After she had consumed some more food and talked to Barry for a while, Caitlin agreed to be sedated once more. It had helped, she did feel rested, but she had lost so much sleep that it hadn't been enough. Barry promised to stay near her again, and so Henry pushed the needle into her arm once more. He also put the IV back in, making sure there was a steady flow of liquid going into her system.
This time when Caitlin awoke though, it was with no scream, no shrieks of fear. Instead she awoke to see Barry asleep in the chair beside her, and it made her smile. He loved her, as she loved him. Nothing could stop the feeling that caused in this moment. Not even the looming image of Zoom in the corner of Caitlin's eyes. She just wanted to be here in the moment with Barry before something inevitably went wrong, it always did.
"I can almost hear you thinking about how badly this is going to end," muttered Barry, opening his eyes to look at her. He did know her so well. "And for once Dr Caitlin Snow, you are going to have to ignore that voice in your head. You are not going to overthink this situation. Instead, you and I both are going to enjoy it," continued Barry, planting a kiss on her cheek. "Because you and I both know how quickly we can lose good things," he whispered.
"Alright," said Caitlin, standing up from the bed. She stumbled slightly, her legs struggling to adjust to being out of bed after so long. In a flash, Barry had his arms around her tight, to stop her from falling. It was useful to have his speed around.
"You need to take it slow Cait," he whispered, letting her stand on her own.
"I need to do something to keep me busy Barry," she muttered looking up at him. "Whenever I feel like I'm doing nothing, all I can see is him, he is the only thing there," she continued. "Keeping busy, it helps keep him out," finished Caitlin, and Barry reached for her hands.
"And I get that, but you cannot charge in head first Cait. You need to take your time, you have been through something none of us could understand. You have to take the time for yourself now," Barry finished, pulling her into a tight hug. It was so comforting, so warm, so loving. They both wanted to stay like that forever.
"So should I come back later?" asked Cisco as he froze. They turned to see him standing in the doorway.
"What's up?" asked Barry, looking back briefly to Caitlin.
"Joe wanted to know if you felt up to dinner tonight," he replied, pointing to the two of them. "He thought it might be nice, to celebrate Caitlin's return, and you know, Zoom being gone," he rambled off.
"Up to you," said Barry. If Caitlin didn't feel up to it, he was completely willing to stand by that decision.
"It would be nice. A way to try and get back to normal at least," muttered Caitlin.
"It won't be many people!" Cisco quickly piped up, excited that his best friend was willing to leave the lab despite what she had gone through. "Just you guys, me, Joe, Iris, Wally, Henry, Harry, Jesse, Dr McGee, actually that is quite a few…" trailed Cisco off, worried now he might have scared Caitlin enough to change her mind.
"That's fine," she said quickly, knowing when Cisco got concerned. He nodded and headed out of the room.
"In that case, you should rest until we head off tonight," Barry said, turning back to Caitlin, and gripping her hands.
"I don't need any more sleep Barry," replied Caitlin, shaking a slightly disapproving head at him. Barry was going to have to be careful that he didn't come off as too controlling with her. After what she had just been through, Caitlin didn't need that right now.
"Well then how about I go get us some food and we talk? I think there is a lot for both of us to say to each other," suggested Barry, and Caitlin nodded. Barry darted out briefly, and brought Cisco back into the room to keep her company.
"Something tells me Barry doesn't want you left alone," said Cisco, moving across to sit on the seat by the bed.
"Why do I get the feeling he is going to be very protective of me?" replied Caitlin. Cisco smiled at her.
"Barry cares about you, so do the rest of us. And we all want to keep you safe after everything you have been through. Besides, if you are going to date a superhero, I think overprotectiveness is going to come with it," Cisco said, making her laugh for the first time in days.
"Thank you Cisco," muttered Caitlin, leaning into him for a hug. After the particle explosion, it had been the three of them, her, Cisco and Dr Wells. Three scientific minds whose entire lives work had blown up. She and Cisco had become like siblings, thicker than thieves. Caitlin wouldn't have survived losing Ronnie without him. Then Dr Wells' true identity had been revealed, and it had only pulled them closer.
