Thank you for the kind reviews. If I wasn't writing this chapter, I was on this site reading everything I could about Caitlin/Barry. Damn, there's a lot of good writers out there for this pairing. I just hope I don't disappoint.

Enjoy.

S.T.A.R. Labs

Cisco happily sighed as he took a deep whiff of his dark roast coffee that he ordered from Jitters this morning. He took a sip and instantly made a face. He shook his head, disappointed in himself for trusting that cute barista. How could've his instincts been so wrong? Now that he's thinking about it, he couldn't even remembered what he ordered in the first place. The only thing that he did remember was her warm brown eyes that held promises of untold pleasure.

He swirled around in his seat, thinking about how to justify wasting his money on this horrid coffee. He looked over and saw the empty seat next to him, wondering if Caitlin would like this. She was a coffee lover after all. His hand slowly pushed the coffee away from him, mentally swearing never to look another cute barista in the eyes again... unless it was Kendra of course.

"Cisco!"

"It was just coffee!" Cisco defended, jumping out of his seat. "She told me that everyone was ordering it this week." He looked around and heard her running through the hallways. He grasped his chest, trying to calm himself down.

"What are you even talking about?" Caitlin asked as she slid into her seat. Her eyes lit up and smiled. "Thanks for the coffee Cisco. You're a lifesaver."

He watched her carefully as she took that initial sip and then frowned when she didn't spit it out. His eyes zeroed in on that coffee, wondering if it was just him that found it horrendous.

"What."

Cisco looked up and saw Caitlin staring at him, still sipping that coffee. "Nothing." He nonchalantly answered before stretching his arms. "Are you going to be spending all day in this gloomy lab again?"

"Just for a little while." She answered, her fingers already typing away on the keyboard. A few seconds later, the monitors on the cortex turned on, displaying several programs on screen. She started inputting certain keywords and sat there silently as her eyes scanned through the results.

He bit his lips, a wave of sadness hitting him as he watched her, just like he did every day. This was her coping mechanism, a way to deal with Barry's death. While the rest of them went on with the rest of their lives, she was doing the opposite. For some reason, she kept coming in and pulling up the same programs, looking for any signs of Barry. He knew he should speak up or at least put together an intervention but when he saw her eyes... the way that they were barely clinging onto hope... He couldn't go through with it. He didn't want to be the person that sends her back to the pre-Barry days...

And by pre-Barry, he meant the day the particle accelerator exploded, taking Ronnie's life and forever changing hers. It was like she turned into a robot, only doing the bare minimum just to survive but that all started to change when Barry entered their lives.

He could see the changes in his best friend. She was no longer cold and quiet, withdrawn from the world. She was happier, lighter and even in some cases, smiling with them. Even if she doesn't like to show it, she changed for the better.

He was brought back to reality when he heard beeping sounds echoing from the computer and he looked up, quickly realizing what she was attempting to do. "Hey don't do that!" He yelped. "Sally is very sensitive and she requires a very delicate touch."

"I know Cisco." She said, rolling her eyes. "I was there when you gave that presentation remember?" She held her tongue after that, stopping herself from accidentally blurting out that she's been using the satellite for the past few months but that's her little secret. She didn't want anyone finding out because if they knew, they would make her face the harsh reality that Barry was gone... and she wasn't ready for that.

Not when she already lost someone else in her life.

She turned around and saw Cisco staring at her, that look in his eyes strengthen her resolved to not tell anyone yet. All of them were moving on with their lives and while she was thankful that they were looking out for her, they just didn't understand how it feels to lose someone.

Losing Ronnie was the hardest thing that she's ever had to experience. It was almost like a piece of herself actually died that day and she swore that she was never going to feel that way again. It wasn't worth the pain... but all that went away the day she met Barry. Even in his comatose state, there was something about him that made her curious.

Perhaps it was something... or perhaps it was just wishful thinking but whatever it was, it was enough to make her interested.

Things soon got better after he woke up and he showed her that the world isn't just a cold and lonely place. It was filled with people that brought laughter and love despite all else. He pushed her to move on, reminding her Ronnie wouldn't want her to spend the rest of her life as a nun. She swatted him on the arm for that comment but it was at that moment when she truly began to move on.

