A/N: I can never thank you guys enough for the great reviews you leave here. I love every single one of you and you keep me writing! I hope you enjoy this chapter, I know I loved writing it ;)

I don't own anything :)

Chapter 9. Dark Blue

"This flood is slowly rising up swallowing the ground
Beneath my feet, Tell me how anybody thinks under this condition so
I'll swim as the water rises up, the sun is sinking down
And now all I can see are the planets in a row
Suggesting it's best that I slow down

This night's a perfect shade of
Dark blue"

"Dark Blue – Jack's Mannequin"

"Here you go. This room is all yours for the next few days. There's a bathroom down the hall, you remember right?" Iris explained as she showed Caitlin around Joe's beach house where they were going to spend their small holiday time. Eddie, Barry, Patty and Lily had already left the house to take a short look at the beach.

"Yes, thanks Iris."

The young journalist smiled at Caitlin. "No worries, I'm glad you came. I know we didn't really have time to catch up and hang out ever since you came back, but Barry told me you were going through a rough patch… He really wants to help, you know?"

"I know…" Caitlin sighed, "even tough it feels like it's some kind of weird way to get me to forgive him for not letting me be here for him when his mother was sick."

Iris seemed to ponder on her answer for a short moment. "That's probably part of the reason." She finally said. "But the other major part is that he simply and genuinely cares for you. A lot."

Caitlin silently nodded. "I wanted to thank you for looking out for him when I wasn't here."

"Well, he's my best friend," Iris shrugged, "I would've taken care of him even if you hadn't asked me to."

"I know. I still wanted to thank you though."

Before going back to Central City after finding out about Barry's mother, Caitlin had asked Iris to keep an eye on him. She wanted to make sure he would have someone to take care of him when things got tough and that he pushed her away. She knew Iris was the person for that.

Iris nodded with a sweet smile and they stayed silent for a short moment.

"Don't you get bored?" Caitlin suddenly asked out of nowhere.

Iris frowned. "What do you mean?"

The young doctor blushed in embarrassment. "Back at home. I mean Ryker Neve is a small town, there's not much going on… Don't you get bored some times?"

Iris had always been a girl full of life, always finding new exciting things to do, always planning trips and activities. Caitlin had a hard time imagining her settling down in a small town, having a family and staying put in one place for her whole life. She had always imagined her travelling the world and challenging herself every single day. She was curious about what had changed.

"True, there's not much going on." Iris smiled. "But when you have a café to manage, a journalist's job to fulfil and a four-year-old to take care of, there's not much time left to get bored nor be lonely. Plus, when I found Eddie, I realised that all I ever needed was right here, in that small town. As long as I have him and Lily by my side, everything will be fine."

"Touché, you have a valid point." Caitlin laughed, trying to ignore how her words had struck something inside her. All of this had been what she thought she would have in a few years with Ronnie: a nice job, a nice house, a perfect husband and maybe a family on its way. But it was now gone.

"Anyway," Iris said, seeing that they were entering a sour subject, "make yourself at home and then come down to join us. We've got drinks and snacks waiting for us."

"I'll be there in a second." The young doctor informed her.

Iris winked at her friend before leaving Caitlin alone.

"Okay, so Lily is sound asleep, we're good for the night." Iris informed them later that day, as she came back into the living room were they were all sitting around the coffee table, enjoying a glass of wine. Iris had just gone to put her daughter to sleep.

After settling inside the beach house, the whole gang had cooked something to eat and had spent the beginning of the evening with laughter and happiness. Caitlin had felt at ease the whole time, almost not thinking about her problems, just enjoying her time here. It almost felt like she had always been part of this group. Falling back into a certain friendship with Barry and Iris had come naturally. As for Patty and Eddie, they had accepted her with arms open. Barry's girlfriend was still her happy-self, being nothing but friendly towards the young doctor, to Caitlin's relief.

"What do you guys want to do?" Patty asked cheerfully, sitting straighter on the couch next to Barry. "What about playing some game?

Eddie frowned and Iris chuckled. "Sure, what do you have in mind?" The young reporter inquired.

"You know 'Never have I ever…' right?" Patty's smile widened.

Caitlin, who had been silent until now, nursing her glass of wine on an armchair, rolled her eyes. "And we're back to college…" She mumbled under her breath in spite of herself. She hated the underlying jealousy the blonde brought out of her.

Patty didn't seem to hear her, but Barry let out a small laugh at her comment, winking at Caitlin. The young doctor immediately looked away, blushing in embarrassment as he had caught her childish behaviour.

"Sure, why not?" Iris shrugged. "You go first."

