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The Art of Gifting

Caitlin got ready to leave work after an easy enough day at Star Labs. There were a few incidents of crime that the Flash had helped with but otherwise it was a relatively quiet day. Cisco had grumbled about it but Caitlin was quietly pleased as they had had quite a lot of long and exhausting days recently. And it had given Barry time to ease back into using his powers. Even with all the tests she'd run and the positive results she was still a little worried.

The time between Siphon's and the melting meta's attacks hadn't been long, and Barry could have been affected differently because of it. Or it could just be her, worrying.

As she wrapped herself up in her lovely scarf she thought about her previous evening. Last night she'd managed to be home by ten o'clock. She'd spent the evening just relaxing, doing some sorting here and there whilst having a glass of wine, and then cooking some comfort food. She'd found a place for her new gift, the beautiful word art plaque. She'd gone through her old recipe book and carefully replicated her favourite ones onto sheet paper so she could insert it into her new recipe holder. And she could use her new bookmark to keep her place with whichever recipe she was cooking that day.

There was a little part of her that was in disbelief that Barry had found so many amazing things that were so, well, her.

She still couldn't believe Barry could pick out her favourite scents for the candles, the right kind of music for the playlist and that he had remembered that she liked to cook.

It was said so long ago and they didn't really talk like that anymore, or at least before this Advent they hadn't. Their talks had been mission related or powers related or family related topics of discussion. Even nights out had been in the moment.

It made it very special to her.

Barry was being so thoughtful with all the gifts. Which led Caitlin to her own dilemma. What should she get him for Christmas?

She had a little Christmas present for him, something she had seen back in November and ordered. But that couldn't be all she gave him now, not after everything he'd done. She needed to get him something special. Something that might possibly be able to convey a hundredth of what she felt for him – because there was no present on this or any other Earth that would be able to show him properly all of what she felt or what the gifts meant to her.

Caitlin had thought about it all last night and all of today. She'd seen Barry but not really spoken to him personally. It had been both frustrating and a relief. Frustration because after yesterday's gift and their moment afterwards she wanted to push ahead and see where they were going to take it. Relief because, realistically, she didn't actually want that to happen in the middle of the day at Star Labs where anyone could potentially walk in on them.

She headed out of Star Labs and towards her car, her thoughts whirring through the past few days and possible gifts for Barry. But nothing she could think of was enough. How was he doing it for her? She wanted something that would show him as much as she possibly could and have him know, as much as she did when she opened her gifts.

As she drove along her eyes flicked over billboards and advertisements, each sparking off ideas in her head. She already knew she wanted something she could personalise for him; she wanted to add her own words to the gift. But that in itself limited her options. Then again she didn't really want to get him the latest games console with an inscription on it, not that Barry was a games-console-for-a-present kind of person but it was somehow easier for her mind to come up with presents he wouldn't want then ones he would. Then again, she did always work by a process of elimination so maybe it wasn't that strange.

She arrived home still with the quandary and not at all sure about what to do.

Sitting on her front door mat waiting for her was a small wooden box, the number 20 in red and gold on the top.

Caitlin picked it up and went inside, not taking her coat off and only putting her bag down before she contemplated the box. It wasn't that big, about the size of her hand but it had a little bit of weight to it. She opened it carefully and inside was a round silver compact, the edges swirled with a rolling scroll pattern. She picked it up and opened it to reveal a mirror in a deep setting. Above the mirror on the back of the compact opening was engraved words: 'Mirror, mirror, who is fairest of them all?'

Caitlin giggled at the phrase and was instantly transported back to her childhood and the few rare times when her mother would read fairytales to her before bedtime. This had started because she was missing a tradition that reminded her of her father and now here was a gift that gave her a happy memory of her mother.

Barry Allen was something else indeed.

As she went to put the compact away she noticed there was more writing on the back.

'You C S, from B A' was inscribed on the back.

Caitlin's heart did a funny little jump and she sucked in a deep breath at the amount of feeling that was rushing through her. But in that moment an idea came to her and she knew suddenly what she was going to get Barry for Christmas.

She just hoped he might want it beyond that as well.

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