Author's Note: Guys, I'm so sorry it took me so long to update. The last days were kinda busy. Thank you all so much for the kind response to the latest chapter. I'm glad you enjoyed it, even though the ending was a bit bitter sweet.

So, this one is kind of structured like a holiday movie special, if you know what I mean. I also feel like giving a little warning towards end we might reach an 'M light' territory. I tried to juice things up, but I'm not good at writing stuff like that so sorry if it's a bit clumsy. Still, hope you enjoy the madness and the character combinations in this.

Please leave some reviews.

Christmas Vacation

Summary: Team Flash decides to go on a small Christmas vacation together. Romance blossoms on the ice, bonds are formed, friendship happens in the dark of the forest and someone gets stuck on a ski lift.

Couple: Barry and Caitlin

Words: 10.434

"A beautiful sight, we're happy tonight, walking in a Winter Wonderland."

Winter Wonderland

Vacation wasn't really an option since Barry got struck by lightning. You may can take a break from your daily job, but being a superhero is a whole different business. Villains don't take a break either.

But, no one ever said anything about a loophole. In this case the loophole came in form of a couple of super powered friends who decided that after all this time, the Scarlet Speedster finally deserved a little bit time for himself and his extended family.

"And you sure that is okay with you?" Barry asked Kendra for the thirtieth time.

She put her hand on his shoulder, rolled her eyes and nodded with a smile. "We will be fine. Go, relax, build a snowman. Carter, Firestorm and I got this." She assured him. "You save the city every day, you deserve some time out. Be Barry for once."

He still wasn't sure. He didn't like it to hand over what had become his responsibility, but he would lie if he didn't admit at least a bit that he was sort of tired and worn out. He needed a change of scenery and with that he didn't mean Star City. Any place made a better vacation spot than this goddamn town where assassins pop up out of the sewers like freakin' ninja turtles.

"Alright." He finally gave in. "But you guys call me when you need me."

"We promise." Carter interjected. "Now, go!" He almost pushed him out of Star Labs.

The rest of Team Flash, including Harrison's daughter Jesse and Barry's dad, were already all packed up and waited for him to join them.

"There you are." Henry said, with a big smile on his face. It was the first vacation he and his son went on together in over fifteen years. It was quite exciting.

With some research Iris found a nice little mountain town with a cozy looking ski resort not that far away from Central City, meaning if the Apocalypse decided to strike around Christmas, Barry would make it home to stop it. Not that anyone expected something like this to happen.

"Alright." Joe opened the door at the driver's seat of one of the two cars they loaded. "Henry, Iris and Barry are with me."

Henry climbed on the passenger's side and programmed the GPS. Iris tugged herself into a warm woolen blanket and sneezed.

"Baby, maybe we should stay home." Joe suggested. He got worried. She carried this cold around for almost two weeks now.

"No!" Sneeze. "I'm fine." She didn't believe that herself.

Before getting in the car Barry walked over to Caitlin who was decided to be driver number two. "Hey, you drive carefully yeah?" He tried to sound nonchalant.

She raised an eyebrow. She was a good driver and he knew that. Instead of commenting on it however, she leaned closer and pressed her lips against his cheek, so quickly that no one noticed. "I wish we'd be in the same care." She said.

He blushed. It has become their thing lately. This certain ambiguity. Iris called it flirting but he refused to admit that. They weren't flirting, they were friends. Granted, friends who touched a lot and sometimes kissed each other's cheek or forehead or whatever, but it wasn't anything like that.

He climbed onto the backseat next to Iris, his cheek still burning from the small kiss. His head was spinning. They would spend a week on a snowy mountain together, away from Central City, away from their daily lives. So much could happen, the question was, did he want that? Change could be good sure, but what if he messed things up? What if that thing was just friends messing around and nothing more?

No, that wasn't it. He felt it deep down inside. So maybe he just had to wait and see. He groaned. Patience wasn't his strongest suit.

"Earth to Barry." Henry said.

Barry looked up and blushed again. He was pretty sure his father couldn't read minds but he still felt caught in the act.

"Don't forget your seatbelt."

He blinked. Once. Twice. What the hell was he? Eleven?

The landscape changed drastically the closer they got to the holiday resort. Snow was falling down, houses disappeared in favor of trees. It all seemed so peaceful.

Driving felt always relaxing for Caitlin. It took her mind of things or people. Especially a certain someone she wouldn't name. A certain handsome someone, with a gorgeous smile, who has always been there for her, made her laugh and feel good, who occasionally dressed up as a hero, saved the city, sometimes the world and on the top of that could sing like a Broadway star and could draw pictures like Jack drew his French girls.

Eyes on the road, Snow.

Cisco was either busy singing Christmas songs along the radio or playing car games with Jesse, preferably I spy with my little eye.

"I can't recall the last time I was on vacation." Harrison said suddenly, snapping Caitlin completely out of her thoughts.

"Me neither." She answered. Vacation. Snow. Mountain hut. Barry. A lot could happen during a week in front of the fireplace. But did she want anything to happen? Did he want anything to happen? Why were things so complicated out of sudden? They were friends and just like that, they were more. It happened right in front of their eyes and now it was there, unspoken.

"Caitlin?"

Harrison again.

"Yes?"

"Next turn left."

It was a beautiful little hotel on the top of the mountain, like those you only see in movies. Snow everywhere, the ice rink and the ski run nearby and other than that nothing but forest and nature. The perfect opposite to the busy city.

The hotel looked bigger from the inside than they expected. The interior was rustic, a lot of wood and mahogany, there was a fireplace in the lounge and even a little café selling homemade hot chocolate and fudge.

In the corner was a giant Christmas tree, the biggest either of them had ever seen, and light were attached to the ceiling. It smelled like a mixture of wood and cookie dough. In fact, it smelled and looked like Christmas.

"This is perfect!" Jesse exclaimed.

Iris sneezed. She was proud that she discovered that little place.

"Last bag." Barry carried Caitlin's baggage into the lobby.

"Thanks." She whispered with a sweet smile that made his heart melt.

"You're welcome." He said causally, but his mind just wouldn't shut up. Inside he was all giddy and jumpy and had no idea what to expect from the next couple of days.

Joe returned from the reception with a set of key cards. "So, one for the Wells'." He handed Harrison a key card. "One for Barry and Cisco, Iris and Caitlin and finally Henry and me. Everything good?"

