Barry stands at the doorway, waving goodbye to the sitter with a half-smile that slowly disappears as he is closing the door. His happy facade slips away with a heavy sigh escaping his lips. He leans his back against the door looking over his dark and empty home and shoves his hands into his jean pockets. From the hectic day of getting his work done at the station and popping in to stop a few crimes as the Flash - time got away from him. Luckily for him, Allegra had his back to make sure someone was there to pick up his daughter from school and watch her as he got stuck at CCPD.
He leans his head back with a rough puff through his nostrils. He really hates to rely on his friends when it comes to taking care of her - the reason why he told Allegra to get a sitter like a normal person. His daughter already spends too much time at STAR labs and to have someone on the team to entertain her is just too much to ask. He wants to prove he can do. That he can step up and do things on his own. Yet here he is. Home late from work with his child already tucked into bed.
He pulls his phone out of his back pocket to see if any new notifications came in but, it comes up empty. His lock screen picture of his wife and child looking back at him with giant smiles. He smiles back, only for it to falter. "How did you make this seem so effortless Cait?" he sighs.
The sound of a door slowly opening snaps his attention. The silhouette of a small frame appears in the hall with a soft voice to follow.
"Daddy?" she calls out, rubbing her eye with one hand while the other clutches what looks like a sweatshirt.
He slips his phone back into place and walks over to the little girl with a soft smile. "Valerie, I thought you were asleep," he softly speaks, squatting to her height. He cocks his head looking more intensely at the article of clothing in her small hand. "What do you got there?"
"I couldn't sleep," she pouts pulling the sweatshirt closer to her chest. "You didn't pick me up from school and you didn't tuck me in," her eyes glass over. "I was worried," she adds as her eyebrows scrunch in worry.
"Val," he breathes. "Come here," he gestures, wrapping his arms around her securely before picking her up in his arms. She wraps one arm around his neck as her other hand tightens the grip on the sweatshirt. He sits her on his hip so he can take a closer look at the material. A small smile appears on his face. "What are you doing with mommy's STAR Labs sweatshirt? Huh?" he teases - even though technically it is his, he just loved seeing Caitlin wear his clothes.
The little girl buries her face into his neck, snuggling close to his chest to hide her blush. Barry chuckles and kisses the top of her head. "I miss Mommy too," he sighs and starts to walk towards his daughter's bedroom.
"Where were you, daddy?" her soft voice asks as Barry is tucking her into bed.
He smoothes the covers and squats down to the height of the bed to look his daughter in the eyes. "I was stuck at work. You know how daddy gets busy sometimes with things," he explains.
"Work work or secret work?" she adds arching her eyebrow up.
He chuckles and caresses her little cheek. Seeing that face reminds him so much of Caitlin. Valerie is practically a spitting image of her mother with the only feature of his being her eyes. However, Caitlin would always say their daughter has his spirit and pure heart.
"Work work. I had to help make sure we got the bad man and fill out a lot of paperwork," he pushes a smile.
"With no powers?"
"No powers, sadly," he lightly pouts. She giggles at his silly face and he can't help but reach over and tickle her side causing a loud squeal to escape her lips following more giggles.
"No more daddy," she squeals between breaths.
He chuckles, halting his actions, and takes a seat on the edge of her bed. "But, I am sorry I didn't pick you up from Kindergarten," he sighs, patting his hand on her leg.
"It's okay daddy," she softly smiles.
"How was school?" he asks, settling his hand on her kneecap and rubbing soft circles.
"It was fine," she sighs, looking away from him. The sweatshirt makes its way out of the covers and she pulls it tight to her little chest. "I miss mommy teaching me instead," she adds looking him in the eyes with a hint of sadness.
Barry looks at her with concern, "Val you know why you have to go to school, right?"
She nods her head in annoyance. "To be normal," she stresses with an eye roll.
"That's right," he chuckles bopping her nose that causes her to giggle. "I know you are so much smarter than your classmates but, you can't spend all your time in STAR labs."
"Uncle Cisco says I can," she sasses back, cocking her head on the pillow.
