Thank you so much for your patience! It's been a really busy couple of weeks—between studying for exams and Nutcracker rehearsals, I've barely had any time to write! As an apology/Christmas treat, this one is longer!
This fic was requested by Spitfire 303
Rating: K+
~J.H.
"This is all your fault," Caitlin's voice says from behind him.
Barry grits his teeth, "Thanks, Doctor Snow. You've already said that four times. Any other witty observations?"
"Yeah—we're going to die down here."
"Not if you stop worrying and figure a way out of here!"
He hears her scoff and squirm a little, trying to face him, "Oh, so now I have to figure a way out of here?! You're the one who got us into this mess! Plus, you're the one with superpowers!"
"Yeah, well you're the idea one! You're the one who always has the plans!"
Caitlin sighs in frustration, "So whenever we're in trouble, I'm the only one who can come up with a plan? I'm not gonna be there every time you need someone to pull you out of a sticky situation—oh my God." Her voice takes on a different tone suddenly—scared instead of accusing.
"What?" Barry tries to see why she's so panicked, but they're tied back-to back, a pole in between them; he can't see anything. "Are you okay?" He asks, "What's wrong? Caitlin—"
"Barry, look at the ceiling," her voice is deadly calm, which is terrifying.
Barry looks up, squinting at the dimly lit ceiling. At first he can't see anything, but as he looks closer, he can see…ash?
Ash…from fire. The house was on fire! A small fire, from the looks of the trace amounts of ashes falling from the ceiling, but a fire nonetheless. A fire that would only grow and grow until it was out of control.
Meaning, if they didn't get out of here soon, they were both going to die. Barry looks around the dark basement, now realizing how stupid this was. He and Caitlin had been getting a cup of coffee after a long day at the lab. On their way out, someone had stopped them—a teenage girl, maybe seventeen years old, asking for help. Barry's hero instinct sort of kicked in, and, although Caitlin advised against it, he knew he had to help her. Besides, she was just a teenage girl—she couldn't be a danger to them, right?
Wrong.
Turns out she was a metahuman—a really strong metahuman. And although Barry probably could have taken her out, there wasn't any way he would've intentionally hurt a seemingly innocent teenager, metahuman or not. She had knocked them out, and now here they were, tied together in a dark, eerie basement, and Barry didn't even know why. The girl hadn't even shown her face since she knocked them out.
Caitlin hadn't been wrong when she said this was all his fault. It was. He was the one who insited on helping the little girl, and he was the one who dragged Caitlin along.
"How much time do we have?" he whispers.
"I…don't know. Not a lot, but it's a good thing we noticed the fire when we did."
"How are we gonna get out of these handcuffs?" Barry asked, gesturing to the metal cuffs that secured them to each other, one on each wrist.
Caitlin snaps, "I don't—"she sighs, holding back a biting comment, "I don't know, Barry," she says, trying to keep her voice calm, but he can hear the quivering in it.
"Okay…okay. Let's just think for a while, okay?"
"We don't have a while, Barry," she says, as more ash falls from the ceiling. Barry notices that the temperature is also slowly rising.
"Well, we don't have a plan either. So let's just think this through, alright?"
When she doesn't answer, he takes her hand, which is the only thing he can reach, "Alright?"
"Alright," she doesn't pull her hand away, and Barry is comforted by the feeling of her fingers pressed against his knuckle.
Now how are we going to get out? Barry thinks of everything he knows about handcuffs; thinks about every time he's watched Joe pull them out and cuff someone…but more importantly, how he uncuffed them.
It's only been a couple minutes, but Caitlin can already tell they're running out of time. The basement is now covered in a thin layer of dust, and the temperature is uncomfortably hot. On top of all that, she's already finding it difficult to breathe. She closes her eyes and leans her head back on the pole, hoping an idea will come to her before the fire does.
"Caitlin?" Barry moves from behind her, dropping her hand.
