A/N: Thank you, thank you for the alerts and favorites…even though alerts aren't really working right now. *Rolls eyes*. I hope you all see this and read and review anyway.

Cisco stared at the ceiling of his apartment. Stared at the rain spots that turned the pristine white paint, brown and dingy. There was nothing remarkable about it, really, just that he was now noticing it. He was noticing a lot of things about his apartment and everything around him now that he stopped and took the time to do it. He had too much time on his hand but what was he supposed to do now that everything that had been his life over the past couple of years was gone, taking his best friend with it?

Caitlin sat on his couch, routinely bringing a hand up to brush her hair out of her face. Almost a tick now. Even if her hair wasn't in danger of moving she would move her hand like that. Flinch when her hair actually did touch her face, startling her just as much as a sudden wind did now. She stared at the laptop that had been delivered to them.

"Cait," Cisco said quietly.

Caitlin closed her eyes, shook her head.

"Cait, we have to," he said.

He lowered his feet from the kitchen table and got up from his seat, walking over to her. He dropped down onto the couch next to her and placed his arm around her shoulders. She flinched for a moment before turning and leaning into his side. Cisco pressed a kiss to the top of her head and gently rubbed her shoulder. Tears came to his eyes.

"I miss him, too," he said.

"I know," Caitlin replied. "I know you do."

Of course she did. When Barry died she was the first person that moved to comfort him, immediately went to his apartment to sleep on his couch for comfort, stayed up with him when he needed someone to talk to. Maybe she acted a little too coldly at times, going through the motions too easily. But how else was she supposed to act? She'd lost so many people over the years it was almost second nature to her. It was a comfort to him as much as it was a hurt to her. The more she tried to ignore it the worst she became. Almost neurotic, obsessive compulsive, making sure everyone else was okay but not taking care of herself.

Dark circles tinged the bags under her eyes, her hair limp and lifeless, practically living in sweats and rarely putting on any makeup. Cisco certainly wasn't better; he rarely changed out of his own sweats, didn't comb his hair, just pulled it back into a messy bun that he only took down for the shower when he did take a shower. Didn't shave, just as dark of circles under his eyes due to not sleeping.

If he slept he saw it all over again.

Caitlin looped her arm around Cisco's waist and squeezed him as tightly as he held her. They needed to hold each other, to hold on to each other in their pain. Caitlin took a deep breath and lifted her head off Cisco's shoulder. She looked at him and nodded, finally ready.

Cisco nodded back and started the video that played on the laptop.

On screen, Barry smiled at the two. "Cisco, Caitlin," he said. "It's weird that I'm talking to you here even though you're just upstairs. I could be saying all of this to your face but…I don't think I can. I know, weird right? Barry Allen, the motional guy that can't seem to tell you guys what I'm feeling to your face. Maybe it's because I'm scared." He ran a hand through his hair. "I am scared. But not scared of what's going to happen, of what could happen. But scared of what's going to happen to you two when it does. You've already seen something like this happen when the Particle Accelerator blew the first time. I know how…devastated you guys were to lose everyone you cared about. Your jobs. Your reputation. But you stuck with what you had been doing with Dr. Wells and…waited. Waited for me to come out of the coma.

"You stayed with me while I was in my coma. For nine months you were there for me. And I'm sure you've seen a different side of me that I'm sure I never would've wanted anyone to see." He chuckled to himself. Then his eyes narrowed. "You even went through my Facebook page to figure out the sort of things I was into, to get to know me as a person and not just as 'that guy in the coma'. In a strange way I think that made it sure that we were going to be friends even before we actually met. I mean, how many people can wake up with the request to pee in a cup for them?"

Caitlin smiled, brushed a tear away from her eye.

Cisco shook his head, Poker Face started to play softly in the back of his mind. He had grown sick of that song after having played it for the first couple of months while Barry had been knocked out. (Hey, he heard it worked for the Green Day fan who was in a coma, why not try it?) But as he continued to go through Barry's Facebook page he found different parts of the guy's life and started to become engrossed in it. Then he found enjoyment in playing the song again, after seeing how it made his brain waves start to show signs of life.

"After that, after I woke up, you started to talk to me like nothing had happened. And even when I showed my powers you didn't treat me any differently. I wasn't just The Flash to you guys; I was Barry Allen, who happened to be the Flash. Having you as my team to back me up…that made us go from strangers to friends incredibly fast. Faster than I thought was possible. And I loved that about you guys, even if we had different backgrounds we were all the same in our endeavors to save Central City and each other. You saved me from as many things as I may have saved you from. I can't begin to explain how much I appreciate that and appreciate you guys.

