DISCLAIMER: I don't own any of the lyrics that are briefly used in this story. Obviously.
Wow, short A/N today, huh? Guess that's good... Quarantine sucks. Okay onto the story! :D
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One Month Later, Friday Night
Nash Wells' Bar
To say things had gone back to normal since Nash started acting weird would be a clear overstatement... but at least they weren't so odd now.
For instance, the band on stage was swinging, and Caitlin tapped to their lively swing-style music, while Barry manned the bar with Sue's help this time. Lately, she had taken a backseat to singing, claiming she wasn't exactly in the mood that night to sing, but rather help out. Nash had returned back to his operations as bar manager, but only last week - and he seemed pretty off, even for a person who might have a multiple personality disorder.
"See something you like, Barr?" Sue asked, smirking as she evidently had caught Barry in a trance.
"H-Huh? What? N-No, no no," Barry said, "uhm, sorry, I'm just... just tired, yeah."
She rolled her eyes, letting out a chuckle. "I just get a feeling its not just those fast feet that caught your eyes, Barry. And there's nothing wrong with that! Caitlin's a very pretty girl, is she not?"
"...W-Well, y-yes, she is," Barry shyly admitted, "b-but there's nothing else there, Sue, I swear."
Sue shrugged, but a smirk remained on her lips. "Suit yourself then..."
At that moment, Caitlin came back to the bar, panting and sweaty from her nearly half and hour's worth of dancing. "Oh my heavens... what a night, I tell you! Tap dancing will kill you if you let it..."
"Did you have fun at least?" Barry asked, wanting to make sure his friend was okay.
"Oh, a blast!" Caitlin answered wholeheartedly, wiping her forehead off. "My ankles may not have, but tap dancing is such a joy that I'd call it worth it. And I know it probably isn't good at this hour, but I missed out on dinner, so I'd like to order the chicken and dumplings to replenish myself."
"Coming right up, Cait!" Barry said, quickly writing down a ticket and sending it to the kitchen. "Oh, thank you so much Barry," Caitlin said, reaching over the bar to pat his shoulder. "You're an angel..."
And with that, she strutted off to a corner booth in the general dining area, leaving Barry a bit flustered in her wake...
"Want me to take her order to her when it's ready?" Sue asked with a smirk. "N-No, I got it," Barry stuttered, "but thank you for the offer!"
Sue shrugged and kept her smirk, much to Barry's 'annoyance' - he couldn't deny, none of what Sue had been saying had been... "wrong", per say. Barry then turned around after Chef Ramsay (that's Gideon) put out Caitlin's order, and began to walk over to Caitlin's corner booth.
"Taking a minute away from the limelight?" Barry asked with a smile, noticing how far away from anyone Caitlin was.
"You know it," Caitlin said, sipping her water and smiling as her food was placed in front of her. "Hey, why don't you stay for a while? I could use the company… and besides, I may be hungry, but I'm definitely not finishing all this."
"Uh-Uhm…" Barry said, briefly looking back at the bar - Sue was giving him a 'shoo' motion with a smile… so he guessed he had some time. "S-Sure!"
"As long as you don't have to handle the bar," Caitlin said, noticing Sue was by herself. However, Sue seemed to be doing just fine - and she gave a wink to Caitlin too, so all seemed well. "Yeah, Sue's got it," Barry reaffirmed. "I'll go back after you're done here."
"Sounds great," Caitlin smiled, taking a bite of her food. "Mmm… why don't more bars double as dining areas? I can see why Nash made this decision…"
"Right?" Barry said. "I can't tell you the amount of times drunk me has desperately needed a hamburger and couldn't get one because the bar didn't serve them…" Caitlin nearly spat out her drink at his comment, due to the sheer randomness of it. "Oh my gosh… y-you're serious?" she giggled.
"Wish I wasn't," Barry shook his head in regret, causing Caitlin to almost burst out laughing. "Quite the comedian, aren't you?" Caitlin laughed. Barry laughed along with her, trying to play off the fact that he had actually gone burger searching while drunk once…
And that didn't need to last long, because his eyes were driven to the stage when he thought he heard a familiar voice singing - and it wasn't Sue…
"Oh my gosh - is that Ryan Choi?" Barry asked.
