Author's Note: Thanks very much for your kind feedback on this! I'm so happy you're loving it so far. If you know ClaudiaRain, you know there's another Flarrowverse pairing she loves even more than CC, so of course they'll be making an appearance here. I hope you enjoy it!
Half an hour earlier…
Sara sidled up to the bar, fanning herself and tugging at her dress as she took the open seat next to Caitlin.
"I know I was the one who let Thea fabricate our dresses from the Waverider," she said, "but could she have made them any sluttier?"
"Yes," Caitlin said, nodding emphatically. "Trust me. She tried."
"Thankfully, Ray caught her," Felicity added. "He was scandalized by the digital model alone."
"But he let her get away with this?" Sara asked, gesturing to her skimpy outfit. "I think I'd flash the bar if I bent over."
"Yeah," Felicity agreed, looking down at her own cleavage. "But I kind of like the attention."
"Doesn't Oliver give you enough attention?" Caitlin teased.
Felicity preened. "What girl doesn't like feeling wanted?"
"Yeah well, you'd better stop shooting glances at those guys," Sara warned, nodding down the bar. "They're gonna come talk to you soon."
"Yes, and?" Felicity asked innocently, taking a long sip from her straw.
Sara chuckled. "What're you having?" she asked, pointing at Felicity's drink.
"The bachelorette special," Felicity said, wiggling her eyebrows and holding it a little closer. "Try Caitlin's, mine's almost gone and these are like ten bucks a pop."
"Oh, is that why you're trying to get those guys to come over?" Sara grinned. "You want them to buy you a drink?"
"Duh. You know the Arrow doesn't pay well."
Sara leaned over, ignoring Caitlin's protests as she took a generous sip of her drink.
"Woah," she said. "What's in this?"
"What's wrong?" Caitlin asked, snatching it back. "Taste too strong for you? I can't taste any booze at all."
"That's the problem," Sara said, eyeing the drink suspiciously. "It's so sweet. It tastes like punch from a frat party. There's probably five different kinds of liquor and a splash of sprite and grenadine."
"I'm not complaining," Felicity said, grabbing a barstool as it opened on the other side of Caitlin. "Oh my god my feet," she sighed. "These shoes are so pretty, but so evil. Evil!" She glared down at her feet, as if she could make them stop hurting with a look. "Wait, Thea is the evil one for making them. Where is Thea?"
Sara laughed, scanning her eyes around the room until she saw Iris, Jesse, Thea and Amaya, spinning around each other and giggling on the dance floor.
"She's had a few bachelorette specials herself," Caitlin pointed out.
Sara used the pause in conversation to check her phone, smiling when she saw a text from Leonard.
Remind me again… Why am I at Barry's bachelor party?
It sort of made her feel like a teenager again, the way her stomach flipped at the sight of his name on the screen. It still caught her by surprise whenever she saw a message from him, and still, even a few words could leave her light-headed.
Which made sense, really, because she'd never thought she'd see him again. This him, anyway. She'd never thought she'd talk to him again, or hear his voice again, or play cards, or touch him, or kiss him…
Well, maybe they'd never kiss again.
But the rest… Finding him alive had been a second chance she'd never let herself hope for, after everything else she'd lost. That first day they'd found him, she'd been so guarded – so afraid that it was all a trick, or maybe a dream. For a week, she'd wake up every morning asking Gideon if it was true. She kept her distance from Leonard, worried that the second she let him in, she'd find out it was a lie, or he'd leave, and she'd be alone again.
It took two weeks before Mick finally pulled her aside, locking her in the training room and literally knocking the sense into her.
"When're you gonna stop ignoring him?" he'd asked, while she'd dodged his punch.
"I'm not ignoring him," she'd insisted.
"Then talk to him."
"I'm not not talking to him," she'd argued, weakly, as he swept out her feet. She hit the floor, hard, her breath catching.