He shakes his head with a smirk. "Uncle Cisco isn't your parent. I am. And I say you go to school like a normal kid," he chuckles. "Now," he pats her leg, "time for bed."
Valerie pouts much to his dismay, "But daddy..."
"Eh! No buts. It is way past your bedtime little miss," he quips, standing to his feet then leaning over to kiss her on her forehead. "Good night my snowflake, I love you," he softly whispers with a smile.
As he turns to walk away, her soft voice fills his ears. "Daddy?" he stops in step and looks over his shoulder. "Can you tell me a story?" she dares to ask. He arches his eyebrows in question. She responses with those big eyes and jutting her bottom lip. "Pretty please!" she begs, clasping her hands together and sitting up on her bed.
He smirks at her. "Not the 'pretty please'," he chuckles with a slight shake of his head. He could never say no to that cute face. "Alright one story and then you have to go to bed," he chuckles, so easily giving in.
She smiles in victory as he sits back on the edge of her bed. "Can you tell me a good bedtime story?" she smiles, adjusting to sit comfortably on her bed.
"Hmm..." he hums, pretending to think. "A good bedtime story... that's a pretty tall order," he teases, tickling her instantly.
Her laughter fills the room as she fights off his hands. He chuckles in spirit and retreats his hands. Valerie bounces in place with a giant smile on her face. "Tell me your story daddy," she smiles.
"My story?" he questions with his smile faltering slightly.
She nods her head. "I want to know your life story, daddy. What happened to you before becoming my daddy. How it all started. Please," she begs, her eyes shining with wonder.
He and Caitlin used to talk all the time about when to have this conversation with their daughter. To sit her down and explain everything that happened before she came into their lives. Part of him never wanted to tell his daughter the truth. There is just so much pain and grief to explain that just seemed to be better buried in his memories. Now, here he is on his own, staring into his little girl's eyes full of wanting and wonder.
He sighs, nodding his head then adjusts himself to sit comfortably on the bed. "Okay, I will tell you, but only because I love you very much," he smiles. She smiles back in excitement and he gestures with his head for her to lie back down. "But, you need to lie down."
"Okay daddy," she sighs, slipping back down, and pulling the covers up to her chin. Her eyes shine bright to his eagerly waiting for him to start.
Barry smiles leaning on his arm to hold him upright that settles on the other side of her small legs. His daughter's smile and her wonder-filled eyes give him the strength to spill out the story of his life.
"There was a time I used to look in my mother's eyes. In a happy home, I was a king, I had a golden throne," he smiles looking into her eyes. "Just like you, my sweet girl," he chuckles bopping her nose.
She giggles, scrunching her nose in delight. "Just like me?" she repeats with excitement.
"Just like you," he confirms and pokes her stomach causing a slight laugh to escape her lips. "For a time," he breathes, thinking back on his childhood memories, "it was just me, grandma Nora, and grandpa Henry." Slowly his smile falters as darker moments pop into his mind. He takes a deep breath and licks his lips. "Then those days came to an end..." he breathes, zoning out.
Val looks at him with concern, tugging his shirt to get his attention. "What happened daddy?" she questions as her eyes glass over with fear.
"When I was a bit older than you, a bad man came into our house." He pauses for a minute and sees his daughter hanging to every word. He puffs a breath through his nostrils before continuing his tale. "Grandma got hurt - bad," he breaths out, holding back the sudden tears.
"Is that when grandma died?" her voice cracks softly.
Barry bites the inside of his cheek and nods his head. "Yeah, baby girl. That night grandma died and the police arrested grandpa Henry."
"Why?" she questions, sitting up and knotting her eyebrows in confusion. "He didn't do anything wrong, did he?"
"No, but the police thought he did," he answers, rubbing comforting circles on her knee to settle her down.
"Why would they think that?" She continues to question. "I thought the police only put away the bad guys - like you do. Grandpa Henry isn't a bad guy," she pouts.
He sighs, giving her a tight squeeze to reassure her questionable mind. "It was complicated at the time. But, years later we found the man that actually hurt grandma, so grandpa Henry was free to come home," he pushes with a weak smile.
