Hello everybody, woohoo I'm back with another chapter. This one took me a little bit to conjure up and I'm sorry for the longer wait. This chapter is situated in (2x22), one of my favourite OTF episodes, after the Black Siren story but prior to the big finale of this episode. There're some cheesy moments in this chapter but I hope you find it sweet and enjoyable.

stars90: Thank you for the review, I hope you enjoy the interactions in this chapter as well.

Write-To-You: I thought that would be a cool idea with Caitlin and Barry: well this year's crossover does have them playing different roles so maybe. Hope you enjoyed the episode that aired yesterday.

All characters, story plot lines to the writers, producers of The Flash and The CW. I do not own the rights to any of them just the idea is my own.

Feel free to write a review on your thoughts.

P.S. For those of you who watched the last episode (5x06). All I got to say is: we back, baby.

Chapter 9: I See Him Everywhere

Caitlin sat in front of her television as she sorted through the movies that she had, attempting to pick one to watch for the beginning of a long night. After all that happened to her, Caitlin knew that she wouldn't be able to go to sleep even if she was beyond exhausted. At this point she was too terrified to go to sleep, so a movie marathon will just have to keep her company till the night was over. A loud beep startled Caitlin from her task and Caitlin felt her heart racing from the noise only to realize that the popcorn she had placed in the microwave was ready. She scolded herself for being frightened by the small noise and willed herself to get a grip before emptying the popcorn into a large bowl. She was just beginning to pull out a bunch of blankets from the closet when she heard knocking from her front door. Caitlin hesitated as scenarios filled with Zoom arose in her mind. But Zoom doesn't seem the type to knock, if he really came for her, he would have just flashed in. To be on the safer side Caitlin pulled out a baseball bat that belonged to Ronnie before peeking through her peep hole. On the other side of the door Caitlin can see Cisco and Barry grinning and she released a sigh of relief before unlocking her door.

"Hey, what are you guys doing here?"

Both Barry and Cisco stared at her with wide eyes.

"What?"

"Um…did we anger you?" Cisco asked as he motioned at the bat.

"Oh, sorry. Uh just a safety precaution." Caitlin stated as she placed the bat back in her closet.

"Hey, you think I could borrow that bat from you?" Barry asked as he entered Caitlin's apartment.

"Yeah sure Barry, what for?"

Barry shrugged his coat off and hanged it up in the closet. "Every year, CCPD has this baseball game for charity and I really should practice my skills."

Cisco from the side burst out laughing. "I'm sorry, but you can't practice skills you don't have."

"Hey, that's rude and not true whatsoever." Barry scowled.

"Barry you may be the Flash, but you don't exactly have a gift for sports." Cisco said as he placed his own coat in the closet.

"Caitlin, you don't think I suck at sports, do you?"

"Uh…you can take the bat to practice." Caitlin offered as Cisco laughed in response.

"Gee thanks Caitlin."

"You guys still didn't answer my question earlier. What are you guys doing here?"

Cisco and Barry walked over to her kitchen both carrying bags and Cisco placed his on the table while Barry placed a couple bags in the fridge and freezer.

"Well after the week you just had we figured you may be feeling a little uneasy from being alone." Cisco explained as Barry nodded.

"Guys that's sweet but like I said earlier to you guys at Star Labs, I'm going to be okay."

"Are you really? Cisco told me that you were hallucinating Zoom lately. Plus, I don't think you greet all your visitors with baseball bats. It's okay to admit that you're afraid, Caitlin. We're your friends and we understand. You've been through a lot these last couple of days."

Caitlin crossed her arms. "The last thing I need are babysitters."

"That's not our intention. We know that you are strong but that doesn't mean you have to endure this alone. Like Barry said, we're your friends.

Caitlin attempted to argue before Barry interrupted her. "Caitlin, at least for our sakes, can we stay?"

Caitlin sighed before finally admitting the truth. "I hate feeling like this. I hate flinching every time something makes a sound. I hate feeling so vulnerable and weak. I'm trying my best to feel normal…it's just this feeling I keep getting is anything but normal."

"It's okay. No one expects you to bounce back immediately. You'll get there but you don't need our permission to take time to get there." Cisco said to assure Caitlin.

"Okay."

"So, let's get this Team Flash sleepover started!" Barry shouted excitingly.

"What's in the bags?"

