After getting a few unrestful hours of sleep, Caitlin eventually decided to call it over and get out of bed. She made her way tiredly into her kitchen and turned her coffee pot on, hoping the smell and taste of the hot liquid would effectively wake her up more. What she didn't expect to wake her up was the sound of someone knocking on her door. Sighing, she poured herself a cup of coffee before making way to her door, peeking out of the peephole before opening it.

"Hello, Barry," she murmured as she looked at him, hands in his pockets and smiling at her. After a momentary pause, she cleared her throat.

"Was there something I could help you with?" Caitlin asked softly, hoping to find out why he was standing outside of her door. He quickly shook his head.

"No, I just came by to see how you were doing after the session yesterday?" Barry asked and Caitlin sighed as she swung her door open to invite him in.

"I'm fine, I promise," she muttered as she made her way back to her kitchen after he shut the door softly. His quiet footsteps alerted her to the fact that he was following her. Once insider her kitchen, she jerked her head wordlessly towards the coffee pot and watched as he helped himself to a mug of coffee; she wondered if this was a tradition in the making.

She sat down at her counter, tightening her sweater against her as she did so. After getting his mug, he sat down next to her. The two of them sat in silence for a while, letting it envelop them as they sipped their coffee. Eventually, he cleared his throat and she looked at him curiously before shifting her eyes elsewhere.

"You know I'm really proud of you for opening up the way you did in front of us yesterday, right?" Barry asked quietly and Caitlin hummed by didn't say anything, not sure where this conversation was going. She didn't have to wait long to find out, however.

"I'd like to come sit in on more sessions, if that's alright," Barry murmured and Caitlin sighed.

"Barry…" she began but stopped when he placed his hand on hers'. She looked down at their hands and then back up to him; he had nothing but gentleness swimming in his orbs.

"Please," he asked. "I've done a lousy job of being a good friend to you. I need to rectify my mistakes."

Caitlin sat there and thought it over. Barry had a point: he hadn't been a good friend to her but she wasn't sure if the way to rectify those mistakes was to be present during her most vulnerable moments. Sighing, she took a sip off coffee to prolong having to give an answer. Perhaps he noticed, because he laughed gently.

"Coffee to the rescue," he murmured and she smiled, despite herself. He sat there, letting her drink however much coffee she needed while she gathered her thoughts. Eventually, she looked back at him.

"Alright," she breathed.

He looked at her hopefully.

"Alright I can sit in on some more sessions?" Barry asked and Caitlin nodded.

"You can," she verified. "But there are conditions."

"I'm good with conditions," he immediately agreed and she chuckled at his enthusiasm.

"Alright, you go when I want you there. If you have any questions to ask Carol, we need to go over them before the session so I'm not blindsided. And, if at any point, I ask you to leave the session, you must do so without questioning my judgement call," she muttered. She had a reason for each condition and was willing to defend them if she had to, but luckily for her, Barry agreed without question.

"Your conditions are very doable," he replied softly and she smiled hesitantly. They finished the rest of their coffee in a comfortable silence, Caitlin not feeling quite at peace but better than she had in a while.

Once they finished their coffees, Barry looked at her.

"Are you going to come into work today?" Barry asked her and she thought it over.

"I don't know…" she trailed off as he shook his head.

"Cait, it's okay to fear everything," he murmured. "It is. What's not okay is to let your fear make you shy away from the world, especially when you have friends who want to help you."

She thought over his words as he trailed his thumb over her knuckles absentmindedly, watching her. She watched his thumb for a moment, before looking up at him.

"Alright," she whispered and he smiled encouragingly at her.

They cleaned up their mess, before she headed back into her room to grab everything she needed, including her anxiety medication. She then made her way back out into her living room, where Barry was waiting patiently for her.

"Got everything you need?" Barry asked as soon as he saw her. She nodded her head as she tightened her sweater around her.

"Good. May I?" Barry asked as he held out his arms. She hesitated for only a moment before giving him permission to lift her up. He swung her into his arms, legs dangling over the crook of his elbow, and then they were off. She tucked her head into his neck and kept her eyes firmly shut as he raced through the city. Soon enough, he came to a stop and she peeked her eyes open as she got her bearings back.

"We're here," he murmured as he set her back down on the ground. She smiled.

"Much faster than my car," she teased, surprised to hear the joking tone she had adopted. He laughed.

"That it is," he agreed warmly and bumped his shoulder with hers'. They made their way into the cortex where everybody else was. She smiled softly at Wally as he glanced up at them.

"Hey, Cait," he smiled back at her before dipping his head in Barry's direction. Barry returned his greeting before glancing at Caitlin.

"You alright, Cait?" Barry murmured and she blinked, before looking at him.

"Fine," she confirmed before tightening her sweater around her and making her way to her desk, bringing up the two speedsters latest medical results. She got immersed in her work for several hours before someone interrupted her.

"Hey," Cisco called out to her and she nearly dropped the file she was holding. Catching it with fumbling fingers, she turned her round eyes onto him.

"Hey," she replied shakily as she slowed her heart rate down. He studied her for a moment before sighing.

"I wish you wouldn't be nervous around me," he muttered. She laughed humorlessly.

"Don't take it personally, I'm nervous around everyone," Caitlin replied dryly.

"Not Wally," Cisco countered and she sighed.

"That's because he took the time to get to know me after I came back," she muttered. "You were busy with helping get Barry back."

Cisco winced at her words and she bit her lip.

"That's not a bad thing," she amended softly but he shook his head.

"I should've been focused on helping you, too. You're my best friend. Or, were," he sighed. She didn't know how they had lost themselves or their friendship over the course of the past year but she wasn't sure if they were ever going to get back to who they once were.

"Look, Cisco, you have to understand. A lot of things have changed in the past few months. I've changed," she muttered, hoping he'd understand. He seemed to because he smiled softly a moment later.

"You're right. However, that doesn't mean I'm giving up on you or our friendship. I'll never do that," he murmured before squeezing her shoulder gently. Again, she fought off the urge to recoil and smiled only when she was sure she wasn't going to.

"Alright," she murmured. They stayed besides each other, talking for a bit longer. It wasn't a huge, monumental improvement by any means but it was enough to leave her a bit happier than she had been. And that was enough for her.

Author's note: Thanks to all who have been following this story. I've decided I don't want it to be a short story and I have a rough idea of where I'm going to be taking it over the next few chapters. Hope you all enjoy! Also, I'll be updating my other stories over the course of the week. They're: Spells and Shattered Glass if you're looking for other Snowbarry! XOXO