"Oh yeah!" Caitlin smiled. "Ryan's a regular here; he just got back from his honeymoon this week, so he hasn't been here for a while. You know him?"
"He was my lab partner in college!" Barry smiled. "And we still keep in touch to this day; he's a really cool dude. Never knew he could sing though!"
"He does have a good voice," Caitlin nodded, listening along as Ryan sang something familiar to "Mambo No. 5" by Lou Bega, but don't quote me on that - that song actually wouldn't hit the charts for another nearly fifty years, so it was incredibly odd to hear him singing it… but the little man was having fun, so who cares, right?
"Although… I think you've got one of the best voices to come through here," Caitlin admitted with a blush and a soft smile. "R-Really?" Barry asked, also feeling a heat coming to his cheeks. "Well… uhm, t-thank you!" "You're welcome," Caitlin smiled, taking another bite of her food.
As the night wound down, and midnight was hit, the bar gang began the process of cleaning up the place for tomorrow's operations. Barry and Ryan got a proper reunion, and the two were both ecstatic to find their nerd friend also sang.
"Alrighty gang, since I am tired as all hell," Nash said, "I will leave it to Ramon for the announcements about tomorrow's schedule. Goodnight everyone."
And with that, Nash just… left. He did that a lot, but never to the extent where he just dumped everything on Cisco. That almost, somehow, seemed out of character for him…
"Umm… alrighty then," Cisco said, raising his brows. "I haven't been here in a month," Ryan muttered, "and it seems like not much has changed. Nash is still a weirdo."
"You got that right," Cisco nodded. "Okay - so, tomorrow's a big one! Media reporter Zari Tarazi is gonna be here with some of her lady friends, and she's already gotten her brother to call ahead and reserve our one eight-seat table, so we're gonna make tomorrow a big night! All singers - and our lovely tap dancer - will be on stage at least once to give her a great show, and also some of that good press, capisce?"
"You got it, boss," Ralph said, and everyone else nodded in response.
And with that, the bar gang began to file out. Goodbyes were said, elbows were bumped, and conversations were made as the gang filed out one by one.
"Hey, Barry? Thanks for keeping me company," Caitlin smiled at Barry. "Oh, anytime, Cait!" Barry said. "You're a really easy person to talk to, so I have no problem doing so."
Caitlin giggled in response, and after the two exchanged their goodbyes, they both left with huge smiles on their faces.
Tonight was a good night indeed…
1:00 AM
*Undisclosed*
Nash stepped out of his car, and walked into the building - well, it was more like a warehouse - where he was designated to meet his profit counter. And also the man who held the fate of his business in his grubby hands…
When he walked in, he saw four people at a table playing cards - as always. "Clifford. Orlin. Ramsey. Eva."
Clifford gave Nash the stink eye, Ramsey smirked, Orlin remained dead inside, and Eva didn't even seem to notice him.
"Thanks," Nash nodded, walking further back, his briefcase only slightly making his world feel heavier than it already did. He knocked on the back office door in a syncopated rhythm, and a 'come in' was heard on the other side before he opened the door.
"Eobard," Nash said, trying to hide the slight tremor in his voice. "Mr. Wells," Eobard smirked. "Come, sit; let us talk." Nash took his seat at the opposite end of Eobard's desk, trying not to notice that August was the only one present at Eobard's side - usually Hunter was there too..
"Here is your share of the profits we've made this month, after bill payments and all that jazz," Nash said, setting the briefcase on Eobard's desk.
Eobard let out a wolf whistle at the contents of the suitcase, evidently impressed by the large margin that had exceeded his expectations. "Well, well, well… this is quite impressive! I'll have my boys count it up, and we'll get back to you. You're free to go, Nash."
"Thank you, Mr. Thawne," Nash said respectfully, before getting up and briskly walking out of the warehouse - he couldn't stay there for another moment.
Right as he left, Hunter stepped out of the dimly lit corner of Eobard's office, finally taking his finger off of his tommy gun's trigger. "I could tell by that forced reaction you wanted him dead. Why didn't you signal?"
