Ice and Lightning
Author: LexysCPD
Words: 1,123
Disclaimer: I don't own anything.
Author's Note: I like the character of Caitlin Snow on the Flash, and her friendship with Barry in the new episode. Hope you guys enjoy.
Caitlin Snow didn't really have friends. She didn't open up to people. Even Ronnie had to fight to get close to her. He had to try for months to become her friend, had to try for years to become more. If anyone had asked him if it was worth it, he would tell them that it was worth it. He would tell them that under the cold exterior, she had a big heart. She had just been hurt in the past, which caused her to lock it up.
Then Barry Allen came along. He was fresh, new. He saw the world in his own way. He saw it in a new way. He didn't know about her hurt. And he understood her pain. He knew the pain of losing someone they loved. He had been there, given he was young, but he still remembered.
He'd talk to her when she was missing Ronnie. He'd give her an encouraging smile whenever she got a faraway look. He'd be there when she looked ready to fall apart.
He was the person she called when she was drunk. It had been their anniversary, and it broke her heart, that she and Ronnie wouldn't be able to spend another year together.
He took her home and stayed with her. He held her hair as she threw up. He gave her painkillers and water. He sat with her as she told him about the day Ronnie had asked her out. Barry would make small jokes, to make her smile. He'd tell her about his mother's birthday, about how he would visit the grave, and then his father. He told her to go to bed, and to rest.
Barry kept an eye on her the next day, but she seemed fine. She seemed like she had never gotten drunk. Like she wasn't breaking inside.
On the anniversary of Ronnie's death, Caitlin spent the day in front of the particle accelerator. She just sat on the ground, staring at it. She didn't turn when she heard someone walk up behind her. She didn't want company.
"Hey," Barry whispered, as he sat down next to her. He didn't know if he was disturbing her, but he knew that it was hard day. Any other day of the year was okay, not great but okay. But on the day of the death, the pain was excruciating. It was hard. He knew the feeling of wanting to be alone. The feeling of not wanting anyone to bother him, but also, deep down, for someone to notice the pain.
Caitlin didn't answer. She just stared at the door.
"I know you want to be alone," Barry whispered, as he stared at the door.
"Then why are you here?" Caitlin snapped, wanting nothing but silence.
"Because you shouldn't be alone. Today is hard. Today it feels like its over," he continued, as he turned to her with a small smile.
Caitlin blinked the tears away. She didn't want to cry, not in front of Barry, not in front of anyone.
"Caitlin, it's okay to cry. I know I did," Barry told her. He reached over to hold her, but she moved away.
"Shouldn't you be out with Cisco? It's been a year since the lighting struck you, and you got your powers, shouldn't you be celebrating that?"
"You need me here. I'd rather be here with you. Anyways, why would I be celebrating the day I got into a coma?"
Caitlin turned to look at Barry, but found him staring at the door. She turned back and stared at it.
"I blamed Wells for so long. If he hadn't created the machine, Ronnie would still be alive. But then, I would have never met him. I wouldn't feel this pain," Caitlin muttered, as she glared at the door.
"But you don't anymore?"
Caitlin shook her head. "No, not anymore."
Barry reached for her hand. She didn't move it. She just sat there, thinking of all the good times with Ronnie.
After a few months, Cisco saw something. He saw how they acted around each other. He decided to invite Barry out, to talk to him.
"She didn't smile. Not as much as she does now, with you," he told the fastest man alive.
Barry frowned, as he stared at his friend. He didn't know what that comment was about.
"Ronnie was the only one who could do that. And then, after he died, I thought no one would be able to do that, but you are. You make her smile. You get through to her, you understand her," Cisco continued.
"You lost someone too," Barry told him.
"I feel like it's my fault. I closed the door. I locked him inside," Cisco whispered.
"Caitlin knows it wasn't your fault. It was Ronnie or everyone. It's okay to miss him, but you shouldn't blame yourself," Barry told him.
Cisco nodded. He looked at the table. "Don't hurt her. She's my best friend, and it hurts to see her in pain. Promise me you won't hurt her."
Barry smiled softly. "I won't hurt her. She's my best friend too."
Cisco smiled, "Yeah, best friend."
A few weeks later, Caitlin and the team found out Ronnie wasn't dead, but rather a metahuman. He left, wanting to control his powers. He didn't want to hurt Caitlin. But he knew when he would be back, she wouldn't be the same. Nothing would be the same.
The first time he heard her laugh was when she was talking to Barry. He whispered something and she giggled. He could see the goofy look on Barry's face. He could see a happy look on Cisco. He knew that he lost her, but it didn't hurt as much as he thought it would. All he wanted was for her to be happy, to see her smile.
When he first met her, he promised himself he would do whatever it took to make her smile, and if letting her go was the way to go, he would do it.
It was a few days after finding out that Ronnie was alive, that Caitlin first kissed Barry. It came out of nowhere, and she ran away after it happened.
Barry chased her; it wasn't hard to catch up to her. He told her that they had to talk, and that he was shocked, but also liked her. He wanted to take it slow. She smiled and hugged him.
"You and Ronnie were fire and ice, but you and I are ice and lightning. We work together."
Caitlin smiled. She had been broken. But Barry fixed her. She showed her that she was going to be okay, that she could be fixed.
"Ice and lightning," she whispered.