"Yes, sir!" Cisco half-yelled and grabbed Barry's arm. "Dude, let's explore that place because it looks awesome!"

Barry laughed about his friend's enthusiasm, though he had to agree. It was an awesome place. It was an awesome idea. He took a deep breath and finally decided to let Central City behind him. This was their vacation and they all deserved it.

Iris fell down on her bed and started to cough. Caitlin sat down next to her, feeling her forehead. "I don't think you have a fever, yet." She said worried, "But you need to be careful."

Iris smiled weakly. "At least I have my favorite doctor with me." She lay her head on Caitlin's lab. One of the best things that came out of their shared work as part of Team Flash was definitely their friendship. While both of them had their share of female friends, they had become each other's person, the best friend.

"Henry is probably more suitable for the job than me." Caitlin said.

Iris looked up. "Enough about me." She coughed again, worrying Caitlin even more. She should have stayed at home. "What are you gonna do about Barry?"

Caitlin's face suddenly rivaled the color of a bright red Christmas ornament. "What…what do you mean?" She giggled nervously. Very smooth.

Iris closed her eyes and relaxed. She was tired and her cold didn't make it any better. "You might fool yourself, but not me." She said with a yawn. "You two have feelings for each other and if you ask me, perfect time to act on it."

Caitlin was surprised by her friend's words. Iris never specifically told her that things between her and Barry were over for good, but for some reason she always got the implication. And now she was telling her to go for it. She basically had her blessing. The question now was, what to do with it.

"Iris –"

A soft snore.

Caitlin smiled and carefully placed Iris's head on a pillow and put the blanket over her.

Cisco looked out into the dark, the only thing visible was the shining, white snow. He turned around and jumped on his bed.

"Sometimes, you are a five year old." Barry chuckled and checked his phone.

"And you're an obsessive superhero-holic." Cisco countered and took Barry's phone away. "Let's see…" scrolled through his messages. "Writing Kendra every hour to see if the city still stands or –"He paused, "not, because you're texting Caitlin."

Barry smiled innocently. "Not so obsessive then?"

Cisco handed the phone back. "Just about something else, man." He grinned. "Though I do hope you don't plan on romancing her all week long."

"No one said anything about romancing here." Barry quickly interjected. Seriously, was everyone aware of their thing? That unspoken one, they didn't even know how to define?

Cisco ignored his comment. He wasn't in the mood to state the obvious. "You promised to teach me how to snowboard."

"Yeah, yeah I haven't forgotten." Because you remind me every day, every hour of it, he added in thoughts.

Cisco crossed his legs. "This is serious Barry. You need to make me look cool."

"To impress Jesse?"

Cisco's eyes widened.

Now it was Barry's turn to grin to could play that game.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Cisco said, as answer he got a pillow in his face.

"Sure, dude."

Harrison put his arm around his daughter's shoulder, who looked outside the window, curious like a little kid to her new surroundings.

"You enjoy it here, Jesse Quick?"

She smiled affectionately when she heard her nickname. "Yeah, it's nice you know? Not just this place, but being part of a family again. She didn't disregard their years alone, they were a team since forever. Still, she couldn't deny that something had been missing in their lives for so long, some piece to the puzzle that slowly started to come together since they came to Earth-1, since they've met Team Flash. "I don't think we've been on a vacation since Mom left."

He rubbed her shoulders, saying nothing. He enjoyed being with his daughter again, so peaceful, after everything they have been through. It felt like a dream being here with her, with the whole team after what seemed like an eternity of Zoom-madness. Now there was no villain to defeat, no mystery to solve. It was just them spending time together, bonding as a family.

"I thought all rooms Iris booked had two beds." Henry looked at the Queen-sized bed in front of him, his arms crossed, but his eyes still filled with somewhat of an amused spark.

"I have no idea how that happened." Joe sighed. Everything went well so far, of course something had to go wrong. He looked around in the room, there was a small, not very comfortable looking green sofa. That'll do, he thought. It was Henry's first vacation since forever after all, so Joe would gladly make that sacrifice.

"I'll take the sofa, you can have the bed." There was no way his whole body would fit on that, but whatever.

"Joe." Henry said in that easy going way Barry obviously inherited. "Don't be ridiculous, we can share."

"Right." Joe said unsure. They have been friends for years and basically shared a son, so it couldn't be all that awkward right?

It was that awkward.

Once Cisco was peacefully asleep, snoring and talking about something that sounded like 'Yeti' in his sleep, Barry snuck out of the room.

It was probably a crackpot idea, because she was most likely already asleep, but he needed to see her. Everything inside of him called for her.

So he knocked on her door. Once. Twice. He waited. After the fifth knock he decided to turn around, disappointment written all over his face.

"Wait." The door opened. She grabbed his arm so quickly that one could only wonder who the Speedster was.

She stepped outside the room, wearing only her red pajama and a blanket around her shoulders. She took a quick look inside, making sure they weren't disturbing Iris, who needed her rest.

"Hey." He said. Suddenly this whole idea felt awkward. He didn't plan the whole thing out. What was he expecting after seeing her?

"Hey." She said back, smiling at him. At least she was happy he showed up.

"Flash PJs." He said when he noticed the Flash emblem all over her pajama. He couldn't help but grin.

She briefly looked away, biting her lip, a little blush on her cheeks. "It's comfortable." Technically that wasn't a lie, but not the reason she bought the pajama at all. It was probably a good thing he hadn't seen her new Flash keychain yet. It was also a good idea not to mention her Flash pillow at home, the one she loved to cuddle with. It potentially could give him a wrong idea. She could come off as somewhat obsessive or even possessive over him, which she totally wasn't. She just had a crush. No, that wasn't it. She just had all of these confused feelings for her him that simply wouldn't go away.

"So, you like taking me to bed with you?" He regretted the words as soon as they escaped his mouth. Why, oh why couldn't his motor mouth hit the breaks for once?

Caitlin knew she had now two options to answer: Be awkward and laugh it off or flirt to a fare-thee-well and see how he reacts.

He body was leaning towards the first. She could feel a ridiculous giggle in her throat, but she decided to fight back. He wanted to flirt, he would get a flirt.

Barry himself was beautifully oblivious that his quick remark was interpreted as flirting at all, he was trying to find the perfect apology for his smugness. "Cait –"

"What if I do?" There, it was out. She officially reached the point of no return. Inside, she was burning but she tried to keep her cool. They were dancing this dance for so long now, it was time to become pro-active no matter how embarrassing it would get.