"What is it?" She wishes he'd pick up her hand again. As annoyed as she was with him, she found it comforting.
"I've got a stupid idea."
She opens her eyes and tries to face him, "A stupid idea is better than no idea at all."
"The keys that unlock handcuffs…they're small and metal, right?"
"Right…"
"Like a hairpin?"
She immediately knows what he's thinking, "Barry this isn't like on the novels or movies. This is real life, and that takes practice."
Her own arm is forced up toward her head as Barry reaches for the pin that's holding her hair up. "A stupid idea is better than no idea at all," he says, carefully pulling the pin out.
She has to wait several more minutes as he tinkers with the handcuff. He's mostly quiet, occasionally making comments like "dammit!" or "almost there…" but she fears he's lying—they're never going to get out of here.
There's a crash behind her, and her heart speeds up as she glances over to see what it is—the ceiling is begging to cave in. Now the fire will spread to the basement. They are going to burn down here. "Hurry, Barry," she hears herself say, "Please, please hurry."
After what seems like an eternity, she hears a small click and Barry whoops. The metal around her left wrist is released—they're out.
She stands up excitedly, facing him. Her right wrist is still cuffed to his left. "Quick, Barry—the other side!"
"Not enough time!" Barry shouts as another portion of the ceiling begins to cave in.
She knows he's right, "Let's get out of here!"
Barry nods, and scoops her up bridal-style (as best he can with their handcuff). "Hold on tight!" he says. She obeys, closing her eyes and clinging to his neck.
In a split second, she's outside, in front of a familiar building, Barry at her side.
Barry sets her to the ground, forgetting for a moment that they're handcuffed together. "This is Cisco's apartment," he explains, "Go in there and wake him up! I'm going to stop the metahuman—" he almost turns to go, and Caitlin suddenly has a terrifying image of him running back to the fire at full speed, dragging her behind him.
"Barry, wait!" she says before he can go.
He turns, remembering their handcuffs. "Wheres the hairpin?" he asks.
"Barry, you had it last!"
"I dropped it. Do you have another?" He glances toward her hair.
"No! Barry!"
Barry looks embarrassed, "Oops."
"Yeah, oops."
Quickly, Barry tries to cover his mistake, "Okay, here's what wel'll do…we're going to go inside, find Cisco. He's going to get these handcuffs off. Then we're going to call Joe and Wells, tell them about the metahuman—what?" Caitlin's tugging on his arm, like a kid trying to get her parent's attention.
She says nothing, just points down the street. Barry looks up to see the teenage girl, the metahuman who had locked them up. She strides toward them calmly. "You disappoint me, Barry," she says, "You were supposed to let the girl die."
Barry gulps a little, taking a step in front of Caitlin, blocking her from the girl. "What?" He says.
The girl observes the pair with large, grey eyes. "I need you to come with me, Barry Allen," she says, "But the girl is unnecessary."
"No, she's not," Barry defends, wincing at how stupid he sounds.
The girl stomps her foot, making a face. Caitlin can picture this girl maybe ten years ago, having a similar tantrum. She continues, "Yes. She is. I don't want her, Barry."
"Look," Barry gulps, trying think things through, "let's just….slow down a little, okay? What exactly do you want?"
Her expression is stony, her voice calm as she says, "Someone needs you, Barry. But he said not to bring her." She points at Caitlin, who's still standing behind Barry, half-hidden from view.
"Okay," Barry says, "…okay, then take me."
"Barry!" Caitlin protests.
"Take me, but promise you'll leave Caitlin alone! I'm assuming you have the keys to these, Miss…uh, you got a name?" he holds up his wrist, gesturing toward their handcuffs.
She just glowers at them, "No, Barry, that's not the point. I need her to die. She can't be alive."
"Why?" Caitlin demands. She's not as scared right now—more angry and fed up. Who the hell does this kid think she is? Does she honestly think she can just come up and demand Barry to hand himself over?
