It was nice to have a bit of a quiet night in. The holiday they had taken had been good, but since coming back they'd been kept busy. Small crimes, and some larger ones had meant Barry was up and around all day and night. Whether it was as a CSI or as the Flash. Caitlin had been kept busy as well as a result, and they'd not really had much time for one another. Now however, things were quiet and so they were happy just to sit down in front of the T.V. and talk about all sorts of things. This was what Barry loved, sitting down, relaxing, with Caitlin in his arms.
He looks down at her now, her head resting on his chest and he hums contentedly. "God, I've missed this." He says.
Caitlin smiles, and moves her head to look into Barry's eyes. "Me too. You'd think that things would've settled down a little bit, since everything with Zoom."
Barry laughs. "I know right. But again, it seems the villains of Central City have no sense whatsoever. Still, I'm glad that I still get to do this thing."
"How do you mean?" Caitlin asks, though she thinks she has a good idea.
"Well, I mean, towards the end of dealing with Zoom and Cobalt Blue, I didn't know whether I still had it in me, to keep putting on the mask and going out there. I was afraid. But now, now I'm not." Barry replies smiling.
Caitlin smiles in response and leans forward and kisses him, she pulls away before he can deepen the kiss and says. "I'm glad."
Barry grins, but then his face flattens out. A deep concern comes to the forefront of his mind. "Why do you think Claris was after me Cait? I don't think I've done anything to anger the speed force, and the man was fast, there's no doubt about it. Yet, he claimed we had fought one another before, and I have no memory of doing so."
Caitlin bites her lip in thought. She has been considering this, and as of yet she hasn't reached a suitable conclusion. "Well, I'm not sure. What we saw of the video, Claris was definitely talking to someone, someone who must have put the thought into his head. Yet who that person was I do not know. All I know is that they must be quite powerful to kill Claris without showing up on camera."
Barry nods. "I know. There's also the fact that Iris hasn't been able to find anything like this before in any other city. And when I spoke to Clark he didn't know of something like this before either." Barry hesitates then, unsure of whether to mention the word Flashpoint, something about it stirs memories within him, but whether they are his own or someone else's he does not know.
Caitlin sees the hesitation in her boyfriend's face and she wonders at it. "What is it Barry?"
Deciding that he might as well tell her and get her view on the matter, Barry says. "When I knocked Claris down, he mentioned that we had fought before, and when I said that I didn't know what he was on about, he mentioned something called Flashpoint."
A memory flashes in Caitlin's brain, of a hospital, and of being whizzed away, as soon as it comes though it is gone. "Flashpoint?" she asks. "Why would he call it that?"
Barry raises one shoulder and lowers it in a shrug. "I don't know. But something about the name has been bothering me since. It's my name, but I don't know why it's there. It seems so wrong. And then there's the husks as well."
"Husks?" Caitlin asks, this was something Barry hadn't mentioned before.
"Yeah…before I fought Claris I'd just come from a crime scene where there was a husk left behind of a woman. The same height and shape as Patty." Barry says, the image playing in his mind, the data flowing through him.
Caitlin's eyes widen then. "You don't think it could be her, do you?"
"I don't know. It's been a week since we came back, and she hasn't been into the office one day since. That's not like her. Usually she's good about coming into work on time and when she can't make it she usually phones ahead to say why. But so far nothing." Barry replies.
Caitlin sees her boyfriend shift slightly, doing the thing he always does when he's nervous and so she takes his hand and squeezes reassuringly. "I'm sure she's fine. Maybe her phone died? Maybe she's been somewhere without phone reception?"
"Maybe." Barry says. Deciding that he'd rather not think about that just now, he turns to his girlfriend and asks. "What do you want to do this weekend then?"
Caitlin grins, leaning forward, surprised at her own boldness she plants a kiss on Barry's lips, then another one, then another. She presses a hand on his chest and feels a thrill run through her when he responds, kissing her back, leaning down on the sofa. She straddles him and whispers. "I was thinking this. If that's alright with you?"
Barry grins at Cait. "Oh it's more than alright with me." He leans up, capturing her lips with his and soon enough they lose themselves to the tumble of the dance, and their love. A peaceful feeling settles over them as the twists and turns of the dance take hold. When they are done, Barry finds himself lying on the sofa, Caitlin's head on his chest, his breathing slowly returning to normal, he kisses her hair and whispers to her. "I love you Caitlin Snow. More than anything else in the world."
Caitlin feels her heart flutter at his words. "I love you too Barry."
They fall into a companionable silence after that, no words needed, allowing their love for one another to guide them to sleep for a time, until the next adventure comes.
