The skies closed, and turned back to blue, the world righted itself, and people went on with their lives, unaware of the changes that had come from the singularity. But grief hung in the air for the members of Star Labs. Ronnie Raymond had died once again, and this time he was not coming back, he had disappeared into a cloud of dust, pulled in and destroyed. Barry had seen it happen, had watched as his friend had died, and the grief and guilt would haunt him for the rest of his life. Barry's friends and family were worried about him, they had seen him kill Eobard Thawne, he had killed Harrison Wells, the man who had been a mentor to him, a father figure, if you will. Yet Barry did not seem to be grieving over that, it did not even seem as if he had reacted to it at all. Barry did, as Barry always did, he worried about other people and tried to help them through their grief. No one knew how to get through to him, to tell him it was okay, he just kept going, trying to rebuild Central City, trying to help his friends and city heal.
Barry of course was not really aware of this, he felt fine, truly he did, he was more worried about Caitlin truth be told, losing her husband, for the second time could not be an easy thing to deal with. Ronnie's funeral was today, and Barry felt immense amounts of guilt about that, Ronnie should've been alive, he should've saved him. He looks at the paper on the table before him and reads it. The title catches him off guard: Gotham saved from the Red Hood's mad plan once more. Lex Luthor missing. That couldn't be right, he had thought that Gotham was something fictional, a comic book, and Lex Luthor? How could he be real? Shaking his head, he looks up as Joe comes in. "Hey." He says. "How was the precinct?"
Joe West looks at his foster-son, and sees the lines behind the eyes, those are worrying, his son is only twenty-five, he shouldn't have lines yet. He takes a breath and says. "All good. Paper work is slowly slimming down, though Singh will want to see you tomorrow Bear. Something to do with an old case."
Barry looks at his foster-father surprised, an old case? He briefly thinks that that might be his dad's case, but then decides against that, it won't be that, everyone thinks his dad murdered his Mom, an open and shut case. "Did he say what the case was?" he asks.
Joe looks at his son and considers the question, he knows there are other things they need to talk about, but truth be told, the case Singh mentioned had been an odd one. One of the first Barry had ever worked on, if he remembers correctly. "Cobalt Blue."
Barry feels as if he's been punched in the chest at that name. He remembers the case; it was the first one he had worked on as a CSI. There had been a lot of blood and gore during that case, it had kept him up for a long time afterwards. "Did he say what specifically needed looking into?"
Joe can see the old ghosts coming before his son's eyes, and he feels sorry for bringing it up. At his son's question, he shakes his head. "He didn't, but he did say he wanted you to have a look at the files tomorrow."
Barry nods, he is not looking forward to that, but he will do it, anything to make sure something like that never happens again. He looks at his father and asks. "How are Iris and Eddie doing?"
Joe smiles at his son's question. "They're good. A bit shaken after everything, but good." Joe pauses debating whether to ask his son the question he's been meaning to ask, and then decides he should. "And what about you Bear? How are you doing?"
Barry looks at his foster-father, who really is a second father to him and sighs. He knows Joe means well, but having everyone asking him this question is getting kind of annoying. Still he keeps a smile on his face as he replies. "I'm fine Joe, seriously. Just a bit tired, that's all."
Joe sighs internally, of course his son would be tired, he knows who's been rebuilding Central City during the nights. "Well, if you need to talk, you know you can." He suspects that Barry won't talk to him, not yet anyway, more than likely he'd talk to Iris, if she wasn't busy with her job and with Eddie. As for Cisco, well Cisco's been spending time in Star City, with that Laurel Lance, then there's Caitlin, but that's an area, Joe hasn't broached with his son, yet.
Barry nods. "I know, thanks Joe."
A moment of silence passes, then they both move from the sitting room to the door and then into the car. Barry sits there tapping his fingers against his legs impatiently, whilst Joe drives, keeping his eyes focused firmly on the road in front of him. They pass the journey to the cemetery in silence, though they both know there are things that perhaps they should discuss, though neither of them will discuss them. Images of Thawne and Barry's' mother flash before both of their eyes, and Barry starts getting nervous, feeling an old flutter in his chest, but then it passes, and they arrive at the cemetery. Iris, Eddie, Cisco and Dr Stein and his wife are all there. Caitlin is there as well, alongside her father, and Ronnie's parents. An empty coffin is before them and the priest begins talking.
As the priest talks, Barry finds himself looking at Caitlin, he has always thought that she was beautiful, she is beautiful, very much so, but she looks hauntingly so in a black dress. He knows that such thoughts aren't appropriate now, but his mind keeps wandering, and he feels even more guilt for that. Ronnie was a good man, a hero, far more so than Barry is, or ever could be. And so he focuses on the words the priest is saying, and then the man stops talking, and Caitlin comes forward to talk. For the life of him, Barry cannot remember what she says, he hears the words, but all he can think of is how he wants to hug her and not let go. How he wants to kiss the tears she cries away, and how all of that is not right. Caitlin loves Ronnie, he can tell by how she says his name, by how she stares at the coffin, and all of it just feels too overwhelming. Had he actually tried to go for Ronnie, perhaps the man would be alive now and Caitlin would not be crying.
The pressure gets too much, and so once Caitlin has finished speaking, he goes up to her and says. "I'm sorry Cait. Truly I am. If you need anything." he trails off not really knowing what else to say, and so he turns to walk away, but before he can take more than a step, he hears Caitlin say his name.
Caitlin watches as Barry tries to walk away and she calls out then, not wanting to be alone now, not truly alone. "Barry, wait." Barry turns around and looks at her questioningly, she feels an odd flutter in her stomach that makes her feel terribly guilty. "I…I…thank you." Is what she says then, not sure what else she wanted to say.
Barry looks at Caitlin confused, why is she thanking him? He didn't save Ronnie, he didn't stop the singularity on his own, he killed the man who killed his mother, and he didn't save his mother. He doesn't say any of that though, instead he merely nods. "If you need anything." He leaves the offer hanging in the open before turning and walking out, he needs to get some air.
Caitlin watches Barry leave, her heart aching, she has lost her husband for good this time, and now she feels as if she might be losing her friend, one of her closest friends at that. She looks on and sighs. She sees Iris come to stand by her side then and asks. "What do I do?"
Iris, the girl who knows Barry better than anyone else, other than Joe and Henry takes a moment to reply and when she does her words are thoughtful. "Give him some time. He'll get there eventually." She hopes he does anyway.