Author's Note: Please tell me I'm not the only one disappointed that Barry didn't look for Caitlin after the confrontation. Here's what I would've wanted to see in the last episode.
As usual, all mistakes are mine. Standard disclaimers apply.
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It would've probably been wiser if he'd informed Cisco and Dr. Wells about what was said in the call but he knew he couldn't afford to waste any time.
"Caitlin might be in trouble." is all that's said before he speeds out of STAR labs and tries not to think about all whatever it means.
There aren't a lot of scenarios in his mind where Caitlin ever gets into trouble, because why would anyone want to harm her?
He shudders when he realizes the answer.
Caitlin Snow is the kind of girl who launches into a comprehensive discussion about sexism and misogyny if prompted. She's the kind of girl who is offended by men offering to carry her handbag. Strong-willed, feisty, capable.
Most times, he forgets that at the end of the day, she's still a girl.
As he breezes past the streets of the city, he recalls their conversation, the way her lips moved to each syllable, the way her voice carried through her breath as she says "It will be better."
He wishes fervently that she's right and that he gets the chance to be better for her.
Several feet away he knows he has to stop running, slow down and avoid detection. He's coming here as Barry Allen, not The Flash, but it takes a lot of control not to speed right into the cordoned area, images of Caitlin flooding his head.
Suddenly, the air is too thick and the lot is too wide. He brings his hand to his head as he tries to make sense of the scene in front of him.
Most of the side of her car is covered in ice, the light reflecting distorted images on the surface. He takes a deep breath in an attempt to calm himself down as he brushes away worry pulling at his gut.
He blurts out the first thing that comes into his mind.
"We're getting her back." as if that was ever in question. But it gives him something to do, some semblance of control. He's so close to falling apart.
He wishes that everyone around him moves as fast as he can. Each moment he spends waiting for more information or waiting for other people to do something is another moment of opportunity for Caitlin's captors to inflict harm upon her.
He wants to think that this is just some sick coincidence. Maybe Caitlin went to visit Felicity and left her car. Maybe it's just the car that's in trouble and that they're just jumping into conclusions, that she's just having coffee and sharing light conversations with her friend.
He wishes it so bad he almost believes.
He understands the ulterior motive to this incident, the question still ringing in his ear - Why would anyone want to harm her?
A voice in his head drowns everything out and the answer is seared to his brain: because of y o u.
The feed dominates all the screens in the office and he's thankful because he knows he needs all the help he can get.
As every eye focuses on the face on the screen, his zooms directly towards her form.
He recognizes the coat she has on, remembers it draped on one of the office chairs in earlier. He tries not to focus on the fingers that wrap around her arms, urges himself to listen to what the man is saying instead of her struggling groans in the back.
When he hears 'the fash' mentioned in the video, he is once again reminded that this is because of him, that this is his fight.
Despite Caitlin's voice telling him not to go, he knows he has to. He will never be able to forgive himself if anything were to happen to her.
It's that same struggling voice that propels him in the fight. It's what fuels his muscles to rise after every pounding and bruising.
He reminds himself each time his body slams the cement, that if he were to lose, Caitlin would have to pay.
As the images form in his head, her screams searing into the crevices of his consciousness, he vows to never let this happen again.
Her haunting cry bounces off the gray walls as the two streams of fire and ice collide and even though his head spins when he pulls himself off of the floor, he has to see with his own eyes that she's okay.
Light materials flitter in his path as he follows her voice, his head pounding in his ears. A trickle of blood escapes from his suit and makes its way down his side.
When he finds her, he feels the air finally register in his lungs with a sigh of relief.
He proceeds to untie her constraints and before he can stop himself he pulls her to his chest, arms wrapping tight around her neck.
"I thought you were gonna die."
"I thought I was gonna die."
They say together, their breath tickling each other's skin and they laugh as they pull back.
Barry plants his palms on her face, thumbs on her cheeks and fingers curling on the skin of her neck.
"You had me worried," he whispers meeting her gaze. He tries to tell her with his eyes the things he finds so hard to say.
"I'm sorry" is her reply, watching emotions flood his irises.
"Are you okay?," they say again, at the same time.
Her laugh is something he very rarely hears, and after a day of keeping himself from going crazy, it feels like it's just what he needs to hear.
Caitlin lets him inspect her face, turning it side to side in his hands. It's weird, being looked at like this, like a fragile doll that can shatter into pieces, but she understands where he's coming from. She's familiar with the look he wears. She sees it reflected on her face when Bary fights alone in some dark alleyway in a sketchy part of the city.
When he's done, he tilts her head back to meet his eyes once again.
"I'm appointing myself as your personal body guard," he says with all seriousness.
She just smiles.
Because that isn't such a bad idea at all.
AN: I would just like to say thank you to everyone who's been leaving reviews. They mean the world to me. You have no idea how much they make me happy. Thank you for reading! Again, let me know what you think!