St. Patrick's Day

"We are not calling him Patrick or Lucky," Caitlin says, looking up in a failed attempt to catch her husband's gaze (his eyes are cast down precisely where hers have been for an unfathomable chunk of time). Her tone, meant to be somewhat stern, comes out barely more than a soft whisper: a combination of the strain of birth and the sense of complete awe that is filling her. Even though this is their third child, the overwhelming wonder and amazement is no different then the day Kella was born—it leaves her grappling, grasping in its wake, astounded by the life they've created. Of course, Barry has not been faring much better: the sudden bubble of laughter her comment brings chases away a collection of tears that have been lingering at the corners of his eyes as he watches his beautiful, slumbering son and his beautiful, beaming wife.

"Cisco is going be pretty disappointed." He looks up now, meeting Caitlin's gaze with a tender but teasing expression that is so gloriously familiar that it fills her with warmth and peace despite today's chaotic turn of events.

It was supposed to be just another Tuesday. She and Barry had woken early then took turns showering and dressing before they made their way downstairs to make breakfast and pack lunches. Once everyone had eaten and they'd gotten the girls ready, Barry had gone to the precinct and she'd dropped the girls off at school, laughing as Kella told Cara all about leprechaun who liked to visit Miss Grathen's room each year for St. Patrick's Day. By the time she'd dropped them off, Cara could barely sit still for a goodbye before she was tearing off to her kindergarten classroom to see for herself.

Caitlin had gone to work as usual, fixed herself a cup of decaf mint tea and begun to follow up on some research that she'd been working on for over a month. It was the same routine as always until just after ten when her water broke and the first of the contractions had started.

Though she has felt ready to give birth at just about any minute (as she's been feeling for weeks), Caitlin hadn't really expected it to happen sitting at her desk at Star Labs—at least not yet. She was still two weeks from her due date and both the girls had come a few days late. Needless to say, Barry had gotten a fairly frantic phone call from Cisco midmorning and had shown up seconds later. Just like both times prior, she'd had to use her 'loud voice' (a phrase taken from Felicity) to assure Barry that she would be just fine if they drove to the hospital rather than flashed there. (He'd pouted the exact same way he had twice previously as well, an expression she'd rolled her eyes at before beginning to leave him behind as she walk to her car).

And here they are now, five hours later, staring down at their perfect son and waiting on the arrival of Uncle Cisco with the girls and visits from Joe, Iris, Eddie and their two boys.

"I'm sure he'll survive," Caitlin laughs quietly, though the sound is hushed as she gets distracted by the way it causes their little one to wriggle against her chest, still fast asleep. "As long as we have a name picked out before he gets here and starts giving his input anyway." Because of course, Uncle Cisco will take it upon himself to help out and will do everything in his power to come up with a name that captures the spirit of the holiday little boy Allen has decided to come into the world on.

"Mmhmm," Barry agrees absently, likewise allowing his gaze to stray back down to the bundle cuddled against Caitlin's chest. He is so excited to share this experience with his girls, given that both are old enough to appreciate and remember meeting their brother for the first time but for the moment, he's also grateful for the chance to bask in this time with just the two of them.

As if sensing his thoughts, Caitlin shifts over a little, making more room at her side so that Barry can sit next her, rather than on the edge of the hospital bed. He takes the invitation, stretching out carefully at her side, wrapping one arm around two of the most important people in his life, while he considers them both carefully. "No theme names then?" He teases once more, pressing a laughing kiss against her dark hair as Caitlin's nose wrinkles and she shakes her head.

"Definitely not."

A relatives silence settles through the room as they both turn to their thoughts, searching for a name that will fit with Mikeala Grace and Caralyn Nora—a question that has stumped them for months, despite plenty of discussion and lots of suggestions from the girls. The quiet lingers a little longer before it is suddenly interrupted by a knock that turns into a door bursting open and two quickly quieted shouts of excitement.

