Author's Note: I'm gonna spend the rest of my life regretting naming their baby Nora because of this chapter *dead face emoji*.

I just moved back into my dorm and my 2nd semester classes start on Tuesday, so just a warning it may be another long break until I update again.

Baby Nora was gurgling happily, her fists grasping at her daddy's shirt as she wiggled on his chest. Barry tilted his head on the pillow, smiling over at Caitlin who was curled up in bed with him.

"You know what's kind of stupid?" Caitlin spoke up, tracing a finger down Nora's back. "I'm actually worried that Nora hasn't developed any sort of separation anxiety."

Barry frowned. "Isn't that a good thing?"

"On the surface, yes," Caitlin admitted. "But what if it's because she doesn't feel a connection to us? We're always leaving her at the West's because of some new meta to fight. Are we not spending enough to time with her? Am I a neglectful mother?"

"Caitlin, no," Barry said firmly. He lifted Nora and sat up, sitting his baby in his lap. "No. You hear me? 'Cause I'll say it again: No. You are the best mother a baby could ask for. Maybe we just need to work together and figure out a better system? I mean, you and Frost are separated now. Your body, as weird as that sounds, doesn't have to go into the field ever again."

"That is a perk," Caitlin acknowledged, flipping onto her back. "If all I'm doing is running coms and playing doctor then I'll be able to have Nora with me a lot more often."

"Exactly, especially because she's napping so much now," Barry agreed. He swooped Nora into the air, making her shriek with laughter. "Because your such a sleepy girl, huh? Are you a little sleepy girl?"

"Dada!" Nora squealed, grabbing onto his hair. Barry winced and, laughing, Caitlin hurried to untangle her daughter's fingers from his head.

"Breakfast!"

The two young parents flinched and exchanged awkward glances at the sound of adult Nora's (AKA the Speed Force's) voice. "Sorry," Barry said finally, "but I find it just a little odd that the face of my dead mother is in the kitchen making me breakfast while I lie in bed with my wife and daughter."

"Okay, so it's a bit of an abnormal situation," Caitlin huffed. She felt bad, having made a split-second decision to invite Nora to stay while Barry was still comatose. "But did you really expect me to look her in the eyes and tell her to crash in a cold spare room at STAR Labs? She's… kind of family. Ish. In a weird way."

"That's not very scientific," Barry teased, before sobering up a bit. "It just… take last night, for example. Seeing her interact with Nora -baby Nora, I mean- was bizarre. And it stung a little, too, to be honest. My mother, the reason she wears that face… she never got to meet her granddaughter."

"I know," Caitlin said softly. "And I'm sorry. I can't imagine how hard that must be for you."

Barry gave her a ruthful smile. Then he pressed a quick kiss to her cheek and rolled out of bed, Nora still cuddled in his arms. "We should get some food. I know someone who wants her cheerios…"

"Cheeos!" Nora cried happily and Caitlin laughed and followed them out of the bedroom.

Flash!

With Kristin Kramer gaining more control at CCPD, keeping Frost out of prison for past misdeeds was getting harder. She'd been ordered by Cecile to stay out of the field and keep her head low, which wasn't exactly sitting great.

"I just got a life," she snapped when she heard the news. "And now you're telling me I can't live it?"

"For a little while, yeah," Cecile admitted. "Look, if Kramer doesn't get results, she'll get reassigned."

Caitlin nodded, approaching her sister. "Frost, I know this isn't fair, but it's our best option right now."

Frost tossed her hands in the air. "Fine," she huffed, relenting. "I'll quarantine here."

"Well, if you're looking for something to do," Caitlin suggested as Cecile and Chester began to file out of the room, "I was going to go spend some time with Nora. I feel like I've been kind of neglectful of her lately, and I wanted-"

"Yeah, I'll pass," Frost interrupted. "Just because I'm stuck here doesn't mean I'm going to become your personal babysitter."

A little hurt, Caitlin watched her walk out. "Fine," she said, speaking to the empty room. "Personally, I would love some baby time."

