Title: Of Plants and Troubles
Author: Starcalista
Fandom: The Flash
Characters/Pairing: Barry Allen+Caitlin Snow (snowbarry)
Prompt: "Maybe after the Trickster poisoning so many people, Caitlin wants to keep a stock of various antidotes at Star Labs. She would need Barry to speed her to far away places looking for plants, roots, etc. that only grow in springtime.," Prompt from outtamydepth.
Rating: K+
Word Count: 1016
Summary: Takes place in between episode 17 and 18 and as the prompt suggests, though Barry is in a heavy mood because of the newly discovered fact that Dr. Wells could be the Reverse Flash.
Warnings: None, I think
Notes: Repost from my tumblr. I really need to publish them at the same time, but I'm just so lazy...haha... Anyway, I really had a rough time with this because I don't know much about plants and their effects so in the end I decided to not put information in about those plants. I also had a hard time writing their interactions because episode 17 ended with Barry discovering that RF is almost definitely Wells, so I couldn't write the way Barry and Caitlin would usually act. I hope I didn't butcher up their characters too much.


x


"Barry, good you're finally here," Caitlin greeted him turning around in her chair to face him when he whooshed into S.T.A.R. labs.

"Good morning?" He looks at her in question, giving her morning coffee. Usually, she would greet him a good morning first before going down to business.

"Thank you." A pause as she drinks her coffee, "Actually, what the Trickster did the other day had me thinking. I think we need to be prepared in case another bad guy uses poison to take the city hostage."

"Okay," He sits down on her table near her, where he would usually perch himself when discussing something with her, "So where are you going with this?"

"Well, I was thinking of making antidotes for every poison known to man, however there are some ingredients that S.T.A.R. labs unfortunately don't have."

Barry sighs and smiles indulgently seeing Caitlin's pleading face at him, "You want me to go get them don't you? Sure, just tell me what to get."

Caitlin's brilliant smile made his own smile instinctively grow wider, despite how he had been feeling. Ever since, he had noticed that she didn't smile much and her reason for not smiling, he had done everything in his power to make her smile. Though she had been giving her smiles more freely since Ronnie had returned from the 'dead', he still feels accomplished whenever he is able to put that beautiful smile on her face. She hands him a piece of paper filled with Latin names of what he guesses were plants, considering a few of their family names, but unfortunately he didn't know most of them. His confusion must have shown on his face, because Caitlin asked, "Which one don't you know?"

"Umm…almost all of them," He answers sheepishly.

"Never mind, I'll just go with you. I'll just change first, since these clothes can burn easily. In the meantime, could you tell Cisco that we'll be leaving for a few hours? He's downstairs fiddling with a new contraption."

"Sure," He flashes down to Cisco's usual lab when he wants to make something that might explode. After the boomerang had malfunctioned in the main lab that time when Oliver and his crew had come into town, Caitlin had forbid him to ever experiment there with a new weapon.

"Hey Cisco," Barry greets, making Cisco jump around with something similar looking to the cold gun in his hands, making Barry himself startle and put his hands up in surrender.

"Woah! Barry, don't do that! I could've obliterated you out of existence!"

"Huh?" He lifts an eyebrow at Cisco's exclamation, making him wonder what exactly it was he was working on.

"Never mind," he said waving it off, "What are you doing down here? I thought Caitlin asked you to do something for her?"

"Yeah, she just asked me to tell you that the both of us will be gone for a few hours,"

"Hah! Called it! I did tell her that she would have to go with you! I mean no one would know those obscure plants except for her. So bring back some souvenirs will you?"

"Yeah sure," He leaves him with a smile of amusement and goes back up to meet with Caitlin.

He finds her at the main lab already changed and wearing her coat, putting in vials into a bag to carry the samples back.

"Ready?"

"Yep," she nods, approaching him and putting her arms around his neck casually as if they've done it a million times. He carries her easily and immediately flashes out when he received the first destination.

It was a beautiful clear spring day, so they were able to leisurely pick the plants they needed or more accurately Barry watching Caitlin picking the plants she needed to make the antidotes, then immediately flashing her to the next destination to pick other plants. They spent the time in between conversing about their week, how it was going back at the precinct, what Cisco was building back at the lab, and what projects she has been busy with. It was a welcomed opportunity for Barry to get out of the lab and forget his hectic life as well as the fact that there is a large chance that Dr. Wells is the Reverse Flash. He was thankful that he didn't have to see Dr. Wells today so he did not have to worry how to act in front of him.

He wonders though, does Caitlin and Cisco know of the fact that Dr. Wells is Reverse Flash? But he could never wrap his head around that. Dr. Wells sure. He has acted shady sometimes and so far, all the evidence is pointing in that direction. But Cisco and Caitlin? Both of them are too good of heart to even think about hurting anyone, and Caitlin is one of the worst liars he has ever known after himself.

"Hey, what's going on?" Caitlin's voice shook him from his thoughts as she sat down on the grass next to him.

"Huh? Nothing, why?"

"Well, you've been acting a bit off these past few days, especially whenever Dr. Wells was in the room. Are you okay?"

"Yes, of course," He smiles at her, trying to not worry her. It seems that Caitlin can read him easier than expected or just have naturally good instincts. How is he going to keep this a secret any longer?

"Barry, you know that you can tell me anything, right? That I'm here for you?" Caitlin tells him, warming his heart and making him feel guilty of the thoughts he had previously.

"Yes, I know. Thank you, but I'm okay, really."

She sighs, her skeptic gaze obviously not believing him, but he knows that she won't push, thankfully.

"So are you done?" He asks, changing the subject.

"Yes, let's go home." After she pats down the dirt from her coat and makes sure that all the vials are secured in her bag, he lifts her into his arms and takes them both home, where he knows he would have to eventually meet his demons.


x


Thus why in the beginning of episode 18 Barry doesn't want to go to S.T.A.R. labs...hehe.. Anyway, any comments and criticisms are greatly appreciated :)