Too busy scanning the further reaches of the crowd to evade her father, Jesse smacked a well-dressed man with her over-sized purse, stumbling to a halt to apologize. "My bad! Didn't see you there."

"Jesse, right?" Julian lowered his drink and flicked what he'd spilled off his lapel. "Good thing this isn't particularly good plonk or I'd be upset." He grinned to show he was trying to be funny. "Your father certainly made an impression at our original introduction and now you."

"Me hitting you was an accident, but he tends to do that intimidation thing on purpose." Jesse shrugged. "Better a father who cares too much than not enough - unless you want to have fun." She winked, laughed and became nonplussed as Julian didn't laugh as she expected. "Did I say something wrong?"

"Wrong?" Julian shook his head. "Dear me no, not at all. Fathers are the same all over the world, are they not?"

"Well, I can't say for certain, I've only got the one, but mine has always been there for me." Jesse gauged Julian's mood and found it depressed. "I didn't mean to pick a topic that made you feel bad."

"Don't be silly." Julian tipped more of his drink down his gullet. All to avoid having to respond - but once he'd finished he tried to make a joke. "I haven't felt bad about my own father ignoring me for years!"

"I see." Jesse crossed her arms over her chest and sighed deeply. "Why don't you come with me?"

"Why indeed, other than for the fact I don't want your father to kick my ass?"

"Let me worry about Harry." Jesse smirked. "It's one of my god-given rights as a child to give my parental figure some grief - and this will be legendary."

"Hey! Caitlin! I've been looking for you, our surprise is all set and ready!" Iris grinned and wriggled like a puppy. "Girl, we got some talkin' to do too!" Belatedly Iris read the vibes between Caitlin and Harry. "Oh, hi. Enjoying the party Harry?"

Harry nodded. "Yes. I see you two will be busy, so I'll see you later, Caitlin?"

"Very soon actually." She gave Harry a crooked smile. "I didn't have time to mention this earlier but Jesse met up with some friends and left - with your car. I'm your ride home - unless you didn't -"

"That's great, I'll find you later. Iris looks like she's gonna explode if she doesn't get to share whatever news has her so antsy." Harry ruffled his hair and reined in his urge to sigh loudly. "I'll find you."

"Great!" Iris smiled at Harry and then hauled Caitlin towards Barry's house. "Sorry I interrupted."

"Not as sorry as I am." Caitlin looked over her shoulder at Harry who was standing motionless and staring blankly into space. "We were having a moment."

"Girl, do you want to hear about the latest dirt about the movie we're all currently making?" Iris giggled, her eyes sparkling with demonic delight. "Okay, you don't even have to ask - I need to share this! Barry's had a few conversations with our illustrious director."

"This better be good."

"Oh, it's beyond good - this is insanely awesome. We already knew Tina was nudging your character and Harry's together." Iris jumped and pumped her arms. "She's on board with pretty much everyone else getting paired up - all but Julian." She smirked. "Julian will end up solo and unloved."

Amused despite her normal tenderhearted disposition, Caitlin laughed. "Huh. He's not that bad once you get to know him, but it does feel fitting."

"I know!" Iris gave Caitlin an evil grin. "This is utterly perfect. Julian is going to be cock-blocked and denied at every step of the movie."

Next to the wishing well, Barry read off his cue cards, directing his voice into the microphone. "Let me thank everyone for attending. I couldn't do this on my own!" He started the crowd clapping and after a minute continued with his speech. "I can't say enough that it's because of people who care that make this world a better place. And giving to the humane society will make it very much better for our animals." He held an envelope and flourished it before dropping it into the wishing well. "Animals depend on us and we should do our best in return. One more reminder, all the dogs you've met tonight are eligible for adoption." Barry smiled and took a drink from one of the waiters, gulping it down as the crowd clapped and cheered. "And there's one more special surprise arranged - from a couple of my newest friends. How about some appreciation?"

Barry held out the microphone to Iris and started clapping as she and Caitlin joined him, smiling as bright as sunbeams on a Sunday morning.

Iris cleared her throat and waved to the crowd. "Hey! It's so good to see so many other concerned people. We're all wanting to take care of our animals and care for neglected animals, right?"