"Talk to him," Mick repeated. "You owe it to yourself. And to him." He'd sighed, then, and held out his hand to help her up. "I know you think it's too good to be true," he added. "Gideon told me – I ask her if he's real, too."
She'd balked, dropping Mick's hand. "Gideon!"
"You lot need to stop insisting on suffering alone," Gideon had replied, primly. "I wouldn't need to interfere if you did."
Mick nodded at the ceiling, pinning Sara with a knowing stare. "What she said."
Sara had texted Leonard that night. She'd felt like a coward, hiding behind a phone screen, but she'd needed that to break the ice. They'd played cards, and talked, and flirted, and she'd relaxed. She finally let herself believe that he was back, for good. That maybe they'd have time now to explore everything left unsaid between them.
So now…yes, even a few weeks later, a short message from him still left her a little breathless. And before she knew it, she'd spent ten minutes just texting and grinning at her phone.
"Who are you talking to?" Caitlin asked, eventually, jarring Sara out of it.
"No one," she said, innocently, slipping her phone in her pocket mid-message. At some point, a drink had materialized beside her without her even noticing. She took a sip, resolving to be less oblivious for the rest of the evening.
Felicity raised her eyebrows, watching her doubtfully. "'No one' as in 'no one we'd know' or 'no one important' or 'no one you want to tell us about'?" She gave Sara a pointed look. "Whoever it is, you've been texting them all night."
Caitlin hummed in agreement. "Sara, are you seeing someone?" she asked. "Come on, you can tell us!"
Sara rolled her eyes. "No, it's not like that," she sighed. "It's Leonard."
"Wait," Caitlin said. "Leonard as in Leonard Snart?"
Felicity gasped. "Leonard Snart, Leonard Snart?"
"As in Captain Cold?" Caitlin added.
"As in, the sexy villain Barry always turns to for advice?" Felicity asked.
Caitlin raised her eyebrows. "As in, the villain who once kidnapped me and tried to murder Barry?"
"As in, recently returned from the dead after becoming a hero and saving the world?" Felicity countered.
"Alright, I'll give him that," Caitlin admitted, shrugging. "That's who you've been texting?"
"Yes," Sara said, knocking back the rest of her drink in one go. "The one and only."
"Oh my god," Felicity said. "Why didn't you tell us?" She downed her drink too, slamming the glass on the bar and hopping down to stand in front of Sara, resting her arms in her lap and staring up at her intensely. "I need to know everything. Now."
Sara laughed, cupping Felicity's face in her hands. "You're like a puppy," she cooed.
"My cuteness does not get you out of this," Felicity insisted. "I want details. Start from the beginning!"
"Hey ladies."
A handsome twenty-something in a leather jacket interrupted their conversation, saving Sara from having to answer. He leaned on the bar next to Caitlin casually, smiling at them.
"We're about to do a round of shots," he said. "Come join us if you can."
"Yes," Felicity said, a little breathlessly.
"Don't you think you've had enough?" Sara asked, but Felicity didn't hear her. She'd already grabbed Caitlin's hand and dragged her over to where the guy and his friends were waiting, a little way down the bar. To Sara's horror, the men immediately placed a round of shots in their hands.
Sara shook her head, finishing her message to Leonard and sending it before following.
She made it over to the group just in time to watch one of the guy's hands wander from Caitlin's back dangerously lower. Sara grabbed his wrist and yanked it away, forcing herself to handle him more gently than she really wanted.
"Ah ah," she said, wiggling her finger at him. "You're free to look, but keep your hands to yourself." She looked back at Caitlin and Felicity, both paused with their shots halfway to their mouths. Delicately, she plucked the shots away from them, downing both herself back to back.
"Kamikazes," Sara groaned, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. "Trust me, you'll be glad you didn't take those."
"I'm a grown woman, damnit," Felicity pouted, but followed Sara away from the bar and toward a table where the other girls had landed.
"We got you guys another round!" Iris called, waving them over.