Patty bounced on her seat like a little girl and got lost in her thoughts for a few moments. "Never have I ever…" she trailed off, her lips curling up into a smirk, "had a daughter." She finished proudly, her eyes shooting straight towards Eddie and Iris.

Both of them shook their heads in amusement and took a gulp of their wine. "That was low, Patty." Iris commented without sounding mean. "Okay, my turn," she added with a mischievous grin, "Never have I ever dated Barry!" She teased. "Payback's a bitch."

Patty glared at the young mother but willingly drank a bit of her wine with a giggle. Her smile instantly faded away once she caught Caitlin also taking a gulp of her drink. Iris followed her eyes and cursed under her breath. She hadn't taken this into consideration when she had uttered those words. She hadn't wanted to turn things awkward.

Her head snapped back to the blonde woman as she spoke again, this time towards Barry. "Why are you drinking honey? Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think you've ever dated yourself." The smile on Patty's lips was completely gone and her brows were furrowed.

Barry shrugged. "Oh I know, but I think I'm going to need the alcohol if I want to make it through this game." He explained playfully, but the other four people in the room could clearly feel the tension in his shoulders.

"Sorry." Iris mouthed apologetically to her best friend.

Caitlin felt her heart being heavy in her chest and breathing became harder. She hated herself for reacting like that every time her passed relationship with Barry would come up. All these years she had managed to convince herself she had moved on from him, but here she was, feeling unwell at seeing him with his new girlfriend, feeling nostalgic from the old time, forgetting she was supposed to mourn.

Caitlin suddenly stood up from her chair, leaving her unfinished glass of wine on the coffee table. "You guys keep playing, I'm going to go get some air." She explained as they all looked up questioningly at her.

"You okay, Cait?" Barry's worried voice caught her attention and she tried to give him her most reassuring smile.

"Everything's fine, I just need to stretch my legs." She explained.

"I'll come with you then." Barry simply stated.

Caitlin looked at him wide eyed and shook her head. "No it's okay, really."

"Good." Barry nodded, standing up from the couch. "I'm still coming. I don't like the idea of you alone out there."

Caitlin rolled her eyes. "Well, suit yourself." She knew there was no point in trying to change her mind. He was almost as stubborn as her.

"Barry…" Patty trailed off, silently asking him to stay.

"We'll be back in a bit, don't worry." Barry sweetly smiled back at his girlfriend before dropping a kiss on her forehead and following his ex out of the house.

Caitlin took her high heels off and let them dangling down from two fingers, and together they began walking on the sand along the water, making small talk to avoid any sensitive subjects.

"You know, you may be older, more mature and more sure of yourself, but you still have no clue about women." Caitlin commented after a peaceful moment of silent.

Barry frowned at her. "What do you mean?"

"Patty," Caitlin explained, "the last thing she wants is for you to follow your ex every time she leaves the room."

Barry chuckled. "Oh don't worry about Patty. I told you we talked about it. She's fine with everything."

"As I said, you still know nothing about women." Caitlin insisted.

"Hey! I knew enough to get your attention back in high school." Barry tried to defend himself.

Caitlin giggled. "Yeah but I was a teenage girl desperately in love with you. That doesn't count."

"Of course it does!" He exclaimed himself, almost offended she would suggest it didn't. "And don't worry, Patty's cool with it. I explained everything, I apologised for being an idiot and told her I wanted to be a good friend for you. I'm here for you, Cait." His voice had turned serious again, his eyes boring holes in her skin.

Caitlin took a deep breath to calm the shiver that shook her whole body at his words. How could he still have that kind of effect on her after all these years? It wasn't even like if she was still in love with him. She had moved on. She loved Ronnie. Barry shouldn't be able to move her like that, with a few simple sweet words. She just missed the attention. That was it. She just needed someone to pay attention to her. It had nothing to do with him being Barry. At least that was what she tried to convince herself of.

"I love this beach." She whispered, trying to change the subject.

"Hum… me too."

"I don't even know what makes it so special. It just is." As soon as she said those words, she knew she shouldn't have. Of course she knew what made it so special, why she loved this precise beach so much.

"I know what you're talking about." Barry spoke softly.

Of course he knew what she was talking about. During spring break from their senior year, the young couple and a few friends had spent almost the whole week here, at Joe's beach house. It had been a few days filled with laughter, beach parties, barbecues, silly games and friendship. During those five days, Barry and Caitlin had gotten used to go walk on the beach just after dinner. It had been their small moment of peace and they had cherished every minute of it.