Caitlin nodded and held out her hand for the mic, upon receiving it, she smiled and tapped the microphone. "That's why we've added a bit of excitement to tonight's entertainment." She paused then spoke again. "Each adoption gets a free spin on the wheel of bonuses." Caitlin held the mic out to Iris.

Iris smiled. "We've got free dog food, free treats and free toys. All you need to do is welcome any of the available sweet pups into your home to win extra swag." Iris waved her arms and grinned. "Who doesn't want to add to their family? Adopt a dog and add more love into your life!"

Caitlin took the mic back. "Adopt right now and take a spin. Be the envy of your friends!" At these prearranged words, an assistant wheeled a substantial mechanism next to them. She pointed into the crowd and started clapping. "Cisco! Don't you want a loyal companion, guaranteed to never give you sass?"

Cisco hollered, "You know it, but I'm not home enough to take care of a dog!"

"Pick a pet and you'll make the time."

Iris reached over and moved the wheel. Tick-a, tick-a, tick. "Who's going to be our first hero?"

A well-built man, blond and Hollywood-handsome raised his hand and the crowd melted away giving him a clear path to the wheel. He grinned at Barry, Iris, and Caitlin but his attention soon returned solely to Iris. "I don't know about being a hero, but I've fallen in love tonight."

Playing up the other man's words Barry started clapping. "Was it Scooter? Now that dog has lots of love to give!"

"Or maybe Pebbles? She's a sweetheart!" Iris impulsively ran over to the prospective dog-owner and thrust out her hand. "I'm Iris! It's great you want to adopt a dog."

"Call me Eddie." Eddie grinned foolishly.

Barry stared at Eddie who gazed at Iris in adoration while Caitlin hid her amusement and then spoke up after the longest thirty seconds of her life. "That's great, Eddie! You can spin the wheel first if you like and then share which adorable dog caught your eye."

"Oh yeah!" He chuckled and grabbed an upper section of the wheel and gave it a forceful spin.

Ticka-ticka-ticka! The whole time it spun Eddie kept sneaking peeks at Iris.

Not wanting to express his dismay over another man showing interest in Iris, Barry clapped and cheered with the rest of the guests, returning to host mode as the wheel slowed and stopped. He announced, "Seems you've gotten lucky and won some dog food!" Barry shook Eddie's hand and herded him to the side, all the while talking. "So, which pup is going home with you? After you fill out the adoption papers and qualify that is!"

"Mirabelle." Now several steps away, Eddie gave Iris another lingering look and then focused. "Sorry, I don't normally get distracted like this, but..." He lowered his voice. "Iris is incredibly beautiful."

"And more than just a pretty face." Barry kept his voice low but let a bit of irritation colour his response. "She's a great person. She and Caitlin are footing the bill for the adoption bonuses."

"Whoa!" Eddie held up his hands in a mea culpa gesture. "I'm sorry if I came across as creepy."

"Did you spin the wheel because you want to save a dog or meet a woman?"

"I'm serious about adopting Mirabelle." Eddie took papers from a waiting smiling volunteer, jotting down his information and continuing his conversation with Barry. "Didn't know I was treading on your toes."

"Dude." Barry shoved his hands into his pockets. "Dude, the only toes that matter in this kind of thing belong to Iris. She's great and I get why you'd notice her, but treat her like a person. Now, if you'll excuse me? I've got to get back to hosting. Shirley here will answer any questions about Mirabelle and more information about adopting from the Humane Society."

As expected only a handful of people stepped up to spin the bonus wheel but many dropped donations into the wishing well and posed for pictures as they supported the charity.

The dogs available for adoption had been escorted off the premises long ago and the party had gotten louder. Barry sat next to Iris, both of them chatting, absorbed in each other. Caitlin tapped her friend on the shoulder. "Ooh, I see Tina. I'm gonna go hide."

"Sure." Iris nodded absent-mindedly and then gave Caitlin a questioning look. "Hide? Why?"

"No time for the long answer." Caitlin shivered despite the pleasant evening air. "I'm not in the market for help meeting inappropriate men."

"I see." Barry and Iris said at the same time. Iris giggled and Barry grinned.

Caitlin rolled her eyes. "Nice to know this amuses you. I'm ducking out. Give Iris a ride home, Barry."