"All the proper fixings for an awesome sleepover. I brought an assortment of ice cream flavours, candy, chips, soda, hot chocolate mix and some alcohol if we were feeling fancy. A couple of pizzas are also on their way as we speak."

"And while Barry oversaw the munchies, I am armed with the entertainment." Cisco lifted the bags from the table and placed them on the ground on the living room. "I have board games and I also brought my game console for some video games. I have The Walking Dead series on DVD but if we weren't feeling up for the blood and gore, I have Friends as a replacement. And we can never go wrong with a little Star Trek." Cisco listed with a wide grin.

"Wow, lots of choices. Well what should we start with?" Caitlin questioned.

A knock on the front door interrupted the gang before they could decide.

"That must be the pizza." Barry exclaimed and left to open the door.

"Well I guess eating pizza in our pyjamas is first." Cisco declared as he and Caitlin moved to the kitchen to gather some plates.

A couple of hours passed as the trio sat on the floor with snacks, pillows and blankets scattered around them. The end credits of their second Star Trek movie were playing as the three of them shared a pint of Rocky Road. Cisco was clapping at the end of the movie as Barry and Caitlin laughed over their friend's clear crush for Captain Spock.

"Okay, time for the next one." Cisco declared quickly as he moved over to the DVD player.

"Hey, how are you feeling?" Barry asked as he turned his attention towards Caitlin.

Caitlin smiled. "A lot better now, thank you for coming over. I needed it even if I didn't want to admit it."

"Anytime. We know better than anyone else what it's like to go to another Earth. It's not an easy thing to take let alone having a speed demon looming over you." Cisco uttered.

Caitlin reached for a blanket and placed it over her lap "I never did ask you guys in detail but what was it like for you guys to meet your doppelgangers for the first time?"

Cisco pondered for a moment while Barry passed the popcorn bowl to Caitlin. "Well disappointed would be the best way to put it. Sure, it was weird to see another me moving about but I think I was more stunned by the fact that Earth 2 version of me wasn't the greatest person. I wondered how our lives differed that he would be such a different person. Was it a small decision that made him this way or did a tragic event happened that steered him down this path? I was frightened of myself and that was a strange feeling."

"For me I felt like I was getting a glimpse of a potential timeline that could have happened to me if Reverse Flash hadn't killed my mother and I didn't end up living with the Wests. Joe from Earth 2 didn't like the me of that Earth and till that point I couldn't imagine Joe being anything other than a father to me. I thought of all the memories that Joe and I shared and how much I depend on him. I don't know how I feel about my doppelganger not having a good relationship with Joe but living from his point of view I can say that I'm really grateful for having that bond with Joe."

"Consider yourself lucky that you didn't meet an evil version of yourself. I think your doppelganger is actually just a bigger dork version of yourself which I didn't even think was possible." Cisco said as he grabbed some popcorn.

Barry glared at the small tease. "I got to admit. I am a little jealous of my doppelganger. He got Iris and both of his parents are happy and well."

"Yeah but he doesn't have wicked superpowers like you or equally as wicked best friends." Cisco pointed out as he puffed his chest up in a pompous way.

Barry looked at the two of them with a wide smile. "Yeah those are pretty great."

"I met her." Caitlin spoke up who was quiet before then.

At Caitlin words both Barry and Cisco turned their heads abruptly towards Caitlin.

"Ow, I think I just hurt my neck from turning too fast." Cisco complained as he rubbed his neck.

Barry's eyes widened. "You met Killer Frost?"

Caitlin nodded and reached over for her mug of hot chocolate. "She was being held captive in Zoom's lair"

"What happened?" Barry questioned as he and Cisco inched closer towards Caitlin.

"I helped set her free since I knew that I would need help if I wanted to come back here and we spoke. It was surreal meeting her. For you guys, your doppelgangers felt like separate people but for me it felt like I was talking to a mirror. When you guys told me about her, I pictured her as this unbearable cold woman who I thought I would have no sympathy for. Yet, she and I are so alike. We both have a liking for science, we both fell in love with Ronnie, we both have a cold-hearted mother. I could have been her and she could have been me. I can understand now why you feared me being like her Cisco because we are not that different." Caitlin reflected as she brought her knees closer to her chest and wrapped her arms around them.