He gulped. What just happened? She wasn't angry or anything remotely like it. She was playing along. His mind was racing. He needed to act quickly or the moment would be gone. Be a man, in the eternal words of General Li Shang.

"Then –"He put his arm around her waist pulling her closer. He hoped his hands wouldn't start to shake. He usually wasn't the most confident guy when it came to women, but this was Caitlin, he couldn't blow it. "You might should've just ask." Oh God, he couldn't believe he said that. It was his voice, but he felt someone else was doing the speaking for him. And what was his mouth doing? Was he smirking? He felt like he was smirking.

Tomato. That was the first word coming to her mind. Her head must have looked like a tomato. Sure, she was the one playing the ball right back, but she didn't expect that response from him. The way he looked at her, eyes darkened, almost hungry. Subconsciously she licked her lips. Her hands wandered over his chest. She looked up. The next move was crucial. She had to send him the right signal. Wait, what was the right signal? She felt like awkward-High School Caitlin again, not sure how to act around the guy she liked.

"Cait." His voice was husky, smooth. Not that he planned any of that, but just looking at her suddenly made him feel like he could do anything.

"Barry." Oh wow. She might have been confused about her feelings before, but right now in that dark hotel hall, she saw clearly for the first time in months.

He leaned closer. Screw everything. Stop thinking about it and just do it.

She could feel his hands under her shirt, his fingers running along her stomach. If normal people had butterflies she now had pterodactyls. Dinosaurs, really? He really messed her up right now.

His lips briefly brushed hers. So soft, so warm, so meant to be.

Her hand found its way around his neck, she needed to pull him closer. She was sure by now that this wasn't a crush or even liking, this was lo-

"Couldn't sleep either?"

They almost jumped apart.

Joe. In the hallway. Right behind them. A cup of something in his hand.

"Joe…Joe…what….huh?" Barry was lost for words, which certainly was a new one.

Joe raised an eyebrow. "Did I interrupt something?"

"No, no, no, no." Caitlin waved her hands. This wasn't what she had in mind for the rest of the night. She glanced at Barry, sensing the same frustration in him. This wasn't what he had in mind for the rest of the night either.

"What are you doing here, Joe?" Barry asked, finally able to sound firm and normal.

Joe lifted his cup up. "Needed some hot chocolate. Laced with a little something if you know what I mean." He sighed. "Your father likes to stretch out in his sleep." Was all Joe added before slowly making his way back to his room, leaving Barry and Caitlin alone once again.

"That was weird." Barry said and she nodded.

"Hey uhm…" She started, the moment was gone but that didn't mean the next one wouldn't wait right around the corner. "There's an ice rink nearby and I brought my ice skates and maybe we could go tomorrow…just you and me."

He smiled. "I'd love that." There was only one problem, if there was one thing Barry Allen truly sucked at, it was ice skating.

"Dude, why are you up so early?" Cisco groaned, his head somehow under his pillow.

Barry was putting on his boots. "I'm going ice skating with Caitlin." Or ice falling, he added silently, already thankful for his quick healing.

"What?" Cisco immediately set up, only to feel a sudden wave of dizziness.

"You okay?" Barry asked, an eyebrow raised.

Cisco grabbed for the water bottle on his nightstand. "Yeah, just a headache. I think I sleep-vibed."

Barry's second eyebrow followed the first. "That's a thing now?"

Cisco shrugged. "Apparently. Just saw Joe, sitting on something metallic and it looked like icicles were coming out of his nose."

"Maybe you just had a weird dream." Barry slipped into his warm jacket.

"Back to the point." Cisco stood up, putting his hands to his hips. "You can't just go ice skating. You wanted to hit the piste with Joe and me. You promised to teach me how to use that thing!" He launched for his brand new snowboard.

"Cisco…" He didn't want to stand him up, but in this case he had no other choice. What happened or rather almost happened last night wasn't letting go of him for a second. He had her in his arms, he almost kissed her, wanted to kiss her more than anything in the world. And more. Yes, he admitted it to himself, they probably wouldn't had stopped at kissing, not how they felt last night and this time he was pretty convinced she felt the same way. He saw it in her eyes right before Joe interrupted them. "Why don't you and Joe go ahead and I'll meet you there later on? You could do some warm up." He suggested innocently.

Cisco seemed to think about it for a second. "Fine." He fell back on his bed. "But just because I'm your best friend and personal wingman."

Barry smiled. "Thanks man."

Iris cough was getting worse, Caitlin got seriously worried.

"I should stay here with you." Her ice skates were already swung over her shoulder, she wore her Flash keychain as a necklace now. Time to show him once and for all what she felt, in case she didn't make herself clear last night. She handed Iris a new box of tissues but her thoughts kept drifting away. She could still feel his hand on her bare stomach. His touch was nothing she ever experienced before and she wanted more. Needed more.

"Go!" Iris urged. "You can't help me here." She managed a small smile.

A knock on the door and a second later Barry's head popped in. "Morning." He said offering a smile to Iris and a grin to Caitlin.

He walked over to Iris's bedside and kissed her head. "Not feeling any better?"

"No, but would you do me a favor and tell my dad I'm still asleep and he should just go and have fun?"

Caitlin sat down on Iris's bed. She exchanged a quick, worried look with Barry. "I don't think that's a good idea."

Iris knew she wasn't exactly acting rational, but she was pretty sure she was having a fever now so rationality be damned. "He worked so hard for months, he deserves to relax a little and can't do that when I'm sick. Barry please."

Oh that look. She was giving him those large puppy dog eyes with that sugary sweet tone in her voice and he was a lost cause. She got him what that since they were kids and he still wasn't immune to it. "Fine, but I will ask my dad to keep an eye on you."

That was a compromise she could live with. "Something else." She sat up and reached her hands out. "Give me your cell phones."

"Our phones?" Caitlin asked irritated.

Iris nodded. "No interruptions for you today."

They exchanged another look before handing their phones in, hoping they wouldn't regret it later on.

It took all of Cisco's energy to convince Joe that Iris would be fine and they could leave to have some fun. He didn't feel particular good about it, but he knew that arguing with Iris West had no point, if that woman wanted something she got it.