"If she wants, but you've got to rescue Harry. I see him over there and our illustrious director has the poor guy locked in her sights." He pointed to where Harry was in the middle of a group of women - all a good deal closer in age to Harry than Caitlin. "See ya on set."

"See you guys later," agreed Caitlin. She was already walking fast - jogging towards Harry, missing the smug look Iris and Barry exchanged.

"Your ride's here!" Caitlin wanted to blame haste for laying her hand on Harry's arm and squeezing his bicep. Tina was coming this way - fast! But Caitlin knew she was being petty and trying to stake a claim in front of the attractive and much more suitable-for-Harry women. "Sorry, but it's time to go." Expecting more reluctance, Caitlin pulled but Harry stepped right up and hugged her.

"You're too funny, darling." Harry kept an arm snaked around Caitlin's waist after hugging. "But that's why I love you." He nodded to his small crowd of admirers. "Goodnight and good luck."

Caitlin caught on quickly and relaxed against Harry, enjoying the moment before remembering Tina. She spoke in a whisper, "We need to hurry."

Harry gulped. Caitlin's reply had been directed into his ear and her soft breath had raised the hairs on the back of his neck. "I see." Tina was visible out of the corner of his eye. Together he and Caitlin darted off and the happily talking and drinking crowd hid them.

A scant minute later Tina trotted up with a very drunk Cisco in tow. "Hello, my dears! I trust everything went well?"

"Sure did." Amelia Dupree licked her very red lips. "Like a charm."

"Didn't hurt that Harry was so attractive," another of the group of women volunteered. "Just my type!"

"Tall, dark and handsome."

"Heh heh, heh! Gotta commit!" Cisco hiccupped. "The delicious Harrison Wells!"

Everyone laughed and Tina gave her friends a wicked smile. "See you at the next club meeting, ciao darlings!"

Caitlin clicked her car remote and slid inside with a pleased sigh. She locked the doors and looked at Harry who matched her grin. "I don't think she'd chase us this far, but better safe than sorry, right?"

"The more I get to know Tina, the more scared I am of that woman." Harry fastened his seatbelt. "What's scarier than a force of nature? Whatever that is - that's her."

Immediate laughter from Caitlin had Harry relaxing. He hadn't spooked her with his intensity earlier. Damn Iris for interrupting - but maybe that had saved him from making a mistake. Mistake? Missed opportunity? That idea warred back and forth and he consciously decided to shove down his unrest and make the most of the here and now. "If Jesse is out with friends then how about you come for an after-party at my house? The food was good, just not plentiful. I could feed us."

"You're not worried about Jesse running around town with friends?" Caitlin started her vehicle and stopped in the middle of backing out of her parking spot. "She's in your car, you know that, right?"

"Jesse has a good head on her shoulders." Harry leaned back in his seat and had the audacity to smirk at his driver. "I've met all her friends and they're good kids too."

"Well, I could do with a drink or two and some conversation. I was too keyed up earlier to indulge at the party." Caitlin finished reversing and began to pull out of her parking spot. Nerves getting the best of her she kept talking about inconsequential things. "I have a fear of public speaking -"

"That's odd considering what we do for a living."

"Like I was saying, " Caitlin gave Harry a quick glare and then pressed harder on the gas pedal. "A fear of public speaking is not anywhere the same thing as acting. Acting for a camera where you can repeat a scene over and over is so not the same as flubbing a line in front of live humans who are going to remember your mistakes and throw it in your face at every opportunity."

"I hadn't thought of it like that," mused Harry. "So was it a middle school or high school speech that you flubbed?"

"Such a detective." Caitlin snorted. "Heh. I as much admitted there'd been trauma."

"You're ignoring my question."

"Fine. High school, senior year. I'd been in theatre since forever and I was a bit too confident in my abilities."

"You got out of doing a speech in other years?" Harry smiled to himself. This wasn't his first choice of topics, but this was nice to see - a new side of Caitlin. And he'd never have guessed she had any kind of uneasiness over public speaking.

"More like I wasn't overfilled with confidence then and actually practiced my speeches. Senior year was the year of hubris."

"What happened when you flew too close to the sun, Icarus?"

