A/N: Well, I couldn't resist - here's the overly cute, super fluffy epilogue to the story. This is how I would imagine the future between the two of them. I hope you all enjoy, and thanks for reading through all the chapters!
Barry rolled over onto his side, and gazed down at the women sleeping soundly next to him. Long, wavy strands of hair spread across her pillow and her breathing came evenly. He hesitated for a moment, drinking in the peaceful sight, before he brushed a hand lightly across her cheek. She sighed in her sleep and shifted away from his touch, and he grinned. "Sorry," he whispered, leaning in to brush her ear with his lips, "but it's time to get up."
"Noitisnt," she mumbled unintelligibly, squeezing her eyes further shut.
Barry chuckled. "Come on, Cait. You're excited about this, remember?"
Caitlin just groaned and pulled the covers further up over her head.
With a resigned sigh, Barry sped out of bed, yanking the covers off with him and racing away before her indignant complaints could convince him to return the blankets. He knew just how persuasive Caitlin could be when she wanted something, and he was a sucker for whatever she wanted, so it was best to just stay away. Besides, now she wouldn't have a choice but to get up.
A couple minutes later, a pajama-clad Caitlin appeared in the doorway to the bedroom, one hand on her swollen belly and the other against the wall. She glared at him. "That wasn't nice."
"I," Barry smiled, speeding over to her and taking her carefully in his arms, "just really want to know if we're having Flash Jr. or Princess Snow."
Caitlin rolled her eyes and laughed. "We're not naming our baby either of those," she reminded him, leaning her head on his shoulder. "Whether it's a boy or a girl, we're…"
"...naming it something normal," Barry finished, pulling back and giving her a grin. "I know. Now, come on - we're supposed to be at the doctor's office in," he consulted his watch over Caitlin's shoulder, "four minutes, and you're not even dressed."
"Like we're going to be late, Flash," Caitlin teased, pulling away and moving carefully back into the bedroom and towards the dresser.
Barry followed her in and wrapped his arms around her, careful not to squeeze her too tightly. "Still," he said, "you needed to get out of bed."
"And now I need to get out of my pajamas!" Caitlin pulled away from him and started getting dressed. Barry sped over to her bedside table and picked up the diamond ring sitting there, examining it with a satisfied smile.
He'd made the right decision.
…1.5 years ago...
"What are we doing?" Caitlin complained for the twentieth time. "It's a blizzard, and here you are, dragging me out in it in the middle of the night for no apparent reason."
"There's a reason," Barry replied, helping pull her up a steep slope. Her feet slipped, but Barry kept her steady. "It's a challenge! It helps you hone your powers. Besides, the snow is supposed to stop any minute."
Caitlin rolled her eyes. Cisco had given her the power dampeners a couple months ago, and already she was getting significantly better at controlling her powers without going all crazy Killer Frost on everybody. Still, she wore the thin bracelets and the thumb rings day and night, just in case she ever lost control. However, Barry kept insisting that, one day, she wouldn't need them anymore, and so he kept devising tests and finding experiences where she could practice without hurting anyone. This hike, up a mountain in a blizzard in the middle of the night, was one of those experiences.
"Come on, Cait," Barry insisted, vibrating a little bit to keep himself warm. "This is fun. Besides, it's not like you're cold."
"Not cold is different than warm," she noted, longingly imagining a cup of hot chocolate and a blanket.
"We're almost at the top," Barry replied with a quick smile.
Caitlin wasn't sure how he knew - all she could see was the swirling snow that limited her vision to a couple feet ahead of her. She suspected that she could halt the snowstorm entirely, but it sounded like it was a little too risky when she was just beginning to get a grasp on her powers. However, an idea struck her, and she cautiously used a bit of her power to 'encourage' the snow on the path in front of her to move to the sides, showing the frozen ground. She smiled and moved closer to Barry, finding that hiking was much easier now that she wasn't trudging through the deep snow.
"That's cheating," Barry grumbled good naturedly, clasping her hand in his.
"This is a test for my powers, right?" Caitlin returned, leaning up against him. It took some concentration to keep the path clear, but the power dampeners helped her keep control. "Well, I'm using my powers."
"Fair enough." Barry tugged her forward along the path. "Come on, we're almost there. Just a couple more feet."
Caitlin sighed, but she couldn't help the slight smile pulling at her lips at her boyfriend's enthusiasm. His infectious smile always managed to get to her, no matter what. Because of him, she found herself more able to deal with all the trauma and stress associated with her powers, and even believed that one day her powers could be a force for good, with his help.
Suddenly, the slope ahead of them vanished, revealing a clear plateau piled deep with puffy white snow, untouched by humanity.
"It's magical," Caitlin gasped, slowing to a stop. The blizzard was starting to clear up, just as Barry had promised, and the flakes were falling more slowly and infrequently now. The view, however, was what was taking Caitlin's breath away. The plateau looked out over the city, shrouded in a light coating of fine powder. The lights gleamed in the darkness of the night, looking like twinkling stars illuminating the snowflakes. "So beautiful."
"It is," Barry replied, looking into her eyes and ignoring the stunning view completely. "So beautiful." Caitlin blushed and leaned in to kiss him. "Worth it?" Barry mumbled the question, his breath warm against her lips.
"Completely," Caitlin agreed without pausing.
"You know I love you, right?" Barry asked softly, wrapping his arms around her and holding her close. "So much?"
"I know." She did know, without question. Barry had quickly become the focus of her entire world, and he had made his feelings for her clear through his words and actions, leaving no doubt about where he was in their relationship.
"Caitlin," Barry started hesitantly, pulling away slightly to look her in the eyes, "you know that I want this forever, right? That I can't imagine life without you, and I don't want to?"