So they walked through the snow, packed with Cisco's new snowboard and Joe's skis, making their way to the ski run.

It was a lovely weather. Snow was softly falling down, but the sun didn't hide between the clouds. A soft cold, yet surprisingly pleasant wind was softly blowing and Cisco enjoyed breathing in the fresh mountain air.

"It is truly a winter wonderland!" He remarked. "My family never went on winter vacation." He told Joe. "We always just hit it south, go to the beach."

Children were running past them, throwing snow balls at each other. One little boy was wearing a Flash cap, while another had the matching earmuffs.

Joe smiled softly. Sometimes it was hard to believe that his son had his own collection of merchandise.

"I should have some copyrights." Cisco muttered under his breath. "I came up with the whole Flash look."

Joe didn't comment on that, he just shook his head and playfully rolled his eyes. "There's the ski lift." He pointed ahead.

Barry and Caitlin stumped through the snow landscape, their hands loosely entangled. Her cheeks were rosy, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

"So, what's the deal with the ice skating?" Barry asked, his eyes however fixed on the keychain around her neck. If that wasn't an obvious signal he didn't know what was.

"What do you mean?"

He chuckled. "Ever since you mentioned it you have this gleam in your eyes and when you talk about it your voice gets a little bit higher than usually. That only happens when you love something."

She was astonished. He always noticed those little details about her, little quirks no one else seemed to care about. "Back home in Pittsburgh, my Mom, aunt, cousin and I used to go ice skating every day during the winter." She caught a snowflake with her hand. "It was our ritual. I loved it so much."

"You miss home?"

"Sometimes." She confessed. "But I love my life in Central City. At Star Labs. With the team. With you." Her eyes gleamed, her voice got just a tad higher.

Iris sat in front of the fireplace in the common room of their hotel. She was wrapped in a warm blanket, a cup of tea in her hand. Henry sat next to her, taking her temperature.

"Fever." He said, looking up to Harry and Jesse who both were on their way out to check out the area.

Iris coughed again.

"That doesn't sound good." Henry said with concern.

She forced a smile. "I'm fine."

"No, you're not." That was Harry speaking.

"There's a small village down the mountain." Henry said, "We should get some antibiotics."

Iris wanted to protest but just got a warning look from Harrison.

Jesse got her phone. "I call Barry, he should get it in a couple of minutes."

"He doesn't have his phone with him." Iris explained, she wanted her friends to have a good time, no one should worry about her and her stupid cold. Truth to be told however, she felt horrible.

"Wait a second." Henry briefly disappeared into the room he shared with Joe and came back holding a map. He lay it out on the table. "If I take the short cut through the forest it should take about two hours to get the medicine and get back here." He looked outside the window. "If the weather stays like this."

Iris grabbed his hand. "Henry, I appreciate that but –"

"No buts, Iris." He interrupted her. "That is your vacation, too. Besides I wouldn't be a good doctor if I didn't help you."

"I'm coming with you." Harrison said, briefly looking at Jesse who approved with a nod. She sat down next to Iris, patting her back. "And I'm staying right here with you."

This time Iris didn't protest, she was glad she had friends who cared so deeply. "Thanks, guys."

Joe and Cisco climbed into the ski lift. It was unsteady. Very unsteady.

Cisco looked down when it started to moved and gulped. Being cool on the snowboard sounded well before, except for he didn't consider what it would take to go up the piste first. "Did I ever mention that open heights are not my favorite thing?"

"Relax, nothing will happen." Joe hoped he sounded convincing enough, because he wasn't a fan of heights either.

Suddenly a shake, and unidentified noise and the lift stopped, mid-air.

"This is normal, right?" Cisco asked, already in a panic.

Of course it wasn't.

An announcement was made through the loudspeakers. The only words Cisco got were sorry, technical difficulty, we are trying and most of all don't panic.

Well, it was a little too late for that.

Caitlin put her skates on while Barry rented some for himself. He was getting nervous, he didn't want to look like a fool in front of her, especially now when things finally started to evolve between them, but he knew it couldn't be helped.

He watched the people on the ice. Children having fun, couples in intimate togetherness. He wanted to skate with Caitlin, hold her hand, look like those couples, but first he had to learn how not to fall. Sure, he could probably use his powers, but that wouldn't be the same.

"You okay?" She asked him, "You look like someone just shot you with a cold gun."

He laughed nervously. "I'm fine."

She raised an eyebrow, her face telling him in a strict voice 'are you kidding me?'

She crossed her arms, waiting for him to tell her the truth. He sighed, she always saw right through him. "I can't skate. I pretty much suck at it." He confessed. It wasn't on par with football, but still pretty bad.

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

He shrugged. "You were so happy and excited and I didn't want to ruin that. Besides, it is nice for a first date."

"First date?" She grabbed his hand.

"Eh…" he didn't realize he said it until she repeated it. "Not that we need one, because we pretty much know everything about each other, people know when they're in a relationship for years." Great, now he started to ramble.

"Still has a nice ring to it." She said and he agreed. It did. "I can teach you how to skate." She pulled him along with her and he let her. If she was with him, he felt he could conquer the world, so a little bit of ice couldn't be all that evil.

The forest looked like a picture from magazine. It was untouched, silent, only snow and trees.

"Are you sure this is the right path?" Harrison asked Henry who was a couple of meters before him, looking like he had no idea what he was doing.

"Sure. The map says so." He could read a map, but he would kill for a GPS now. Unfortunately their phones stopped working the second they entered the woods, what a typical, clichéd incident.

"Give me that!" Harry roughly took the map away. Henry was indeed right. They left the main path, a short cut of the short cut according to the map and by now they should've passed an old hunting cabin, except there wasn't one. Just more tress and more snow and Harry was convinced if they would go further and snowing didn't stop soon, they wouldn't be able to walk through it anymore. "Something is not right." He mumbled. "Are you sure this one up to date?"

"It was the only one I could find." Henry said, but he wasn't so sure anymore. It was an old map, but the area shouldn't have changed much. This was a forest after all.

The snow fell down heavier than before. Harry looked at his cell phone, still no reception. "You gotta be kidding me."

"Let's just move on. We'll find our way." Henry sounded positive enough but Harrison wasn't sure if that was just false hope simple stupidity. He had a bad feeling about going deeper into the woods.

To say Barry was clumsy on the ice was an understatement. It was like saying that the Trickster was just a little bit crazy.