Unfortunately for Frost, keeping her head low didn't do much of anything to stop Kramer from going after her. A new ice meta popped up and killed a man at IVO Labs, and Kristin was convinced it was Frost. Now, the meta task force had been assigned to bring her into custody, and there was very little Joe or Barry could do to stop it.

Caitlin left Frost in Allegra's commiserating hands and took Nora to CCPD to see if she could give Barry a hand. She found Chester already there and put her napping baby down in her bassinet, out of the way.

"Speed Force was right," Barry said, peering at his computer. "Look at these cryo-membranes."

"They're past compacted," Caitlin murmured, intrigued.

Barry nodded and sat back. "Now if we could just figure out why."

"Barry…" Chester said, giving him a slightly amused side-eye. "These computers are way slower than you are. This much data? It's gonna take all night."

There was a sudden explosion of lightning. Caitlin jumped and baby Nora woke and began to wail. There stood Speed Force Nora, smiling pleasantly. "I can feel how frustrated you are," she said eagerly to Barry. Caitlin crossed the room to pick up her baby. "How can I help?"

"Look, it's okay," Barry sighed as Chester rubbed at his chest like he'd nearly been giving a heart attack. "We've got this."

"Totally!" Chester gasped out. "I mean, we are, like, the Power Rangers of forensic science, basically. But the Speed- uh… Nora, here, is omnipotent, omnipresent and omniscient." His face took on an awed expression. "She's like our Zordon. Say- can white hole singularities actually exist without mass?"

"Yes," Nora replied simply.

"I knew it!" Chester crowed. "I knew. Barry, we don't have to crunch data all night. Nora can do it right now."

Caitlin lifted her head, still trying to sooth baby Nora. "Barry, if she could get the answers we need, we'd be able to free Frost even faster," she said eagerly.

Barry looked between the three of them and his computer. "It's our job to find answers," he said vaguely.

"Of course," Chester agreed. "But, uh, y'know… Nora is a literal force of nature."

"He's right," Nora spoke up. "Just let me-"

"No."

"Barry!" Caitlin looked at him, surprised at his shortness. Baby Nora had finally stopped whimpering and she bent down and placed her in her bassinet.

"We need to do this ourselves," Barry pressed.

All at once, his arm began to vibrate like he was trying to phase. Before any of the others could do a thing, he started flashing uncontrollably around the lab. Sparks exploded, papers flew, a fire started in one corner. Baby Nora began to scream again and Caitlin ducked protectively over her, alarmed by what was happening.

When Barry was finally able to come to a stop, he looked equally alarmed.

"Anyone else taste pennies?" Chester demanded, smacking his lips at the intense metallic atmosphere around them.

Barry ignored him and crossed the room to his computer, which was completely fried. "Barry, what did you do?" Nora demanded. "We lost everything."

Barry turned on her. "What did I do?" he echoed. "I didn't lose the data that was supposed to clear Frost. You did. By being here."

"I was only trying to help," Nora protested.

"Okay, I didn't ask for any," Barry snapped.

"Barry!" Caitlin protested again. Baby Nora was still crying miserably, her nap for the day ruined, but she rose and walked to her husband.

Before any of them to could anything else, the sound of footsteps came from outside. Barry frowned and crossed the room, opening his door. "Korber," he called to the cop who'd just passed by, leading a group of armored agents. "Hey, what's going on?"

"Kramer's got a location on Killer Frost," Korber replied. "They're gonna bring her in."

"What?" Caitlin cried, horror struck. She reached for her phone, pressing on Frost's contact. After a moment, she made eye contact with Barry and shook her head. "She's not picking up."

Barry's eyebrows creased. "Why don't you take Nora home?" he suggested. "Chester and I are going to do our best to figure out something else to help Frost."

"Barry, I want to help too," Caitlin protested, feeling a lot like the Speed Force had moments before.

Barry gaze softened. "I know," he said gently, walking over and touching her arm. "But it's getting late, and clearly this isn't the best environment for Nora."

Caitlin glanced over at her baby, who was still crying. "Okay," she relented. "But call me the moment you find something out?"

Barry nodded and Caitlin picked up Nora's bassinet and headed out of the lab.

Flash!