Over the past few months, they grown closer and they confided in one another, her feelings about Ronnie's death and his non-existent relationship with Iris. It wasn't until after Christmas when she noticed a change within Barry. He sported a mask, fooling most people but not her. She could see the pain in his eyes and it broke her heart knowing that there wasn't anything that she could do for him.

But then he had to go and be a hero... sacrificing himself to save everyone else. That idiot... Why did he have to go and do that when she was finally able to sort out those feelings of hers?

"Are you satisfied?" Cisco drawled, chewing on a twizzler. He was pulling up the results of the scan and it was normal. No incidents of a red-blur or streaks of lightning anywhere in the world. "I know you want to believe Caitlin and I really didn't want to be the one to have this conversation with you... but you have to face the facts and move on... It's what he would have wanted."

"I know Cisco. I just wanted to believe in the impossible once more."

He nodded, totally understanding her reasoning. This team was brought together because of the impossible and everything that happened since seems like it came straight out of the comics. An idea suddenly popped into his head and he started jumping up and down like a kid on Christmas Morning. "You know what would be so awesome? If you joined me that special task force with CCPD. I'm sure Joe and Singh wouldn't mind. It would be like old times except that it'll be just us, with a few modified plasma guns making a last stand against the onslaught of metahumans." His eyes then glazed over and he pointed at her. "You can be Sarah Conner."

"I don't know Cisco..." Caitlin said, hesitating.

"Think about it Snow. I'll be back."

Joe and Eddie stood behind their squad car, occasionally peeking out to monitor the abandon warehouse. "Are you sure this was the smartest idea Joe?" Eddie asked. "Iris is going to be pretty pissed if I don't come home today... You know... after all the wedding planning and stuff..."

"Don't worry Eddie." Joe casually replied, pulling out his phone as he checked for messages from Cisco. "I won't let anything happen to my baby girl's fiancé." He lightly teased. "And if it puts your mind at least, Cisco is coming with some new tech that he's been developing. Some new plasma guns, supposed to pack a punch."

"Are you sure about this? The last gun he gave us just bounced off him without a scratch. At that point, we might as well have thrown pillows at him."

"Yeah... not one of Cisco's greatest moments." Joe answered, scratching his chin.

A loud honk in the distance caught the attention of the detectives and they both cringed at the noise. The van pulled in front of them and Cisco walked out with a grin on his face. "Hey guys!" Cisco greeted but he suddenly stopped when he saw the glare coming from both detectives. He looked around and realized where they were and quickly apologized. "My bad but wait until you see what I brought today!"

He walked over to the side doors and gently pulled it open, revealing Caitlin who sat there playing around with the new equipment.

"You brought Caitlin?" Joe asked, surprised to see the scientist. He walked up to her and gave her a gentle hug. "Not that I'm upset but damn, it's good to see you again."

Caitlin smiled, eagerly returning the hug. It's been a while since she last saw the detective and whenever she thinks of him, she thinks of Barry. She turned her head and saw Eddie giving her a polite wave which she returned.

"Looks like the band is back!" Cisco said, pumping his fist in the air. "Team Flash 2.0 is live baby!" He swirled around and walked back into the van, pulling out the new weapons. He handed them to Joe and Eddie and explained about the new upgrades he implemented. "That meta's going to regret the day he messed with Central City!"

Eddie sighed and took the gun, noticing the weight difference. He couldn't help but smile, feeling a little bit excited to have a new toy in his hands. He coughed and quickly wiped that smile off before they notice.

After the three of them were armed, they slowly made their way into the warehouse, looking for any signs of their meta. Joe led the charge while Eddie brought up the rear. The two detectives shared a quick look with each other before they breached, entering through the side door. It didn't take long for them to find their target because just as soon as they entered and turned the corner, he was just sitting there with his legs up on a barrel, almost if he was expecting them.

"Show me your hands!" Joe shouted, aiming his gun. "Albert Rothstein, you are under arrest!"

"Hands in the air sucker!" Cisco chimed in, feeling very confident as he took one more step forward. "It's a good day to surrender."

As Caitlin watched, she couldn't help but notice just how relaxed Albert was. She bit her lower lips, trying to understand why. In her past experiences, when someone is wanted by the police, they usually don't sit there looking bored unless this was some kind of trap. She hissed at Cisco, trying to get his attention. "We should go." She muttered, pulling on Cisco's arm.