He was standing at the side, trying hard not to fall down. Caitlin felt sorry for him, even though a tiny part of her wanted to laugh.

"How can you be so good a snowboarding and yet have no balance on the ice?" She asked. He looked at her like a frightened little puppy and it was adorable.

"Ice and I just don't get along. I like snow so much better."

A small laugh escaped her.

"Bad pun, totally not intended."

She leaned closer. "You can walk on water, but ice skating brings you down?" She whispered into his ear.

She then slid away, looking light as a feather on the ice. She winked at him before making a pirouette.

He couldn't take his eyes away from her as she danced with her skates on. She was like princess, graceful and absolutely beautiful.

"Come on." She reached out her hand. "I promise I won't let go."

He took her hand, trusting her more than he ever trusted anyone in his entire life. It just felt right. It felt meant to be.

Iris sneezed and pulled her blanket closer to her body.

"Maybe we should get you back to bed." Jesse suggested.

Iris shook her head. She couldn't get outside, so the least she could do on her vacation was enjoying the huge, warm fireplace. "It's okay."

Jesse looked at the big, old wooden clock on the wall. "They should be back by now." She said more to herself than to Iris. "I hope my Dad and Dr. Allen are alright."

"I'm sure they're fine." Iris West, always the positive one, even when sick. "Can I ask you a question?" Iris sensed Jesse's concern, so she decided to change the topic. Besides she needed something to distract her from her aching throat and running nose.

"Sure."

Iris hesitated for a second. "Why do you spend so much time in our world? I mean, all I heard about yours is full of wonders. You have Atlantis on the surface."

Jesse looked surprised at the question, like she had expected anything but that. "I don't really know." She never thought much about it. First it was because of her father and his work with Team Flash and because her world always reminded her of Zoom and the horrible time she spent has his captive, but now, she had no idea. She had her studies, but thought about just taking classes on Earth-1. She found friends here, a new life. "Too many bad memories, I guess."

"You mean Zoom?" Iris knew it was a sensitive topic for her. She didn't get to know Jesse as well as the rest of the Team did yet, because she mostly spent her days at Star Labs, but she liked her and wanted to try.

"Among others." Jesse looked absentmindedly into the fire. There was something mesmerizing about the flames, like they were showing her images from her past. "Don't get me wrong, my Dad always made sure I had a comfortable life. I love him very much, always have, but he was a workaholic. Then my Mom left and we needed to be on our own. We managed, but not without paying our prizes." She took a deep breath. "And then Zoom. It was a nightmare. Sometimes I still wake up, screaming because I dreamed about him. He was so close that I could hear his voice in my ear, feel his breath on my cheek…" She shivered.

Iris grabbed her hand.

For a second Jesse pulled away, before giving into the touch. She wasn't sure what to make of Iris yet. They were not exactly friends, more associates having the same group of friends, so that gentle gesture surprised her.

"I wanted to run away so many time." Iris confessed. She never told anybody about this, not even Barry. "So much happened and sometimes I wasn't sure I could take all that pain anymore. Especially after…" She glanced at her ring finger, it was empty. Sometimes she fantasized about all the 'what ifs' that could have been.

"Caitlin told me your fiancé was killed. I'm sorry."

"Eddie gave his own life to save us all." Her face was burning. She wasn't entirely sure if that was her fever or just all that emotions she tried to push away so hard that just kept crawling back into her heart.

"He was a hero."

Iris laughed with a sad tone in her voice. "Sometimes I wish he wasn't. I wish he would still be here, as my husband, father of my children."

Deep down Jesse admired Iris. She had been through so much herself and yet she wasn't running, she was still there with all of her memories, the good and the bad, fighting, moving on, trying to live her life.

"I envy you."

This time it was Iris who looked surprised. "What?"

"Not that you lost the man you loved, that is terrible." Damn, she thought. Sometimes she could sound so insensitive, she got that from her dad. "I mean that you found someone you loved so much that you wanted to build a future with him. I don't think I've ever been in love that much."

"Oh." Iris didn't know what to reply. Eddie was unexpected. When she first met him she never thought he would become that man for her, but he did. Despite future prophecies and confused feelings it had been him and still was. She was open to finding a new love, but no one would ever replace him.

"And I really think you are so strong. How you deal with it."

"You're strong too." Iris said with a smile. "Coming here is not running away from your problems, it is just you finding another way to live your life." She leaned back and closed her eyes for a moment. She saw Eddie's face in front of her. Handsome, smiling, his eyes promising security and love. It felt good talking about him, she hadn't done it in a while.

Jesse meanwhile inhaled Iris's words. Maybe she wasn't running. Maybe Iris was right. "I'd like it here." She said. "My dad seems happy, he is in a better mood ever since he started working with you. And I like the people here. Caitlin, Barry and…" She bit her lip. "Cisco."

What was that? Iris caught the little slip Jesse had when she mentioned Cisco. So that was interesting.

"And you." Jesse added. "I like being around you."

Being sick had a function after all, Iris thought. She bonded with a new friend. "Likewise."

Don't look down. Don't look down. Don't look down.

It was the mantra Joe repeated over and over again for the past three hours. Three hours. They were stuck in that stupid lift and it didn't seem like anything would happen soon. On the top of it all the snow was getting worse, in fact Joe was pretty convinced that a storm was coming up. Cisco next to him was babbling random stuff he stopped paying attention to about an hour ago. It was his way to deal with the fear of falling down.

"Barry will find us." Cisco said. "He said he would meet us here, so he will eventually find us and rescue us." It was the one hope he held onto.

Joe was pretty convinced Barry wouldn't show this time. He was finally alone with Caitlin and Cisco and his snowboard were probably the last things on his mind right now. He may acted nonchalant the night before, but he was fully aware of what what he walked into.

Cisco's teeth chattered. "Joe…I'm cold. Like very cold. Like cold gun cold."

"And what do you expect me to do? Light a fire?" His cell phone was dead, so was Cisco's. They had nothing with them except the skiing equipment and despite their warm clothes the cold was getting to them. They needed to get down or they would freeze up there.

Nothing new came over the loudspeakers. Joe figured people down there must have had problems with the weather and that's why nothing happened to get them down.

Cisco put his head on Joe's shoulder.

Joe raised an eyebrow. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Body temperature. Should keep us warm."

Great, now he had to cuddle with Cisco.