"Listen, I know you probably don't want to talk about what happened with him," started Cisco, careful to avoid Zoom's name. "But I want you to know, when you are ready, I'm here," he finished.
"I never knew what version of him was going to come see me," started Caitlin, deciding that the sooner she talked about it, the quicker she could hopefully recover. "Some days, all he would be was sweet, considerate. Be the Jay I had known before. Other times his rage would take control. And every time he touched me, every time he kissed me, he was just showing control, proving he was the prison guard and I was his prize," she continued, determined not to break down right now. She needed to talk about this, she needed to get it off her chest. And if she told Barry, it would only drive him to wanting revenge more. Cisco could understand, and be there to support her.
"I'm so sorry Caitlin," Cisco whispered, grabbing her hand to support her.
"But I always tried to fight back, to beat him. Because I couldn't give everything to him. He took my sanity, he took my friends from me, and he took Barry from me. I couldn't let him win," she whispered.
"You didn't," said Cisco quickly. "You survived, and you are home now. I know none of us can begin to know what you went through, but we all are here to support you," promised Cisco. He paused for a moment, and Caitlin knew he was hesitating to ask something.
"Go on Cisco, I know you well enough to know when you want to ask me something," said Caitlin.
"I heard what you said to Barry," he spluttered out. "And I know why you didn't tell him beforehand. But Caitlin, I just want you to know, I'm here to help support you guys," he added, and Caitlin smiled.
"I love you Cisco," she said, throwing her arms around him.
"Should I be worried?" they heard a voice ask, and Barry stood in the doorway, a shopping bag in hand.
"Hey man, don't worry. Caitlin is too much my sister for anything like that," he replied, pulling away, and holding his hands up in surrender. "Besides, I have work to get back to," Cisco added, racing out the room. Barry had actually scared him slightly, and it was kind of funny.
"You didn't need to scare him," scolded Caitlin.
"Hey, I just got you back. I'm not risking it," replied Barry, a cheeky smile on his face. Talking to Cisco had made her feel so much better, it was all out there, and some one knew what she had been through. And it had allowed her to start to heal. It wasn't going to be quick, but it was better to start. Barry sat down on the bed beside her, pulling out a massive tub of chocolate chip ice cream and two spoons. "Figured if we were going to talk, we should at least do it over a tub of sugar," Barry said, prying the lid off and passing her a spoon. Barry took the first bite, shoving the largest spoonful of ice cream Caitlin had ever seen into his mouth.
"So what did you want to talk about?" asked Caitlin, grabbing a significantly smaller amount. The ice cream was just the comfort food she needed right now.
"If you don't want to, I get it. But I kind of wanted to ask you about what happened with him," said Barry, also avoiding Zoom's name. Of course he wanted to know the truth, what had happened to her. He wanted to know what she had been through, so he could help her.
"I was a prisoner, a subject under the rule of Zoom," she said, using his name for the first time in so long. "He manipulated my surroundings, my environment, tried to get me to submit to him. He wanted me to love him, to rule by his side. But even when he broke me, I wasn't going to give in to him. Because that monster wasn't going to win, no matter what he did to me. I used everything I had to fight him," Caitlin said, not wanting to go into any more details than that. Talking about it with both Barry and Cisco, it was dredging the memories too close to the surface. She didn't want to remember exactly what she had gone through.
"I am so sorry," muttered Barry, pulling Caitlin into his arms. She folded into them, but she kept herself from crying. If she was going to fight her way back from this, she needed to stop letting the thought of him win.
"The only time I completely broke, was when he told me you had died," whispered Caitlin, looking up at Barry.
"I kind of was," he replied, and Caitlin raised an inquisitive eyebrow. "After Zoom came back to this earth, Harry thought of a way to try and get me my powers back. But when the particle accelerator hit me, I disintegrated. Everyone thought I was dead, gone. I guess Zoom saw my suit, all broken. But I didn't die, I was in the speed force," continued Barry.
"What?" yelled Caitlin.
