Caitlin thought Ronnie was her soulmate, she truly did. She thought they were going to be together until the end of time. How naïve she had been, thinking that your first love was your forever love.

"God, I can't take this anymore, Ronnie!" Caitlin screamed. She had no clue what they were fighting about; hadn't been sure in a long time. He folded his arms, and levelled her with a stare.

"The door is right there, Caitlin," he stated, nodding his head towards it. "Shut it on your way out."

She stared at him for a long moment, wishing she could feel something, anything. Anything but the constant disappointment coursing through her veins. She came up empty. Nodding her head once, she turned on her heel, striding away from him. She slammed the door shut on her way out, the ringing echoing in her ears for a long time to come.

XXXX

A few weeks passed, and Caitlin found herself not getting out of bed. One would think that leaving a toxic relationship would make them happy, but not so much. Caitlin wasn't sleeping, wasn't eating; she was surviving off coffee alone. She knew her friends were worried. Hartley, and Cisco both stayed with her, opting to sleep on her couch and floor. Each day, they tried to encourage her to eat something, but she simply didn't have an appetite.

"Cait, if you don't start eating, I'm going to have you hospitalized," Hartley warned her one day, when she had dropped fifteen pounds. Sighing, she pulled the plate of eggs that Cisco had made towards her, and played with them. She knew she needed to eat, that she wasn't doing herself any favors; she was just simply too tired.

"I'm so tired," she murmured, and he nodded his head.

"I know you are, honey. But giving up because of a breakup is not the way to go," he reminded her, and she sighed again. He was right; it wasn't the way to go.

"Think about what your dad would say," Cisco added quietly, and Caitlin felt a lump rise in her throat. It had been a few months since her father's passing, and the wound was still so raw; so fresh.

"Please, don't," she implored, but Cisco shook his head stubbornly.

"If talking about your dad wakes you up, and knocks some sense into you, then so be it," he countered, and she thought about it. Her dad wouldn't be proud of her if he could see her. Knowing that was what caused her to scoop up the first forkful of eggs, popping the food into her mouth. She couldn't remember the last time she had something other than liquid in her stomach, and the food caused her stomach to turn. But, she ate regardless. The food tasted like cardboard, and Caitlin shuddered as she chewed, but, she managed to eat the whole plate. Hartley smiled in victory.

"Thank you," he murmured, and she returned his smile, muscles feeling stiff.

XXXX

Caitlin started going out with Hartley, and Cisco again. The two soulmates had convinced her she had spent enough time being cooped up in her apartment. They were right. One night, they all had agreed to go to a new club, not the one she had met Ronnie at. They, bless them, realized it would too difficult for Caitlin to be in the place the served as a walk down memory lane for her.

"C'mon, sweetheart," Cisco encouraged Caitlin, who had stalled outside of the club. He used his hand that wasn't laced with Hartley's to squeeze her hand gently.

"I'm not sure if I'm ready," she uttered, staring at the club apprehensively.

"You'll never know until you try," Cisco murmured, and she looked at him.

"I'm not saying you have to talk to the first guy who offers to buy you a drink," he added comfortingly. "But, it won't hurt to try and start talking to some."

Caitlin thought over his words, while her friends waited patiently. She eventually nodded her head.

"Alright," she muttered, wanting to get this night over and done with. They headed into the club, with Caitlin wishing she was at home, curled up with her favorite book and a mug of hot tea.

XXXXX

The club was crowded, that much was clear. She pressed herself tightly into the wall as they walked, searching for a table. They found one not even a moment later, and sat down. Caitlin stared around at her surroundings, before looking at the menu. She wasn't sure she even wanted an alcoholic beverage, so opted for a Diet Coke instead. She drummed her fingers on the table as she waited for it to be delivered. Hartley glanced around at her.

"Mind if Cisco and I go dance?" Hartley asked, and she shook her head.

"Have fun," she encouraged, and he kissed her softly on the forehead, before making his way out onto the dance floor with his partner. Her Diet Coke was delivered a moment later, and she took a long sip, looking around at the other couples on the dance floor.

"What's a pretty lady, such as yourself, doing sitting by herself?" Came a voice, and Caitlin cringed, before rolling her eyes.

"Enjoying a soda," she replied flatly, not looking up at the guy who sat down at her table.

"Tony," he introduced himself.

"You'll notice I didn't ask," Caitlin replied dryly, taking another sip of her soda.

Tony leaned into her, and she didn't have to work hard to smell the strong scent of whisky on him.