"Do you think we passed that tree already?" Henry asked.

Harrison didn't response. The soft snow fall turned slowly into a blizzard. They couldn't see anything anymore, their eyes hurt and their feet were so cold that they could barely feel them. And yet they were still in that stupid forest. They should've found their way to the village by now. Henry was now pretty sure that the map he found was the most inaccurate map ever created by mankind and that they were completely lost. Harrison just got more silent by the hour.

"Wells?" He yelled now, thinking Harrison just didn't hear him.

"Shut up, Allen." His voice sounded harsh, yet there was something else. Something that sounded like fear.

Henry made his way towards him, shielding his eyes with his hands. "What's your problem?" Barry liked this guy, but Henry had a hard time understanding why. Yes he was a brilliant scientist and maybe he wasn't a serial killer like the other Wells they met, but he could be just as arrogant and unpleasant. Maybe even more so.

Harry pointed straight forward. At first Henry couldn't see anything between the trees and the snow, until something moved.

"What the…?"

Harrison put his hand on Henry's mouth, shutting him up. "No hasty movement."

"Is that a bear?" Henry hissed. "They hibernate during winter. And here shouldn't be any bears."

"Maybe that one didn't get the memo." Harry said sarcastically. "There's a wild park close by. Maybe it escaped."

"What are we gonna do now?" Henry usually wasn't afraid of bears. As long as he could watch them in a zoo of course.

Harrison wasn't an expert. This was a new situation for him as well. "We slowly turn around and move in the other direction. He might not even see us." Hopefully he didn't bring any friends.

Henry agreed and they carefully walked away. It was hard getting through the thick snow. It worked almost like quicksand.

A roar.

"I think he saw us." Henry gulped, wishing his son would be there. "Any new plan?"

The bear was looking at them now, he was gigantic.

"Run." Harry said and grabbed Henry's arm. "Just run!"

Barry's left leg was moving forwards, while his right leg was stuck behind, it looked hilarious. Caitlin tried hard not to laugh at first, but seeing Barry, the powerful Flash like that was simply hysterical.

"I'm so sorry." She squeaked in between laughter.

"Just go ahead. I don't blame you. I'd laugh about myself if I weren't trying not to fall down."

They were the last people on the ice. A blizzard was hitting the mountain and people were getting back to the hotel or their cabins.

Caitlin and Barry however didn't pay attention to their surroundings. They did notice that it got windier and more snow was falling down, but their time together let them forget the outside world.

"One leg after the other." Caitlin said. "Come and get me."

Why was this happening to him? He slowly moved forward, feeling like Pinocchio still on his strings. One leg after the other.

It looked so easy when she did it. She was practically flying and he acted like a giant klutz.

She reached both of her hands out. "You can do it!"

She still had faith in him, he at least had to try.

One deep breath and go.

It worked. He moved, shaky and clumsily, but at least he moved.

She cheered him on. "You're doing fine."

He looked up and smiled at her, big mistake. As soon as his eyes left his feet he started to stumble.

"Barry!" She skated towards him, trying to stabilize him, but too late. It felt like the world started to move in slow motion.

He was falling towards her, her arms were wide open. If he would fall like that he would crash into her and she would break down under his weight. He could hurt her.

For Caitlin everything moved too fast. Barry was falling and she tried to catch him. Next thing she knew was that they were lying in the snow, her on top of him.

"What?"

He smiled sheepishly.

"I thought no powers." She made no attention to move off of him. She enjoyed the closeness.

He reached out his hand and softly stroked her hair away. "I couldn't let you fall."

"Too late." She whispered.

He needed a moment to understand the double meaning behind her words.

She leaned down, her lips almost touching his. "Are you falling with me?" Her voice sounded hopeful and desperate at the same time. It was such a vulnerability only people in love would feel.

"Everyday." He met her lips, pressing their bodies closer together. It felt so good. Feeling her, tasting her, exploring her.

"Barry." She said in between kisses. "I think we're in the middle of a storm."

He pulled away and they started to laugh. They didn't notice.

He kissed her again. "Maybe we should continue that back at the hotel." He put his arms under her legs, she wrapped her hands around his neck. "Ready?"

Her answer was another kiss.

It was a little bit harder to run through the blizzard, but they quickly made it to the hotel, back to Barry's room.

Their jackets and shoes were quickly kicked off and Caitlin found herself on the bed, Barry hovering over her kissing her hard.

He pushed her shirt over her head. "You're freezing." She whispered as he kissed down her neck.

"I'm not." At least she didn't notice how cold she actually was.

She pushed his shirt up and it landed on the floor next to hers. She sat up a bit and grinned. She slowly pushed him aside. He reached a point where he let her do whatever she wanted.

"Caitlin." He breathed.

He found himself on his back now. She elegantly swung her legs over him, now she was on the top. She leaned down and placed hot kisses down his chest and his stomach.

His hands caressed her back. She shivered. He didn't want her to stop kissing him but he did anyways. "You're so cold, you get sick."

She groaned. Even now he was looking out for her. "Maybe a hot shower first." She rolled off of him. "Even though I don't want to." She got up and pouted, while making her way to the bathroom. On her way she unclasped her bra, letting him stare at her exposed back.

"I could always join you." He half joked as he sunk back into his pillow. He couldn't believe what almost happened. What probably would still happen later on.

She was so beautiful, so stunning. And the way she touched him, kissed him, he never felt anything like it before.

She didn't say anything about his comment and disappeared into the bathroom. The shower went on. "Barry?" She called and her head popped back into the room.

"Yeah?"

She reached her hand out, like she did on the ice before. "Coming?" She bit her lip, her voice sounding seductive. She actually did that. She couldn't believe she had the courage to do that, to ask him to join her. According to his shocked face he didn't believe it either.

"What?" He didn't expect any response, let alone this one.

She didn't take his eyes off of him. Sometimes you had to take a risk.

He waited for a moment, making sure she actually meant what she said and didn't mess around. Judging by the look in her eyes she was being serious, very serious.

Caitlin thought he wouldn't do it. That it was taking things too far, too soon. She wanted to turn away, hiding under the hot water and forgetting what she just asked him, when suddenly her back was pressed against a wall, drops of water dripping down on her.

Her hands were lifted up, pressed against the wall above her. His lips were kissing down her collarbone.

She briefly looked down. Their clothes were completely gone now.