"The speed force, it turns out it is almost sentient. I was stuck in there, I saw things, and when I came out, I had my speed back," Barry finished. He knew Caitlin would want more specific details later, but for now that was enough. "I saw you," he added, and he raised a hand gently to her cheek. "The speed force, it took your form. Because it knew how much I loved you, how much I cared for you. And seeing you in there, it made me miss you all the more out here. All I wanted was to find you, rescue you, hold you in my arms and tell you how much I love you," Barry finished, kissing her cheek.
"Barry," whispered Caitlin, a tear running down her cheek. He quickly wiped it away.
"I know that what you went through will be a challenge to overcome. But you need to know, I will always protect you, I will always come for you. Because I love you," said Barry, and Caitlin felt herself smile with true happiness. Barry was going to be the reason she survived this ordeal, and Cisco was going to be there to help.
"Guys!" they heard Cisco yell, and they both turned to the door. "If we want to make it to dinner on time, we should probably leave soon. Unless you plan on speeding over there," he finished. Barry decided it was probably best for them to drive.
"We will be out in a second," he replied, quickly digging his way to the bottom of the ice cream container. He couldn't let it go to waste after all. He left a single spoonful in the bottom, ready for Caitlin to finish. She grabbed her spoon and scooped it up.
"I love you Barry," she whispered, and it made him smile. No matter how many times he heard it, it would always make him happy beyond belief.
"We have a dinner to get to," he replied, gently kissing her on the lips. He was going to take it slow, because that was what Caitlin needed right now. They both stood up, Caitlin managing a lot better now. The IV and food had given her system a reboot, helped her get strength back. They all loaded into the S.T.A.R. labs van, cranking the radio instead of talking. They just needed quiet for now. Especially Caitlin, it was slightly daunting thinking of what she was about to face.
"If you don't want to go, we don't have to," said Barry as they pulled up in front of the house. "I can take you back to S.T.A.R labs," he added. Caitlin thought about it, but shook her head.
"No, this is where I need to be. I need to battle through this, and I need to be around the people who love and support me," Caitlin replied, and Barry smiled.
"I'll be by your side the entire time," he quickly responded, and Cisco nodded in agreement. They walked in, and Joe greeted them.
"Just in time for food," he said, as Barry took Caitlin's coat from her, trying to be every part the gentleman that Caitlin deserved. Barry looked to see his father and Dr McGee sitting together on the couch, and they looked very close. Wally and Jesse were already standing by the table, and everyone else slowly started to gather round, Barry holding Caitlin's hand tightly.
"Taking down a city of monsters makes a man hungry," said Cisco, his stomach taking control of his mind. It made Caitlin smile to see everyone there, especially because most of them knew what she had been through and were there to support her.
"First," said Joe, handing her a champagne glass. Caitlin wasn't sur if the alcohol was a good idea though. "A toast, to family," said Joe, pointing his galss around the room.
"To family," everyone repeated, Barry looking directly at Caitlin.
"That's my kind of toast, short and sweet, let's eat," said Cisco, taking a large sip from his glass. Joe laughed. Then Cisco's eyes went wide and he froze.
"Cisco," said Barry quickly, knowing exactly what had happened. "What, what is it?" he asked, putting his glass down on the table. "What'd you see?" he asked. Wally quickly looked between the two extremely confused.
"What do you mean see?" he asked. Caitlin was the first to respond.
"Cisco gets visions," she muttered, looking at Cisco, worried for her friend. There was such a look of terror on his face.
"I don't understand," Cisco muttered, glancing around the room.
"What Cisco?" asked Joe. Everyone knew that whatever he saw had him spooked.
"Earth 2 splitting in half, straight down through the poles. Tell me I didn't just vibe the future," said Cisco, who was beginning to completely freak out. "Please tell me I did not just see the end of the world," he finished, and then the room froze as blue lighting raced in. Caitlin quickly stumbled backwards, seeing Zoom almost broke her on the spot. Zoom had his arm keeping Henry close to him. Barry didn't move, not wanting to risk him doing anything to hurt his father.
