A/N: As always, thank you for your continuing support, your words always make my day! I really have fun writing this story, I hope you have fun reading it ;)

I don't own anything :)


Chapter 4. Good Old Days

"1, 2, 3, 4, 5 years go by
I don't really know why, I don't really know why
7, 8, 9, 11 years go by
I don't really know why, I don't really know why
I still feel the same way I did when I was 17
I still look over my shoulder waiting for the world to change
But these are the good old days"

"Good Old Days – Pink"


There was a loud knock on the front door of the house for the third time in the last five minutes.

"Mom?" Caitlin shouted again from her room where she was reading an article about molecular cloning from the latest issue of her favourite scientific journal. When she didn't get any answer and the person at the door knocked again, Caitlin reluctantly put her journal away and made her way down the stairs.

She had been back for two weeks now and she was still having a hard time to completely adapt back to the slower pace that was her life now. She knew she needed that time off, but she still dearly missed her old life – at S.T.A.R. labs, with Ronnie… She felt her heart squeezed. She missed her fiancé so much.

Caitlin took a deep breath before opening the door and she scowled when she saw who was standing there. "Barry? What are you doing here?"

She hadn't seen him since their small meeting at the park the previous weekend and she had preferred keeping it that way. She needed to heal, and diving back into a relationship with him – romantically or only friendly – was a bad idea, in her opinion. Last time they had tried that, it hadn't gone so great. Besides, she didn't want to cause him any problems with his girlfriend. Not that there was any reason for problems.

"Well, hello to you too grumpy!" Barry replied cheerfully. "I'm not interrupting anything, am I?"

Caitlin sighed and pointed behind her with her thumb over her shoulder. "Well, actually, I was getting some work done on an article and I…"

"Perfect." He immediately cut her off. "Let's go then."

Caitlin glared at him. "I just told you I was working." She reminded him.

"I heard you the first time." He waved her comment aside. "Now go get changed and meet me outside."

Caitlin looked down at her current outfit: a neat dark skirt and a white button down shirt – very professional. "What is wrong with what I'm wearing right now?" She asked almost offended by his dismissal.

Barry looked apologetically at her. "Oh you look great, don't worry! But they don't accept high-school-principals where we are going."

"Says the high-school-teacher…" She scowled back at him, not sure if there was a compliment in his statement. "But seriously, I'm in the middle of something. I'm not just going to throw everything away just to follow you god knows where."

"Why not?" Barry shrugged with a crease between his eyebrows, as if he was having a hard time grasping her point. "You used to do that all the time."

Caitlin gave him a warning glare. It wasn't the moment to bring memories from their past relationship. Things were different now. They weren't the same persons. They weren't teenagers anymore. They weren't a couple.

Barry put his hand up in surrender, trying to shield himself from her death glare. "All I'm saying is that you're supposed to take some time off. That's why you're here, right? To take it easy? So follow me. That article will still be here when you'll come back." He put both of his hands on her shoulders and turned her around, pushing her towards the stairs. "Go change, I'll wait for you."

Caitlin reluctantly went up the stairs, grumbling unintelligibly and Barry had to laugh at her antics. She hadn't changed that much either. Sure, from the outside she looked more mature and sure of herself, more adult. She was a beautiful grown woman. But he could feel the shy teenager still hibernating deep inside.

A few minutes later, Caitlin came back down wearing a pair of dark jeans, a red t-shirt with "I'm not a Hero, I'm a Scientist" written in black letters on it (a t-shirt that Cisco had offered her to declare her as his best friend) and a light dark jacket. For her feet, she had pushed aside her high heels, digging an old pair of red Converses out from her closet.

"That's more like it!" Barry cheered as he took her in, his eyes travelling up and down her body, making a slight blush creep up her cheeks. "Now come on, let's go!"

"Where are we even going?" Caitlin huffed as she followed him, gathering all her self-control to chase away that stupid flush off her face.

"I'm not telling you!" He called out behind him as he stepped outside the house, almost jumping up and down on his way to his car.

