A/N: Hey guys! I'm having a blast with this story and you really seem to enjoy it too (I looove your reviews!). In this chapter you'll learn more about Barry and Caitlin's backstory :) (again, if there's any confusion about the timeline, just ask and I'll try to improve it)

Also, there's a bit of swearing (but nothing out of proportions). Enjoy!

I don't own anything :)

Chapter 5. Someday

"I drive all night just to see your face
The way you touch, the way you taste.
Even if only for a day
Coz I'll come back to you someday

I'll speak the truth, it's all I know
As your tears fall to the snow
We both know, tonight that I can't stay
But I'll come back to you someday"

"Someday – Bryan Greenberg"

"Do you still live at your dad's?" She asked curiously.

They were back in his car, right in front of her house, after spending the whole evening at the funfair. They had a blast; there was no way she would deny that. She had felt like a kid again. And it had brought so many good memories back. After their first date there, Barry and Caitlin had considered the funfair as their magical place. All year long, they would wait patiently for that weekend in the beginning of May where the attractions and the music would appear out of nowhere, and they would practically spend the whole weekend there. And they would take advantage of it to celebrate their anniversary.

Coming back all those years later had made her feel like they had never really been apart for so long. And for a moment, all of her worries were forgotten. For a moment, guilt didn't catch up with her.

Barry shook his head. "No, he insisted that I find my own place. I was a bit reluctant at the beginning; I didn't want to leave him alone. But he was right. I couldn't live with him all my life. So I moved out."

Caitlin nodded with an understanding smile on her lips. "And your dad?"

"He sold the house. He couldn't bear living in that house alone with all the memories." Barry explained. "So he bought the apartment just above his medical practice."

"I liked that house." Caitlin whispered. "I've got so many good memories that took place there." She didn't know what made her say that – because, of course, all those memories involved Barry. Maybe it was the fact that they were getting closer, finding their friendship again, bathing in all those great memories at the park or maybe she just wanted to be honest with him, not holding anything back. Like they had always been.

"Yeah, me too." Barry replied as softly, slightly wistfully. "I still remember the day you showed up unannounced after 2 years of radio silence."

Caitlin chuckled. "Yeah, can't say I regret doing that." She murmured, getting lost in her past again.

[Eight Years Ago]

Caitlin was walking along the streets of Ryker Neve without any precise destination. College life had been crazy and she had come back here barely half a dozen of times in the two years since she had left. And each time not more than a small weekend, limiting her occupations to her house and her family. But today, for once, she could allow herself to simply walk around the town. And without even thinking about it, her feet led her straight to his house.

She swore she hadn't planned it. But maybe, deep down inside, she was craving to see his face again, itching to touch him again, yearning to meet his green eyes again. And she didn't regret it one bit when she saw him looking up from where he was sitting on the front steps of his house, reading some documents – probably university work – as she approached. As soon as he recognised her, he closed the file he had in his hands, put it away and stood up.

"Caitlin?"

It was amazing how the sound of his voice always made her heart flutter even after two years of separation. "Hi Barry." She whispered. And without thinking twice about it, she ran into his opened arms, immediately burying her face in the crook of his neck, getting a long whiff of his scent. A scent she had dearly missed.

The hug was a bit too tight and lasted a bit too long to be strictly friendly. After all, they hadn't been friends the last time they had seen each other. When they pulled away, they both blushed a little and Caitlin bit her lower lip, attracting his eyes to it.

"How are you? How long are you staying? Are you seeing anyone at the moment?" He was speaking way too fast to be unaffected by her presence here. She always had had that effect on him. It was either that or stuttering. He didn't know which one was worst.

Caitlin burst out laughing and she gave him a slight tap on his chest with the back of her hand. "Real smooth, Allen."

Barry just shrugged. "So?" He still wanted that answer.

Caitlin decided to make him sweat a bit. "Well, I'm really good these days. I just finished my exams for this semester last week and I finally have a few days off. What about you?"

He scowled at her, knowing exactly that she was stalling. "I'm glad everything is good for you. For me too." Barry replied quickly. "Oh, and by the way, I'm single." He added innocently with a wink.