It was nearly nine pm when Caitlin was startled by a stiff knock at the door. "CCPD, you're surrounded," came a voice.

Bewildered, Caitlin hurried to the door and opened it up. On the other side stood none other than Kristin Kramer. "Caitlin Snow, I have a warrant for your arrest," she announced, holding up a white envelope as she invited herself into Caitlin's home.

"What's the charge?" Caitlin demanded, turning away from her open doorway to follow the other woman.

Kramer ignored her, holding up a walkie-talkie. "Kramer to Task Force command, hold your positions around the permitter and prepare for prisoner transfer."

"What?" Caitlin squawked.

"Are you alone, Dr. Snow?" Kramer asked.

"No!" Caitlin cried. "I have a 9 month old baby; she's asleep in the nursery."

Kramer nodded shortly. "Then I would suggest you call your husband or relative to someone who can look after her."

"I think there's been a mistake," Caitlin said, head spinning. She turned and was surprised to find Joe West standing behind her. "Joe? What is this?" There was another woman standing beside him, unfamiliar. "Who are you?"

"I'm Renee Carpenter. I'm a clinician with the MHE Team."

"Mental Health Evaluation?" Caitlin pushed her hand back through her hair.

"Yes ma'am. It's standard procedure. I'm just here to help."

"Joe, what is going on?" Caitlin demanded.

Joe, face pained, held up a pair of metahuman cuffs. "Would you turn around, please?"

Caitlin felt tears burn behind her eyelids. "I need to call my husband," she said coldly, "and make sure there's someone here to look after my daughter. Then I will go with you."

She didn't give Barry any time to ask questions, but made sure to state under no uncertain terms that Kramer was there so he didn't come rushing onto the scene at super speed. Kramer, thankfully, relented enough to have an agent stay at Caitlin's apartment until Barry arrived so Nora wouldn't be left alone. If only Speed Force Nora could have flashed in when Caitlin needed help, and not just Barry.

When Caitlin turned around and put her hands behind her back, Joe clasped the meta cuffs to her wrists. "Killer Frost," he said, and Caitlin's face creased with confusion, "you're under arrest for aggravated assault, attempted murder, and two counts of kidnapping. You have the right to remain silent."

So Caitlin did, refusing to speak more than a few words to anyone until Cecile Horton came striding into her holding room.

"Okay, so, I just talked to the DA's office," she said, placing a file on the slate table in the center of the room. "Kramer didn't find anything incriminating in your apartment so once your blood tests come back negative for the meta-gene, they're gonna be forced to release you from custody."

"Great," Caitlin said, letting out a breath. "This is the first time I'm relieved that Frost and I are in different bodies. How did she know to come after me?"

"Uh…" Cecile face creased with an irritated smile. "It was an anonymous tip. Which means either someone got very lucky, or…"

"Or…" Joe, sitting in the corner of the room, weighed in for the first time, "Somebody knows that Frost used to be you." He let out a deep sigh. "I'm sorry, Caitlin, but Kramer wouldn't tell me where the task force was headed. Probably thought I was too emotionally involved, considering you're my daughter-in-law. By the time I knew, it was too late."

"It's okay, Joe," Caitlin assured him immediately. "This is not on you."

Joe shook his head, looking distraught. "This is not how law enforcement is supposed to work," he murmured, then abruptly stood up. "I'm gonna go talk to Kramer."

Cecile nodded and turned back to Caitlin. "Look, I think the next step is-"

Suddenly, her phone buzzed. Cecile frowned and quickly answered it. "Frost? Where are you?"

Caitlin sat up straighter, eyes wide as she strained to hear a response.

"North wall?" Cecile whispered, looking around the room. Her eyes fell on the wall to Caitlin's left and she hurriedly pulled the phone away from her ear and leaned towards Caitlin. "Uhh… I think that Frost is about to try to bust you out."

Caitlin jerked in surprise. "What?"

"Yeah."

"Put her on speakerphone," Caitlin ordered, jaw tight. Cecile quickly complied and laid the phone on the table. "Frost, what are you doing?"

"Getting you out of there," Frost answered determinedly.