"Come on, Barry! You know that I hate surprises!" Caitlin whined in annoyance after locking up her front door, watching him get in the vehicle. She rolled her eyes and followed him.

"No you don't." Barry chimed as she got in the car too. Soon, he was pulling away from her house and driving towards the streets of their small town. "You just hate not knowing what's happening. But when you actually see the surprise, you always love it. Because you didn't know what was happening." He teased. "That's the whole point of surprises."

"Whatever." Caitlin mumbled as she settled back against her seat, annoyed that he was actually right. But there was absolutely no way she would let him know that.

Barry glanced at her from the driver's seat and chuckled at her pout. Sometimes he had a hard time imagining that she was that big shot bioengineer / doctor. For him, she still looked like the teenage girl he had fallen in love with. Okay, maybe even prettier.

He shook his head and brought his attention back to the road. About ten minutes later, he pulled over on a huge parking lot at the edge of some trees. A crowd of people was already there.

"Where are we?" Caitlin asked. She had lost their itinerary at some point during the drive trying to organise her thoughts in her head.

It was Barry's turn to pout. "Aw, don't tell me you don't remember!"

Caitlin glanced around again, but this time more intently, knowing she was supposed to recognise the place. There were a lot of people parking where they had stopped and scurrying towards the same place, but Caitlin didn't seem able to understand where. She leaned forward to look through the windshield and that's when she spotted the Ferris wheel above the tree line.

"Oh my god." She suddenly gasped. Caitlin turned to face him with wide eyes. "You didn't!"

Barry beamed at her, loving the little squeal that escaped from her lips. His eyebrows playfully bounced on his forehead. "I did!"

"I had completely forgotten it was that time of the year again!" She exclaimed herself, suddenly very excited.

"See? Told you, you liked surprises!" He gloated.

Caitlin playfully slapped his arm before getting out of the car. "Come on Barry, let's go!"

"Who's in a hurry now?" Barry mumbled, but the huge smile on his face completely contradicted his sarcastic tone.


[Twelve Years Ago]

"Let's go to the funfair!"

Caitlin and Barry were sitting in his car – well his parents' car that he had borrowed for the night – after having dinner in a small restaurant. It was their first date and both teenagers were basically two nervous balls, awkwardly gravitating around the other, not really knowing what to do with themselves. They had met at the beginning of high school and had become close friends really quickly. But there had always been an underlying attraction between them that neither of them had ever dared to voice out. Until end of Sophomore Year when Barry had finally gathered the courage to ask her out in front of her locker between two periods. Caitlin had turned red immediately, before whispering a small 'Yes, I'd love to" and had then run to her next class without even looking back, her heart beating way too fast for her own good.

So here they were, at the beginning of May, on their first date, not knowing where to go after their dinner. They just knew they didn't want their date to end yet.

Barry frowned. "I thought you didn't want to go…"

Caitlin nervously bit her lower lip. "Yeah, but then I saw how disappointed you looked and I also spotted that little sparkle in your eyes when the others told us they were going. So now I want to go because I want you to be that happy dork that I adore. I want to see that little sparkle again."

Barry beamed at her. "You're the best, you know that?"

Caitlin just shrugged. "I try my best. Now drive, you goof."

She didn't need to tell him twice. They arrived to the huge park in a record time and soon they were hurrying out of the car, running towards the entrance like two ten-year-olds. Their first stop was the cotton candy stand and they then hurried towards the Ferris wheel, finishing the sweet as they stood in line. After their ride on the big wheel, they strode across the park, looking with amazement at each attraction, debating on which one looked the coolest.

"Oh no, no way Barry!" Caitlin protested as he stopped in front of one in particular. Everything was spinning way too much and too fast, she could barely see the people in it. And Barry had a look she knew all too well on his face.

"Oh come on, pretty pleeeaasse!" He begged stepping right in front of her and giving her his best puppy eyes. "For me?"

"Nope, I'm not doing that." She shook her head, turning around to avoid his face.

"Oh live a little, Snowy!" Barry whined.

Caitlin's head turned sharply to him and she lifted a warning finger in his direction. "Don't call me Snowy, you know I hate that." She growled.

