Five different times Caitlin and Barry wake up to take care of Val

A mini-story for 'The Future of Us'

"Barry?" a groggy Caitlin murmurers into her pillow. "Barry?" she calls out again as her hand reaches out to the empty spot in front of her. She lifts her head, rubbing off some sleep, and looking around the darkroom.

The crackling and cries from the baby monitor, next to her bedside, continue to go off. She groans in slight frustration, pulling the covers back. She takes one step towards the door when a husky voice comes through the monitor.

"Hey baby girl, what's wrong?" he coos.

A smile on her face, she walks over to the room to lean against the door frame. Her husband, bending over to pick up the small infant.

"Why are you trying to wake up mommy, huh?" he playfully scowls as the baby looks up at him with big, green-bluish eyes that match his own. Her little lip quivers and her fist ball up before the whines and cries continue.

"Oh no! Val daddy is just joking," he stresses, holding the infant close and softly patting her back to soothe her.

Caitlin giggles at the scene causing Barry to look in her direction. "Cait," he gasps, nervous. "Baby I got this. You go back to bed," he pushes.

She smiles at him and walks over to take the baby from his hold. "Yeah, you totally got this. Explains why she is still crying, huh?" she smirks then looks at the small being in her arms. Instantly, the infant stops crying, smiling up at her mother. Caitlin smiles back and kisses her forehead.

Barry huffs in defeat, rubbing the back of his neck. "I would have gotten her to stop... eventually," he cracks with a playful glare.

"Yeah okay," she giggles, slowly rocking their daughter in her arms. "Face it, babe, she's a mommy girl," she coos, smiling down at the baby. Val giggles back, her little hands reaching for Caitlin's face. She grabs her tiny hand to place a soft kiss then continues to rock the infant to sleep.

"For now," he smirks then genuinely smiles at the interaction between his wife and daughter. "You love daddy too, right Val?" he asks in his baby voice looking so sweetly at his baby.

Val looks at her father to then turn back to her mother with a smile, babbling away. Caitlin smirks back at her husband, "Our daughter has spoken."

Barry crosses his arms, pouting in defeat. "Traitor," he grumbles.

Caitlin laughs and walks away with their daughter close to her chest. "I still love you, babe," she smiles, batting her eyelashes.

"Yeah... but I already know that," he whines. waving away her comment.

She shakes her head then gestures to their room. "Let's go to bed and I'll help you find a way to get Val to love you too," she giggles.

His eyes light up then he flashes to her side, kissing her cheek then bending down to kiss Val's head. "To bed!" he smiles, dragging her to their room.

"Your daddy is so silly," she smiles in her baby voice to her daughter who smiles back in agreement - in Caitlin's eyes.

Barry lays watching as his wife and daughter sleep soundly. It is another night of Valerie waking them up in the middle of the night. Caitlin seems unbothered but, he knows her. She would put their daughter's needs before her own even if that means sleeping uncomfortably to not roll over on their baby. He has that fear too but, Caitlin deserves a well-rested sleep.

He looks at their peaceful daughter as her chest rises and falls. Slowly he slides his hands to cradle her in his arms. "Shh, shh, shhh," he whispers as he feels her jostle from the movement. He looks back at Caitlin then quickly walks out of the room.

The sudden movement wakes the infant in his arms. Her big eyes looking around.

"Hey, baby girl, everything is okay," he reassures, lightly bouncing her in his arms as he walks back to her room. "Daddy's got you," he coos.

She starts to puff and her lip starts to quiver as the presence of her mother is no longer nearby.

"Valerie Jade," he playful scowls, bobbing her nose with his finger. "You are fine," he stresses. "You need to give mommy a break every now and again," he playfully tells her.

Her little face scrunches as she starts to get fussy in his arms - trying to wiggle out of his hold.

"Hey, hey," he coos at her, holding her close to his chest. "None of that baby girl. You are fine, I promise," he kisses her forehead then tries rocking her slowly. As she continues to fuss, he sighs in defeat.

"Try singing to her," a soft voice fills the room.

He looks over at his wife with sad eyes. "I didn't mean to wake you. I was just trying to get her to sleep in her crib," he sighs.

"Sing to her. It might help," she pushes with a smile. "You have such an amazing voice I know she will just love it," she adds biting her lip.

Barry half-smirks at her then looks back at the infant in his arms. "You want daddy to sing to you?" he asks as she looks back at him with wide eyes. He half-smiles then walks over to the rocking chair in the corner. He repositions her to sit on his lap and face him.

Caitlin sits leaning against the changing table next to the chair. She smiles at him to give him encouragement.

He swallows back his fear then smiles at his beautiful daughter. His hand, supporting her head, softly massaging her fair hair. "Summer lovin' had me a blast," he chuckles, glancing at his wife with a slight blush.

"Barry!" she giggles.

"Shh!" he chuckles, then continues. "I met a girl crazy for me," he sings, leaning forehead to kiss his daughter's forehead.

A smile creeps on her face while sticking out her tongue.