"Barry." She moaned. His hands let go of hers and suddenly all over her body. She touched his back, pressing him closer. He was doing things to her. Very good things. "Oh, we should stay out in a storm more often."

He chuckled as he kissed his way up again. "Definitely." His lips found hers again.

She laughed. This wasn't exactly how she imagined their vacation would go, but it was so much better than anything she ever thought about.

"Barry won't come." Cisco said.

Joe could have told him that hours ago, but he didn't want to destroy the little piece of hope he still had left. But yeah, Barry would most definitely not come to save them.

"I can't feel my butt anymore." Cisco complained. Actually he was pretty sure he couldn't feel anything anymore. There was just the cold. He looked at Joe, tiny icicles were coming out of his nose. So he did dream-vibe the night before. Just great.

"I love you, Joe."

Joe wanted to raise his eyebrows, but they were frozen. "What?" His lips didn't move much either, so he could barely communicate anymore.

"Just wanted to tell you that before we die."

Cisco was being a tad overly dramatic, but Joe was used to it. "Not. Die."

Cisco snuggled closer against him. "This place is Hoth, Joe."

Why was Cisco the one who could still talk? Joe didn't have an answer, he just blamed the universe or the blizzard or Mother Nature or whoever was responsible.

"Shut. Up."

"But when I talk, I feel warm. Or at least I think so." Cisco explained. "Besides, you can't talk so I'll have to do it for both of us."

Joe screamed inside.

"I wanted to learn how to snowboard to impress Jesse." He confirmed. "I really like her and I think she likes me back." The lift shook heavily in the storm. Cisco screamed and squeezed Joe's almost frozen hand way to hard. "And now I can never tell her because we will die here. I mean that is so unfair."

Another icy blast.

"I never gave you a superhero name, Joe. But I think you deserve one even without powers. How about –"

A metallic noise. The lift started to movie. After hours being trapped it finally moved. Joe wanted to cry of joy, but his tears froze before they even left the eye.

Cisco cheered. "We will live!"

Iris opened her eyes. She fell asleep in front of the fireplace. "How long was I out?" She asked Jesse who was nipping at a cup of hot chocolate.

"Half an hour."

Iris stretched her arms. "Sorry."

"Don't mention it. You need to rest to get better."

Iris looked at the clock. "Are Henry and your dad still not back?" She asked concerned.

Jesse shook her head. She slowly started to freak it out. "They should have been back hours ago. There's a blizzard outside."

Iris tried to stand up, but every bone in her body hurt and her head was spinning. "Where's Barry? He needs to find them."

Jesse shrugged. She had no idea. She turned her head to the door and a little scream escaped her throat.

Iris turned around as well. "Dad?" She asked slightly shocked.

There were Cisco and Joe, covered in snow, unable to move their faces.

"What happened?" She asked.

Joe moved as quickly as he could to the fireplace, dragging Cisco along. Just now the girls noticed that their arms were linked.

"Frozen. Together." Joe managed to say.

"Oh my God." She exclaimed and got them two additional blankets from the reception.

Cisco trembled. "Thanks…"

She smiled sympathetically. At least the two of them where back. Still, her father and Henry were still messing and they had no idea what Caitlin and Barry were doing either.

"I ordered some hot tea." Iris told her father. "You'll be fine."

Cisco slowly detached himself from Joe. "I think I start to feel my butt again."

Jesse giggled and he blushed.

Joe moved his arms around. He was finally free. He then glanced at Iris who still didn't look all that good. "Baby, I'm worried about you."

"My Dad and Dr. Allen wanted to get some medicine, they're lost ever since." Jesse explained.

"And Barry?" Joe asked.

Iris shook her head.

Cisco got up, still walking clumsily. "I'll check our room. Maybe he got back and you didn't notice. I need a hot shower anyways."

Joe agreed. He needed it as well. "Quick shower and if Harrison and Henry are not back by then, we'll go looking for them."

That wasn't exactly what Cisco had in mind, but he didn't dare to disagree. He would literally do anything but going out into the storm again, but looking at Jesse's worried face he knew he had no choice. Hopefully Barry would show up soon.

Barry lay on his bed, wrapped in a towel. He had a lazy smile on his face. That just happened. Under the steamy shower.

Suddenly the door opened and Cisco marched inside.

"You!" He pointed at Barry. "Where have you been?"

Barry needed a moment to process. Then it hit him. He forgot about Cisco and Joe and the snowboard. "Oh crap. I'm so sorry." He apologized.

Cisco kicked his boots off and sat down on his bed. "Joe and I had a near death experience on the lift and you took a shower!"

"Yeah…." Barry smiled innocently, hoping he wouldn't blush. "I'm…"

"You know I really love that shirt." A voice suddenly said from the bathroom. "I think it's mine now." Caitlin walked into the room, wearing a flannel shirt of Barry's, drying her hair with a fluffy white towel of her own.

She didn't notice Cisco at first and jumped on the bed, her fingers immediately running along Barry's bare chest. "Except of course you want to take it back right away."

"Oh no, no, no!"

She turned around, Cisco sat on his bed, eyes wide open.

"Cisco!" she screeched.

Barry shook his head. Awkward didn't even begin to describe the situation.

"You!" He pointed at Barry. "And you!" Pointing at Caitlin now, "Under the shower, while I almost died?" He fell back on his bed, grabbing a pillow and burying his head under it. "Someone please give me some acid. I need to burn my eyes out."

Caitlin leant against Barry's shoulder, placing a soft kiss on it, while laughing. "We're sorry."

"I can also never use that shower again." Cisco groaned.

Harrison and Henry found the hunting cabin after all. It wasn't where it was supposed to be, but at least they escaped the bear.

"You think it's gone by now?" Henry peered outside, but it was too stormy too see anything.

"Don't know." Harry grunted and tried to get a fire started. "We should stay in here anyways. We will never find our way back through the blizzard."

Henry sat down on a wooden chair and rubbed his hands together. "I'm sorry. This was a terrible idea."

"You didn't make me come along. I wanted to." Harrison sat down on a chair opposite him. He gave up on the fire.

They sat there for a while in silence.

"It must be hard for you to look at me." Harrison said all of sudden. "I look like the man who killed your wife." Technically he knew that it wasn't the other Harrison Wells who killed Nora Allen, Barry told him about everything that happened, yet his face was the one associated with it.