"Oh, you are, are you?" She teased, raising a suggestive eyebrow, making him groan. Caitlin finally put him out of his misery, smiling sweetly at him. "I'm not seeing anyone either."

His lips stretched into a wide grin, making her heart miss a beat, and he took a step forward but didn't touch her yet. "Perfect. How long are you staying?"

"Four days." Caitlin replied softly.

His face fell a little. He had expected this kind of answer, but he had hoped it would've been a bit longer. "Hum… So I guess the 'If in a few years we call each other and we still feel the same way, then maybe we can talk about it' doesn't apply to now?" Barry repeated the words she had given him two years ago as she was breaking up with him. "Four days is too short, right?" He asked, trying to see how she felt about it, but looking away at the same time, afraid of her answer.

Caitlin bit her lower lip again and shrugged. "Every song ends. Is that any reason not to enjoy the music?"

Barry's surprised eyes flew up to meet hers and he frowned. "Are you still watching 'One Tree Hill'?"

They used to watch that show together when it first came out. Well Caitlin had insisted to watch it and he had always indulged her because he had been completely whipped. And he had secretly loved it. But ever since they had broken up, he had stopped following the show that would've been in its fifth or sixth season by now.

"Guilty…" Caitlin grinned up at him with a slight blush on her cheeks. "And there's a rerun of the third season that fits perfectly with my study breaks."

He shook his head. "Come here, you dork." Barry chuckled before grabbing her by the waist and bringing her back against his body. She still fit perfectly against him. He dived in and kissed her before she could pull away – not that she wanted to anyway – his boldness totally taking her by surprise. He kissed her as if he had waited a lifetime for this. He kissed her like he didn't want to think about the consequences of his actions.

So she did the same. Her hands flew up to attach themselves around his neck and she rose on her tiptoes to minimise the space between them to a maximum.

And it felt as if they had never stopped kissing. They still knew what made the other moan, what made them deepen a kiss, when it was time to take a breathing break and when it was time to dive back in…

It felt like they were whole again. And they both knew there wouldn't be much talking in the next couple of hours…

Caitlin looked out of the car window to her house. The porch light was on but the rest of the house was dark. Her mother had probably left it on before going to bed, for her daughter to safely find her way back. "Okay, I should go. Thanks for tonight, I had fun."

Barry waved her comment aside. "Psh, don't mention it. That's what friends are here for, right?"

Caitlin glanced back at Barry with a raised eyebrow. "Is that what we are? Friends?" Guilt was suddenly taking hold of her, making her think she had no right to have fun when Ronnie couldn't anymore. Punishing herself for even thinking about her past relationship with Barry. Making her regret feeling so many things in Barry's presence when she was supposed to mourn.

Barry frowned. "Yes, a least that's what I thought we were. Didn't you?"

Caitlin shrugged and looked away from him, not sure she could say her next words while staring at him. "I don't know… I'm just not sure it's a good idea."

"Why not?" He almost fumed, not understanding where it was coming from. Everything had gone great until now.

"Let's be honest Barry, you and I haven't been friends in a long time." She pointed out. "And even when we were, we wanted more from each other. We've spent more time as a couple than as real friends. I'm not sure I even remember what it's like – us being just friends."

"For real?" He squealed, his voice always going towards the higher notes when he couldn't quite believe what he was hearing. "It doesn't mean we can't be friends now!"

"Plus," Caitlin continued, still not looking in his direction, ignoring his comment, "last time I came back to town and we really hung out together it didn't really go as planned, did it?"

"Last time was different and you perfectly know that, Caitlin!" Barry suddenly snapped, his higher voice replaced by a low growl. His anger took her by surprise and she found herself looking back at him to see if he looked as mad as he sounded.

He did.

"I know what you're doing." He continued with a hard voice. "I know you. You're turning cold because you're afraid of getting hurt. So you're shutting me out. You don't want to let me in."

Caitlin rolled her eyes, not liking his tone. "Oh please," she hissed, "it has been 10 years, Barry! How can you possibly say that you know me?"