"Our story continues Flash," snarled Zoom, racing out the room.
"Take me with you!" screamed Caitlin at Barry before he could race out of the room. Barry was just about to protest before she shut him down. "Take me with you!" she screamed once more, gripping tightly onto his arm. The best chance to stop Zoom was to use his one weakness against him, taking Caitlin made sense. But that put her in harm's way. But there was also no way she was letting go of his arm. He pulled her tight into his arms and they both raced after Zoom. They pulled up outside Barry's old home. He quickly stepped in.
"Dad? Dad?" asked Barry stepping into the lounge. Caitlin hovered behind him, just out of Zoom's eye line. He stood in the lounge, Jay with his hood pulled down.
"It's poetic, returning to your childhood home," Jay said, his face filled with anger, cold and upset.
"Jay, don't do this. Alright I am begging you, I am begging you, take me. Kill me!" Barry screamed.
"No!" screamed Henry. He did not want his son to die for him.
"You still won't believe me that you and I are the same," Zoom continued.
"Barry look at me son, look at me," said Henry, trying to keep his son from making a mistake.
"So I'm going to have to make you believe me," interrupted Zoom, his tone getting louder and angrier. Barry looked like he might break down.
"Whatever happens, you have made me the happiest father," said Henry.
"Dad," whispered Barry, and Caitlin stepped out.
"You shouldn't have brought her with you," snarled Zoom, looking straight at her. The look said everything, the stare possessive and controlling. "Now you will lose your father and her," he spat.
"Please," begged Caitlin, stepping in front of Barry who tried to hold her back. Zoom stumbled slightly, enough so that he let Henry go. He was still easily within an arm's reach, close enough that Barry couldn't make a move without putting his father and Caitlin's lives at risk. "Hunter, please, don't kill him. You have caused so much pain, you don't need to do this," she continued, and Zoom smiled.
"You haven't even seen me cause pain yet," he spat, staring directly at Caitlin. He then looked to Henry, and Caitlin felt all the hatred she felt for Zoom bubble inside of her, boil to the surface. He had caused her so much pain, caused those she loved so much pain. He had taken Barry's speed, almost taken Barry's life. He wasn't going to take anything else from Barry, he wasn't going to hurt anyone else she cared about.
"I can't let you," whispered Caitlin, raising her hand towards Zoom.
Before he could react, an icicle had gone through his heart, something even he couldn't heal from. He fell to the ground, and looked up at her. Caitlin's hands began to shake, as the coldness hovered around her.
"I knew there was that darkness," Zoom whispered, a smile on his face, before he took his last breath. Caitlin stumbled back from him, looking up at Barry.
"You killed him," Barry whispered, taking a step towards Caitlin.
"Stay back!" she yelled her voice echoing in the house.
"It's okay," whispered Barry. All trace of the coldness had left the air.
"No, I might hurt you," she whispered, turning and racing for the door. Caitlin couldn't risk that, what if she hurt Barry? Coldness was his weakness, she couldn't risk that.
"Go after her son," said Henry quickly. "I'll call your friends and let them know what has happened," he added, and Barry smiled.
"Thank you dad," he said, quickly racing over to give him a hug. His dad had almost died, Caitlin had saved his dad's life. She may have Killer Frost's powers, but that didn't make her a villain. And it didn't mean he loved her any less. Barry quickly raced out, though it was never going to take long for a speedster to catch up to someone.
"Barry, you need to leave me alone," said Caitlin, stumbling away from him. Barry looked at her and he felt so helpless. Her ordeal with Zoom hadn't been enough? Now there was this to deal with.
"Caitlin listen to me," Barry said, speeding over and grabbing her hands. "I am going nowhere, I promised you I would always be here for you and I will be," he whispered, pulling her tight into his arms. She started shaking and crying.
"Barry, I don't know, I don't know," Caitlin started, and Barry held her tighter.
"I'm here, Cait, I'm here."
An extra long chapter! So from this point onward the story is diverting from the TV show. Thank you for all the reviews, they keep me writing!