"You promised me you would stay put!"

"Yeah, well, I lied, so… take cover."

Cecile let out a little squeak but Caitlin just glared at the phone. "Don't you dare," she ground out.

"You're in there because of me!" Frost protested.

"I'm in here because Kramer has some sort of a grudge against you," Caitlin countered. "But you're innocent, and so am I, so we just need to let this play out, okay? I'll be fine, I promise."

"Yes, yes!" Cecile tagged in. "Frost, she's right. Look, I know this system. Just let me handle this. They have no case against Caitlin. Honey, please. Stand down."

"This isn't fair, you shouldn't have to go through this!" Frost protested.

"Neither should you, okay?" Caitlin said. "When Kramer looks at you, all she sees are the mistakes you've made. She doesn't seem how much pain you've gone through, or how much you've grown because of it. You're a good person, Frost. And human or meta-human, you deserve a chance to prove it."

"I'm sorry, Caity," Frost said quietly. "About all of this- not tell you where I was, leaving STAR Labs… even this morning, blowing you off about spending time with you and Nora. I just… sometimes it feels like you've got so much and it used to be at least a little mine but now it's just… not anymore. And I needed to feel like I still had something, a purpose, so I- I tried to do everything myself."

"Frost, Nora might not be your biological baby and Barry might not be your husband," Caitlin told her firmly. "But they -we- are still your family. Always, okay? And you know that this family fights for each other. So we are not going to stop fighting, you got that?"

"Okay," Frost murmured. "Caity, I gotta go."

"Frost, you need to-"

The call went dead. Caitlin let out a sigh, staring at the dark screen. They'd won this battle, but Frost still wasn't safe at STAR Labs. Who knew what could happen next?

Flash!

True to Cecile's word, the CCPD released Caitlin soon after her meta results came back negative. When she walked into the lobby, she found Barry standing out front of the receptionist desk with Nora in her bassinet beside him, talking urgently with the cop.

"Barry!" Caitlin called, hurrying over.

Barry looked up and his shoulders dropped with relief. He met her halfway and pulled her into a tight hug. "Cait, I was worried sick. You told me almost nothing when you called!"

"That's because I knew almost nothing," Caitlin said, shutting her eyes as she pressed her cheek against his chest. She gave him a brief rundown of what Cecile had explained to her, and then shook her head. "Frost is out there, Barry, and there's only so long before Kramer gets to her."

"It gets worse," Barry told her regretfully, pulling back a bit. "I checked in with Chester and Allegra at STAR Labs before I came here. Frost decided to hunt down our new ice-meta -who's not, by the way, actually a meta- by herself."

"What?" Caitlin gaped. "Barry, you need to stop her! She could be in serious danger!"

"I know," Barry said, jaw tightening. "But we have no idea where she is."

As if on cue, both their phones rang. "It's Chester," Barry announced, answering the call and putting it on speakerphone. "Talk to me."

"Satellites just picked up one gigantic cryokinetic spike," Chester reported. "Southside of Keystone."

"I'll stay with Nora," Caitlin said, striding over to her baby before turning and locking eyes with Barry. She wanted to go, to be there for Frost, but she just had to hope her husband had it covered. "Go."

Barry flashed off.

He found Frost in the bar she and Caitlin used to work at, on her knees with a coat of ice covering her eyes. There was a man on the floor a few feet away, clutching a stab wound in his stomach and groaning theatrically. By the time Barry came to a standstill, the man's injury was bandaged and he was unconscious.

"Frost, you okay?" Barry demanded, rushing forward and helping her up off the ground.

Frost grunted and put a hand on her stomach. "Yeah, yeah, I'm okay. Just a scratch," she said, brushing him off. She gestured at her face, still covered with ice so cold it was steaming in the air. "I could use a little help with this, though."

"On it!"

Barry turned to see Allegra rushing into the bar. "Thought you might need some help," she explained, before glancing at the man on the ground. "Guess you had it all under control."

She raised her hand and used her light powers to melt the ice covering Frost's eyes. The meta blinked a few times. "Thanks."

"So…" Barry nodded at the man. "Who's he?"