"I still want him dead, Zolomon," Eobard snapped. "The problem is… he truly did exceed expectations this month. I can't afford to kill him at this moment. Give it till next month… we'll see if he keeps this momentum going. Give it another two or three months, then I'll make the final decision."
Hunter growled, putting his gun at his side. "I still wanna shoot something. Or cover someone in plaster… ooh, that'd be a bad way to go."
Eobard didn't pay much attention to his bodyguard's rambling… at first.
Something he said actually gave him a far-out idea - one that was so crazy, it actually made sense. All he had to do was wait for a classic Nash slip-up...
5:00 PM
Nash Wells' Bar
"Bow chicka bow wow, that's what my baby says… hmm hmm hmm, n' my heart starts pumpin'..."
"...The hell?"
"Oh, sorry Ralph," Ryan chuckled, "it's just a little piece I'm working on. It sounds kinda weird, but I think the beat should make it catchy enough."
"Ah, gotcha," Ralph nodded. "You do you, little man!" "Why does everyone keep calling me that?" Ryan asked. "I'm taller than Cisco!" "You keep telling yourself that!" Cisco called from the stage, where he was reading a magazine.
"Where's Barry?" Caitlin asked, looking at the clock and tapping her foot. "He should've been here a while ago..." "You talked to him?" Sue asked, polishing a gin bottle.
"I called him earlier on the phone, yes," Caitlin said, smiling as she reflected over that call - he had made her laugh out loud yet again, and that always left her smiling.
Sue smirked. "You two would be really cute together, just sayin'..."
"P-Pardon?" Caitlin asked, her eyes going wide at Sue's suggestion. "W-We've only known each other for j-just over a month, Sue."
"Not hearing a no right off the bat, there's a start," she thought. "Chemistry doesn't usually care about time, darling. If you work, you'll know it! And you two work really well together… just give it some thought, eh babe?"
Caitlin took a deep breath in, then said, "E-Excuse me for a moment, please!" before click-clacking out of the bar and outside to get some fresh air.
"Where's she off to?" asked Ralph, walking over.
"She and Barry have the hots for each other and don't wanna realize it," Sue chuckled.
"They don't?" Ralph asked with a chuckle. "Ahh… reminds me of when we first fell in love." "You had been shot," Sue deadpanned. "But my burning love for you masked the burning pain in my shoulder..." Ralph persisted; Sue just rolled her eyes, trying to hide her blush.
Meanwhile, outside, Caitlin was fanning herself - what was it about Sue's comments that just got to her? This hadn't happened in forever… why was she so concerned about the way she felt about Barry, anyway?
And then, speak of the man himself, Barry came jogging up to the bar entrance. "Hey, Cait!" he said, panting. "Sorry I'm so late, I had some business I needed to take care of… you okay?"
"Peachy! Tip-tap shape!" she said, with an awkward giggle. She had punned without even realizing it. However, Barry seemed to care less, and laughed along with her. "Let's get inside," he said, "gotta get ready for the big service!"
And with that, Barry and Caitlin walked back in - just in time to see Gideon leap over the bar and manage to land perfectly in the kitchen.
"There are just some things in life that you don't question," Cisco said, turning the page on his magazine.
8:00 PM
The band had been on a fifteen minute break for approximately ten minutes now - they were all backstage, going over the plan one more time.
"...And then, Caitlin will do her tap break, we wrap up the song after, and hopefully get great press out of it," Cisco said. "Now, as much as I'm pushing the press thing… please, just have fun out there! That's what matters most, right?"
"Right!" the gang echoed.
"Okay, five more and we're back on," Cisco said. The crew then began to discuss regular things, like paychecks and how a body was found outside the local casino. Barry Allen, however, was off in the corner, wiping sweat off of his brow.
"Hey, you okay?" Caitlin asked, walking over. "H-Huh? Oh yeah! Just a bit nervous," Barry said, chuckling - you guessed it - nervously. "Hmm… well we can't have that," Caitlin said, putting her hands on her hips. "Here. Lemme fix that."
Caitlin then did something… something Barry wasn't expecting.
