This immediately follows the second installment of Put Another Dime in the Jukebox, when Cal tells Barry about her old friend Torionne.

I don't own the Flash. Consider yourselves disclaimed.


Cal's mood for the rest of the day was vastly improved, though she still wasn't quite back to her normal self. They traded childhood stories as they worked, which continued after Barry insisted they stop for the day and head to Jitters for some dinner.

"The summer Tori and I were 16 his grandfather gave us this old school Thunderbird," Cal told him over their coffee and soup. "He'd had it for about 20 years and it hadn't run the whole time. He said 'If you can get it moving it's yours.'"

"Did you?"

"Hell yeah," Cal grinned. "He did the engine work and I restored the body. That thing looked and ran like a dream at the end of the summer, it was one of the few times we got attention at school that wasn't derogatory. We told them all to fuck off."

Barry barked out a laugh. "That must have been satisfying."

"Oh, so satisfying. I wonder whatever happened to it...I left it with Tori when I went to MIT, it was from his grandfather after all. If he still had it I might call about buying it..." She trailed off, eyes downcast again, before physically shaking herself. "I'll call tomorrow."

"I think that's a great idea," Barry said. Looking to keep her spirits up, he continued. "Joe made Iris and I share our first car. We both had to pay half the gas, half the insurance, half the maintenance. We were so mad, but what he didn't tell us was that when we had saved up for us each to get our own, he matched us both for half the cost. Splitting the cost of that first car helped us both save up faster, it ended up being the better idea in the long run."

"I always knew I liked Joe," Cal grinned. "He seems like a good man to be raised by."

"He is," Barry smiled softly. "He was a dad to me when my own dad couldn't be. I was really lucky to have Joe in my life, not a lot of single fathers would take in another mouth to feed."

They were silent for a while as they ate, before Cal cleared her throat.

"Hey, can I ask you a question? And I'm a big girl, 'no' is always an acceptable answer to a yes or no question."

"Sure."

"Would you mind maybe keeping me company tonight? My couch is really comfy, I have a massive DVD collection, and I make the best oatmeal chocolate chip cookies you've ever had. I just...I'd just like to not be alone tonight."

Barry grinned immediately. "Movies and homemade cookies? What kind of idiot says no to that kind of invitation?"

Though Cal had meant it when she said 'no' was an acceptable answer, she was visibly relieved that he'd said yes. "Oh thank you, Barry. Is it super pathetic that you're the only real friend I have in Central City? I mean, everyone at the station is great, but you just seem to get me, as cheesy as that is."

"I don't think it's pathetic at all," Barry said, reaching across the table and taking her hand without thinking about it. "I'm glad we're friends, Cal."

She smiled, squeezing his hand. "Me too, Barry."


Mucho thanks to my guest reviewer! I have to admit, while I still don't care for Iris, I don't dislike her as much as I used to. I actually really enjoy her with Eddie as I think he does a decent job of keeping her head out of the clouds, so I plan on tackling the season finale issue much differently than the show did. I hope you continue to enjoy these installments and Put Another Dime in the Jukebox!