"Can I buy you something else…I didn't catch your name, sweetheart," Tony said.

"I didn't throw it," Caitlin replied. "And no, soda is just fine."

He chuckled.

"C'mon, tell me your name," he encouraged, placing his hand on her thigh. She shoved it off and glared at him.

"No. You're drunk, and I'm definitely not interested in telling you my name. Go chat up another girl," she instructed, and his eyes narrowed.

"You'd be best to know your place, sweetheart," he said softly, but she just shrugged.

"Sorry, sweetheart, but you'll notice I don't really care about what you have to say," she commented. He opened his mouth just then, but they both looked up when another voice spoke up.

"Are you stupid, buddy?" A tall, lanky guy asked. Caitlin noticed how strikingly green his eyes were right off the bat.

"She's not interested. I suggest you go sleep it off," the guy continued, and Caitlin smiled appreciatively at him. Tony stood up, rolling his eyes.

"Whatever," he muttered, before knocking back his shot and slouching off.

"Mind if I sit?" The guy asked, and Caitlin shrugged a shoulder.

"Free country," she commented, and he laughed, sitting down.

"Barry Allen." He held out his hand. She blinked. Was this guy offering her a hand shake? Smiling slightly, she held out her own hand.

"Caitlin Snow," she murmured, feeling like it was easier to tell Barry her name than it was to tell Tony. He smiled.

"Well, Caitlin Snow, what are you drinking, and can I get you another?" Barry asked, and she thought about it.

"Diet Coke," she replied, nodding her head. He flagged down a waiter, ordering her another soda.

"Do you always get harassed wherever you go?" Barry asked while they waited for her drink.

"To tell you the truth, this is my first time out in a long time," she replied, and he nodded his head.

"Mine, too," he murmured. She studied him. He was tall, good looking, and had a genuine smile; the exact opposite of Ronnie's smile. Thinking of Ronnie put her in a spiraling spell of depression, so she quickly banished any thoughts of him. The waiter arrived with her drink just then, and she accepted it with a word of thanks.

"Where's your soulmate?" Barry asked, and Caitlin sighed. In a world full of soulmates, it was only expected to be asked about hers'.

"I don't have one," she muttered, cringing. Instead of looking at her in surprise, he nodded his head, humming thoughtfully.

"Me neither," he admitted truthfully. She nodded, but didn't comment on that. They didn't say much as she drank her soda, opting to just enjoy the company they found themselves in. When Hartley, and Cisco returned to the table, ready to leave for the night, Barry stood up.

"Nice meeting you, Caitlin Snow," he said.

"You, too, Barry," she murmured, before turning on her heel and walking away. But that wasn't the last she'd see of him.

XXXX

Barry Allen soon became a light in her life, creeping into her darkest places, and filling them. They bumped into each other at the club several times, and always sat together and talked. He eventually convinced her to dance with him one night, and she ended up giving him her number. Everything changed after that.

They spent many nights talking on the phone, well into the early hours of the morning. She learned that he was like her. He thought his first love, Iris West, was supposed to be his soulmate. Unlike her and Ronnie, they hadn't burned out on each other; they just simply realized they weren't the same people they were in they first fell in love. She achingly wished her, and Ronnie had ended like that, instead of like a relationship that had gone up in flames.

He coaxed her gently into talking about Ronnie. She shared parts of that relationship with him that she had never shared with anyone else, not even her friends.

"We just held on until we couldn't anymore," she said one night, as they sat on her couch, eating. "I held on for as long as I could, determined to make it work; I just ended up exhausting myself."

He nodded thoughtfully. "Sometimes, when a soulmate seems too good to be true, that's usually because they are."

She sighed, knowing a little something about that.

"I don't even know if I'll ever find my true soulmate," she murmured.

"Sometimes, we find them when we're least expecting it; when we're not even looking for them," he said comfortingly. He left not long after that, causing Caitlin to stay up much later than she intended, thinking about his words.

XXXX

The first time he asked her on a date, she said yes with no hesitancy. And the time he proposed to her, she could honestly say everything was aligning for her as it should be. As she walked down the aisle towards him, ready to commit to him completely, she knew that he had been right all those nights ago; sometimes, you found your soulmate when you weren't even looking.

Author's note: Got two requests about a soulmate AU. I've already written something like this, it's a one shot. If you're looking for a more detailed soulmate AU, check it out. (It's 4,000+ words). Enjoy! XOXO