"Cisco, before I met you I had no one to be myself around. I couldn't feel that I was able to be the full on nerdy Barry Allen without people looking at me differently until I met you. Not to say you're a nerd, but even you have to admit you have a massive collection of novelty t-shirts. Oh by the way." Barry sniffed and leaned towards the screen. "If you ever noticed a few of them are missing, Caitlin's been taking them out of your closet and replacing them with nicer shirts."

"I knew it," Cisco said. But he couldn't saw it with conviction. There was no fight, no fire left in him, but still, Caitlin could tell he was a little annoyed.

"Some of them were falling apart," Caitlin defended herself in the same tone. "And you have to admit; we went to enough functions for STAR Labs that you needed more dress shirts."

"You could've asked."

"Shh."

"And Caitlin, I know there were many times I've scared you. Especially after Ronnie passed...twice. But you made sure I came back each and every time, figuratively and literally. You've saved my butt more times than I can count. And you've given me some of the best advice I've ever gotten, even when I didn't realize I needed it. You guys…you two are the heart and soul of Team Flash and I wouldn't have been the Flash if it wasn't for you. Take away the power and the suit and I'm just a guy who's crazy enough to go running into danger to take down whoever is disrupting the city. But you guys are the ones that help me figure out how to do it and keep me going when I think I can't do it. I don't know how to thank you more than that."

Barry licked his lips and looked off to the side for a moment. Then his lips pulled back into a smile, his eyes lighting up. He faced the camera once more.

"I just want you to know, without a doubt, you guys are the best friends I've ever had. You're not just my friends; you're my brother and sister. I love you guys a lot and—"

"—what are you doing, man?" Cisco's voice came from off-screen.

Caitlin and Cisco both started to laugh when they realized they were coming on screen, remembering when they caught Barry doing this. It had seemed to insignificant at the time. Just watching him doing something that didn't seem to make much sense at the time. If they had known, maybe they would've paid more attention.

"Yeah, we're supposed to be working on your reflexes," Caitlin's voice said. It took a few seconds for the two to appear on screen over Barry's shoulders, peering directly into the camera.

"Nothing," Barry said quickly. "I was just checking out some of our recording equipment. You know, in case something ever happens at STAR Labs."

"What's going to happen at STAR Labs?" Cisco snorted. "We're an impenetrable force."

"If by impenetrable you mean that we need to consistently update our security…" Caitlin trailed off, pointedly looking at away from him.

Cisco stood up straight and glared at her. "You couldn't let me have that one?"

"There was nothing to have Cisco," Barry pointed out with a light laugh. He reached out to try and turn off the camera but Cisco knocked his hand away. "What are you doing? Stop!"

"It looks like you were doing something important and as your friends—"

"My nosey friends." Barry made a swipe for the camera but Cisco backed out of his reach. If he really wanted it, he would've easily taken it back.

"We have a right to know what it is. But since you're not going to tell us, we're just going to bug you instead." He panned the camera over to Caitlin who smiled and waved. "Say 'hi' to the camera, Caitlin."

"Hi," she said. Then she stopped waving and rested her hand on Barry's shoulder. "Come on, we've got to get going on this. We're playing Ping-Pong this time."

"Not Operation?" Barry teased.

"No, I hate that game."

Barry leaned into the camera. "That's because she always loses."

"The game is anatomically incorrect and it's impossible to get the funny bone out. It's not my fault the game is poorly crafted." Cisco pushed the camera far into Caitlin's face and she glared at him and pushed it back out of the way.

"Whatever, Caitlin. You and I both know that you're just as competitive as everyone else and when you lose you just pout." Cisco then wedged himself in between Barry and Caitlin, practically laying across Barry's lap, making Barry laugh and Caitlin roll her eyes. "Okay, guys, I need some more pictures to put in my apartment. Say cheese."

"Cheese," Barry, Cisco, and Caitlin all said in unison, grinning.

It took a few seconds for Caitlin to notice something off. She reached out and shoved Cisco on the shoulder. "Cisco, you left it on camera mode!"

"Give me that!" Barry lunged for the camera.

Their laughter blended together as the camera shook back and forth before it went dark.

Cisco closed his eyes. He pulled on Caitlin's shoulder, pulling her close to him as she stared to cry again. Barry was gone now, but Cisco could feel the pain starting to go away, starting to whither. Now that he knew Barry felt the same way he did. That they were brothers, not just BFFs.

They were family.

A/N: Two more after this. So glad you guys are enjoying it.

Cheers,

-Riles