Part 10

Caitlin and Barry walked into the dinning room. Caitlin smiled when she saw that Laurel's father Detective Quinton Lance had joined them.

"Detective Lance, it's nice to see you again." Said Caitlin

"Caitlin, you doing well?" asked Quinton

"Yes. Though things will really start happening after the holidays at the lab. By the way this is my boyfriend Barry Allen. He is a CSI with the Central City police department. Barry this is Laurel's father Detective Quinton Lance." Said Caitlin

"Nice to meet you sir." Said Barry

"You too. Though you know if you hurt this young lady I will find something to charge you with if you show up here." Said Quinton

"Trust me detective I will not hurt Cait intentionally. She is everything I have always wanted in a woman. She is smart, kind and beautiful." Said Barry

"Grampy be nice to Barry. I like him. When he marries Auntie Cait I get to be the flower girl." Said Amanda

Carla choked on the wine she had just taken a sip of. She looked at her daughter who had placed her hand to her forehead.

"Caitlin is there something you haven't told us?" asked Robert

"No. Barry has not asked me to marry him. We are not engaged. We haven't even talked about getting married. Mandy for some reason just wants to be a flower girl." Said Caitlin

"Maybe it has to do with a little girl in her play group who was a flower girl in her aunts wedding two weeks ago. She has been asking me when she will get to be one." Said Laurel

"Caitlin, Laurel only mentioned that she would have to wait until you got married." Said Oliver

Caitlin rolled her eyes. She didn't blame Laurel. Amanda was a sweet kid. She actually would love to have the little girl as her flower girl. But she wasn't sure if she was ready to get married. Judging from the look that Barry had when the topic came up he sure as hell wasn't ready to ask her. Not that she was really expecting him to. They had only been together for a year. The rest of dinner went well. By the end of it Caitlin could tell that both her mom and Robert liked Barry. Even Detective Lance seemed to like him. Even Oliver was starting to warm up to him a little. After dinner Robert took Barry, Oliver and Lance into his study. Caitlin, her mom, Thea and Laurel took Amanda into the den so the little girl could color while the others talked.

"Caitlin, Barry seems to make you really happy." Said Laurel

"I am happier than I have been in a long time. You must know that I was not happy when we met Laurel." Said Caitlin

"Yeah I am pretty sure everyone noticed. We met at your parents engagement party if I remember right." Said Laurel

"Yeah. You came with Sara and your parents. Tommy came too. Though his father was not invited."

"Well seeing as my mom had been having an affair with him is it any wonder that Malcom was not welcome here?" asked Thea

"Well anyway I sat in a corner but you and Sara came over and tried to make me feel welcome. I don't think I ever properly thanked you for that."

"Caitlin, you don't have to. Sara and I were just glad that there was going to be another girl around to hang out with. Even if our interests were no where near the same."

"You and Sara were my first real friends."

"Those kids you were in school with idiots. Just because you are a genius doesn't mean you weren't someone they wouldn't want to be friends with." Said Laurel

"Thanks." Said Caitlin

"Caitlin, you know I never would have gotten through science class if not for you." Said Thea

"You're my sister Thea. Of course I was going to help you."

The women continued to talk until it was time for Laurel to take Amanda home for bed.

Barry sat with the other men in Robert Queen's study very uncomfortably. He knew that each of these men cared about Caitlin. So he could understand them being protective of her.

"Mr. Allen, I may not be Caitlin's father by blood. But I love her as much as if she were. Caitlin is my child as much as Oliver and Thea are." Said Robert

"Mr. Queen, I love Caitlin. I just want to make her happy. I know what it is like to have your life turned by losing a parent. My mom was murdered when I was eleven. My dad went to prison for the crime. But I know that he didn't do it. I will prove it one day." Said Barry

"Does Caitlin believe you?" asked Oliver

"Yes. Look I know that it sounds crazy. But I know that my mom was killed by a man in a yellow suit. That there was red and yellow lightning in my house that night. It doesn't matter if any of you believe. Cait does." Said Barry

Robert studied the young man that had won the heart of his adopted daughter. Because what Caitlin never knew was that he had legally adopted her with Carla's blessing only months after they married. He trusted Caitlin's judgment. He may not believe the story Barry told. But this young man had done what no one else had been able to do in all the time that he had known Caitlin. He made her smile. Not the fake one she had shown the world. But a real one.

"While I don't believe you. But Caitlin does. As long as you keep that smile on her face then I will not call you crazy." Said Robert

"Yeah well you passed the psych evaluation to work at CCPD so that is good enough for me." Said Lance

"I have to admit you do make Caitlin happy. But until you prove that you are a good guy I am not fully on board with you. But Caitlin is smart and Ronnie seems to like you so I will give you a chance." Said Oliver

Barry just nodded. He knew that Caitlin valued both Robert and Oliver's opinion. He was also fairly confident that Detective Lance's meant something to her too.

"I don't know if this means anything but Cait didn't even tell me who her family was until after she came back to Central City after Oliver came back from the dead. Not that it matters to me. I love her for her. She could be penniless and I would still love her."

"It actually means a lot. Just don't hurt her." Said Robert

"I don't plan too. I know that Cait isn't as strong as she pretends to be."

The other three nodded. Lance left. Barry then headed upstairs to bed.