"Alright, you're forgiven," Felicity said to Sara, accepting a drink from Jesse.
While Felicity and Caitlin regaled the others about the hot young men who'd hit on them and bought them shots, Sara took the opportunity to text Leonard again, letting him know she was back.
"Hey wait," Felicity said, pausing in her story. "You're texting Leonard again, aren't you? Ah! We were totally talking about you and Leonard, I'm so sorry we got distracted!"
"You and Leonard?" Amaya echoed, raising her eyebrows speculatively.
"Stop," Sara groaned. "There is no 'me and Leonard.'"
"Sure seems like it," Caitlin countered. "You've been texting him all night."
"Oh my god, Sara!" Iris exclaimed, grinning. "I need all the details, come on girl."
"Spill it!" Felicity agreed.
"Wait," Jesse said, holding out a finger. "Is Leonard the sexy broody one with the big parka?"
"Your dad would die if he heard you say that," Iris laughed. "But yes."
"Ooh," Thea cooed. "He's yummy. An older man, Sara, I like it. You're a woman after my own heart."
Felicity poked her. "Oliver would die if he heard you say that."
Thea shrugged, winking at Sara.
Jesse sighed. "He's so beautiful, I was too intimidated to even talk to him."
"And he's a bad boy," Caitlin added.
"But quite the hero," Amaya said, eyeing Sara thoughtfully. "How did this happen?"
"He's a thief, right?" Jesse asked. "I'll bet he stole a kiss."
Sara's heart twisted at the thought, and she buried the feeling in her drink, quickly downing it.
"But Sara would've gutted him," Thea protested, oblivious to Sara's thoughts. "Unless he stole her knives first."
"He seems too shy to pull such a move," Amaya added. "But I have seen how he looks at you. It's enough to make even me blush." She paused, regarding Sara. "Are you in love?"
"Why didn't you tell us you were in love?" Felicity cried, grabbing Sara by the arm and shaking her.
"Okay, that's enough guys," Sara laughed. "Fine, if I tell you, will you please drop it?"
They nodded eagerly – liars, all of them, Sara knew. Still, they weren't going to let her off without giving them something.
"It started when we got on the Waverider," she said. "He annoyed me at first, but there was always this…push me, pull me, kind of attraction there, you know?" She sighed, remembering those early days on the ship. "We have a lot in common, and we ended up spending a lot of time together.
"We played cards," she continued. "We flirted. He gave me his jacket when we almost froze to death. Long story," she added, at the confused expressions around her. "The point is, we got close. Really close. And I think we were dancing around more, but. Then he died."
They all sat back a little at that, frowning at Sara's words.
"But, he's not dead after all," Felicity said, patting Sara's arm. "He's alive, back on your team. What's been going on with you since then?"
Sara shrugged. "Not very much," she said, trying not to show her disappointment about it. "A little getting reacquainted. As of now, we're just friends."
"Why?" Amaya asked. "It doesn't sound like what you want."
"Honestly, I'm a little nervous," Sara admitted. "And he's been a little distant, and I'm trying to give him his space. I know it's been a tough time for him, too. I wanted to give him a chance to adjust before we brought it up again."
"Have you ever kissed?" Iris asked.
"Once," Sara said. "Right before he died." She dropped her eyes down, remembering. "That was the last time I saw him until about a month ago."
"Wow," Iris murmured.
"Yeah, your love story can't end there," Felicity said, pounding her drink on the table. "I refuse to let that happen!"
"Felicity, I don't think you can actually control that," Caitlin said, not that the other woman heard her.
"What's his text say?" Thea asked, pointing at Sara's phone, which had just lit up.
Sara picked it up, reading the message on the lock screen and laughing under her breath.
"I told him about the guys at the bar who bought Felicity and Caitlin shots, and how I drank them and scared the guys off."
Felicity pouted. "I worked for those drinks."