"Summer days drifting away to, oh, oh, the summer nights," he softly continues singing. A smile stretching on his face as he watches her eyes slowly close as he finishes the song. He pulls her back to his chest, softly patting her back.

Her head nestles into his chest as her chest rises and falls.

He grins with success and turns to look at his wife to find her fast asleep. Carefully he walks over to Valerie's crib, placing her down with a soft kiss. "Good night baby girl," he whispers. His attention then turns to Caitlin. He scoops her up in his arms and smiles.

Her action a mirror reflection of their daughter's as she nestles her head into his chest. He softly chuckles, pulling her close.

"Like mother, like daughter."

A horrified scream wakes the couple wide awake. They look at each other in fear thinking the noise came from the other. When it repeats, they jump to their feet and Barry flashes them to their daughter's room. Caitlin looks down into the crib to see Valerie red and sweat soaking her onesie.

"Barry!" she screams grabbing the child. "She is burning up," she panics, holding her close to her chest.

"Frost! Let her in control while I race us to Star Labs," he says, scooping his wife into his arms.

Within seconds, Caitlin's auburn locks turn silver as her eyes change into the familiar icy blue color. The ice queen rips the top buttons to give the baby more skin to skin contact in hopes to cool her down.

"Hang in there, baby girl," Barry says, holding the pair closer to his chest as he ran as fast as he could. He places Frost down in Caitlin's lab and she quickly walks over to place the child on a medical crib.

Turning back into Caitlin, she goes into full doctor mode. Grabbing her equipment to run every test possible to figure out her sudden fever.

Barry remains by his daughter's side as she cries in pain. He sweeps away her matted hair, his heart-tugging with every cry. "Mommy is going to fix you just like she fixes daddy," he cries, feeling helpless.

"This doesn't make sense," Caitlin moans, is frustration.

"What is it Cait?" Barry looks over in concern.

She runs her fingers through her hair, rubbing her temple, and biting her bottom lip. With a heavy sigh, she looks at her tablet. "These results are coming back negative. They say nothing is wrong with her," she cries in frustration.

"Hey, hey," Barry coos, moving to comfort his wife. "Breathe Cait. Deep breath," he coaches into her ear.

"I can't," her voice cracks, in pain. "I can't fix her if I can't find out what's wrong."

"Hey," Barry snaps, his hands cupping her cheeks. "Cait, it's super late, you are exhausted, this is a stressful situation. You need to stop and breathe," he softly speaks, his thumbs caressing her face.

Her lip quivers as she tries to follow Barry's advice. She looks over his shoulder to the crib and walks over to the infant whimpering. "Oh, baby," she mumbles under her breath, reaching for her clenched fist.

Valerie's soft cries, slow down at her mother's gentle touch. Her tight fist opens to wrap around her mother's finger.

Caitlin softly smiles at the action, a feeling of relief filling her system. "Mommy is going to fix you," she promises.

Barry smiles at the scene, taking a mental picture to hold in his mind forever. Valerie looks up at him and reaches out with her other hand. He softly chuckles following her demand. Instantly his finger is wrapped with her small hand.

A feeling of electricity runs through the trio. Caitlin and Barry gasp as the redness in their child's face fades away. Her temperature lowers by the second and all is left is a happy, smiling baby.

"How? Did - did we just fix her?" Barry babbles flabbergasted by the scene before him.

"I- I don't know... how is this possible," she asks bewildered, picking up their daughter into her arms.

"Well," Barry chuckles, tickling Val's belly causing her to giggle. "We believe in the impossible, don't we?" he smirks.

Caitlin gives him her famous glare with a playful eye-roll, bouncing their daughter in her arms. "Smooth Mr. Allen," she jokes.

"What?" he playfully shrugs. "All that matters is our baby girl is fine, right?"

She kisses the baby's head, breathing in her daughter's scent. "Right," she smiles then peppers Val's cheeks with kisses.

She squeals in joy and reaches out for Barry. He laughs, taking the baby into his arms.

"Let's go home, shall we," he asks in a baby voice.

The infant blows a raspberry in response making the parents laugh before flashing home.

'Mama'

Caitlin hears echoing in her mind. She snaps awake, looking around her bedroom. The space next to her empty and cold. She sighs, remembering Barry is away with the team preparing for another crisis. As she goes to lay back down the voice echoes again.

'Mama!' it screams louder.

She jumps out of her bed - bewildered. The voice is familiar but not able to but a face to it. Suddenly whimpers sound through the baby monitor. "Val," she whispers under her breath and runs down the hall.

Laying in her crib, Valerie continues to whimper, kicking and grabbing at the air. Her cries getting louder by the second.

Caitlin picks her up, placing her on her shoulder while rubbing her back in a soothing manner. "Shhh," she coos. "It's okay Val, mommy is here," she assures the infant.

However, Val continues to cry, fighting against her mother's hold.

Concern fills Caitlin as she lays her daughter on the nearby changing table. "Valerie, what's wrong, baby," she questions, checking if the infant needs a diaper change.

'Mama... pain' the voice reappears.

