Caitlin spent the next several days on pins and needles. She needed a way to contact Tony for that part of their plan to follow through, but, she'd be lying if she said she wasn't scared. She was terrified to the bone. However, she knew that she needed for this meeting to happen to get control over her life again. If Tony was the stalker, (and, she still wasn't convinced it was him, but, what did she know), then she was determined to deal with him head on, and not be hiding behind her friends and boyfriend anymore. Especially her boyfriend. It was time she was the hero of her own story.
The night before her meeting found Caitlin sitting on her couch, knees tucked underneath her, with wine in hand. She wasn't originally going to drink, having wanted a clear head the next day, but, she caved when Cisco said it'd help soothe her nerves a little. She was a nervous wreck, so she'd take all the soothing techniques she could get. She sipped out of her wine glass as she glanced at her watch for what felt like the millionth time in the past five minutes. Barry was due at her apartment any moment now, having gone to work that day. She had the day off, and didn't want him to feel like he had to babysit her while doing his photo shoot; so, she declared she'd allow Cisco to play babysitter.
"Quit looking at your watch, Cait," Cisco reprimanded her quietly, and she looked up from her wrist.
"Oops," she whispered, and he chuckled gently.
"Barry will be here before you know it," he promised her earnestly, and that was enough to soothe her anxious heart a little. She nodded her head and took another sip of wine, to give herself something to do. Cisco knew Caitlin well enough to know that she wasn't in the mood to talk; that she just wanted to sit there, waiting for Barry in peace. So, he kept his mouth shut and she was forever grateful.
The sound of her front door unlocking caused her to lift her head up, and she watched as Barry peeked his head around the door.
"Just me, sweetheart," he murmured, and she smiled at him, before standing up. She met him halfway across her apartment, and he pulled her into a gentle kiss. She found herself reveling in the taste of it, knees going weak. His arms wrapped around her waist, supporting her, and she sighed contentedly. They eventually pulled apart, and Barry brushed his lips across every bit of skin he could reach: cheeks, nose, corner of her lips; not one part of her face went untouched.
"I missed you," she said softly, and he kissed her forehead.
"I missed you, too. My model today is nowhere near as nice as you," he murmured with a frown; one that Caitlin matched.
"That's no fun," she muttered, and he chuckled as he shook his head.
"Nope," he replied, before stealing one more kiss. They fell into their routine of the past few days after that. They ate Chinese that Barry had brought home with him, and talked about the final plans for the next day.
"Remember, sweetheart: I'll be right inside with you, and Oliver's got eyes on us from the outside," Barry said softly. Caitlin nodded her head.
"It's nice to know that if anything goes south, Ollie will be right there," she mused.
"Nothing's going to go south, but I agree; having him close by is working in our favor," Barry replied. Caitlin still didn't believe that anything wouldn't go south, because when had things been easy for them as couple? However, she didn't bother voicing her concerns; she didn't want Barry to worry endlessly, very much like herself.
"Then, I'll be at the police station, ready to deliver the restraining order to the idiot myself," Cisco piped up, after swallowing a mouthful of veggie roll. Caitlin nodded her head absentmindedly.
"Remember, guys, we still don't know if Tony is the actual stalker," she reminded them.
"He's the stalker," Barry, and Cisco, interjected simultaneously. She sighed.
"You two always look for the worst in people," she muttered with an eyeroll.
"And, you look for the best," Barry murmured, matching her eyeroll.
"We'll agree to disagree," she commented with a dry chuckle, and Barry shook his head fondly.
The rest of the night was spent going over tactics on what they should do, should a situation arise.
"I don't care what you say, babe, but my main priority is you, and your safety. If I think, for even a millisecond, that Tony has something up his sleeve, I won't hesitate to get us out of there, blowing the whole thing out of the water," Barry stated firmly. Caitlin sighed.
"That'd be counterproductive," she informed him, but he didn't budge.
"I don't care. You're not going to get hurt anymore because of this creep. He's already had someone attempt to kidnap you, or did you forget?" Barry asked, and Caitlin inhaled sharply.
"No, I hadn't forgot," she muttered, mind drifting back to that day. She felt a shiver run up her spine when she thought about what the gun felt like at the back of her neck. She felt Barry's hand squeezing her smaller one, and looked up.
"It's okay. You're still here, with me," he said softly, and she smiled as much as she could.
As the night ended, Cisco brought something to Caitlin's attention.
"I don't really like the idea of not being near my best friend right now," he began, looking pointedly at her.
"Okay, and…" Caitlin trailed off, unsure of what he wanted to say.
"I think I should stay here, with you guys, until this creep is behind bars. Because, truth of the matter is, he did try to have you kidnapped. I don't think the police are going to settle for a restraining order at this point," he replied. Caitlin thought it over for a moment.
"I'd feel better if you were here, too," she admitted, and Cisco dipped his head appreciatively. At long last, the three of them retired to bed for the evening, with Cisco taking the couch, and Caitlin and Barry climbing into her bed. Barry's arms automatically wrapped around her waist, and she snuggled into his hold.
"Remember: I love you, baby," he whispered into her ear, before kissing her cheek. She hummed.
"I love you, too," she replied. Then, feeling calm for a moment, she felt herself drift off to sleep. But, like the calm before the storm, the worst was yet to come.
Author's note: Enjoy! And, I'm doing oneshots again, so if you have one, shoot me a comment! XOXO