"Yeah, yeah, so what'd he say?" Jesse asked, waving Felicity off.
"He said, 'That's my girl. I bet those dumb guys tried to buy you a shot, too?'"
"Ooh," Iris grinned. "'My girl,' huh?"
"That's bold," Thea said. "I like it."
"A little presumptive, but cute," Felicity added.
"He sounds kind of like Harry," Caitlin said.
"'My girl,'" Amaya mused. "Well, he's a little arrogant, but he certainly wants you."
Sara smiled, firing off a quick response.
"Hey," Iris complained. "You didn't even give us a chance to help you decide what to say."
Sara tilted her head. "Why would I need help?"
"You're no fun." Iris sat her head in her hand, sighing. "Well, what did you say then?"
Sara glanced down at her phone. "I said, 'Well, yeah. But I don't let just anyone buy my drinks.'"
"That's not bad," Jesse said.
"Could use some improvement, but it'll do," Thea agreed.
Sara smirked. "What would you have said?"
"What she would've said would've been the start of a porno," Felicity inserted. "Don't listen to her."
"Oh, and we should listen to you, miss smooth?" Thea asked sarcastically, crossing her arms over her chest.
"Okay sure, I've put my foot in my mouth a time or two," Felicity admitted. "I'm still smooth!" A beat, and then she closed her eyes, scrunching her face. "Why did that sound like a bad innuendo?"
"Yeah, I think 'a time or two' was an under exaggeration," Thea laughed.
The girls went on bickering, but Sara lost track of what they were saying when her phone buzzed again. She paused, reading the message over several times before interrupting.
"Uh, guys?" She swallowed. "He texted back."
Everyone spun their heads to look at her.
"Well, what did he say?" Iris prodded.
"He said, 'How about me?'"
A hush fell around the table.
Then Thea cat called, and the other girls joined in, whistling and ooh-ing and just generally giving Sara a hard time.
"I think he's ready to talk," Iris said, smartly.
Sara bit her lip, staring at her phone. "Maybe."
She tapped out the first thing that came to her mind, sending it before she could think better of it.
"What'd you say?" Caitlin asked.
"I said, 'You wanna buy me a drink, Leonard?'"
Sara dropped her phone to the table, burying her face in her hands with a sigh.
"That was pretty tame," Thea said. "What's wrong?"
"I just keep thinking about this conversation we had, right before he died," Sara said. "I was mad at him. Long story, but he deserved it. And maybe it was because he could tell things were about to go wrong and didn't want it to go unsaid, or he was just sick of waiting, but he chose that moment to tell me he was thinking of a future with me."
The girls cooed around the table, giving Sara puppy dog eyes.
"Yes, it would've been much more romantic if he hadn't just pulled a gun on me a few hours before that." She stopped at the looks on everyone's faces. "Like I said, long story." Sara sighed again. "Anyway, I was still so mad, that all I could say back was, 'You wanna steal a kiss from me, Leonard? You'd better be one hell of a thief.'" She curled her hand into a fist on the table, still frustrated with herself after all this time. "Again and again, I've wished I could just go back to that moment, and steal a kiss myself. I've replayed it a thousand times."
Iris frowned. "You couldn't have known what was going to happen."
"No," Sara agreed, "but he died, and that's all I was left with."
"He's not dead anymore," Thea reminded her. "You guys can have everything you didn't think you could have. Take advantage of this, Sara."
Just then, Felicity clutched at Sara's arm.
"Uh oh," she muttered, covering her mouth with her hand.
"Uh oh?" Thea asked. "What's 'uh oh'?"
Felicity's words were muffled behind her hand. "I think I'm going to be sick."
"You can't get sick," Caitlin protested, covering her own mouth. "If you get sick, I'll get sick."
"Come on, let's get you to the bathroom," Iris said, hopping down from her chair and dragging Felicity away. Sara followed with Thea and Caitlin, who was nervously covering her mouth and her stomach.