"Eight!" He almost shouted. "It has been 8 years, as you perfectly corrected me the other day! You and I both know we could never forget those 4 special days we spent together." She opened her mouth but he stopped her before she could say a single word. "And don't pull out that crap about every single cell of the body being replaced every 7 years and being literally another person. I'm not in the mood for some smart-ass comment."

Caitlin looked wide-eyed at him. She had rarely had the occasion to see him that mad. She usually was the most hot-blooded from the both of them. "How did you…?"

"I know you, Cait." Barry whispered, his voice now barely a whisper and so strained it made her heart squeeze.

The young doctor closed her eyes and shook her head. "Whatever." The cold in her voice made a chill run up Barry's spine. "I think it's best if we leave things as they are now. You have a girlfriend and I'm trying to move on from my dead fiancé." She made a pause to take a deep breath. "Bringing us into the mix will just complicate things. I won't stay here indefinitely anyway, so there's no need for us to hang out. I'll spare you the goodbyes."

And with that last comment, Caitlin stepped out of the car and almost ran to her house, not once glancing back to Barry – she didn't want him to see her teary eyes. But if she did, she would've seen him hitting his head repeatedly against the steering wheel of his car, cursing himself.

"Why don't you come back with me to Central City?"

They were both laying in bed, tangled limbs and messy hair, with a simple sheet thrown over their bodies, not a stitch of clothes between them. Caitlin had her head against his chest, her fingers drawing random patterns on it and he was trailing his hand up and down her back.

They had spent 4 glorious days since she had appeared in front of his house, almost every second together, making up for lost time. Majority of it had been spent in the bedroom, but they had also enjoyed their free time around the small town, blissfully ignoring that this was temporary – though they were both very aware of it. And now, her stay was coming to an end and Caitlin was dreading the moment they would have to say goodbye. Again.

Because even after spending all this perfect time with him, she hadn't changed her mind. She didn't see them going anywhere as a couple if they weren't in the same city. Though this time, she was less okay with her decision as she had been a couple of years ago. She loved him – had never stopped – and she wanted to do everything so that they could stay together.

That was her state of mind when a new idea had popped into her head as she was recuperating from a long and perfect moment in his bed, in his arms.

Barry's hand stopped in the middle of her back at her question. "What?" He croaked.

Caitlin put her hand flat on his chest, pushing herself up a bit to meet his eyes. "Come with me to Central City." She repeated, her voice cheerful. "The University is great and I'm sure with your academic transcript you would have no problems getting in to finish your degree there. I'll even help you with all the transfer's paperwork." She explained, so excited by her brand new idea that she didn't spot the pained look that had appeared on Barry's face. "I know your University is good too, but you said it yourself, it's not really what you had expected it to be. Why don't you try the Central City University?" She continued oblivious to his state of mind. "And then we could stay together." She finished, almost out of breath, finally stopping long enough to read his features.

Barry had closed his eyes, clenched his teeth and raised his free hand to pinch the bridge of his nose. Caitlin frowned, her excitement immediately dying down.

"Barry?" She timidly called out.

He let his hand fall back to his side and slowly opened his eyes to look at her worried face. "I dropped out of college." He finally admitted.

Caitlin was taken aback by his confession. She pulled back, sitting on the bed but still facing him. The sheet fell, revealing her glorious naked body to his eyes. Hadn't he been so distraught by their conversation, he would have gladly taken advantage of the situation.

"What do you mean, you dropped out of college?" She sternly inquired very slowly, not liking what he was telling her.

All of a sudden, Barry got angry at her tone and sat up on the bed too, leaning back against the headboard. "Well, exactly what it means, Caitlin! I stopped going this semester, I'm not enrolled anymore." He replied with a patronising voice.

Caitlin gaped at him. Oh she was pissed. Swiftly, she stood up from his bed, grabbed the first t-shirt she found to put it on, shielding her body away from his gaze. She didn't catch the hurt twitch that ran on his face. Caitlin stood in front of the bed, one hand on her hip, the other pointing at him. "Don't talk to me like that, Barry." She warned him. "Why did you give up on your studies? Becoming a forensic scientist was your dream! And why the hell did you have to wait four fucking days to tell me about it?!"