She sighs with a pout, stump by his words. "But what happened to you, daddy?"
"I went to go live with grandpa Joe for a while," he answers with a half-smile. He takes a hold of her hand to give it a soft squeeze. "It was hard because I knew the police were wrong. All I wanted to do was be in the same house with my dad again," he continues, thinking about all the times he would run away from Joe's house to visit his father with a light chuckle.
Valerie is quiet for a beat, then looks up at her father. "What about grandma? Did you miss grandma like how I miss mommy at times?" she asks as her eyes are on the bridge of tears.
He lets out a relief laugh and nods, "Yeah just like that." Valerie takes the opportunity to pull back her covers and crawl into her father's lap. Barry lightly chuckles with a bright smile and instantly pulls her close to his chest. His chin tucks on her head as he rubs comforting circles on her back. "Sometimes, I wish she was around to have met you and your mommy. I know she would have loved you both to death," he sadly smiles, pulling back to look into his daughter's eyes.
"Me too," she adds with a sad smile.
"But, I know she is watching over us. Protecting us wherever we go," he smiles kissing her forehead and pulling her back to his embrace.
"How do you know that?" she mumbles into his chest.
He chuckles, "Because of something your grandpa Henry told me. He told me 'don't you worry slugger, see Heaven's got a plan for you' and pointed up to the sky."
Val looks up to the roof of her room, searching. "Can she watch us inside the house too or only when we are outside?" she questions looking towards her window.
"As long as you can feel her in here," he points to her heart. "She is always with you, watching over you. No matter what."
"Mommy too?" she asks with a spark in her eye.
"Mommy too," he nods. "Even me when I am not with you. No matter what," he stresses then kisses her cheek. "Alright, that's enough storytime for tonight," he quips, starting to pull away to tuck her back into bed.
"Wait! What happened next, daddy?" she eagerly asks, clutching his hands. "Is that when you met mommy?" she smiles in delight.
Barry nervously chuckles, "Not exactly. Before I met your mommy, there was someone else in my life."
Val's face softly sours at the idea of anyone but her mother being with her father. "Was she pretty?" she questions, narrowing her eyes.
He scoffs at her sudden question, holding back a laugh from seeing her serious little face. "Val," he chuckles.
"Did you love her?" she asks arching both of her eyebrows.
"Valerie Jade," Barry huffs with a stern tone.
"Is that a yes?" she asks, backing out of her father's lap to stand on her knees to be at his eye level with her hands on her hips.
He shakes his head at her questionable look. He can't help but smile at how much Valerie looks like Caitlin at the moment. All those times Caitlin would lecture and get mad at him to now his daughter following in her footsteps. "You really are your mother's daughter," Barry laughs.
"So she was pretty?" she asks again crossing her arms with a slight glare.
"Alright," Barry laughs wrapping his arms around her to pull her back into his lap - much to her dismay. "You want me to continue telling you the story or go to bed?" he chuckles.
She bits back her tongue and slumps her shoulder in defeat. She gives him a look before leaning back on his chest. "Continue," she sighs.
He chuckles at her response. "When I lived with Grandpa Joe, I met a girl that I was crazy about. For a long time, I would think she was the one for me." He stops and looks at his daughter. With her head down, looking at her lap, he tilts her chin to make her look up at him. "What's wrong, Snowflake?"
"I don't like this part of the story," she whines, leaning her head on the chest.
"Just because you don't like a part of something doesn't mean it is not as important as the parts that you do like," he says rubbing soft circles on her shoulder.
She sighs and nods her head. "So why is she important?"
"Because my journey with her is what led me to your mommy," he smiles. At the word, Val sits up straighter and her bright smile comes back on her face.
"Really?" she beams, practically bouncing on his lap with excitement.
He laughs, "Yes, really," he smiles. "Now where was I," he pretends to think, tapping his index finger to his chin.
"You were crazy about someone who wasn't mommy," Val pipes in, settling in his lap more comfortably.