Before Caitlin could reply, Barry dropped to one knee in front of her, sinking in slightly to the snow. She gasped, emotions churning inside of her as she tried to process everything she was seeing. The snow seemed to slow around them, freezing the moment in time. With a start, Caitlin realized that the snow actually had halted as a result of her powers in a sphere of glowing snowflakes around them.
"Caitlin Snow," Barry started, after clearing his throat a couple of time. Caitlin felt tears start to slip down her cheeks. "Caitlin, these last couple months have been incredible," Barry finally found his voice. "The best of my life, and I couldn't imagine any better."
"Me neither," Caitlin choked out.
"Shush," Barry admonished with a grin. "I'm supposed to be the one doing the talking right now."
"Sorry," Caitlin mumbled through her tears.
"Anyway," Barry continued, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a small, black box, "I love you, and I want you for forever. Will you marry me?" He flipped the box open, revealing a large diamond ring in a simple silver setting, surrounded by a ring of smaller diamonds.
"Yes. Yes, yes, yes," Caitlin babbled almost incoherently, dropping to her knees in the snow in front of Barry.
"Can I put this one you?" The grin on Barry's face was the largest she had ever seen, and it made her feel all warm inside despite the freezing conditions. "I really want to make this official."
Caitlin just nodded, letting Barry slip the beautiful ring onto her finger. It was a perfect fit, and it immediately just felt right.
"Ready to become Mrs. Allen?" Barry asked, pulling her into his lap and wrapping his arms around her.
"Name the day." Leaning her head against his chest, Caitlin smiled and watched the snow resume falling around them, feeling happier than she ever had before.
…
"Mrs. Allen?" The doctor, a balding man with a surprisingly lean body entered the medical room, consulting his clipboard before glancing up at Caitlin and Barry.
"That's right," Barry answered nervously, gripping Caitlin's hand tightly in his own. She squeezed it gently before forcing him to loosen his grip.
"Losing circulation," she whispered in explanation.
"Sorry," Barry muttered under his breath.
The doctor regarded them with amusement. "Are you ready to hear the gender of your baby? he asked, looking back and forth between the couple.
"Yes," Barry said immediately.
"No," Caitlin replied at the exact same time.
The doctor furrowed his brow. "Well, you'll have to pick…"
"Can we have a second?" Caitlin asked, looking between Barry and the doctor.
"Of course. I'll return in a moment."
"Why don't you want to know?" Barry asked, turning to his wife. He had spent the last half and hour on edge, waiting and anticipating the big news. "I thought…"
"I do want to know," Caitlin explained, looking into his eyes imploringly. "Just not like this, not in a doctor's office. I want to do it with Team Flash."
A small smile formed on Barry's face. "I love you," he said wonderingly, amazed for the millionth time that he had been so lucky as to get such a wonderful woman as his wife and mother of his children.
"I love you."
"I'll go find the doctor and get him to write down the baby's gender for us," Barry stood, pressing a quick kiss to Caitlin's forehead, "and then we'll head over to Star Labs."
…1 year ago...
The ceremony was simple, really. Neither Caitlin nor Barry had wanted anything too elaborate - after all, Caitlin had been married once before and Barry couldn't care less about wedding details, as long as it meant that he got to marry Caitlin.
The wedding itself took place on the mountaintop six months after Barry had proposed, in the very same spot. However, now the little plateau was sprinkled with wildflowers in full bloom and surrounded by lush greenery as a beautiful, natural backdrop.
Family was invited, and that included all of Team Flash as they were their adopted family. Barry and Wally had sped up the mountain a handful of times yesterday to bring up decorations and chairs and a simple braided wedding arch. Barry had asked Joe to do the honours of officiating, which had caused the cop to choke up. Even now, as he married them, his voice trembled.
However, Barry and Caitlin's voices were clear and strong as they stared into each other's eyes, promising to love each other forever, no matter what. Barry couldn't take his eyes off his resplendent new wife that entire night, who was glowing in her sheath white wedding dress and gently curled hair. He knew that she thought his suit was attractive, but he had only had eyes for her and hadn't even looked into a mirror. It didn't matter to him what he looked like, as long as she was happy.
The party that night was at Joe's, and Iris had gone crazy with the decorations and finger-food. Barry and Caitlin stayed for a while, enjoying the comfort of their friends, before slipping out quietly.
It was, after all, their wedding night.
…
"Okay, here's the big moment!" Cisco enthused. "Everybody present and accounted for?"
"We're all here, man," Wally confirmed after glancing around. "Can we eat it already?" Everyone present held a vanilla cupcake Iris had baked after Barry had given her the piece of paper containing their baby's gender. Inside, the filling was either blue or pink, but no sign of the colour showed on the outside.
"Ready?" Barry asked, looking at Caitlin expectantly.
"Ready," she agreed, closing her eyes and taking a big bite of her cupcake. Barry did the same, and watched the others in the room follow suit.
"Itagurl," Barry mumbled excitedly through a mouthful of cupcake. He swallowed hastily, then repeated it. "It's a girl!"
Caitlin's dazzling smiled lit up the room as she turned to him and swing his arms around his neck, heedless of the icing he felt smushed into the back of his head as she did so. "What do you think about naming her Nora?" she whispered into his ear and she held him tightly to her.
Barry felt tears pricking at the corners of his eyes. "I would love that."
"I love you."
Barry dropped a hand to Caitlin's swollen belly. "I love you both."
Thanks for reading! Please leave a final review and let me know your thoughts. If you enjoyed this story, you should check out 'Say Something,' my other SnowBarry story, if you haven't already. You're all amazing!
~Caitlin51