Barry winced. There were only two situations in which Caitlin Snow swore: when she was naked in bed and when she was really, really, angry. It didn't take a genius to know which situation she was currently in.

"Oh no, you don't get to be mad at me for this." Barry replied, getting angrier too, slightly raising his voice. A few minutes ago everything had been almost perfect for a moment and now everything was falling apart. Again.

Except this time they were a bit older, they had lived apart for two years, they had seen the big world outside their small town and they were more passionate.

He threw his legs over the side of the bed to sit on its edge, grabbed his boxers and slid them on. "You haven't been in my life for the past two years. And it was your choice – remember?" He continued without looking at her, avoiding her eyes at all costs as his voice got harder. "You don't get to come here and expect everything to be as it used to."

"You're right." Caitlin sighed and he felt her anger lower down. His word had stung, but she couldn't really blame him. He was right. "But I did that so we could both do what we dreamed about. What was the point of it if you just abandoned?" Her voice cracked and she saw his shoulders and head slump down. His silence told her there was a good reason behind his actions. He wouldn't have just dropped out of college on a whim.

Caitlin slowly made her way to where he was sitting at the edge of his bed. She nudged his legs apart so that she could stand between them and cupped his jaw between her hands to lift his face so that he could look at her. Automatically, his hands went to her hips.

"Would you please talk to me Barry? What happened?" Caitlin asked very softly.

She saw his eyes welling up and before the tears could trail down his cheeks, Barry buried his face against her belly, wetting her shirt in the process. "Barry…" She breathed out painfully, as she ran her hands through his hair while he encircled her body with his arms, bringing her closer to him. Caitlin had forgotten how painful it was to see someone you loved hurting that much. Seeing him in that state was breaking her heart all over again.

They stayed like this for a long moment. Barry sitting on his bed, Caitlin standing between his legs, his face pressed against her belly, her hands buried in his hair, sobs floating around them and soothing sounds coming out from Caitlin's lips. She wouldn't push him to talk, she knew he would eventually. So she waited.

"My mother is sick." Barry whispered against her shirt as his sobs calmed down.

Caitlin gasped at the news.

"My mother is dying…" He continued before she could say anything. "So I dropped out of college to spend the time she has left with her and to take care of my father when she'll be gone."

So his parents weren't travelling Europe as he had told her when she had asked him where they were. They were probably stuck in the hospital. And it wasn't university work he had had in his hands four days ago, it had been his mother's medical files.

Caitlin dropped down onto her knees to be at eye level with him. She softly framed his face with her hands, making him look at her. "Oh Barry…" She whispered. "I'm so, so sorry."

Barry revelled in the feeling of her soft skin against his cheeks. "It's not your fault, Cait." He croaked, closing his eyes, fishing strength out of her touch.

Caitlin shook her head. "No, but I acted like a bitch."

A slight chuckle made his whole body tremble, breaking some of the tension. That was the last thing he had expected her to say in a moment like this. His eyes fluttered open and he got lost in her hazel-brown eyes. "Don't worry, I should've told you." He murmured. "I just wanted to feel normal for a few days. Like none of it was true. Like we never left for college. Like we never broke up."

Caitlin bit her lower lip and nodded. She perfectly understood what he was telling her. She, herself, had acted as if the breakup had never happened, as if she was simply coming home for a long weekend, enjoying her time with her boyfriend. But they had to come back down to reality.

"What does she have?" She finally asked, the future doctor inside of her wanting to know if she could actually help him. Even though she knew she was pretty much as helpless as he was.

"Breast cancer… And it's not looking good Cait…" He choked on his words, the sobs starting anew.

"Oh god, come here Barry." She brought his head to the crook of her neck, tightly hugging him between her arms, before moving them back to his bed so that they could lie together, Caitlin on her back and Barry snuggled tightly against her, finding comfort in her presence.

And they stayed like that for what felt like eternity.