A/N: I can't keep them out or quiet, so have another story of Caitlin and Dr. Wells, pre-Barry.
Disclaimer: Don't own 'em.
The moment Caitlin steps foot into S.T.A.R. Labs, her eyes light up and as she takes in her new surroundings, her new workplace, Wells knows that his appraisal of her was correct. He has long kept an eye on her, watched as she moved through her undergraduate and graduate degree two years quicker than her peers and saw her talent truly blossom once she made it into the prestigious Ph. D. program. And then, just as was to be expected, she got stuck because her ideas were too good, too revolutionary and far beyond things her peers or even her adviser would understand.
But he saw and he knew that she could do great things and that was why he approached her, to take full advantage of her potential and cultivate it himself because he knows what she can do, what she will do with him and for him. He has foreseen a great deal of things but her presence by his side has been unwavering, the one constant he had to secure.
And now she is here, admiring this great research facility which has always been her dream and as she probably subconsciously touches his elbow, he feels a small smile emerge on his own face at her awestruck expression.
"Well, do you like it here?"
She turns to him and the happiness on her face is infectious; the rational and cool-headed person that he knows she can be almost nowhere in sight. "It's extraordinary."
He smiles. "Come on, I will show you around and introduce you to others."
He doesn't notice until they're halfway to his offices that his own hand has come to rest on the small of her back, gently guiding her with the slightest pressure but she doesn't seem to mind, and somehow, it feels right.
Wells introduces nuclear physicists – "Dr. Grace Lang, Dr. John Meekum, and of course, Dr. Elizabeth Parker" –, the genotechnologist – "Dr. Maria Castillo" – and the engineers – "Laura Ashford and Cisco Ramon" – and watches her take it all in, realize what an exceptional talent she is surrounded by.
He introduces her as Dr. Caitlin Snow but she always corrects him with Actually, my dissertation is still with the committee and if anyone makes a surprised face at finding a non-doctoral bioengineer, he silences them with a single glance and no one dares to comment. The engineers don't find this the least bit troubling as none of them have a doctoral degree and she seems to find them the easiest to talk to. Cisco tres to give her an instant demonstration of the latest gadget he came up with and Laura nearly talks her ear off about the mechanics of the particle accelerator.
Wells watches them all carefully and when the excitement doesn't fade and she happily looks at calculations and almost immediately claims ownership of one of the workplaces, he knows that he has made the right choice.
"And what did you do?"
"I might have jumped into the fountain and held my breath for nearly a minute before I dared to come out and by that time, the guards were gone."
Caitlin stares at him in disbelief. "I have to say, I can't quite picture you in college, intentionally foaming up a Stanford fountain with Dr. Caufield of all people and then jumping in when you were about to be caught! But a top-notch undergrad experience."
He gives her a cheeky grin. "Actually, it happened five years ago."
She laughs in earnest now, no doubt picturing him and the eminent Professor Caufield, head of the Department of Physics at Stanford, a burly middle-aged man, jumping into a foaming fountain because they were dared to do the prank, and then trying their hardest not to get caught. He watches the way her whole being has relaxed, hears the melodic sound of her laughter and something inside of him inexplicably eases into softness and warmth.
They're finished with the workday, the laboratory empty save for the two of them and this is a certain habit they've developed. They happened to be the last two in the lab for a few consecutive Wednesdays – and it's always Wednesdays – and even if they've never said it out loud, it has become their thing, to sit down and have a finger of whiskey which he's taught her to drink.
During the three months that have passed, all of the people involved in the particle accelerator program have come to appreciate her skills and knowledge. She is level-headed, clear and methodical in her work, always remaining on top of things, never blundering or taking a misstep. It's only moments like these when she eases up a bit more, when she softens and he doesn't see the scientist – who has finally received her Ph. D. as well, only slightly due to him pressuring the dissertation committee – but a remarkable young woman who fascinates him in ways he never imagined.
Just as he is about to regale her with another anecdote from the time he really was an undergraduate, there is a knock on the office door and a young man walks in. Wells recognizes him as one of the engineers who was just hired to work on the finer details of the accelerator.
"Oh, am I interrupting?"
Yes, very much, Wells would like to say but has to make nice with all of his employees. "No, not at all. Ronnie Raymond, one of our new engineering hires for the accelerator, meet Dr. Caitlin Snow, our brilliant bioengineer."
She smiles hesitantly and he thinks it's because she never feels quite comfortable with the praise he often wants to bestow upon her – but does like, secretly – but suddenly realizes that she, in fact, is smiling at Raymond.
"Nice to meet you, Dr. Snow."
"Oh, please, call me Caitlin."
"Only if you call me Ronnie."
They shake hands, all the while smiling at each other with a peculiar softness and Wells gets the very clear sense that something unexpected is transpiring in front of him, something he hasn't accounted for.
A year of working on the particle accelerator passes and despite all of his gifts and talents, Wells couldn't have known that this year would end very differently from the one he had envisioned.
Despite everything against it, the relationship between Ronnie and Caitlin blossomed at an extraordinary speed. He doesn't understand how two so very different people can co-exist in such harmony but despite it all, despite the fact that Ronnie doesn't even have a doctoral degree, that he is a very expensive plumber as he likes to say himself, he still stays around, orbiting in Caitlin's space.
And really, he can't fault her for anything; her work is still diligent and professional, she and Cisco are the top scientists on his team and the accelerator is only weeks away from completion. But he feels the idea of the future slipping away from his grasp with every smile she sends Ronnie's way, with every time he sees them not very subtly sneaking off to have some alone time.
It's not that he's jealous, not really but Ronnie forces him to share Caitlin's time and attention. Wells doesn't like to share anything, the least of all a brilliant mind he had plans for. She was supposed to stay by his side, confide in him, becoming more and more attached until maybe one day he could tell her his secret because if there is anyone he would've entrusted with that, it would've been her.
But that was for the Caitlin before Ronnie. Now, Ronnie is the one that gets to see her relaxed and joyful and occupies her mind and heart, and Wells knows that the science she still has left to offer him is not enough.
One day – after Caitlin's ring finger is already full – he hears them discuss the death of an engineer in Coast City who apparently tried to fix his creation after it was already past the point of saving and hears Caitlin say "But why would he risk his life?"
Ronnie chuckles softly. "Because it was his creation, his responsibility. An engineer will never not try because that is who we are."
And just like that, a solution emerges.
He sees them discussing something in the private office and feels like he's conducting a social experiment. Could Ronnie say his goodbyes before it was too late? Can either of them feel that this night will change the course of human history and will irrevocably alter their personal futures? He feels powerful in the knowledge that only he has already seen what will happen next, that only he knows exactly how this night will unfold, and that his plan has come full circle.
When Cisco announces that everything is ready, the team gathers around him in front of the workstation and he feels victorious in the face of this historic moment. This night will be his ultimate triumph and he alone will be responsible for giving the world its greatest gift, the Flash, even if no one else in the room or anywhere is aware of it.
"All I can think of to say is, I feel like I've waited for this day for centuries."
He looks at Caitlin, standing by him whose face is lit up again, just like the first time when she saw S.T.A.R. Labs and it feels right just the way he planned it to be. But then, she glances away and bestows an even more brilliant smile at Ronnie.
The future will be mine and not yours, Wells thinks, and activates the accelerator.
The future is now.
A/N: Woah, he's shady.