Caitlin blushed. She hadn't meant to bring those memories up. A heavy silence hovered above the both of them as they slowly walked along the beach. The wind was getting stronger and the waves got wilder. But Caitlin felt safe. Maybe it was because of the peace coming with the night, because of the familiarity of the place or simply because of the man walking next to her.

The peaceful moment was broken by a muffled cry for help. Both of them immediately stopped, trying to decipher where the cry had come from.

"Help!"

At the same time, they both looked out in the water. There, with quite some difficulty, they managed to make out a silhouette struggling in the water. Someone was in there, fighting for their life, trying not to drown and being taken over by the wild waves.

"Oh god…" Caitlin whispered.

Before her brain could even think of the best way to help that person, Barry launched himself forward.

Caitlin immediately ran after him. "Barry don't…" She grabbed his arm to stop him as he was almost reaching the water. "The waves are too wild. You'll only get yourself killed trying to help that person. It's not safe!"

Barry looked straight into her eyes and slightly shook his head. "Caitlin, I have to go!" He said almost apologetically and managed to get away from her grip. He shrugged his jacket off, threw it on the sand and ran into the water, diving in as soon as swimming became easier than walking.

Caitlin's heart stopped as soon as the water touched his skin and her breathing became elaborated. Barry was a good swimmer, but there was no way he would be able to make it through those waves alive, even less while trying to get someone else back to the shore.

And those last words he had said had chased the air out of her lungs. That couldn't happen. Not again!

She couldn't go after him because that would be as reckless as Barry going in the first place. She had to go search for some help. She remembered walking by a lifeguard station not long ago and she had even noticed the two red flags flapping in the air, informing them that the water was closed to public. Barry had even commented on it, telling her that he had learned the meanings of the different flag colours a few years back.

She went on her tiptoes, trying to see where Barry was and if he was still okay. But there was no sign of him. Without thinking twice about it, Caitlin dropped her high heels she had been carrying in her hand and dashed across the beach in the direction of the cabin. She almost tripped half a dozen times and she cursed under her breath, hating the way the sand was making the ground so shaky and unstable under her weight.

Hope burst into her chest when she spotted the cabin, but even more when she saw light shining through the windows, and she managed to run faster the last few meters. Caitlin climbed the couple of stairs leading to the door and she banged loudly against the wooden surface. A man in his mid thirties soon opened the door, eyes wide as he saw the state Caitlin was in.

"I need your help. Two people are drowning over there. You need to help them. Please." Caitlin told him very quickly, the words tumbling down her lips, her breathing becoming even more uneven. "We heard some cry for help and my friend went into the water to save that person but I don't think he's going to make it."

The man's training kicking in, he grabbed a set of keys and followed Caitlin down the stairs. After confirming the position of the two persons, he ordered her to stay on the beach as he went to his lifeguard boat and made his way towards the position Caitlin had pointed at.

The young woman ran back to the place where she had last seen Barry, finding the spot where she had dropped her high heels right next to his jacket. Anxiously, she watched the boat's lights as it floated on the water. Caitlin didn't know how long she stayed there, looking at the immensity in front of her, nervously fidgeting with the hem of her t-shirt. Her legs felt weak, but she stayed up. Her eyes were burning from the tears, but they stayed opened. Her teeth hurt, but her jaw stayed clenched. She didn't know how long she stayed like that, but it felt like an eternity.

Finally, the boat came back to the shore and Caitlin snapped back into focus, running to the lifeguard.

"I've got them," he shouted to the young woman, lifting one man out of the boat and positioning him on the sand far enough from the water, "but they need medical assistance." He added before going back to the boat to pick up Barry and do the same. Caitlin's heart missed a beat as she saw his limp body in the lifeguard's arms.

"I called the emergency service with my radio and they are on their way." The man continued, laying Barry next to the other unconscious man. "But these guys need immediate assistance and I can't do both of them at the same time. Do you know any first aid assistance?"

Caitlin ran the few steps separating her from the three men and threw herself on the ground next to Barry, immediately bowing forward, placing her ear next to his nose and mouth. Finding no clear sign of Barry's breathing, she instantly checked for his pulse. Her heart dropped when she didn't find any. "I'm a doctor." She informed the lifeguard breathlessly while tilting Barry's head back, lifting his chin to free his airway.

The lifeguard let out a breath of relief. "Well then these guys are extremely lucky." He said before turning his full attention to the other man, clearly seeing that Caitlin wanted to be the one helping Barry.

The woman was already kneeling next to the young man, both hands pressing into his chest in a regular rhythm, performing CPR.

"Stay with me," Caitlin whispered more to herself than anyone else, "come on, Barry. Stay with me. Please Barry, please!"