"Right..." he chuckles at the way the words roll off his daughter's tongue - slightly shaking his head. "Well, the other woman and I started off as friends and as the years went by we started to grow feelings for each other," he explains, thinking back on his relationship with Iris. It had been so long since he last talked to her, let alone even thought about her. "We dated for some time and then we got engaged," he explains.
"What does engaged mean?" she asks, scrunching her face in confusion.
Barry nearly chokes on his spit, thinking of the best way to explain his almost marriage to Iris all those years ago. He lets out a heavy sigh through his nostrils, looking down at his daughter. "Engaged means..." he thinks. "It means you made a promise to each other to get married," he explains.
"MARRIED!?" Val screams with wide eyes. "Why would you do that? What about mommy? You are supposed to marry mommy!" she rambles on with panic.
"Calm down Val," he softly chuckles.
"No!" she shakes her head with an angry expression across her face. "Why would you promise to marry someone who isn't mommy?" she pouts.
He gives his daughter a look and she sighs, crossing her arms with a pout. "At the time, mommy and I were just friends. After some time, we started to have feelings for each other too," he tries his best to explain.
"So you cheated on the other woman with mommy?" she asks with confusion.
Barry's eyes pop out of his head. "No! I would never -," he rambles, stumbling his words. "Hold on, no. I did not cheat on anyone. Okay? Wher- where did you even hear a thing like that?" he asks in shock.
Valerie shrugs her shoulders and looks away from her father, "school?"
"Val," he states with a stern tone.
She lets out a heavy sigh, "Uncle Ralph. He is always talking about people cheating on people behind their backs. "
Barry looks up to the roof in annoyance and swipes his hand over his face. Looking back at his daughter, he bops her nose, "and this is why you do not need to be hanging out in STAR Lab all day long."
"Daddy..." she playfully whines.
"Eh, not another peep," he says wagging his index finger. With a shake of his head and a heavy sigh, he looks at his daughter and bites his inner cheek. "I understand this is all confusing for you. But I want you to know, that before mommy and I got together, I was engaged to another. However," he quickly adds as Val opens her mouth to protest. "The other woman and I decided to not get married after all. We went our separate ways and in doing so led me to your mommy," he smiles, briefly remembering the exact moment everything changed for him and Caitlin.
"How so?" she asks tilting her head to the side.
He adjusts himself on the bed while pulling Valerie close to his chest. "You know how when I would get hurt, mommy as my doctor would make me all better, right?" he asks, rubbing circles on her shoulder.
Val nods, looking up at her father with curious eyes. "Mommy helped you to be The Flash," she replies.
"Right," he smiles. "Well, mommy also helped heal my broken heart and open my eyes to something that was right in front of me all this time." Val arches her eyebrows with deeper confusion and Barry chuckles. "She helped me to see where my heart truly belonged," he smiles.
"With mommy?" Val smiles in glee and a twinkle in her eye.
"Yes, with mommy" he breathes. "While the other woman was pretty, mommy was beautiful. Yes, I did love the other woman for some time, but I was in love with mommy," he smiles and kisses her temple. "I especially loved mommy more when she gave me you," he smiles, squeezing her in his embrace.
Valerie settles in his embrace, leaning on his chest with a content smile. It slowly fades as she looks over at her nightstand of their family portrait. "I miss mommy," she whines, looking back up at her father.
"I miss her too," he sighs. He then digs his phone out of his back pocket to find no new messages. With a deep breath, he places the device back and kisses the top of Val's head. "Time for bed snowflake," he says laying her back in bed.
"Can't I sleep in your bed again tonight?" she asks with a pout as he continues to tuck her in.
"No baby girl, you are a big girl and need to sleep in your own bed," he softly smiles and he stands to leave. "Good night," he finishes placing a final kiss on her forehead.
He takes a few steps to the door when Val sits up, calling out. "Daddy wait!"
He turns back, slightly sighing in disapproval. "No Val. It's way past your bedtime. If mommy were here, she would be very upset," he stresses as the lack of sleep controls his tone. Valerie bits her bottom lip causing him to jolt with concern seeing the common trait his wife would do when something would bother her. "What is it, Snowflake?" his tone coating with worry.