Clearly remembering that Uncle Cisco has just told them to remember to keep their voices down, both Kella and Cara stop talking abruptly, freezing in their spots to stare at their mother. Smiling and holding back laughter, Barry eases off the bed and walks over to hug them both. "It's okay girls, you can talk just remember to keep your voices down, your baby brother is sleeping." And just like that they break into a million whispered questions and exclamations, which increase steadily in volume as time goes on.

The girls eagerly take turns holding their brother and snuggling with their mother, while Cisco fills them in on everyone else's whereabouts and takes dozens of pictures of the family of five—sending them all off immediately to Felicity (no doubt as instructed by said woman). The rest of the family arrives for a quick visit and lots of hugs (and more pictures) before heading out again to let them rest promising to help get everyone settled back at the house the next day. Caitlin has a feeling that Iris and Eddie are actually planning to clean and stock groceries the second they leave the hospital and she feels a rush of affection for her sister-in-law as Iris wraps her in a careful hug and tells her once more that her new nephew is 'absolutely perfect'.

Iris, Eddie, Joe and the boys have barely left when Barry hears the sound of grumbling tummies and checks the clock to realize it's suddenly way past dinnertime. He scoops up Cara, who is in the middle of telling her mom all about the leprechaun at school, and playfully presses an ear to her stomach. Giggling, she squirms in his grasp and shouts, "daddy that tickles!"

"Sorry buttercup, I just thought I heard something funny—like maybe you're stomach was getting empty and needed to be filled back up."

She laughs again as Barry sets her down and turns to Kella, who is already waiting for him to check her as well—a game they play often in the Allen house. Instead of listening, he runs his fingers against her sides and she twists out of his grasp and runs over to Uncle Cisco for protection. He crouches down to pull her into a hug. "Hey girls, how about we go get some pizza and let mom and dad and the baby rest for the night?" It takes a little convincing—and Cisco's promise that they can make a fort to sleep in at his apartment—before they're willing to go and even then, Cara rushes back inside when she realizes she didn't finish telling her story about the leprechaun.

"Oh wait, mommy!" She bursts out suddenly, "I forgot to tell you about the letter!" Caitlin listens closely as her more gregarious child launches into a rapid, detailed account of the letter that the leprechaun left behind, trying to remember word for word what it said before she realizes she has a copy in her backpack with a picture of what she thought he looked like and what Cara would buy with his pot of gold if she found it. "I'll leave it so you can read it to little brother for a story tonight!" She decides, pulling off her backpack and rummaging through until she produces the piece of paper. Beaming with pride, she presents the folded cardstock to Caitlin, picture side out and then, after pressing one last kiss to her mother's cheek, lets Cisco take her hand and lead her and Kella back to the car.

Barry walks them to the elevator and is still laughing over their antics (all three of them, because Uncle Cisco turns into an even bigger kid than usual when he's with the girls) when he returns to the room to see his wife in tears. Immediately alarmed, he speeds across the room and gazes down at their son with worry and then relief before even asking what's wrong.

Caitlin just shakes her head and holds up the picture: an image of all five of them with an empty pot of gold and a little green blob of a leprechaun and a carefully scribbled sentence below: I would trade all the gold to meet my new baby brother. As the image chokes Barry up, she scans the letter on the opposite side. "Benjamin," Caitlin mutters a moment later, prompting a watery and confused 'huh' from Barry. She shows him the signature on the letter as a decisive smile spreads across her face. "The leprechaun's name is Benjamin."

Just like he'd learned to do years ago, Barry reads between the lines, grinning back at his wife and their once again sleeping son. "Benjamin Henry Allen."

As I was trying to decide what my St. Patricks' Day holiday family fic was going to be about, I realized that I've written stories centered on Kella and Cara, but nothing that really focuses on Ben, though Caitlin's referenced as being pregnant in the last chapter of this story. So, I decided that he was a St. Patrick's Day baby and here we are: the birth of Benjamin Henry Allen and how I decided his name comes about in my family fic universe. Just some random holiday fluff with the family.

Hope you guys enjoyed! If you have ideas for other holidays I should be sure to write for, let me know!

Thanks & comments/suggestions/ideas are always welcome.

Take Care & Best Wishes,

A.O.R.