"In business, I find it's best not to ask many questions."
"Business…you're—what, like a hunter? An assassin?" Barry says. Caitlin notices him gesturing to her to come closer. He's trying to pick something out of his pocket—his phone. Carefully, she slips it out of his back pocket, praying it would be silent.
The girl sighs again, and pulls something from her belt—a gun. A gun, "I said, it's best not to ask questions. Now step aside, Barry Allen. Step aside and let her die."
With shaking hands, Caitlin scrolls through Barry's contacts until she reaches Joe's. She taps it, and hears the call going through. "Barry?" Joe says from the other end, but Caitlin remains silent, knowing she can't take the chance of being caught.
"Okay, we've tried talking to her, and she's crazy," Barry hisses, "I think it's time to run."
"Where to?" she breathes back.
"Anywhere. As long as you're safe."
But a new voice suddenly rings out to the left, "Barry? Caitlin? Oh shi—" Cisco's voice is cut short as the assassin turns to him and fires without hesitation.
Caitlin screams as Cisco falls to the ground, blood seeping through his shirt. She drops the phone—forgetting for a moment who was on the other end. Her heart is caught in her throat, her thoughts wildling considering what was going to happen and she realizes that her best friend might be dead.
She rushes over to him, Barry at her side. "Cisco—Cisco, look at me, alright? Focus on my voice—Barry keep him awake!" The blood is spreading across his abdomen, wetting his shirt at an alarming rate. She carefully pulls the edge of his shirt up, inspecting the bullet wound.
"How bad is it, Doctor?" Cisco's voice says, hoarse and strained.
"You're gonna be fine," she says firmly.
Faintly, she hears sirens in the distance, and she breathes a sigh of relief—they would be alright, as long as the ambulance got here in time.
The girl hears the sirens too. She looks back at Barry, makes a frustrated noise, and then turns and speeds away. Caitlin turns her attention back to Cisco. "Barry, take your shirt off," she demands.
"For bandages," she adds quickly, not wanting him to come to unnecessary conclusions. Caitlin presses one hand to Cisco's wound, stopping the blood flow. She hears him moan slightly and squirm under her hand, "Cisco, please stay still. I know it hurts. Just please hold still. Barry-?"
His shirt is hanging off one arm, exposing his well-sculpted muscles. "I can't get it off as long as we're tied together!" Barry says, frowning.
"Well, find a way! If we don't—"
"Caitlin…"
"—Cisco could very well die and—"
"Caitlin…"
"—I cannot go through losing someone again, Barry I just can't—"
"Caitlin!" He pulls her close, muffling her voice against his bare shoulder, and Caitlin finds it comforting, even as one hand presses against Cisco's bloody wound, "It's gonna be alright. I promise. You're not going to lose anyone."
"How do you know?" She asks.
Barry gives her that lopsided smile, and focuses on something over her shoulder, "Looks like Joe got our message."
Caitlin turns and sees the most wonderful thing she could have at that moment—an ambulance.
They're back at the police station, sitting on a bench, side-by-side. Cisco's already been rushed off to the hospital, and they've informed Caitlin that he's stable.
She sees Eddie walking toward them with some takeout bags.
"I figured you two could use some," he says, grinning and opening up the bags, "It's been a long night—hey why are you guys handcuffed together?"
"Oh—" Caitlin looks down and realizes that she and Barry are indeed still cuffed together. Eddie is already uncuffing them, but Caitlin feels the need to explain, "I guess, just with everything going on…with Cisco and…and everything, we just sorta forgot."
Eddie raises his eyebrows at them, "Hey, I'm not judging you! What you do with your own romantic lives is your business!"
Before either of them can answer, he gets up, gives them a cheeky wink, and strides back over to Iris and Joe.
"What did he mean…?" Barry looks confused for a second, before, "Oh."
Caitlin can't help but laugh, "Yeah, oh."