"I love you, daddy," her voice soft with her eyes glistening with a clear coat of tears she is holding back.
Barry's demeanor folds. He sighs and pulls back his phone to check the time. He looks back at his child, debating in his head before puffing out a heavy breath. "You know what, today has been a long day and I didn't get much time to hang out with my favorite girl," he smiles and walks back over to her bedside. "How about we enjoy some ice cream and watch a movie before bed? How does that sound?"
"Yes! Please!" she smiles wide, bouncing in place.
He chuckles picking her up and placing her on his hip as they walk to the kitchen. "It will be our little secret," he smiles kissing her temple as she nods in agreement.
Shortly after, father and daughter are sitting on the couch with their empty ice cream bowls on the coffee table. Valerie is tucked under Barry's arm as Grease is playing on the screen. The little girl smiles as her favorite part starts - Summer Nights. She giggles and starts to hum along to the song. When she looks up, she finds her father passed out. She slightly pouts but, lets him be by settling back to continue watching the movie.
Just as the scene is ending, the sound of the doorknob jostling spooks her. She looks over with fear then turns to shake her dad awake. "Daddy," she loudly whispers. "Daddy!" she speaks higher, still struggling to wake him up. To no avail, she gives up and looks back over to hear silence at the door. She gulps down her fear and slowly makes her way to the front door. "I'm brave like mommy and daddy," she whispers to herself.
The sound of keys jiggling perks her ears and she watches as the door clicks open. Her eyes widen in surprise, and a giant smile stretches across her face.
"MOMMY!" she shouts, running up to the woman and throwing her arms around her waist.
A laugh escapes her lips at the sudden collision of almost being knocked off her feet. "Baby," she smiles, dropping her luggage and purse to the side. She instantly tucks her hands under her daughter's arms to pick her up.
Valerie wraps her legs around her mother's waist and buries her face into her neck. "I'm so glad you are home," she beams, tightening her embrace. "I missed you so much!" she cries, pulling back to look at mom's face.
Caitlin lightly chuckles at her daughter's theatrics as she tucks a strand of hair behind the little girl's ear. "I missed you too," she smiles then kisses her forehead.
"Where have you been?" she pouts, leaning back in her mother's hold. "I thought you were supposed to be home earlier," she whines, extending her bottom lip for a deeper pout.
"Put the lip away," she laughs, tucking it back. Valerie giggles scrunching her nose. "My plane got delayed, so it took me longer to get home to you," she says, running her fingers through her daughter's locks.
"Never go away again, please!" she begs.
"Sweetheart," Caitlin giggles. "I wasn't even gone that long. It was only for three days," she smiles then tickles her daughter's side.
The little girl giggles and squirms in her mother's hold, but keeps a stronghold around her neck. "But it was the longest three days of my life," she stresses after catching her breath.
"You are becoming just like your daddy," Cait laughs then stops. "Speaking of which, where is he, and why are you up?" she questions, giving her a particular look.
"He is over there, passed out," she gestures with her head to the couch. "But, he told me I could stay up and wait until you got home," she bats her eyes, trying to look so innocent.
"Oh, I bet he did," Caitlin smirks, knowing her daughter's facade. She looks over to see the empty bowls and the movie playing on. "And I see he let you have ice cream too," she comments, arching her eyebrow as she looks back at her daughter.
The little girl tries to shrink under her mother's gaze from getting caught. "Just a single scoop, if that helps," she adds.
Caitlin shakes her head with a soft smile. "Well, now it is time for bed, okay?" she says, leaning her forehead on Val's.
Valerie pouts, "But mommy..."
"No buts. It is now way past your bedtime. I understand staying up until I got home, but I'm here now and I say time for bed," she smiles then kisses her forehead. She places her back on the ground, soothing her hair back. "Go tuck yourself in and I will be right there to read you a bedtime story, okay?"
Valerie smiles and nods. She takes one step before turning back and giving her mother one more hug. "I love you, mommy," she beams.
"I love you too," she smiles back, rubbing her back in a comforting matter. "Now off you go," she pats her back then gives her a soft push towards her room. The little girl giggles and follows her mother's orders, disappearing into the dark halls. Caitlin turns her attention back to the man soundlessly asleep. She giggles at the sight and crosses her arms, debating what to do with him.
