to consider that the gorilla knows what he's talking about, that there is any truth in what he said because the man in front of her doesn't need anyone, aside from his own nefarious purposes.
"I'm sorry, Caitlin."
And yet, there he is again with that soft and familiar voice and she feels her ire rise because there are plenty of apologies she could be thinking of right now.
"For what? For being some sort of a-a metahuman from the future? For killing Nora Allen? For using all of us all these years, pretending to be Harrison Wells, to be our friend, to care?"
He sighs and takes a step towards her and just like before, she backs away but unlike Grodd, he doesn't stop advancing until they're closer than she's necessarily comfortable with, for a multitude of reasons.
"I could tell you that Nora was never meant to die but that is really irrelevant in the bigger picture. I could tell you that Barry carries a deep meaning for my future and that's why I need him. I could tell you that all the people I've killed have deserved it. But. You don't need me to apologize for any of that."
"Oh, yeah? Well, tell me what do I need then?"
His eyes rove over her face and she doesn't know what he's looking for but he smiles slightly and she's worried about what he's seen.
"You need to know if it was all a lie. Maybe about certain aspects more than others, hmm?"
She gasps softly because it's been written all over her face, apparently, and he's seen it. Still, there is no use in acquiescing when she still has an escape.
"We trusted you. You were our boss, our mentor. And you just used us."
He laughs slightly at her misdirect and shakes his head. "No, Caitlin, you don't want to know about any of that. Don't say we when you clearly don't mean anyone but yourself."
She can feel her face getting hot under his intense gaze but she's determined not to let him get the upper hand – even if she is not sure whether he already hasn't gotten the upper hand. "Fine. Tell me if you only hired me because you could use me."
His eyes narrow. "Still deflecting. Of course I hired you because you would be useful; isn't that what all bosses do, even in the 21st century?"
He pauses for a moment and if she thought he was going to let this go, she realizes she was extremely wrong when his eyes bore into hers and she knows what's coming next. "You want to know about Metropolis, Caitlin. Why won't you ask?"
She hasn't let herself think about that for years now, maybe just sometimes in her dreams, just in times of weakness when she's lonely and distraught. And now when it's just the two of them, alone in some god awful basement, she knows this is her one and only chance to ask where no one else would be listening.
"Fine. Did you sleep with me because you thought you could use me?"
He smiles, almost delighted, despite the scathing tone with which she delivers the question and his reaction is unnerving.
"Well, if I remember it correctly, you made the first move. And you were the one who declined any further…engagement."
"You didn't stop me."
"I am only a man."
And against all better judgment, his flippant response makes something hurt deep inside her, underneath her ribcage and she exhales slowly, trying to dissolve the feeling. But of course he notices, he always does, and his eyes soften and lose that cruel edge.
"Caitlin. I've seen your future. Had I pursued that further…your future might have become compromised."
"And why do you care?"
"Timelines shouldn't be interfered with. And there is another future for that."
"For what?"
"Us."
He says it so matter-of-factly, without blinking an eye that she almost doesn't register what he's said at first.
When she does, her first instinct is swift denial. "You're crazy."
He smiles, almost delightedly. "That is a matter of interpretation. I cannot tell you what will become in that future exactly but believe me, yours will be a bright one, Caitlin. I could've accelerated it then, in Metropolis, but you needed to experience other things before. Ronnie, Barry…but it will come."
Despite everything, his words don't scare her or even bewilder her; against all logic and common sense, she finds herself believing in them, finds herself wanting, and that is perhaps the craziest thing which could come out of any of this.
"Until then…I really am sorry about this."
He raises his hands to her temples and she feels a slight buzzing before her eyelids become heavy and she feels a wave of sleepiness washing over her.
The last thing she sees are the vividly blue eyes and a whispered promise.
The future will be ours.