"Amaya and I will stay here and keep the table!" Jesse called, as they disappeared into the crowd.
Felicity moaned. "I hate getting – " she paused, a tell-tale reflexive sound starting in the back of her throat. Iris pushed her into the bathroom and to a stall, blessedly just in time for her to make the toilet. The other women cringed sympathetically.
"Aren't you glad I took the kamikaze shot for you now?" Sara called, over the sounds of Felicity retching.
"Are you…going…to gloat, or hold my hair back?" Felicity panted. Thea waved Sara off, joining Felicity in the stall.
"There, there," she cooed. "Get it all out, and then we can get you a fresh drink. Maybe some wine."
Caitlin gagged, nose wrinkling at the smell. Then she darted into the stall next to Felicity's, getting sick herself.
Iris groaned sympathetically. "Oh, Caitlin, hang on." She wetted a few paper towels, handing some to Thea before joining Caitlin in the stall.
"Anyone else need to get sick?" Thea called, sarcastically. "Speak now or forever hold it."
"You're not funny," Felicity groaned.
Sara glanced at her phone, heart sinking when she realized Leonard still hadn't responded to her last text. She read the messages back, second-guessing herself.
Well, yeah. But I don't let just anyone buy my drinks, she'd said.
How about me?
You wanna buy me a drink, Leonard?
She could see that he'd read her message – so why hadn't he responded? Maybe she'd misread his flirting, or had she taken her own a step too far? Maybe he was as scared as she was, and it was still too soon for a real conversation.
Hold that thought, she said, typing a new message. Felicity and Caitlin are getting sick.
She put her phone away, her face suddenly hot. She'd had too much to drink, and it was getting to her head. She knew that. But she couldn't help the flush of embarrassment she felt, heating her body all the way from her toes to her ears.
The flush of a toilet made Sara jump. She turned on the faucet, running cold water and dabbing it to her face.
"Alright!" Felicity called, as she and Thea crashed out of the stall. "I'm ready to get back out there."
"Have a Listerine strip," Thea suggested, handing her one from her purse. "Way to puke and rally, champ."
"How're you doing in there, Cait?" Felicity called, wiping at her forehead and straightening her dress.
"'M okay," Caitlin replied, weakly.
"Snow?"
Suddenly, the bathroom door banged open, and a man strode purposefully into the women's room.
Well, not just any man, Sara realized – it was Harrison Wells.
"Harry?" Caitlin asked, as she and Iris propped open the stall door, peeking out.
He brushed by Sara, dropping to his knees before the stall. "Are you alright?" he asked, voice full of concern.
"Is that…?" Caitlin paused, staring at the bag Harry was fumbling with. "Did you bring me saltines and ginger ale?"
"Yes, of course," he said, absently, as he opened the soda and handed it to her, then started opening the crackers, too.
Caitlin stared at him, her eyes round and glassy. "Thank you," she murmured, taking a sip. Then she started. "Wait," she said, frowning.
Harry looked up from the half-open crackers. "Is it the wrong brand? It's all they had, but I can call Allen and –"
"No, it's fine," she said, cutting him off. "But how did you know I'd need it?"
Harry stilled. Then he half turned around, glancing at Sara.
"She texted Leonard that you were getting sick."
Sara's heart stopped. "And he told you?" she sputtered. "Why?"
"I assume because Allen loves interfering with his friend's love lives," he said, shrugging, and handed Caitlin a cracker.
"What?" Sara asked, ashamed when her voice came out as a squeak. "But I literally just texted him that. How did you get here so fast?"
Harry passed Caitlin a second cracker as she finished nibbling the first. "Allen flashed me over," he muttered.
Iris's eyebrows shot up. "Barry carried you here?"
"You swore you'd never let him do that," Caitlin said, incredulous.
Harry huffed. "It was an emergency," he said. "I had to get here as soon as possible."
"She just had a little too much to drink," Felicity said, confused.