Barry suddenly jostles awake. He rubs the sleep from his eyes and blinks repetitively to adjust to the darkness. He looks to his side to find his daughter missing and takes into account that the television is off. "Val?" he calls out, looking around him. "Val?" he speaks louder with worry.
"Keep your voice down," a soft voice scolds him in the shadows.
He looks over to the silhouette leaning against the archway. "Cait? Is that you baby?" he smiles, rushing to his feet to stand in front of her. "You are home," he smiles, wrapping his arms around her to spin her in delight.
Caitlin giggles, steadying herself by gripping his shoulder. "Put me down," she chuckles.
He ignores her demands by kissing her all over her face before landing on her lips. He places her feet back on the ground once he feels her kiss back. He smiles as her fingers tangle in his locks while his hand cups the back of her head. Catching their breath, he slowly pulls away and leans his forehead on hers. "I missed you so much," he softly says, rubbing his nose against hers.
"I missed you too," she breathes, cupping his cheek.
Barry gets lost in her eyes before something clicks in his mind. "Wait, why didn't you call me? I would have gone to pick you up," he rambles on as he fishes his phone out of his back pocket.
"I did," Caitlin says, crossing her arms. "Several times but you didn't answer," she adds, leaning on her right hip.
"Wha-" he begins to say but, the list of notifications mutes him. He scrolls to see several phone calls and text messages from his wife. He looks back up at her apologetically, waving his phone, "I really need to stop putting this thing on silent, huh?" he shakily chuckles then rubs the back of his neck. "Sorry Cait," he adds, "Forgive me?"
She smiles at him and wraps her arms back around his neck. "Always," her voice soft then she pecks his lips. "However, I do have a question to ask you," she says, playing with the ends of his hair.
He shivers from her ghost touch and wraps his arms around her waist. "What is it, Cait?" he asks settling in the comfort of having her back in his arms. Caitlin pulls back to look him in the eyes and slowly pulls her arms back. He gives a confused look then suddenly a light sting hits him when she slaps his chest.
"What the hell is wrong with you?" she snaps, glaring at him.
"Wha- what do you mean?" he asks in shock.
She cocks her head and arches her eyebrow, "First, I find out you forgot to pick up our daughter-"
"I sent Allegra as soon as I remembered!"
"Then you let her stay up way past her bedtime," she adds.
"She gave me the look! You know I can't say no to the look! It's like looking at a mini-you with those big beautiful eyes and cute little pout," he rebuttals, pulling his arms away from her to speak with his hands.
Caitlin crosses her arms and leans back on her hip, "So does that explain the late-night ice cream too?"
Barry stumbles with his words, not knowing what to say. He lets out a deep sigh, "that was supposed to be a secret," he says pointing a finger at her.
"Really Barry? Did you really think that ice cream was the answer to get our six-year-old to bed?" she questions, popping her eyebrows up with a slight glare.
"When you put it that way, no it doesn't," his eyes hood as he runs his fingers through his hair. "But, Cait, you have to understand," he explains, reaching out for her hands, which she gladly gives. "We were basically two lost souls without you here," he smiles.
She giggles, jokingly rolling her eyes, "and both very dramatic."
Barry chuckles, "guilty as charged. Most especially when it comes to the woman I love," he smiles, wrapping his arms around her waist to pull her close. "Welcome home, my love," he breathes then kisses her lips delicately.
"It's good to be home and back in your arms," she hums, resting her forehead on his.
"Shall we continue this conversation in the bedroom," he cockily whispers in her ear with a smirk, then kisses a spot under her earlobe.
Caitlin smirks slightly pulling back, much to Barry's dismay. "Before we do that, I just have one more question for you," she presses, playing with the lapel of his shirt.
"Hmm?"
"What's this talk about you loving another woman before me?" she questions, her eyebrow cocks up in suspicion with a teasing tone in her voice.
"Well, you see," Barry chuckles, shaking his head, "That is a story for another time."
fin.