After 30 compressions, she stopped the pressure on his chest long enough to pinch his nose close, open his mouth wide, applying her mouth against his and breathe twice in it. With relief, she watched his chest rise –showing her the air was reaching his lungs. After that, she resumed her chest compressions. Again, after counting to 30, she repeated the process of mouth-to-mouth. She was about to breath in a second time when Barry suddenly coughed, his body jerking to the side as water came out of his mouth.

Caitlin swore she could've cried right at this moment. She fell back on the sand, pressing her knees to her chest as she watched Barry catch his breath. Her hand instantly went to catch his wrist and she felt her heart jump in her chest when she found the weak throb of his pulse against his skin.

"Oh god that burns." Barry groaned as he looked up at Caitlin with a faint smile.

The young woman couldn't bring herself to smile back as she let go of his wrist. She was under shock. She was a doctor; she had seen worse and had acted in emergencies with much more chaos around her. But she had never felt so scared in her entire life.

"Hum… I guess I should've asked some Gillweed to Dobby to be able to breath underwater like Harry Potter." Barry croaked.

Caitlin frowned at him, her lips forming a thin line. "This isn't funny!" She hissed. "You could've…"

"I didn't!" He cut her off immediately, his eyes softening as he managed to seat up, his eyes reaching the same level as hers.

"Good job, doc'!" The lifeguard next to them suddenly interrupted them. Caitlin almost jumped in surprised, she had completely forgotten about the two other men. The one that had been unconscious a few minutes ago was also catching his breath, spitting out spurts of water.

The lifeguard extended his hand to Barry. "Thank you for helping me to get this guy on the boat. I'm just sorry it took me so long to get you out too. If it weren't for you, I would've probably been to late to save him."

Barry shook the man's hand and shrugged his comment away as if everything was completely normal and he hadn't just risked his own life.

Caitlin frowned at them and was about to ask what exactly had happened out there when the heard the ambulance's siren approaching. "Well that's our ride." The lifeguard stood up and helped the other man, putting his arm around his shoulder. "Come on." He added as he walked away from Barry and Caitlin.

Barry tried to stand up but groaned in pain and fell back down. "Arrg… I think you broke my ribs."

Caitlin rushed to him, helping him up. "Well, it was either that or lungs filled with water. Sorry I couldn't ask for your opinion." She replied, still not over the fact that she had had his lifeless body under her hands mere moments ago.

"It's okay, I forgive you." He teased as they made their way towards the ambulance, after Caitlin swiftly picked up his jacket and her high heels still lying on the sand.

"It's not funny, Barry." She whispered, almost wishing he wouldn't hear how scared she had been in her voice.

But he did. He had always been really great at reading and understanding her. "I'm okay, Cait. You saved me." He said softly.

Caitlin shook her head, gripping at his hand that she had thrown over her shoulder to support him during their walk. She momentarily closed her eyes to keep the tears from escaping but it did the exact opposite and a couple of tears came rolling down her cheeks. "What happened?" She finally gathered the courage to ask him.

Barry stopped walking for a moment and took a deep breath. "I was still conscious when our hero arrived, I was barely managing to keep both of our heads out of the water. I tried to reach the shore before, but the waves and the courant were just too strong." Caitlin went to stand in front of him, fear written all over her face. "Mr. Lifeguard helped me to get that guy completely out of the water but when he was safely into the boat, a wave took over me and I don't remember anything else after that…" Caitlin sucked in a breath. "Until you kissed me." Barry added with a smirk.

Caitlin pulled her head back, frowning. "I didn't kiss you."

"Yeah you did." Barry smugly moved his head up and down.

"Oh don't be such a kid, Barry." Caitlin scowled before standing next to him again, resuming their walk towards the ambulance. "I was saving your life, show some respect."

Barry chuckled and coughed at the same time, his throat still sore from all the water. "Alright, alright, I was just joking." He put his free hand up in surrender. He glanced sideway at her and his features became really soft. "Thank you, by the way."

Caitlin's lower lip got sucked in between her teeth as she nodded shyly. Silently, they both joined the ambulance where they checked Barry. Surprisingly, they attested that his ribs weren't broken and they simply wrapped him up before asking him to take things easy in the next few days. They really want him to come to the hospital with them but Barry refused. Discharging him under Caitlin's care was the only way allowing Barry to avoid a trip to the hospital.

So she agreed to take care of him and, without a word, they went back to the beach house.

A/N: So I hope you enjoyed this chapter! If you haven't seen yet, I also posted two one-shots this weekend for the "Summer Lovin' 16" challenge. One of them is a Lifeguard AU :)

Until next week!