"Ha. Ha." Caitlin tapped her fingers on the steering wheel as she waited for the red light to change to green. They were minutes away from Harry's house and she felt more keyed up now than at any other time in her life she could remember. "You've never melted your wings doing something you weren't prepared for?"

"I never said I hadn't, Caitlin. But we're discussing you."

"Am I that interesting?"

"Yeah." Harry coughed. "You can go now, the light's changed."

Letting a short hiss of air escape, Caitlin got her car moving. "All you need to know is children are the cruelest when they're teasing their friends."

"Hah! Tell me something I didn't already know."

Thoughts of admitting her attraction popped into Caitlin's head but she settled for lifting her nose in faux indignation. "You want the truth or something that makes you feel better?"

"Oh, you wound me so!" Harry clutched his chest and laughed. "You gotta go easy on us old fellas y'know."

"Drop the 'old fellas' talk." Caitlin bit out her words harsher than she'd intended. In an ameliorating tone, she added, "You know damn well those ladies you were surrounded by didn't have an issue with your age. And neither do I."

Harry shrugged an easy dismissal. "They were just asking questions about one of my last movies."

"The one where you hardly had any wardrobe?" Caitlin parked on the road alongside Harry's driveway, very happy to have the car out of traffic because she was busy scrunching her eyes shut trying to astral project her soul far, far away. "Um…"

"Yeah, they talked about that and some other stuff." Seemingly unaffected, Harry laughed. "At least it paid well."

Caitlin trailed behind a nonchalant Harry, her eyes glued to his backside, cursing herself for mentioning that particular movie - upset with herself for treating the man like eye-candy and still unable to look away. That man had fine genetics. Harry unlocked his front door and Caitlin came out of her fugue state when he cleared his throat. She stalked past him into his house.

The door shut with a soft thwump and Caitlin hurried into the kitchen to search Harry's fridge, pulling out a crisp German white wine. "Rivaner suit you?"

"Why else would I stock it?"

"For me." Caitlin stuck her tongue out playfully. "But I'll share with you."

Harry placed two glasses on his kitchen table. "Share away. How 'bout we sit in the garden?"

"I'll give that a pass. What if Tina swoops in and brings potential suitors with her? Each more unsuitable and horrid than the last." Caitlin took a long satisfying draft of her wine and topped it off again. "Makes me want to remain single for life."

"Nothing wrong with sitting at the dining room table." Harry wanted to add 'you staying single would be a goddamn shame.' He looked at Caitlin though and quirked his lips. "Or in the living room - softer chairs y'know."

"Whatever you like."

As if. Harry suppressed his first choice of answer and said instead, "Living room." How outraged would Caitlin be if he told her there was room on his lap? Harry chuckled to himself.

Caitlin pinched Harry's arm and asked, "What's funny?"

His laughter turned into a strangled cough. "Nothing."

The look on Caitlin's face meant she didn't buy Harry's quick answer, but she didn't press the issue. Instead, she took a seat on the couch and patted the cushion beside her. "Stop looming over me and sit your ass down."

Keeping what he felt was an appropriate amount of space Harry sat and took a deep draft of his wine. "So, how much fun did you have at Barry's Puppy Party?"

"Turns out I was having the best time until we got interrupted by Iris."

Nonplused at Caitlin's direct mention of the romantic-almost-moment they'd shared, Harry took another sip of wine.

"You know, when we were hiding from -"

"That cretin, George?"

"The very same." Caitlin played with her wine glass. Shifting to face her handsome friend, Caitlin lifted her drink in a toast. "Cheers to no interruptions."

First, they heard jingling keys. Then loud cackles, clinking bottles and stumbling on the front porch. An accented voice admonished, "Quiet, Miss Quick!" and then chortled madly, repeating the words 'quiet' and 'quick' and variations on that theme. More voices urged for silence - trying and failing to muffle their laughter.

Jesse whisper-shouted. "Keep it down, guys! I don't need the neighbours horning in on our after-party!"

Caitlin and Harry shared the same expression and thought. Well, shit.

A/N: It's been rather longer than I'd mentioned before for an update. If you're curious why, PM me ~ But in other news, reviews and or comments would be lovely.