Barry chuckled, not impressed. "Oh I know. I also know you're too stubborn to refuse a challenge."

Caitlin gasped at him, crossing her arms on her chest and pouting. "That's not fair."

Barry beamed at her. "So is that a yes? Perfect, let's go stand in line." He grabbed her arm before she could protest and soon they were getting in a carousel with seats that were spinning way too many times on themselves to be comfortable.

But they loved it anyway.

When they stumbled out of it, Barry and Caitlin were both having an uncontrollable fit of laughter. They were bent over the other, impossible to stop their giggles, trying to find back their balance. It was only when Barry ran into a nearby wall that Caitlin sobered up, cupping his face in worry. But Barry was still laughing even though he had hurt himself a bit.

Caitlin chuckled, made him sit on an old abandoned wooden crate and told him to stand still to make sure he wasn't badly hurt.

"You're going to be a great doctor one day, you know that?" Barry commented as his laughter died down when he realised how close Caitlin's face actually was from his. "A very, very, pretty doctor." He added silently as she inspected the line of his hair to make sure he wasn't bleeding anywhere.

Caitlin rolled her eyes but couldn't stop the slight blush appearing on her cheeks. "Yup, I'm pretty sure you've hit your head too hard because you're talking nonsense."

"No, I'm serious." He insisted and his tone made Caitlin look down, diving straight into his green eyes.

And her breath caught in her throat at the intensity she saw in them. She was taken completely by surprise when she felt Barry's hand touch her cheek, his fingers travelling to the back of her neck, bringing her face closer to his to finally connect his lips to hers.

It took Caitlin a moment before she realised she actually wanted to respond to his kiss. So she fisted his shirt in her hand and brought him closer, deepening the kiss. They were both 16 and inexperienced, it was messy and a bit awkward, but that kiss felt like the best thing in the whole wide world.

"Wow… Maybe you were right." Barry whispered when they pulled away to catch their breath.

Caitlin frowned. "What?" She croaked, completely lost and still high from the kiss.

"Maybe I did hit my head too hard because I think I just kissed you. But it must be an hallucination because I'm pretty sure the real Caitlin Snow would never have allowed me to do that." Barry sighed. "So you're right."

"Of course I'm right! I'm Caitlin Snow, I'm always right!" She playfully hit him on his chest with the back of her hand, before grabbing his shirt again. "Now come here, smooth talker." She whispered before pulling on his shirt, bringing their lips back together.

He stood up without breaking the kiss, making her moan at the change of angle, and he circled his arms around her frame, holding her close to him. The feeling of him smiling in her kiss made her heart soar and Caitlin was convinced it was the best moment of her life. She obviously didn't know how great it was to be Barry Allen's girlfriend yet.


"So tell me, Barry, why aren't you here with your girlfriend?" Caitlin asked while stealing a pinch of the cotton candy he had bought for the both of them.

"Hum… I told you Patty was a cop, right? Well she's actually on supervision duty for the funfair tonight." Barry answered before taking a mouthful of cotton candy, leaving a trail of sugar on his lips.

Caitlin acted before thinking and grabbed the tissue he had in his hand to swipe away the sugar he had on his lips. She stopped when she realised what she was actually doing and blushed furiously. "Sorry." She mumbled. But Barry just chuckled and she soon joined him. After that, they continued walking through the crowd.

They weren't used to being friend and they hadn't been like that in a long time. There was an invisible line between them, tempting them to fall back into old habits but warning them not to cross it.

A loud silence floated around them as they passed by the exact spot where they had shared their very first kiss and many more after that. They both knew the other was thinking about it, but neither of them dared to speak about it. It wasn't as if there was much to say anyway.

It was old history now.

"Speak of the devil."

Caitlin frowned and turned to look in the same direction as Barry. There, she saw a few cops making their round. She immediately spotted the only woman among them. She also recognised Eddie and Joe West with her. The blond woman – Caitlin guessed it was Patty – seemed to feel the stare and turned around, beaming as soon as she saw Barry. She said a few words to Eddie before making her way towards Barry and Caitlin.