"Pain," she mumbles under her breath. She checks her daughter for any strange or new marks on her small frame - nothing. It's then her mind clicks. "Val," she gasps. "Did you just talk to mommy?" she can't help question.

'Mama... pain' the voice repeats.

It all starts to connect in her head. The voice in her mind is her daughter's voice. Her daughter is speaking to her through her mind. She picks up the infant and scurries to find a breacher to get to Star Labs.

"Hang tight baby girl. Mommy is going to fix you, my love," she kisses the top of her head, breacher in hand, and jumps through the portal.

"Cait!" Barry gasps, seeing his wife and child in the cortex. "What are you doing here? You need to go home, it's too dangerous for you two to be here."

Caitlin ignores his words, swiftly walking to her lab. Her baby's cry turning into loud whimpers as she lays her in the crib. Barry is hot on her trail, watching his wife turning on monitors and pulling up test results. "How could I have missed this," she says to herself.

"Missed what? What's going on with Val?" he questions with concern, looking down at his sad child.

The baby reaches up for her father in pain. He obliges, patting her back in a soothing manner, and humming into her ears.

"I'm so stupid," Caitlin shakes her head then turns away from the monitors, opening drawers - searching for something.

"Cait, what's going on?" he asks harsher than intended to get her attention.

"She has powers," Caitlin snaps back, moving to a nearby cabinet. "Where is it?" she groans to herself.

Barry stills his movements, taking in the information. "P- powers?" he stutters.

Finally looking over at him, she gives him a weak smile looking at the child in his arms. "Our daughter is a meta," she sighs, running her fingers through her hair.

"How? I thought she didn't have any dark matter in her system like Nora," he rambles.

"I don't have time to explain right now, but I need to find my necklace," she says going back to search for the missing jewelry.

"These powers are hurting her, aren't they?" he asks, putting the pieces together.

She looks over at him sadly, nodding her head. He walks over to his wife, handing her their child then flashes out of the room to shortly return with the pendant on a short chain to fit their daughter perfectly. Once Barry places it on, her whimpers and cries stop.

The parent sigh with relief as the child cuddles into Caitlin's neck, closing her eyes.

"Well look at that," he breathes.

Caitlin chuckles, rubbing Val's back putting her right to sleep. "Thank you, Barry," she smiles, leaning up on her toes to peck his lips.

"Anything for my girls," he smiles back, wrapping his arms around Caitlin's waist, pulling her into his chest. He leans down giving her a long kiss then resting his forehead against yours. "You should get going though," he whispers on her lips.

"I know," she sighs. "It's dangerous," she playfully rolls her eyes.

He nods his head, "That and I don't want anyone else seeing my wife in just my shirt," he smirks, admiring her outfit.

She gasps, realizing her attire and her cheeks instantly turn red. "Oh, God! I was so worried about Val -" she tries to explain.

"Hey, I understand," he assures, rubbing her arms soothingly. "I'm not complaining. However, I would like to keep this for my eyes only," he chuckles, tenderly kissing her temple.

She playfully rolls her eyes. "Be careful," she adds with a weak smile.

"I'll be home before you know it."

"Cait?"

Barry opens his eyes as the spot next to him is empty. The sheets are pulled back with a small indention, proving his wife was just there. He scratches his face then peeks at the baby monitor as it stands silent.

He sits up, looking around but their room is dark and empty with the door wide open. He pulls back the covers and heads down the hall. Entering the nursery, he sees his wife standing by the crib, looking at their child as she sleeps.

"Cait?" his voice barely audible.

Her head perks up, showing she heard him.

He half-smiles then walks up to her, wrapping his arms around her waist, and settling his chin on her shoulder. "You okay?"

"Yeah..." she nods her head, still watching their baby as her chest rises and falls - peacefully sleeping.

"Was she crying?" he asks kissing her cheek.

"No."

"Did she wake you up?" he asks kissing her neck.

"No," she sighs leaning into his touch. "I just couldn't sleep..."

His face contorts, hearing the hidden message in her voice. "She's fine Cait. She's been so much since you and Cisco improved the necklace to damp her powers," he explains, turning her in his arms so she is facing him.

Her arms playing on his chest, "Yes but it's only temporary," she practically whines in defeat. "At the rate, it's going, one day that necklace won't be enough," she hits her head to his chest.

He softly chuckles, rubbing her shoulders. "But that day isn't today. Let's enjoy that and cross that bridge when we get there," he reasons then looks over at his sleeping daughter. He smiles, "she is alive and healthy and that is all that matters."

"I know, but I can't help worrying," she pushes, looking at Valerie. "She's our baby," her voice cracking.

Barry grips her chin to turn her back to face him, "And we will protect our baby until the end. I promise," he whispers on her lips.

"I love you, Barry Allen," she whispers back, looking into his eyes.

"I love you, Dr. Caitlin Snow-Allen," he breathes then collides their lips.

Slowly pulling away, Caitlin cuddles into his chest as he tightens his hold around. They stand just a bit more, watching their daughter sleep - forgetting the future to come - for now.

fin.