"But I was wrong. You two are different people and it was wrong of me to combine the two of you. You are Caitlin Snow: my best friend who loves saving people and dedicated her life to do so. My best friend who will catch any spiders in Star Labs and release them outside because you didn't want to kill them. My best friend who cancelled countless dates with Ronnie when I needed help. That's the person that you are, always have been and always will be. Remember what I said earlier about decisions. You decided to be this person not Earth 2 Caitlin Snow and that is what separates the two of you. The small and big decisions that you chose made all the difference." Cisco said in response.

"And what if I become Killer Frost?" Caitlin whispered softly.

"Then you will become a different Killer Frost who has your memories, your morals and values, who has us." Barry affirmed with confidence.

Cisco nodded. "Yeah if we keep the name, the killer part would mean super freaking awesome not something lethal."

Caitlin blushed lightly at her friends' endless belief in her.

"By the way, you mentioned that you helped Killer Frost escape. Did she leave you behind since Zoom was the one who brought you back? Any chance she will come here to pick a fight?"

"You know I don't think she's all bad, we should really thank her for helping us back in Zoom's lair." Cisco stated in defense of Killer Frost.

Caitlin clutched her mug tighter. "Actually, she tried to kill me after I helped her escape. Since Zoom kidnapped me, she figured that the only reason that she was alive was because Zoom had a soft spot for me."

"Did she hurt you?" Barry's protective side rose as he spoke.

"Okay, I like to retract my previous words on her being cool. She's on my list for attempting to hurt you. If she ever shows up around here, she will be sorry." Cisco vowed.

"You guys don't have to worry about her showing up here." Caitlin faltered and paused for a moment before continuing. "Zoom killed her…in front of me."

A moment of silence rung through the apartment as Caitlin's words sunk in.

"Cait. He won't hurt you ever again. He won't ever get a chance to do that again. I promise." Barry said with absolute seriousness.

Cisco placed a hand on her arm. "I second that."

Caitlin placed her mug down and reached out for both of their hands. "Just know that I won't stand in the back watching idly if he comes to hurt the two of you. I won't recover if I watch either of you fall at his hands.

"We know, you already prove that when you stood up to him with Barry. Just let us protect you like you do for us. Okay?"

"Okay."

"I haven't had a chance to properly thank you for that. I'm alive thanks to what you did. Thank you, Caitlin. Thank you for saving my life." Barry thanked Caitlin with appreciation.

Caitlin beamed at the gratitude. "Anytime. You would do the same for me."

"Now that we declare our love and loyalty to one another. Who's ready for some more marathoning?" Cisco interjected.

Caitlin grabbed the popcorn bowl and stood up. "I'll pop some more popcorn."

The late-night movie fest continued into the early morning. The trio went through most of the snacks well mostly Barry went through the snacks and it was a moment for the three of them to relax and just hang out. As the three continued to relax, the movie they had playing finished its course and the end credits started to roll. Barry and Caitlin glanced at Cisco who previously had designated himself as the movie selector only to find a motionless, dozing Cisco. Both snickered as Cisco started to snore lightly and Caitlin took out her phone to capture a photo.

"Guess Cisco is calling it quits for the night."

"I'm pretty sure the light trail of drool on his face gives it away." Caitlin said as she proceeded to film a video for future teasing.

Barry stretched his arms and yawned. "It is getting pretty late, we should at least try and get some sleep before heading back to Star Labs."

"Yeah, I suppose you're right. Plus, Cisco would never let it go if we continued the marathon without him." Caitlin stated as she reached over for a pillow, grabbed another blanket and made a makeshift bed for herself.

Barry watched as Caitlin closed the TV, laid a blanket over Cisco and handed a pillow to him. Barry chose to not say a word about Caitlin having a much more comfortable bed for sleeping as compared to the hard floor. He knows that Caitlin would rather sleep with the comforts of her friends rather than being alone and he was glad that she felt safe around him. Barry laid down and prepared himself to sleep before noticing that Caitlin was lying down but staring at the window.

"Caitlin?"

Caitlin jumped slightly at his voice and hesitated before asking. "Barry, will you stay awake until I fall asleep?"

Without a second thought Barry responded. "Sure, yeah." Barry sat up and shifted closer to Caitlin and placed his hand on her thigh rubbing it gently.

Caitlin smiled at the gesture and whispered a quiet thank you. Caitlin glanced at the window where a hallucination of Zoom was previously at and watched as the image faded. She felt safe for the first time in a long time with Cisco and Barry beside her and closed her eyes allowing slumber to finally take over.

That's a wrap on this chapter. I hope you like it.

-V