"Hey you!" The blond woman swiftly hugged and pecked her boyfriend on the lips.

Barry smiled back and introduced the two women. "Caitlin, this is my girlfriend Patty. Patty this is Caitlin."

The young cop smiled brightly at the young doctor, thrusting her hand between them for Caitlin to shake. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Dr. Snow. I've heard so many great things about you." Patty motioned towards Barry. "That guy is crazy about you." She continued cheerfully. "I'm glad you came back here."

Caitlin gaped, frozen in surprise at the young woman's good mood and excitement about her being back in Ryker Neve. Had she realised what she had just said?

Caitlin took a hold of herself and smiled back, shaking Patty's hand. She was completely taken by surprise, again, when the cop pulled on her hand and gave her a friendly hug. Maybe that woman was just really confident about her relationship and really nice to people.

"It's a pleasure to meet you too, Patty." The doctor replied with an unsure smile on her lips as they broke the hug. "And please, call me Caitlin."

Patty hopped on her feet like a little girl before nodding towards her colleagues waiting for her. "Anyway. I have to go back, duty calls! Enjoy the cotton candy and don't drink too much kids." And she turned around. "See ya'!"

Barry and Caitlin watched her walk away in silence.

"She's pretty great, right?" Barry finally asked giddily when they lost Patty from their eyesight.

Caitlin narrowed her eyes on the spot where his girlfriend had been a few moments ago. Something wasn't sitting right with the young doctor. That greeting had been way too friendly.

Suddenly, Caitlin's eyes went round in surprise, as something seemed to dawn on her. She turned to face Barry, hands firmly sitting on her hips, a deep frown on her face, her lower lip trapped between her teeth and a slight squint hovering over her eyes. "You didn't tell her, did you?" She carefully inquired.

"Tell her what?" It was Barry's turn to frown, even if he had a good idea about what she was talking about.

Caitlin rolled her eyes and crossed her arms on her chest. "About us. Dating in high school."

Barry sheepishly looked down at his feet. "I may have left that out."

"Barry!" Caitlin exclaimed, uncrossing her arms in bewilderment.

"What?! What was I supposed to say?" Barry retorted defensively. "That the girl I thought was the love of my life came back to town and that I really wanted to catch up with her because I missed her?" He shook his head, letting a nervous laugh escape. "Yeah because that would've gone just great! Patty may be trustful, adorable and incredibly nice," he threw his hand on his right, showing the place where Patty had stood a few moments ago, "but even she wouldn't have been that okay with it."

Caitlin flinched at the word 'thought' and tried to ignore the pinch in her heart. He had thought she was the love of his life. In the past. As in: he didn't think it anymore. But she couldn't really hold it against him. She had also moved on, with Ronnie. But there had been a time where she had also considered Barry as the love of her life.

Twice in her life she had thought she had found the love her life. And twice she had lost that person. And now she felt kind of empty. She was probably running out of love of her life to find. And that was a sad thought for a 28-year-old woman.

"You should have told her. You have to tell her!" She replied, pushing away the dark thoughts that had the potential of ruining a perfectly fine evening. "Because sooner or later, she's going to find out and, believe me, she'll be mad at you. It's probably best if she finds out from you." She advised him, her right eyebrow perfectly arched up. "Let's admit that basically the whole town knows about us, we weren't exactly a secret, were we?"

"You're right." Barry sighed, his shoulders slightly slumping down.

"Of course I'm right! I'm Caitlin Snow, I'm always right!" She exclaimed, a smile stretching her lips, remembering saying those exact same words on their first date.

Barry chuckled, making his shoulders tremble. "Come on, let's enjoy the rest of the night, I'll deal with Patty later." He playfully pushed her forward to make her walk in the direction he wanted to go and she replied with a shoulder bump, making both of them laugh.

It felt good, the two of them, like that. It took Caitlin's mind off the painful things that had been living in her head for the past few weeks. And for the first time in the past 9 months, she felt like she could actually enjoy herself again. She felt like her smile was honest.

She probably owed that to Barry.

And as soon as she'll realise that, she'll probably freak out.

But for now, she just enjoyed herself.