"What are you talking about Caitlin? We have him dead to rights." Cisco whispered, his gun still pointed at the metahuman. "We got this."

Albert yawned and stood up, stretching his muscular arms. "I was told that the Flash would be here, not some second string substitutes."

"There's nothing second string about this fool!" Cisco retorted, waving his plasma gun in the air. "I would definitely reconsider if I were you."

"But you're not me." Albert laughed. "Didn't you learn your lesson the first time around? Those weapons did nothing to me and now, you're going to regret not bringing the Flash."

"What's your deal with the Flash anyway?" Cisco said with an exasperated sigh. "I don't know if you're just all brawn and no brains but the Flash isn't here with us anymore. He died saving everyone months ago!" Not waiting for anyone else, his finger hit the side trigger and his weapon started charging, making a humming sound in the process.

"Cisco!" Caitlin harshly whispered. "What are you doing? We need to get out of here."

"I'm sorry Caitlin but Cisco's right. If we have a chance to bring him down, we have to take it." Eddie interrupted, his gun humming to life as well. "This guy is too dangerous to be left unchecked."

"Light him up!" Joe shouted, his fingers pressing on the trigger multiple times. Cisco and Eddie were quick to join in but no matter how many times they fired their weapons, those blue energy shots harmlessly bounced off Albert's skin. "What the hell Cisco?!" He turned to the young engineer who also had a bewildered look on his face.

"I don't understand..."

"Don't worry little rats. In just a few minutes, all your questions wouldn't even matter." Albert taunted as he picked up the barrel by his side and after ripping the top off, he started inhaling the green fumes, his eyes rolling backwards from the intoxicating experience. His body started growing in size, this time doubling in mass. "If the Flash won't come to me, then I'll have to force him."

"I thought you said this was going to work Cisco!" Eddie muttered as he took several steps back. He shared a look with Joe and everyone slowly started inching backwards.

Alarm bells continued to go off in Caitlin's head, her eyes scanning the contents of that barrel. There were so many questions going through her mind but the most important one was that green fume. What was that and why did it act like an endorphin release for him? She squinted her eyes and then gasped. U-235.

"We have to leave right now!" She shouted, never taking her eyes off the meta. Even if Albert doesn't kill them, there's a good chance that radiation poisoning would kill them. When none of them were taking her warning, she tried again, this time in a louder voice. "You know that stuff he's inhaling? That's Uranium!"

"Uranium? Like in Atomic Bomb uranium?" Joe asked, his stomach now feeling uneasy. His eyes looked past Albert and at the barrel. The only things going through his mind was Hiroshima and Godzilla.

"That's right." Albert said, answering everyone's question. His hand grabbed another barrel and hurled it at them with frightening speed. "Where's all that bravado from earlier!?"

Everyone jumped out the way, splitting up and dived for cover. "Split up!" Joe barked. "He may be big but he can't catch all of us."

Caitlin shared a mutual look with the detective and ran. She didn't know where but she ran as fast as she could. Her heart continued to pound against her chest, her legs automatically running in any direction that wasn't a dead end. After the third right turn, her heart leaped straight into her mouth, unable to scream. It was a dead-end. Her eyes looked around for a possible escape route but as the stomping came closer, her hands reached for the closest thing she considered a weapon. A three foot long metal pipe.

It wasn't the best weapon given how bullets and plasma shots bounced off him but given the situation... it was better to go down swinging.

She watched in horror as Albert's head peaked around the corner, a sick grin on his face.

"Oh you'll do nicely."

Caitlin backed against the wall, her pulse racing. She held the pipe in front of her, silently cursing Cisco for dragging her out here. Albert took several more steps forward and she closed her eyes, anticipating the worse to come. The footsteps came closer, louder and it was inevitable. A gust of wind blew into the vicinity, sending chills down her back and she heard a loud grunt. Her eyes slowly opened and she saw a man standing in front of her, electricity surrounding him.

"Barry?" She whispered, her breath hitched. "Please tell me I'm not hallucinating..."

He turned his head slightly, just enough for her to get a glimpse of those green eyes and she knew. His eyes lingered on hers for a second longer before turning his attention back towards Albert. "So what are you waiting for? You wanted the Flash. Well you got him."

Chapter kinda got away from me length wise...