"Yeah, she probably wouldn't have even puked if light-weight over here hadn't," Thea added.
"She didn't have anything to drink tonight," Harry grumbled.
Felicity stared at him. "What do you mean? Of course she did."
"No," Harry argued, "she didn't."
"You weren't even here," Thea scoffed. "How would you know?"
Harry dropped the crackers, throwing his hands up. "Because she's pregnant!"
The room fell quiet as the women stared at Harry in surprise.
"You knew," Caitlin said, eventually, breaking the silence. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"I was waiting for you to tell me," he said, eyes downcast. "I figured you weren't ready to talk yet, but I've been worried."
"I didn't mean to worry you, I just –"
"Harry, are you the father?" Felicity gasped, interrupting. "Oh my god. Oh my god!" She covered her mouth with her hand, staring down at the couple in shock. "Iris, did you know?"
"Yes, I knew," Iris said, carefully, glancing back and forth between Harry and Caitlin. "I was there when she found out."
"How long have you two been together?" Felicity went on, as if Iris hadn't spoken, working herself up into a frenzy. "Was this a secret? Why haven't we talked about this? What else are you hiding?"
"We're not hiding anything," Caitlin protested. "Well, I mean, I guess we were. It started when Harry came back. We were just waiting to tell everyone until we knew it was serious," she said. "But when I found out about the…baby…I was afraid you'd think it was too serious," she finished, looking at Harry.
"I've been serious since day one," he said, softly. "This doesn't change my feelings in the slightest."
Caitlin softened, her eyes visibly watering. "Really?" she whispered.
"Well," Harry amended, "except that I'm thrilled. And worried about you. And want to take care of you."
"Oh my god," Felicity whispered, hands on her face. "I could die. That's so sweet."
Iris stood, making room for Harry to slide into the stall with Caitlin. He pulled her into his arms, rubbing her back and dropping a kiss onto the top of her head. "How're you feeling?" he murmured.
Caitlin wiped away a tear. "Much better now," she smiled, her voice thick. "I'm never going to let you live down getting 'Flashed'."
Harry rolled his eyes, but he smiled right back.
"Oh, hey Sara," Thea said, swatting Sara's arm. "You never told us what Leonard texted back to you!"
"Oh," Sara said. It hardly seemed important, compared to the scene that was Caitlin and Harry holding each other on the bathroom floor. She pulled out her phone, only to find that Leonard still hadn't responded to her last messages. She dropped it on the counter, sick of looking at it.
"He never said anything," Sara explained. "I think I spooked him." She sighed. "I guess he's not interested, or not ready…"
"What?" Harry snapped. "Are you kidding me? You people are all so oblivious." He looked down at Caitlin. "Why are all of our friends so completely oblivious?"
Caitlin shrugged, sipping her ginger ale. "That's why you can never leave us."
"Sara," Harry sighed, craning his neck around to look at her. "That man is crazy about you. He hasn't texted you because he's got half a dozen guys over there all giving him god-awful love advice and arguing over what he should say."
Iris laughed. "I hope he's not listening to Barry," she said. "Poor Barry was terrible at flirty texts before we got together."
"God help him if Oliver is telling him what to say," Felicity added. "I don't think he has a witty bone in his body. After all this time, I still haven't rubbed off on him."
Thea hummed. "I'm trying to think if any of those guys would be any help." She tilted her head. "No," she decided. "The only one who'd be any use is you, Harry, and you're here…"
"Exactly," Harry agreed. "That's why he hasn't texted you," he added, to Sara.
"The other guys are giving Leonard love advice," Sara repeated, still stunned. "About me?"
Harry rolled his eyes. "Who else? You're clearly it for him."
"I am?" she asked, dazed.
Then her phone buzzed from the bathroom counter.
Thea grabbed it before Sara could, eyes widening as she read the message.
"Well," Thea drawled. "Damn. Sara?" She passed the phone back. "You want to read that."