"Jealous?" Frost teased. "Don't be. He calls himself Chillblaine, which says about as much as you might guess."

"I'm glad Cisco's not around to hear that one," Barry joked.

"Chillblaine didn't just commit a crime against good taste. He also killed the IVO Labs driver." Frost pulled out her phone. "I've got his confession on tape."

Impressed, Barry nodded his approval. "Looks like you didn't need us to get you cleared after all."

Sirens whooped outside. The smiles on the trio's faces faded at the sound of a familiar voice speaking through a megaphone. "Killer Frost!" Kramer yelled. "Come out with your hands raised. You have two minutes to comply."

"Flash," Chester spoke up through the coms. "There's a whole squad of CCPD cars outside your location."

Allegra turned angrily, striding towards the door with her hands aglow. "So what?!" she snapped. "Let 'em try."

"Or we could try calming down," Barry suggested, holding up a hand. "Chillblaine here is the real killer. So I'll go out, I'll hand him over, and I'll let them know you're innocent."

There was a look on Frost's face, the kind of look that would immediately have him asking Caitlin what was the matter. "Guys," she said quietly. "I may not have killed that guy today, but I'm not innocent. I have to go out there myself."

"What?" Allegra demanded.

"Frost, Kramer has a warrant for all the crimes you committed before joining Team Flash," Barry said warningly. "You get arrested, you're facing hard time if there's a conviction."

"Nuh uh," Allegra said immediately. "That ain't happening. We can hide you somewhere until we figure this out."

"Right, and then you're harboring a fugitive," Frost replied. "I can't let you do that. Guys, before today, I never paid for any of the bad things I did."

"Because you were saving people," Barry reminded her.

"I thought that was enough, too." Frost swallowed. "But if I'm gonna prove that I've really changed, then I have to own up to it as… painful as that might be."

"Frost," Allegra begged desperately. "I've been to Iron Heights. Jails do not make better people- they're hell. You cannot do this."

"I think I have to." Frost turned and made eye contact with Barry, who eyed her with a sad understanding… but also a bit of pride. "You're not gonna try to stop me, are you?"

"Not unless you want me to," he said.

"I don't." Frost took a deep breath. "Tell Caity and Nora I love them?"

"Of course."

She leaned in and he wrapped his arms around her for a quick, tight hug. His relationship with Frost had never exactly been simple, or even remotely understandable. But the bottom line was that he cared about her, and it legitimately hurt him to see her have to go through this.

When Frost pulled away she hugged Allegra for a moment, then straightened her spine. With one last deep breath, the ice queen walked towards the door and the cops waiting outside.

Flash!

When Barry arrived back home, he found Caitlin sitting at the kitchen table and the Speed Force handing her a mug of tea. Caitlin looked over and gave him a tired smile. "I heard," she told Barry before he could start explaining what had happened. "Chester called me."

Barry nodded and walked over, running a hand along her shoulders. Nora stepped respectfully away, giving them some space. "How're you holding up?" he asked gently.

Caitlin shrugged. "I honestly think I'm in shock," she admitted. "Everything happened so fast. And now Frost has gone from finally having her own life to… barely having one at all."

"I just can't stop thinking about what would have happened if you two had still shared a body," Barry added, sinking into the chair.

"It's been a pretty stressful day."

"Tell me about it," Barry said with a humorless laugh. He looked over to the Speed Force, who was standing in the kitchen fiddling with who knew what to occupy herself while they talked. "That's why I treated you so harshly, Nora. I know that's not an excuse, though, so… I'm sorry."

"All forgiven, Barry Allen," Nora said immediately. "Now, since I was unable to help you before, could I do so now by making some dinner?"

Caitlin's lips quirked. "I mean, I'm not going to say no," she said lightly, reaching out to rub Barry's arm. "Thank you, Nora."

Author's Note: Annnnd WTY goes from barely mentioning baby Nora to having her in almost every single scene can I never find an in between?!

Self-criticism aside, I'm pretty happy with this chapter. A good chunk of it was original dialogue which I honestly wasn't excepting for this episode, but hey I'm not gonna complain haha.