"Cait, this is just a hug," Barry said. "Is it working?" she asked, with a soft smile on her lips. "...Yeah," he smiled, leaning into the hug. "It's working really well."
"Are they together?" Ryan whispered to Chester. "We all wish they were," Chester chuckled, downing a swig of his coffee. "Hm, pity," Ryan whispered. "I think they'd make a perfect duet, personally."
"Alright, we're going on!" Kamilla whispered, right before she stepped out onto the stage. "Good luck everyone!"
And with that, the bar pianist stepped out onto center stage with a smile plastered on her face. Everyone hushed as she tapped the microphone. "Good evening everyone! This next song is dedicated to our very special guest, Zari Tarazi, of the National Tribune, one of the most successful papers in the country. We ask that for the optimal enjoyment of this song, please ignore the eighteen year gap between now and when this song will actually be written. Thank you!"
She then sat down at the piano, and notes began to sound as the big performance began.
"Let's do this," Ralph said, walking out with Chester, Cisco, and Sue. The latter walked up to the microphone farthest right, and opened her mouth.
"...Think of your fellow man, lend him a helping hand, put a little love in your heart," Sue sang softly, as the band began to play.
"You see it's getting late, oh please don't hesitate!" Ryan sang out loud, walking up to the center mic and bopping as he did so. "Put a little love in your heart..."
Barry then walked out of the stage, after receiving one last shoulder pat from Caitlin - those were really becoming a great comfort to him - he walked out and took the last mic. "And the world… will be a better place, and the world will be a better place! For you!"
"For you!" Sue and Ryan echoed.
"And me!" "And me!" "You just wait… and see!"
The gang then continued to sing their hearts out on stage, like they were right at home - which they were. Zari seemed to be enjoying the performance, though not as much as her brother Behrad - he was actually grooving along in his chair!
Sue, Ryan, and Barry's voices mixed like syrup, butter, and pancakes (first comparison that came to mind... those things do mix well tho), and they were all really getting into the music. Ryan was even swaying along to the beat!
But the star had yet to show - and she was just about to.
"I hope when you decide, kindness will be your guide," the three sang out, "put a little love in your heart!"
And then, Caitlin sprang out from behind the stage, and with a face full of joy, she tap danced her heart out during her break. A camera flashed right as she was dancing, which captured her, Barry, and Cisco all in one shot.
The look in Barry's eyes… well, it was certainly something special.
After Caitlin's dance break, she continued to tap along as the gang wrapped up their big performance, and they finished with a long, loud shout to the world - to put a little love in its heart!
Zari was the first one to stand up. After her, Behrad. After him, the whole entire bar. The entire gang was in a flashy pose, which was also caught on camera, and they were all elated at the feedback from their patrons.
"You did great!" Caitlin whispered to Barry. "Thank you! You did too!" Barry whispered back.
2:00 AM
As the Saturday night service was wrapping up, and Cisco spoke to Zari and Behrad about what could be printed in tomorrow's paper, another discussion was happening behind the bar…
"Hey," Caitlin said, smiling at Barry, "I, uhm… I really loved how you sounded tonight. Your voice is… it's something else, Barry."
"Well, I could say the same about… your… taps?" Barry said, raising a brow, before laughing along with Caitlin. "But seriously, Cait, thank you. That means so much to me."
"It's the truth!" she smiled. Barry blushed, and muttered a small thank you, letting his huge smile do the talking. "Well, I'm out for the night. Goodnight Barry! I'll see you tomorrow."
"See ya tomorrow Cait!" he said, waving goodbye to the lovely doctor/dancer. As she walked out, Barry found he wasn't able to stop smiling… like, at all.
He was seriously considering Sue's words from earlier.
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Sue Dearbon (Dibny-to be) is the ultimate matchmaker in this story now, huh? XD Ah well, I've had so much fun writing this chapter! I'm having so much fun writing this STORY you guys.
As always, if you enjoyed - PLEASE review! It really motivates me to see feedback, and I love interacting with you guys. :D See if you can tell me the secret song I slipped in here!
Well, see you guys next chapter! Hope y'all enjoyed reading this one. Love you guys! Stay safe!