"It wasn't you." Henry said. "I will say that I don't know what to think about you. My son trusted someone with that face before and got burned."

"You're just looking out for him."

Henry leaned back. "He can look out for himself." Sometimes it was hard to admit it, but it was the truth. Barry didn't need his father to keep him save anymore, he could do that all by himself. He was an adult, a hero nevertheless. He lived his own life.

"You're still doing it. That's what all parents do."

Henry smiled. "You raised your daughter pretty well."

"Yeah." They fell back into their silence for a while, but this time it was less uncomfortable. Harrison knew that Henry didn't get the chance to raise Barry he way wanted, that he grew up with Joe as a father figure for fifteen years of his life, so he wasn't exactly sure what to say. "Barry is a lot like you. Positive, kind, helping others."

It was the nicest thing someone had said to Henry in a long time and it stunned him that Harrison Wells was the person to tell him.

"He is a lot like his mother too."

"Jesse's mother left us. It was my fault, I didn't appreciate her enough. Work came first."

"I'm still sorry."

Harrison gave him a nod. "Me too."

"I can't stay long at one place since they released me." Henry said then. He had a hard time talking about the effect prison had on him. He wanted to talk to Barry or even Joe, but there was a knot inside of him, holding him back. "That's why I travel a lot."

"Understandable."

"So thank you, for looking out for Barry as well, for helping him."

Harrison suddenly laughed. "We're trapped in a hunting cabin, during a blizzard and a bear is after us."

Henry started to laugh as well. "Such things only happen in movies."

Wells suddenly got an idea. He opened the cardboards in the cabin, looking for something.

"What are you doing?" Henry asked.

After a while Harrison snapped his fingers. "Found some!"

"Found what?"

He presented Henry two glasses and a bottle. "Scotch."

Henry laughed again. "Blizzard, Bear and Booze. Sounds legit."

Harry poured some into each glass and handed it to his companion. "Cheers, my friend."

They clicked glasses. "Cheers!"

"So, our dads are missing?" Barry asked Jesse, his arms crossed.

She nodded. "They went to get antibiotics for Iris and never returned."

Barry clenched his fists. They shouldn't have left their phones at the hotel.

Iris put her head into her hands. "This is all my fault."

Joe wrapped his arm around her. "No, it's not baby."

"I'm gonna find them." Barry promised and got his jacket.

Caitlin wrapped a scarf around his neck. "Be careful." She said and quickly kissed his lip. With a whoosh sound he was gone.

"When did that happen?" Joe asked, nodding towards Caitlin.

Iris shrugged, but could barely hide a grin. "Don't know."

Cisco sat down next to him. "Believe me, you don't want to." The ski lift didn't traumatize him after all. Towels and showers and flannel shirts did.

Even for Barry it was hard to see through the storm. "Dad!" He yelled. "Harry!" Of course no one answered, they wouldn't be able to hear him.

Roar!

He turned around. A bear was staring at him, his prank lifted up. "Shit!" The bear didn't move any further. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be sleeping?"

Roar!

"I'm talking to a bear." Barry said to himself. "Okay buddy, I hope you didn't eat my dad." He scratched his head, not sure what to do. "I guess you'll be fine…"

Roar!

"Okay then." He speeded away.

"And then I punched that Atlantean in the face!" Harry imitated what looked like boxing move and almost fell down.

Henry bawled. "I can't believe Atlantis exists in your world."

"Well, the Kardashian's exist in your world." Harry said and handed him another glass. They moved on to vodka. Turned out that the hunting cab may had no electricity and that the fireplace didn't work, but at least it was stoked with alcohol.

"A toast!" Henry said and stood on his chair. It was very shaky. "To the bear!"

Harry raised his glass. "And the blizzard!"

"And to bonds…" Henry giggled and fell off his chair.

Harry laughed and helped him back up. They were beyond feeling pain. "We should sing a song!"

"Yes!" Henry agreed. "Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer had a very sparkly nose…"

"Stop!" Harry put his hand on Henry's mouth. "It's….it's shiny…" He almost whispered and then laughed loudly again.

"Shiny?" Henry suddenly loved that word. "Haha, shiny."

"You said sparkly, but his nose was shiny."

Henry put his arm around Harrison. "What would I do without you?"

They started the song again. "Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer, had a very shiny nose. And of you ever saw it, you would even say it glows."

"What the hell is going on here?" The door flung open, Barry stood right in front of them, looking irritated.

"My son!" Henry quickly hugged him.

"My hero!" Harry joined the hug.

Barry gently pushed them away. "What happened to you?" He couldn't believe what he saw and much less what he smelled. "Are you drunk?" They were worried about those two and they got drunk in a cabin the woods.

"Barry, Barry." Henry pulled him closer. "Did you know that Rudolph had a shiny nose?"

"He said it was sparkly!" Harry laughed and poured some more vodka into his glass.

Barry wanted the bear back. The bear was less unusual than this sight. He grabbed both men by the arms. "This stays here." He took the bottle from Harrison. "And we're going back."

Henry and Harry were snoring on the sofa in the community room, arm in arm.

Jesse put a blanket over them. "I can't believe they got lost and drunk."

Cisco pulled his phone out. It was finally working again. He immediately took some pictures. "This is beautiful. I have an eternal leverage whenever Harry decides to be a meanie again." He turned the camera around, so that he was in a picture with them. "Selfie time."

Caitlin sat on the other couch, snuggled against Barry, his arm was wrapped around her. Joe handed them both Santa-shaped cups.

"Some eggnog. Not as good as Grandma Esther's but it'll do."

"Thanks Joe." Barry said and then placed a soft kiss on Caitlin's head.

Iris put her head on her father's lap. He began put his hand on her forehead. "You're not burning up anymore."

Jesse smiled. "My good company cured her."

Iris smiled right back at her.

"We're still getting you some medicine tomorrow." Barry promised.

She nodded.

Cisco sat down next to Jesse, their shoulders touching.

Caitlin took Barry's hand and entangled it with hers. "This is nice." She said sleepily. "All of us together." She briefly glanced at new best friends Harry and Henry, "more or less."

Barry chuckled. "Vacation was a good idea after all."

"Oh yes." Cisco agreed. "And tomorrow we can try out those super awesome modified sleighs I pimped."

They watched the fire slowly burn down, sharing stories and laughing until way past midnight. Christmas vacation was indeed the best idea they had in a very long time.