Author's Note: Sooooo Chocolate X My Mouth and I decided to both give this prompt a try. I thought of the prompt and Chocolate inspired it... GO CHECK OUT HIS PAGE NO JOKE SOME OF THE BEST NORA/CAITLIN/BARRY FAMILY FICS EVER I DIE AND MELT EVERY TIME I READ THEM.
Aaaaaaanyways, enjoy! This isn't totally for Iris fans (though honestly I kind of doubt I have a ton of Iris fans reading my Snowbarry stuff), even though it's not outright bashing in any way.
It was completely silent in Caitlin's lab, save for the soft whir of some machine or other that was running in the room. Caitlin and Barry were both seated- Caitlin on a chair and Barry on one of the medical beds, with two mugs of tea and a plate of pizza pockets that Caitlin had been generous enough to share between them.
Even though he was still on the gurney, Barry wasn't badly injured. He had been in a fight but his cuts were healing. That's not why they were there.
During the fight, it had come out that Barry and Iris weren't together anymore. It had been a shock to the entire team, but not quite as much as it would have been a couple months ago. There had been a lot of arguing, storming out of rooms, disobeying of orders and glaring going on the past couple of weeks. Something had switched, and now it seemed that Caitlin was going to find out what.
"You don't have to tell me," Caitlin prefaced, giving Barry a searching look. "Your and Iris' business isn't mine."
"No, I want to tell you," Barry said. "I kind of need to, you know? I just need to tell someone. Cisco just got over a breakup so it doesn't seem fair to complain to him, and I can't really talk to Joe or Cecile about this... I mean, Iris is Joe's daughter. And Nora is.. Iris' daughter."
Caitlin tilted her head to one side. "How does that... how does that work, now? You guys aren't together anymore... how does Nora get... created?"
Barry buried his head in his hands, letting out a pained groan. "I really don't know," he admitted. "When Nora got here, of course I just assumed that eventually Iris and I would get married and have her. But now I just don't see how it's going to happen."
He lifted his head and took a sip of his tea. "You know... it's kind of strange. Nora coming here, and seeing how Iris and her interact... that was just the last straw. Things hadn't been great between us for a little while... and I mean, don't get me wrong, Iris is a really good person. We broke it off as friends. But she is different now than the girl I fell in love with when we were kids... even the woman I was in love with when I woke up from my coma. The hand that life has dealt us... with Savitar -me, I guess- going to kill her, and then how I was in the Speed Force for six months... I guess it just changed things."
Caitlin tilted her head. "But Nora was the last straw?"
"It's kind of stupid, honestly," Barry sighed. "But you know how, when you would see your crush with little kids, how it always makes you feel something?"
"Yeah," Caitlin agreed, smiling a little. "I'm no psychologist, but I suppose it would have to do with an innate paternal instinct. You'd look at the guy -or girl, in your case- that you liked with a little kid and you'd immediately start imagining what they'd be like as a parent." She paused. "I feel like it should have been that, but tenfold, in your case. Nora is actually your and Iris' child... even if she's nearly your age right now."
"I know," Barry said. "And that's my point. I saw the two of them interact and I just felt... nothing. Especially when they would argue. I don't necessarily agree with Nora's storming out of places and petty jabs... but she's just a teenager, you know?"
"I think that your daughter is an amazing young woman," Caitlin told him reassuringly. "And she is brilliant, too. She takes after you."
Barry smiled at her, before his brow furrowed. "I suppose you two haven't really had much time to interact, have you?" His face fell. "I guess that none of us really have."
Caitlin bit her lip. "Actually... Nora came to me about a week after she arrived her, after she started working as your intern at the CCPD."
"She did?"
"Yeah," Caitlin said. "She had a couple questions about this day and age's methods of forensic science. I told her what I knew and we looked up the rest. Don't tell her I told you- I don't think she wanted you to know that she didn't have all the answers. She really looks up to you, you know, and she doesn't want you to think that she's any less brilliant than she is."
Barry nodded sheepishly. "I suppose that's fair."
"After that... well, we just started talking more," Caitlin continued. "Not so much about the future- I know how dangerous that is- but about the present. And about her. What she likes to do, what her favorite things are... we even talked about a couple of guys back in her time. But that conversation is purely confidential." She winked at Barry. "Wouldn't want you to go locking up their parents so they couldn't be born or anything."
Barry let out a hearty laugh and Caitlin's face broke into a smile. This was the first time she had seen him laugh his hard in a while. He probably had laughed that hard recently... she just hadn't been around.
"You know, back to what I was saying before," Barry continued when he caught his breath and ate a pizza pocket. "I haven't made much time for you and Cisco lately. I've been so focused on Iris, and then Nora coming to stay... I mean, Caitlin, I found out about your father from Sherloque."
"I'm sorry," Caitlin sighed. "I know I should have told you."
"But I wasn't here for you to tell!" Barry interrupted. "You and Cisco and I used to be best friends. We used to get drinks together, hang out after hours at STAR Labs, have movie nights..." he trailed off and his eyes suddenly started to get a little watery. "I miss that, you know? I really, really, miss those old days of Team Flash."
"Oh, Barry." Caitlin stood up and sat down next to him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. "You are always going to have us. We're OG Team Flash, remember?"
He let out a tearful laugh, sniffling and couple of times and trying to reign in his emotions. "I know," he sighed finally. "That's what makes you guys such good friends. I really want you two back in my life."
"It's never too late, Barry," Caitlin told him softly. "I know Cisco really needs everyone he cares about around him right now. What with Gypsy leaving him... and now this thing with his powers..."
Barry nodded his agreement. He took his last sip of tea, stretching a little bit and standing up. "How about the three of us go and get a drink sometime?" he suggested hopefully. "Like old times?"
"That sounds great," Caitlin smiled. "And I will do everything in my power to make sure Ralph doesn't tag along."
Barry laughed. "As much as I like Ralph... that would be preferable."
He paused before leaving the room, putting his hand on her shoulder. "Thank you for listening to me," he murmured. "And just... being there."
Caitlin placed her hand on top of his, smiling up at him. She had missed this; the familiarity, the comfort... and yes, the touching. "Anytime you need someone to talk to or to listen to you, you know where you can find me," she told him.
He nodded and smiled at her one more time, before flashing out of the room.
Author's Note: Okay so a LOT of dialogue and introduction stuff for this chapter- sorry about that! Hopefully things start to get a little more interesting later.